Australia ‘ill-prepared’ for conflict, shadow defence minister says
Australians are being lulled into a false sense of security about threats of conflict, a Coalition senator says, as he calls for more transparency on risks to defence.
In a major speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday, shadow defence minister James Paterson said military leadership and the government needed to be more forthcoming on looming dangers, AAP reports.
He said openness would allow the public to be more on board with rises in military spending in coming years.
“If the Australian public knew how likely conflict is in our own region in the near future, and how ill-prepared we were for it, they would be marching in the streets demanding higher defence spending,” Paterson said in the address.
Instead of being honest with the Australian people about the threat and our preparedness, they are being lulled into a false sense of security.
Paterson said a way to lay out the threats would be an annual address by the chief of the defence force on the security challenges. Such a speech would be similar to the annual threat assessment done by Asio head Mike Burgess.
Australians are hungry for more candour about the dangers we face and they are entitled to it.
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ANU council removed from decision to appoint next university chancellor
Julie Bishop’s replacement as chancellor of the Australian National University will be done independently of the university’s council, following a string of controversies around ANU’s governance.
Bishop, the former Liberal foreign minister, will end her term as ANU chancellor at the end of 2026. She has been accused of bullying by an academic and former ANU council member who gave evidence to the Senate.
The ANU voluntarily requested an undertaking from the university quality and safety body, TEQSA, to appoint the next chancellor. The body raised concerns over the culture of the ANU council in late 2025.
The majority-independent panel who will choose the next chancellor will be chaired by Emeritus Prof Peter Coaldrake, a former chief commissioner of TEQSA and vice-chancellor of the Queensland University of Technology.
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Google, Meta and TikTok face new levy to pay for Australian news as Albanese reveals media plan
Anthony Albanese has urged Google, Meta and TikTok to make deals with Australian media outlets to avoid a dedicated 2.25% levy on local revenues, warning digital giants should not be able to exploit the work of journalists to boost profits.
Releasing an exposure draft for the government’s news bargaining incentive (NBI) scheme on Tuesday, the prime minister said platforms who sign new deals with publishers to pay for news content would receive offsets of between 150% and 170% from the new levy.
Any revenue collected will be directed to support Australian journalism.
Read more from our full report here:
Former Canadian PM answers questions about global conflicts during Melbourne conference
Young women from around the world subjected Canada’s former prime minister and his chief of staff to questions about global conflict and compromising values for political expediency at a feminist development conference on Tuesday.
Justin Trudeau and Katie Telford appeared at the six-day Women Deliver 2026 conference in Melbourne as part of a lineup that also included UN deputy secretary general Amina Mohammed, Victorian premier Jacinta Allan, Australia’s governor general Sam Mostyn, New Zealand’s former prime minister Jacinda Ardern, and many more.
Guardian Australia attended this session – described as a “fireside chat” – expecting it to also include New Zealand’s former prime minister Helen Clark, and we were hoping for a robust discussion between the two erstwhile world leaders. Clark’s name, however, was removed from the event’s online listing in the last 24 hours. (We’ve enquired about what happened there.)
Bathed in pink light in the “youth zone” of what one participant described as “feminist Coachella”, Trudeau claimed his government’s “unequivocally pro-choice” position was driven largely by youth, but said in response to a question that mentioned Israel’s war in Gaza, that there was “usually no right answer” on issues in which “strong emotions” became involved:
If you’re trying to find a response that pulls as many people together as possible, you’re probably going to piss off everyone … Any time you get strong emotions involved, it becomes so much more difficult to govern. And that’s not a bad thing. I mean, there are things that really matter in the world that people need to get emotional about. But as a government, you sometimes, often, have to make compromises that seem extremely difficult for people to live with.
When asked if he had taken positions that didn’t align with his values, Trudeau said he was “fairly confident” he hadn’t “compromise[d] on positions of fundamental importance”, before describing the controversial crude oil pipeline project his government oversaw as doing a “massively good job of starting to bend the curve” towards environmental sustainability:
I was true to my principles, even though a lot of people are like, well, if you’re buying a pipeline, you’re burning down the planet and you’re betraying everything you live for.
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Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ to visit Australia next week
Anthony Albanese confirmed growing speculation that his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, will visit Australia next week.
In office since October, Takaichi will visit Canberra amid sensitivity about energy exports stemming from the Iran war and the closure of the strait of Hormuz.
Japan is one of the largest investors in and purchasers of Australian gas. Labor is under pressure to increase the tax paid by gas exporters but appears unlikely to use the 12 May federal budget to make changes.
