PM tables election review in question time – as it happened

And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines. Anthony Albanese said he does not believe the US government will request military assistance from Australia in its conflict against Iran, noting Australia is “a long way” from the Middle East. The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, arrived in Australia today for a three-day official visit, set to include a rare address to federal parliament. Carney is due to visit Sydney and Canberra and hold talks with Albanese. It will be the ninth meeting between the two leaders. The defence minister, Richard Marles, said an airbase used by the Australian defence force near Dubai was hit by a drone strike over the weekend, but said all personnel are “safe and accounted for”. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, rejected the idea that industrial silos being demolished to build 8,500 new homes in inner Sydney have architectural value, indicating that further sites in the city may have to come down to build more housing. Virgin Australia, which partners with Qatar Airways, cancelled six more flights into and out of Doha, Qatar, as airspace over the country remains closed. Routes between Doha and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth were all subject to cancellations, with affected guests contacted directly about their travel options. The NSW government said consumers can continue to feel confident enjoying locally grown berries, with laboratory testing confirming the state’s berries meet food safety standards for pesticide residues. Anthony Albanese tabled a Liberal election review in question time, making it public. The Liberal federal executive decided to shelve their election review and keep it a secret, but the report was leaked. Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again. Geelong explosions caused by burning vehicle on back of a truck spreading to nearby gas bottles, firefighters say Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) has released a statement in regards to the fire in Geelong we mentioned earlier in the blog. It said: FRV was called at 3.28pm, after callers to Triple Zero (000) reported a car fire with further callers reporting explosions and plumes of smoke billowing into the air. Crews arrived on scene within five minutes to find a vehicle on the back of a truck on fire with flames spreading to nearby gas bottles causing multiple explosions. Firefighters are working to bring the incident under control. An emergency warning has been issued for the corner of Thompson Road and Armstrong Street, North Geelong. Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria are also on scene assisting firefighters with the response. ARN Media has just announced that the Kyle and Jackie O show will be taken off air effective immediately. In a statement to the ASX, ARN Media said Henderson has expressed she “cannot continue to work” with Kyle Sandilands and has been offered an alternative show on the ARN Network. The media company also said it had written to Sandilands over his on-air behaviour on the 20 February program and he has been given 14 days to remedy it, during which he will not appear on air. Health alert after new case of measles in Sydney’s west In a statement, NSW Health has advised people in western Sydney to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after a new case has emerged. It said: This person has had no known contact with anyone else with measles and did not attend any known exposure locations in Sydney. With the source of the infection unknown, it is likely measles is currently circulating within the community, and other people may have been unknowingly exposed to measles. The person visited several locations across Western Sydney while unknowingly infectious, including healthcare facilities. A full list of locations is available on the NSW Health website. Exposure locations and times are updated regularly. Emergency warning in Geelong after gas bottles explode and start fire An emergency warning has been issued in Geelong, with emergency services asking people in the area around Thompson Road and Armstrong Street to leave immediately, after exploding gas bottles started an industrial fire. The warning says people should: Follow the instructions of police and emergency services who are at the scene. Leave immediately. Move away from windows, glass doors and glass windows. Take care to avoid debris that could be hot or sharp. If you can do so safely, exit buildings in the area as quickly as possible. When you leave, take your pets, mobile phone and medications. Travel to the home of family or friends who are away from the warning area. More info here. Queensland police have spoken about the death of a 21-year-old man who was shot by police in Brisbane on Tuesday morning. Police were called to the home in Tingalpa on Tuesday morning for a welfare check. Police said they tried to negotiate with the man. At about 10.30am, the man allegedly made threats towards police while armed with a knife and was shot. Speaking to the media, Acting Chief Supt Heath McQueen said: Our police, they attend incidents daily … these incidents are often dynamic in nature and split-second decisions need to be made in relation to those incidents. I’m confident that the use of force used is appropriate given the circumstances however, as I said, this will still be investigated by Ethical Standards Command with oversight of the [Crime and Corruption Commission]. I can confirm that one of the officers suffered a minor injury as a result of this incident today. Chalmers warns petrol retailers not to ‘gouge’ motorists Jim Chalmers has told the competition watchdog to keep an eye on petrol retailers to ensure they aren’t using the jump in global oil prices as an excuse to “gouge” motorists. In a letter to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the treasurer asked the watchdog to “investigate any concerns arising about misrepresentations regarding petrol prices, false and misleading conduct or anti-competitive conduct in petrol markets, and to take appropriate action”. Pump prices have tracked higher over the past month, reflecting rising global oil prices as traders anticipated a US-Israeli attack on Iran, which duly began at the weekend. Oil prices have jumped another 10% so far this week, and are close to $US80 a barrel, based on the international Brent crude benchmark. That means petrol prices are likely to track higher still over the coming week as those wholesale prices feed through to the bowser. “The recent spike … should not be used as an excuse for retailers to gouge customers or to increase prices opportunistically above and beyond the impact of events in the Middle East,” Chalmers said in his letter. Minns downplays retirement, says he wants to serve full term if re-elected next year The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has downplayed comments in which he suggested he would retire some time after the next state election, which will take place this time next year. Yesterday, at a press conference about the completion of tunnelling on the Metro West project, which is expected to open in 2032, Minns said he would not be premier by the time the metro was finished. Asked by the ABC Sydney’s Hamish Macdonald earlier today if his comments meant he was retiring, Minns said: Not imminently, no. I was asked a question about 2032, which I just want to … point out is in the middle of the next parliament, not even the one upcoming. So, look I’ve got a difficult re-election campaign ahead of us in 2027. If we were to win that, and it’s a big if, I would love to serve a full term, but in the long run, I don’t know, it’s up to the people of NSW. Asked if serving a full term means he would also contest the 2031 state election, Minns said: Well, look, I’d love to, but I … treat these things I hope in a humble way. If I come out and say I’m going to hang around until 2032, half of your listeners are going to say: ‘Wait, we get a say in that mate, don’t get too ahead of yourself.’ Victorian Greens to introduce bill aimed at strengthening corruption watchdog The Greens are also focusing on corruption at Victorian parliament this week. Tomorrow, they will introduce their “ending political corruption” bill to the upper house for debate. They attempted to do so in the lower house this morning but Labor voted it down. The bill would enact several of the recommendations made in a recent report by the state’s integrity and oversight committee, including giving the anti-corruption watchdog the power to investigate how third parties spend public funds, the ability to conduct more public hearings and expand its jurisdiction to investigate “grey” corruption. These were all reforms the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission’s Victoria Elliott told the integrity and oversight committee yesterday were needed to investigate allegations of corruption on the government’s Big Build sites. Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, said: Something is seriously wrong when our anti-corruption watchdog doesn’t have the power to investigate billions of dollars going missing on Labor’s major infrastructure projects and when Labor is this desperate for this to go away, it begs the question of what they are trying to hide. Thanks all for joining me on the blog today. I’ll leave you with the lovely Cait Kelly for the afternoon. I’ll see you here bright and early tomorrow. Take care. The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says there is no immediate threat to Australia’s fuel supplies, and is warning households not to stockpile or panic-buy petrol. Speaking to reporters after QT, he says all the fuel Australia currently has in reserve is either on the mainland, or in Australia’s exclusive economic zone – ie not in Texas where some of it used to be housed. Bowen told parliament yesterday that Australia has 36 days of petrol, 34 days of diesel, and 32 days of jet fuel. He said today: There is no need to rush to the service station and fill up. I do understand people’s concerns, but it’s important that people know we do have a good stock of petrol in reserve. In Australia, there is no immediate threat to petrol supplies in Australia. There will be challenges in this difficult environment in the Middle East, the strait of Hormuz is a very important supply chain for the world. So there are real challenges, but there is no need for panic buying, we just make the situation worse. The Coalition tried again to corner Labor on the 34 women and children stuck in a Syrian detention camp. The government said (again) that it has not been part of any repatriation efforts. Anthony Albanese tabled the Liberal’s election review that the party had tried to keep secret – meaning it will be made public shortly. The Coalition also tested Labor on a $670,000 grant given to a community group that has mourned the death of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The government said it is looking into the issue. The PM said rules should be tightened around the lobbyists roaming free around parliament, in response to a question from Monique Ryan. Albanese also dodged a question from independent Allegra Spender to protect LGBTQI teachers and students in religious schools. It was certainly a more eventful QT today with four MPs – including one Labor and three Liberals – kicked out of the chamber. Victorian opposition announces plan to tackle corruption on government construction sites The Victorian opposition leader, Jess Wilson, has just held a press conference to announce the Coalition’s plan to tackle alleged corruption in the construction sector if elected in November. It follows the release of an unredacted report by corruption fighter Geoffrey Watson SC last month, which included allegations that corruption involving the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union cost taxpayers up to $15bn, with much of this money “poured directly into the hands of criminals and organised crime gangs”. The Coalition plan includes introducing racketeering laws, similar to those used in the United States to fight the mafia. These laws would subject gang leaders who direct or benefit from a pattern of serious criminal activity to significantly longer jail terms. The federal Coalition first proposed similar laws leading up to the May federal election. The shadow attorney general, James Newbury, said no other state has such laws: In this state we’re seeing often big criminals hire minions to do their work, to commit crimes on their behalf, but the big bosses are getting away with it. One of the important measures in our package is to go after the big bosses with RICO style laws to make sure that we get the big bosses and clean up corruption in this state. Other measures include: Introducing laws to give the state’s anti-corruption watchdog “follow the money” powers to investigate how third parties spend public funds. Establishing Construction Enforcement Victoria to ensure compliance with the construction industry code on taxpayer-funded building sites. Creating a Victorian police taskforce that would work with Australian federal police and the Australian Tax Office to “seize assets linked to criminal conduct on Big Build sites”. Hold a royal commission into serious misconduct linked to the CFMEU. Question time ends The prime minister, after a dixer to Chris Bowen, calls the end of question time. In the process he again takes a dig at the Coalition for not asking a single question on the economy or the cost of living. PM dodges question of legal protection for LGBTQ+ students and teachers at religious schools Allegra Spender asks the prime minister next whether the government will stop religious schools being allowed to fire teachers for being in same-sex relationships, being divorced, or having children out of wedlock. It’s an issue the independent member for Wentworth has been campaigning on for several years. There was some discussion when both the Coalition and Labor governments were considering a religious discrimination act, that there could also be changes made to the sex discrimination act to protect those groups. But that legislation hasn’t gone anywhere. Anthony Albanese raises concerns about an increase in violent behaviour towards the LGBTQ+ community, and says “these cowards deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law”. But Albanese doesn’t answer the question of whether the government will protect students and teachers through legislation. It is just a fact that students should be respected and teachers should be respected for who they are. For young people coming to terms with their identity and who they are, and expressing themselves, it can be really, really tough. Burke: ‘We are not involved in resettling any of individuals’ Will any of the 34 women and children stuck in Syrian detention camps be resettled in the prime minister’s electorate of Grayndler, or will they all be settled in Western Sydney, asks Melissa McIntosh. She says the NSW premier, Chris Minns, has said up to one-third of the cohort will be living in his state. The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, says that none of the group are being “settled” by the government. In the same way as the fighters returned under your watch, you didn’t resettle them. They came under Australian passports and returned on the watch of the previous government. We are not involved in resettling any of individuals. They asked to be repatriated. We refused. Albanese says there should be ‘greater rigour’ around free-roaming lobbyists in Parliament House Back to the crossbench, Monique Ryan asks why the government is requesting another review into the number of lobbyists with orange passes (allowing them to roam anywhere by themselves around parliament). She’s referring to a story from my colleague, Dan Jervis-Bardy which you can read here: There’s a slight difference – what Albanese has done is ask the house speaker and Senate president to consider “increased transparency and rigour” in relation to the orange passes before an upcoming review of the policies governing access to the building’s private areas. He says: Unescorted access to Parliament is a privilege. It is a matter for the presiding officers, but there should be greater rigour around sponsored passes, particularly for professional lobbyists. Before we get to the next opposition question, shadow treasurer Tim Wilson is yeeted out of the chamber for “disrespectful behaviour” (ie shouting too much), making him the fourth person to leave the house today. Dan Tehan is up again to ask Anne Aly about a $670,000 government grant given to the TAHA association in Melbourne that has reportedly mourned the death of the Ayatollah. Aly says she was only made aware of the issue over the last 24 hours and has asked her department to investigate. We do give grants to community organisations, whether they be religious organisations, for mosques, temples, for sporting groups, but we take our expectation that the activities of those organisations and the activities of those groups are conducted within the rule of law and within the expectations of [the community]. Dai Le says western Sydney residents being left behind as high speed rail spending prioritised Independent MP Dai Le, the member for Fowler in western Sydney, asks the PM why he’s prioritising spending for a multibillion-dollar high speed rail between Sydney and Newcastle when there’s still no east-west rail link for 1.2 