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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Mostafa Rachwani and Graham Readfearn

New shadow foreign minister says he wants to work ‘constructively’ with Penny Wong – as it happened

Anthony Albanese Indonesia
Simon Birmingham and Penny Wong in the senate chamber of Parliament House in November
Newly appointed shadow minister for foreign affairs Simon Birmingham (pictured with Penny Wong in the senate chamber of Parliament House in November) said on Sunday that Australia ‘should seek to engage the world with one voice where possible’. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

What we learned today, Sunday 5 June

We’re going to wrap things up for the evening. Here’s a recap of the day’s main events:

  • Australia’s defence department says a Chinese fighter jet engaged in a dangerous manoeuvre against an RAAF surveillance aircraft on 26 May. The jet sent out flares and then shards of aluminium chaff during the encounter over the South China Sea region.
  • The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, announced his shadow ministry, which includes 10 women, and with the Nationals securing six positions.
  • Shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, has assured bipartisanship on foreign policy.
  • The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said there will be a meeting of state and territory ministers this week to address the gas shortage.
  • Albanese has flown to Jakarta for a three-day visit, with trade, climate change and energy top of the agenda in his talks with Indonesian president, Joko Widodo.
  • Nationals leader, David Littleproud, said he was open to a “gas reservation policy” to avert what’s being described as a gas supply crisis.
  • Victoria’s opposition unveiled a cash rebate scheme for IVF treatments to help alleviate the financial pressure of the costly procedures.
  • The Tasmanian government will introduce laws to outlaw the display of Nazi symbols.
  • The NSW government announced it will be adding nearly 2,000 paramedics as part of a $1.76bn funding boost.

Updated

NSW to fund almost 2,000 more paramedics as part of funding boost

So earlier today, the NSW government announced it will be adding nearly 2,000 paramedics as part of a $1.76bn funding boost.

The NSW government will fund 1,858 new paramedics and 30 more ambulance stations across the state in the coming budget.

It will cost $1.76bn over four years, including funds for 210 ambulance support staff, 52 nurses and eight doctors.

You can read more on the announcement at the story below:

Updated

SA premier says shadowing paramedics showed him ‘how dire the need’ for more funding is

Last night, South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, shadowed paramedics as they attended to emergencies, as part of his push to increase funding toward paramedic recruits.

The $124m promised is part of a larger funding commitment of $2.4bn to improve the state’s healthcare system.

Three hundred and fifty new paramedics will be recruited in the next four years in an attempt to relieve a stretched system.

Speaking at a presser this morning, Malinauskas said the experience had shown him “how dire the need is”.

I was able to see just how dire the need is.

The dedication and the perseverance from those two ambos last night, it fills you with pride, but fills you with urgency – we need to help these people on the front line.

The moment our ambulance was cleared, the next job was called straight away.

Updated

Shadow foreign minister assures bipartisanship on foreign policy

Newly appointed shadow minister for foreign affairs, Simon Birmingham, has released a statement on his Facebook page, welcoming his new role.

He looks forward to “working constructively” with the foreign minister, Penny Wong, where Birmingham says Australia should “engage the world with one voice”:

Australia’s foreign policy settings enjoy significant areas of bipartisan support. We should seek to engage the world with one voice where possible and, where appropriate, I look forward to constructively working with foreign minister Penny Wong.

Updated

Shadow treasurer says Coalition gave new government toolkit to ‘continue Australia’s strong economic position’

The new shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, has released a statement, welcoming his own appointment, before going on to say the Coalition had given Labor “the toolkit it needs” to continue “Australia’s strong economic position”.

Taylor fondly recalls the previous government’s pandemic policies, saying it provided “unprecedented economic support” that “had to be temporary, targeted and scalable”.

Taylor differentiates himself from Dutton by saying Labor must take responsibility for “what happens from here”, before characterising the government’s approach as “heavy-handed”.

The Coalition has given the Labor Party the toolkit it needs to continue Australia’s strong economic position with record low unemployment, strong GDP growth, historically low interest rates and the largest turn around to the budget bottom line in 70 years.

We put a speed limit on taxes – keeping them below 23.9 per cent of GDP. Labor has not done this.

They must take responsibility for what happens from here.

Labor’s $18.3 billion in promised extra spending and $45 billion in off-budget funds risks stoking inflation and putting at risk Australia’s AAA credit rating.

If Australia’s credit rating goes down, Australian families’ mortgage payments will go up – it’s that simple.

We will hold Labor to account to ensure its heavy-handed approach does not lead to higher inflation, higher interest rates, higher taxes, or further drive-up prices for households and small businesses.

Updated

Jacinta Price says she will urge Coalition to prioritise other issues in Indigenous communities over Voice to Parliament

Building on Dutton’s comments below, the only Indigenous MP for the Coalition, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, has told the Nine newspapers she will urge the opposition to tackle education and family violence instead of pushing for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

The Country Liberal party senator said she will implore Coalition leadership to push on with action on issues she says are more important to her constituents.