Albanese said the visit will be Takaichi’s first official travel to Australia, coming in the 50th anniversary year since the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Australia and Japan.
The two prime ministers will hold the annual Australia-Japan Leaders’ Meeting in Canberra on Monday.
“Australia and Japan share strong strategic alignment. Our cooperation is essential to maintaining a peaceful, stable and prosperous region,” Albanese said.
Our enduring trade and investment ties underpin our relationship, creating jobs, providing opportunity and delivering economic growth to both our nations.
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Victorian government makes new funding announcements
The Victorian government is continuing its pre-budget blitz, with the deputy premier, Ben Carroll, and the minister for transport infrastructure, Gabrielle Williams, both out today to make funding announcements.
Williams announced $100m for more bus services. This includes expanded bus hours and weekend services across the network, two new routes in Melton South, another connecting Drysdale and Ocean Grove, and better access to universities, including La Trobe, Monash and RMIT’s Bundoora campus.
She said the annoucement completed the Labor government’s decision to extend free public transport until the end of May and then halve fees until the end of 2026:
More buses north, south, east and west – and it’ll be half-price to ride for the rest of the year. With Donald Trump’s war driving up costs at home, more bus services help Victorians save money and time.
Carroll, meanwhile, used International Workers Memorial Day to announce a $13.7m workplace safety package. This package includes funding for 20 extra WorkSafe inspectors, the establishment of a new “health care and social assistance compliance and enforcement” division and a three-year pilot program to support families grieving a loved one killed at work.
He announced that the state government, the City of Melbourne and Victorian Trades Hall Council would jointly build a permanent memorial sculpture in Melbourne to remember those killed at work.
Rebel Wilson denies mistreating star of The Deb, says she sees herself as a champion of women
Rebel Wilson has denied mistreating the star of her directorial debut, saying she sees herself as a champion of women in her defence of a blockbuster defamation suit, AAP reports.
The Pitch Perfect star is being sued by Charlotte MacInnes, the Australian lead actor of the musical comedy The Deb. MacInnes claims she was defamed by social media posts from Wilson that suggest she is a liar who retracted a sexual harassment complaint to advance her career.
Wilson was in the federal court witness box on Tuesday when she was questioned about a public statement portraying herself as a champion of women.
“Do you still say you regard yourself as a champion of women?” MacInnes’ barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, asked.
“Yes,” Wilson replied. “If you look over my 25-year career, you can see many evidences [sic] of me supporting women.”
The Hollywood star denied mistreating MacInnes, the film’s co-producer Amanda Ghost or co-writer Hannah Reilly while working with them on the film, labelling accusations of private and public bullying as “absolute nonsense”.
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Returning to our earlier post about a major update to NSW’s public transport ticketing system:
NSW premier Chris Minns said the updates will make public transport “more reliable” and an “affordable option for millions of people across NSW”:
This upgrade is about improving the everyday experience, making it easier to get around, to save money and easier to rely on public transport.
We are investing not just in new lines, but in the services people use every day like buses, trains and the systems that keep them running.
John Graham, the NSW minister for transport, said:
Opal was introduced more than six years before the first metro service even ran in Sydney. It’s time for this tech-led transformation.
So-called ‘ghost buses’ have been a bugbear for Sydney commuters, and this solution is going to end that era once and for all.
The PM was also asked about the search for Sharon during his press conference. He said:
Well, this breaks the heart of everyone who hears about this story. Every parent’s worst fear is your child going missing.
You know, if you don’t know where they are for five or 10 minutes, it can cause a great deal of anxiety for parents out there. We just hope that this little girl is found.
It is of great concern that little Sharon, she’s five years old, and she went missing from her home in Alice Springs. The search is now in its third day. So, our hope is that this ends well.
NT police believe man led missing five-year-old girl away from Alice Springs town camp
Northern Territory police say they believe five-year-old Sharon was led away from an Alice Springs town camp by 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who was seen holding her hand shortly before she disappeared.
Sharon has not been seen since about 11.30 pm on Saturday night after she was put to bed in her family home.
NT police’s assistant commissioner crime and intelligence, Peter Malley, told reporters that there have been no confirmed sightings of the young girl or Lewis.
NT authorities believe Sharon is still alive but acknowledge significant concerns given the length of time she has been missing.
“Our number one mission is to find her safe and well,” Malley said. “But, as you know, as time goes on, the chances of finding her alive and well are reduced. Hence, the amount of resources we have presented here in Alice Springs camp.”