million Australians in western Sydney. She says the people in her electorate are being left behind. Anthony Albanese, who used to be the transport minister, says he “loves” getting questions about infrastructure. He starts saying how long it’s taken to get the western Sydney airport built, and then says the government is spending $13bn on transport infrastructure projects across western Sydney over the next ten years. Tony Pasin third MP to be ejected as Tehan puts question to Anne Aly Dan Tehan is back and now puts the question to the minister for multicultural affairs, Anne Aly, and asks if she has done anything to prevent the payment being made. Aly says something similar to Chalmers, that the government takes seriously the taxpayer funding that goes to community groups. She says she’s looking into the matter and will have more to say on it “shortly”. We take very seriously the use of taxpayer money to fund those activities and communities. And when we do that, we do that with an expectation, with an expectation those activities and communities will abide by the and within the expectations and standards which Australian taxpayers expect. At the end of the answer, Liberal MP Tony Pasin – a new entrant to the shadow frontbench – gets kicked out. That’s three ejections by my count now. Dan Tehan continues Coalition theme of asking about those mourning Ayatollah The Coalition is sticking to theme today, with Dan Tehan up next asking about a government grant to the TAHA association who have reportedly been mourning the death of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The TAHA association in Melbourne is a non-profit registered organization of the Shia Ithna Asheri Muslim community of Melbourne according to the charities register. Jim Chalmers says again that it is not appropriate for anyone to mourn the death of the Ayatollah. He says that the minister for multicultural affairs, Anne Aly, is looking into the matter and is taking the issue “very seriously”. We take any breaches of the law very seriously. Our agencies, the ATO, the Charities Commission and others have the powers to revoke any of the concessional treatment that applies to organisations. And when it comes to the specific case that you have raised, I know that my colleague, Minister Aly, has been working on this matter. Chalmers accuses Wilson of ‘vacating the field’ on economy Tim Wilson, the newly minted shadow treasurer, is up next – to which Jim Chalmers says “it only took till 2.30pm on day two” – having yesterday criticised the opposition for not asking a question about the economy. Wilson asks Chalmers to rule out that taxpayer money is going to any mosques or Islamic groups who have been mourning the death of the Ayatollah. It’s perhaps not the question Chalmers was expecting. Chalmers has a big crack at Wilson for “vacating the field on the economy”. I think it says everything, Mr Speaker, that the first question from the Shadow Treasurer is not question about inflation, not a question about productivity … The treasurer says the government does its best to ensure all public spending is appropriate and “where we discover that it’s not appropriate … we take the relevant steps at the relevant time”. Hamilton booted out as Katter asks about fuel security We have our second booting from the chamber, it’s Queensland LNP MP, Garth Hamilton, for shouting too much during a dixer. Next we go to the crossbench, to Bob Katter, who asks about Australia’s fuel security. He goes on a tangent and says his horse has died. Anthony Albanese (who goes almost nowhere without his dog, Toto), expresses his condolences to Katter over the death of his horse, saying: “I know that people particularly love their horses and the relationship is important.” On to fuel security, he says the government is trying to increase manufacturing and is building energy independence by establishing the east coast gas reserve, and “investing in making liquid fuels here”. Burke responds with jab at Coalition after question from Hastie on Syria repatriations Andrew Hastie is at the dispatch box next and asks the home affairs minister to again confirm that “none of his staff or department made representations to any departments or agencies to … expedite the issuing Australian passports” to the 34 women and children in a Syrian detention camp. Tony Burke takes a quick stab at the Liberals, saying they’re not asking about their own bill that would “jail the baggage handlers”. Burke says the cohort asked to be repatriated, they took the government to court and lost. Public servants have done what they legally are obliged to do and no more. That [is] not assistance. The House is going feral as Anthony Albanese answers a dixer about the one-year anniversary of the Coalition’s work from home policy. The Liberal federal executive decided to shelve their election review and leave it a secret, but the report is leaking fast. And now it’s out. Albanese tables the report, which he’s brought a copy of with him to the chamber (with paragraphs highlighted and all). It means it’ll be made public shortly. Angus Taylor is sticking to questions on the 34 women and children in a Syrian detention camp and asks Anthony Albanese to confirm that none of his staff, ministers, departments or agencies have helped the group. Albanese accuses the opposition of having an “obsession with the issue”. If only, Mr Speaker, he [Taylor] was as obsessed when ISIS fighters were coming home. The government has claimed that several Australian men who went and fought with Islamic State returned to Australia under the former Coalition government. Albanese then tries to quote Peter Dutton (they’re also copying and pasting yesterday’s tactics), which gets the manager of opposition business, Dan Tehan, out of his seat with a point of order. As he gets up, Labor MP Basem Abdo, says “miss you, Alex” (as in the former manager of opposition business, Alex Hawke) which gets him quickly booted from the chamber by the Speaker. Albanese says neither the rights of Australian citizens nor the constitution have changed since the Coalition was in government. Gender pay gap improvement is ‘incremental’, says shadow minister for women The shadow minister for women, Melissa McIntosh, says the latest gender gap data shows there has been incremental progress but it’s moving too slowly. She says broader changes to support women, including childcare (which is a major issue the Coalition has promised policy on), to make it easier for women to take on more senior roles. McIntosh, one of just three Liberal women on the frontbench in the House of Reps, says the report shows that just 7% of managers work part-time which reinforces “outdated expectations that leadership requires constant availability”. In a statement, McIntosh wrote: Too many women are still stepping back from leadership roles, reducing hours or leaving the workforce altogether due to caring responsibilities and inflexible work structures. That means ensuring childcare is accessible, affordable and flexible and creating genuine pathways for part-time and flexible leadership roles. ‘War parties’ targeted over secretive new defence committee The Senate is debating legislation that would establish a secretive new committee of federal parliament to scrutinise the Australian defence force, the defence department, veterans’ affairs and other areas of government working on the Aukus nuclear agreement. Labor and the Coalition look set to support the creation of a new joint House and Senate committee on defence, with a makeup mirroring the powerful parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security. Its work will be conducted in secret, except when public hearings are authorised by the defence minister. MPs who are members will be tasked with considering defence strategy, planning and contingencies, capability and examining decisions by the government to commit Australian troops to conflicts. The Greens oppose the plan, and have accused the Coalition, One Nation and Labor of being Australia’s “war parties”, linking today’s debate to the unfolding military situation in Iran. Greens senator Steph Hodgins-May says Aukus is an example of “self-delusion and self-denial”. She said the committee would represent another structure that conducts defence oversight “largely out of public view”. Accountability cannot simply mean a small group of insiders making decisions behind closed doors. The bill is expected to pass with votes from the government and the opposition. Hastie declares international rules-based order is ‘dead’ Coalition frontbencher Andrew Hastie says anyone who believes the rules-based order still exists is living in a “fantasyland”, as the US-Israel war on Iran escalates. Hastie spoke to reporters a little earlier today