We’ve got to understand what Labor proposes through this Voice process, and we’ve got to take a look at that before we take a clearer position on it, but I would certainly urge my colleagues to prioritise [more critical] issues.

[The Voice] doesn’t clearly outline how, in fact, we’re going to solve some of our really critical issues, issues that I’ve been very much campaigning on for many years around family and domestic violence, around child sexual abuse, around education.

Updated

Voters will have ‘buyer’s remorse’ about Labor government, Dutton says

Dutton also previewed what I’m sure will become repetitive attacks on Labor (considering we have been hearing this for a while already) in blaming inflation on the government.

Notwithstanding that he was in government just over two weeks ago, Dutton charged ahead, saying voters will soon have “buyer’s remorse,” adding that Labor will “always spend more”:

I think that there will be a lot of people with buyer’s remorse by the end of the period, because the decisions Labor [makes] will drive up inflation. It’s obvious already they hadn’t even included all of their spending proposals in the pre-election figures that they released.

Already, you have a ratings agency which is out there talking about our triple-A rating being negatively impacted because of the amount of money Labor is proposing to spend. If you spend that in a high inflationary environment, interest rates will be higher, cost of living will be higher under Labor, and that is going to be the lived experience, unfortunately.

That is what Labor do, they always spend more than what they have, which is why they tax more, that is a dampening impact on the economy as well. There is a lot ahead we will have to deal with, and the team we announced today has, I think, a great capability and a great capacity to take the fight up to Labor ... to hold the government to account.

Updated

Dutton describes Chinese fighter jet manoeuvre as ‘act of aggression’

Dutton was also asked about the Chinese fighter jet the government says made a “very dangerous” manoeuvre in the South China Sea region.

He says it was “concerning” to hear, but interestingly, pointed to his predecessor’s position on these issues, which is a fascinating strategy to take after that election result.

Here’s what he said:

It indicates the position of the government under Scott Morrison took before the election. This is a very serious time, and we will support the government in whatever actions they need to take to keep our country safe.

An act of aggression as we have seen here is not dissimilar to what we have sent on a regular basis in the East China Sea. The reality is that ... the Japanese [are] experiencing these acts of aggression on a daily basis on the water. And elsewhere.

China says one thing, but you have to look at their actions, and their actions here are dangerous. And the government’s right to point out that this could put lives at risk, of the Australian defence forces in this case, the Australian royal air force. It is concerning and we will support the government in whatever action they take to get the country safe.

Updated

Nationals leader David Littleproud says he will ‘continue to draw on’ Joyce and McCormack

Newly crowned Nationals leader, David Littleproud, was also at Dutton’s presser, and gave an interesting reflection on the two previous leaders of the party.

Littleproud announced the former leader Barnaby Joyce will be shadow minister for veteran affairs, while the other former leader in his party, Michael McCormack, will take on the role of shadow minister for international development in the Pacific.

Littleproud then also paid tribute to the two previous leaders, saying he wants to “draw on both” for ways in which to “nurture the next generation”:

I want to acknowledge these two men’s leadership in the National party and I will continue to draw on both to ensure the National party is able to nurture the next generation in a harmonious way in making sure we are a constructive part of the Coalition, within the Coalition, to the next election in 2025, and making sure that we are a credible alternative to the current government.

I look forward to the fight we put up to this level of government, not only now, but until the 2025 election.

Updated

Coalition will focus on ‘practical ways’ to support Indigenous communities, Dutton says

Dutton was also asked about how the Coalition will approach Indigenous issues, especially with a likely referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament on the cards.

Dutton waxed lyrical about “practical” ways in which the Coalition will approach the issue, with a particular focus on “regional and remote areas”.

There will be a process within the Coalition to look at what the government is proposing.

There will be a specific focus from us on practical ways in which we can provide support to Indigenous communities, not just in capital cities but also regional and remote areas. I want to make sure that we can increase the support provided, the health outcomes, education outcomes, housing outcomes, and as a team we’ll be working on that because it is one of the most significant issues as a country we have to deal with.

Updated

Peter Dutton says Marise Payne initially asked not to be considered for shadow ministry

I just wanted to rewind a bit and go through opposition leader Peter Dutton’s earlier announcement of the shadow cabinet, where he claimed the lineup has “some fresh faces” and “incredible depth of talent”.

Dutton opened by focusing on the new, mentioning also that Marise Payne needed to be convinced to return to the ministry.

What you’re seeing in this lineup is some fresh faces, we have incredible depth of talent. Not just on the frontbench, but on the backbench as well. I’m cognisant of trying to bring people through for an opportunity, and you will see that we have some very impressive appointments.

