11h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 6:38am
That’s the end of our live blog!
And that’s where we’ll have to leave the federal politics blog for today. Thank you for joining us!
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.
We’ll see you again tomorrow morning for more federal politics news.
11h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 6:28am
RBA governor says ‘too early to say’ how Middle East conflict will impact economy
Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock says it is too early to know what impact the Middle East war will have on Australia’s economy.
With Israel, the United States, and Iran trading deadly missile strikes in recent days, oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz have been severely disrupted and global oil prices have spiked.
Economists have warned that Australian petrol prices could rise by 40 cents a litre in coming weeks, after the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil jumped by 9 per cent yesterday.
But Bullock said events were moving rapidly and there were different ways the war could play out, with RBA staff closely monitoring the situation.
Events in the Middle East are a timely reminder that in this world of geopolitical uncertainty, things can change quickly,” she said at an AFR Business Summit in Sydney early this morning.
“It’s too early to say what the impact will be … [RBA] staff will take some time to make sense of what it could mean for inflation here.
“A supply shock could, for example, add to inflation pressures and the potential implications for inflation expectations are something we are very alert to.
“But at the same time, a prolonged impact on energy markets could have adverse effects on global economic activity and result in downward pressure on inflation. It is not obvious how this might play out.”
Read more at the link below.
11h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 6:16am
Leeser slams PM’s tabling of internal Liberal review into election loss as ‘cheap’ stunt
An internal Liberal Party review into its 2025 election loss isn’t needed to tell the party where it went wrong, Shadow Education Minister Julian Leeser says.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tabelled the internal Liberal Party report into Question Time today, after the Liberal Party executive said they wouldn’t publicly release it.
You can read more about what that leaked review says in this story by my colleague chief digital political correspondent Clare Armstrong.
Speaking to Afternoon Briefing, Leeser says he hasn’t read the report, and has accused the PM of a “cheap” political stunt for tabling the document to parliament.
“We need to do much better with multicultural Australia, there’s no doubt about that and we didn’t need the report to tell us that because that was very apparent to us at the last election,” Leeser says.
11h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 6:07am
‘Staggering’ PM has tabelled Liberal Party internal review into election loss, Lib MP says
Liberal Aaron Violi and Labor MP Sally Sitou have joined the Afternoon Briefing political panel.
Violi has been asked whether it was smart to suppress leaking the Liberal Party’s election review.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tabled the review during Question Time in parliament today.
But the Casey MP has deflected and says it’s “staggering” the government’s priority is tabelling an internal Liberal Party review.
“With all these challenges the government are facing, the number one priority for the prime minister today is to table a review of the internal Liberal Party to play politics says everything about this prime minister,” Violi says.
11h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 5:55am
David Littleproud endorses Angus Taylor’s performance so far
Nationals Leader David Littleproud says the Coalition party room has a “renewed energy” following Angus Taylor’s ascension to the leadership.
Littleproud says Taylor has “reinvigorated” the Coalition and and focused on its core values and principles.
Speaking to Afternoon Briefing, he says the Nationals have been encouraged by the way the opposition leader has engaged with the country party.
“I think the energy and enthusiasm he’s brought to parliament in terms of Question Time, the focus of getting back to those core values and restoring of living and protecting our way of life,” Littleproud says.
12h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 5:43am
O’Neil criticises Andrew Hastie’s ‘hyperbolic views’ on status of rules based order
Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has joined Afternoon Briefing where she’s been asked about the unfolding conflict in the Middle East.
The US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says the United States is considering putting boots on the ground in Iran.
O’Neil says it’s not a scenario being contemplated by the Australian government “at the moment”.
She says the Australian government supports the strikes on Iran because of the repression of its people and the development of nuclear weapons in that country.
“We have an opportunity here to not only remove a regime that has been without question one of the most repressive in human history, but also to address an ongoing concern of the world about nuclear capabilities being developed in that country,” O’Neil says.
Asked if she shares Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie’s views that the international rules-based order is dead, O’Neil says they are “hyperbolic views”.
12h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 5:01am
Afternoon Briefing has started! 📺
Join along as we bring you the program here live.
