Australia news live: Albanese says he and Carney discussed Israel-Iran conflict and both want to see de-escalation | Australia news

Research shows impacts after 2014 reforms removed people from Disability Support Pension

In 2014, reforms removed around one in five people under 35 without manifest medical conditions from the disability support pension.

Today, research from the e61 Institute has found recipients who were moved off the support and lived alone – mainly older single men – experienced a marked increase in mental health medication use, particularly antipsychotics prescribed for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and severe depression.

This cohort lost an average of $21,400 per year, with 55% being moved onto newstart (now jobseeker) and 35% increasing their earnings elsewhere.

In contrast, those living with a parent or spouse were able to increase their household income, thanks to increased workforce participation from both the recipient and their family members, and recorded a far smaller increase in their use of mental health medication.

e61 Institute cofounder and chairman, Prof Greg Kaplan, said:

Our findings show that the financial and mental health impacts of DSP removal were highly dependent on access to informal support networks.

Men living alone faced both a substantial fall in household income and a sharp increase in antipsychotic use, indicating they were worst impacted by the change.

Albanese will put forward Australia’s thoughts on tariffs, Aukus during Trump meeting

Albanese declined to “pre-empt” what he will say to Trump during their meeting, but said he will continue to press the Australian position against blanket tariffs and for the ongoing success of the Aukus submarine deal. The prime minister said:

A successful meeting is one where we are able to – I, as the Australian prime minister – am able to put forward our position. Now, our position when it comes to tariffs is very clear. We see tariffs as acts of economic self-harm by the country imposing the tariffs. Because what it does is lead to increased costs for the country that is making those decisions.

On Aukus, Albanese said:

Having Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States all having an increased nuclear powered submarines, in our case, conventionally armed, is something that will make the Indo-Pacific area more secure. That is in the interests of the United States. And I will indicate that very clearly going forward.

Albanese says he and Trump have ‘a few things to talk about’

The prime minister said the focus of his future discussion, reported yesterday, with US president Donald Trump will very much be about Australia-US relations. He said:

We’ve got a few things to talk about … I look forward to the discussions with President Trump. I deal with people constructively, respectfully and I advance Australia’s national interests and that is what I will continue to do.

Read more about that upcoming meeting here:

Albanese said he spoke with Carney about the increasing conflict between Israel and Iran. He said:

Both of us, I think, share a view wanting to see a de-escalation of conflict, wanting to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy. …

I have expressed before, our concern about Iran gaining the capacity of nuclear weapons as something that is a threat to security in the region. But we, along with other like-minded country, do want to see that priority on dialogue and diplomacy.

The prime minister is speaking in Canada ahead of the G7 after an official meeting with the country’s prime minister, Mark Carney. He said:

We share values. We’re two great democracies and there was an opportunity for us to talk together one on one. …

We are long-term allies and we are true friends. We have much in common, as economies, as well.

Albanese said the two countries shared similar views on climate change and the impact it is having on both countries, pointing to recent wildfires in Canada.

Just as Canada has always helped Australia, there were over 200 Canadian firefighters in Australia during that terrible period of 2019-2020. And we share resources.

Increasingly, the impact of climate change means that our seasons are overlapping, so that’s becoming more and more difficult. But it is possible as well that we learn off each other and our firefighters respectively get skills to then be able to implement back in our respective home countries.

Pocock calls for reform in government procurement from big tech companies

Independent senator David Pocock has called for reform in government procurement procedures after the prime minister met with the head of Amazon Web Services in Seattle during his international trip for the G7.

Albanese said in a join statement on Sunday that Amazon would spend up to $20bn by 2029 on datacentre infrastructure in Australia, calling the commitment a “huge vote of confidence in the Australian economy”.

But Pocock said on social media this morning the Australian government had handed “huge contracts” to foreign tech companies like Amazon, IBM and Microsoft “without proper disclosure”. He pointed to a report in the Canberra Times, citing AusTender data, that found signed contracts worth nearly $200m were not listed under a single-seller arrangement between tech companies and the Australian government.

Pocock wrote:

Govt is handing huge contracts to foreign tech giants like AWS, IBM & Microsoft without proper disclosure.

We need procurement reform.

Say hello to this year’s Logie nominees

The nominees for this year’s Logie Awards came out this morning, including a slate of familiar faces and up-and-coming television stars.