I’m proud of the fact that Sussan Ley, as my deputy, will not only be the deputy leader, but the shadow minister for industry for skills and training and shadow minister for women.

She has a significant workload, but Sussan has a great capacity and is very significant part of not only our response in urban areas, but in regional areas as well. I’m really pleased that we have, in our covenant of 24, 10 women – and I should note that Marise Payne has asked originally to not be considered for the shadow cabinet, but I’ve worked with her very closely for a long time.

I’ve got the utmost respect in her filling the role of shadow cabinet secretary, which is an important role.

Updated

Good afternoon, and a quick thanks to Graham Readfearn for manning the blog. This is Mostafa Rachwani, and there is still much to get through – so let’s dive in.

Updated

And with that, I’ll hand you over to my colleague Mostafa Rachwani to take you through the remainder of the day.

Have a good one.

Full makeup of Coalition’s shadow ministry revealed

We’ve been sent the full list of Peter Dutton’s shadow ministry, so here it is.

Updated

Julian Leeser, who backs Indigenous voice to parliament, to be shadow attorney general

Peter Dutton has announced that Julian Leeser will be the shadow attorney general and Indigenous affairs minister.

Leeser is an interesting choice, because he is a supporter of the Indigenous voice to parliament.

In a speech tabling a report on constitutional recognition, Leeser said:

My personal involvement in this debate goes back to 2014 when Damien Freeman and I, as a private citizen, wrote a paper on the proposal to adopt an Australian declaration of recognition and launched an organisation called Uphold & Recognise to encourage constitutional conservatives to play a part in supporting the constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

I remain committed to constitutional recognition and I’m on record as being a supporter of the voice with a basis in the constitution. There are some constitutional proposals I could support and others to which I remain opposed.

The former Indigenous affairs minister, Ken Wyatt, lost his seat of Hasluck at the election.

Updated

The shadow positions Dutton failed to mention

Dutton didn’t mention in his press conference who was going to cover the shadow responsibilities of environment, climate change or energy. Or foreign affairs.

But we hear a list might be coming and Senator Simon Birmingham will get the foreign affairs gig.

Updated

The Nationals’ shadow portfolios

Nationals leader David Littleproud listed out his party’s shadow ministerial positions, but here they are in full.

  • David Littleproud MP - Agriculture
  • Senator Perin Davey - Water Resources and emergency management
  • Senator Bridget McKenzie - Infrastructure, transport, regional Development
  • Kevin Hogan MP - Trade and tourism
  • Senator Susan McDonald - Resources and northern Australia
  • Barnaby Joyce MP - Veterans’ affairs

In the outer ministry, the Nationals have the following:

  • Andrew Gee MP - Regional health, regional education
  • Michael McCormack MP - International development and the Pacific

The Nationals’ assistant shadow ministers are:

  • Anne Webster MP - Regional development
  • Michelle Landry MP - Manufacturing
  • Pat Conaghan MP - Social service and prevention of domestic violence

Updated

Angus Taylor to be shadow treasurer

We’ll tidy this up once we get the full list of the shadow ministry, because – dare I say bizarrely – Dutton doesn’t seem interested in listing out the shadow ministry in order.

  • Angus Taylor is shadow treasurer.
  • Barnaby Joyce is the shadow minister for veterans affairs.
  • Alan Tudge is shadow minister for education.
  • Jane Hume is the shadow finance minister.
  • Sarah Henderson is the shadow communications minister.
  • Julian Leeser is the shadow attorney general and also gets indigenous affairs.

Still more to come while we sort through this.

Updated

Alan Tudge appointed shadow education minister

Sussan Ley takes on shadow portfolios of women and industry

More on the new shadow cabinet, which Dutton did not list in full, but is dripping out after being asked questions from reporters.

  • Deputy leader Sussan Ley, the former environment minister, will take on the shadow industry, skills and training portfolio and also be shadow minister for women.
  • Former foreign affairs minister Marise Payne has asked not to be in the shadow cabinet, but will be cabinet secretary.
  • Karen Andrews will be shadow minister for home affairs, as well as child protection and prevention of family violence
  • Michaelia Cash will be shadow minister for employment and workplace relations.
  • Anne Ruston will have the health and aged care shadow role.
  • Andrew Hastie is the shadow minister for defence

More to come.

Updated

Dutton says 10 women will be in his shadow cabinet

Opposition leader Peter Dutton is now speaking in Brisbane and says that in his shadow cabinet of 24, there will be 10 women.

The Nationals have secured six of those 24 positions.

More to come on this.

Updated

We’re (still) waiting to hear from the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, about the makeup of his new shadow frontbench. We haven’t forgotten or anything.

There’s been plenty of adjusting of microphones at an empty lectern in Brisbane for the last hour.