12h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 5:00am
Foreign minister labels Middle East situation ‘unprecedented’
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is facing an “unprecedented” situation as the conflict in the Middle East expands.
An estimated 115,000 Australians remain in the region, with many stranded due to ongoing airspace closures.
During Senate Question Time, Wong said “the situation is unprecedented because in this crisis it is the hub that we would usually rely on in a crisis that are in crisis rather than being the solution”.
“The number of affected Australians dwarfs any consular operation the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has ever conducted,” Wong says.
The foreign minister says she’s spoken with His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahya, who serves as both the UAE’S deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
“This morning, I spoke with the UAE deputy prime Minister and foreign minister to express our solidarity,” she tells the Senate.
“I thanked him for supporting Australians impacted by travel disruptions including the UAE’s provision of accommodation and meals for Australians.”
Wong says the federal government “we will continue to work with airlines in the region to support Australians”.
“I am advised that a small number of commercial flights to other destinations were able to depart overnight, however, the unfortunate reality is that immediate resolution to this situation is unlikely,” she says.
13h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 4:50amChalmers asks ACCC to monitor fuel prices amid Middle East war
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has written to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) asking them to monitor fuel prices amid the unrest in the Middle East.
Major petrol suppliers in the region have halted production due to Iranian retaliatory strikes, causing a spike in barrel prices.
In a letter to the acting chair of the ACCC, the treasurer has asked the commission to closely monitor petrol prices to avoid price gouging.
“I would expect the ACCC as the independent regulator enforcing Australia’s competition and consumer laws to investigate any concerns arising about misrepresentations regarding petrol prices, false and misleading conduct or anti-competitive conduct in petrol markets, and to take appropriate action,” Chalmers says.
13h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 4:44am
Australia well prepared to weather instability of fuel supply shocks: Bowen
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Energy Minister Chris Bowen says Australia is well prepared to weather the instability to petrol supplies caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
The energy minister says he’s spoken to the chief executives of Australia’s oil refinery companies and that Australia is currently in excess of minimum stock obligations for fuel.
Bowen says those companies have informed him that they’re confident about oil supplies right through till May.
He says there will be impacts as a result of the war in the Middle East and says the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will be monitoring prices closely.
“There is no immediate threat to petrol supplies in Australia. There will be challenges in this difficult environment in the Middle East,” Bowen says.
“There are real challenges, but there is no need for panic. Buying will just make the situation worse,” he says.
Bowen says there is no need for people to rush to the service station and fill up on petrol, and says there is no immediate threat to petrol supplies in Australia.
13h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 4:25am
📷 Today’s Question Time in pictures
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
13h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 4:22am
That’s all from QT
And after a Dorothy Dixer on home batteries, Anthony Albanese calls time on QT for another day.
It was a day in which we saw not one, not two, not three but four people were booted from the chamber under 94a.
The prime minister pointedly notes it was another day without a question from the opposition on the economy.
What a time. Don’t worry if you missed it, we’ll have another one tomorrow.
13h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 4:20am
PM calls for people who’ve attacked LGBTQ+ individuals to be prosecuted
Independent MP Allegra Spender has asked when the government will protect LGBTQ+ students and teachers from discrimination at schools.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hasn’t said whether he’ll tackle that, only that students and teachers should be respected for who they are.
He says the attorney-general is working with the NSW government on reports of violent assaults against members of the LGBTQ+ community which have been filmed and posted online.
“These cowards deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. For young people coming to terms with their identity and who they are, and expressing themselves, it can be really, really tough,” Albanese says.
“My government will continue to promote equality, to engage in a respectful way, in which every person, whether they’re a student, a teacher, are able to engage and be who they are as well,” he says.
13h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 4:14am
‘We’re not resettling anyone’: Burke
We’re back on the topic of IS-linked Australians returning from northern Syria.
Last week, NSW Premier Chris Minns confirmed a third of the cohort of 34 women and children would return to his state.
Melissa McIntosh wants to know if they’d be located in the PM’s electorate (aka the Sydney’s inner-west) or western Sydney.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke takes this question for the PM. He takes issue with McIntosh’s use of the word “settle”.
