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Nationals leader David Littleproud asks the next opposition question to agriculture minister Julie Collins.<\/p>\n
The Nationals have called for an independent review, into the decision by the agriculture department to lift some restrictions on US beef imports.<\/p>\n
Littleproud asks:<\/p>\n
[Was] the Inspector-General of biosecurity\u2019s recommendations that import risk assessments should include the oversight of a scientific advisory panel were implemented in the decision to overturn US beef import bans? If not, why not?<\/p>\n
Collins says there was a risk based assessment done by the department, and the decision was made \u201con a scientific basis\u201d.<\/p>\n
She also warns the opposition \u201cnot to be undermining Australia\u2019s biosecurity\u201d.<\/p>\n
The opposition erupts over that, and Milton Dick again tells the opposition benches to \u201ccool it\u201d.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Treasurer takes question on 4.2% unemployment rate<\/p>\n Back to the opposition, shadow treasurer Ted O\u2019Brien asks the treasurer why unemployment has spiked to its highest level in three years.<\/p>\n Jim Chalmers says unemployment is on average lower than under any other government in the last 50 years.<\/p>\n The unemployment rate for June was 4.2%. Chalmers says:<\/p>\n This is precisely why the people in front of the member for Fairfax are more excited about his promotion than the people behind him. Because he bowls up these absolute dollies. He\u2019s doing his best to make the former shadow treasurer look good.<\/p>\n O\u2019Brien\u2019s not happy with Chalmers\u2019 answer, and interjects \u2026 14 times according to Milton Dick, who tells him \u201ccool it\u201d.<\/p>\n Chalmers ends the answer saying that the government has made progress but isn\u2019t pretending that the work is done.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.38 EDT<\/p>\n Monique Ryan asks if Labor will reverse the Coalition\u2019s Job Ready Graduates scheme<\/p>\n The first question from the crossbench goes to Monique Ryan, who asks whether the government, having introduced legislation to cut Hecs debts, will now also reverse the job ready graduates scheme.<\/p>\n Before he gets into the substantive answer, education minister Jason Clare takes a few swipes at the Liberals.<\/p>\n Can I thank the member for Kooyong for her question. Probably the best member for Kooyong the parliament has ever had.<\/p>\n (A reminder here, the seat used to be held by former treasurer Josh Frydenberg).<\/p>\n That gets a wild round of applause by a group in the public gallery.<\/p>\n Clare continues:<\/p>\n 20% is a big cut. It\u2019s not as big as 33%, that\u2019s how much the Australian people cut the number of Liberal MPs in the chamber at the election.<\/p>\n To the substance of the question, Clare says the universities accord report makes recommendations on the job ready graduates scheme, which he says the government is working through.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll keep working through the recommendations in the universities accord report and take advice from the tertiary education commission as well.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.32 EDT<\/p>\n Sussan Ley asks PM if Labor will rule out tax rises<\/p>\n Ah, the old rule-in-rule-out game \u2013 it\u2019s one the government has tried to shut down<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sussan Ley asks the government whether it will rule out raising taxes.<\/p>\n To recap: the question stems from a Treasury department freedom of information response provided to the ABC which accidentally contained a small amount of information that was supposed to be redacted. In it were sub headings suggesting the government would need to raise taxes and curb spending to make the budget more sustainable.<\/p>\n Albanese doesn\u2019t play the rule-out game, and talks about the tax cut top-ups the government legislated at the end of last term.<\/p>\n Ley tries to make a point of order that the PM isn\u2019t being relevant to her question, but Milton Dick says that because of her preamble (which mentioned the Treasury advice) the PM has some leeway.<\/p>\n Albanese ends his answer with an extra swipe to Barnaby Joyce\u2019s private member\u2019s bill to repeal net zero.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.30 EDT<\/p>\n Mark Butler is asked about PBS scripts<\/p>\n The first dixer goes to Mark Butler, as the government moves to legislate its election promise of lowering the price of scripts under the PBS.<\/p>\n So no surprises that that\u2019s where the dixers are starting today.<\/p>\n Butler says 5 million patients will benefit from the change that will see the maximum co-payment for PBS scripts for general patients lowered to $25.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.20 EDT<\/p>\n Question time begins<\/p>\n Sussan Ley kicks off question time and asks about tariffs.