Australian news and politics live: Chalmers reveals first batch of economic reform invitees

Sharing of explicit deepfake images of underage Australians has doubled in the past 18 months, prompting warnings from government and education leaders.

Figures released on Friday show complaints to the federal eSafety Commissioner’s image-based abuse reporting line have surged, with four out of five cases involving female victims.

Commissioner Julie Inman Grant believes the rapid rise in reporting among young people may only reveal part of the problem, warning the numbers do not represent “the whole picture.”

“Anecdotally, we have heard from school leaders and education sector representatives that deepfake incidents are occurring more frequently, particularly as children are easily able to access and misuse nudity apps in school settings,” she said.

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Mr Taylor has also been questioned about whether or not there should be quotas in the Liberal Party, after a split emerged between him and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley on the issue.

Mr Taylor has described himself as a “champion for capable, talented women”, but refused to label himself as a “feminist”.

He said the word is defined in “many different ways”, but “my definition of my job as someone who has to be a champion for talent is that I will always advocate for strong, capable people to come into the Liberal Party to make a contribution”.

“You can define that however you like, but that’s the position,” he said.

Shadow defence minister Angus Taylor has once again demanded the Australian Government rapidly increase its defence spending to get to three per cent of GDP - but insists we should do so not because Donald Trump is asking, but because our geostrategic environment demands so.

“The Prime Minister himself has made that point, the most dangerous times since the Second World War, and in that context, it’s incredibly disappointing that today, the Prime Minister has said that they will not increase defense spending to a level that’s appropriate and necessary in order to implement their own plan,” he told reporters in Canberra, referring to the defence strategic review.

“Ultimately, this is about our sovereignty. It’s about us being able to control our own destiny, but it is also essential for making sure we have the alliances that underpin that sovereignty.

“Right now, it’s very clear that the United States sees real problems in the alliance with Australia.”

Jim Chalmers has sent out his first batch of invitations to the August economic reform roundtable (gilt-edged, one would hope), with the promise of more waves to come as he finalises the agenda.

The initial group of eight spots goes to a mixture of unionists and business representatives along with Productivity Commission head Danielle Wood and Cassandra Goldie from the Australian Council of Social Service.

The three-day meeting will be held in the cabinet room in Canberra, which seats about 25 people.

Dr Chalmers has also opened up a call for all comers to offer their suggestions ​via the Treasury website​.

First roundtable invitees:

• Danielle Wood, Chair, Productivity Commission
• Sally McManus, Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions (substitute representative: Liam O’Brien)
• Michele O’Neil, President, Australian Council of Trade Unions (substitute representative: Joseph Mitchell)
• Bran Black, Chief Executive Officer, Business Council of Australia
• Andrew McKellar, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Innes Willox, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Industry Group
• Matthew Addison, Chair, Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia
• Cassandra Goldie, Australian Council of Social Service

Anthony Albanese has been urged to lean into US President Donald Trump’s “transactional” nature amid concerns the Prime Minister is mishandling Australia’s relationship with America.

Nearly six months have passed since Mr Trump’s inauguration and Mr Albanese is yet to secure an in-person meeting with the US President.

Australian producers have been slugged with tariffs on most exports to the US, including duties of up to 50 per cent on steel and aluminium, and doubts loom large about the Trump administration’s commitment to AUKUS.

The Albanese Government has also made Australia an outlier in the West on defence spending, refusing to budge at all after Washington’s call to hike it to 3.5 per cent amid alarm bells over China’s military build-up.

Commenting on Mr Albanese’s management of the alliance, former ambassador to the US Joe Hockey warned on Friday that refusing to engage in deal-making with Mr Trump risked offending him.

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Defence Minister Richard Marles has flagged an increased US military presence in Australia amid growing tensions with China and left the door open to increasing defence spending but has refused to say if taxpayers will be returned the $800 million downpayment on the nuclear submarines if the Trump Administration scraps AUKUS.

Pentagon official and AUKUS-sceptic Elbridge Colby has launched a snap “America First” review into whether the submarine transfer to Australia, scheduled for the 2030s, should take place.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Latika Takes podcast in collaboration with The Nightly on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Mr Marles brushed aside his inability to secure a meeting with his US Defence counterpart, Pete Hegseth, at this week’s gathering to discuss whether the program was in jeopardy.

“I’ve got no doubt that I’ll be catching up with him in the not-too-distant future,” he said.

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Alleged mushroom poisoner Erin Patterson has admitted she told a series of lies to police, the judge overseeing the trial has told the jury.

Continuing his summing up of the arguments and evidence in the case, Justice Christopher Beale turned to Ms Patterson’s lies during her recorded interview with police on August 5, 2023.

These were: she lied about never foraging for mushrooms, she lied about not owning a dehydrator, she lied about never dehydrating foods and lied by saying she may have owned a dehydrator years ago.

In the witness box, the judge said Ms Patterson had admitted these lies but explained that she “probably knew” police would immediately suspect her in the poisoning event.

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Woolworths has announced it will shut down MyDeal, the e-commerce marketplace it acquired a majority stake in three years ago for $217.5 million.

The retail giant says MyDeal will close by September 30, so it can focus on the online marketplaces that complement its Woolworths.com.au and BigW.com.au websites.

Woolworths chief executive Amanda Bardwell said MyDeal had brought marketplace expertise and leading technology to the group’s online platforms.

“However, given the intensely competitive environment and the superior economics of marketplaces integrated into retail brands, we have made the decision to close the MyDeal customer website,” she said on Friday.

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The millionaire co-founder of popular clothing retailer Universal Store has been found stabbed to death and a 15-year-old boy charged with his murder.

Greg Josephson, who co-founded the Universal Store with his brother Michael in 1999, was found dead after police were called to investigate an altercation at a teen house party in the inner north Brisbane suburb of Clayfield about 8.15pm on Thursday.

Police say they found the 58-year-old deceased on the top level of the Oriel Road home and a group of around 30 teen party-goers in the house.

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine have described in great detail the planning and execution of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Mr Caine shared dramatic test footage on Thursday morning (local time) showing how 30,000-pound (13,600kg) bunker-buster bombs work, such as the ones used against Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment plant.

The video showed a GBU-57 series Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) striking its target, triggering a towering cloud of dust moments before a blinding explosion illuminated the shaft during a test detonation.

According to Mr Caine, the pilots who dropped the bunker-buster bombs on the site called the blast “the brightest explosion” that “literally looked like daylight.”

See video and read full story here.