Australian news and politics live: Trump signs tariff executive orders, Labor welcomes 10 per cent

Fighting anti-Semitism remains the top priority for Australia’s intelligence agency in terms of threats to life, the nation’s spy chief Mike Burgess has confirmed.

“Unfortunately, it’s something we’re still working hard on,” Mr Burgess, the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said on Friday.

Mr Burgess praised the “great progress” made by counter-terrorism teams after a second man was arrested this week in relation to the arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne in December during a spike in anti-Semitic incidents.

But he added that, “we still have open lines of investigations getting behind what was driving this behaviour.”

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Contrary to earlier concerns of a tariff hike, Australia will continue to face a 10 percent baseline tariff on exports to the United States, following the latest executive orders signed by US President Donald Trump.

The White House confirmed that this baseline tariff rate applies to countries not specifically named in the executive order.

This includes Australia and about 60 other nations, which remain subject to the 10 percent tariff.

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Health Minister Mark Butler has echoed concerns raised by Australia’s top spy chief about the sharp rise in espionage threats facing the nation.

Responding to ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess’s warnings of “unprecedented levels and sophistication” in foreign intelligence activities—including a marked interest in sensitive programs like AUKUS—Mr Butler has stressed the need for constant vigilance in both public and private sectors.

“We live in a precarious, volatile time and we are going to be the target as are many, many other countries around the world for foreign interference and espionage,” he told Sunrise on Friday morning.

“That number of disrupted espionage events, 24 over the last three years is more than the previous eight years combined. So, it shows that that threat is rising.

Civil rights groups have hit out against a premier who said his city would “descend into chaos”, with protesters vowing to march across a national landmark to put a spotlight on the starvation of millions of people in Gaza.

Thousands of people were expected to join the Sydney Harbour Bridge procession on Sunday to protest Israel’s war on the blockaded enclave, before police confirmed they would not permit it.

NSW Police has taken court action to categorise it as unlawful and unauthorised, with the matter is listed for 12.30pm on Friday in the Supreme Court.

Organising group Palestine Action Group Sydney has vowed to rally regardless, without specifying where, of the court outcome, ending a Facebook post with “whatever happens, see you on Sunday”.

At the same time, five NSW Labor MPs are amongst a 15-strong group of politicians planning to march on Sunday.

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Are you tired of winning yet?

That was the question the United States Treasury Secretary asked his followers as he retweeted a White House post that celebrated $US150 billion in tariff revenues over an image of Donald Trump.

It pains me to say it but the US is winning.

It has used its economic weight to bake in higher prices for its trade partners without coming up against any serious opposition, except China who has for years has exploited its economic strength to undercut everyone else.

We are now in a world comparative advantage — the notion that each country should specialise in what it produces most efficiently, and trades for what the other does better — is being replaced by zero-sum game.

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“We need to be clear-eyed that there are people wanting to steal secrets, some of them government, some of them commercial. And when you’re clear-eyed about what’s happening, you can then sensibly take the measures to make it as hard as possible for them to do that,” Mr Burke told ABC RN Breakfast.

“For people who want to engage in espionage and foreign interference, their methods should not begin with a simple Google search to see who are the people who they would need,” also pointing out that the number of individuals publicly mentioning their security clearances on social media has decreased since initial concerns were raised several years ago.

This move follows Mr Trump’s recent warning of imposing sweeping tariffs of 15 to 20 percent on all global trade partners who fail to negotiate deals with the US.

Liberal Senator Jane Hume has called for heightened vigilance in light of the growing intelligence threat around AUKUS, Australia’s trilateral defence pact with the US and UK.

It comes after ASIO chief Mike Burgess warned that foreign espionage has reached “unprecedented levels and sophistication,” with nations showing “very unhealthy interest in AUKUS.”

“This process (of annual ASIO warnings) is part of the educative response. People in those departments should know this as part of their security clearance training,” Ms Hume told Sunrise on Friday morning.

“AUKUS is such an important strategic agreement. It’s got so much potency, power, and potential that foreign actors are trying to access that information any way they can. We should be on heightened alert.

“This speaks to the strength of the agreement and why we should not just embrace it, but strengthen it with both the UK and the US.”