Updated

While we wait for Peter Dutton to lay out his new shadow ministry, my colleagues Adam Morton and Lisa Cox (and I) have looked at the key challenges facing the new environment minister, Tanya Plibersek.

Updated

We’re expecting to hear in the next few minutes from the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, who is expected to announce the line-up of his new shadow ministry.

Earlier today, Dutton promised “new faces”, and said “as many women as possible” would be on his team.

Updated

My colleague Paul Karp has the full story on the Chinese fighter jet incident that we’ve been following today and was revealed earlier by Australia’s defence department.

A Chinese PLA J-16 fighter
A Chinese PLA J-16 fighter. Photograph: AP

Updated

National Covid-19 update

Here are the latest coronavirus case numbers from around Australia on Sunday, as the country records at least 30 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

ACT Health advised that technical issues have delayed weekend Covid case updates, and that these will be released on Monday 6 June.

NSW

  • Deaths: 5
  • Cases: 5,168
  • In hospital: 1,264 (with 33 people in ICU)

Northern Territory

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 132
  • In hospital: 13 (with 2 people in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 2,716
  • In hospital: 282 (with 5 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 2
  • Cases: 2,197
  • In hospital: 232 (with 8 people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 529
  • In hospital: 42 (with no one in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 16
  • Cases: 7,077
  • In hospital: 499 (with 28 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 5
  • Cases: 5,368
  • In hospital: 280 (with 15 people in ICU)

SA records 2 Covid deaths and 2,197 new cases

My Guardian colleague Peter Hannam is pointing out that while there’s plenty of very cool weather about, the autumn just gone was the second-warmest on record for minimum temperatures.

Updated

Lots of Australians in the southern states are trying to stay warm today with a cold front sweeping across, bringing blizzard conditions. Does soup help? Maybe it does.

Here are 10 winter soup recipes from Australian chefs.

The blizzard conditions in the alpine regions of NSW and Victoria are extending into South Australia.

The Bureau of Meteorology has just issued a weather warning for possible “damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall with showers and thunderstorms” for the state.

Areas likely to be affected are Adelaide Metropolitan, Mount Lofty Ranges, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Flinders, Mid North, Kangaroo Island and parts of Murraylands and Upper South East districts.

Sunday so far

It’s Graham Readfearn again for a bit longer. It’s been a busy Sunday so here’s what’s been happening.

  • Australia’s defence department says a Chinese fighter jet engaged in a dangerous manoeuvre against an RAAF surveillance aircraft on 26 May. The jet sent out flares and then shards of aluminium chaff during the encounter over the South China Sea region.
  • Weather warnings are in place across alpine areas in southern NSW, eastern Victoria and South Australia for blizzards and dangerous winds as a cold snap sweeps across the region.
  • The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will fly to Jakarta today for a three-day visit to Indonesia, with energy, climate and regional agreements on the agenda.
  • The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is expected to reveal his new shadow ministry this afternoon.
  • Tasmania will join Victoria, NSW and Queensland in banning the use of Nazi symbols.
  • NSW is to get 1,850 new paramedics to ease staff shortages in a move welcomed by health union officials.
  • Australian U23s Socceroo player Alou Kuol scored an audacious “scorpion kick” goal which Fifa has suggested could make him a contender for the global goal of the year award.

On we go.

Updated

Dutton set to announce shadow frontbench

Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he will put “as many women as possible” in his frontbench, as the Coalition reshuffle is expected to be announced today.

Dutton spoke to Sky News earlier this morning and said “new faces” should be expected on the opposition frontbench as it attempts to recover from the damaging election results.

You’ll see some new faces. We’ve got incredible talent in the [former] frontbench … but those people have been on the backbench for a while as well [have] some incredible talent and I want to give some of them an opportunity, some new faces for the public to see and we’ll announce all of that detail

And yes, it’s important for us to have as many women as possible on the frontbench, and that will be a feature of the frontbench that we announce later today.

It comes after prime minister Anthony Albanese revealed this week a record 13 women in ministry, with 10 in cabinet. Dutton said he hoped the Coalition would present a “centrist alternative” to the Labor government, which he said has “drifted to the left”.

Peter Dutton
Peter Dutton’s frontbench will have ‘some new faces’. Photograph: ABC

Updated

Tasmania to be fourth state to ban Nazi symbols

The Tasmanian government will introduce laws to outlaw the display of Nazi symbols. AAP reports that move follows similar pushes in Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

The Tasmanian laws would outlaw symbols, including the swastika, for hate and fear. They will still be allowed to be displayed for historic or educational purposes, while also allowing Hindu and Buddhist groups to use it.

Tasmania’s attorney general Elise Archer said:

Our government strongly condemns the display and sale of these symbols when used for hate and fear.

This is an issue that is deeply concerning to me as attorney general as well as many Tasmanians.

Archer, AAP reports, will work with community groups to draft the laws while looking at changes proposed in other states.

