6m agoMon 1 Sep 2025 at 9:48pm

No guarantee Coalition will find unity ticket on energy

Dan Tehan is asked if Barnaby Joyce’s push to repeal net zero emissions targets has been disruptive to the Coalition’s review of energy policy.

The shadow energy and emissions reduction minister says as a backbencher Joyce has a right to pursue any policy he wants to.

“What I’ve always tried to do in my parliamentary career is make sure we’re bringing everyone together and to make sure that we’ve got a unified approach,” he tells ABC Radio National Breakfast. 

But he says that’s not always possible to “get everyone on a unity ticket”.

So can the Coalition find common ground?

“That’s what we’ve got to work through over the next nine to 12 months,” he says.

11m agoMon 1 Sep 2025 at 9:43pm

Tehan in no rush to complete energy review

A review of the Coalition’s energy policy will take at least nine months to complete and “get right”, Dan Tehan says.

The shadow energy and emissions reduction minister has told ABC Radio National Breakfast is leading the party’s process.

He says he wants to take a “methodical” approach to the review despite internal calls for the matter to be settled.

“I’ve always said we’ve got to take our time to get it right and that’s what I intend to do,” Tehan says.

Tehan adds he’ll be travelling to the United States at the end of the week to look at developments on nuclear, stressing that lifting the ban on nuclear power was “common sense”.

“We’re seeing all the big tech companies look to nuclear and look to energy abundance as an absolute key for economies going forward. And yet, here in Australia, we seem to be constraining our energy at every opportunity,” he says.

Asked if the Coalition would come to a policy conclusion that makes it unelectable, Tehan says the opposition will adopt an approach that’s in the “best interests” of Australians.

22m agoMon 1 Sep 2025 at 9:32pm

AI poses risk to children’s safety

Independent MPs are meeting with children’s advocates and the eSafety commissioner in Canberra this morning to call for more action to protect children from the harms of artificial intelligence.

The roundtable will focus on the idea of a nationwide prevention and awareness program for AI-related harms, as well as a review of facial recognition and additional training for police.

National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds says AI is already posing a real risk to children’s safety.

“Rather than waiting for tragedies to happen, we need to get on the front foot with training, with regulation, with community education about the risks so that we prevent harm to children,” she said.

29m agoMon 1 Sep 2025 at 9:25pmGovt moves to ban deepfake apps used to create nude images

Access to apps that use artificial intelligence to create nude images and undetectable online stalking tools will be restricted under the government’s latest cyber crackdown.

The government will work with industry to ban the apps in a bid to close the gaps in laws to proactively preventing abuse facilitated by new technology.

Communications Minister Anika Wells says there was “no place” for apps that are “used solely to abuse, humiliate and harm people, especially our children”.

“This is too important for us not to act. Abusive technologies are widely and easily accessible and are causing real and irreparable damage now,” she said in a statement.

“While this move won’t eliminate the problem of abusive technology in one fell swoop, alongside existing laws and our world-leading online safety reforms, it will make a real difference in protecting Australians.”

Much like the social media ban for under 16s, the onus will be on tech companies to prevent the availability of the apps.

The government passed laws last year banning the sharing of deepfake pornography and imposing a six-year prison term.

50m agoMon 1 Sep 2025 at 9:03pm

Labor defends record on migration

Labor frontbencher Amanda Rishworth received the call-up for the morning show rounds, where she was asked about migration in the wake of the weekend’s anti-immigration rallies.

The employment minister says there’s “no excuse” for some of the behaviour seen at the protests as she defended the government’s actions to make migration more sustainable.

“I think we all need to stand up and say that there is no place to be calling for people, particularly groups of people, if they don’t look like you, to be excluded from this country,” she told Nine.

“When it comes to migration policy, we’ve been doing a lot of work … and for example, we have seen a reduction in the net overseas migration from the peak of COVID levels, down 37 per cent, particularly as a result of a number of things but including sustainability around student visas.”

Rishworth said the permanent migration target would be released soon.

“I think as Minister [Tony] Burke said, I think it is very soon. We are working with states and territories on that.

“That target will be released shortly”.

Liberal frontbencher Tim Wilson agreed there was “no place” for intimidation of Australians because of their bloodline.

He said he wants “sustainable migration” with investment in public resources and housing matched to the number of people arriving.

1h agoMon 1 Sep 2025 at 8:53pm

Cheaper medicines bill passes the Senate

Health Minister Mark Butler is out and about this morning, promoting the passage of the government’s cheaper medicines bill.

The legislation passed the Senate last night and reduces the cost of a script to $25 from January 1.

“This will make a huge difference,” Butler told Sunrise, adding he’s heard stories of people asking their pharmacists for advice on which scripts they could get away with not filling.

“It’s good for the hip pocket and that’s important. But it’s also good for your health. It maximises the chance that people can afford the medicines that are important for their health.”

1h agoMon 1 Sep 2025 at 8:45pm

👋 Good morning

Hello, and welcome to our federal politics live blog! I’m Courtney Gould, and I’ll be guiding you through the day.

What’s making news this morning? Well, we still have plenty of unanswered questions about a deal the government struck with Nauru to settle members of the so-called NZYQ cohort. Meanwhile, expect the issue of home care packages to rear its head again today.

So grab a coffee (or five) and settle in.

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