Federal politics: Angus Taylor brushes away questions on One Nation preference deal — as it happened

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Australia's preparedness for the AI revolution has been under the microscope this week.

The government has said it'll force companies investing in the booming data centre industry to be responsible with their energy use.

Shadow Science and Technology Minister Aaron Violi says the government has been slow to act and those principles should've been released three years ago.

He tells Afternoon Briefing data centres should not be forced down the renewable energy path.

"We should allow data centres to look at the business case on what is going to provide the cheapest, most reliable power for their data centre because that will provide cheap, reliable power for everyone in the community," he says, pointing to nuclear energy.

Asked if the expectations should be legislation, Violi says there "absolutely" needs to be a conversation to ensure regulation is enforceable, but only if data centres have access to "cheap" power.

Labor frontbencher Pat Conroy has remained tight-lipped over whether the government could extend the fuel excise cut beyond June 30.

"I'm not going to get into hypotheticals about that sort of discussion," he told Afternoon Briefing. 

"We've been incredibly active in securing additional shiploads of fuel through our diplomacy in the region and we're continuing to do that."

The fuel excise was halved back in April in response to rising fuel prices due to the Iran war. It's set to end at the end of the month.

With all the news recently focused on the acquisition of second-hand Virginia-class submarines, what does the UK have to do with AUKUS?

The first generations of the submarines designed for Australia will be built in English industrial port Barrow-in-Furness as early as the late 2020s. Australian built submarines (called the SSN-AUKUS) are expected to be delivered in the 2040s.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy is asked how vital the UK is to the security pact, and if it could survive without the Brits.

He doesn't particularly want to engage in the hypothetical but argues "there's nothing to question their commitment to this endeavour".

"I've seen parts of our first two submarines being made right now in the UK. It's in the UK's interest for AUKUS to continue, just as it is ours," he says.

Australia's plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear submarines won't be impacted by the resignation of a British defence secretary, Labor frontbencher Pat Conroy says.

John Healey cited a lack of defence spending form the UK government as the reason for his departure. He quit just hours before a planed event with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles. 

Speaking with Afternoon  Briefing, Conroy says the timing of the resignation was "coincidental" and noted the pair had met the day prior.

"I think there is an element of … tall poppy syndrome or culture cringe here where we think everything's about Australia. This has got nothing to do with Australia. This is about the UK government and their decisions around how they fund their defence budget," he says.

Earlier, Greens senator David Shoebridge declared Marles had committed himself "to a process of ritual global humiliation" on AUKUS.

Conroy hit back, saying the Greens spokesman had "no credibility" on defence.

State disability ministers have accused the Albanese government of breaching commitments made to national cabinet on NDIS reform.

In a stinging submission to a Senate inquiry examining the proposed overhaul, state ministers said the changes went "beyond and contrasted with" the recommendations of previous reviews, and was "inconsistent with commitments by all governments" made at national cabinet in January.

Health Minister Mark Butler said he was "perplexed" by the reporting of the submission but conceded he hadn't read it yet.

"I understand disability ministers didn't sign this agreement but all of our bosses did sign an agreement. The premiers, chief ministers and the prime ministers did only a few months ago," he says.

He says that was a package deal and came with additional hospital funding.

It has been revealed the federal government has almost 300 active contracts with scandal-embroiled KPMG, for a total value of $653 million, according to data from the parliamentary library.

KPMG is being investigated by the corporate watchdog ASIC over claims it misused confidential client information and then mistreated an internal whistleblower.

In 2024, a whistleblower raised concerns with the firm's senior leadership that confidential board papers from construction giant Lendlease were used to pitch for and win audit contracts from other firms including Westpac and Dexus.

An internal investigation did not substantiate the claims, with a further investigation by another external legal firm also supporting the original outcome.

However, after the whistleblower raised further complaints with the board, a different external law firm, Allens, was appointed to look into the claims, which is ongoing.

It uncovered secondary instances of inappropriate document sharing.

Read more business reporter Emily Stewart at the link below.

A One Nation fundraiser in Melbourne has been moved to an undisclosed location after several protest groups vowed to demonstrate outside, the party says.

Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce were both slated to speak at the fundraiser at an Italian restaurant in Moonee Ponds in Melbourne's inner-north.

One Nation told the ABC the decision to move the event was due to advice from Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police.

Several anti-racism groups had posted online rallying people to protest at the event, saying they planned to meet nearby, before marching to the restaurant.

The Moonee Valley City Council posted on social media earlier on Friday, warning the public to avoid the area during the protest if possible.

One Nation could be in government within six months. Not in Canberra, but in Victoria, a state that has long held the moniker of the progressive capital of the country.

The idea that One Nation could come close to the government benches was absurd six months ago, but it's a prospect Victorian Labor MPs and insiders are increasingly discussing as the election approaches and the government's own prospects of re-election wane.

The fear is that Victoria delivers a hung parliament with a large bloc of One Nation seats, which would see it join with the Coalition to form a new government.

From the prime minister down, political operatives across the nation are paying more than usual attention to the Victorian election.

While it is just a snapshot in time, polling shows Pauline Hanson's party is on track to win a large swathe of seats when voters head to the polls in November.

So, how One Nation performs and how Victorian Labor and the Coalition campaign against the party will be scrutinised by more than just Victorian voters.

Read the full anlaysis at the link below.

The Senate inquiry into the government's proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) wrapped up last night, after a whirlwind three days of evidence.

A majority of witnesses shared concerns about the legislation and what it will mean for participants who rely on the NDIS, particularly those who would no longer be eligible under the overhaul.

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing gave evidence yesterday evening.

