News and politics live updates: PM pressed on melon remarks as Minns intervenes, Senate forces letter release

Several Labor MPs have roasted Shadow Housing Minister Andrew Bragg for comments made at this National Press Club address in Canberra on Wednesday.

Housing Minister Clare O’Neill described it as a “big day out” for the Liberal MP, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese encouraged the party to “broadcast one of their shadow ministry meetings” insisting it would be “pretty entertaining”.

The PM poked fun at Mr Bragg’s response when asked about Coalition leadership speculation.

Mr Bragg had dodged a media question by saying: “That’s really a question for the commentators to get into.”

“Now, Speaker, you’ve just heard the Prime Minister talk about the the big day out from the Shadow Housing Minister yesterday, and boy, was it something,” Ms O’Neill said.

“A real wild ride in a speech one might euphemistically call wide ranging. Senator Bragg covered his views on communism, North Korea state-sponsored corruption giving superannuation to cats and dogs.

“His big idea on housing and the one that I actually really want Australians to hear and understand is this: The Liberals’ answer to housing affordability is substandard housing for Australian on low incomes.

“It shouldn’t be controversial that Australians should be able to buy a home knowing that it’s safe and decent for themselves and their families.

“But asked directly… whether some low-income Australians should accept substandard housing, Senator Bragg said ‘yes, definitely’.

“He was asked whether homes need any energy efficiency standard, and his answer was, ‘You’ve got to have a window in a room’.

“Asked ‘how should Australians cope with a freezing winter at home?’ and the shadow treasurer had the answer. Get this, he said ‘put a jumper on’.

“Old-fashioned snobbery is alive and well in the Liberal Party of Australia, and Labor rejects it completely.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has mocked the former Coalition government’s wage record, reminding Parliament that under their leadership, keeping wages low was “a deliberate design feature of their economic policy”.

He also accused the Liberals, Nationals, and One Nation of sharing a “dangerous and divisive anti-worker agenda” aimed at dismantling compulsory superannuation.

“Real wages growth is expected to return later this financial year as inflation subsides. Average annualized full times earning growth under this government is much stronger than it was under our predecessors, and that’s because, in their own words, lower wages were a deliberate design feature of their economic policy,” he said.

“So workers are earning more under this government, and because of our tax cuts, they’re keeping more as well.

“The Liberals, the Nationals, and One Nation all share a dangerous and divisive anti-worker agenda.

“They also want to end compulsory super for workers.

“The policy of those opposite (is) to end super as we know it, to hack at and to then destroy an essential part of our social and economic architecture, and make people poorer at work and in retirement as a consequence.

“Their hatred of super would decimate the retirement incomes and the economic security of Australian workers.

“Their hatred of super should send a shiver up the spine of every single working Australian in this country.”

There has been a fiery debate in Parliament after the shadow treasurer Tim Wilson asked about newly released ABS data showing the average Australian worker is “$1200 a year poorer” than a year ago.

“Why is the Albanese Labor government making Australians poorer?,” Mr Wilson said in Question Time.

Anthony Albanese responded that Labor was focused on easing cost of living pressures but constantly faced opposition from the Coalition.

“Labor is indeed focused on easing cost of living pressures. All measures that were opposed by those opposite,” he said.

“Whether it’s the tax cuts that came in on July one, whether it’s the measures that have lifted up pulp billing to 84 per cent nationally.

“Whether it’s the 800,000 enrolments in free TAFE, whether it’s the new legislation delivering wage justice for early childhood educators, whether it’s minimum standards and minimum pay for gig economy workers, whether it be expanding paid prac…

“Whether it be the new Fair Work Court that we have announced as well to make sure that workers can be looked after.

“Whether it be the even more cheaper medicines that were added to the PBS.”

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek says the government is working to address tech-facilitated abuse, and raised concerns about the growing prevalence of sexual strangulation in Australia.

“Ending gender-based violence is a priority for our government,” she said.

“We know that escalating rates of sexual violence, particularly amongst young people, are a huge concern that we need to address.

“Almost 40 per cent of victims of sexual assault are between the ages of 10 and 17, and we know that online harms are spilling into real-life harm.

“As the Prime Minister said, sexual strangulation is becoming commonplace because children are seeing violent and degrading pornography before they’ve had their first kiss.

“It’s where they’re getting their sex education from.

“Tech facilitated abuse is exploding.

“We need to work with people who use violence, help those who are willing to change, and for those who aren’t willing to change… who go on and harm one woman after another, throw them in jail.

“Of course, we’re not waiting for the second action plan to take action.

“Our government’s $4.4 billion investment has helped 1400 organisations help close to half a million people.

“We won’t rest. We won’t stop. Every one of us here, every level of government, every community organisation, every school, and every family has a role to play in our aim of ending violence against women and children.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Crisis Care Helpline on 1800 199 008.

The Prime Minister has brushed off a second question on his remarks and actions on the Bush Deep podcast about the Japanese Prime Minister’s royal melons.

First asked by Angus Taylor on the issue, Anthony Albanese received a second from Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie.

“My question is to the Prime Minister,” she said.

