Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese have a little chat
MAN HAS PHONE CALL WITH ANOTHER MAN
Hold the front page: Anthony Albanese has had a chat with Donald Trump.
Just before midnight, the prime minister took to social media to reveal he’d had a conversation with the US president. And before anyone gets too excited, yes, obviously it was over the phone. You’ll all have to keep waiting for that face-to-face.
“Tonight I had another warm and constructive conversation with President @realDonaldTrump,” Albanese wrote late last night. “We discussed our trade and economic relationship as well as areas for growth including critical minerals. We also discussed shared US-Australia security interests.”
(You can just feel the emphasis on that another in the first line…).
As expected, news of the phone call and the three-line tweet has generated significant coverage and finds itself at the top — or near the top — of most publications.
The Nine papers tell us the call is the fourth time the two men have spoken since Trump was reelected last year and comes ahead of a potential real-life meeting at the United Nations in New York later this month.
The papers say there was no readout of the call from the American side, with the White House acknowledging it had happened but providing no other detail.
On the Australian side, a summary of the call said Albanese and Trump discussed economic cooperation and “opportunities to work together on trade and critical minerals in the interests of both nations”, the report says. The pair reportedly also discussed “the strength of our relationship and the importance of our shared security interests”.
In its write-up, the ABC reminds us of the chaos last week when Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles was in Washington, apparently on a “secret mission” to lay the groundwork for Albanese and Trump finally meeting in person. Elsewhere, news.com.au calmly leads its site with “SILENCE BROKEN” and then proceeds to try and guess what the two leaders spoke about.
Albanese also posted on X last night that he had taken part in “another Coalition of the Willing virtual meeting”, which he said was hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, alongside Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other world leaders.
“Australia stands with Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion,” Albanese wrote. “With our partners we will keep working towards just and lasting peace for Ukraine.”
On Thursday, Macron said 26 Western allies had formally committed to deploying troops to Ukraine “by land, sea or air” the day after a ceasefire deal is agreed, the BBC reports.
Trump spoke to leaders after the Coalition of the Willing meeting (as we know), the broadcaster adds, with the French president saying the US support for their “reassurance force” would be finalised in the coming days.
Meanwhile, The Financial Times has in the last few hours reported that America is set to phase out security assistance programs for European armies along Russia’s border.
The newspaper cites people familiar with the issue and reports “Pentagon officials last week informed European diplomats that the US would no longer fund programs that train and equip militaries in Eastern European countries that would be on the frontline of any conflict with Russia.”
DAN DEFENDS HIMSELF, JACINTA BLAMES OTHERS
Before the news of Albanese’s phone call with Trump broke, almost everyone was leading on former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews defending his trip to Beijing this week,
As has been well-documented, some places more OTT than others (see yesterday’s Tips and Murmurs), Andrews was a visible presence on Wednesday, shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping and appearing in a photograph with world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
That presence has provoked quite the reaction, and on Thursday Andrews attempted to address the backlash.
“I’ve said for years that a constructive relationship with China — our largest trading partner — is in Australia’s national interest and hundreds of thousands of Australian jobs depend on it. That hasn’t changed,” the ABC reports his statement said.
“And just so there’s no confusion — I have condemned Putin and his illegal war in Ukraine from day one. That’s why he banned me from Russia last year,” he continued, adding: “I unequivocally condemn Iran for its attacks on Australia, Israel and elsewhere around the world.”
The national broadcaster highlights Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tried to brush off questions about the former Labor premier’s presence in Beijing, saying he was not responsible for what private citizens do.
“My position is very, very clear, which is we did not send any government representative because it would not have been appropriate,” Albanese told parliament on Thursday. “None of my people would have sat in that position, as simple as that.”
The Australian Financial Review points out Coalition leader Sussan Ley asked during question time yesterday why the prime minister “doesn’t have the spine to condemn his former flatmate” for appearing in a photo with an Iranian president who had orchestrated attacks on Australian soil.
Meanwhile, the Nine papers have led overnight on a report which claims to reveal details of private meetings Andrews has held with Chinese business figures. “Daniel Andrews pledged to promote the advantages of one of China’s largest state-owned energy companies as it rapidly increased its investment in the Australian electricity grid, as part of a series of meetings between the former Victorian premier and leading Chinese business figures over the past year,” the article claims.
Albanese and his government spent the week backing down on home care packages, facing fierce criticism over its plans to hamper freedom of information requests, and trying to quickly manoeuvre its definitely-not-secret Nauru deportation bill — which passed the Senate yesterday after a snap three-hour hearing.
Meanwhile, the fallout from last weekend’s anti-immigration rallies has obviously also dominated coverage, although it’s the Coalition that ends the week dealing with more questions on that topic.
As the ABC puts it: “The federal opposition is in damage control following firebrand Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s claims the government is accepting ‘large numbers’ of Indian migrants into Australia to bolster Labor’s vote.”
The broadcaster points out that the senator has since said the comments made during an ABC interview were a “mistake”, but many of her colleagues “are despairing”.
Former Liberal ACT candidate Jacob Vadakkedathu told the ABC Price’s comments would resonate very poorly with the community. “The feedback and the sentiment I’m getting from the Indian diaspora is it’s very disappointing,” he said.
