News and politics live updates: Anthony Albanese under fire as Angus Taylor blasts Labor over housing crisis

Australia should send military assets to the Gulf to help protect commercial shipping, former prime minister Scott Morrison has said.

“We should be following our national interest, and we have serious national interests at stake when it comes to fuel security and what’s happening in the Gulf,” he said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“It’s important that we be proactive in the national interest to be making a contribution that helps resolve the issue, including the use of our defence assets.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has broken his silence on his recent controversial podcast appearance, saying he has apologised for the crass comments about women and learnt his lesson.

His admission follows weeks of criticism for jokes he made about his sex life, innuendo about the Japanese PM, and his participation in a game of “shag, marry, date”.

Mr Albanese initially issued an apology statement after suggesting he would “shag” Kylie Minogue, but did not publicly and personally apologise for his broader remarks.

Speaking to the ABC on Thursday, Mr Albanese said, “Look, I’ve dealt with that issue,” when asked about the appearance on the Bush Deep podcast.

“There’s two things you need to do if you’ve made a mistake. One is to apologise. Second is to learn the lessons from it. And I’ve done both,” he said.

Shadow assistant fisheries and forestries minister Tony Pasin and one of his staff have been injured in a boat accident.

Tasmania Police said it responded to an incident on Thursday at Bakers Beach where a man fell overboard after an oyster barge hit a sandbar.

Authorities were notified of the incident about 9.30am following a report of a man falling overboard, temporarily being trapped between the sandbar and the barge, Tasmania Police said in a statement.

“The man was quickly retrieved by other people on board the barge and was provided medical assistance at the scene before being transported to the Launceston General Hospital with non life threatening injuries.”

The group that the man was travelling with were returning from a tour of the oyster farm, Tasmania Police said.

Small business owners could lose much more than their company if they don’t tackle their tax debts early, according to an insolvency specialist.

With Australian National Audit Office data showing small businesses account for $35.9 billion of the Australian Taxation Office’s $54.2 billion collectable tax debt, business recovery and insolvency firm Jirsch Sutherland is urging owners to act quickly.

“What starts as a company debt doesn’t necessarily stay a company debt,” Jirsch Sutherland partner Malcolm Howell said.

Once a director’s penalty notice is issued, the risk to personal assets rises significantly.

“Add personal guarantees into the mix and business owners can quickly find their own assets exposed,” he said.

Businesses were being squeezed by rising rents, higher operating and borrowing costs, payroll tax, land tax and the recent introduction of Payday Super.

-AAP

Authorities have detected another bird flu case in NSW, bringing the total confirmed cases to 15.

“Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness has confirmed a further positive detection of H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) in a petrel, found at Hawks Nest, New South Wales,” the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) said on Thursday.

“There have now been 15 confirmed or presumed positive detections of H5 bird flu in Australia.

“All of these have been individual wild seabirds found in coastal locations. All but one have been wild migratory seabirds.”

Read the full story here.

Two boats carrying more than 500 people may have capsized off the coast of Myanmar in recent days, United Nations agencies say, as refugees from the war-torn country continue to make perilous maritime journeys in search of safety and better opportunities.

“According to preliminary information, the two vessels departed from Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late June carrying mostly Rohingya passengers, reportedly including some who had travelled from refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh,” the International Organisation for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency said in a joint statement on Thursday.

“While the incidents and casualty figures have yet to be officially confirmed, UNHCR and IOM are gravely concerned by the potentially devastating loss of life.”

Members of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority for years have risked their lives on flimsy wooden vessels, driven by violence at home and desperate conditions in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, hoping to reach safety and opportunity in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand.

Reuters

Barnaby Joyce has distanced himself from conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic tropes peddled by his One Nation colleague Malcolm Roberts.

Asked about historic statements by Senator Roberts praising American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who spread the claim that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged by the US government as a pretence for stricter gun control, Mr Joyce said the issue was black and white.

“Sandy Hook was an outrageous murder of innocent people. It was no false flag event. Neither was 9/11,” he told ABC Radio National on Thursday, referencing another conspiracy theory pushed by Jones.

As One Nation’s rise in the polls sees them courting a more mainstream demographic, the party’s associations with figures such as Jones and UK anti-immigration activist Tommy Robinson have come under greater scrutiny.

Read the full story here.

Artificial intelligence is not just a question of productivity or national competitiveness. It is a question of people. If Australia is to shape AI in the national interest, human rights must be at the centre of that task.

AI is already transforming how we work, learn, communicate, and make decisions. It will shape Australia for decades to come. The Prime Minister is right to recognise that this moment requires national leadership, clear rules and a framework that reflects Australian values.

The Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday that the Government will introduce an artificial intelligence framework — including the establishment of an Office of AI within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the development of Australian Standards for AI — is a welcome step towards ensuring Australia “can capture the opportunity, share the benefits and keep Australians safe”.

But there is still an important element missing.

Read Lorraine Finlay’s full opinion piece here.

China’s Wang Huning, a Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee member, has held talks in Pyongyang with Jo Yong-won, a top official of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party.

The Chinese delegation led by Mr Wang arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday at the invitation of North Korea, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.

At the meeting, Mr Wang affirmed “the will of the Chinese party and the government” to implement the agreement reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during Xi’s visit to Pyongyang, KCNA said.

He also referred to the 65th anniversary of friendship ties between the two countries, it added.

Jo told Wang that North Korea seeks to develop strategic communication and tactical cooperation with Beijing.

- Reuters

The Australian stockmarket fell because of slump in miners and other commodity-based companies.

Australia’s benchmark index S&P/ASX200 dropped 0.3 per cent around noon on Thursday to 8812, while the broader All Ordinaries slid 0.3 per cent to 9009.5.

BHP declined over 3 per cent to $58.70 after the company’s copper production forecast for 2027 came in weaker than expected.

Gold stocks also fell after the precious metal fell to just over USS$4000 an ounce. Rare earth stocks also fell, following the raw materials index lower.

In energy, Ampol was flat, while Viva Energy declined.

The Australian dollar was buying 69.92 US cents, up from 69.86 US cents on Wednesday at 5pm.