Those up for the coveted Gold Logie include a roster across news and entertainment. Ally Langdon, Hamish Black, Julia Morris, Lisa Millar, Lynne McGranger, Poh Ling Yeow and Sonia Kruger are all nominated as the most popular person on Australian television.

The new talent category includes newly-minted ABC favourite Guy Montgomery for his eponymous spelling bee, alongside The Voice’s Kate Miller-Heidke and Taskmaster Australia contestant Jenny Tian, among others.

The ABC has the most nominees by far, securing 44 nominations overall.

Canada praises Australian firefighters who ‘stepped up’ during wildfires

Tom McIlroy

Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, praised Australian firefighters who assisted the country during recent wildfires.

At the opening of a face-to-face meeting with Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, in Calgary in the past few minutes, Carney thanked emergency crews who travelled to help out during the blazes in British Columbia and in northern parts of Alberta. Carney said:

Australia has been very helpful to Canada through the years, and most recently, with the terrible wildfires that have been raging across our northern prairies.

Once again, as Australians always do, and you always do, have stepped up.

Carney said it was a great pleasure to see Albanese in town for this week’s G7 summit. Albanese thanked Carney and said he has met Canadian firefighters who travelled to Australia to help out during recent bushfire. Albanese said:

We know that climate change is meaning that those seasons are growing, unfortunately, but we have cooperated in a way that is seamless as well.

You can always rely upon Australia. I know that our Australian firefighters are really proud, of the effort that they have been able to make including wildfires, which you are experiencing.

‘Aerotropolis’ surrounding new Western Sydney airport to get funding boost in NSW budget

A major “airport city” development that has been plagued by delays will get a near-billion-dollar funding injection in a bid to help the project take off, AAP reports. The aerotropolis precinct near the under-construction Western Sydney airport will receive $835m in support as part of the NSW budget, to be delivered later in June.

The surrounding 11,200-hectare industrial and housing zone is designed to create thousands of jobs and drive economic growth in Western Sydney but has been beset by slow decision-making and will likely take decades after the airport’s scheduled opening in 2026 to complete.

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said:

With billions of dollars now committed, we’re not just talking about building a new airport. We’re creating a connected, thriving region that will deliver job, homes and opportunity for generations to come.

Krishani Dhanji

New safety measures for early childhood education sector, including vape ban and stricter reporting for some serious incidents

State and territory education ministers have signed off on new safety measures for the early childhood education sector that will ban vapes from childcare centres and enforce a new mandatory reporting period for some serious incidents.

The federal education minister announced the new rules today that will sit under the national code and guidelines established in July last year. From 1 September this year, any allegations, complaints or incidents of physical or sexual abuse in a childcare setting will have to be reported within 24 hours – rather than the current reporting period of seven days.

Vapes will be banned from early childhood education services and services will now also have to have clear policies around taking photos and videos of children and their CCTV use.

The education minister, Jason Clare, said in a statement this would help to ensure the “right rules” are in place across the sector:

The safety and protection of children in early childhood education is our highest priority.

Australia has a very good system of early childhood education and care, but more can be done to make sure safety guidance and measures are fit-for-purpose.

Patrick Commins

RBA could soon publish details behind divided interest rate decisions

The Reserve Bank’s monetary policy board is set to publish for the first time the unattributed votes of individual board members where an interest rate decision is not unanimous.

The board meets every six weeks to decide whether to move its cash rate target, which flows through to the mortgages of millions of Australian households. The nine board members’ votes have always been a closely guarded secret and the emphasis has been on achieving a consensus. Once implemented, potentially as early as August, the change will reveal any dissent over an interest rate decision.

Jim Chalmers and RBA governor Michele Bullock backed the move in a meeting last Wednesday, which should receive the final go-ahead at the next board meeting on July 7-8.

How often there is a dissenting opinion remains to be seen. Bullock in her most recent press conference said during her three years on the RBA board (first as deputy, then in the top job) that every decision has been made with a consensus of all members. Still, it’s a historical moment, and will be of great fascination to RBA watchers over coming months and years.

Chalmers in a statement said “our RBA reforms are getting closer to completion and that’s a very good thing”, adding:

They’re all about reinforcing the Reserve Bank’s independence, clarifying its mandate, modernising its structures and strengthening its accountability.

The March 2023 report into the RBA recommended that board members’ votes should be published in order to improve the bank’s accountability and transparency.

