Key occasions
No ‘megaphone diplomacy’ from the federal government
Assistant commerce minister Tim Ayres says there’s “a long way to go” to grasp the parameters of the announcement by Donald Trump.
This morning the prime minister is scheduled to talk with president Trump. There’s been cautious messaging from Labor on not commenting or reacting to each improvement from the US. Chatting with ABC AM, Ayres repeated that line:
We’re going to method this in a peaceful and constant method, targeted on the nationwide curiosity, not megaphone diplomacy, not responding to each improvement, or commentating on each improvement.
Ayres additionally notes Australia – since going through a diplomatic freeze with China – has labored to diversify the export market to keep away from related pressures elsewhere.
[We’ve] put effort in to in any respect ranges, from the Prime Minister down to creating positive that we’ve obtained entry to those markets. However secondly, it’s about diversifying Australia’s financial system and diversifying the markets that we promote into. So diversifying the merchandise that we promote within the markets that we promote into to make Australia extra resilient.
Companies are involved Australian jobs and residing requirements are beneath menace from tariffs threatened by Donald Trump, Australian Related Press stories.
With prime minister, Anthony Albanese, already scheduled to talk to Trump later at the moment Minerals Council of Australia chief govt Tania Constable mentioned the proposed tariffs “set a concerning precedent”.
“Action is needed now to ensure that trade restrictions do not expand to critical minerals and other resources that are vital to Australia’s economic future and global supply chains,” she mentioned.
Authorities officers have been making an attempt to safe an exemption for Australian exporters for months however at the moment’s telephone name might be Albanese’s first alternative to plead Australia’s case on to the president.
The pair haven’t spoken since a short congratulatory telephone name shortly after Trump’s election in November.
The Enterprise Council of Australia additionally had some recommendation for the prime minister to assist win the president over.
Free and open commerce contributed to lifting Australians’ high quality of life and supported one in 4 jobs, BCA chief govt Bran Black mentioned.
“Australia has a good story to tell – the US has a trade surplus with us and we have long-standing cultural and military ties between countries, particularly with the significant Aukus agreement,” he mentioned.
The 2 nations’ navy alliance was additional strengthened on Saturday when Australia paid the primary $800 million down fee to the US as a part of the Aukus deal to ship nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.
Even when Australia fails to obtain an exemption, the impacts to its financial system are unlikely to be catastrophic.
AMP chief economist Shane Oliver mentioned it might be dangerous for Australian metal and aluminium producers however, with exports to the US at simply 0.03% of Australian GDP, the macro-economic affect can be minimal.
Australian exports of iron and metal to the US valued $US237.5m ($A378.9m) in 2023, whereas aluminium exports valued $US316.9 m ($A505.5m), in keeping with the United Nations COMTRADE database.
The actual danger to Australia’s financial system got here from diminished world commerce, Oliver mentioned.
Learn extra right here:
PM ought to ‘play a straight bat’: Turnbull
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who obtained Australia carved out of Donald Trump’s earlier tariffs in his first time period, has weighed in on the most recent tariff announcement.
Turnbull informed ABC 730 final night time he may see some “people are trying to set Albanese up to fail here”, however mentioned there was a pathway.
It might be that Trump is decided to impose this tariff on each nation it doesn’t matter what. And, you already know, through which case, it received’t be attainable to safe an exemption. All of the Australian prime minister can do is use all of his advocacy expertise, and play a straight bat, and defend the Australian nationwide curiosity.
Labor has been making the case that the US has a commerce surplus with Australia, i.e that we purchase extra from them than they purchase from us. Turnbull additionally appeared to assume that might play in our favour.
He [Trump] doesn’t imagine in comparative benefit. He believes if a rustic has a deficit, a commerce deficit, it’s a loser. If it has a commerce surplus, it’s a winner. It’s financial nonsense clearly. And however he’s believed it and he’s believed it for many years.
Natasha Might
The federal well being minister has made his personal announcement this morning relating to rising numbers of common follow bulk billed appointments, however concedes “we know we need to do more.”
New Medicare billing knowledge exhibits for the reason that Albanese authorities’s funding tripled the bulk billing incentive for youngsters and concession card holders in November 2023 it has created an extra 6 million bulk billed GP visits – a mean of 100,000 further visits every week.
The federal government’s statistics present the proportion of all GP visits bulk billed has elevated in all states between October 2023 and December 2024, with the biggest enhance of virtually 7% coming in Tasmania which has persistently been proven to have among the lowest bulk-billing charges within the nation. The proportion of all GP visits bulk billed rose from 66.3% to 73.1%.
The bottom proportion of all GP visits bulk billed in December 2024 was 53.8% within the ACT, going up 2.3% from 51.5% in October 2023.
NSW and Victoria each started with the best charges of bulk billing and noticed the littlest change in share of visits bulk billed, going up 1.4% within the interval, from 80.6% to 82% for NSW, and 76.8% to 78.2% for Victoria.
Nationally, 77.5% of all GP visits had been bulk billed in December 2024, a rise of 1.9% earlier than the funding took impact.
