12h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 3:52am
That’s the end of our live blog!
That’s the end of our federal politics live blog for today. I’ll be back bright and early tomorrow morning for more politics fun.
But until then you can look back on today’s developments below, or download the ABC News app and subscribe to our range of news alerts for the latest updates.
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12h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 3:37am
McIntosh says NDIS participants ‘distressed’ by government mixed-messaging
Shadow NDIS minister Melissa McIntosh was in Penrith a bit earlier, talking about the need for an overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The government has been floating reforms to the scheme ahead of the federal budget, but there’s been some mixed messaging from Labor MPs about what’s on the table.
Last week, NDIS minister Mark Butler said he was open to the idea of narrowing eligibility to the scheme via means testing, but the door has since been closed by treasurer Jim Chalmers and the prime minister.
McIntosh says she’s received an “overwhelming” number of calls and emails from people worried about the future of their plans.
“Every time the government floats a new idea around the NDIS it causes distress amongst those Australians who rely on the NDIS”.
She says the government needs to be focusing on stamping out the rorts within the scheme, including mandating registrations for service providers.
“It’s really mind blowing to think you don’t need any qualifications, you don’t need to have any basic safety standards to be an NDIS provider looking after our most vulnerable”.
12h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 3:25am
Hanson ‘sickened’ that she was pushed to fire convicted rapist from staff
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says she’s sacked convicted rapist Sean Black from her staff but it wasn’t because she took issue with his criminal history.
“I’ve had no concerns raised by the other female staff, no concerns by me whatsoever,” she told Sky News last night.
If you’ve missed this saga, earlier this month the Australian newspaper revealed that Black was working for One Nation, after being jailed in 2018 for raping and violently assaulting a woman.
Liberal senators Garth Hamilton and James Paterson have since publicly shared their concern at Black’s employment, but Hanson says the senators were playing into “gutter politics”.
She says they brought it up because they feared the “rise of One Nation”.
“They sicken me. This is what the public are fed up with, this gutter politics,” she said of the Coalition senators.
She says she fired Black yesterday because the issue had been “dragged up” again, but believed he had done his time.
“I actually shot this man … in front of his wife with his two children in the next room. So he’s gone, finished,” she said.
“You’ve given him a death penalty, where it’s going to be very hard for him to get a job and provide for his family”.
13h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 2:54am
Government assumes Strait of Hormuz isn’t re-opening anytime soon
Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the government is moving ahead as if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t opening any time soon.
Around 20 per cent of global oil and LNG flows through the waterway.
“Obviously we hope it doesn’t [remain closed] but we work in terms of prudent planning on the basis that it will. As I said last week, on the day the ceasefire was announced … I said there’s a way to go here and we can’t get ahead of ourselves,” he says.
Bowen is also asked if US President Donald Trump’s threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz has cast doubt on any assurances Australia’s fuel supply will be OK into May.
“The events in the Strait of Hormuz overnight do not affect that. Does it mean ongoing concerns … in June and July? Sure. But we’ll continue to manage those and I’ll continue to give updates.”
13h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 2:39amAn update on fuel supplies
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has just provided an update on Australia’s fuel supplies at petrol stations across the country.
There are 205 service stations (2.6 per cent) without diesel across the country.
NSW: 109 service stations without diesel and 16 with no fuel altogether. Victoria: 34 without diesel and 17 with no unleaded. Queensland: 36 with no diesel and 20 with no unleaded. South Australia: 4 with no diesel and 17 with no unleaded. Western Australia: 7 with no diesel and 17 with no unleaded. Tasmania: 10 with no diesel and 4 with no unleaded. Northern Territory: 4 with no diesel and 2 with no unleaded. Australian Capital Territory: 1 without diesel.
Bowen says Australia currently has 38 days’ worth of petrol, 28 days’ of jet fuel and 31 days’ of diesel in our reserves. There are currently 57 ships carrying various types of fuels on their way to Australia.
“That’s about standard for this time of year … also over the next four weeks, the rolling four week report, we have 4.1 billion litres of fuel locked in and contracted by Australian companies,” he says.
13h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 2:21am
What’s the greatest challenge facing the ADF today?
(ABC News: Stuart Carnegie)
Incoming chief Mark Hammond says it’s about the workforce.
