Marles’s meeting with Hegseth was a meeting after all
There’s been a lot of back and forth this morning over whether the deputy prime minster and defence minister, Richard Marles, actually met with his counterpart Pete Hegseth.
There were reports this morning that a US defense spokesperson said the pair didn’t meet, but interacted after “a happenstance encounter”.
Well, the plot thickens!
The chief Pentagon spokesperson has told Guardian Australia that the encounter was, in fact, a meeting, walking back that previous statement, and confirming that it was coordinated “in advance”. Chief Pentagon Spokesman, Sean Parnell, said in a statement:
Secretary Hegseth welcomed the opportunity to meet in person with Deputy Prime Minister Marles for the third time this year. Their meeting at the White House on Tuesday was coordinated in advance.
Key events
You can read the full story on the meeting – turned “happenstance” – turned meeting here:
Marles’s meeting with Hegseth was a meeting after all
There’s been a lot of back and forth this morning over whether the deputy prime minster and defence minister, Richard Marles, actually met with his counterpart Pete Hegseth.
There were reports this morning that a US defense spokesperson said the pair didn’t meet, but interacted after “a happenstance encounter”.
Well, the plot thickens!
The chief Pentagon spokesperson has told Guardian Australia that the encounter was, in fact, a meeting, walking back that previous statement, and confirming that it was coordinated “in advance”. Chief Pentagon Spokesman, Sean Parnell, said in a statement:
Secretary Hegseth welcomed the opportunity to meet in person with Deputy Prime Minister Marles for the third time this year. Their meeting at the White House on Tuesday was coordinated in advance.
Labor’s penalty rates and overtime bill passes
The government’s legislation to enshrine penalty rate entitlements into law has passed parliament.
You can read more about the purpose of the bill here:
The Coalition was critical of the legislation, saying that whilst they’re supportive of penalty rates, the government hadn’t released an impact statement on the affect of the legislation on small businesses.
Shadow small business minister Tim Wilson said this morning that there was still confusion over whether the legislation would affect current awards.
Penry Buckley
NSW transport minister challenged on toll revenue from sinkhole-plagued road
Returning to NSW budget estimates, transport minister John Graham has been asked why the financial forecasts in this year’s state budget include toll revenue from the troubled M6 motorway project.
As Guardian Australia has reported, the opening of the “unbuildable” motorway in Sydney’s south has been pushed back from 2025 until at least late 2028, following geological issues including a 245-metre section plagued by sinkholes.
NSW Liberals deputy leader Natalie Ward asks: “How many cars are going through the M6 … to generate those tolls?”
Graham says: “That’s why there’s zero revenue assumed for the current financial year.”
The transport minister says the government’s expectation at the time of the budget in June was that the first stage of the motorway would be generating revenue from users in the “outer years” of the forecast, which extends to 2028-29.
‘Strange’ to see ‘kickback’ about Marles’s US trip, Jim Chalmers says
Tom McIlroy
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has talked down any difference in statements between Washington and Canberra over Richard Marles’s visit to the White House this week.
American officials have this morning denied the defence minister had a formal meeting with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, during a last-minute trip, casting doubt on the federal government’s account of the visit.
Marles is back in Canberra on Thursday and could face questions about the trip in question time this afternoon.
Chalmers said the trip was valuable regardless of whether Marles met Hegseth.
The deputy prime minister of Australia met with the vice president of the United States and Secretary Rubio has a number of roles. Crucial roles.
I haven’t had a debrief from Richard on the discussions he had with the defense secretary as well, but by any objective measure going to the US and meeting with people of that seniority in the administration, when we have so many issues at play … I find it quite strange quite frankly to see some of this kickback about the trip.
Sarah Basford Canales
Human Rights Law Centre says ATO whistleblower avoiding jail time a ‘small ray of light’
The news that Richard Boyle will avoid jail time is a “small ray of light” at the end of a “sorry saga”, the Human Rights Law Centre has said.
HRLC associate legal director, Kieran Pender, said the court’s ruling today was a wake-up call for the Albanese government to do more to protect whistleblowers.
Pender said:
Today concludes a sorry saga that has been devastating for Richard Boyle and undermined Australian democracy. While the no-conviction sentence is a small ray of light, this never should have happened. Richard Boyle made the brave decision to speak up when he witnessed wrongdoing, for years he has faced prosecution and punishment.
The Albanese government must not stand idly by as whistleblowers are punished, they must act with urgent law reform and the establishment of a whistleblower protection authority, to ensure prosecutions like this never happen again.
Penry Buckley
NSW transport minister: ‘highly likely’ work has been redone on delayed metro extension
The NSW transport minister, John Graham, is appearing before budget estimates today, where the opposition has sought to pin him down on the opening dates of additions to Sydney’s high-speed metro network.
Extensions to the existing city line, via Sydenham to Bankstown in the inner west, as well as a line connecting the new Western Sydney airport to the city’s rail network, have been pushed back by delays, including industrial disputes with the rail unions resolved earlier this year.
Graham says it is “highly likely” that construction work to convert stations and platforms on the Bankstown extension, originally promised to open late this year, has had to be redone, contributing to delays. He has not committed to a more precise completion date for the multibillion dollar project than some time in 2026.
“It’s not that the government is hiding information. We are clear that it will open in 2026, that’s the best information we’ve got at the moment and as we move to the high-speed testing, we will be really clear with those communities.”