Victoria is poised to become the first state to outlaw the symbols after its government introduced legislation to state parliament last month.

Queensland later announced similar plans.

NSW attorney general Mark Speakman in April committed to a ban on waving Nazi flags or displaying memorabilia bearing swastikas following recommendations from a state parliamentary inquiry in February.

Updated

ACT Health apologies for Covid update delays

There’s hasn’t been any information on Covid cases from the ACT in the last couple of days and the health authorities there have released an apology, saying they have been having IT problems.

ACT Health has said in a statement:

The issue, which affected pathology information entered into an ACT Health data system since Friday 4 June, prevented the usual Covid-19 case update being made on Saturday 4 June and Sunday 5 June.

While the data entry issue has been resolved, some of the information entered since 4 June will need to be verified before the case updates for the affected days can be released.

All those with Covid-19 positive PCR test results have been notified.

ACT Health expects to release its Covid-19 case update on Monday 6 June as usual and to publish the two delayed updates at www.health.act.gov.au as soon as this information is verified.

Updated

WA records 5 Covid deaths and 5,368 new cases

Victorian Liberals pledge cash rebates for IVF treatments

Victoria’s opposition has unveiled a cash rebate scheme for IVF treatments to help alleviate the financial pressure of the costly procedures.

The pre-election pledge would mean Victorian women undergoing IVF treatment would be eligible for $4,500.

A rebate of $2,000 would be available for an initial IVF procedure at a private fertility clinic, with a further $2,000 available for a subsequent procedure if required. Women undergoing pre-IVF fertility testing would be eligible for a $500 rebate.

Nurses, teachers and other public service workers would also be eligible for up to five days of paid fertility treatment under the proposal.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy said the policy would help make starting a family easier for thousands of Victorians.

Updated

Australian aircraft was ‘operating completely within our rights’ – Marles

We’ve got some more now from that earlier interview from deputy prime minister Richard Marles’ statements about the Chinese fighter jet incident.

He told reporters the engine of the P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft “ingested into the engine” some of the small pieces of aluminium released by the Chinese fighter jet. He wouldn’t give the precise location of the incident.

The crew of the P-8 responded professionally, and in a manner which would make us all feel proud, they returned the aircraft to its base. I’ve expressed a concern to the chief of the defence force for the welfare of the Australian crew, and he has assured me that they are all unharmed.

I want to stress that the activity of the P-8 form part of maritime surveillance activity which has been undertaken by Australia in the South China Sea for decades; other countries do the same. We’re operating completely within our rights at international law.

Because the South China Sea matters to Australia. It matters to Australia, because most of our trade traverses the South China Sea. And so, as a nation, we are deeply invested in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, we are deeply invested in the rights of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

And so, to that end, I want to make it also very clear that this incident will not deter Australia from continuing to engage in these activities, which are within our rights and international law to assure that there is freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, because that is fundamentally in our nation’s interest.

Marles said Australia would “not be deterred” from carrying out further surveillance activities in the region. He claimed China’s broader actions in the region were “inconsistent with the UN convention on the law of the sea”.

Australia’s intent is to maintain the rule of law in the South China Sea, and we will continue to do that. Now, we’ll continue to do that, obviously, through the trade that traverses the South China Sea. But we will continue to do that through the routine maritime surveillance activities that the Australian defence force conducts in the South China Sea. And we’re not going to be deterred by this incident from conducting those activities in the future, because it’s fundamentally important to Australia’s national interest.

Updated

Albanese says former government to blame for gas shortage

Now the prime minister moves onto the shortage of gas supplies, and starts by mocking the previous government’s “gas-led recovery” and says “nine years of neglect” have delivered the current crisis.

Albanese says there will be a meeting of state and territory ministers this week to address the gas shortage.

Remember they used to talk about the gas-led recovery? They talked about that for years. Well, where is it? This is a government that sat on their hands, they had 22 different energy policies and didn’t deliver one.

They delivered a position regarding a trigger that can’t come into force until January 1 of next year, so won’t provide any immediate support.

Now, there are two reasons for the pressure that’s on the energy market at the moment. One, of course, is international, including Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the consequences of that, that it’s had on international energy prices. That’s beyond this government’s control, the former government’s control. But what the former government is responsible for is just a complete failure, a complete failure to lead.

I mean, [former energy minister] Angus Taylor was a complete failure as minister. We went along to international conferences and had an embarrassing performance. Two out of the four oil refineries in Australia closed in the last term of the government.

This is a former government that had fuel reserves, that had fuel reserves in the Gulf of Mexico for Australia for an emergency. Not in the Great Australian Bight, in the Gulf of Mexico. This was a complete failure.

What we’ll do is try to address the concerns which are there. They won’t be done overnight. My minister Madeleine King, as well as my Energy minister, Chris Bowen, have been in contact with all of the appropriate companies and are working those things through.