“I think the biggest opportunity for the Australian Defence Force going forward is to be seen as an employer of choice that values every member of the team and creates an environment where our people want to get out of bed and go to work because of the important work that we do.”
Hammond says the ADF has already made “significant progress” in retention.
“Our separation rates across all three services are at near-record lows and have held at that level for the last couple of years.”
And that’s where we will leave the PM’s press conference.
13h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 2:17amPM won’t give us any hints on what’s in the May budget
Anthony Albanese hasalso dismissed questions about the possibility of the upcoming budget including a windfall tax on gas exports.
The ABC revealed last month the prime minister’s department had asked Treasury to explore options for a new tax on gas and thermal coal exports.
The prime minister says we’ll have to wait and see what’s in the budget.
“We’ll have the budget next month,” he says.
Sticking with the theme of the budget, Albanese also won’t give any indication of what he’s considering when it comes to the NDIS.
The government is trying to curb the growth of the scheme, aiming for a 5 per cent growth rate — down from 10 per cent.
He repeats it’s likely the budget will be finalised later than usual.
14h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 2:10am
Albanese sidesteps questions about desired outcomes of trip to Brunei and Malaysia
Anthony Albanese isn’t giving much away ahead of his visit to Brunei and Malaysia later this week.
The prime minister is heading off on the next phase of his charm offensive in the region in a bid to shore up fuel and fertiliser supplies for Australia.
Albanese says Brunei supplies around 9 per cent of our diesel but is also a major supplier of fertiliser.
“So we will negotiate with them in good faith. We have good relationships. I’m looking forward to the visit, which I’ll conduct along with Foreign Minister [Penny] Wong.”
It comes after the PM’s trip to Singapore last week. Earlier this morning, he said our relationship with the city-state put Australia at “the front of the queue” for refined fuels.
Albanese is asked how that sounds to countries that are struggling with the fuel crisis.
“We have important relationships and we are working to secure the Australian national interest. That is what we’ll continue to do and that’s what we do when we engage internationally in our region. Those relationships, at a time like this, are very important,” he says.
14h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 2:05amAustralia could ‘absolutely’ contribute to war effort if a request is made
Vice Admiral Mark Hammond says Australia would be “absolutely’ capable of assisting in the Middle East if requested to.
(ABC News: Stuart Carnegie)
It’s the same tone struck by the current ADF chief, Admiral David Johnston, last week when he pushed back on suggestions the navy would struggle to contribute a warship to efforts in the strait.
Hammond says the navy is as “ready as it ever has been”.
“The question of contribution is one for consideration by the Australian government should they receive a request and there’s been no such request as yet,” Hammond says.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said earlier there had been no request made for Australia to participate in the US’s planned blockade.
14h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 2:01am
Albanese wants Iran, US to head back to negotiating table
Anthony Albanese is asked about US President Donald Trump’s plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
The prime minister has repeated much of what he said this morning during his media rounds: the government wants the strait open and he is disappointed that no resolution has been found during negotiations.
“We want to see de–escalation and we want to see those negotiations resumed,” he says.
14h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 1:58am
Albanese brushes off question about next defence secretary
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is taking questions now. He’s asked when he’ll confirm who will be taking over as the next defence secretary.
Greg Moriarty is due to vacate the role at the end of the week in order to take up his appointment as Australia’s next ambassador to the US.
(ABC News: Stuart Carnegie)
Albanese says the appointment will be made in the “same orderly way that characterisies my government”.
Vice Admiral Mark Hammond is also asked, by the same reporter, what his first priority will be in the new job (and if it’ll be AUKUS).
Hammond says first up is getting a “really good handover” from the current ADF chief, Admiral David Johnston.
14h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 1:53am
New ADF chief ‘humbled’ by appointment
Vice Admiral Mark Hammond is speaking now. He describes being appointed as the next ADF chief as the “most humbling moment” in his career.
He keeps his remarks brief, also thanking his wife Jodi and children Josh and Jessica for their support.
“I thank the prime minister and deputy prime minister for their vote of trust and confidence. The responsibilities of the position are not lost on me,” Hammond says.
14h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 1:50am
Hammond rose from scrubbing decks to ADF chief: Marles
Defence Minister Richard Marles starts by thanking the outgoing chief, Admiral David Johnston, for his career with the ADF.
