Australia news live: Ley says Rudd’s position not tenable despite Trump telling ambassador ‘all is forgiven’ after White House meeting | Australia news
Trump told Kevin Rudd ‘all is forgiven’ after White House meeting Josh Butler Half an hour after a remarkably drama-free and warm meeting between Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese, the Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, was heard apologising to the president, leaning over the table to say sorry to the man he called…
Trump told Kevin Rudd ‘all is forgiven’ after White House meeting
Josh Butler
Half an hour after a remarkably drama-free and warm meeting between Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese, the Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, was heard apologising to the president, leaning over the table to say sorry to the man he called a “village idiot” four years ago.
Trump, according to Australian sources in the room, told Rudd “all is forgiven” after the media filed out.
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Key events
Ley stands by call for Kevin Rudd to go, despite reports Trump accepted apology from ambassador
Sussan Ley, the opposition leader, is speaking in Sydney, where she was asked about her earlier call for Kevin Rudd, the ambassador to the US, to lose his job.
Donald Trump reportedly told Rudd “all is forgiven” after the ambassador apologised for calling the US president a “village idiot” four years ago. Ley was asked if that would change her stance on Rudd:
I invite everyone to observe the sharp exchange that took place and make their own conclusions, that many of us have, which is that the president didn’t appear to know the ambassador, and after sledging him in the way he did, then, for the prime minister to actually laugh at that sledge, in front of everyone at that table, shows me that the relationship is not where it needs to be, with respect to all of the hard work.
This isn’t about the individual. This is about the relationship and it’s about Australia’s national interest. And we need everyone kicking goals, every step of the way, to make sure that our businesses and industries are backed in exactly as they should be.
Joyce says his decision has been ‘pretty traumatic’, won’t ‘flippantly’ rejoin the Nationals
Joyce said he agonised over his decision, but wouldn’t “flippantly” rejoin the Nationals and nothing had changed over the last few days that would make him reconsider his choice.
It’s been a pretty traumatic issue. I’m still basically a member of the National party. I have not joined another party … I’m not going to do this thing where you’re out for 24 hours or 48 hours and then you’re back in. It’s not that.
This is a really hard decision that I made, and I thought of it over a very long period of time as things got sort of worse and worse and worse, to be honest. And now I’ve made it. There’s nothing that’s changed in the last couple of days that would ever, you know … I wouldn’t create this kerfuffle if I was just going to flippantly go in, go out, and put my foot back in.
Barnaby Joyce says he won’t be part of process that ‘hurts’ the Nationals, but will be involved in policy debate
Barnaby Joyce is holding a press conference in Tamworth, speaking more about his decision to leave the Nationals.
Joyce said:
The relationship in Canberra, I don’t want to throw the plates around, but it had broken down. I think it’s important to say that. Because otherwise people go, “oh, why?” – it just happens in human relationships that they break down …
I want to make this very clear. I love the membership that has been so good to me. And I am not going to be part of any process that I believe hurts the National party membership. OK? I will be involved in the policy debate. I’m entitled to that.
He said his decision was centred on his ability to speak his mind without rubbing up against others in the Nationals.
That’s why I’m resigning from standing for New England. Because I don’t want to hurt the people who’ve basically handed out for me and done all those things for me. So that gives them a chance to move on.
Josh Butler
Albanese to dine with Marco Rubio and meet with US treasury secretary
Anthony Albanese continues his Washington diplomatic tour this evening, scheduled for meetings and dinner with two Trump lieutenants.
The prime minister will meet the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, for dinner, and join the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, for a working meeting as well.
Albanese’s DC trip finishes up tomorrow, a lightning-quick visit then back to Australia.
Australians splashing out on online shopping spent a record $20.7bn in last quarter
Australians spent a record $20.7bn online in the quarter stretching from July through September, up 15% from last year, according to new data from Australia Post.
The data shows about 8.1m Aussie households shopped online, a 2.7% year over year increase, with an average cart size a steady $95.
The biggest categories for shoppers are online marketplaces, food and liquor and fashion, with 50% of people setting their sights on Black Friday sales next month.
People in New South Wales shopped the most online, followed by Victoria and Queensland.
‘I don’t like you either’: Trump chides Australian ambassador Kevin Rudd at the White House
Here’s a snippet of the White House meeting today.
Anne Davies
Minns says Northern Beaches hospital buy-back reverses ‘one of the worst decisions’ of any NSW government
Here’s more on what the NSW premier, Chris Minns, had to say about the buy-back of Northern Beaches hospital:
We’ve reversed one of the worst decisions of any NSW government, where a private hospital model was foisted on the people of the Northern Beaches.