and said the international rules-based order is “nice to talk about” but irrelevant when Trump acts as an “apex opportunist”. I don’t think that exists any more, and anyone who says it does is living in a fantasyland. This is a new world order. I think the world is governed by power, and I prefer a powerful US re-establishing deterrence, rather than other countries like Russia, you know, using might to advance its national interest. You can read more from my colleague, Tom McIlroy, here: Carney touches down in Sydney The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has touched down in Sydney for a three-day trip to Australia. He’ll be addressing the federal parliament on Thursday. He was greeted at the airport by NSW treasurer Daniel Mookhey, federal Labor frontbencher Matt Thistlethwaite, and others. Events mourning the Ayatollah ‘incredibly disturbing’: O’Neil Moving on to the conflict in the Middle East, Clare O’Neil is asked about events being organised by a small number of mosques and Islamic centres mourning the death of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. O’Neil says mourning his death is “categorically wrong”: These are incredibly disturbing reports. What we know is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is probably one of the most repressive regimes in human history. I know that authorities are watching very closely here to make sure that no Australian laws have been broken. Earlier this morning, the shadow defence minister, James Paterson, said those mourning the death could be in breach of the new hate and antisemitism laws. O’Neil says she’ll leave it to authorities to determine if the events breach the law, but again emphasises that no one should be mourning they Ayatollah’s death. O’Neil says she has read Liberals’ election review and calls on party to release it Turns out the Liberal election review that has been shelved by the party has been leaked so badly even a Labor cabinet minister has it. The housing minister, Clare O’Neil, says she spent an hour reading it this morning (though one would think she might have bigger fish to fry), and says the party should release it publicly. Speaking to reporters in the press gallery, O’Neil said: Jane Hume and Angus Taylor tell us that they want us to believe that the Liberal party is willing and open to change. You cannot have change without honesty and transparency. It is not fair that shadow ministers have not had the capacity to read this report, and I have. They deserve to understand what went so terribly wrong for the Liberals in their 2025 election, so that they can actually get along and fix what is so broken about their political party. NSW government approves coalmine extension The New South Wales government has approved a six-year extension to a thermal coalmine in the state’s Hunter region. Dartbrook mine, 130km west of Newcastle, received the green light on Monday to continue its underground coal operations until 2033. The mine has faced controversy after it went into administration last year. The decision to allow the mine to operate for a further six years is also likely to face scrutiny from climate groups after a report by the state’s net zero commission last year found continued extensions or expansions of coal mining in NSW were not compatible with the state’s legislated emissions reduction targets. Georgina Woods, head of research and investigations at the Lock the Gate Alliance, said: It defies logic that the NSW government has approved this coalmine expansion despite its own NSW net zero commission finding that the state will not meet its emissions targets if coalmines continue to be expanded and extended. This is the first coalmine expansion that NSW has approved since that landmark report, but we fear that it won’t be the last, with 18 other coalmine projects in the state planning pipeline. Tony Burke, the home affairs minister and leader of the house, is trashing the Coalition’s bill that would make it illegal for individuals or groups to help the women and children in Syrian detention camps return to Australia. Burke says “I really hope for this own sake the leader of the opposition hasn’t read what he’s tried to introduce”. He says the description of the people “doesn’t necessarily capture the cohort that has been publicly debated”. He takes a further swipe, saying under the Coalition’s watch, multiple Australians who went to Syria to fight with Islamic State returned to Australia. He says this bill would criminalise anyone working at an airport who facilitated that return. This would criminalise the pilots of the commercial plane that flew them back. This would criminalise the baggage handlers. The main group that was wanting people to leave these camps have been our American allies. [This is] one of the shoddiest pieces of legislation that anyone has tried to introduce to the parliament … if anyone wondered what a silver foot in your mouth looks like, it looks like the legislation that the leader of the opposition is trying to introduce to the parliament right now. The opposition, safe to say, are fighting back against Burke’s insults – and Milton Dick tells everyone to calm down a little. (They don’t.) Taylor tries to introduce bill to stop women and children in Syrian detention camps returning to Australia Angus Taylor is moving to suspend standing orders in the House this morning (ie pause the current schedule) so he can introduce a bill called “keep Australians safe”. The government is unlikely to support the motion, which means it’s unlikely the bill will be introduced and debated on today. The bill is to “close a loophole”, Taylor says, to prevent the 34 women and children in a Syrian detention camp from returning to Australia. Taylor says the bill would make it an offence for a an individual to assist the entry of an individual into Australia if they have been in a terror hotspot, has committed terror related offences, or has been linked to a terror group. The opposition leader – who’s been going hard on the issue, and keeping it the focus at yesterday’s question time – says the government must “shut the door to returning ISIS sympathisers”. Yesterday, Taylor accused children in those camps, many who have been born in the detention camps or lived most of their lives there, of being “ISIS sympathisers”. Taylor says: “We want the government to take back control of who comes into our country.” These people chose to abandon Australia, they chose to travel to terrorist hotspots, they chose to support one of the world’s most evil and barbaric death cults. They chose to steep their children in a monstrous ideology. They don’t deserve compassion, they deserve condemnation. Queensland rolls back drug diversion programs Queensland will roll back drug diversion programs and pass laws to crack down on antisocial behaviour, with the state’s conservative police minister declaring its cities and towns “under siege”. The police minister, Dan Purdie, cited efforts in the US where “states are trying to frantically undo disastrous drug policies” as the Liberal National party vowed to “restore deterrents and consequences for dangerous drug offending”. Purdie claimed the previous Labor government’s drug diversion scheme had allowed drug use to “flourish”. In 2024 more methylamphetamine was consumed than any other year,” he told state parliament. “Cocaine and heroin use is the highest it has ever been. This must end. We need to send a clear message that taking illicit drugs is not acceptable or safe. The new laws would limit drug diversion to a single opportunity “for eligible first-time offenders”, introduce on-the-spot fines or criminal charges for repeat offenders and give “police stronger powers and discretion to respond to drug offending”, an LNP statement read. Purdie said: You can’t be tough on crime if you’re soft on drugs. ‘Positive vibe’ reported at Coalition joint party room meeting The Coalition held a joint party room this morning and it was described as a “really positive vibe”. Of course, the Liberals and their junior Coalition partner, the Nationals, have had a few rough patches lately but that was all history apparently, according to a party spokesperson. The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, and Nationals leader, David Littleproud, told the troops they needed to rally together going forward. The two both discussed their focus message from opposition – to restore the Australian standard of living and protect Australia’s way of life. But perhaps most interesting are the things that weren’t discussed. Sussan Ley, the former leader deposed only a few weeks ago, didn’t rate a mention and neither did the prickly topic of the byelection in Farrer. That contest, expected to happen by May, will see a Liberal and National