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PM says he is confident Aukus is ‘full steam ahead’
The PM has also been asked about a British parliamentary committee that has looked into Aukus, saying the program looks like it might falter because of a lack of investment and commitment.
He said:
There is overwhelming support from the British government, from prime minister Keir Starmer as well as from the defence personnel in the United Kingdom.
Aukus is, to quote President Trump, full steam ahead and I’m confident it will be so.
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Albanese gives update on news media bargaining code
The PM has also announced the news bargaining incentive – a law that imposes a new levy on tech giants such as Meta, Google and TikTok unless they do deals to fund local media – will go to the next stage, with legislation being introduced in the winter sitting.
We have just come from cabinet and we can announce today that our [government] is taking the next steps to ensure that Australian journalism is sustainable now and into the future by ensuring that large digital platforms cannot avoid their obligations under the news media bargaining code.
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Anthony Albanese marks 30th anniversary of Port Arthur massacre
The PM is speaking in Canberra, where he has marked the 30th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre.
He said:
Australia pauses to remember the 35 people whose lives and futures were stolen from them at Port Arthur 30 years ago.
We think of everyone whose world was shattered by the loss of those innocent victims.
We think and thank the first responders again, and we think of the broader Tasmanian community as well.
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First female defence boss named
Anthony Albanese has named industry department boss Meghan Quinn as the new secretary of the Department of Defence, the first woman to hold the role.
Quinn has advised governments on a wide range of Australian and international policy matters in the past, holding several deputy secretary roles at the Department of the Treasury and leading work on the Asian Century white paper. She has previously worked for mining company BHP and the Bank of England.
Her five-year appointment at Russell starts on 18 May. Albanese said:
This is a historic appointment with Ms Quinn becoming the first woman to substantively hold the position of secretary of the Department of Defence.
I would like to thank Mr Greg Moriarty AO for his service as secretary of the Department of Defence and I look forward to working with him in his new role as Australian ambassador to the United States of America. I would also like to thank Ms Cath Patterson for acting as secretary.
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NSW to get major update to public transportation ticketing system
The NSW government will spent $820m to upgrade the state’s public transport ticketing system, including a new Opal app and the introduction of a digital Opal card.
Officials said the program will deliver better real-time information on public transport options, including the installation of digital information screens on 5,000 buses. Those screens will include information on upcoming stops, times to those stops and onboard audio announcements.
Travellers waiting at bus stops will also get much better information about when the next service will arrive.
Public transport options will also get 25,000 new Opal readers, replacing those on buses, trams, trains and ferries for more than a decade.
The first hardware installations will begin in 2027 and are expected to be completed by 2028.
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Follow along with ultramarathon swim attempt in Western Australia
As we reported earlier, ultramarathon swimmer Andy Donaldson is attempting a 55km swim in the upper Ord River, from Lake Argyle to Kununurra’s Diversion Dam in Western Australia.
The Ord is known for its large population of freshwater crocodiles. Donaldson is attempting to break the record set by the only other swimmer to do so, Simone Blaser, who completed the effort in 16 hours and 12 minutes in 2024.
You can watch the attempt on YouTube below:
Australia to buy more American-made rocket launchers
Australia will buy almost 50 extra American-made rocket launch systems, in addition to missiles being used by the US in its war against Iran, AAP reports.
The government announced it has chosen US defence giant Lockheed Martin’s high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) to provide the Australian army with long-range strike capability.
The precision strike missile, being co-developed between Australia and the US, will have a range of more than 1000km in the next generation design.
The United States is using the rocket launch systems and the missiles in the conflict in the Middle East.
A $2.3bn commitment over the decade will deliver the 48 new rocket launch systems, a second long‑range fires regiment at the Edinburgh Defence Precinct in South Australia, and to equip that regiment with precision strike missiles.
Taylor maintains welcome to country ceremonies ‘overdone’ and ‘overused’
Angus Taylor was just asked about his remarks this weekend that welcome to country ceremonies were overdone. He stood by that assertion:
I think welcome to country has been overdone in Australia. I think it’s devalued those welcomes to country. And I think that is unfortunate.
It’s not serving the purpose that they were designed for in the first place if they’re overused and devalued.
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Doubling would get Australian ‘within reach’ of 90 days of fuel stocks, Taylor says
Taylor said the impact on fuel prices under the plan would amount to 1 cent a litre for Australians filling up at the petrol bowser.
“We see this as a very affordable and sensible insurance policy for the future,” Taylor said.
