Albanese says One Nation migration policy would be ‘diabolical’ for economy
The prime minister has defended the government’s proposed immigration enforcement rules, as One Nation and the Coalition call for a tougher crackdown on net migration.
The government has announced long-awaited changes to immigration rules, under which foreign nationals without a valid visa face new measures to force them to leave the country. It has promised to bring down net overseas migration to 245,000 this financial year, and 225,000 in 2027-28.
One Nation says it is targeting net-negative arrivals over three years, while the federal opposition leader, Angus Taylor, told the NSW Liberal state council yesterday he would introduce one of the “biggest immigration cuts in Australian history”.
Albanese told the ABC’s Insiders One Nation’s policy would be “be diabolical for our economy, and have real consequences for issues such as aged care, healthcare, the hospitality sector, the agricultural sector”.
A poll by The Sydney Morning Herald suggested 40% of voters thought the government’s 2027-28 target was still too high. Asked about recent polling on immigration, Albanese said:
double quotation markWe will put forward the case, for example, of our farmers need the areas to come in if they’re going to have their crops picked. That is just something that the farming sector are telling us, and it’s something that’s a reality, as well as [in] a range of other areas as well, including in the care sector.
Updated at 21.00 EDT
Key events
Sarah Basford Canales
Angus Taylor has continued to spruik his double tax cut policy this morning, which he claims will both lower petrol prices and put the budget in better shape.
On 2GB radio, the opposition leader said the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, should adopt the policy to halve the fuel excise when the two-week average price of oil exceeds US$100 a barrel and cut the tobacco excise to take back cigarette sales from the black market.
Chalmers told News24 this morning the government had no plans to again halve the fuel excise as oil prices continue to rise in response to the US’s protracted conflict with Iran.
Taylor said:
double quotation markLet’s just lock it in, and let’s stop this silly carry on. And the treasurer should just get on board. He should just get on board, and this is a treasurer who’s in denial about the state of the economy.
Taylor insists fuel price shield policy is ‘anti-inflationary’ after Chalmers labels it ‘uncapped, unfunded’
The federal opposition leader, Angus Taylor, has insisted his “fuel price shield” policy is “anti-inflationary” after criticism by the federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers.
As we reported earlier, the opposition’s policy would see the federal fuel excise halved when the two-week average price of oil exceeds US$100 a barrel.
Asked what he thought of the idea on News24 earlier, Chalmers accused Taylor of coming up with an “an uncapped, unfunded policy”.
double quotation markAngus Taylor’s not trying to save Australian motorists from higher petrol prices. He’s trying to save the Liberal party from One Nation.
At a press conference this morning, Taylor rejected Chalmers’ comments, saying the opposition would fund the policy through increased revenue created by controversial proposed cuts to the federal tobacco excise.
double quotation markWe can bring down taxes, fully fund it through the budget, and ensure that we provide the relief Australians want at the bowser: $15 a tank, 27 cents a litre … So this is anti-inflationary, and it’s been done in a way which is responsible for the budget.
The opposition has estimated the policy would cost around $950m each month, and would have been triggered twice in the past five years, during oil price shocks in early 2022 and March this year.
Updated at 21.11 EDT
Albanese says One Nation migration policy would be ‘diabolical’ for economy
The prime minister has defended the government’s proposed immigration enforcement rules, as One Nation and the Coalition call for a tougher crackdown on net migration.
The government has announced long-awaited changes to immigration rules, under which foreign nationals without a valid visa face new measures to force them to leave the country. It has promised to bring down net overseas migration to 245,000 this financial year, and 225,000 in 2027-28.
One Nation says it is targeting net-negative arrivals over three years, while the federal opposition leader, Angus Taylor, told the NSW Liberal state council yesterday he would introduce one of the “biggest immigration cuts in Australian history”.
Albanese told the ABC’s Insiders One Nation’s policy would be “be diabolical for our economy, and have real consequences for issues such as aged care, healthcare, the hospitality sector, the agricultural sector”.
A poll by The Sydney Morning Herald suggested 40% of voters thought the government’s 2027-28 target was still too high. Asked about recent polling on immigration, Albanese said:
double quotation markWe will put forward the case, for example, of our farmers need the areas to come in if they’re going to have their crops picked. That is just something that the farming sector are telling us, and it’s something that’s a reality, as well as [in] a range of other areas as well, including in the care sector.
Updated at 21.00 EDT
PM focused on free trade agreement with Europe, not EU membership
The prime minister has been asked if Australia has any plans to join the EU, after the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, welcomed the offer of Canada becoming the EU’s first associate member.
Anthony Albanese says “we’re a long way from Europe, of course”, but after it is pointed out that Canada is too, he says:
double quotation markOur relations, of course, are also in areas that Canada doesn’t have. So Asean, for example, and the centrality of Asean in our region is important. The Pacific Island Forum, where I was just a couple of weeks ago, is very important as well. Our priority when it comes to Europe and our engagement with the EU is, of course, Australia-EU free trade agreement.
