News and politics live updates: Taylor urges PM to ‘man up’ and apologise to Japan PM over ‘royal melons’

Australia has rushed to assure Japan that Anthony Albanese’s controversial comments about their female leader’s melons were not offensive “in the way that has been reported”.

As the scandal over the Prime Minister’s controversial comments on the Bush Deep podcast intensifies, Japan’s ambassador to Canberra has revealed that the Albanese Government has formally briefed Tokyo over the incident.

“We are aware of the reporting in the media,” Ambassador Suzuki Kazuhiro said in a brief statement released on Wednesday.

“We have been informed by the Australian side that Prime Minister Albanese did not make the comments in the way that has been reported.”

“In any case, the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Albanese during the Prime Minister’s visit to Australia this May was held in a very relaxed atmosphere, and we believe it helped build a personal trust relationship between the two leaders.”

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Australia has rushed to assure Japan that Anthony Albanese’s controversial comments about their female leader’s melons were not offensive “in the way that has been reported”.

As the scandal over the Prime Minister’s controversial appearanec on the “Deep Bush” podcast intensifies, Japan’s ambassador to Canberra has also moved to quell the diplomatic fallout.

“We are aware of the reporting in the media,” Ambassador Suzuki Kazuhiro said in a brief statement released on Wednesday.

“We have been informed by the Australian side that Prime Minister Albanese did not make the comments in the way that has been reported.”

“In any case, the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Albanese during the Prime Minister’s visit to Australia this May was held in a very relaxed atmosphere, and we believe it helped build a personal trust relationship between the two leaders.”

The Coalition is proposing to scrap energy efficiency rules and bring in more migrant builders and fewer baristas as part of its plan to solve Australia’s housing crisis.

Shadow housing minister Andrew Bragg said building more basic homes would do more to solve the housing shortage and has proposed slashing the National Construction Code to just 80 pages down from 2000 pages now, with a basic Australian standard covering fire safety, structural integrity and health standards.

“It’s a house that won’t fall down, is secure, it won’t burn down but it doesn’t have anything else in it,” he told the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.

“It’s a very simple house. It’s a basic amenity. You’ve got to have a window and a roof for example, it’s got to have that.

“Mandatory ramps, flattened shower flooring or reinforced walls would be optional extras.

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Pauline Hanson has backed WA’s share of the GST and called on other States to work harder, reopen their economies and stop relying on handouts from the west.

The One Nation leader described WA as a “progressive State” and insisted it should not be punished while jurisdictions such as Victoria and Tasmania were “shutting down” industries rather than contributing.

Her firm endorsement of WA’s GST position comes as the Productivity Commission prepares to release an interim report into the Morrison-era top-up payment scheme on Friday.

The former Liberal government’s move to implement a 75 cent floor guaranteed that WA got a fairer share back after falling to a low of 30 cents for every dollar.

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Attorney General Michelle Rowland has issued a stern warning to people using smart glasses for “nefarious purposes” as concern over privacy grows in Australia.

She said that the Albanese government was assessing the use of the tech in Australia and would “progress work on a second tranche of legislative reforms to ensure our privacy laws are fit for the digital age”.

“Last week, I asked the Privacy Commissioner to prioritise consideration of the privacy implications associated with this technology, the potential for these devices to be used to covertly record, track, stalk, and harass requires prompt and careful consideration,” she said.

“Their discrete design can make it difficult for people to know when they are being filmed, increasing the risk of unwanted surveillance and undermining Australians’ ability to control how their personal information and images are collected.

“The increasing availability of this technology could have significant declarations, particularly for women and children, who may be disproportionately exposed to inappropriate recording, harassment, intimidation, or other harmful conduct.”

She said while State and Territory laws already restrict the use of recording devices in some circumstances, the commissioner’s expertise would be “critical” in identifying emerging risks and “appropriate safeguards”.

Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins has given an update on Australia’s response to the growing bird flu crisis which has prompted the government to roll out vaccinations for species in captivity.

She told the Parliament during Question Time that after asking States and Territories earlier this week to identify species which could be jabbed the Victorian government has been the first to respond.

“The Victorian government has actually announced today that their state will begin vaccinating penguins, little penguins, and that vaccines from the Commonwealth have now arrived at Phillip Island,” she said.

Ms Collins said vaccinations on the birds would likely start as early as next week.

“I look forward to hearing from other states and territories as they work on those vaccination programs. But it is terrific news that we’re going to start vaccinating little penguins in Victoria,” she said.

The Opposition have used Question Time to criticise the Prime Minister over his appearance on the Bush Deep podcast.

Angus Taylor questioned if Anthony Albanese would “man up” and apologise to the Japanese Prime Minister over his part in a joke about her royal melons.

“Why won’t the Prime Minister stop treating us like fools? Man up and say sorry to the Prime Minister of Japan,” Mr Taylor said.

While shadow foreign affairs minister Ted O’Brien had questioned if the PM his department leaked correspondence from the Japanese about the appearance on Nikki Osborne’s podcast.

Mr Albanese responded that the Opposition was staging a “stunt” by calling on the Australian Federal Police to investigate the leaked correspondence.

The PM insisted the government was instead focused on what mattered to Australians. He also talked up his government’s efforts to improve Australia’s relationship with Asian partners like Japan.

“My office and my team have spent four years carefully rebuilding our relationships,” he said.

“We take our relationship seriously, including our regular engagement with Japan.

“The Prime Minister of Japan is a good friend of Australia.”

The Coalition is proposing to scrap energy efficiency rules as part of a plan to radically simplify Australia’s cumbersome National Construction Code.

Shadow housing minister Andrew Bragg said building more basic homes would do more to solve the housing crisis, and has proposed slashing the building code to just 80 pages, down from 2000 pages now.

“It’s a house that won’t fall down, is secure, it won’t burn down but it doesn’t have anything else in it,” he told the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.

“It’s a very simple house. It’s a basic amenity. You’ve got to have a window and a roof for example, it’s got to have that.”

He also rejected a suggestion that homes built without energy efficient standards would leave renters with higher power bills.

“Why do we have to make it compulsory for everyone? I just think it’s punitive for people on lower incomes,” Senator Bragg said.

“At the moment we don’t have enough houses - we just need to get more houses rather than get the best houses.”

Australian officials should have prioritised a bird flu vaccine for vulnerable mammals including Tasmanian devils and sea lions, a top expert says.

A leading ecologist has questioned the federal government’s response to the H5 outbreak after announcing a rollout of vaccines for captive populations of threatened birds.

While welcoming the vaccine trials, Deakin University’s Professor of Wildlife Ecology Euan Ritchie told AAP it was regrettable that there was no vaccine available for Australian mammals.

“Given the fact that Australia has a large number of threatened mammals, that are found nowhere else in the world, it would have been good to have seen a lot more effort and investment in developing a mammal-specific vaccine,” said Prof Ritchie, who is also The Australian Mammal Society president.

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An ex-premier’s brother demanded money from lobbyists flush with cash from a fugitive property developer, an inquiry has been told.

Jeremy Greenwood, co-founder of the lobbying firm and who previously worked for Nationals leader Matt Canavan, gave evidence at the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption for a third day.

ICAC’s Operation Rosny is probing alleged illicit political donations and branch-stacking spearheaded by the Reformers - a conservative Christian faction among NSW Liberals.

Jean Nassif, who has a warrant out for his arrest over fraud allegations, transferred money to advisory firm Beckington, which retained him as a client.

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