Australia news live: ABC boss says Pickering did not violate code with Tame comments; Hanson claims ‘no wonder’ Victorian premier called ‘witch’
Marks: Pickering comments ‘not a breach’ of codeHugh Marks was just asked about Grace Tame’s four-part podcast for the ABC about autism, which has sparked some criticism due to her comments about Israel and Gaza in an ABC interview.Marks said the podcast was engaged “some time ago”, adding:
double quotation markI think if you look at the programme itself, it’s a great podcast that she’s done a great job on a topic that I’m sure will be of real interest and real importance to many Australians who suffer from those conditions, and particularly young Australians and young Australian women.
So there’s a balance in all these things … for the ABC to be ensuring that we bring great content to air and also acknowledging that, you know, with some of the people that we work with, sometimes there will be controversy.
Marks went on to speak about Charlie Pickering, who told a rightwing livestreamer in off-the-cuff remarks he believed Tame’s role was “problematic” as a matter of “personal opinion”. Marks said:
double quotation markObviously we’ve looked at Charlie’s comments. I think he did express that they were his own view. They weren’t represented at the ABC. It was a little bit on the hop and a little bit not. So I think we felt comfortable that we were able to accept that his comments weren’t a breach of the ABC code of conduct.
Grace Tame. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAPShareUpdated at 01.52 CESTKey eventsMartin PeganImagining Australia’s path to World Cup glory: who stands in the Socceroos’ way?The Socceroos knocked on their ceiling at the last World Cup when reaching the round of 16 for the second time in their history. Four years later, and with an exciting new crop of talents emerging, there is reason to dream that Australia can match that – and perhaps even go further.View image in fullscreenTony Popovic. Photograph: Manuel Orbegozo/AAPSince taking the reins little more than 18 months ago, coach Tony Popovic has helped the Socceroos chart a new course. Most crucially, the veteran of the celebrated 2006 World Cup squad has set out to build a belief that the time is now for Australia to “go very far” at a global tournament.We gaze into a crystal ball to predict the routes the Socceroos could take to meet those great expectations.ShareJonathan BarrettASX slumps amid global volatilityAustralian shares opened sharply lower this morning, after a sharp selloff in technology stocks in South Korea and the US caused a broader slump in global markets.The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was down 1.5% to 8,500 points in early trading this morning. Australian shares have not traded since Friday due to Monday’s public holiday.Global markets were sold off heavily late last week, amid concerns over valuations and elevated inflation, before Wall Street recorded a partial rebound on Monday.Oil prices have been rising after renewed conflict in the Middle East dampened hopes that the strait of Hormuz would soon reopen, which has weighed on equities.Chris Strazzeri, dealing manager at trading platform Moomoo, said Monday’s lead from Wall Street was “constructive rather than convincing”.He said:
double quotation markThe technology sector’s rebound should provide some support, but with geopolitical risks still lingering and investors looking for greater clarity, today’s session may be characterised by cautious optimism rather than a broad-based rally.
The Australian dollar is trading at about US70.4 cents, near two month lows.ShareAustralia secures more diesel and fertiliserAustralia has secured more fuel and more fertiliser amid ongoing instability surrounding the strait of Hormuz.The Albanese government said it has secured shipments of 31,000 tonnes of urea (a fertiliser) and 50m litres of diesel, which is says will provide more certainty for farmers “as they make planting and growing decisions for the current and upcoming season”.The trade minister, Don Farrell, said in a statement the move showcased “practical steps to secure essential supplies to keep Australia moving”. The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, added in a statement:
double quotation markWe’ve now got 740m litres of diesel arriving which would not otherwise be on its way, because of the action the government took early, and you can expect that figure to keep growing.
ShareUpdated at 02.31 CESTUnclear if newest US tariffs will overlap with existing tax on imports, Farrell saysTom McIlroyThe trade minister, Don Farrell, says Australia is unsure whether the latest round of potential Trump tariffs will replace or overlap the US president’s first tax on Australian imports.Farrell has protested against the latest announcement from Washington DC – a 12.5% tariff on countries supposedly not doing enough to combat modern slavery. But his talks with US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, last week in Paris has failed to provide any further clarity for Australia.Asked this morning if the new tariff would be in addition to the 10% baseline rate included in Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff regime, or if it would replace that rate, Farrell conceded he did not know.“That was the first question I asked my counterpart, Jamison Greer, and I think, based on his answer, there is a possibility that for a couple of days the tariffs might overlap, but they don’t intend to enforce that lap,” he said
double quotation markOur position to the Americans is it should be zero. We have a free trade agreement with the United States, which we honor. We don’t apply tariffs to any goods that come in from the United States. We expect the United States to do exactly the same and honor our free trade agreement and apply no tariffs to Australian goods.