NSW police are investigating after a body was found in bushland in Sydney’s west yesterday. Officers were called to the suburb of Werrington, about 50km from the CBD, at around 1.15pm after a passer-by discovered the woman’s body, AAP reports. Det Supt Trent King told reporters:

It appears as though that body has been there for a period of time without discovery …

Until we identify the cause of death, the death is unexplained and certainly in this circumstance we feel it necessary to take it to the highest level until we can disprove that situation

Forensic officers have been investigating the site and a crime scene has been established.

Tom McIlroy

Albanese travelled to Canada with an Akubra hat and memorabilia from Gallipoli film

Anthony Albanese has begun his diplomatic push in Canada, ahead of the G7 summit, starting on Monday local time. The prime minister came prepared with gifts for his Canadian counterpart and summit host, Mark Carney, including an Akubra hat and memorabilia from the classic Australian film Gallipoli.

The 1981 Peter Weir movie is Carney’s “favourite film of all time” and the gift came from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, in Canberra.

The two leaders are going to meet in the next couple of hours, their first official bilateral meeting. Albanese is meeting a big roster of leaders while in Alberta, including the leaders of the UK, France, South Korea, France, Germany and the European Union.

Marles says Albanese and Trump need to build on ‘rapport’ at G7

Marles was asked what a successful meeting between Albanese and Donald Trump would look like in Canada this week, where the pair are expected to officially meet. Albanese locked in the meeting on Sunday. Marles told RN Breakfast:

It’ll be the first face-to-face meeting between the president and the prime minister. And so, you know, actually, I think in any meeting of this kind, establishing that rapport initially is really important.

I mean, the personal relationship between two leaders matters. … I think there is already a rapport in place between the two of them. We will continue to press the case.

Read more here:

The defence minister, Richard Marles, who is acting prime minister during Albanese’s trip, said Australia remains deeply concerned about the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran but stressed the government would continue to push a strategy of “dialogue and diplomacy”. He told RN Breakfast:

Israel does have a right to self-defence, and we understand the risk that the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile program represents. But right now, the focus has to be on dialogue and diplomacy.

We are deeply concerned about the prospects for escalation here and about this becoming a broader conflict. And that’s why we are making that call now as we are with our international partners.

The conflict has intensified in recent days, with ongoing strikes in both Israel and Iran despite calls to de-escalate. Israel’s military said several sites were hit by Iranian missiles on Sunday night, while Iran says at least 224 people have been killed since Israel’s attacks began on Friday.

Tom McIlroy

Albanese will meet with Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, this morning

Prime minister Anthony Albanese is due to meet his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, in Calgary in the next few hours. Carney is hosting world leaders in the Rocky Mountain foothills this week for the G7 summit and greeted Albanese on his arrival into Canada, on Sunday afternoon local time.

This is the pair’s first official bilateral meeting but they have spoken before and met informally at the pope’s inauguration in Rome in May.

The pair are expected to discuss how Australia and Canada can deepen cooperation. They will also talk about defence industry, climate change and critical minerals, as well as the growing Middle East war.

Both Albanese and Carney were re-elected earlier this year in part due to the unpopularity of another summit participant – the US president, Donald Trump.

The economic relationship between Australia and Canada is strong and Australia also recently sent 97 firefighters to assist Canada’s response to ongoing wildfires in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, at the request of Canadian authorities.

We learned on Sunday that Albanese would have his first face-to-face meeting with Trump while at the G7. We expect that meeting on Tuesday, local time, and overnight in Australia.

Good morning and happy Monday. Nick Visser here to take you through the day’s news. Here’s what’s on deck:

• The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will meet his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, in Calgary this morning. World leaders are set to gather for the G7 summit this week, where the growing conflict between Israel and Iran will be top of mind. Albanese and Carney met informally at the pope’s inauguration in Rome, but will speak more about defence, climate change and critical minerals, as well as the conflicts in the Middle East.

• Sydney’s new airport is set to get an $835m boost in funding under the NSW budget to be delivered later this month. The funding injection should help develop the massive industrial and housing zone around the Western Sydney airport, which is set to open in 2026.

• Oscar Piastri finished in fourth place at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal despite a crash with McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who took responsibility for the collision. Piastri maintains his lead in the drivers’ championship.

Stick with us.