He’s been with the ADF for 48 years. Marles says they often joke it means Johnson signed up as a child.
“But in fact that is true because he joined up at the age of 15, when there was a program which allowed you to finish school through the Royal Australian Navy and since then, David has had a remarkable career,” he says.
Marles then turns his focus to Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, who he says has done a “remarkable” job as head of the navy.
“He has literally gone from scrubbing decks to, in July, becoming the chief of the defence force,” Marles says.
14h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 1:44amMark Hammond confirmed as the new ADF chief
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed Mark Hammond will be appointed as the next chief of the defence force.
Vice Admiral Hammond is currently the chief of navy.
Albanese has also said Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the current chief of joint capabilities, will become chief of army. She will be the first woman in history to command the Australian Army.
14h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 1:33am
Anthony Albanese to speak shortly
We’ve just received word that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is due to hold a press conference within the next 10 minutes.
As Tom Lowrey reported earlier, we’re expecting the prime minister to announce the next chief of defence.
Stick around, we’ll have all the updates here as they roll in.
15h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 1:04amNew chief of defence to be announced today
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to stand up in the next hour or so to announce the next chief of the Australian Defence Force.
The current chief, Admiral David Johnston, will leave the role after roughly two years in the job.
There are a few contenders to take his place.
Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, the current chief of the Royal Australian Navy, is seen as a frontrunner for the role.
There’s also the option of Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the current chief of joint capabilities, who would become the first woman to take on the position.
Air Marshal Robert Chipman, the vice chief of the defence force, is another name gathering speculation.
It’s an interesting time to be taking on the job — expect questions in that first press conference about what, if any, additional support Australia would be in a place to provide in the Strait of Hormuz.
15h agoMon 13 Apr 2026 at 12:30am
Analysis: There’s a case for nationalising child care, but it seems unlikely to happen
Many of Australia’s parents of school-aged children are this week dealing with the cost of Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) — that is, getting the kids looked after before and after school, as well as during school holidays.
And if you’re among them, there’s a fair chance you’re dealing with private equity — the more-than-usually rapacious subset of modern capitalism.
The two biggest OSHC operators, Camp Australia and Junior Adventures Group (JAG), with about 20 per cent of the market between them, are owned by Bain Capital and Quadrant Private Equity, respectively.
Bain tried to take over JAG as well, but the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) knocked them back.
Private equity loves this business because you don’t have to own any property — the businesses all run on school premises — and you don’t even have to pay a fixed rent. The deal is a percentage of revenue, 10–15 per cent, paid to the school.
And once the companies have a contract with a school, not only do they have a monopoly on that school, the customers have no choice about using the service (unless there are grandparents standing by) because they have to work, and the fee is subsidised by the government.
Read more from Alan Kohler at the link below.
16h agoSun 12 Apr 2026 at 11:26pm
PM defends ‘modest’ $20m advertising campaign
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the federal government’s advertising campaign encouraging motorists to conserve fuel.
The $20m advertising blitz directs Australians to a website that outlines tips on how to reduce fuel consumption, such as pumping up tyres and removing roof racks.
The campaign has been criticised by the opposition. But Albanese told ABC News Breakfast it was money well spent.
“This campaign is a modest campaign but it’s important as well that we get that direct information to people about the four levels [of the national plan] that we’re engaged with,” the PM said.
16h agoSun 12 Apr 2026 at 11:14pm
ICYMI: Anthony Albanese is asked by News Breakfast about the Strait of Hormuz
17h agoSun 12 Apr 2026 at 10:44pm
Albanese calls for resumption of peace talks
(ABC News: Stuart Carnegie)
Anthony Albanese also joined ABC’s News Breakfast this morning, reiterating the US hasn’t asked Australia to assist in its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The prime minister says Australia has already extended the timeframe that an Australian military surveillance aircraft, the E-7A Wedgetail, will spend in the Middle East. The government deployed the plane following a request from the United Arab Emirates.
Albanese was asked if he thought US President Donald Trump’s blockade would achieve anything.
“I want to see the resumption of peace talks. We want to see an end to this conflict. It’s having a devastating impact on the global economy and the longer it goes, the bigger the impact will be, and the longer the tail will be as well,” he says.
“So we want to see an end to the conflict, we have made that very clear for some time.”