Australia politics live: ministers wary of Trump’s ‘get your own oil’ comment; health insurance premiums rise today | Australian politics
important events
While other politicians declined to comment Donald TrumpLatest social media attack on European allies, Clare O’Neil The US president dismissed the entire incident as “nothing particularly unusual”.
This morning we speak on a panel leading the shadow to Sunrise Michaelia CashO’Neil said the US president’s comment was “absolutely inconsistent” with the long-standing partnership and friendship between Australia and the US.
I don’t think this is anything particularly unusual given the scale of letters Donald Trump is sending late at night. When it comes to the conflict in Iran, we have a fairly simple perspective. We want to see this conflict decrease, not escalate. And we want to see a clear time frame for how to end this conflict.
Cash says the message to Australia is that “we need to be stronger, more focused and better prepared when it comes to our own fuel security at home”.
He notes that the US has singled out Australia twice and that there have been mixed messages between the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister about whether the US has requested support from Australia.
Richard Marles “Many other countries, including the United States, have made requests focused on helping ensure the defense of the Gulf countries,” he told ABC’s 730 on March 10. “No requests have been made to Australia that have not been accepted,” the Prime Minister said.
Butler also avoids ‘daily commentary’ on Trump
The government reaffirmed that it will not send troops to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Minister of Health, Mark UşakHe spoke to ABC News Breakfast this morning and said Australia was only interested in a small defense capability and was providing military aircraft to support the United Arab Emirates.
We don’t have any plans to do this. I think this has been made clear by a number of ministers; We are involved in some defense operations to protect our innocent neighbours, particularly the UAE, where thousands of Australians are expatriates. We have no plans to participate in military activities in the Bosphorus.
Butler also declines to comment on: Donald TrumpHe says that despite the tension in the Middle East, he believes that the alliance with the USA and the Aukus agreement are extremely solid.
We are extremely confident about the future of Aukus; The United States, the president, the administration, and the broader Congress have made clear their commitment to this important security partnership…
For this reason, we do not comment on the US President’s statements on a daily basis. We focused on the essence of our relationship.
Similarly, Labor’s leading player Catherine King He told RN Breakfast this morning: “We said at the beginning of all this, we’re not going to be doing a running commentary on everything President Trump says.”
‘I would have been a very busy kid’: O’Brien refrains from judging Trump comments
When asked what he thought of Donald Trump’s remarks to his European allies to “buy your own oil”, Ted O’Brien He says he won’t comment.
Trump’s statement on his Truth Social account overnight that European governments were concerned about fuel prices and that they should “buy their own oil” from the Gulf by force caused oil prices to rise even further.
In the morning, O’Brien said that in both cases, the Strait of Hormuz was still closed and this obstacle should be removed.
I have deliberately avoided commenting on the president’s comments on an ongoing basis, otherwise I would be a very busy boy..
But I think if you look at the president’s language and tone on the key issue here, the Strait of Hormuz is still effectively closed. It is in the world’s interest, indeed Australia’s national interest, to open up.
Shadow foreign secretary says it is ‘in the national interest’ for Australia to contribute to offensive action in the Strait of Hormuz
The opposition says we should be “open” to sending assets and personnel to open the Strait of Hormuz but questions Australia’s capacity.
The shadow foreign secretary speaking to the ABC’s AM program this morning Ted O’Brien He said supporting action to open the strait would be in Australia’s national interest.
The real question is; Is this in our national interest? And my opinion is yes, it is. The second question is: What can we contribute financially to the part of the equation that we do not yet understand? I think these are two questions that need to be answered… but I believe we should be open to contributing.
However, he clarified that this would not mean “sending boots on the ground” to Iran or directly joining the war.
O’Brien said support for efforts to clear the strait was “no different from previous discussions” in which the government deployed E7-A wedge-tailed aircraft and personnel with bipartisan support.
Natasha May
Increase in health insurance premiums comes into effect today
The biggest increase in private health insurance premiums in almost 10 years comes into force today.
Following numerous requests from insurers asking them to resubmit premiums, the government in February approved an average premium increase of 4.41% from April 1, 2026.
Minister of Health, Mark ButlerHe said the eventual increase reflected the rising costs of providing care and keeping private hospitals afloat.
But with premiums rising faster than inflation, many consumers are questioning the value proposition. You can find out more about why some lose confidence here:
Welcome
Krishani Dhanji
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji I am here with you on the last session day of two weeks.
After a few technical glitches, we’re here for you and ready to go!
Australians will face the biggest insurance premium increase in almost a decade after the government approved an average premium increase of 4.41% which comes into force today.
The government’s fuel tax has just come into force but Labor says they do not expect the savings to show up today. Meanwhile, both sides of politics are avoiding responding to Donald Trump’s latest criticism of European countries after he criticized them for not supporting US offensive efforts in the Middle East, telling them to “buy your own oil”.
And Labour’s draft national platform, which removes the party’s long-standing opposition to mandatory prison sentences, has been published and includes more assertive language about China. You can read the full story here.
There’s so much going on, let’s get stuck in.