Asked if he is keeping EU membership “open as an option”, Albanese says: “My focus is on the free trade agreement and getting that in place, both in Australia and in Europe”.
Anthony Albanese speaks to reporters at Apple headquarters in California. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 20.20 EDT
Social media companies compelled to provide information under changes to minimum age ban, Albanese says
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says social media companies have already been compelled to provide information to the eSafety commissioner following amendments to social media minimum age legislation this month.
Albanese is returning to the UN’s General Assembly a year after he addressed it about social media to promote Australia’s ban for under-16s. Asked on the ABC’s Insiders if he is happy with the progress of the ban, with many children still on social media, Albanese says:
double quotation markIt was never going to be perfect, but in the legislation that we passed just in the last sitting fortnight, I can tell you … that already the eSafety Commissioner has used that strengthening of the laws to require some of the social media organisations to provide information to it, so they’ve already been compelled.
Asked which social media companies have been compelled to provide documents, the prime minister says he cannot go into a “commercial issue”.
Updated at 21.37 EDT
Albanese doesn’t rule out changes to copyright law for AI scraping
The prime minister has been asked if it his still his policy, following his speech in July to announce the government’s AI framework, that companies should not be able to use Australian books, music, art or news to build or train AI without the artist’s control.
He says, “absolutely, that’s our position,” adding that his statement was welcomed by AI companies. The ABC’s David Speers says that two of those companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, want copyright laws watered down, asking if the government’s policy means there will be no changes to copyright laws.
Albanese says:
double quotation markWhat it means is control and monetisation of [copyright]. You know, [AI] is a global phenomenon, so we have a national interest in leaning in here and being proactive, and that’s precisely what we’re doing.
Asked again if he will rule out changes to copyright laws, the prime minister says there will be “no change to the principles that I’ve outlined very clearly”.
“I’ve said what the principles are, which are there, and we’ll engage constructively on all of these issues,” he says.
Updated at 19.43 EDT
Albanese asked about Trump comments calling AI safety fears a ‘hoax’
Anthony Albanese has been asked about comments from Donald Trump in which the US president described safety fears about AI as a “hoax”.
The comments came in the face of multiple industry figures sounding the alarm about AI’s dangers. Trump has since announced the creation of an artificial intelligence tsar and “AI force”.
Asked if he is concerned Trump’s approach, Albanese says:
double quotation markWell, President Trump, of course, will act in the interests of the US, but also there’s a need for all of us to act in the interests of humanity … I think President Trump knows that at the moment the US is essentially ahead of China when it comes to the race that is on for the development of this new technology. But it is in the world’s interests that there be engagement. I think it’s a positive sign that President Trump is meeting President Xi [Jinping] this week, and I am hopeful that there will be positive engagement out of it.
Asked if is he saying that Trump is putting US interests over humanity’s interests, the prime minister says:
double quotation markWell, no, I don’t think that’s a contradiction … there’s not a contradiction because it is in the US’s interests for social licence to occur here. They have the big companies that are based here. It’s a driver of economic growth. When we look at future growth, it is estimated that AI is already potentially adding about 1% to GDP in the world’s largest economy, so it is certainly in the US’ interests for there to be that recognition of human interests. And President Trump, I’m sure, understands that.
Updated at 19.47 EDT
Albanese says Apple chair praised Australian social media ban
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is appearing on the ABC’s Insiders this morning, amid a visit to the US where he has met Apple’s executive chair and former CEO, Tim Cook.
It comes amid warnings about the rapid growth of AI, and the federal government’s announcement of its own regulatory framework for the technology and the datacentre industry.
Asked if he shares fears of an existential threat for humanity posed by AI, Albanese says:
double quotation markWell, it’s a very big deal. I certainly see that. And Tim Cook gave us a lot of time this morning. He regards the work that we’ve done on social media to be world-leading, and it was terrific to be able to be here at Apple …
Artificial intelligence is moving so fast, and I think there are three issues really. One is the companies themselves. What safeguards are they putting in place? How are they being transparent? What are the protocols to make sure that it doesn’t get … beyond their control? The second is nation states need to engage and need to act, and that’s why I’ve said we’ll introduce AI standards, Australian standards in our national interest by the end of the year. And the third issue, which will be discussed this week, no doubt, is: what are the international protocols which are there now?
Anthony Albanese during a demonstration of child safety features at Apple’s headquarters in California. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 19.25 EDT
Coalition pledges ‘fuel price shield’ for when crude oil exceeds US$100
The federal opposition says a “fuel price shield” policy under which the excise would be halved when the two-week average price of oil exceeds US$100 a barrel would save drivers 27 cents a litre.