Our state’s acute hospital services that provide life-saving care to the people of New South Wales should not be privatised and thanks to this decision, no hospital in NSW will be.
Because of Elouise and Danny [Massa]’s courage and persistence, Joe’s Law now ensures that no future government can repeat the mistakes that led to the Northern Beaches hospital privatisation. Their advocacy will leave a lasting legacy for every patient and every family who relies on our public health system.
The government is still to work out how it will deal with private services at the hospital, which clinicians say are an important part of the service for those with private health cover.
The government has said that all staff will be offered employment with NSW Health.
Trump told Kevin Rudd ‘all is forgiven’ after White House meeting
Josh Butler
Half an hour after a remarkably drama-free and warm meeting between Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese, the Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, was heard apologising to the president, leaning over the table to say sorry to the man he called a “village idiot” four years ago.
Trump, according to Australian sources in the room, told Rudd “all is forgiven” after the media filed out.
Read more here:
Sussan Ley says Rudd’s position not ‘tenable’ after White House meeting
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has used several media appearances this morning to say Kevin Rudd should no longer be the Australian ambassador to the US.
She told ABC News this morning Trump’s remarks towards Rudd were the “elephant in the room”:
To be rebuked by the president, who didn’t even seem to know the ambassador [from] Australia, and then have your own prime minister laughing along, was a bit unfortunate, and I don’t think the ambassador’s position is tenable now.
She also told Sky News:
When the ambassador is the punchline of the joke and the prime minister is actually laughing at him, I think that tells us all we need to know – it’s probably not reasonable that he continues in the role.
Ley said she wouldn’t call the meeting a success, pointing to a lack in movement in tariffs:
I don’t know that the work has been done to secure, as I said, that commitment to a tariff deal that we really want to see in this country … there are a lot of issues in the relationship. And maybe the critical minerals deal could have been leveraged to get those commitments around tariffs. It doesn’t appear that happened either.
Wong: Trump’s ‘I don’t like you either’ comment to Kevin Rudd ‘clearly tongue-in-cheek’
The foreign affairs minister was asked about Donald Trump’s remark that he didn’t like the Australian ambassador, Kevin Rudd, and “probably never will” during the White House meeting early this morning.
Trump made the testy remark, telling Rudd “I don’t like you either”, at the White House cabinet room table, prompting uncomfortable laughter. Penny Wong told RN the ambassador had done an “extremely good job” getting the meeting between the US president and Albanese:
Look, I think those comments were clearly tongue-in-cheek. I’m very pleased that the meeting has been such a success. That is a good thing for our country. It’s extremely good to have this critical minerals deal backed in, and it’s extremely positive for the country to have the president so supportive of Aukus and the delivery of the submarines, which is an important capability for us.
Kevin did an extremely good job not only in getting the meeting but doing the work on the critical minerals deal. And the meeting reflects the success of that work.
NSW government to buy back Northern Beaches hospital in $190m deal
Anne Davies
The NSW government will pay $190m to buy back the Northern Beaches hospital and integrate it back into the public hospital system, the premier, Chris Minns, said this morning.
He said the move will ensure 494 beds are available to the public hospital system and the deal should be completed by 2026.
Minns and Labor have been scathing of the public-private hospital arrangement under which the Northen Beaches hospital was built. He said it was different from other private hospitals because it alone was providing public hospital facilities for the 350,000 people who live on the northern beaches.
“Ultimately this is a service we can’t outsource,” Minns said.
The issue of the quality of service at the hospital was brought into sharp focus by the death of 2-year-old Joe Massa in 2024.
ABC’s John Lyons unable to cover Albanese-Trump meeting after denials from PM’s office
John Lyons, the ABC’s Americas editor, said he couldn’t get in to cover the meeting between Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese in Washington after multiple requests to do so were denied by the prime minister’s office.
Lyons said it was relatively usual for the Washington bureau chief for the ABC to be “part of the team”, adding there was no issue with the White House. Lyons was the subject of Trump’s ire last month after asking the president about his wealth since returning to the Oval Office.
Lyons told RN Breakfast earlier this morning of the meeting:
I couldn’t get in there, Sally, we tried. You know, usually according to convention, the Washington bureau chief for the ABC is usually part of the team. But on this occasion, we made many requests to the prime minister Albanese’s office and we were declined.
