News and politics live updates: Minister demands Wong act over Albanese’s Japanese PM ‘melons’ gaffe

Governor-General Sam Mostyn has today welcomed the President of Vietnam to Canberra ahead of talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

To Lam was received with a military welcome on the lawns of Government House in Yarralumla on Tuesday after the national Communist Party leader arrived in Sydney on Sunday night.

It included an inspection of the guard of honour brass band, salutes and each party’s flags on full display.

Vietnam President To Lam met with NSW Governor Margaret Beazley on Monday.

He will meet with Mr Albanese later on Tuesday in Parliament House as it resumes following its five-week winter break.

The two leaders are expected to discuss several agreements, covering economic resilience, renewable energy, critical minerals, trade, and vocational education.

Pauline Hanson says she will introduce a legally contentious Bill targeting foreign fighters to parliament on Tuesday despite warnings such legislation would fail to stand up to a High Court challenge.

The Protecting Australians from Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill seeks to establish tougher passport-blocking powers, stop the automatic issue of return permits during a court case, set up stronger bail laws for terror offences, and criminalise assisting in unauthorised returns.

The proposed laws would also set up a “foreign terrorist fighter exclusion order” that could be imposed by the Federal Court upon request of the minister.

​Read the full story here.​

Curtin MP Kate Chaney will today push for debate on a bill to allow telehealth as part of voluntary assisted dying care.

The Federal independent for the Perth seat wants to lift the ban on using telecommunication to discuss voluntarily assisted dying with patients and in early July had tabled a petition signed by 1300 in supporting the move.

As Parliament resumes today for the first sitting fortnight after the winter, Ms Chaney appeared in several media interviews about her desire for action in the health area.

“The criminal code that says that doctors can be prosecuted if they use a carriage service to talk about VAD,” she told ABC RN.

“Doctors are having to have cryptic conversations with their patients on the phone because they’re not allowed to talk about VAD.

“It’s just this ridiculous, outdated law that is putting people at risk.

“It means that depending on your postcode, you may not be able to have access to the same end of life care as people in the cities.

“I’ve got a bill on the notice paper that makes a really simple change that says VAD is not suicide if it’s done in accordance with all the all the restrictions.”

While Anthony Albanese doesn’t support telehealth for VAD care, Labor had voted at their triannual Conference in Adelaide last month to allow a conscience vote on it.

The Labor caucus also discussed a possible VAD crossbench debate on Monday and

resolved that the party would not let outside parties dictate its timeline on when to act on the issue.

“I’ll be suspending standing orders today to bring that on for debate to give the ALP backbenchers a chance to exercise the conscience vote that was agreed at the ALP National Conference,” Ms Chaney said.

“I suspect it will be shut down today on the basis that the conscience vote is not about the procedure, it’s about the substance, and they won’t let it get to the substance.

“But I will continue working with the government to try and find a path through.”

At least 111 people have been killed after a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia, knocking down buildings across several cities and leaving others trapped in the rubble.

The epicentre was in San Jose Del Palmar, a community of about 4800 people in the Choco region about 400 km west of Bogota, the US Geological Survey and Colombia’s counterpart reported.

It struck at a depth of 107 km. The quake also was felt in neighbouring Ecuador and Panama, though minimal damage was reported there.

The death toll from the earthquake has risen to at least 111, the newly sworn-in president Abelardo de la Espriella said in a national address.

“The national government has all of its capabilities deployed to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid wherever it is needed,” he said.

“The first priority is rescuing the people trapped under the rubble.”

The leader added that 87 people had been injured, with dozens of buildings downed.

The president declared an emergency, which will expedite funding for the quake recovery, and said he would visit the disaster zone, centred around the rural region of Choco.

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US President Donald Trump has escalated his war of words with Iran by demanding Tehran compensate victims of conflicts, attacks and protests he blamed on the Islamic Republic, as expectations of a quick agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz dimmed.

The fresh demand came after Iran called on the US to satisfy a series of conditions before the crucial shipping route could reopen, including compensation for damage inflicted since the US and Israel began striking Iranian territory more than five months ago.

“I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts, for which they are famous,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social.

​Read more.​

Shadow Foreign Minister Ted O’Brien has remained tight-lipped on whether the Coalition will back Labor’s proposed gambling reforms, with the Opposition set to discuss its position further in the party room on Tuesday.

Talks between Anthony Albanese and Angus Taylor are expected to continue after the Prime Minister signalled there could be movement on tightening rules around inducements used to lure punters.

Mr O’Brien said the Coalition would weigh the “importance of personal choice” against protecting children and cracking down on “any predatory illegal behaviour”.

“They are some of the basic principles that my colleagues and I will be applying as we continue to engage constructively with the government and discuss the matters internally.”

Environment Minister Murray Watt says the Federal Government is considering expanding the use of bird flu vaccinations as Australia’s outbreak continues to spread, warning the country is facing a “very serious risk”.

Speaking to ABC 7.30, Mr Watt said the government would rely on expert advice as it weighs whether vaccinations should be used more broadly across birds and poultry.

“That is something we are giving consideration to,” mR Watt said of vaccinations.

“Over the last couple of years, we have undertaken some trials of vaccinations when it comes to endangered species in a captive setting. We are giving consideration to whether that should be expanded. And as with all of these issues, we’ll be relying on the expert advice we receive from those who know even more about this than ministers of a government.”

The fallout from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s “melons” gaffe continues, with Liberal frontbencher Michaelia Cash demanding Foreign Minister Penny Wong address the controversy.

Speaking to Nine, the Shadow Attorney-General branded the gesture “dirty” and “crude” and argued the backlash would have been far greater had a Liberal prime minister made the remarks.

“I want to hear directly from our foreign minister. Did you raise this personally with Mr Albanese? Have you raised it with the Japanese government?” she told Nine.

“But more than that, did you tell your prime minister to apologise of his crude and dirty comments that just haven’t embarrassed him, they have now embarrassed Australia.”

Good morning and welcome to The Nightly’s rolling coverage of the latest news and updates.

There’s plenty on the agenda today, with the President of Vietnam in Canberra for talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

All eyes will also be on the Reserve Bank ahead of its highly anticipated interest rate decision later today.

And tonight, millions of Australians will sit down to complete the 2026 Census.

Stay with us as we bring you all the latest throughout the day.