What happened Tuesday 24 May 2022
With that, we’ll end our live coverage of the day’s news. Here’s a summary of the main developments:
- The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has praised the leaders of US, Japan and India as Australia’s “like-minded friends” at the Quad leaders summit, saying his new government will bring fresh energy and resources to the goal of ensuring a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent, Sarah Martin, has filed this report from Tokyo.
- The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, says the issuing of an election day press release about the interception of an asylum seeker boat was a “disgrace” and has demanded an explanation from public servants.
- More than one in 10 votes were ruled invalid in the multicultural seat of Fowler, raising serious questions about whether explanations of Australia’s compulsory preferential voting system are getting through.
- State premiers will immediately begin pushing the new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to overhaul Australia’s health system, amid concerns that a lack of investment in new general practitioners is exacerbating pressure on public hospitals.
- The New South Wales government is looking to make flu vaccinations free amid “unprecedented” demand on ambulance services and ongoing hospital delays caused by influenza, Covid and furloughed staff.
- The Liberal moderate Andrew Bragg says after the Liberal party’s rout in its progressive heartland, the incoming opposition must reject the “conspiracy theorists” of the climate wars and return to core values of enterprise and fairness.
Thanks for following along, we’ll be back to do it all again tomorrow.
Have a great evening.
Updated
State premiers will immediately begin pushing the new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to overhaul Australia’s health system, amid concerns that a lack of investment in new general practitioners is exacerbating pressure on public hospitals.
On Tuesday the New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, revealed he had already spoken to Albanese following the federal election and would unite with other state leaders to push for health reform to be a priority for the new government.
Declaring that “the people never get it wrong”, Perrottet, now the most senior Liberal party member in government after the Coalition’s defeat at federal level, said he welcomed Labor’s election victory as a chance to have “fresh conversations” on health reform.
It follows a decision at the most recent meeting of the new Council for the Australian Federation – made up of the premiers and first ministers – to push the commonwealth to reform Australia’s two-tiered health system as a priority, amid “significant budgetary pressures” caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read more from Guardian Australia’s Michael McGowan and Adeshola Ore:
Updated