“A month before, he made sexist remarks about the Prime Minister of Japan on the Bush Deep podcast, the Prime Minister did post this comment online ‘no matter who’s supporting politics, it is completely unacceptable to demean, objectify, belittle, or offend women’.

“Why won’t the Prime Minister stop hiding behind his female frontbenchers and the New South Wales Premier and take responsibility for his disrespectful behaviour?”

The PM again stated that he had a warm diplomatic relationship with Sanae Takaichi.

“The ambassador for Japan made a very clear and unequivocal comment yesterday publicly about these issues,” he said.

“The visit of Prime Minister Takaichi was an extremely successful one.

“Part of that visit was a dinner at The Lodge that was extremely warm and generous.

“Very personal in the discussions that we had as well.

“It was an extremely successful visit.

“I look forward to continuing to work with our friends in Japan.”

Labor and Coalition have shared a moment of bipartisanship over violence against women and children.

After a Dorothy Dixer, the Prime Minister spoke about the government’s second national plan to end the issue, which included more than 160 roundtables with frontline organisations and thousands of participants.

“That comes at a time where just yesterday it was reported there was another death of a First Nations woman in Queensland, allegedly murdered by her former partner,” the Prime Minister said.

“That death is tragic, just as every single life lost to violence is.

“As elected representatives, we must listen to Australians when they tell us they want violence against women and children to stop, and we must continue to act on it in the best ways that we know how.”

Shadow Minister for Women Melissa McIntosh welcomed the effort and said national leadership was necessary.

“I’d like to associate the Coalition with the Prime Minister’s remarks, and in addition to the states, to say that the Coalition is very willing to work with the government to prevent violence against particularly women and children,” she said.

“In this cost of living crisis, we’re hearing more and more women are unable to leave their violent partners because they can’t afford to do so.

“We’d like to work with you, Prime Minister, on your national action plan, and we’ll continue to do so until we fix this terrible, terrible issue.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Crisis Care Helpline on 1800 199 008.

Question Time has kicked off for another day with a targeted attack on Anthony Albanese’s failure to say sorry to the Japanese PM over his reference to her royal melons on a podcast appearance.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor referenced NSW Premier Chris Minns having to step in at a press conference this morning to stop a question to the Prime Minister about the melons gaffe.

“My question is to the Prime Minister. This morning the Prime Minister was asked yet again about his classless comments on the Bush Deep podcast,” Mr Taylor started.

“Yet again, he refused to give a straight answer.

“To save him from embarrassment, the New South Wales Premier stepped in and shut down the question.

“Why won’t the Prime Minister man up, stop hiding behind his colleagues, and take responsibility for his grubby behaviour?”

Mr Albanese responded by saying that he and Sanae Takaichi had a good diplomatic relationship.

He highlighted comments from the Japanese Ambassador, who noted that a recent dinner between the two was “relaxed” and built personal trust between the leaders.

“I direct him to the comments of the Ambassador of Japan, who stated very clearly that ‘the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Albanese during the Prime Minister’s visit to Australia this May was held in a very relaxed atmosphere’,” Mr Albanese said.

“’And we believe it helped build a personal trust relationship between the two leaders.’

“Indeed, it did.

“We have a very good relationship with Japan, and I look forward to continuing to work with our friends on economic issues as well as interests of peace and security and prosperity in our region.”

Pauline Hanson has hit back after students took to the streets to protest against One Nation.

Thousands of high school students were set to walk out of classrooms at lunch time on Thursday as part of a national “Students Say No to Hanson” day of action organised by the National Union of Students.

Ms Hanson took to social media to respond to the action being held across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Wollongong and Newcastle.

“If you want to protest something, protest why your parents’ wages are going backwards and the cost of everything is going up,” Sentaor Hanson wrote on Facebook.

“The Labor Greens government is selling out your future, and you’ll inherit a weaker, poorer and less safe country.

“Whether you know it or not, One Nation and I are fighting for you.”

The long-time chief executive of NSW’s peak body for Catholic schools is keen to exonerate himself at an explosive anti-corruption inquiry that has ensnared the highest echelons of the state Liberal Party, a hearing has been told.

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is holding public hearings into allegations a group within the NSW Liberal Party – known as the Reformers – accepted prohibited donations, including from fugitive property developer Jean Nassif and Catholic Schools NSW through chief executive Dallas McInerney “in amounts that were not declared and exceeded applicable donation caps”.

Taking the stand on Thursday, Mr McInerney told the inquiry he was eager to clear his name.

“I take it that you’re acutely aware that those allegations involve Catholic Schools NSW, the organisation of which you have been the CEO over some nearly nine years,” counsel assisting Julie Curtin said.

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The Albanese Government has been ordered to produce Tokyo’s full correspondence to the Prime Minister’s department after sections of the diplomatic notice was leaked to the media earlier this week.

Federal Police have already been asked to investigate the “unauthorised disclosure” with the Coalition demanding to know whether the Prime Minister’s office was responsible for the leak.

On Thursday, the Greens and Independent Senator David Pocock voted with the Coalition in the Senate for an “Order to Produce Documents” relating to the saga.

Under the order the Senate order the government has until Monday to produce all “emails, letters, text messages, instant messages, handwritten notes, minutes, briefings and submissions; and all internal documents held by the Prime Minister’s office”.