The well being minister, Mark Butler, mentioned:
When Peter Dutton was well being minister he tried to finish bulk billing with a GP tax after which began a six-year freeze to Medicare rebates that the AMA says took billions out of Medicare.”
As a authorities, we urgently moved to guard bulk billing for many who have to see their GP most frequently: pensioners, concession cardholders, and households with children and younger youngsters.”
Our investments are making a significant distinction, however we all know we have to do extra to strengthen Medicare.
Krishani Dhanji
Good morning,
Krishani Dhanji right here with you as we proceed our method via the sitting fortnight.
It was a win for the federal government final night time, passing their signature future made in Australia invoice to legislate manufacturing tax credit, with some amendments from the Greens. That was after Labor moved a movement to sit down longer via the night time.
The prime minister will converse to President Trump at the moment, on a scheduled name, after Trump yesterday introduced he’d be slapping 25% tariffs on all metal and aluminium imports. Little doubt we’ll all be holding a detailed eye out for particulars on that.
Put your seatbelts on, it’s going to be an enormous one!
GPs name to increase tripled bulk billing to younger individuals
The federal government ought to prioritise serving to Australians beneath 34 entry bulk-billed GP appointments, make longer consults and psychological well being appointments cheaper, the height physique for common practitioners says.
The Royal School of Basic Practitioners (RACGP) launched its federal election platform at the moment which can intention to get the bulk-billing price again to 85% for Australians most in want it by delivering an additional 6.2 million bulk-billed GP appointments per yr.
The school is looking on all events to help the 19 initiatives it has proposed, together with halving the price of longer consults, bringing down the typical out-of-pocket prices for individuals who aren’t bulk billed from $59 to $25 per particular person for appointments longer than 20 minutes.
They need psychological well being care with a GP to be extra inexpensive, calling for a 25% enhance to Medicare rebates for psychological well being consults.
They’re additionally calling for the federal government to increase the tripled bulk billing incentive – which in 2023 elevated the quantity that GPs obtain once they bulk invoice kids and concession card holders, to all Australians beneath 34 years of age.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright mentioned “we know young people are doing it especially tough and are more likely to have delayed care due to costs.”
The 2025 election is vital – individuals throughout Australia want pressing cost-of-living aid, together with for important healthcare.
The RACGP has a complete plan that may ship extra GPs, decrease affected person charges, and enhance bulk billing for Australia. Two initiatives are key – we want vital funding in Medicare to decrease charges and enhance bulk billing, and we have to practice extra GPs, so everybody can get the care they want, when and the place they want it.
RACGP has estimated its plan would forestall 15,617 emergency division displays and 42,168 hospitalisations saving the well being system round $485.8m per yr.
Greater than half of Coalition senators have sided with Pauline Hanson in a failed push for an inquiry into the “human cost of experimental child gender treatments”.
Only a week after Peter Dutton reportedly cautioned his colleagues in opposition to wading into tradition wars forward of the federal election, 18 opposition senators on Monday backed the One Nation chief’s movement to ascertain the parliamentary inquiry.
Frontbenchers Michaelia Money, Bridget McKenzie, Jacinta Nampijinpa Value, Jonno Duniam, Perin Davey, Kerrynne Liddle, Susan McDonald and Claire Chandler had been among the many Coalition senators to help Hanson’s push.
The movement failed 21 votes to 36 after three Liberal senators – Andrew Bragg, Maria Kovacic and Richard Colbeck – sided with Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers David Pocock, Lidia Thorpe and Tammy Tyrrell to sink it.
Hanson’s inquiry would have come on prime of a evaluate of medical therapy for transgender kids, which the well being minister, Mark Butler, introduced final month.
The wide-ranging phrases of reference for the proposed Senate inquiry included the testimonies from people who’ve undergone puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical interventions, and the expertise of households who had been “pressured, misled or denied” consent of their youngster’s therapy.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our stay politics weblog. I’m Martin Farrer with the highest in a single day tales after which Krishani Dhanji will decide up the slack.
A key plank of Labor’s Future Made in Australia plan handed the Senate final night time with the assistance of Greens and crossbenchers. The laws will present $13.7bn value of tax breaks for vital minerals processing and inexperienced hydrogen manufacturing, with Anthony Albanese hoping it should give him a pre-election enhance. We now have extra particulars and response developing.
Greater than half of the Coalition’s senators sided with Pauline Hanson final night time in a failed push for an inquiry into transgender kids – extra particulars in a minute.
Australian enterprise teams say the prime minister ought to emphasise historic ties and the Aukus navy deal when he speaks to Donald Trump later at the moment amid the potential for tariffs being imposed on exports to the US. Extra developing.
And hundreds of companies and people in New South Wales had been left with out broadband entry final night time after large storms precipitated a serious outage for TPG, Vodafone, iiNet and Kogan. Virtually 14,000 prospects had been affected after an influence reduce precipitated the lack of service however most had been again on by mid-evening. Wild climate precipitated chaos in Sydney earlier within the day.