<\/p>\n Ley says yesterday trade minister Don Farrell seemed to \u201cinvent\u201d a conversation between the PM and Donald Trump about beef \u2013 so, she asks, how can the government be trusted to lower tariffs from the US if the trade minister \u201cconfuses\u201d a public statement by Trump with a private phone call?<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese takes the call, and says that phone call with Donald Trump in May resulted in Trump calling the PM \u201cvery good\u201d and \u201ca friend\u201d.<\/p>\n He then rattles off some familiar lines about tariffs being \u201ceconomic self-harm\u201d for the US and that the government will continue to push for zero tariffs.<\/p>\n Americans are still importing goods from the global community. They\u2019re just paying more for them, which is why I argued that tariffs are an act of economic self-harm and which is why Australia hasn\u2019t reciprocated with tariffs.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.18 EDT<\/p>\n Tributes to late Pope Francis<\/p>\n Opposition leader Sussan Ley also speaks on the death of Pope Francis.<\/p>\n She says Pope Francis was a \u201cbeacon of humility, compassion and unwavering faith.\u201d<\/p>\n Described by some as a pope of the streets, his life was devoted to serving others, offering hope to the marginalised.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not a Catholic but I found inspiration in the way Pope Francis lived out his faith with humility, strength and compassion.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.11 EDT<\/p>\n Condolence motions in parliament<\/p>\n It\u2019s nearly question time, but before we get into the cross party needling, the parliament will make some condolence motions.<\/p>\n The prime minister speaks first, marking the passing earlier this year of Pope Francis, on 21 April.<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese says Pope Francis lived a life of \u201cservice, compassion and leadership\u201d.<\/p>\n In the spirit of his namesake, he shaped his papacy as a force to champion to poor, as a force of hope and as a light to guide us through the dark. Like St Francis, the late pope sought to fashion a gentler, kinder and more loving world.<\/p>\n The speaker, Milton Dick, also marked the deaths of Dr Charles Race Thorson Mathews, a former Labor MP, and Dr Alan Eggleston, a former Liberal senator for WA.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.10 EDT<\/p>\n Ed Husic: \u2018The time for Australia to recognise the state of Palestine is right now\u2019<\/p>\n Ed Husic has penned an op-ed for Guardian Australia today, calling for the country to recognise the state of Palestine.<\/p>\n In it he says:<\/p>\n So many nations have lost patience and are unable to stay silent or inert, as the Netanyahu government continually demonstrates its refusal to conduct its pursuit of Hamas in a way that respects the life of innocent civilians, something demanded by international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n Our prime minister\u2019s strong statement this week and his recognition over the weekend that \u201cQuite clearly it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which was a decision that Israel<\/a> made in March\u201d, paves the way for further action.<\/p>\n This is the moment for our nation to take a similar stand.<\/p>\n You can read the full piece here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.44 EDT<\/p>\n Liberal senator proposes Help student debt inflation guarantee<\/p>\n Sarah Henderson is proposing an amendment to Labor\u2019s student debt discount bill with a Higher Education Loan Program \u2013 or Help \u2013 loan inflation guarantee.<\/p>\n The Liberal Victorian senator said people who take out a Help loan \u201cmust not pay the price for Labor\u2019s failure to control inflation\u201d and \u201cshould not be blindsided by high indexation driven by high inflation\u201d.<\/p>\n In a statement, the senator said:<\/p>\n That is why I am proposing that Help indexation should be the lesser of the consumer price index or 3 per cent, delivering some three million Australians immediate cost of living relief and much needed certainty.<\/p>\n In contrast to Labor\u2019s one-off 20 per cent discount which applies to current debtors only, capping Help loans to 3 per cent, the upper band of the RBA\u2019s inflation target, would be an ongoing measure delivering equity and certainty to all students into the future.<\/p>\n She said student loans increased by 3.2 per cent on 1 June and that the Coalition \u201cneeds to present credible policy alternatives to win back the trust and faith of Australians\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is disappointing a Help loan inflation guarantee was left on the cutting room floor in the lead-up to the last election\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.41 EDT<\/p>\n Barnaby Joyce introduces net zero repeal bill<\/p>\n As we brought you earlier, Barnaby Joyce introduced legislation into the House this morning to repeal net zero.