The department confirmed Health Minister Mark Butler only let his state and territory counterparts know of the changes the day he announced them in a speech to the National Press Club.

Department officials said they understood prior discussions had taken place, but their evidence suggested the first meeting on record specifically about the NDIS changes was a phone call on April 22.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has praised the UK defence secretary for stepping aside.

John Healey resigned from the position, citing a lack of defence funding as a driver for his decision. It came hours before Healey was due to meet with Richard Marles. 

"Good on the secretary of defence in the UK for resigning and saying that defence spending needs to be higher. Marles should be asking for defence spending to be higher in this country," he says.

"Because the truth is that AUKUS cannot be funded on the current budget."

Angus Taylor has foreshadowed the opposition's industrial relations policy will be announced in the "not so distant future".

"[Liberal deputy leader] Jane Hume is working on those. What I can say is we will not be empowering militant behaviour by unions," he says.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor is asked if he needs to talk strategy on how to take down Labor with One Nation's Pauline Hanson.

He doesn't directly answer the question, pivoting to say he's "focused on taking Labor down at the next election" because Australia is "heading in the wrong direction".

He's repeatedly pushed on One Nation. He's doing his best not to directly engage with it. "You're wanting to focus on the politics and the political commentary," he says.

"We are 18 months or two years away from an election. My focus is on the Australian people and ... the prosperity and the opportunities for Australians and Western Australians."

Asked if he's concerned Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie could be at risk of losing his seat to a One Nation challenger, he returns to his line about being "concerned about the future of this country".

"What we need to see is a credible plan from this government and we haven't seen it," he says.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has just stepped up for a press conference in Perth.

He's taking aim at the government's budget and questioning why some stakeholders weren't invited to give evidence at an inquiry into the proposed changes to the capital gains tax and negative gearing.

"This inquiry is an absolute sham," he says.

"This government should make itself accountable. It should allow the scrutiny that should be given to their bad taxes, their toxic taxes that will take Australians backwards."

Greens senator David Shoebridge has just stepped up, sharing his thoughts on the timing of the UK defence minister's resignation.

John Healey quit the job less than three hours before he was due to appear at an event with Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles. He cited the UK government's failure to spend enough money in the sector.

Shoebridge says Marles has committed himself to a "process of ritual global humiliation as he does a world tour on AUKUS".

"[He] went to Singapore and came back with three second-hand submarines," he says.

"He then travels off to the UK for AUKUS and is met by the resignation of the UK defence minister, literally being left standing at the altar with not a nuclear sub to be seen."

"The UK nuclear submarine industry is in complete meltdown. The equivalent of the UK Audit Office says that it cannot produce core reactors for the AUKUS project, and it will not produce them."

After Labor targeted the threat of One Nation in a recent appeal to supporters for donations, the insurgents played tit for tat.

One Nation on Wednesday launched its own fundraising campaign around the slogan "Fire the Liar". By evening, it claimed to have raised more than $1 million, rising fast.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cast doubt on the numbers. Other Labor sources suggested it was a scam. One Nation said it would have the fund independently audited. That produced a tick.

Putting aside the dispute over figures, given One Nation's popularity surge, there are multiple reasons why alienated voters might be donating to its campaign. Among them, Albanese's cavalier breaking of election promises has poured kerosene on the fire under a party that can no longer be called "minor".

Read the full analysis from Michelle Grattan in the link below.

The environment minister has been asked what the resignation of the UK defence secretary means for the AUKUS program.

John Healey resigned over concerns the UK government wasn't investing enough in his portfolio of defence to meet "rising threats".

Murray Watt says the UK and US are "trusted, reliable partners" when it comes to AUKUS.

"All three nations have agreed that the AUKUS pact and the investment that will come with it is the best way to secure our three nations and also a lot of the ocean pathways that our trade relies upon as well," Watt says.

"We're very confident, that the enduring nature of that partnership with the UK, along with the US, remains very strong."

Murray Watt has cast doubt into One Nation's claims that it has raised more than $2 million in a fundraising drive over the past two days.

One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson has released a document on social media showing what she says proves the party has raised $2.8 million.

The environment minister says political parties fundraise "all the time" and criticised Hanson for attacking Labor supporters.

"I noticed that One Nation earlier this week was attacking us for asking our supporters for donations, and the very next day they were out there asking their supporters, for One Nation, for financial support," Watt says.

Environment Minister Murray Watt has stepped up for a press conference in Cairns with Queensland Labor senator Nita Green.

The environment minister has announced the federal government will take the next step towards developing a new sustainable ocean plan.

But he's also taken a jab at the Coalition over confusion about whether the Liberals will do a preference deal with One Nation.

Deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume told Channel Seven a preference deal with One Nation was "not on the cards".

Watt says that shows the "Coalition of chaos is back in action".

"In the space of the last two or three days, we've seen Tony Abbott, the new federal Liberal president, and Angus Taylor say they want to do preference deals with One Nation. And today, the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, Jane Hume, has said that they won't do preference deals with One Nation," Watt says.

"We don't know sitting here now, whether we would have a Liberal or a National or a One Nation person leading some kind of coalition government. How is that any way for a country to be governed?"

Deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume has insisted a preference deal with One Nation is "not on the cards".

Her comments come after party president Tony Abbott reportedly suggested a preference swap with the resurgent minor party made sense.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor also left the door open to such an arrangement earlier this week.

Appearing on Channel Seven, Hume talked down the idea.

"No, that's not on the cards. An election is now 18 months to two years away," she said.

"To begin with, we never, ever talk about preferences before an election is actually called, because you don't know what policies they have, you don't know what candidates they have, you don't know what One Nation are going to be doing in two years' time.

"So that's entirely off the table."