candidate in the field against One Nation and other minor right-leaning parties. One Nation’s surge in popularity of late was mentioned but only in the context of the Coalition trying to win back voters from all their opponents, including Labor and the teals. While the joint party room didn’t discuss the damning leaked post-election autopsy, it’s understood it was mentioned in the Liberal party room shortly before. There was reportedly no mention of the need to release now that it’s basically all been leaked anyway, but an apparent consensus that the party needs to learn from some of the points it raised to improve its campaign processes and abilities. NSW berries meet food safety standards for pesticide residues, government says The NSW government has said consumers can continue to feel confident enjoying locally grown berries, with laboratory testing confirming the state’s berries meet food safety standards for pesticide residues. In a statement, NSW Food Authority said: The NSW Food Authority analysed 25 kilograms of blueberries and raspberries, made up of 100 samples of 250 grams each, purchased from a range of Sydney retail stores in November 2025. All 100 samples were tested by an independent NATA-accredited laboratory for 218 pesticides, including the prohibited chemical thiometon, which was not detected in any of the berries. Results from the tested samples were within the allowable limits of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code for pesticide residues in food. Almost every scheduled flight from Qatar and the UAE has been cancelled in recent days Cirium, an aviation analytics company, released data showing almost all flights from Qatar and the UAE were cancelled on 1 and 2 March. Yesterday, Qatar cancelled 96% of scheduled flights and the UAE cancelled nearly 94%. Nearby countries also had major cancellations, including Bahrain (100%), Israel (95%), Kuwait (91%), Jordan (76%) and Lebanon (67%). Saudi Arabia only had 22% of flights cancelled. Virgin Australia cancels six Middle East flights and Emirates to resume ‘limited’ routes Virgin Australia, which partners with Qatar Airways, has cancelled six more flights into and out of Doha, Qatar, today as airspace over the country remains closed. Routes between Doha and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are all subject to cancellations, with affected guests contacted directly about their travel options. Emirates, a major carrier for Australians, said it will resume a “limited number of flights” beginning Tuesday evening. Customers with earlier bookings are being accommodated as a priority. All flights from Sydney to Dubai are cancelled today, but an evening flight from Melbourne is still scheduled as planned. It’s unclear if it will go ahead, and Guardian Australia has reached out to Emirates for comment. Customers have been told not to head to the airport “unless you have been notified”. All of Etihad’s commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 2pm UAE time on Wednesday. Qantas does not operate any aircraft into Middle Eastern airports. The flag carrier has a number of flight paths to Europe that are reviewed regularly based on safety and weather concerns. Wage gap report shows ‘progress’, Gallagher says The finance minister and minister for women, Katy Gallagher says the release of the third report from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency shows “progress and movement in the right direction”, but concedes many will say it’s still not happening fast enough. The report covers 10,500 employers and more than 5.9 million workers, and Gallagher, speaking to the media at parliament this morning, says she believes the reports are helping to lower the pay gap. She adds that wage increases for highly feminised industries including aged care and childcare are also making a difference. We know more employers are now within the target range. The majority have reduced their gender pay gap compared to last year. Around half of employers now have an average total remuneration gender pay gap below 11.2% and more organisations, importantly, are actively analysing their data and consulting employees to inform action on gender equality, Minns say distinctive silos being demolished for development ‘weren’t built by the Romans’ The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has rejected the idea that industrial silos being demolished to build 8,500 new homes in inner Sydney have architectural value, indicating that further sites in the city may have to come down to build more housing. As we reported today, the state government has announced plans for a new inner Sydney suburb, to be known as Bays West, through the conversion of the government-owned Glebe Island, Sydney’s last working industrial port. It means Sydneysiders will farewell the distinctive 1970s silos viewable from Anzac Bridge, which are currently used for cement and sugar storage, as well as advertising space. Former industrial silos in other parts of the inner west have been successfully converted into housing, including in Newtown and Dulwich Hill. But at a press conference this morning, Minns told reporters the silos were “gross” and “need to come down”. The truth of the matter is, some of the heritage lunatics in Sydney can’t slap one of these heritage orders on something that’s younger than [crown lands minister] Steve [Kamper]. We have to be realistic. We have to be realistic about Sydney’s future. They weren’t built by the Romans … they genuinely have been put up in recent times. And I think we’ve got to be serious about where and what we use precious land close to Sydney for. We can’t have a situation where everything is treated as if it’s the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, or ancient and important parts of Sydney’s architectural heritage. This isn’t one of them, and there are other things in Sydney that need to come down for a bit of progress, parks are more important than ugly silos. Allan says mourning of ayatolla ‘not appropriate’ The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, says planning by a small number of Melbourne mosques and Islamic centres to mourn the death of Iran’s supreme leader are “not appropriate”. During her earlier press conference she said: This is the Iranian regime is an oppressive regime that’s caused great hurt and harm here in our communities, here in Melbourne, and I don’t believe those actions are appropriate. Allan said her government stood with the Iranian community, many of whom have “chosen to come here to Melbourne and Victoria to escape an oppressive regime”. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to cause grief and hurt for communities here. My focus will always be on supporting those communities. In pictures: Angus Taylor leads his first party room Crossbenchers have condemned the Albanese government’s failure to respond to scores of parliamentary inquiries, decrying it as disrespectful to the parliament, the public and “genuinely not good enough”. The independent MPs appeared at a press conference on Tuesday morning holding “Albanese’s too hard basket” – a literal basket filled with committee reports that have been ignored for months after the findings were published. Procedure requires that the government responds within six months of the report’s tabling. Among the pile was the late Peta Murphy’s inquiry into gambling advertising as well as reports on terrorism, migration, financial security in domestic violence and the use of artificial intelligence in education. The Curtin MP, Kate Chaney, said: We need to make sure that these inquiries are not the place that important issues go to die, and that’s why we are standing here today to really put a spotlight on the failure of this government to deal with the important policy issues that Australia cares about. The Wentworth MP, Allegra Spender, said the delay in responding to the inquiries called into question the integrity of the Albanese government. The prime minister said he wanted to increase trust in government and trust in the parliament, but this is deeply cynical when you don’t respond to reports that you commission yourself. These are inquiries the government commissioned [and] said these are important issues. They didn’t give the country the courtesy of a response. Victorian treasurer says she’s ‘factoring potentially another rate rise’ The Victorian treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, was asked at an earlier press conference about the possibility of another interest rate hike in this month. The RBA governor, Michele Bullock said this morning the prospect of a rate hike at the next meeting in two weeks was “live”. Symes says it’s “really difficult to forecast” whether it will happen, given the war in the Middle