Guardian Australia highlights Price has in fact blamed the ABC itself for her comments. “I don’t believe I have anything to apologise about. It was the ABC interviewer who pushed the issue, who brought up the issue of anti-Indian migration,” she said yesterday.
For her part, Ley tried to distance herself from Price’s original comment, calling the Indian Australian community “amazing” during an appearance on Sky News. “We know how hard you work, your family values, and the contribution you make across this country. And as opposition leader, I value that incredibly,” she said.
The Nine papers report Price will tonight headline a NSW Liberals fundraiser for Willoughby MP Tim James.
Defending his decision to invite the Northern Territory senator, James said: “She’s clarified her position, corrected her comments, and that’s clear now, she has stood by and made it abundantly clear that Australia has and maintains a longstanding bipartisan non-discriminatory migration policy.”
ON A LIGHTER NOTE…
Next week Kevin Warren will celebrate his 83rd birthday. He will also retire from commercial flying after six decades in the sky.
The ABC reports Warren took his first flying lesson in 1965 and went on to complete 25,000 flying hours, culminating in being awarded the title of Master Air Pilot in 2016.
The broadcaster says Kevin’s career “has included flying over the Great Australian Bight spotting tuna for fishermen in a Cessna 337 twin-engine, later crop dusting low to the ground on the Eyre Peninsula in a Piper Pawnee and Aero Commander, before running a charter service with a Cessna 207”.
While he remains confident in his flying ability, the 82-year-old said he thinks passengers might prefer a younger pilot.
“I feel it’s probably more in my mind, but some of these passengers are probably thinking ‘I don’t want that old bugger flying me around’, although I do have clients who still enjoy flying with me,” he told the ABC.
Say What?
I will engage on important issues, I won’t engage on schoolyard comments.
Chris Bowen
The climate change and energy minister was responding to the claims by Independent MP Kate Chaney that Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce had used lewd comments while heckling him during question time on Thursday, the Nine papers report.
CRIKEY RECAP
Literary journal Meanjin to close after 85 years of publishing
The decision was made by Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) on “purely financial grounds”, the organisation said in a statement. However, Crikey understands Meanjin has also been under sustained pressure from the Melbourne University Council board.
MUP confirmed that Meanjin’s two staff members, editor Esther Anatolitis and deputy editor Eli McLean, were not involved in the decision and have been made redundant. Thursday is their final working day at the journal, established in 1940 in Brisbane before later moving to Melbourne under the University of Melbourne.
Meta, Google, TikTok and others told to prepare for teen social media ban
The eSafety commissioner has told Meta, Google, TikTok and other social media companies to start getting ready for the teen social media ban, giving the first official indication of what they’ll be expected to do under the law.
Tech companies will be expected to “deactivate”, not delete, accounts believed to belong to teenagers in Australia — but the decision about which companies need to comply with the ban is still undecided.
Labor’s FOI attack is an insult to its better predecessors — and a sign of hubris in the Albanese government
There’s also an unmistakable stench of hubris about this. This is a government set fair for another two terms thanks to the chaos and incompetence of its opponents. It is seizing the chance to reduce the transparency to which it is subject even further, having already surpassed the previous government in its hostility to FOI. Instead of using its huge majority and political dominance to achieve real reform that might cost political capital, it is using it to protect itself against accountability.
Labor’s come a long way in 15 years — a long way down.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Giorgio Armani, fashion’s master of the power suit, dies at 91 (The New York Times) ($)
Government considers changes to controversial super tax (AFR) ($)
Ben Roberts-Smith to fork out lump sum for legal bills after appeal bid rejected (9News)
Sydney childcare centre where toddler went missing has been investigated before (ABC)
The robodebt class action settlement may be the biggest in Australian history — but the trauma isn’t over (Guardian Australia)
RFK Jr grilled on healthcare policies in contentious Senate hearing (CNN)
THE COMMENTARIAT
Dan Andrews’ red carpet walk in Beijing puts Albanese on the spot — Michelle Grattan (The Conversation): Albanese has a strong belief, reinforced by the election, in his own political judgment. He’s irritated by assessments his has been a don’t-rock-the-boat government. We don’t know directly, but he must be particularly frustrated by the constant refrain from some commentators that he should be using his large majority to be more radical and reformist.
This week, for example, the respected Nine newspapers’ economics writer Ross Gittins declared that if he “can’t bring himself to govern”, Albanese should retire. “No shame in being past it,” Gittins added, twisting the knife. Galling for a leader who turned a likely minority government into one with a massive majority.
When it comes to EVs, climate target anxiety outweighs budget anxiety — Phillip Coorey (AFR): In today’s hopelessly polarised society, where even vehicle choice has descended into a culture war, resistance to a road user charge is building.
Teal MP Monique Ryan has become an outspoken critic, saying EVs should be spared any charge for using the roads because of the good they do for the environment. It’s far from an isolated view but not a prevalent one.
It’s difficult to recall a tax or revenue measure that has such strong support and an obvious case for proceeding with, yet the view within federal government is to give it a few more years, even until 30% of new car sales are EVs.