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a private member\u2019s bill and there\u2019s no chance it would ever get up (given there isn\u2019t consensus within the Coalition party room to abandon the policy) but it\u2019s certainly stirring up a bit of controversy.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a video of Joyce introducing that bill:<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.03 EDT<\/p>\n Nicolette Boele on government obstacles to climate action<\/p>\n Returning to Nicolette Boele\u2019s maiden speech, the new Bradfield MP says she will work to get the parliament to act on climate change.<\/p>\n After years working in the private sector to grow and increase investment in renewable energy, Boele says she was met with barriers from the government, which is why she decided to enter parliament:<\/p>\n I came to understand the potential for business to do good, but my efforts to shift the dial to speed up the progress of climate action through business met obstacle after obstacle. But not from business, not from customers and not from NGOs, from government.<\/p>\n Government protecting special interest from a grand ideological war that has set Australia behind decade after long infuriating decade.<\/p>\n At the end of her speech she receives a big applause and cheers from the House, from the other teal independents, but also from Labor\u2019s ranks. She\u2019s congratulated by several frontbenchers including Tony Burke and Catherine King.<\/p>\n Independent member for Bradfield Nicolette Boele is applauded after making her first speech in the House of Representatives at Parliament House. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.54 EDT<\/p>\n Pro-Palestine group offers to delay Harbour Bridge rally by a week after premier says it\u2019s too soon for government to support The NSW premier has responded to plans for the weekly pro-Palestine protest to walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, saying the government can\u2019t support a protest of this scale with one week\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n Chris Minns said in a statement:<\/p>\n The bridge is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in our city \u2013used every day by thousands of people. Unplanned disruption risks not only significant inconvenience but real public safety concerns.<\/p>\n We cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos.<\/p>\n NSW police are in discussions with organisers about other routes they can take and are working to ensure community safety is upheld.<\/p>\n Josh Lees, a spokesperson for the Palestine Action Group which is organising the rally, said if the government needs more notice in order to support the rally, then the group could organise the march a week later. Lees said:<\/p>\n The horrific suffering in Gaza is urgent and unprecedented, demanding an unprecedented response from the international community. That is why we have called for an urgent March for Humanity, to save Gaza, across the Sydney Harbour Bridge this Sunday.<\/p>\n In 2023, the Harbour Bridge was closed for several hours to shoot a scene for a Ryan Gosling film. It is regularly closed at short notice for maintenance or emergencies. It was closed for the historic 2000 march for reconciliation and the 2023 World Pride march. It can be temporarily closed to help stop a genocide.<\/p>\n If the premier says we need more time to plan such an event, then would he agree to support the March for Humanity a week later?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.49 EDT<\/p>\n Greens leader says Australia is \u2018behind the pack\u2019 on Palestinian recognition<\/p>\n The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, has criticised the Albanese government for being \u201cbehind the pack\u201d on recognising Palestinian statehood after the prime minister poured cold water on the idea<\/a> following France\u2019s announcement<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n At a press conference this morning, Waters was asked to respond to Anthony Albanese\u2019s comments yesterday, which raised fears premature recognition of Palestine could entrench Hamas in Gaza.<\/p>\n Waters responded:<\/p>\n I think that\u2019s nonsense, and what is clear is that 2 million people are starving, and that the Australian government needs to do everything it can to put the pressure on the Netanyahu government, including sanction that government, to ensure that the borders can be opened and aid [can] flow. Now, it\u2019s in the Labor party platform to recognise the state of Palestine. So whether the prime minister wants to do that or not, well, clearly that\u2019s something that they\u2019ve said they want to do and should do \u2026<\/p>\n Australia is not leading the way here and in fact we are behind the pack. And I think Australians want to know that our government is doing everything it can to help in this situation.<\/p>\n The Greens senator David Shoebridge said self determination for Palestinian and Israeli people should be the Australian government\u2019s \u201cabsolute focus\u201d to end the violence.