Australia news live: Albanese and Trump meet for first time and share ‘good conversation’ at New York reception | Australia news
Albanese and Trump meet briefly in New York for the first time Tom McIlroy Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump have met for the first time, at a reception for world leaders hosted by the US president. Ahead of a formal meeting at the White House on 20 October, a spokesperson said Albanese and Trump spoke…
Albanese and Trump meet briefly in New York for the first time
Tom McIlroy
Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump have met for the first time, at a reception for world leaders hosted by the US president.
Ahead of a formal meeting at the White House on 20 October, a spokesperson said Albanese and Trump spoke on Tuesday night in New York, Wednesday morning Australian time.
We are told he spoke with President Trump and the pair had a good conversation about their forthcoming meeting.
Trump hosted the reception on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, along with first lady Melania Trump.
Albanese was accompanied by his partner, Jodie Haydon.
Key events
Tom McIlroy
‘Don’t verbal me’: Albanese clashes with journalist
Anthony Albanese clarified comments he made about not being able to call Donald Trump, tussling with a high-profile journalist about his access to the US president.
Before the May federal election, Albanese was asked if he had Trump’s phone number. He told a pre-election debate he did not have a direct line, saying “it’s not the way it works” when world leaders want to contact each another.
“There’s people taking notes from either side, it’s not a casual relationship,” Albanese said in April.
I don’t have Donald Trump’s number.
After confirmation he would meet Trump at the White House next month, Nightly journalist Latika Bourke asked Albanese about the comments in New York. Bourke noted French president Emmanuel Macron had called Trump hours earlier, when his motorcade was blocked by Trump’s in downtown Manhattan.
“Don’t verbal me, don’t verbal me,” Albanese said, interrupting Bourke’s question about being able to call Trump. The PM went on:
The point I was making was between leaders of nations. You organise phone calls, you have note takers, you do it in rooms where mobiles aren’t allowed. That’s the point.
Albanese is due at the White House on 20 October.
ABC ordered to pay Antoinette Lattouf another $150,000 for unlawful termination over Gaza Instagram post
The ABC has been ordered by the federal court to pay Antoinette Lattouf a total of $150,000 in pecuniary penalties for breaching the Fair Work Act and the ABC’s enterprise agreement when it unlawfully terminated the casual presenter for holding a political opinion opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
The pecuniary penalty is on top of a previous order to pay Lattouf compensation of $70,000.
The decision on penalties brings to an end a highly charged dispute, which began in December 2023 when the journalist’s on-air shifts were cut short three days into a five-day stint hosting ABC Radio’s Sydney Mornings.
Read more here:
Albanese and Trump meet briefly in New York for the first time
Tom McIlroy
Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump have met for the first time, at a reception for world leaders hosted by the US president.
Ahead of a formal meeting at the White House on 20 October, a spokesperson said Albanese and Trump spoke on Tuesday night in New York, Wednesday morning Australian time.
We are told he spoke with President Trump and the pair had a good conversation about their forthcoming meeting.
Trump hosted the reception on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, along with first lady Melania Trump.
Albanese was accompanied by his partner, Jodie Haydon.
Mark Butler says he is ‘really worried’ by Trump’s unproven comments linking autism to paracetamol use in pregnancy
Australia’s health minister has addressed Donald Trump’s “worrying” unproven claims about autism, AAP reports.
Flanked by US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US president baselessly linked autism to the use of paracetamol by pregnant women, and to childhood vaccines.
Health minister Mark Butler said he is “really worried” the comments will leave more than 200,000 pregnant Australian women unsure or afraid of what to do when they become sick, particularly with fever. He told Nine’s Today this morning:
I don’t want pregnant women right now to feel unsure about what to do. I don’t want women who were pregnant in the past to feel unsure or even guilty about the fact that they took a treatment that was advised to them as being safe.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration on Tuesday joined other medicines regulators, leading clinicians and scientists to say “robust scientific evidence” shows no causal link between the use of paracetamol in pregnancy and autism or ADHD.
SA algal bloom ‘far too extensive’ to eradicate, senate inquiry hears
Tory Shepherd
The largest harmful algal bloom ever treated was roughly 100 sq km, a global expert told an inquiry this morning, which is a fraction of the size of South Australia’s bloom.
“Your bloom is many, many, many times bigger than that already,” Dr Donald Anderson, senior scientist from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The SA bloom covers about 4,500 sq km.
Anderson told the senate inquiry into the bloom:
If you tried to do something [to eradicate it] you would be doing something no one else in the world has ever done. It’s far too extensive, too big.
The best thing to do, he said, was to look at monitoring and forecasting abilities, provide information on and manage the effects of the bloom, and develop resources to tackle future, smaller blooms, and to protect resources such as aquaculture.