The opposition leader said the doubling of reserves would get the country “within reach” of the Coalition’s ambition of seeing 90 days of fuel supply in reserve. The International Energy Agency says member countries should have oil stock levels equivalent to “no less” than 90 days of net imports, although that is not a binding requirement.
“That’s where we need to get to,” Taylor said.
This will be a very significant leap forward and will put us within range of that outcome, and that’s all about making sure we have an insurance policy as a country against fuel security crises like we are facing right now.
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Angus Taylor says plan to double fuel reserve an insurance plan for future crisis
The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, is speaking in Port Kembla, NSW, about his proposal to double the amount of fuel the country holds in reserve.
Taylor said, if enacted, the plan would be a “leap forward” towards creating an insurance policy against any future fuel crisis. He said:
The announcement today is about filling up the car, fuelling up the nation, and powering up our future. That’s what it’s about.
It’s about making sure Australians have the fuel security and affordability they need, particularly at times of crisis.
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Rebel Wilson set to testify in federal court today
Rebel Wilson is set to testify today in her high-profile defamation battle against the star of her directorial debut, AAP reports. The Pitch Perfect star is being sued by Charlotte MacInnes, the Australian lead actor of the musical comedy The Deb.
Wilson is set to go into the federal court witness box on Tuesday to defend the claim after flying from the US with her wife, who will also give evidence in her defence this week.
We’ll bring you any updates from the court battle later today.
Australians will call ‘bullshit’ on green energy without clear benefits, Rudd warns
Kevin Rudd has described Donald Trump’s cuts to support for green industries as “unfortunate”, warning that Australians would conclude the clean transition was “bullshit” if it did not offer tangible benefits to their lives.
But – in some of his first comments since finishing his term as Australia’s ambassador to the US – the former prime minister said climate policies would have staying power if they delivered affordable prices, a reliable energy supply and new job opportunities. Rudd said at an event this week:
Policy continuity will be supported if we continue not just good messaging about this, but actually deliver price outcomes, security of supply, electricity supply outcomes, new industries and new jobs, which people touch, see, feel, hear and have in their daily experience.
Otherwise, they conclude it’s all bullshit and therefore it doesn’t work.
Read more here:
UK inquiry finds ‘shortcomings and failures’ threaten to derail Aukus deal
“Shortcomings and failures” in delivering the Aukus agreement could see the ambitious nuclear submarine plan derailed, threatening Australia’s security, a British parliamentary inquiry has found.
UK shipbuilding has been under-funded for decades, and its current submarine availability is critically low.
When nuclear submarine HMS Anson visited Australia in February, it was Britain’s only attack-class submarine at sea: it had to be rapidly recalled ahead of schedule to the northern hemisphere when war broke out in the Gulf.
A House of Commons defence committee inquiry into Aukus “has revealed shortcomings and failings in the delivery of AUKUS which threaten to prevent that promise becoming a reality”. The inquiry said:
In the UK, political leadership – essential to secure the success of a programme of AUKUS’ length, cost, and complexity – has faded. We call on the prime minister to take a more visible role in promoting and driving forward AUKUS to counter the political drift that could see it derailed.
Committee chair, Labour MP Tan Dhesi, said:
We have deep concerns cracks are already beginning to show when it comes to funding. The investment pipeline has already faltered. This cannot be allowed to happen again. Even seemingly minor shortfalls and delays snowball over time, with potentially severe consequences.
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Search grows for missing five-year-old Sharon near Alice Springs
The search area for missing five-year-old Sharon has grown to about 20 sq km around the Old Timers camp in Alice Springs, with about 60 people searching for the young child.
Sharon has not been seen since around 11pm on Saturday night after she was put to bed in her family home. Police say she may have been abducted and officials told reporters on Monday that the force was searching for a 47-year-old man, Jefferson Lewis, who had disappeared from the camp about the same time.
An NT police official said the search involves helicopters, drones, dog units, horses, motorcycles and ATVs, as well as volunteers participating in the effort. A stream of volunteers has been assisting, working alongside police search and rescue section coordinators.
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Ultramarathon swimmer attempting to swim in river known for large population of crocodiles
An ultramarathon swimmer is going for gold by attempting an epic swim in a river known for its large population of crocodiles, Australian Associated Press reports.
Andy Donaldson will swim the upper Ord River, from Lake Argyle to Kununurra’s Diversion Dam in Western Australia’s remote Kimberley region today – a distance of 55km.