East. Obviously, the latest announcement from the RBA for a rate hike was certainly not welcome news for working people in Victoria. It obviously adds to those cost-of-living pressures right now. Geopolitical influences probably make it really difficult to forecast what would be next. Having said that, because of inflation, because of things, where things have been headed, of course, we’re factoring potentially another rate rise. I think given the uncertainty at the moment, what that will do to inflation and where that goes in relation to future interest rates we’ll have to wait and see. What is the Al Minhad airbase? Defence minister and deputy PM, Richard Marles, this morning confirmed the Al Minhad airbase, where more than 100 Australian personnel are stationed, was hit by drones over the weekend. Marles said all personnel are safe and accounted for. Al Minhad is a host nation operational military base where Australia has headquartered its operations in the Middle East since 2003. The Defence department has called the base a “home away from home” for ADF personnel in the region. Defence says that since the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Australia has maintained a smaller force at the airbase, “focused on strategic access and regional crisis response”. The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has spoken with her counterpart in the United Arab Emirates, the deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Wong used the call to express Australia’s solidarity with the UAE and to engage on efforts to support Australians caught up in global travel disruptions. The deputy prime minister confirmed the UAE was working hard to safely put on flights for travellers currently held up by drone attacks and airspace closures. He confirmed that Australians affected by travel disruptions in the UAE are being accommodated and provided meals by the UAE. Here at home, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is working through thousands of registrations from the UAE to confirm registrants’ situation and welfare. “I express my deepest thanks to His Highness for the United Arab Emirates’ support for Australians,” Wong said in a statement. We appreciate the UAE’s generosity and we will continue to work with them and the region to ensure the safety and security of Australians. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is working around the clock to provide assistance to Australians. Australia condemns the Iranian regime’s indiscriminate and reckless attacks on the UAE including on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Angus Taylor gees up his new party room Tuesdays means party room meetings, where leaders address their caucus, give them a gee up, answer questions from their members, and discuss party tactics. It’s Angus Taylor’s first time hosting a party room meeting as the new leader, so he’s let the cameras in for his opening address. He starts off talking about strengthening the party ahead of the next election: The strength of the Coalition is absolutely central to making sure we take a strong offering to the next election and that we have a strongest run. He then goes into attack mode on Labor, that it’s not doing enough to combat inflation, that energy bills are rising, and that not enough homes are being built. He also gives us another forward sizzle that he will fight against any changes to the capital gains tax exemption and negative gearing. We were told by this government that they were going to build 1.2 million houses, they’re not, they’ve put the CFMEU in charge, and they’re not going to even get close to their targets. And now we learn they’re going to put extra taxes on housing. Well, if you want more houses, you don’t put extra taxes. Victoria to regulate the right to work from home two days a week The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, have held a press conference this morning to announce businesses – regardless of size – would be covered by government’s plan to regulate a right to work from home two days a week. Allan said the policy was good for productivity and increase worried participation rates. She said: It’s not just the hours that someone works, or how they work during those hours, it’s about getting more people back in the workforce. This is a measure that gets more women back into the workforce, I’m going to back those women. Symes provided her own personal reflection on this: When I returned to work, I was asked to work four days a week, got paid for four days a week. I worked five. There was chocolate and Peppa Pig for my kids while I was working that fifth day, but getting paid for four. That is the story of working women for too long. She added it was not the first time employers had rallied against workplace rights that are now universally accepted: The reason I got into politics was off the back of Work Choices. Most of you are probably too young to remember AWAs – it was where the employer could sit down with the employee and strip away their rights because it suited their business. We are at the forefront of this particular policy, but this will not be new and interesting in 10 years’ time. Look at OHS laws, look at penalty rates, look at all the things that employers – not all – have rallied against. Virgin Airlines offers free rebooking/refund options to Doha flights Virgin Airlines, which has a code-sharing agreement with Qatar Airways, cancelled flights on Monday, and has cancelled more today, promising to allow passengers booked on flights to Doha until 6 March free rebooking, travel credit or refunds. Limited flights have begun running in and out of the Middle East, and the government has recommended Australians stuck in the region to get on commercial flights when they become available. Seven Virgin flights – operated by Qatar Airways – scheduled to fly Monday were cancelled and a further six have been cancelled today. In a statement, Virgin Airlines says the safety of guests and crew is “our top priority”, and also recommends monitoring the latest travel advice. Due to the ongoing security situation in the Middle East, which includes the closure of Qatari airspace, a number of Virgin Australia services operated by Qatar Airways have been cancelled. Guests scheduled to travel on Virgin Australia services between Australia and Doha in the coming days are advised to closely monitor their flight information and visit the Australian Government’s Smartraveller website for the latest travel advice. You can read more below about what to do if you’re due to fly out to or through the Middle East. The defence minister, Richard Marles, says an airbase used by the Australian defence force near Dubai was hit by a drone strike over the weekend, but said all personnel are “safe and accounted for”. Speaking to Sunrise earlier this morning, he says some drones attacked the Al Minhad Airbase in the United Arab Emirates on the first night. He says Australians have operated from the base for “many years”. They’re [Australian personnel] all accounted for. They are all safe. We’ve got north of 100 serving personnel actually across the Middle East in a range of countries, but most are in the UAE. Michele Bullock, the RBA’s governor, says a rate hike was a “live” possibility at the next meeting in two weeks’ time, saying that the “the board will be actively looking at whether or not it needs to move more quickly”. Bullock said investors and economists had settled on the fact the RBA would not hike at consecutive meetings, but warned “I would dissuade them from thinking that”. I’m not making a prediction about March, but it will be a live meeting. We have inflation at 3.8% headline, and we have unemployment at 4.1 – tight. The board will be actively looking at whether or not it needs to move more quickly. So I would discourage people from thinking that we necessarily only meet every quarter. Bullock also said a “very elevated and lengthy rise in energy” prices from a prolonged Middle East conflict will “impact” economies here and around the world, but said the reaction in financial markets to the attacks on Iran were so far “orderly”. Speaking at the AFR’s business summit this morning, Bullock said while the central bank typically looked past temporary price shocks, she said that approach was not as obvious this time around. This one might be a little bit harder, because, as you say, we already have elevated inflation, and I think there is a risk that inflation expectations might become a little bit unanchored. Andrew Hastie, who has returned to the frontbench as the new shadow sovereign capability minister, says Trump’s plan is to re-establish deterrence with the US’s “apex military”. Speaking to Sky News, Hastie says China buys a significant amount of Iran’s crude oil at a