You can read more from Anderson here.
Dr Kerry Schott appointed to Optus review into triple zero outage
Josh Taylor
Dr Kerry Schott, former Deutsche Bank managing director and member of a number of boards over the years including the NBN, has been appointed by the Optus board to conduct an independent review into last week’s triple zero outage that has been linked to the deaths of three people.
The review will look at the causes, applicable processes, protocols and operations that surrounded the incident last Thursday, and examine the operational management of triple zero calls in the Optus network.
It will also look at monitoring and operational effectiveness, and the actions taken by Optus in response to the incident.
Optus chair, John Arthur, said the incident was “clearly unacceptable” and apologised to the public for “this failure in our accountability to all those who relied on our triple zero services”.
He added:
I particularly express my deep condolences to the families and friends of the four people who passed away.
The board is working with Optus chief executive Stephen Rue and the executive team to understand what went wrong and why, and what needs to be done to prevent it happening in future.
The review is expected to be completed before the end of this year. The Optus board has committed to making the report public.
Adam Morton
Top climate researchers write to PM with frustrations over emissions targets: ‘we fear for what is to come’
Dozens of Australian scientists, including some of the country’s top climate researchers, have written to Anthony Albanese expressing dismay at the government’s 2035 emissions reduction target.
The government last week announced it had accepted the advice of the Climate Change Authority to set a target range of a 62-70% cut in greenhouse gas emissions compared with 2005 levels.
Sixty-one scientists and researchers have signed a letter imploring the government “to go further”. The signatories include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change authors David Karoly, Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, Gretta Pecl and Nathan Bindoff.
They said they had “spent our careers building the evidence base that supports greater mitigation ambition than what you, prime minister, have chosen” and that multiple studies had shown a cut of 75% or more by 2035 was “not only possible, but would create a significant overall benefit for Australia”.
The letter said meeting targets above the government’s range “does not come without its challenges”, but there is a full decade to deliver them:
We fear for what is to come if countries like Australia – with among the highest potential to immediately, drastically and permanently reduce greenhouse gas emissions of any other in the world – fail to live up to the commitment to deliver emissions reduction targets that represent the highest possible ambition as required by the Paris Agreement.
Josh Taylor
Logged-out searchers won’t need to verify age, industry group says
The lead author of codes that will require search engines and other services to check the age of users and filter out adult and violent content for those deemed to be under the age of 18 has said people will still be able to search the internet without needing to be age checked.
Guardian Australia has reported previously on the age check codes, to operate from December.
Speaking before a parliamentary inquiry on the codes, Dr Jennifer Duxbury, director of regulatory affairs at tech industry group Digi, was asked by Liberal senator Sarah Henderson, how it would work.
Henderson asked:
If I am a young woman wanting to do a Google search, how will I know that my privacy is being protected without having to go through age assurance, prove who I am and provide my ID?
Duxbury replied:
The way that the search engine code works, it does not prevent you from doing a search online without being required to be age assured, right?
It’s only if you’re in a logged-in state when you’re using your Google account or your Microsoft account to conduct your search online that page assurance requirements will kick in.
You can be anonymous, you can search in an anonymous and logged-out state.
When asked why anyone would log in, Duxbury said the advantage would be you will be able to access imagery such as pornography in search results that won’t appear in safe search results in a logged-out state.
Jordyn Beazley
Lanyon says he’s made ‘mistakes in the past’
Circling back to the announcement that Mal Lanyon will be the next NSW police commissioner, there was a lot of attention at the press conference on two incidents that have raised questions about Lanyon’s suitability for the role.
This includes a 2021 incident in which he was found collapsed near Goulburn’s “Big Merino” sculpture, and his admission to taking his wife and another couple on an operational police boat for New Year’s Eve in 2023.
Lanyon said:
I have made mistakes in the past, and I’ve always sought to learn from those experiences and believe in honesty, accountability and integrity.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said:
I want to be frank about it: this decision was not made based on who had the mistake-free, perfect record. I want to make it clear that for me, it was based on who I believe should be in the commissioner chair on New South Wales’ worst day, and when the public’s in danger, and the New South Wales police force needs exceptional leadership.
He’s led the Reconstruction Authority. He’s had the most difficult command in the New South Wales police, not just for one year or two years, but for over a decade.
New NSW police commissioner says he takes on role with ‘deep sense of duty’
Jordyn Beazley
Mal Lanyon appeared before the media a short time ago after it was announced, after weeks of speculation, that he would be next New South Wales police commissioner.
Standing alongside the NSW premier, Chris Minns, and the state police minister, Yasmin Catley, Lanyon said:
This is one of the greatest responsibilities in the public service, and I take it on with humility and a deep sense of duty.