He also would not commit to a start date for the airport line, originally planned to open alongside the new terminal in 2026, but which has been delayed by up to a year, in part because of a dispute with the private consortium building the line.
Bob Katter responds to journalist who mentions Lebanese heritage
Andrew Messenger
Bob Katter has told a journalist “I punch blokes in the mouth for saying that” during a press conference where he threw his support behind the anti-immigration, so-called “March for Australia” rallies planned for 31 August.
The independent MP for Kennedy had just told a journalist at a press conference in Brisbane he wanted to deport people who had attended a pro-Palestine rally.
“You’ve got Lebanese heritage yourself … ” a channel Nine reporter, Josh Bavas, then asked, before Katter cut him off.
“I punch blokes in the mouth for saying that, don’t you dare say that,” Katter said, in a loud voice.
My family have been in this country for 140 years …
I have, on many occasions, punched blokes in the mouth, right? So I’m restraining myself today. Don’t say it!
He then refused to take any more questions from Bavas.
Chalmers ‘grateful’ for Usman Khawaja meeting about Gaza
Jim Chalmers joined the PM in meeting with Usman Khawaja today, and says he was grateful to Albanese for making time for Khawaja, and grateful for the Australian cricketer coming to Parliament House.
Khawaja is in Parliament House focused on two key issues today: tackling gambling advertising and advocating for stronger action against Israel and increasing humanitarian support for Gaza.
Chalmers said they had a good discussion, and clarified that the meeting was about Gaza. He calls Khawaja a friend and a “wonderful humanitarian”.
We have a lot of respect [for Khawaja], and we listened to him on the issues, as you’d expect … he’s a leader of real substance, not just the leader of in the faith community, but a leader more broadly. And so I take his contribution very seriously. I’m grateful … that he’s made the time to come and talk with us directly about these issues.
I did see that there was some coverage about whether that meeting would go ahead, and I’m pleased to have played a role in making sure that it did.
Trade minister ‘disappointed’ US raising import tariffs on post
Jumping back to that press conference with Jim Chalmers, Don Farrell and Tim Ayres, Farrell says he was “disappointed” by the US raising tariffs on post being sent to the US, and has raised the issue with the administration.
The new tariffs, announced earlier this week, have forced Australia Post to temporarily suspend sending most parcels over the to the US.
Farrell says he raised the issue with the general counsel of the United States Trade earlier this week
[I expressed] our disappointment about the application of these tariffs on small businesses in Australia, about 3,000 of them. They’re often mum and dad operations that have had it successful product going into the United States …
We have said to the Americans, firstly, we don’t agree with what you’ve done, but if you’re going to do it, and you’ve got to do it in a way that people can comply with these, these, these operators were given less than a month to make changes to get their product into the United States. And I’m hopeful that there’s result of our representations.
ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle avoids jail
Sarah Basford Canales
Richard Boyle has avoided jail time for blowing the whistle on unethical debt recovery practices at the Australian Taxation Office.
The former tax office employee received a 12-month good behaviour bond on Thursday morning, avoiding a conviction after admitting to four criminal charges linked to his 2017 exposure of the ATO’s practices in May.
In May, Boyle pleaded guilty to disclosing protected information to another entity, making a record of protected information, using a listening device to record a private conversation and recording other people’s tax file numbers.
The commonwealth director of public prosecutions withdrew 15 charges, while five others were dropped in March.
Last year, South Australia’s court of appeal ruled that Boyle was not protected by federal whistleblowing laws – because the charges related not to his whistleblowing but to steps Boyle had taken while preparing to blow the whistle internally, including taking photos of documents and recording conversations.
– with AAP
Cricketer Usman Khawaja gets meeting with PM on Gaza
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has met with the prime minister, after he told the media that meeting had been cancelled.
Khawaja had set up the meeting, ahead of two roundtables one gambling ads and the other on Gaza.
This morning, he was told the meeting would be cancelled, which he said was “disappointing” but that he has a lot of “love and respect” for Anthony Albanese.
Well, something changed – because we’ve now been told that the meeting did go ahead. We’ll chase more details on how that conversation went down.
Luca Ittimani
Qantas’ share price jumps to record high as profit soars
Qantas has achieved a record market value of $18bn after revealing a big boost to its profit margin by holding ticket prices steady in 2024-25 while enjoying lower fuel costs.
Early trading after the company handed down its annual earnings results saw Qantas’ share price jump 10% to a record high. It was worth just half as much a year ago.
Results released on Thursday showed the group’s operating margin picked up over the year from 10.4% to 11.1%. Jetstar grew its margin for the third year in a row, to 13.7% and as high as 16% for domestic flights.
Across the group, ticketed passenger revenue and ticket sales both rose by about 7%, reaching nearly $17bn from 56m tickets, so unit revenue held steady.
Costs fell for the second year in a row as fuel prices slipped, meaning air fares surged relative to the price of jet fuel, confirming analysis from the competition watchdog earlier in August.
All those profits will mean shareholders receive $400m in dividends on top of the $400m payout awarded in February, which was the company’s first dividend payment since 2019. A share buy-back meant earnings per share is at the highest since the pandemic began.
Qantas has forecast strong travel demand for the rest of 2025, further lifting revenue from passengers, and a further $50m lift in earnings from its frequent flyer program.