‘Zero to do with me’: Albanese distances himself from Muldoon
Anthony Albanese has tried to completely distance himself from Rhys Muldoon, the former Play School host, and brief Labor staffer who was yesterday stood down after “abhorrent” posts were unearthed.
Liberal frontbencher Tony Pasin asks what involvement Albanese had in Muldoon’s appointment as a Labor adviser and if he provided Muldoon with a reference for his Australia Day ambassador role.
Albanese says no, and no.
On the first part of that question, none. On the second part, his Australia Day role began under the former Coalition government … and his appointment had zero to do with me.
Key events
Sarah Abo announces she is leaving Today
Sarah Abo has announced she will finish up as co-host of Today and leave Nine at the end of the year to pursue other opportunities.
In a statement today, Abo said: “words can’t express how grateful I am to our viewers for letting me into your homes to be part of your morning routine. Without you, there is no Today show.
“Together with 60 Minutes, I’ve spent my time at Nine chasing stories, travelling and reporting from all over the world, interviewing some incredible and inspiring people from all walks of life. Becoming a mum has heralded a new chapter and sharing that with our audience has been truly special. As many of you know, this has been a significant journey for my family and will continue to be my greatest achievement.
Nine’s executive director of news and current affairs, Fiona Dear, thanked Abo and said she had been an “integral part” of the team, “bringing warmth, energy and first-class journalism to the program each morning”.
Police appeal after mother’s boy found in central Queensland sand dunes
A young mother has been found dead in sand dunes days after visiting a hair salon, sparking a police appeal, AAP reports.
Payge Leembruggen, 31, was discovered by a man walking his dogs at a popular Mackay beach in central Queensland about 8am on Tuesday, police said.
She was last seen at 8.55am on Friday at an Andergrove salon, located about 6km from the beach.
Speaking to reporters in Mackay earlier today, Det. Inspector Emma Novosel said:
We’re trying to fill a four-day gap at this time.
That’s why we’re seeking information from members of the public.
We’re obviously going through that bushland area to try and find any items of interest that could assist us in determining what happened to Payge and how she came to be in that location.
The mother-of-one’s cause of death was unknown but an autopsy had been scheduled, Novosel said.
Leembruggen was not reported missing and it was not unusual for her to travel from her Mount Jukes address – where she lived with extended family – to Mackay, about 40km away.
Support was being provided to Ms Leembruggen’s family who were “understandably” upset, and her young child was being cared for by family members, police said.
Leembruggen is described as Caucasian and about 178cm tall with brown hair.
She was last seen wearing a white top, bright red yoga pants and a red bow in her hair, with a small backpack-style handbag.
Police have urged anyone who saw her who saw her between Friday and Tuesday or with any information to contact them.
Benita Kolovos
First hearings announced in royal commission into Victoria’s Big Build
The royal commission into the Victorian government’s Big Build will hold its first public hearing next week.
Known formally as the “royal commission into the integrity of major public and civil infrastructure construction projects in Victoria”, the inquiry headed by Chris Kourakis confirmed it will hold its opening hearing next Wednesday.
The hearing will be held in the Melbourne magistrates court from 10am and will be live-streamed.
Catie McLeod
Hello, I hope you’ve had a nice day so far. I’ll be with you on the blog until this evening.
Krishani Dhanji
That’s all from me today folks, thanks for following along on the blog!
I’ll leave you with the brilliant Catie McLeod for the rest of the day’s news while I coax myself to go outside and get some fresh air.
See you back here tomorrow.
Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time
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The spotlight was heavily on the prime minister and health minister Mark Butler today, who defended himself over planned cuts to private health insurance rebates for over 65s.
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Anthony Albanese’s patience was also somewhat tested over his links to former Play School host and ex-Labor staffer Rhys Muldoon, who was yesterday stood down over “abhorrent” social media posts.
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Tony Burke acknowledged immigration numbers do need to drop, ahead of his appearance at the National Press Club tomorrow (a month after he was first due to speak).
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The opposition also tried to corner Labor on whether the prime minister had sought cabinet approval before extending the increase to Australia’s humanitarian intake to 20,000. Burke replied that it showed how far away the Coalition was from understanding government function.
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And Jim Chalmers nearly got kicked out today after he called Tim Wilson a “karaoke clown”. He was referring to this.
Question time ends
After a final dixer to Kristy McBain, that was surprisingly rowdy and nearly led to housing minister Clare O’Neil getting booted, the prime minister calls time on QT.
‘All care, no responsibility’, Albanese defends private health insurance changes
Why doesn’t the government properly tax coal and gas, cut the $11bn diesel fuel rebate or reconsider the $368bn Aukus agreement if it needs to find savings, asks Monique Ryan, instead of targeting pensioners by cutting private health insurance rebates for over 65s.
It’s not a misprint – Ryan has been given a second question today, lucky her.
Anthony Albanese spends half of his answer defending Aukus, and then also defends the decision to change the private health insurance rebate.
He then takes aim at the crossbench.
