Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will hold a press conference from Parliament House in Canberra. Follow along with our livestream.

Key Posts

Latest Posts

The prime minister has again insisted the interpretation of his controversial “melon” remarks on a podcast in July was “not correct”.

He insisted the gestures he made during his conversation with comedian Nikki Osborne were not unusual, and that he often behaves in this way while being interviewed “sitting on chairs”.

“When I give interviews, anyone who has sat down with me, and it’s a bit of footage of me doing interviews, sitting on on chairs, will see that I don’t do them with my my arms crossed. And so certainly, as the interpretation that some on this is simply not correct, and the Japanese ambassador has made that clear as well.”

Albanese went on to say he does “a range of interviews” in an attempt to engage with “modern media”.

“I do a range of interviews, including you know you know one with Ozzy Man Reviews who does, puts words into into his videos for animals that are engaging with each other. You know, we have a modern media. In modern media, I talk to a range of people, many of whom I don’t agree with everything that they say.”

The PM said he raised the issue of tariffs with his US counterpart and that Trump agreed to “give consideration” to Albanese’s request that Australia be exempt from Trump’s controversial 12.5 per cent tariff.

Speaking to reporters just now, Albanese said:

“The ask that I made of the president is that he consider full exemption, or at the very least, no increase. Australia has been subject to the 12.5 per cent tariff.”

Here are the comments in full.

I informed him about our record when it comes to dealing with issues such as modern slavery, the strengthening that we have put forward as well to look and hold companies accountable for the supply chain process as well. I was able to say to the president, of course, that we have a free trade agreement with the United States that all goods and services are exempt from tariffs to Australia ...

We would request that to be considered. We have a different position when it comes to tariffs, and of course our position is opposing them, and we support free and fair trade. The president, of course, has a different position that has expressed on many times. But I did ask that Australia’s position as a friend of the United States be considered, and the president agreed that he would give consideration to my request.

Albanese also said the two leaders discussed “a few personal issues”, during their phone call.

“We discussed … a few personal issues, which demonstrated the strength of the relationship between Australia and the United States.

“It was very warm and productive … I was able to pass on my best wishes to the United States on their 250th birthday, as well as my personal best for the president’s 80th birthday,” Albanese said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is addressing the media in Canberra and has provided an update on his “very constructive” phone call with US President Donald Trump overnight.

“The president and I exchanged views on a number of global and regional issues, including the conflict in the Middle East and recent developments in the Pacific,” Albanese told reporters.

The PM confirmed the two leaders discussed the AUKUS pact, which he said remained “full steam ahead”.

“We agreed it was a project that is and will continue to deliver benefits for the United States, for Australia, and for the United Kingdom,” Albanese said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will hold a press conference from Parliament House in Canberra. Follow along with our livestream.

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen says the PM will provide an update on his overnight phone call with US President Donald Trump “very shortly”.

Speaking to the ABC just a few minutes ago, Bowen said he knew the call was happening but had not spoken to Albanese this morning.

“I’m sure he will update the Australian people on the call very shortly.”

Albanese will hold a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra at about 7.30. We will bring you live updates here.

Independent MP Dai Le says while students have the right to protest in a democracy, yesterday’s protests against Pauline Hanson will give the One Nation leader “more prominence”.

The “Say no to Hanson” demonstrations were held by thousands of students around the country who ditched class and took to the streets to protest One Nation’s policies.

“If they’re university students, then you know that’s out of their own time, their rights to protest. That’s the one great thing about our democracy. But I think if it’s high school students, you know, in year 11 and year 12, it’s HSC year, so I think … really study should be your priority from my perspective,” Le told Nine’s Today show.

She warned the protest could make Hanson more prominent.

“I think by doing these protests, you’re focusing more on. It’ll give her more, I suppose, prominence, and it’ll push, you know, One Nation more out there. So I don’t know, I don’t know if that’s the purpose,” she said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong will paint Pauline Hanson’s call for a monoculture as a major threat to national security, making the case that Australia’s diversity is a bulwark against global instability while reaffirming that regional diplomacy is Labor’s top priority.

Wong will argue that her own Malaysian background demonstrates how migrants have enriched Australia and helped it find common ground with other people in the world, also pointing to Burundi refugee Nestory Irankunda and his opening goal of the Socceroos’ recent World Cup campaign.

Her speech comes after a charged debate over multiculturalism was spawned in June by Hanson saying Australia should be monocultural. The One Nation leader later backtracked, saying the diverse Socceroos football team was an example of what she was talking about.

Labor has since worn multiculturalism as a badge of honour as it seeks to counter Hanson’s surging popularity, and Wong’s speech will take this a step further by making the direct link between diversity and successful foreign policy.

“Our multicultural society, along with our economy and our democratic institutions, are essential elements of our resilience and raise the costs for those who seek to coerce us,” Wong will say in a speech to the Lowy Institute today.

Reports have emerged this morning that US President Donald Trump held an overnight phone call with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The Australian Financial Review, Nine’sToday show, 2GB and Seven’s Sunrise all reported this morning that a White House official had confirmed the phone call, but provided no details on what was discussed by the two leaders.

If the reports are true, it would be the first phone call between Trump and Albanese since March, when Trump called the Australian PM to discuss the Iranian women’s soccer team.

We will bring you more on this story as it develops.

Hello and welcome to our national news live blog for Friday, August 14. Here’s what you need to know today.

• US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a phone call, according to reports this morning. The Australian Financial Reviewsaid a White House official confirmed the call, but provided no details about what the two leaders discussed. If the reports are true, it would mark the first call between the two leaders since March.
• Thousands of students around the country skipped class to stage a mass walkout in protest of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation yesterday. The demonstrations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Wollongong, and Newcastle attracted more than 10,000 people, reports indicate.
• Foreign Minister Penny Wong will make a speech today in which she is expected to paint Pauline Hanson’s call for a monoculture as a major threat to national security.
• And Labor would send out more immigration officers to try to deport visa overstayers exploiting the system under a proposed element of the PM’s plan to overhaul the country’s migration program, this masthead revealed.