This was by prime minister Albanese’s office, who were the ones who said no. …
I don’t think Donald Trump had a problem. It’s the visiting leader who endorses and ticks off and approves the list of who can go in and who can’t. We tried several times through different means, and the prime minister’s office would not give us access.
Another ABC reporter, Canberra-based Jane Norman, was in the meeting.
Wong says Australia in ‘best position possible’ under Trump’s tariff regime
Wong went on to say Australia was in the “best position possible” under Trump’s tariff regime, but said the country would continue to advocate for a shift in policy.
She told RN:
As the president said, he described our tariffs as low in the meeting overnight with the prime minister. Having said that, obviously we have a different position.
Australia will continue to engage with the United States in relation to the tariffs. … We’re in the best position, relatively, that we could be. Obviously, Australia remains a country that does believe in open, predictable trading markets.
Penny Wong labels meeting between Trump and Albanese a ‘great success’
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said the meeting between the US president, Donald Trump, and Anthony Albanese was a “great success”.
Wong spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying:
The president said he loved Australia. He affirmed Aukus and confirmed that we will get the subs. And of course, prime minister Albanese and the president announced an historic critical minerals deal worth about US$8.5bn. So this was a very good outcome and reaffirms the approach that the government has taken, a calm, mature approach in the national interest.
Wong added Trump could not have been clearer on his support for the Aukus deal.
President Trump could not have been clearer on the submarines. He was very clear about his support for Aukus. He was very clear that Australia will get the subs. He was also very clear that the project was on track and how much work we had done as both governments for this project.
Good morning
Nick Visser here to take over the blog. Let’s get into it.
Jordyn Beazley
‘The relationship had broken down’: Joyce says of association with Littleproud
Later in the interview, Ferguson referred to a statement from Joyce to his branch members where he said his relationship with the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, had broken down. She asked when the relationship had broken down.
Joyce spoke about him being asked to stay in his electorate of New England because he “didn’t reflect what the National party believed in”.
He was then pressed by Ferguson, who said “these are all things that happened weeks ago”, to answer directly.
Joyce said:
This is sounding a very Trumpian, by you, very Trumpian … You’re going very Trump-Zelenskyy here.
He later said:
I’ve clearly said that is quite apparent to all, that the relationship had broken down. You always hoped that it would reconcile itself, and it wasn’t, right, and therefore you’ve got to, I don’t want to throw the plates around the kitchen. When something breaks down, you want to politely and in a dignified way, remove yourself from the situation. I think a lot of your listeners would understand that, and that’s what I’m doing.
Jordyn Beazley
Barnaby Joyce tight-lipped over possible move to One Nation
Barnaby Joyce refused to reveal more information over a possible move to One Nation in a tense interview on Monday night with the ABC.
After being asked on 7.30 by Sarah Ferguson if he would run on the Senate ticket for the far-right party in NSW, Joyce said: “I’m not going to discuss private discussions, Sarah,” referring to conversations had with the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson.
He then said: “I know I don’t want this descend into sort of Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office scenario, but I’m just not going to discuss private discussions.”
He was also asked if he would remain with the National party now it appears like it will dump a net zero target before the end of the year. Joyce responded that the move would be a “really good thing”.
But after being pressed on whether it would be enough for him to remain in the party, he said: “I’m not going to go through hypotheticals.”
Michaelia Cash condemns ‘dangerous’ Chinese action
The shadow foreign affairs spokesperson, Michaelia Cash, has called reports of a Chinese fighter jet releasing flares in close proximity to a Royal Australian Air Force surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea “plainly unacceptable”.
Cash said the incident was the “third such provocation in less than a year” and called on Anthony Albanese to condemn the “dangerous” action.
Ina statement last night, Cash said:
This pattern of behaviour represents a serious escalation and poses a direct risk to the safety of Australian defence force personnel.
The prime minister must condemn this dangerous action publicly. Australia cannot afford silence or half-measures when the safety of our servicemen and women is at stake.
She added that the prime minister needed to use “his supposed improved relationship” with China to make sure it did not happen again.
Failure to do so would be a “failure to stand up for Australia’s national interests on the international stage”.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.
And so far today the main action has been at the White House, where the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, met the US president, Donald Trump, signed a big deal, and laughed as his ambassador was told off. We have all the colour and news for you.
Also, the rumours over Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce’s potential defection to One Nation rumble on, but Joyce was tight-lipped in a tense ABC interview.
And Michaelia Cash has gone on the offensive after a Chinese fighter jet released flares close to an Australian surveillance plane over the South China Sea. She says it was a dangerous provocation, a serious escalation, and must be condemned by the prime minister.