He is aiming to break the record set by the only other swimmer to attempt the epic feat, Simone Blaser, who completed the journey in 16 hours and 13 minutes in 2024.
Donaldson is convinced he can smash Blaser’s mark.
If it was current-neutral, I’d be looking at 12 hours, perhaps 13 hours. But we might get a bit of a push. There’s been a lot of rainfall over the wet season, so the currents I think will help us.
Donaldson has a swag of world records to his name, including the 45km Manhattan Island circumnavigation, the 170km Bahrain Swim Challenge and the 104km Ibiza Swim Challenge.
The upper Ord River is inhabited by large numbers of freshwater crocodiles, which locals are accustomed to swimming with and are considered mostly harmless to humans.
However, a boom in dangerous saltwater crocs downstream on the lower Ord River has raised concerns in recent years.
Donaldson – who will swim without a protective cage – said risk was part of the deal but said “we don’t want to be reckless”.
Minns says he will only ban ‘globalise the intifada’ if Queensland legal challenge fails
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said he may not move to ban the contested phrase “globalise the intifada” if a constitutional challenge over a similar ban is successful in Queensland.
Minns announced his intention to ban the phrase after the Bondi terror attack last year, sending the issue to a parliamentary inquiry so that legislation could be introduced when parliament returned in February.
The Labor-controlled committee recommended the phrase be banned when linked to the incitement of violence or hatred, but recommended against a ban on “from the river to the sea”. Queensland has since banned both phrases, leading to dozens of arrests, with activists announcing their intention to launch a constitutional challenge. No legislation has materialised in NSW.
The premier, who said last month he would ban the phrase irrespective of what happened in Queensland, has since said he is looking to the neighbouring state following a successful supreme court challenge to NSW’s protest assembly restriction declaration (Pard) laws.
In an interview with 2GB this morning, the premier explicitly tied the decision to the outcome of a Queensland challenge, saying it was his “commitment” to ban “globalise the intifada” if the laws were upheld.
We want this to be in place, not just for 6 months or 12 months or until a court comes along and knocks it over … If we’re going to take this step, which I accept is a pretty large step to restrict freedom of speech in New South Wales … I want it to stand up for ever.
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White House nominates David Brat as next ambassador to Australia
The White House has nominated David Brat, a former Republican member of the US House of Representatives, to be the next ambassador to Australia.
Brat represented Virginia in Congress and served two terms before he was defeated by a Democrat in 2018 in a close race. He is currently a vice-president of business relations at Virginia’s Liberty University.
Ambassadors must be confirmed by the US Senate.
The post has been vacant for a year and a half after former ambassador Caroline Kennedy left the post in November 2024.
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Canavan says $6bn plan to double fuel reserve ‘reasonable insurance’ in an unstable world
Nationals leader Matt Canavan has detailed a Coalition plan to build the nation’s fuel reserves to a 60-day supply, spending $800m (out of a total estimated total $6bn) to build a new storage facility.
Canavan told RN Breakfast that to meet that obligation for a doubled reserve, Australia would need about 4.4bn litres of extra storage which will be met by existing infrastructure and the private sector. The $800m figure would come from Export Finance Australia, which would be used to help the private sector fund that effort in loans that would then be paid back. He said:
It wouldn’t fund the entire amount of that extra storage, but it would help make a contribution …
Obviously, this comes at a cost … But given what we’re facing right now, we think it’s a reasonable insurance premium to improve the security of all Australians.
Canavan went on to say the estimated total cost of the project would be closer to $6bn, which includes the extra storage costs and actually filling and maintaining the extra reserves. The public cost from Export Finance Australia would just “ease that” figure.
It was sensible to do a few years ago to get to 30 days. It’s helping us now. Given the high risks, it’s even more sensible to go to 60 days.
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John Howard reflects on Port Arthur
Former prime minister John Howard is speaking on RN Breakfast this morning about Port Arthur, describing the response and the country’s landmark gun buyback program in the aftermath of the massacre.
He said:
It rocked the country. There’s no other way of describing it …
I’d just been elected to a prime minister after a long period in opposition, with a huge majority, and I developed a view pretty quickly that I had to do something significant. What’s the point of having a big majority unless you’re prepared to use it? …
I was certainly confident that the great majority of Australians supported what we did, but there were pockets of opposition.
He added that the way separate parties worked together to see the buyback take place was “quite magnificent”, even though many leaders had to deal with difficulties with their constituencies.
“Without their cooperation, it would have been very, very difficult,” Howard said.