“We’re not resettling anyone. In the same way, as under your watch, the [IS] fighters returned,” he says.
“You didn’t resettle them. They came under Australian passports and returned on the watch of the previous government.”
He reiterates the government is not repatriating any of the cohort.
“They asked to be repatriated. We refused,” he concludes.
13h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 4:07am
Albanese calls for ‘greater rigour’ around lobbyist passes for parliament
Kooyong MP Monique Ryan has asked the PM whether the government will open up an inquiry into lobbyists’ access to parliament to the public.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he wants transparency.
He says the review looks at the conditions and requirements for which unescorted pass holders can roam around Parliament House.
“There are security issues in this place as well as long lists, as you might have noticed in some other places as well, that have been dealt with that members have to deal with in 2026 and we need to tighten it up,” Albanese says.
“Unescorted access to parliament is a privilege, that is a matter for the presiding officers, but there should be greater rigour around sponsored passes, particularly for professional lobbyists,” he says.
13h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 4:04am
Tehan continues to press government over $670k grant
We’re back to Dan Tehan, who again asks the multicultural affairs minister about a $670,000 grant given to association that had reportedly mourned the death of the Ayatollah.
Tehan wants to know when she specifically became aware of the issue.
Anne Aly says it came to her attention within the last 24 hours.
Coalition MPs don’t believe this and jeer that she actually learned about it within the “last 15 minutes”.
Aly continues:
“I have now instigated for the department to halt any further actions on continuing the funding,” she says.
13h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 3:56am
Dai Le questions why PM is prioritising high speed rail between Newcastle and Sydney
Fowler MP Dai Le has stepped up to ask why the government is prioritising a high-speed rail between Newcastle and Sydney, when there’s still no direct rail line between major centres in Western Sydney and the new airport.
The prime minister is elated to receive the question and says the former Coalition government ripped funding out of the rail link to the new Western Sydney airport.
Nationals can be heard shouting out in the background, “you didn’t start it,” “we funded it” and “snip another Coalition ribbon”.
Anthony Albanese has listed off all the infrastructure projects the federal government is helping fund surrounding the new Western Sydney airport.
“What we are putting forward, indeed, we’re investing over $13 billion in transport infrastructure across Western Sydney over the next ten years. When you include Western Sydney Airport…investment reaches $19 billion,” Albanese says.
On a dixer, Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson is kicked out of the chamber for interjections by Speaker Milton Dick.
14h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 3:47am
Aly will have ‘more to say’ on association reportedly mourning death of Ayatollah
Dan Tehan is back with a rinse and repeat of his previous question but this time he puts it to Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly.
Aly echoes the treasurer’s remarks, saying when funding is granted it comes with the expectation “those activities … will abide by the law” and be within the “expectations and standards” taxpayers expect.
“This case is no different. So I can assure those opposite I am
doing everything possible, looking into this matter, and I’ll have more to say on it shortly,” she says.
14h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 3:40am
Tehan questions why money has been donated to organisation mourning death of Khamenei
Manager of Opposition Business Dan Tehan has asked why was $670,000 promised to an organisation that he says is mourning the death of Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the government has made it clear that it doesn’t think it’s appropriate to mourn the death of Khamenei.
He says the Australian Tax Office and the Charities Commissioner have the power to revoke any of the concessional treatment applied to organisations.
“We have made our views about his brutal and oppressive regime very repeatedly in recent days,” Chalmers says.
14h agoTue 3 Mar 2026 at 3:37am
Govt questioned about local memorials for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson is up next, asking if the government can rule out whether federal funding had been spent on the prayer groups or mosques mourning the death of Iran’s former leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A number of Shiite mosques and Islamic institutions in Sydney and Melbourne held public memorials and prayer sessions mourning the death of Khamenei.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers begins by noting it’s the first time he’s received a question from his new Liberal counterpart and it’s not about the economy.
“I think it says everything,” he says.
Manager of Opposition Business Dan Tehan does his best to raise a point of order but Speaker Milton Dick shuts him down.
Chalmers continues. He says the government tries to make sure all public spending goes “where appropriate” and if it finds out that isn’t the case it takes the relevant steps.