There will be a meeting this week with state and territory ministers as well. We’ll work on these issues. But the former government have left us with a mess on a range of issues.

A trillion dollars of debt across the economy, no energy policy, no plan for the labour market, no plan to grow the economy, and these things can’t be changed overnight.

Updated

Albanese says Chinese jet's actions have been raised with Beijing

Anthony Albanese has told reporters in Perth the actions of a Chinese fighter jet towards an Australian surveillance aircraft were “not safe” and that the government has raised concerns with the Chinese government.

Albanese says he was briefed on the incident earlier this week through the Department of Defence and the national security committee.

I can confirm that on 26 May a RAAF P8 maritime surveillance aircraft was intercepted by a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft during what was a routine maritime surveillance activity in international airspace in the South China Sea. The intercept resulted in a dangerous manoeuvre which did pose a safety threat to the P8 aircraft and its crew.

The Australian government has raised our concerns about the incident with the Chinese government.

The Department of Defence has, for many decades, undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region, and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace. We are concerned about this incident. We have expressed those concerns through appropriate channels.

I won’t be making further comment on it, other than to say that in the Australian government’s view, in the defence department’s view, this was not safe, what occurred, and we’ve made appropriate representations to the Chinese government expressing our concern at this.

We told you earlier that deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, had described some detail on the incident, when he claimed the Chinese fighter had flown across the path of the Australian aircraft and released “chaff” including aluminium shards.

An undated file photo shows a Chinese PLA J-16 fighter jet. The Australia government says one of these aircraft initiated a dangerous manoeuvre against an Australian surveillance aircraft on May 26.
An undated file photo shows a Chinese PLA J-16 fighter jet. The Australia government says one of these aircraft initiated a dangerous manoeuvre against an Australian surveillance aircraft on May 26. Photograph: AP

Updated

Anthony Albanese is speaking to reporters in Perth ahead of a flight to Jakarta for a three-day visit.

Chinese fighter jet's actions 'very dangerous', says deputy PM

The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, has given more detail on that incident on 26 May between an Australian aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea.

In comments this morning just shown on the ABC, Marles said:

What occurred was that the [Chinese] J-16 aircraft flew very close to the side of the [Australia] P-8maritime surveillance aircraft.

In flying close to the side, it released flares. The J-16 then accelerated and cut across the nose of the P-8, settling in front of the P-8 at very close distance.

At that moment, it then released a bundle of chaff, which contains small pieces of aluminium, some of which were ingested into the engine of the P-8aircraft. Quite obviously, this is very dangerous.

Updated

Queensland records one Covid death and 2,716 new cases

Defence department says China fighter jet intercepted Australian aircraft

The Department of Defence has reported that an RAAF aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, was intercepted by a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft on 26 May “during a routine maritime surveillance activity in international airspace in the South China Sea region”.

The statement says:

The intercept resulted in a dangerous manoeuvre which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew.

The Australian government has raised its concerns about the incident with the Chinese government.

Defence has for decades undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace.

The P-8A Poseidon is described as a “modern, potent and highly reliable aircraft” that is modified to “incorporate the latest maritime surveillance and attack capabilities.”

The Guardian is looking for more details about the reported incident.

Updated

NSW to get 1,850 more paramedics

There are reports this morning the NSW government will later today announce up to 2,000 new paramedics for the state

The ABC and the Sydney Morning Herald are reporting there will be at least 1,850 new parademics announced to ease staffing shortages.

The news agency AAP is reporting comments from the Health Services Union welcoming the announcement, saying it was a “historic win” for paramedics.

HSU secretary Gerard Hayes says the state has been consistently under-resourced.

For too long, paramedics have worked themselves to the bone to protect the community

This announcement will allow them to deliver even bettercare to the community while also protecting their own health and wellbeing.

Hayes said paramedics still needed a wages boost to help paramedics keep up with the cost of living.

AAP reports the announcement comes as Unions NSW warns public sector workers could be out of pocket under the current 2.5% wage rise cap and growing inflation rates.

Paramedics would see a more than $5,000 cut to their take home pay over the next three years if their wages don’t rise to keep up with the cost of living.

A report from Griffith University Business School’s Prof David Peetz also warns that firefighters, police, nurses and teachers would lose between $5,000 and $6,500 over the same period if wages aren’t boosted.

Hayes said paramedics’ wages didn’t reflect the reality of their work.

Without a serious pay rise it will be hard to recruit and retain the extra paramedics announced today. We will continue to press for fair pay.

An ambulance in Sydney
‘Historic win’: at least 1,850 new paramedics for NSW are reportedly to be announced today. Photograph: Flavio Brancaleone/AAP

Updated

Warnings of severe cold weather with blizzards and high winds in NSW and Vic

Large areas of Victoria and southern parts of New South Wales are under severe weather warnings, with frigid temperatures, damaging winds, blizzards, thunderstorms and high snowfall.

