Health News at Your Fingertips

Ukraine seeks free trade deal with Australia

Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia is seeking to meet with Albanese government ministers to discuss trade and aid opportunities after returning from the war-torn country, AAP reports.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko has returned to Australia after an eight-day trip to Ukraine where he met with president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s top advisors, the prime minister, the defence minister and military officials.

Myroshnychenko has called for a free trade agreement between Australia and Ukraine, and says while it will likely play a largely symbolic role, it will be important to encourage private and public investment in his country to help with its recovery.

The ambassador is seeking to brief Australian ministers on the current situation with Ukraine and ask for more lethal aid and economic assistance.

He told AAP:

Co-operation with Australia to help rebuild Ukraine is crucial. We are like-minded countries. We hope there will be (international) mechanisms that allow investors from countries like Australia to come in and help rebuild the country.

The bilateral trade deal could be modelled on the UK free trade agreement and be completed within a year, Myroshnychenko says.

Such a deal was raised with the previous government but talks stalled as Australia headed into the federal election and caretaker conventions took over.

The ambassador will bring three pillars to any meetings with Australian ministers, calling for more lethal aid, free trade and investment, and further sanctions on Russia and Russian individuals.

Myroshnychenko has also returned with a personal letter for Anthony Albanese from President Zelenskiy, congratulating the new prime minister and welcoming him to visit Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong spoke with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba at the start of the month where he requested additional heavy weapons and proposed the inclusion of Ukraine in Australia’s “generalised system of preferences” to bolster the economy.

Littleproud backs current NZ deportation rules

David Littleproud pushing the “if you don’t like it, leave” argument on the deportation of New Zealand citizens who have committed criminal offences regardless of the length of time they have lived in Australia.

Leave plenty of time before your flight if you’re jetting off today, folks.

Victoria’s Department of Health has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 8,025 new cases reported and 19 further deaths.

There are 512 people being treated in hospital with the virus including 28 people in ICU.

NSW Health has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 7,551 new Covid cases reported and 11 further deaths.

There are 1,250 people being treated in hospital with the virus including 41 people in ICU.

Graham Readfearn

‘Triple La Niña’ warning

Australia’s east coast could be hit by a rare “triple La Niña” that brings flooding rains and cooler weather for the third summer in a row, a senior US government scientist says.

Experts say the prospect of a triple La Niña is real, but there is disagreement between different computer models and Australia could yet avoid a return of summer floods.

Scientists and weather forecasters are watching temperatures in an area in the tropical Pacific Ocean that has been unusually cool in recent months – one signal that the current La Niña could either remain in place until summer or fade and then return.

Victorian Liberal MP Matthew Guy has tested positive to Covid.

Helen Haines says she will work with government on integrity commission

Independent MP Helen Haines is appearing on Radio National now, discussing a federal integrity commission.

Haines introduced a federal integrity commission bill to parliament in 2020, and is expected to be a key player in the Labor government’s establishment of an anti corruption body.

She says she has put forward the establishment of a joint select committee to facilitate the process to attorney general Mark Dreyfus, of which she would be the co-chair.

I had a conversation with the attorney general a few days after the election and I was reassured by him he wants to work very closely with me … to make sure we get the integrity commission that is fit for purpose.

I’m awaiting, really, now, the next steps to undertake that work with the attorney.

[I’ve had] one conversation thus far with Mr Dreyfus, he was very open to that suggestion [a committee], as yet we haven’t got that nailed down and I’ll be pursuing that.

Haines says she supports the inclusion of pork barrelling to the commission and it is part of why people have “lost trust” with the government.

Celebrations planned in Biloela

Reporter Eden Gillespie and photographer Mike Bowers will be covering the Nadesalingam family’s long awaited return to Biloela today for us.

A reminder, the family will arrive at Thangool airport around 2.30pm, where Priya Nadesalingam and members of the Home to Bilo campaign will speak.

Gillard tells Albanese to look after himself

Beyond Blue chair and former prime minister Julia Gillard appeared on ABC News Breakfast this morning, with words of advice for Australia’s newly sworn-in leader.

Asked what the biggest challenges for Anthony Albanese were, she replied:

Well at the rate our new prime minister appears to be working at the moment, I think getting enough sleep might be the biggest challenge. Words of advice – make sure you’re looking after yourself as well.

She said there was “no need” to share her learnings dealing with a large crossbench as the PM was at the heart of the government she led.

He knows what it’s like in terms of dealing with people respectfully across the chamber.

Here’s some more footage of carnage at Sydney airport, as travellers find themselves in lengthy crowds ahead of the long weekend.

It’s a similar scene in Melbourne:

Ardern has no plans to become an Australian

Ardern is told Australians “love welcoming Kiwis, especially claiming the good ones as our own”.

She laughs politely.

You could end up an Australian one day!

“No,” Ardern replies, “there’s no prospect of that happening. Thank you, though.”

That’s the firmest answer we’ve had this morning.

Ardern: the Pacific is our family

On China’s move to tell NZ to stop interfering in the Pacific, Ardern says she takes the same view that she always has.

We are a Pacific nation. Our connections in the Pacific, they run deep. They are family. We have large Pacific communities in New Zealand … Pacific members of parliament, Pacific ministers. So the relationship for us is not a bilateral relationship; it’s a family relationship. And so I don’t see our relationship as ever being able to be described as interference. We have a closeness to one another that will always be the case.

Ardern says there is “power in the collective”, while the Pacific Island Forum will be critical for neighbours to speak for themselves.

I do think it’s time that actually there is an opportunity for our Pacific neighbours to speak for themselves. There’s a lot of commentary around what’s happening in the region. Very little opportunity for them to speak to it.

[China’s] presence is in the new. The relationship that they have with the Pacific islands is not new. It’s whether or not they are seeking to change those relationships to dip into spaces like, for instance, the potential militarisation of our region and that’s … where of course you hear that concern being raised but off the back of those recent trips you also saw that the Pacific held its ground on security arrangements, and that again speaks to the fact that the Pacific are speaking and sharing their own views.