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not the moment to have an abstract discussion about statehood. This is a moment to say, practically, what is everything Australia can do now to end the genocide, and that\u2019s where we\u2019d like the prime minister\u2019s attention.\u201d<\/p>\n Greens senators Mehreen Faruqi, Larissa Waters and David Shoebridge at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, 28 July, 2025. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.39 EDT<\/p>\n Ed Husic says Australia has \u2018strong opportunity\u2019 to recognise Palestinian state<\/p>\n Ed Husic, a Labor backbencher and Muslim MP, says there\u2019s a \u201cstrong opportunity\u201d for Australia to recognise a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n Husic tells Sky News that \u201cthings have changed\u201d over the last 20 months, since the 7 October attacks, and that \u201cwhat we\u2019ve seen every month seems to be more horrific than the last.\u201d<\/p>\n The French have been able to make that decision [to recognise a Palestinian state] without necessarily saying these conditions need to be met before we do this. They\u2019re saying recognise and do these things, which include the demilitarisation of the Hamas.<\/p>\n I believe this is a strong opportunity for us \u2026 we should be making that case and saying we are prepared to recognise [Palestine] now.<\/p>\n One of the conditions French president Emmanuel Macron has placed, says Husic, is that all hostages held by Hamas must be released immediately.<\/p>\n Asked about the criticism from the opposition that the government hasn\u2019t placed enough responsibility of the conflict on Hamas, Husic calls it \u201ctosh\u201d.<\/p>\n The prime minister, the foreign minister, members across government have repeatedly said what [happened] on 7 October was completely horrendous, brutal. They should be held to account for that. The hostages should be released.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.36 EDT<\/p>\n Bradfield independent Nicolette Boele makes first speech in parliament<\/p>\n Nicolette Boele, who sensationally beat Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian by just 26 votes in the seat of Bradfield, is giving her maiden speech to parliament, and says Australia is moving towards a decentralised and more people-centred rather than party-centred democracy.<\/p>\n She says there\u2019s \u201cwidespread conviction\u201d that politicians are \u201cincapable of dealing with systemic long-standing issues\u201d such as regulating online media platforms, climate change, gambling and housing affordability.<\/p>\n Boele says that unlike previous reform to gun laws, or the introduction of medicare, the parliament isn\u2019t ambitious enough.<\/p>\n Today the parliament does not make these courageous decisions, instead difficult decisions are delayed until the failure to act ushers in disastrous consequences, at which point a royal commission is called for, a referendum sought or a plebiscite scheduled. Or important decisions are made in the dark, strategically so as to achieve little media attention, or sneakily where action on one thing is mischaracterised as action on another.<\/p>\n Having been led by five male Liberal MPs for more than 70 years, Boele says her electorate, like the broader Australian community, is evolving and \u201cso must our parliament evolve\u201d.<\/p>\n Kapterian has lodged a petition with the high court to overturn the result, raising doubts about more than 150 ballots.<\/p>\n Independent member for Bradfield Nicolette Boele makes her first speech in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, 28 July, 2025. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.23 EDT<\/p>\n Young Australians have much higher student debt than generations before them, data shows<\/p>\n The government is about to cut student debt by 20% across the board \u2013 so how much debt do young Australians have, and how much has it changed?<\/p>\n Labor\u2019s student debt relief bill is likely to pass <\/a>with bipartisan support and will slash the Hecs\/Help debt for about 3 million graduates by an average of $5,500, according to the government.<\/p>\n Data from the tax office shows that the average Hecs\/Help debt held by younger Australians increased by a third between 2009 and 2024, even with inflation taken into account. This coincides with a consistent increase<\/a> in the time it will take to pay off the debt \u2013 now almost a decade.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/p>\n![\"Barnaby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6241.jpg\")
Barnaby Joyce introduces net zero repeal bill \u2013 videoShare<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Jordyn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Jordyn_Beazley,_L.png\")
Jordyn Beazley<\/p>\n![\"Sarah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Sarah_Basford_Canales.png\")
Sarah Basford Canales<\/p>\n![\"Josh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Josh_Nicholas_v2.png\")
Josh Nicholas<\/p>\n