In Victoria, the Bureau of Meteorology has put out a severe weather warning saying a “vigorous cold front” is moving across the state. Already there are some damaging wind gusts hitting central and alpine areas.

Places being affected could include Warrnambool, Maryborough, Castlemaine, Kyneton, Ballarat and Bacchus Marsh, the bureau said.

There could be blizzard conditions later today above 1,400m, lowering to around 1,000m later. Those damaging wind gusts could get above 100km/h in alpine areas.

In NSW, there’s a warning out for people in the Snowy Mountains and parts of Illawarra, south coast, central tablelands, southern tablelands, south-west Slopes and Australian Capital Territory forecast districts.

It’s a similar story there, with damaging winds and blizzard conditions that will spread to the southern NSW ranges later in the day.

Stay safe and warm, everyone. The bureau is due to update these warnings in the coming hours.

Updated

Victoria records 16 Covid deaths and 7,077 new cases

* An earlier version of this post incorrectly listed Victoria as having 12,549 new cases.

Updated

NSW records five Covid deaths

Chris Bowen defends Labor’s response to energy crisis

The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, has just shot back at Coalition criticisms of how Labor is handling the energy crisis.

Bowen has told Sky News:

We’re managing them very actively. As I said, the gas supply guarantee has already been activated and it’s already had an impact and I’m working very closely with my state and territory energy minister colleagues.

But, you know, advice from the previous government – which Angus Taylor has been happy to give out, and I noticed Peter Dutton has been giving out – is about as effective as advice from the captain of the Titanic on navigation skills.

I mean, their nine years of denial of delay has ill prepared our country for this crisis ... What I am blaming them for very clearly is a lack of a coherent policy framework. Renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy storage and transmission – with more storage and transmission, we would have been very well placed to deal with his crises.

But because of the previous government’s stop-start [approach], putting through energy policies and lack of embracing the technologies of the future, our country is ill-prepared.

Chris Bowen: ‘The gas supply guarantee has already been activated and it’s already had an impact.’
Chris Bowen: ‘The gas supply guarantee has already been activated and it’s already had an impact.’ Photograph: Nikki Short/AAP

Updated

Dutton gives Coalition big tick on national security

Liberal leader Peter Dutton has spoken to Sky News arguing the Coalition lost the May election because people “were ready to change the government” – essentially blaming an It’s Time factor instead of particular policies.

Dutton said “people weren’t complaining about jobkeeper”, which saved 700,000 jobs, or “the national security settings we had in place”.

Given Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China mid-campaign, humiliating the Coalition and arming Labor with the argument they dropped the ball in the Pacific, this seems particularly heroic for Dutton to give themselves full marks on national security.

Dutton defended Marise Payne’s record as foreign affairs minister, arguing she had been unable to travel to much of the Pacific due to Covid. He said:

The former prime minister had a big number of people, including most of the premiers and chief ministers, speaking as one against him. And I think that took its toll in the end. But we’ll have a look at the review, the outcome, will learn the lessons from that and we will listen very carefully to what the Australian public has said. And we will respond accordingly.

Dutton also claimed that Anthony Albanese had promised to include a call for a 5.1% minimum wage rise in its submission to the Fair Work Commission. In fact, Albanese was asked if he would support a rise of that size and he said “absolutely”.

The government submission called for the lowest-paid workers not to go backwards.

On the Voice to Parliament, Dutton said:

As Linda Burney pointed out, they have not got all the detail together. The point I made is: I’m not ruling anything in or out ... It’s incumbent on the government to explain – I don’t think the public has a clue what Anthony Albanese or Linda Burney are talking about. What would it mean? All of that needs to be explained.

At the moment I feel no ground is prepared whatsoever ... People have heard the headline at best, I don’t think they’ve worked out the practical implication ... None of that detail is available.

Updated

Littleproud says party’s climate approach was ‘common sense’

Nationals leader David Littleproud is also asked what he thought the message was from the Australian people in the election on climate change.

Well, they want a clear pathway to us to continue to reduce emissions. We had a commitment, an international commitment, that we made not only in terms of net zero but one we made and achieved in Kyoto and one we will make and beat with respect to Paris.

And we did that through using this thing called common sense - protecting traditional industries and, again, getting back to that core principle of reducing emissions. How we do it should be about using the technology and leveraging private capital to make sure that we achieve that rather than the good old Australian taxpayer having to kick the tin all the time.

Worth pointing out here that the coalition’s “policy” on reducing emissions centred entirely on taxpayers funding emissions reduction. This was a taxpayer-pays approach, not a polluter-pays approach.