I acknowledge Commissioner Karen Webb for her distinguished 38-year career in the police force. She leaves a legacy of achievement as the first woman to lead the New South Wales Police forces and as a commissioner who delivered enduring reforms.
Lanyon said he will be focus on tackling organised crime, youth crime and “strengthening community safety in our regions, and supporting victims of domestic and family violence”.
I also want to strengthen the culture of the New South Wales police force, [and] cultivate a culture of respect, professionalism and fairness.
I want every officer, every member of the executive [to be] part of one team, united behind the force’s goals, motivated by purpose and community.
Nino Bucci
Victorian police say family violence increases during AFL grand final weekends
Family violence reports increase on the AFL grand final weekend, but there was no increase on the day of the game itself.
Family Violence Command acting assistant commissioner Sharon McKinnon said there was a 9% increase in family violence incidents over the grand final long weekend in September last year compared with 2023.
There were 796 family violence incidents during the three-day long weekend, up from 729 incidents the year before.
But the number of family violence incidents on the actual day of the game for the past five years has remained consistent, with no apparent increase. McKinnon said:
The Christmas, New Year and Easter periods remain the most prevalent times for family violence offending.
Our key message is that police will take all reports of family violence crime seriously and will always respond to keep victims safe and hold perpetrators to account.
Police will always continue to work through peak holiday periods to provide safety to the community.
There is never an excuse for family violence and police will ensure that each crime is investigated and that all offenders are held to account.
Acting NSW police commissioner says Mal Lanyon a ‘highly accomplished and respected leader’
As reported earlier, Mal Lanyon has been named the new commissioner of the NSW police force, succeeding Karen Webb.
Peter Thurtell, the acting commissioner of the force, said in a statement this morning:
Commissioner-elect Lanyon is a highly accomplished and respected leader, bringing more than 37 years of policing experience to the role. His dedication to public service and his deep understanding of the challenges facing modern policing make him exceptionally well-suited to lead the NSW police force into its next chapter.
The NSW police force is in safe hands. Under Commissioner-elect Lanyon’s leadership, we can move forward with confidence to meet the challenges ahead and continue delivering for the people of New South Wales.
Gambling evolution making it harder to monitor how many people gamble
Liz Neville, the director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, said the study shows the gambling industry is rapidly evolving, making it harder to monitor how many people are participating and facing gambling harm.
Neville spoke to RN Breakfast this morning:
I think it tells us that the gambling industry in all its forms – and bearing in mind that the survey covered things ranging from lotteries, bingo, scratchies, pokies, race betting, sports betting, the full gamut of gambling activities – I think what it tells us is that this is a rapidly evolving industry.
And there’s many forms and types of activities that are emerging that we are having trouble, I think, keeping up with from a purely conventional approach to monitoring of gambling participation and harm.
More Australians gambling every month, research says
Henry Belot
The number of Australians gambling and the prevalence of harm has increased, with nearly one-third of adults betting each month, according to new research from the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
The survey of 3,881 people in 2024 has prompted the institute’s director, Liz Neville, to call for “a more robust approach” to preventing gambling harm, including a careful examination of current policies.
The government is yet to respond to a landmark parliamentary inquiry in June 2023, which recommended several policy changes including a comprehensive ban on advertising and the creation of a more powerful national regulator.
The study found 65% of adults gambled at least once a year, which was an 8 percentage point increase on the data recorded in 2019. It found 15% experienced guilt or stress about their gambling and sold possessions to help chase their losses.
The Australian Gambling Research Centre’s research fellow, Dr Gabriel Tillman, said the findings confirmed the increasingly negative impact of wagering.
The fact that more than 3 million Australian adults are experiencing harms from their gambling, and these numbers have increased in recent years despite harm-reduction measures should concern Australians.
Tom McIlroy
Australia’s bid to host the COP31 climate talks in Adelaide this year still a work in progress
Anthony Albanese and the climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, are seeking to press the case to host the COP31 climate talks with Turkey during their visit to New York this week.
Bowen met his counterpart, Murat Kurum, on the sidelines of the UN summit and the prime minister is seeking a meeting with Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in coming days.
Albanese said he wanted to make the case for the Pacific to host the talks in conjunction with Australia. Turkey also wants to host, so unless a compromise can be reached, the summit will default to Bonn in Germany.
“The Pacific is important,” Albanese said on Wednesday morning, Australian time.
One of the things that’s complicated is it is a joint bid by Australia and the Pacific, so any arrangements we will discuss with our Pacific neighbours, as we have been.
I’ve already had discussions with a range of Pacific leaders who are here as well. I will be having discussions with President Erdogan as well.
The prime minister did not say when he would speak to the Turkish leader but he still has a number of bilateral meetings before leaving the US.