I expect the Independents don’t have to come up with a budget, and that’s fine. All care – no responsibility. But as a government, we have to.
Rhys Muldoon comments ‘outrageous and completely unacceptable’ says Albanese
Before we get to the next question, Ben Small is booted, after a dixer to Tony Burke where he was railing off about the Plymouth Brethren church and their involvement in the election.
Then Tony Pasin returns to the dispatch box, and asks the prime minister point blank if he provided Rhys Muldoon a reference for his role as an Australia Day ambassador or any other role.
Anthony Albanese says it was appropriate that Muldoon was immediately stood down after several old social media posts surfaced.
There are two roles in which action has been taken. One was he was a relief staff casual employee for Senator Dowling, and the comments, when people became aware of them and the senator became aware of them, he took immediate action and that’s appropriate.
Albanese says Muldoon was an Australia Day ambassador since 2014 but was not this year.
The assistant minister has taken action today, who has responsibility for those issues, to clearly say that it is not appropriate for him to be an ambassador. I find his comments outrageous and completely unacceptable.
Butler on the defence over decision to lower private health insurance rebates for over 65s
Monique Ryan has picked up the baton and is also asking the government about its decision to lower the private health insurance rebates for over 65s. Modelling by the parliamentary budget office that she commissioned found half of the $3bn in savings would be paid for by pensioners.
She asks if pensioners were “really the only place that you could find budget savings?”
Mark Butler says, for the 50th time, that the government has had to make “hard decisions” and that it’s necessary to pay for more aged care beds and home care support.
He says the initial decision by John Howard to give over 65s a higher health insurance rebate was done in a very different economic scenario.
I would like to be able to maintain that arrangement but we have had to make some difficult decisions to find the aged care investment that is necessary.
Now in this debate there have frankly been a lot of misinformation about what the impact will be. Our modelling indicates that first of all the average impact on a private health insurance member of these changes will be in the order of 70 cents per day.
‘Zero to do with me’: Albanese distances himself from Muldoon
Anthony Albanese has tried to completely distance himself from Rhys Muldoon, the former Play School host, and brief Labor staffer who was yesterday stood down after “abhorrent” posts were unearthed.
Liberal frontbencher Tony Pasin asks what involvement Albanese had in Muldoon’s appointment as a Labor adviser and if he provided Muldoon with a reference for his Australia Day ambassador role.
Albanese says no, and no.
On the first part of that question, none. On the second part, his Australia Day role began under the former Coalition government … and his appointment had zero to do with me.
‘We do need to get net overseas migration down’, says Burke
Net migration does need to come down, says Tony Burke, ahead of his national press club address tomorrow.
Regional independent MP Helen Haines asks him whether the government will speed up visa processing for regional areas, who are struggling to get critical workers.
We do need to get net overseas migration down, we do …
To be able to work through this, we need to be able to make sure that we deal with the numbers – we need to make sure that we deal with the numbers overall and do so in a sensible, targeted way that provides the easiest pathway through for the Australian economy.
He doesn’t exactly answer the question on whether he’ll reverse the “go-slow” on visa processing for the regions.
He does say there are more tools that the government has at its disposal to improve the migration system and he’ll says he’ll have more to say about that tomorrow.
A bit of a forward sizzle, as it were.
Butler holds firm on private health insurance rebates for over 65s
Nationals MP Michelle Landry is next and asks about a warning from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists which says Labor’s reduction of private health cover rebates for over 65s will lead to “increased costs for older women who require gynaecological care”.
Anthony Albanese says broadly that the government has introduced the largest ever women’s health program.
The health minister, Mark Butler then takes over and says that submissions are still coming into the inquiry taking a look at the changes, and the government will consider them.
But he holds firm and maintains the changes are necessary.
We are doing this … to find necessary savings to fund more beds in aged care, more packages at home and better care, particularly changing the co-contribution arrangements which I think have been advocated by the opposition, among others, around showering and other hygiene activities.
The changes that we make restore arrangements to their original design which did not differentiate between members or private health insurance holders based on their age.
Chalmers on a warning for ‘karaoke clown’ barb
Jim Chalmers has lashed out after Tim Wilson seized on a story in Nine Newspapers reporting that the treasurer’s colleagues are worried about inflation and rate rises. Chalmers reportedly held a private briefing with backbenchers ahead of an intergenerational report.
Chalmers quips that at least he’s taken more seriously by his own colleagues than Angus Taylor is by his.
Of all the people to ask a question like this, I don’t think the karaoke clown over there …
Cue the uproar.
Dan Tehan comes to the dispatch box (stifling a laugh mind you) but Milton Dick says he’s got this one in hand, and puts Chalmers on a warning, who’s then forced to withdraw the remark.
Chalmers says:
I do take my colleagues seriously and I take our economic challenges seriously as well. It’s why I make myself available to discussions with the parliamentary party, it’s a very informed and very engaged group, and I will continue to engage with them in good faith about the most important issues.
We will take these things more seriously than those opposite take them.
Before he gets to the end, Liberal MP Henry Pike gets booted for interjecting too much.
