‘Striking': Labor dominates the Australian parliament during its first sitting day
Mr Conroy told Sky News Australia that parliament today showed a 'visual reminder' of the success Anthony Albanese had at the last federal election.
'It is striking.'
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Perth Now
30 minutes ago
- Perth Now
‘On notice': Trump's new beef demand
US President Donald Trump has issued a scorching demand for any global bans on US beef to be lifted, following the relaxation of importation rules in Australia. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Mr Trump said 'After many years Australia has agreed to accept American Beef'. 'For a long time, and even though we are great friends, they actually banned our Beef.' He insisted that the US would now sell 'so much to Australia'. 'This is undeniable and irrefutable Proof that U.S. Beef is the Safest and Best in the entire World. 'The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE. 'All of our Nation's Ranchers, who are some of the hardest working and most wonderful people, are smiling today, which means I am smiling too. He ended the post with a call to 'keep the Hot Streak going'. It comes after the Albanese government's decision to lift restrictions on US beef imports, which came after a lengthy science-based review. The relaxation of the rules has however faced criticism from the Coalition for its 'exquisite' timing as Labor enters trade negotiations with the US. The Trump Administration claimed credit for the change in a Department of Agriculture press release titled 'Make Agriculture Great Again Trade Wins: President Trump Secures Greater Ag Market Access to Australia for American Beef'. The US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the change removed 'non-scientific trade barriers'. 'Gone are the days of putting American farmers on the sidelines,' Ms Rollins said. 'This is yet another example of the kind of market access the President negotiates to bring America into a new golden age of prosperity, with American agriculture leading the way.' The Albanese government has insisted that there are no biosecurity risks in lifting the restrictions. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia The change was also praised by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a statement on Thursday that singled out US President Donald Trump's 'leadership' for the change. 'Yesterday's decision by Australia marks a major milestone in lowering trade barriers and securing market access for US farmers and ranchers,' he said. 'President Trump is taking decisive action to confront unfair trading practices, and Australia's decision to unlock market access for US beef is a direct result of his leadership.' US beef was first banned in Australia in 2003 following an outbreak of mad cow disease. It was a total ban until 2019, when it was lifted, albeit restrictions remained on US exports that originated in Canada or Mexico. Australia had maintained the ban under the banner of biosecurity, but Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry was 'satisfied' with the 'strengthened control measures' put in place by the US. Local Australian beef producers have said the expect the new import rules to have minimal effect, citing high demand in the US and Australian's preference for homegrown meat. 'The potential for US beef to be imported into Australia in large volumes is minimal, given the high demand for beef in the US, the low US cattle herd, the strength of the Australian dollar, our competitive domestic supply, and most importantly Australians' strong preference for high-quality, tasty and nutritious Australian beef,' Meat and Livestock Australia said in a statement.
Sky News AU
41 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
'Albo can go F himself': Jim Jefferies unloads on PM Anthony Albanese in on-air spray over CDPP's 'disgusting' refusal to prosecute Defence after fatal 2023 helicopter crash that killed his nephew
Australian comedian Jim Jefferies has launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) over a decision not to pursue charges in the wake of a 2023 military helicopter crash that killed four soldiers. Appearing on KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show on Friday, the LA-based comedian expressed deep frustration with what he labelled a "disgusting" and "unjust" outcome, after learning the Defence Force would not be prosecuted over the incident that killed his 24-year-old nephew, Lieutenant Max Nugent. The crash, which occurred on July 28, 2023, near Hamilton Island during Exercise Talisman Sabre, claimed the lives of Lieutenant Nugent, Captain Danniel Lyon, Warrant Officer Class 2 Joseph 'Phillip' Laycock, and Corporal Alexander Naggs. Their MRH-90 Taipan helicopter, call sign Bushman 83, crashed into the water while flying in formation with three other helicopters in poor weather and low light. "I wish I were talking to you both under better circumstances," Jefferies said to the radio hosts, before launching into a passionate criticism of the two-year investigation process and the last-minute decision to drop the case. "My family has been going to watch the hearing for over two years. "For two years, they've been going, using up all their holiday leave and everything, having to listen to black box recordings, having to listen to different evidence from each side… And now, five days before the two-year date, they have said that there's no claim, the families are getting nothing, there is no fault." Under current legislation, families have a two-year window to file legal action, and the CDPP's decision, made just days before that deadline, effectively shuts the door. Jefferies argued the crash was preventable, pointing to evidence provided by test pilot Major Ian Wilson during the hearing, who warned that the TopOwl helmet used by the pilots posed a "substantial risk of multiple deaths" and said the system