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Albanese marks 30 years since Port Arthur massacre
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, released a statement this morning, 30 years after the massacre at Port Arthur in Tasmania. He said the nation had held on to the idea that “somehow amid the most terrible darkness the best of humanity found a way to shine”.
He said:
We think of everyone whose world was shattered by the loss of those who had been the bright centre of their lives, their love left desperately wrapped around an absence. …
We think of Walter Mikac who channelled his devastating loss into a call for national action on gun reform, writing to Prime Minister [John] Howard with a message that echoes through the decades: “Be strong, act now”.
Australia is a better place because the Government and the Parliament of the day came together to answer Walter’s call.
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Shadow minister dismisses gas export tax calls, saying Australians get their ‘fair share’
The shadow minister for resources, Susan McDonald, says Australians receive their “fair share” of revenue from gas companies despite a growing push for a higher levy.
The federal government is expected to reject the push for a new 25% tax on gas exports in next month’s budget.
A broad coalition of progressive politicians, trade unions, and climate groups have been pushing the government to introduce a flat 25% tax on gas export revenue to replace the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT).
Speaking to ABC’s 7.30 on Monday night, the Nationals senator said the PRRT had been reviewed as recently as 2023:
It is a tax that allows companies to recoup the very expensive capital costs for investing in Australia.
This has been examined at length by Treasury, by government departments, and over successive governments. I feel confident that we have found the right balance.
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Good morning, it’s Nick Visser here to pick up the blog once more. Let’s get to it.
Murray Watt says 'humankind must be at its best' to save Great Barrier Reef
The federal environment minister, Murray Watt, will use a speech later today to lay out Australia’s credentials in protecting the Great Barrier Reef before a meeting of the world heritage committee in July.
Global heating remains the reef’s most significant threat, Watt will say, along with impacts from severe weather events, fishing, outbreaks of coral-eating starfish and poor water quality related to clearing of vegetation on land. At an event hosted by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Watt will say:
Faced with these challenges, humankind must be at its best. That’s why we are taking up the fight to protect the Great Barrier Reef for future generations.
Watt will also flag reforms to national environment laws agreed last year that strengthened the approvals needed to clear vegetation within 50m of watercourses in the reef’s catchments.
Consecutive governments have had to lobby Unesco experts continually for years to prevent the 21-country committee from placing the reef on its “in danger” list.
Last year the committee asked the government to submit a progress report by 1 February before this year’s meeting in South Korea.
Unlike in previous years, such as 2023, the committee last year made no specific mention that the reef would be considered for the “in danger” list at the next meeting.
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Taylor and Canavan call for more fuel storage capacity
The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, says a Coalition government would double fuel reserves in Australia to at least 60 days, and spend $800m to build a new storage facility.
Announcing a new policy alongside the Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, Taylor said the Albanese government should lift baseline stockholdings from 1 January next year, to get Australia closer to the 90-day minimum reserves required by the International Energy Agency.
Taylor said:
This is a plan the prime minister should pick up today. No excuses, no delays. If fuel stops, Australia stops. It’s that simple. Trucks don’t move, supermarkets don’t stock, businesses shut their doors.
We are putting forward a practical plan to make sure that never happens. More fuel in reserve, more storage on the ground and a country that can stand on its own two feet.
The Coalition says their plan would mean Australia could reach 60 days’ supply by the end of this decade.
When Labor proposed a 90-day fuel reserve before the 2019 election, Taylor, then the energy minister, said the plan would cost “tens of billions of dollars” and called on Labor to explain how it would be funded.
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RSL Australia will review welcome to country policies
The RSL has announced it will review its guidance on welcome to country addresses at Anzac Day services after Indigenous leaders were booed at three dawn services on Saturday.
The RSL national president, Peter Tinley told the ABC on Monday that the body would review its policies on RSL organised commemorations and “provide guidance to our branches as to how they might attend to this”.
Tinley said he was appalled by the booing during the dawn ceremonies but added that some of the “anodyne acknowledgments” can get “overworked”.
It can get overworked … so then it becomes a question of how are we going to review this process and make it more relevant.
I think there’s a real opportunity for the RSL to lead and provide a better expression that is more tailored and appropriate for the commemorative day that it is.
Tinley said it was a “good thing” for the guidelines and service to be dynamic and reflective of the community.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
The RSL has announced it will review its guidance on welcome to country addresses at Anzac Day services after Indigenous leaders were booed at three dawn services on Saturday.
And the opposition has revealed a new policy, to double Australia’s fuel reserves to 60 days.
More on this, and much more, coming soon.