That’s what we bought in terms off our policy - one in which our international commitments gave us a licence to trade and you got to understand had we not signed up to that, the National Party or Barnaby Joyce-led when we signed up to that, was a sensible one because what it did is give us a licence which meant we were going to see our commodity prices fall for our farmers.

Well, I think there’s a number of things that the electorate endorsed and you have got to understand that we’re a big country and diverse country in some parts of this country, it was a very strong message.

All we say is we respect that ideologically but what you got to understand and say to those people particularly in those more affluent areas in this country, please take a step back and reflect and understand the impacts that has on Australians not as fortunate or as financial endowed as you to actually understand the impacts you’re having on their jobs and potentially taking away their livelihoods, but actually try and work, you know, collaborative way and reducing those emissions. First stick to those principles of reducing emissions.

Updated

More Littleproud, from his ABC Insiders interview.

On an integrity commission, he claims the Coalition was always supportive of an Integrity Commission but doesn’t want it to be constructed in a way that can be “as a political weapon”.

Littleproud says Coalition had ‘sensible’ policy on climate

Nationals leader Littleproud has told journalist David Speers that he’d be open to a “gas reservation policy” to avert what’s being described as a gas supply crisis.

Just to be clear here, the vast majority of Australia’s gas is exported and the companies make a lot of money out of it.

Littleproud is claiming the solutions look like “carbon capture and storage” and “picking up the phone” to the gas companies, and says the Coalition had a “sensible” policy on energy and climate change.

I write a fact-check column each week on climate and energy and I can tell you I’m being triggered here.

Updated

Littleproud spars with Speers on Insiders

New Nationals leader David Littleproud is speaking to the ABC’s Insiders host David Speers and it’s already turning into an argument about energy, renewables and gas.

There’s going to need to be some fact-checking on what Littleproud is saying here, but he’s defending the Coalition’s record by saying it had a “gas-fired recovery”. But as my colleague Adam Morton points out...

Updated

Socceroos goal stuns

Football (soccer) Twitter is blowing up around the world over this cracking scorpion kick goal against Iraq from Socceroos U23s striker Alou Kuol (who executed the move after mistiming his run across the front of the defender, but let’s not split hairs). The Socceroos drew the Asian Cup game 1-1.

Fifa is suggesting Kuol could be an early contender for the Puska award, given each year to the “player judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant goal”.

Maybe the folks at Fifa didn’t see Ben Garuccio’s scorpion goal winner for Western United in the A-League in February?

Arguably the most famous scorpion kick ever wasn’t to score a goal, but to save one.

Here’s the totally bonkers Columbian goalkeeper René Higuita (his nickname was El Loco) executing a scorpion in 1995 against England.

Higuita used to regularly do stuff as a goalkeeper that you’re really not meant to do as a goalkeeper.

Updated

Albanese to fly to Indonesia today for talks with president

Anthony Albanese is flying to Jakarta today for a three-day visit with trade, climate change and energy top of the agenda in his talks with Indonesian president Joko Widodo.

Joining the prime minister are the foreign minister Penny Wong, trade minister Don Farrell, industry minister Ed Husic and the MP and member for Solomon, Luke Gosling. There’s a delegation of business leaders as well.

The trip is Albanese’s second overseas diplomatic effort coming after the Quad leaders’ summit with the US, India and Japan the day after he won the federal election.

Of the Indonesia visit, Albanese said:

Indonesia is one of our closest neighbours, which is why I committed to visiting as soon as possible.

Our two countries have a long history of cooperation and friendship, and my government will work with Indonesia to deepen this.

AAP also reports the Indonesia-Australia comprehensive economic partnership agreement will be discussed, as well as Australia’s proposed $200m climate and infrastructure fund.

While in Jakarta, Albanese will also meet with Dato Lim Jock Hoi, the general secretary of Asean, the political grouping of southeast Asian countries.

A high-level delegation of Australian business leaders will also travel to Indonesia as part of the country’s contingent.

AAP reports the talks in Jakarta comes amid growing tensions in the Pacific, after China sought to sign a multi-nation deal with countries in the region, as well as multiple bilateral partnerships.

Indonesia had raised concerns last year about Australia signing up to the Aukus security pact with the UK and US, as well as its decision to acquire nuclear submarines as part of the deal.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo
Indonesian president Joko Widodo: talks with Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Updated

Welcome and news summary

Happy Sunday everybody.

You’ve got me, Graham Readfearn, for your live news today. Looks like most of us are waking up to a nice, crisp and chilly morning with temperatures hovering around 10C in most of the main centres.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese will swap the 9C of Canberra for the 24C of Jakarta for the start of a three-day visit to Indonesia today. More about that shortly.

Here’s what you might have missed from yesterday.

Rug up if you’re heading out (unless you’re in Darwin or Jakarta) or settle down with us with a warm drink and a blankie.

Let’s go Sunday.

Updated

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