discount, and believes the US is making a “larger play” with the action in the Middle East, to muscle up against China. I think the larger play here from the United States is to, I think, to reorder the state of world affairs at the moment, and to compete with China, and by knocking out Iran, potentially, they’re knocking out a really critical partner, a very cheap supply of oil for their industrial base. Donald Trump is an apex opportunist. So he hit Nigeria, he’s hit Venezuela. They’ve gone into Iran, or at least they’ve struck Iran. I think part of the plan here is also to re-establish deterrence, and the US military is the apex military. Hastie, who served in the Australian defence force from 2003 to 2015, says Trump’s four- to five-week timeline for action in Iran is “optimistic”. I think it’s a very optimistic timeline. And reminded me a little bit of the mission accomplished stuff back in 2003. Four to five weeks is a very short period of time. We’re talking about a regime change here, and the war is escalating throughout the Middle East. Queensland government to water down hate speech legislation Queensland’s government is set to water down its hate speech legislation, developed after last year’s Bondi terrorist attack. Meanwhile the state’s Labor opposition yesterday declared it will vote against specific clauses of the bill, but will back it at a final vote. The Liberal National party spent several weeks working on the legislation, which also represents the government’s response to a national push for gun reform. It was made public three weeks ago, and then went through a very brief parliamentary committee process, with just seven days for public submissions. The laws would have allowed the state attorney general to proscribe particular expressions in law, making uttering or publishing them an offence punishable by two years in prison. But the government is set to remove that power. Instead the bill will explicitly proscribe two expressions, “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada”, with no ability for the attorney general to add new ones. The first is a common slogan used by pro-Palestinian activists. Labor leader Steven Miles said on Monday the unamended bill would “criminalise speech and hand extreme and unchecked powers to the attorney general”. The laws as drafted will take Queensland backwards, backwards to a place, backwards to a time where police were sent with batons to arrest young people protesting peacefully. These laws give the government of the day extreme and unchecked powers, powers to outlaw any speech that they don’t like. Paterson justifies not supporting Hanson censure Jumping back to James Paterson on RN Breakfast, he’s asked why the Coalition would not support a government motion to censure Pauline Hanson in the Senate yesterday afternoon. The Coalition voted for the other elements of the motion that supported multiculturalism and condemned vilification, but not the censure itself. Two Liberal backbench senators – Paul Scarr and Andrew McLachlan – crossed the floor to vote with the government. Paterson says Hanson should be condemned for her comments about Muslim Australians, but that censures are “usually reserved for the worst conduct”. We voted for every element of that motion instead of the censure, and we moved an amendment which suggested that senator Hanson should be condemned rather than censured for her comments. We have previously voted to censure senator Hanson. Censuring someone in the Senate is usually reserved for the worst conduct and particularly relates to their behaviour as a senator in the Senate or as a minister represented in the Senate. We don’t think it should be routinely used just to condemn people for making statements that we may profoundly disagree with as we do in this instance. How does this compare to previous censures? Last year, both Lidia Thorpe and Ralph Babet were censured in November – Thorpe for her protest against King Charles, and Babet over offensive tweets after Trump’s election victory. The Reserve Bank governor says it is “too early to tell” what the US-Israel attack on Iran means for inflation and interest rates. Financial markets and many economists are confident the RBA will hike for a second time in May, but Michele Bullock said “events in the Middle East are a timely reminder that in this world of geopolitical uncertainty, things can change quickly”. Oil prices jumped following the weekend’s missile strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, as shipping through a crucial waterway adjacent to the country was essentially closed. While motorists braced for higher fuel costs, Bullock said the consequences for the economy and consumer prices were not straightforward. It’s too early to say what the impact will be, events are moving rapidly and there are different ways this can play out. The staff will take some time to make sense of what it could mean for inflation here. A supply shock could, for example, add to inflation pressures. And the potential implications for inflation expectations are something we are very alert to. But at the same time, a prolonged impact on energy markets could have adverse effects on global economic activity and result in downward pressure on inflation. It is not obvious how this might play out. So as much as I know the public would like more certainty about the direction of interest rates, it would be wrong for us to pretend to have greater certainty than we do. Sitting in the hot seat following Matt Thistlethwaite, James Paterson joins RN Breakfast and condemns a number of mosques and Islamic centres that are mourning the death of the ayatollah. Paterson, who just took on the shadow defence portfolio in Angus Taylor’s frontbench reshuffle, says they could be in breach of the new antisemitism and hate laws passed in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. He says federal police should investigate whether the mourning events are in violation of the law. Firstly, they’re just not appropriate. No one should be holding a mourning for the head of a regime which sponsored terror attacks in Australia. But secondly, the IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, of which the Ayatollah is the spiritual leader and head, is now a listed terrorist organisation in Australia. And it is a crime to praise or glorify a listed terrorist organisation in a way that could incite others to commit acts of terrorism. It’s also a crime to display the symbols and logos of a listed terrorist organisation. Thistlethwaite ‘not aware’ of any advice sought on legality of strikes The government has so far dodged questions on whether the US and Israeli strikes on Iran are illegal, saying that’s a question for the two nations leading the action. RN Breakfast host, Sally Sara, asks whether the government has sought any advice on the legality of the strikes. Thistlethwaite says he’s “not aware” it has been sought. Sara pushes Thistlethwaite, who then says the government supports upholding international law but that “we make our decisions based on what we believe is in the best interests of Australia and the international community.” So how does that compare to other like-minded nations? Thistlethwaite argues Australia’s position is consistent with others including Canada and the UK. We work with other middle power nations to ensure that we have consistent positions. And when you look at the approach that Canada and the United Kingdom, countries that we’ve worked closely with on the conflict in this region, they have a similar position to Australia. Australia is not an outlier in this and the approach that we have taken. Labor says it did warn travellers about possible airspace shutdown The assistant foreign affairs minister, Matt Thistlethwaite, has defended Labor against criticism from shadow defence minister, James Paterson, who questioned whether the government gave sufficient warnings to Australians before the conflict broke out in the Middle East. Thistlethwaite tells RN Breakfast that the government has issued 41 travel advice updates since the beginning of the year, and that it’s been constantly working on “the best available intelligence and advice and updating Australians”. There have been 41 travel advice updates that the Australian government has issued for the region and 26 social media posts. On 15 January, the foreign minister gave a media conference where she warned that the airspace could close in the coming weeks in the region. And on 19 February, we updated the travel warnings once again, telling people to issue a very high degree of caution if you’re looking to go to the area. Again, the assistant minister tells Australians to register with Smartraveller. Hopefully the airspace will progressively begin to open over the