Albanese using three different flags to ‘represent one country' on China trip
'Why have we got the Prime Minister of our country going over to a different country, standing in front of three different flags,' Ms De Giorgio told Sky News host Chris Kenny.
'It should be the Australian flag only; you're representing one country.
'You're overseas representing Australia.'
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AU Financial Review
4 minutes ago
- AU Financial Review
Trade stand-off continues as US drug tariffs loom
Australia's pharmaceutical benefits scheme is not up for negotiation, says the federal government in the face of ramped-up US threats to triple the price of foreign medicines. In a continuation of his erratic approach to trade policy, President Donald Trump says taxes on drug imports could be announced as soon as the end of the month, with eventual tariff rates of up to 200 per cent. 'We're going to start off with a low tariff and give the pharmaceutical companies a year or so to build, and then we're going to make it a very high tariff,' Trump said. Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, under which the government negotiates medicine prices with manufacturers before subsidising them for patients, is reportedly in the crosshairs of US pharmaceutical companies lobbying the White House. The Albanese government has flatly refused any negotiation on the PBS. 'Obviously, they are being lobbied, as other US presidents have been for many years by the US big pharma industry, which wants not just Australia's scheme but other schemes like it around the world ... they want that freed up,' federal health minister Mark Butler said on Wednesday. 'They want to see their profits increased. That's been the case for decades and decades.' The PBS is crucial to ensure equitable and affordable access to medicines, according to Royal Australian College of GPs president Michael Wright. 'We should be proud of the prime minister and treasurer's steadfast support for maintaining the PBS, regardless of external pressure.' But complaints about such pricing schemes are common across the industry and include Australian medicine manufacturers, says Melbourne University research fellow Joe Carrello. 'They argue the increasing costs it takes to investigate and run trials and bring a new drug to market aren't keeping up with what the return is, given what the government is willing to pay,' Dr Carrello said. Dr Carrello, who helps evaluate medicines proposed for the PBS after their approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, said there could be consequences to a relatively small market like Australia negotiating such lean prices. 'The fear is some US companies may decide against launching new drugs in Australia because comparatively, they're not going to get a good price,' he said. In the US, where a relatively free-market approach has been favoured, drug prices are almost three times higher than in 33 comparable income countries, according to RAND research. Australians have an average life expectancy of 83.2 years, compared to 77.4 years in the US, World Bank data shows. 'Without the PBS, we'd see people losing access to affordable medications and an increased spend per person on average but it wouldn't be evenly distributed,' Dr Carrello said.
Sky News AU
18 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Australia needs the United States for defence, but the US needs Australia too: Albanese government
The trip began with US defence official Elbridge Colby saying that a condition of the AUKUS pact should be that Australia agrees to join the US in any China Taiwan conflict. The Financial Times reported Mr Colby pressed both Australia and Japan to say what role they would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan. The Albanese government has disregarded these kinds of statements, figuring Mr Colby has about as much status as Australia's Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil. Sources indicate that while Australia needs the United States for defence security, the US also needs Australia. However, shadow defence minister Angus Taylor told Sky News that the government should align with the US on its Taiwan position. 'We have a commitment, as does the United States to the status quo in and around Taiwan,' Mr Taylor said on Friday. 'That means peace in the Taiwan Strait. That means a secure Taiwan.' While critics accused the prime minister of engaging in soft diplomacy and indulging in nostalgia during his China visit, Mr Albanese has insisted the trip was a success. In a statement concluding his diplomatic visit, Mr Albanese said the trip "marks another important step in the Australia-China relationship". "A stable and constructive relationship with China is in Australia's national interest," he said on Friday. "We will cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in our national interest." The prime minister said he had made Australia's position on regional security 'very clear' to the Chinese leadership. He raised concerns over Chinese military activity near Australia, particularly naval operations in international waters that coincided with Operation Talisman Sabre. However, he avoided clashing with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the Darwin Port, China's support for Russia or military drills near Australian waters. 'President Xi Jinping said that China engaged in exercises just as Australia engages in exercises,' Mr Albanese said. 'I said what I said at the time … but that we were concerned about the notice and the ways that it happened, including the live-fire exercises.' In response, President Xi reportedly defended China's actions, saying Beijing had the right to conduct its own military drills. The opposition has attacked Mr Albanese's trip to China, characterising it as bloated and lacking hard outcomes. Shadow finance minister James Paterson told Sky News the visit was 'starting to look a little bit indulgent'. 'I do wonder whether… a visit to Chengdu to pose with some pandas… is strictly necessary as part of a six-day visit to China,' he said. 'There is so much else at stake in our other international relationships.' Former Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo echoed the criticism, suggesting the prime minister should have tried to meet with the US instead. 'I wouldn't have done the six days with the pandas and all the rest of it,' Mr Pezzullo told Sky News on Satruday. 'I would have had a shorter, sharper visit. The engagement with the President is important… but the rest of it was optional.' He also said he would have encouraged the prime minister to have 'blunt' discussions behind closed doors about Taiwan, stressing that any conflict would drag Australia in and have devastating consequences.
