Australian news and politics live: Albanese urges discipline as Labor kicks off next phase of reform

Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed the Coalition’s attacks on Anthony Albanese’s recent trip to China, calling the visit “absolutely the right thing to do”.

Speaking on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Mr Turnbull said the trip mirrored the approach he would have taken during his own time as prime minister.

“I think the visit to the Great Wall and going further afield out of Beijing and Shanghai was very good,” he said.

“If I had had more time when I had a similar official visit in 2016, I would have done the same thing, so it makes perfect sense.”

Mr Turnbull described the visit as having gone “about as well as it could go” and dismissed the backlash from the Opposition as political point-scoring.

“The criticism the opposition has made of his visit to China is opposition for the sake of opposition. I know what it is like, I have been the leader of the opposition. You end up becoming a whinger and a knocker all the time, and sometimes you have to hold back because it does the opposition much more harm than it does the government.”

Environment Minister Murray Watt has revealed a one-off $14 million package of federal government funding support for South Australia to help it deal with a toxic algal bloom that has that has killed marine life in the southern state for months.

“While details are yet to be finalised... I would expect that it is likely that this funding for the federal government will support activities like cleaning up the beaches and removing some of that marine life that has been washed onshore.

“It is likely to support businesses. There are businesses doing it really tough as a result of this event.

“It is likely this support will also provide further community awareness about what this event involves and how people should be dealing with it and importantly, looking more long-term, there is clearly a need to invest more in science and research about this event, on top of the substantial resources we and the State government are already putting into science and research.”

The Labor Party says it will keep disgraced former leader Mark Latham’s picture up on the wall of its caucus room but add an important disclaimer.

It will add these words: “In 2017 Mark Latham was expelled from the Australian Labor Party and banned for life. His actions do not accord with Labor values and fail to meet the standards we expect and demand.”

Salacious allegations have come to light about the NSW independent MP, including that he sexted his then partner from the parliamentary chamber and also shared with her secret photographs of female colleagues in the upper house along with derogatory comments.

Sepaking on ABC, Minister for Women Katy Gallagher explained the decision to keep the photo, “I think there is a recognition on balance that, you know, you can’t erase history,” she said.

“He was a leader and a leader for two years and, you know, sitting there on the wall is an indication of where we have been, and perhaps for all of us, somewhere we don’t want to return to.

“But I think acknowledging the fact that he was expelled and that his actions don’t align with modern Australian Labor Party values, or standards of behaviour, I think, is important. So that will be placed on his photo on the wall in our Caucus room.”

In his address to Labor’s caucus, the Prime Minister said they must maintain the discipline, and sense of purpose thye had during their first term of government must be maintained.

“If we maintain that sense of discipline, sense of purpose, clear idea about why we are here to represent people in our electorate but also represent the national interest in promoting the Labor values of fairness, of aspiration and opportunity for all, there is no reason why every single one of you can’t just be returned to the next parliament and can’t be added to as well.”

More than half of the citizens of Tuvalu have applied for a visa to permanently migrate to Australia.

Just more than a month ago, Australia opened the Falepili Mobility Pathway ballot, a program to provide citizens of the tiny island nation of Tuvalu a permanent migration pathway to Australia.

The country has a population of just 10,643, while at least 5157 of them entered the lottery, more than half of the nation’s people.

This was through 1466 registrations, with many of the people being included as family members on applications.

The ballot, which closed on Friday, randomly selected up to 280 people each year to apply for the visa.

It is open to all Tuvalu citizens, regardless of age, and visa holders do not need to gain employment in Australia before applying.

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In Sussan Ley’s address to Coalition members this morning, she said she intended to back constructive policies from the Government, such as the childcare legislation, but that “we won’t be getting out of the way” on everything just because the Prime Minister demanded it.

Anthony Albanese tells Labor’s caucus he sees his job as being constructive and selling the Government’s agenda going forward.

“Those opposite will have to decide whether they’ll continue the course that they set last term, which essentially was a cul-de-sac, didn’t lead anywhere at all, just saying, ‘No’ and not being constructive,” he says.

Mr Albanese says his government “delivered a downpayment on what we will achieve this term” on July 1 when a raft of changes came into effect, including superannuation on paid parental leave, incentive payments to apprentices and paid pracs for teaching and nursing students.

“This week, this fortnight, we start on the next tranche,” he says.

“People don’t expect perfection. They understand that the world will throw things at us.

“But they expect that we will put them first, rather than be focused internally on what goes on in this building.”

Anthony Albanese is addressing the caucus meeting now, urging all his new MPs and Senators to take a moment to think about the significance of what they’re doing when they swear the parliamentary oath tomorrow.

“More often than not Labor has been at the other end of the corridor, which is why we should never, ever, ever take it for granted,” he says, gesturing towards the Opposition party room at the other end of Parliament.

The Prime Minister urges his colleagues to maintain their sense of discipline, sense of purpose and a clear idea about why they are there in Parliament.

Like many workers on Monday morning, the start of the work week for Anthony Albanese began with a commute from home to the office.

As MPs and senators gather in Canberra ahead of the first sitting week of the new parliament, the Prime Minister braved a chilly winter morning to walk from The Lodge to Parliament House, ahead of official proceedings kicking off.

Arriving alongside his son Nathan, the Prime Minister is set to start his second term in office, implementing a lengthy agenda taken to voters at May’s election.

Labor’s ranks have expanded in the 48th parliament to include 94 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives, being the first government in nearly 60 years to not lose a single seat at a federal poll.

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Australians could soon enjoy a four-day working week, as unions make a fresh push for shorter working weeks and more holidays over tax cuts to help improve Australia’s productivity.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation launched the push in response to the Productivity Commission, which will set the agenda for next month’s economic reform roundtable.

AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy told The Australian last week that there needed to be a discussion about cutting hours in response to increased productivity, which will benefit Aussie workers.

Mr Murphy has argued there is a variety of ways to reduce working hours without cuts to pay, which included four-day week, nine-day working fortnights, or a 35-hour week.

Mr Murphy argued that work-life balance was more important to employees than a cut in income tax or company tax, arguing most working Aussies were fine paying taxes to fund government services or infrastructure.

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