could amount to "industrial manslaughter". "Maybe you could argue maybe it wasn't the helmet, maybe it was, but the families deserve a day in court," the 48-year-old comedian said. "You can't just run out the clock." Jefferies said his family had been told they would receive justice. "Well, Albanese can go F himself because this isn't justice. This isn't even an attempt of letting us see if we could get justice," he said. "We haven't even been given a fair shake of the whole thing." The father-of-two also slammed the CDPP as "disgusting", citing fatigue concerns with the pilots and managerial failures within Defence. "The pilots they've proven had fatigue and shouldn't have been up there within the guidelines of the military… Even if it wasn't technical, there was some managerial problems there or what have you." Jefferies went on to criticise the federal government's public support of the armed forces, calling it hollow. "You can have people laying wreaths on Anzac Day and saying they shall not be forgotten, and we support the troops. But at the end of the day, you're doing nothing. That's all just lip service. That's all just symbolism." According to a 228-page report by the Defence Flight Safety Bureau, released in May, the crash was caused by "spatial disorientation", with Captain Lyon and co-pilot Lieutenant Nugent becoming disoriented for 21 seconds before slamming into the water at 259km/h. Following the crash, Comcare launched an investigation into potential breaches of workplace health and safety under the Commonwealth Work Health and Safety Act 2011. A brief of evidence was passed to the CDPP, but the watchdog has since confirmed it "did not consider there was sufficient evidence to commence a prosecution". After his radio interview, Jefferies shared a Nine News segment featuring interviews with the victims' families, including his brother Dan Nugent, father of Lieutenant Max Nugent and a senior NSW police officer. "Completely heartbreaking. I'm disgusted with the decision from the Commonwealth DDP. This is so wrong. I believe this is a complete cover up," Jefferies wrote on social media. "My nephew and the three other men deserve better. I hope my family takes the defence force to civil court now." Dan Nugent told Nine he was "dismayed" by the outcome, citing strong evidence presented during the inquiry about fatigue management failures and safety concerns around the TopOwl helmet. "They were fatigued to a level that would have affected their ability to fly that helicopter," he said. "How can we have confidence in any government entity, let alone our Defence Force… if they're not prepared… to contest that… for the public to be able to hear it in open court? It's just disgraceful." A relative of another fallen soldier told the ABC on Thursday they felt "defeated and broken" by the decision. "They deserved better." has reached out to the CDPP for comment.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Acting like a medieval king': PM faces multiparty push on staffing
Every MP is also allocated five electoral staff, who typically deal with constituency matters, media and stakeholders rather than legislation. The government gave every MP an extra electoral staffer in the previous parliament. The Coalition joined the outcry over staffing allocation independence – long made by others in the parliament, including crossbenchers Lidia Thorpe, David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie, who avoided cuts this time – when its own allocations were slashed last month. A government spokesperson said Labor had also had its staff reduced this term, though they did not say by how many. 'At the start of this parliamentary term, personal staffing allocations have been reduced for the government, opposition and the Greens,' they said. The government has previously said the opposition has little right to criticise Albanese's decision to cut its staff because it had planned to cut public service jobs if it won. Staffing for the opposition is typically set relative to the government, which would have given it more staff between fewer MPs because Labor won so many seats at the election. Australia's Voice senator Fatima Payman, who defected from Labor last term, said she was the only senator without personal staff, despite repeated requests to the prime minister for more resources. Payman attempted to establish an inquiry into staffing on Thursday – a move she said had broad support including through 'a very unlikely alliance' with One Nation, whose staff remained the same despite adding two more senators – into how the prime minister decided to allocate staff, but it failed at the last moment, 34 votes to 29. 'An hour before I got onto my feet, my team received notice that the Greens won't be backing it,' she said. 'Now it begs the question, what kind of dirty deal was made that they pulled out last minute? '[The Greens] talk a big game on transparency and integrity, and this is when it mattered most because we would have been able to investigate what's really going on, and you back down. Why?' Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said her party was waiting for an independent review of MP staffing from the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service before considering alternative interventions. The review will examine parliamentary workloads and make recommendations on broad resourcing allocations and support services for offices. 'Australians want politicians to focus on the issues impacting the community, not on ourselves or the trimmings of elected office,' Hanson-Young said. The 2021 Jenkins review into parliament's toxic culture found stressed and overworked employees were a risk factor for inappropriate behaviour and a negative work environment. Payman said she did not have the resources to represent such a large state on every issue, her staff were working 15- to 16-hour days, and they weren't paid appropriately.
