Good afternoon. Donald Trump’s US election comeback is reverberating here in Australia, with politicians on all sides scrambling to process what the Republican’s return will mean for this part of the world.
Anthony Albanese says his government will advocate for free trade and climate action – despite Trump’s agenda against both – and persist with the Aukus alliance’s nuclear submarine acquisition, with the prime minister telling parliament he’d had “a very constructive discussion” with Trump on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Albanese has defended the Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, after the former prime minister deleted old social media posts calling Trump “the most destructive president in history”. The foreign affairs department said the tweets were deleted to avoid “being misconstrued” as the position of the government.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said Trump’s election was a “truly historic outcome” adding that he “is not somebody to be scared of, but somebody that we can work very closely with”. This comes as the Queensland Nationals MP Keith Pitt and Senate colleague Matt Canavan have spoken out in favour of climate and energy policies that replicate Trump’s, urging the federal Coalition to dump its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050.
Elsewhere, Guardian Australia’s Peter Hannam has examined some of the clues to how Trump’s election might affect Australia’s economy – and you can keep up to date with all the latest developments in the US on our live blog.
Top news
Labor seeks power to pay countries to take unlawful non-citizens | The bill to facilitate removal of non-citizens authorises the government to pay third countries to accept people released from immigration detention, triggering cancellation of their bridging visas and possible re-detention. Labor also introduced regulations to reimpose ankle bracelets and curfews on those released after the high court’s NZYQ decision.
Australia to ban under-16s from social media | Anthony Albanese and the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, did not rule out the possibility of age verification for all social media users, but Meta questioned whether the technology was ready.
William Tyrrell inquest shown foster mother interview | Police played the court a 2021 video interview with the foster mother in which she said she believed the three-year-old had been “taken”. The inquest is examining a police theory that the woman unlawfully disposed of William’s body after his accidental death, which she denies.
Sydney’s mystery beach balls found to be ‘fatbergs’ | The NSW Environment Protection Authority confirmed the thousands of black balls that washed ashore last month were not “tar balls” but gunk globules made of motor oil, hair, food waste, animal matter and other materials.
Queensland truth-telling chair says LNP minister cancelled first meeting | Joshua Creamer said the new minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partnerships, Fiona Simpson, called off their first meeting by email, as the government prepares to pass a law eliminating the body.
Climate activists say coal port ‘protestival’ will continue | Rising Tide organisers vowed to go ahead with plans to blockade the Port of Newcastle, with kayaks and rafts to interfere with coal exports despite NSW police winning a legal bid to stop the event.
Chris Hemsworth criticised over UAE tourism ad | The advertisement, in which the actor promotes Abu Dhabi as a tourism destination, was released on the same day the Albanese government announced it had finalised a free trade deal with the UAE, despite concerns over human rights abuses in the gulf state.
Israel has ‘no intention’ of allowing northern Gaza residents to return home | A senior IDF official also announced that aid would only be allowed to enter the south of the Gaza Strip, not the north. It appears to be the first official acknowledgment from Israel it is systematically removing Palestinians from the area.
Raygun retires from competitive breaking | The 37-year-old said the scrutiny and ridicule after her viral routine at the Paris Olympics made competing within the burgeoning Australian breaking scene “a really difficult thing for me to do now”, adding that she would continue to dance “in my living room with my partner”.
In video
Anywhere but Washington: Why America voted for Donald Trump (again)
In the final instalment of Anywhere but Washington, Oliver Laughland and Tom Silverstone travel to Michigan to watch the final days of the race; as fervent Trump supporters hit the streets, young women mobilised behind Harris, and chaos and despair drove rival election night parties.
What they said …
***
“On the campaign, I would often say, when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing – sometimes the fight takes a while.” – Kamala Harris
The Democratic candidate formally conceded the election to Donald Trump, urging those devastated by the result to “not despair” but to stay engaged and remain vigilant in the fight to protect American democracy. In a speech at Howard University in Washington, Harris told the crowd of shocked and mournful supporters that “this is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.”
In maps
As more election results come in, it is becoming clearer just how firmly voters threw their support behind Donald Trump. The Democrats won 2020 by expanding their share of votes across the country, but 90% of counties swung back to the Republicans in 2024. The Guardian’s data team have put together an interactive showing how Trump won the election, county by county.
Before bed read
We took our dog on a winter campervan trip in the Alps: are we barking?
When Anna Richards first had the idea of taking a winter road trip through the French mountains with her partner and a lively Irish setter, she imagined snowy walks, fondue and freedom – she hadn’t quite pictured spending their first night in a car park on the outskirts of a city, sandwiched between the medieval ramparts and a graveyard.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: DEAL. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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