Australian news and politics live: Albanese reveals first action for Parliament in National Press Club address

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said his thumping election win on May 3 has given Labor “a mandate to act”.

His election win defined all expectations and delivered Labor 94 House of Representatives and 29 Senate spots.

He declared helping students with their debts would be his first action when Parliament resumes on July 22.

“When the new Parliament sits next month, the first piece of legislation we will introduce will cut student debt by 20 per cent,” he said.

“This will save around 3 million Australians an average of $5,500 each.

“And as promised, it will be backdated, so that it applies from the 1st of June this year, before indexation.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has begun his first major speech since the Federal election at the National Press Club.

He has committed to deliver a “positive and ambitious agenda’ in a second term Labor Government.

“Back in May 2022, Australians voted for change. To change the government, to change the country, to change the way we engaged with the world,” he said.

“Before the election, my colleagues and I were clear about our commitments and our approach.

“And the democratic verdict rendered by Australians was every bit as clear.”

In the letter, APRA demanded RSE licensees take action to meet obligations and protect the $4 trillion of Aussie savings it holds.

Superannuation institutions, before August 31, have been told to complete a self-assessment of security controls, assess and report weaknesses to authentication controls and report the groups “accountable person”.

“APRA expects entities to complete these actions no later than 31 August 2025,” it said in the letter.

“APRA remains firmly focused on this critical issue and will continue to pursue it through supervisory and other regulatory actions as necessary.

“APRA expects all trustees—regardless of size—to treat this matter with the urgency and priority it demands, in line with the risks they manage and their duty to protect member interests.”

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has written to all RSE licensees to highlight concern over “persistent weaknesses” in the superannuation industry in the wake of recent attacks.

“The superannuation industry is custodian of more than $4 trillion in member funds,” the letter started.

“APRA expects RSE licensee boards to ensure their entities maintain cyber resilience that reflects their critical role in the system and responsibility to members. An inadequate control environment poses an unacceptable threat to the security of member funds and data.

“Recent credential stuffing attacks have reinforced APRA’s concerns about persistent weaknesses in RSE licensees’ information security controls, particularly those related to authentication.

“Although APRA has consistently emphasised the importance of robust cyber security, it is clear that current controls are not always commensurate with the evolving vulnerabilities and threats, nor with the criticality and sensitivity of the member data and assets they protect.”

Tasmanian Speaker and long-serving Labor MP Michelle O’Byrne has announced she will step down at the next state election, expected to be called later today.

Speaking in parliament, Ms O’Byrne reflected on her 25-year career in both state and federal politics — but also issued a warning to her party about how minority government is handled, ABC reported.

“It is not enough to say that you want minority government or indeed majority government to work,” she said.

“If minority government is the way of the future, then it requires us all to behave differently.”

Ms O’Byrne, who served eight years as a senior minister, highlighted reforms to mental health, abortion law, and same-sex adoption as some of her proudest achievements.

But she also acknowledged one of her biggest regrets: being unable to prevent elective surgery cuts during the global financial crisis.

“When my request to not be made to slow down elective surgery was denied by the treasurer of the day, I had a choice,” she said.

Premier Chris Minns has confirmed that Courtney Houssos will take over the education portfolio while Deputy Premier Prue Car is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Mr Minns said at a media briefing that the decision was made jointly with Ms Car, describing Ms Houssos as the “right person” for the role.

“It’s a massive portfolio, a big part of the budget and employs tens of thousands of people,” he said.

“Obviously we’re responsible for the education of a large number of people in the state.”

Mr Minns praised the strong working relationship between the two ministers, add that Ms Houssos is expected to remain in close contact with Ms Car during her treatment.

“I’ve got no doubt Courtney will check in with Prue whenever she’s able to — it might even be up to once a day.”

Ms Car will continue to serve as Deputy Premier, with Minns calling her a “selfless teammate” and expressing confidence in her ongoing leadership during recovery.

Tasmania could be heading to the polls once again, with Premier Jeremy Rockliff expected to ask the Governor to call a statewide election later today — the fourth in just seven years.

The move follows last week’s surprise no-confidence motion from Labor Leader Dean Winter, who accused the Mr Rockliff government of wrecking the state’s finances, planning to sell off public assets, and mishandling the long-delayed Spirits of Tasmania ferry project.

The Greens backed the motion but unsuccessfully tried to expand it to include gambling harm and the AFL stadium.

If the election is triggered, voters will face a campaign dominated by Tasmania’s ballooning debt, asset sales, and the $1 billion AFL stadium project — a divisive issue that’s sparked backlash across the state and could delay construction approvals by a month.

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Monash IVF Group has been forced to disclose another incident in which they transferred the wrong embryo into a woman, just months after a similar incident was exposed.

In a statement released to the ASX on Tuesday, Monash Group advised that the incident involved transferring a patient’s own embryo to her, instead of inserting the embryo of her same-sex partner.

The Melbourne-based woman is now being supported by the reproductive giant.

“Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them,” it said in a statement.

In a statement to the ASX, Monash IVF said the incident is being investigated and safeguards are being introduced.

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Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe claims the Northern Territory Government is allowing “genocide” to occur against Indigenous Australians in the wake of recent deaths in custody.

“The definition of genocide according to the Geneva Convention is causing harm to a group of people,” Senator Thorpe told ABC RN.

“The ongoing killings of our people in custody is ongoing harm of our people.

“The incarceration rates of our people, particularly in the Northern Territory, particularly of our children, is an act of genocide. The stealing of children and putting them in with white families is an act of genocide.

“So we meet all the definitions of genocide and I’ve certainly seen that over my time.”

Senator Thorpe has called for Federal intervention.

NSW Education Minister Prue Car has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will be taking leave as she battles cancer again.

Ms Car, who is also NSW Deputy Premier, announced that she would be taking personal leave for an “undetermined period of time”.

“I have been diagnosed with breast cancer. This means that I’m going to have to have a little bit of time off.” Ms Car said in a video message on social media.

“I’m going to have to receive some pretty significant treatment, and in that period, there’ll be someone acting for me as minister.”

Ms Car, who is the member for Londonderry, said she was “confident” about fighting cancer off again.

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