View image in fullscreenDon Farrell in February. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShareUpdated at 02.44 CESTCait KellyAustralians have lower life satisfaction now than during height of Covid pandemic, analysis findsGrowing financial pressure is causing lower life satisfaction levels among Australians today than during the lockdowns at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to KPMG analysis of ABS data.Overall life satisfaction – based on asking people to rate their own satisfaction on a scale of 1-10 – has fallen to 7.1 in 2025, down from 7.2 in 2020, when lockdowns and widespread restrictions were in place. This marks a notable decline from the pre-pandemic level of 7.5 in 2019 and a broader easing from the relatively stable levels observed between 2014 and 2019 (7.6–7.5).Terry Rawnsley, an urban economist with KPMG urban economist, said:
double quotation markUnlike the pandemic lockdowns, this isn’t a temporary disruption, it’s sustained pressure on living standards. Real wages have gone backwards, declining 4.1% between 2019 and 2025, while median household wealth has stalled at $700,000.
These factors have left many average Australians in a precarious financial position for the better part of five years and is undoubtedly affecting how they feel about their lives.
Improving life satisfaction is not something that can be fixed overnight. It will require a sustained focus on factors closely shaping how Australians experience the economy, including real incomes, housing affordability and financial resilience.
View image in fullscreenMelbourne in 2021. Photograph: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty ImagesShareUpdated at 01.50 CESTSarah Basford CanalesAustralia has until 6 July to ask for exemption from tariff regimeWhen asked whether Australia would be prepared to strengthen its modern day slavery laws in order to avoid potential tariffs by the US, Don Farrell said he didn’t “see the two as being linked as such” but insisted Australia had effective mechanisms to deal with it already.The announcement from the Trump administration comes as the deadline approaches for the end of temporary trade sanctions imposed after the US supreme court struck down Trump’s 10% global tariffs.Farrell said:
double quotation markI think we’ve got a piece of legislation that deals with [it]. We have criminal sanctions for people who breach it. We have an anti-slavery commission. So I think when you look around the world at those countries that are doing something about modern slavery, we’re one of those countries that is doing that.
Australia will have until 6 July to press for an exemption.ShareSarah Basford CanalesFarrell says Australia ‘absolutely disappointed’ in new US tariff proposalDon Farrell says he told the US’s top trade official “how absolutely disappointed” Australia is to be included in potential tariffs against countries allegedly failing to prevent imports of goods made by slave labour.In a press conference this morning, the trade minister said he met with the US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, last Wednesday in Paris to convey the strong opposition to the proposal:
double quotation markI’ve expressed to him how absolutely disappointed we are to have been included in this category, and said to him that … we do not believe that it’s appropriate to have Australia classified in this group. The final decision has not yet been made by the American administration, that will be some weeks away. In the intervening period, we’ll be processing our argument very strongly that we should not be in this category.
Read more:View image in fullscreenDon Farrell. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShareUpdated at 01.31 CESTNo reports of Australians affected by deadly quake in the Philippines, minister saysMatt Thistlethwaite, the assistant foreign affairs minister, said there are no reports of any Australians affected by the quake in the Philippines.He told Sky News this morning:
double quotation markAccording to the reports from Australia consular officials on the ground there, thankfully there are no Australians involved at this stage. Obviously, we just saw the shocking and terrifying footage of those buildings coming down. …
Our consular officials will continue to monitor the situation.
View image in fullscreenPeople look at a collapsed building after a magnitude 7.8 quake in General Santos in the southern Philippines, 8 June 2026. Photograph: Noel Celis/ReutersShareUpdated at 01.12 CESTNatasha MayDeath toll climbs to 35 after magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocks the PhilippinesAt least 35 people have died after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook part of the Philippines early on Monday, collapsing buildings and triggering tsunami alerts.The quake hit early in the morning about 20km (12.4 miles) off the coast of Sarangani province, with tremors felt strongly across Mindanao and 420km away in the city of Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.Authorities were verifying preliminary reports of 35 people killed and 144 injured across Mindanao, mostly from falling debris and landslides, according to civil defence officials. They told people not to enter damaged homes and other infrastructure because of the threat of aftershocks.The Guardian has approached Dfat for comment.Read more here:ShareMinister calls proposed US tariffs on Australian goods ‘completely unjustified’Matt Thistlethwaite, the assistant foreign affairs minister, said Donald Trump’s proposed 12.5% tariffs on Australia would “obviously” have an effect on Australian goods sold in the US.The White House said this month the tariffs could be laid on imports from dozens of countries, claiming the listed nations – Australia among them – had failed to prevent imports of goods made by slave labour.Thistlethwaite spoke to ABC News Breakfast this morning, saying:
double quotation markWe reiterate our call that these tariffs are completely unjustified and unwarranted. They’ve been put in place because of the US’s perception around anti-slavery and forced labour provisions.
Australia has some of the most stringent and strongest anti-forced labour and modern slavery laws in the world and they require the largest corporations in Australia to check their supply chains and ensure that they’re not using forced labour or slavery-based practices in their production of their goods and services.
He added Australia would continue to negotiate “and work with the United States to have them removed as quickly as possible”.ShareUpdated at 00.37 CEST