West Australian
34 minutes ago
- West Australian
Trade stand-off continues as US drug tariffs loom
Australia's pharmaceutical benefits scheme is not up for negotiation, says the federal government in the face of ramped-up US threats to triple the price of foreign medicines. In a continuation of his erratic approach to trade policy, President Donald Trump says taxes on drug imports could be announced as soon as the end of the month, with eventual tariff rates of up to 200 per cent. "We're going to start off with a low tariff and give the pharmaceutical companies a year or so to build, and then we're going to make it a very high tariff," Mr Trump said. Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, under which the government negotiates medicine prices with manufacturers before subsidising them for patients, is reportedly in the crosshairs of US pharmaceutical companies lobbying the White House. The Albanese government has flatly refused any negotiation on the PBS. "Obviously, they are being lobbied, as other US Presidents have been for many years by the US big pharma industry, which wants not just Australia's scheme but other schemes like it around the world ... they want that freed up," federal health minister Mark Butler said on Wednesday. "They want to see their profits increased. That's been the case for decades and decades." The PBS is crucial to ensure equitable and affordable access to medicines, according to Royal Australian College of GPs president Michael Wright. "We should be proud of the prime minister and treasurer's steadfast support for maintaining the PBS, regardless of external pressure." But complaints about such pricing schemes are common across the industry and include Australian medicine manufacturers, says Melbourne University research fellow Joe Carrello. "They argue the increasing costs it takes to investigate and run trials and bring a new drug to market aren't keeping up with what the return is, given what the government is willing to pay," Dr Carrello told AAP. Dr Carrello, who helps evaluate medicines proposed for the PBS after their approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, said there could be consequences to a relatively small market like Australia negotiating such lean prices. "The fear is some US companies may decide against launching new drugs in Australia because comparatively, they're not going to get a good price," he said. In the US, where a relatively free-market approach has been favoured, drug prices are almost three times higher than in 33 comparable income countries, according to RAND research. Australians have an average life expectancy of 83.2 years, compared to 77.4 years in the US, World Bank data shows. "Without the PBS, we'd see people losing access to affordable medications and an increased spend per person on average but it wouldn't be evenly distributed," Dr Carrello said. In a submission to a Productivity Commission inquiry, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer criticised the PBS's assessment process, claiming it under-accounted for drug and vaccine benefits over multiple budget cycles and missed broader social benefits. "Over the last decade, while the total PBS spend has increased, the proportion of the PBS that funds innovative medicines has seen minimal growth," Pfizer wrote in its submission. "This means, as a proportion of GDP, the government's expenditure on innovative medicines is going backwards." Federal treasurer Jim Chalmers has joined the health minister in ruling out any changes to the PBS in US trade negotiations. "This Albanese Labor government is about strengthening the PBS in the interests of our people, not weakening it in the interests of American multinationals," he recently said. As for Australian drug producers, the federal government was still weighing the impacts of the proposed tariffs on Australian exports, which were worth $2.2 billion in 2024. "(President Trump) indicated there was a long lead time, a long period where he'd be considering this possible step," Dr Chalmers said. That lead time was cut by a matter of months this week, in a sign the United States' push may be turning to a shove.