Under the policy announced today, a two-week average closing price on a barrel of Brent crude of more than $100 would trigger the federal fuel excise being automatically halved from the following Monday. It would also see the removal of a 32c/L heavy vehicle road user charge.
The price shield would lapse within three months or when the eight-week average crude price fell below US$100, unless the government decided to extend it.
In a statement today, Angus Taylor said:
double quotation markWhen global events send oil prices through the roof, Australians should know there is a clear automatic safeguard in place to provide temporary and targeted relief.
The fuel price shield would provide certainty. When a serious oil shock hits, the tax comes down automatically. When oil prices return to more normal levels, the ordinary rate is restored.
The opposition has estimated this would save $15 on a typical tank of fuel, with the price shield costing the federal government around $950m each month. It says its analysis shows it would have been triggered twice in the past five years, during oil price shocks in early 2022 and March this year.
Angus Taylor in March this year. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 19.19 EDT
Kat Wong
Premier and opposition leader pay tribute to ‘thoroughly decent’ Tim Read
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, said in a statement Tim Read was a man of principle and compassion who had dedicated his life to being “a voice for Brunswick”.
double quotation markI always valued his intelligent and humane contributions to the public debate. I always respected his convictions and his determination to make life better for others.
He knew his values. He lived them.
Carroll said he had spoken to Read last week.
“We spoke about something on which we have always agreed: integrity in public life and the need for reform,” Carroll said.
“Despite his health challenges, he was positive and optimistic for a better world.”
The Victorian opposition leader, Jess Wilson, also offered her condolences:
double quotation markTim was a man of conviction and a thoroughly decent person. He brought sincerity, compassion and a strong sense of public duty to his work, earning respect across the Parliament. His commitment to integrity in public life was unwavering.
Tim Read in state parliament in 2023. Photograph: James Ross/AAPShare
Updated at 19.41 EDT
‘Vale, our brilliant friend’: Victorian Greens MP Tim Read diesKat Wong
The Greens MP for Brunswick, Tim Read, has been remembered for his kindness and integrity after his death on Saturday at the age of 64.
Read was diagnosed with melanoma in November and earlier this year announced he would retire from politics at the state election.
On Saturday, Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell announced he had died surrounded by those he loved.
“Tim was a brilliant local MP, doctor and scientist – but to those who knew him, he was also the kindest, funniest and most fundamentally decent of people,” Sandell said.
double quotation markHe could always see the moral question at the heart of every political issue. It’s why he was so outspoken when it came to supporting the cause of the Palestinian people and why he continued to remind us all about how much coal was being burned in Victoria each day. He never lost perspective about what was truly important …
Vale our brilliant friend. We will miss you.
Sandell recalled Read’s advocacy on pill testing, tobacco licensing and a statutory ban on solitary confinement in prisons, and praised his contribution to Victoria’s anti-corruption and integrity laws.
“Victoria is a bettter and fairer place, and politics in the future will be much more accountable and transparent because of Tim,” she said.
Victorian Greens MP for Brunswick Tim Read. Photograph: James Ross/AAPShare
Updated at 18.54 EDT
Angus Taylor vows ‘one of the biggest cuts to immigration in Australian history’Kat Wong
The federal opposition leader, Angus Taylor, has vowed to deliver one of the biggest immigration cuts in Australia history and called Labor “socialist in all but name” in a bid to rally the party faithful, six months out from the New South Wales election.
In a wide-ranging address to the NSW Liberal party state council in Sydney on Saturday, Taylor admitted the previous coalition government had its shortcomings, but said Labor was “utterly failing the nation”.
He said:
double quotation markFor the past four years, we’ve had a government in Canberra which is socialist in all but name.
Taylor said it was “divisive” for Labor politicians to “stand in front of three different flags instead of our one national flag”, referring to press conferences where leaders would deliver speeches with the Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander flags alongside the national flag behind them.
After Labor unveiled its new immigration plan, which includes transforming a former quarantine facility into a new detention centre, and preventing international students from bringing their family members to Australia, Taylor offered to go further.
double quotation markI will deliver one of the biggest cuts to immigration in Australian history.
The opposition leader also promised to protect Australia’s national flag and Australia Day, and change laws regarding gender.
double quotation markWe will not allow the ideologues and activists to deny the truth … Under a Coalition government I lead, we will end this lunacy.
The Coalition will be hoping to win back voters from One Nation at the NSW state election in March.
Updated at 18.44 EDT
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our Sunday live blog. I’m Penry Buckley to take you through the day.
The federal opposition leader, Angus Taylor, has pledged to deliver one of the biggest immigration cuts in Australia history and called Labor “socialist in all but name” in a bid to rally the party faithful, six months out from the NSW election.
And politicians from all sides of Victorian parliament have paid tribute to the Greens MP for Brunswick, Tim Read, who died on Saturday at the age of 64.
More on both of those stories and plenty more to come.
Updated at 18.38 EDT