coming weeks and then we’ll have options to get Australians out. But the reality is the best option will be commercial flights. Don’t cancel your flight. Make sure that you maintain your flight and that you’re in regular contact with your travel agent and your airline about updates. Government takes conflict ‘a day at a time’ Moving across to ABC News Breakfast, Richard Marles say the government is taking the conflict in the Middle East – and its economic consequences – a day at a time. Marles says the government’s focus is “on the consular side” by making sure Australians are informed – and encourages anyone in the region to register with Smartraveller. He and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, have emphasised that the best way to return to Australia will be via commercial flights when they resume. Marles says there are contingency plans being made, but won’t provide any details. It sounds trite, but you literally kind of have to take this at a day at a time. It is very difficult to speculate about how long this will go. You are right that there could easily be an economic dimension to this, and it is a function of how long it goes. And we’re, again, we’re very mindful of that and looking at what the potential economic impacts will be. Marles responds to ayatollah memorials Richard Marles says he won’t direct police on what action to take against a small number of mosques and Islamic centres in Melbourne and Sydney who have invited members to mourn the death of Iran’s supreme leader. Last night, Anthony Albanese called the events “inappropriate”. Marles is asked whether there will be any police action taken against the mosques and centres. He says: I’m not about to suggest what the police should do, that’s that’s a matter for them. But let me say this, our our thoughts are not with the supreme leader. Our thoughts are with the thousands of Iranians who have died at the hands of the supreme leader just in the last few weeks, without looking at the countless numbers of Iranians who have lost their lives over the nearly 40 years that the supreme leader has been at the helm of the Iranian state. Marles is asked about reports of Australians in the Middle East waiting 24 hours to reach consular staff, as they plan their evacuation from the region. Marles says there are more than 115,000 Australians in the region, with 11,000 travellers going between Australia and the Middle East on any normal day, so it’s a “significant load” on the staff. The government is monitoring reports of limited airspace openings, and Marles says the government is considering contingency options. There are a significant number of Australians there, we’re obviously working through all of this as quickly as possible. We are posting advice on Smartraveller as soon as it comes to hand, and we are very much encouraging people to monitor that very closely. There’s been some reports of marginal airspace being opened up in a limited way, but really that’s the issue that we’re monitoring closely. We are going through some contingency arrangements right now, which I won’t speak about publicly … but for most people, the most expeditious way in which they will be able to leave is going to be through commercial flights as soon as [they open]. Australia not asked to participate in Iran action: Marles Defence minister and deputy PM, Richard Marles, says Australia has not been asked to participate in actions against Iran. Marles is doing the media rounds this morning, he tells the Today Show he won’t speculate on how long this action will go for. I think it’s hard to speculate exactly how long this will go. Obviously, we are monitoring this very closely, but we’ve not been asked to participate. This is an action which is being undertaken by the United States and by Israel. Again, Marles also deflects questions on whether the strikes by the US and Israel are “legal”. He sidesteps and instead says: I mean, what is unlawful is for Iran to be seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon capability. I mean, that flies in the face of the non-proliferation treaty and the international regime. Men almost twice as likely as women to earn high salaries, new report Men are nearly twice as likely as women to be making $220,000 a year, with minimal progress made on closing Australia’s gender pay gap in the past 12 months. The federal government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) published its gender pay gap results for 10,500 employers on Tuesday. It revealed there was a slight increase in the number of women in highly paid roles, but men were still 1.8 times more likely to be in the upper quartile of earners on an average salary of $221,000. On the other hand, women were 1.4 times more likely than men to be in the lowest quartile of earners with an average salary of about $60,000 a year. You can read more here: Good morning, Krishani Dhanji with you here, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started. The situation in the Middle East will continue to dominate the headlines this morning. The deputy PM and defence minister, Richard Marles, has been wheeled out again for the government as it faces questions on whether it has or will support any military action against Iran – it says it wasn’t privy to the strikes in advance and is not a “central” player in the region. As my colleague, Tom McIlroy, has just brought you, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney (admired by many in Labor) is heading to Australia today – but the more exciting stuff, including an address to parliament, will happen a bit later this week. I hope you’ve got a coffee, I’ve got mine – let’s get into it! The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, arrives in Australia today for a three-day official visit, set to include a rare address to federal parliament. Carney is due to visit Sydney and Canberra and hold talks with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese. It will be the ninth meeting between the two leaders. They will discuss critical minerals, climate change, economic security and prosperity, and defence cooperation. Canada and Australia have already signed a joint declaration of intent on critical minerals, and the agreement could be upgraded as part of this week’s visit. Carney and Albanese are also expected to discuss the growing conflict in Iran, sparked by weekend bombings by the United States and Israel. Carney has talked up the opportunity for middle powers including Canada and Australia to act as a bloc in recent months, part of a much-discussed address to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Carney’s visit is also set to include an event at the thinktank, the Lowy Institute. Memorials for Aytatollah Ali Khamenei ‘inappropriate’, PM says Memorials within Australia for Aytatollah Ali Khamenei – Iran’s late supreme leader – are “inappropriate”, Anthony Albanese has said. Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, was killed in US and Israeli airstrikes over the weekend in a pre-emptive strike against the country’s ballistic missiles program. On Sunday, thousands of Iranian Australians attended celebratory events to mark Khamenei’s death. The Shia Muslim Council of Australia said Iran holds “profound religious significance” for its community. The prime minister told ABC’s 7.30 last night that Khamenei should not be mourned. He said: We in this country have a different approach to people having different views from a totalitarian regime such as Iran, but our position is very clear, and I’m sure that is shared by the overwhelming majority of Australians, including the overwhelming number of Australians of Iranian descent … I don’t think [memorials are] appropriate. And certainly I think that, overwhelmingly, people won’t be participating. Anthony Albanese does not believe the US government will request military assistance from Australia in its conflict against Iran, noting Australia is “a long way” from the Middle East. In an interview with ABC’s 7.30 last night, the prime minister said the US had not requested military assistance and he did not expect they would in the coming days and weeks. Albanese said: It’s a long way from Australia, and Australia is not – we are not big players in the Middle East. Good morning and welcome to our live politics blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Krishani Dhanji with the main action. Anthony Albanese says he doesn’t expect the US will ask Australia for military assistance against Iran because it’s a “long way” away. And the Canadian PM, Mark Carney, is due to arrive in Australia later today, though the main action of the visit is expected later in the week. He and Albanese are expected to cover a lot of ground in their talks. More details on this soon.