Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Australian Attorney General’s Agencies

The Albanese Labor Government is investing $24.2 million dollars to deliver additional border services at airports, including a major boost to Perth airport to help cement the city as a world class tourist hub.

The investment in additional staffing and equipment at Perth Airport will increase border and biosecurity capacity and in turn allow the airport to host more international flights.

We are pleased that as a result of this investment, Qantas has today announced that it will recommence flights to Johannesburg, South Africa and Auckland New Zealand.

Demand for services at Perth airport is rapidly growing. In January 2025, Perth airport saw 515,581 international passengers, breaking the record high set just the previous month in December 2024.

The Government’s investment will allow Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, to ensure smooth operation for trade and tourism, while protecting our border from threats to Australia’s safety and security.

This investment and the growth in flights is expected to support hundreds of new jobs in WA and enable the airport to continue processing record breaking numbers of passengers.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell:

“More international flights into Perth is an outstanding outcome for our tourism industry.

“This will deliver more tourists into Perth, additional connections for expat communities and another opportunity to showcase our country to the world.

“The Albanese Labor Government has been working hard to see our tourism industries continue to grow and increasing international connectivity is an important part of that.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration, Tony Burke:

“This funding allows the capabilities of the Australian Border Force to grow in line with the sustained growth in passenger numbers at Perth Airport.

“Investment in travel supports local businesses through attracting international tourism, and provides West Australians more job opportunities and more choices for their holidays.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins:

“Every year millions of travellers come to Australia, and every year our frontline staff intercept biosecurity risks to our farmland and environment.

“This funding will mean we can maintain our biosecurity standards at these airports and seaports, which is critical to protecting Australia from exotic pests or disease outbreaks.

“It builds on the more than $1 billion in funding that the Albanese Labor Government has invested in Australia’s biosecurity system since 2022, cleaning up the mess the Liberals and Nationals left it in.”

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

Get ready to step into a world of wonder as Electric Wonderland transforms Rosalind Park into a glowing playground of light, colour, and imagination during the winter school holidays from July 4 to July 20, 2025.

This year’s event promises even more awe-inspiring installations and hands-on experiences. Look forward to flowers that fall and bloom from the sky, giant pin-boards for creative expression, a dazzling mirror ball laser alley to explore, and dance walls where visitors can get their groove on.

In addition to these new attractions, some of our most popular installations will return, including Sacred Heart, a giant cathedral structure covered in thousands of heart-shaped fairy lights, and Pixelmatrix, a sound and light show featuring a cube of hundreds of bright pixel lights.

Designed as a ‘journey-style event’, Electric Wonderland invites visitors to play, explore, and capture unforgettable memories.

“We’re thrilled to warm up Rosalind Park with Electric Wonderland for a third consecutive winter,” said Power AV Event and Creative Manager Alicia Villiers.

“Each year the show evolves to surprise and delight audiences. Once again, our focus is on interaction, the wow-factor, and amazing photo opportunities.

“Whether you are marvelling at giant glowing sculptures, wandering through tunnels of twinkling lights, or snapping the perfect photo, this year’s light show is set to be a highlight of the winter holidays for people of all ages to enjoy.”

Electric Wonderland will run from July 4 to July 20, 2025.

Source: Australia’s climate in 2024: 2nd warmest and 8th wettest year on record

Sally Sara, Host: Well, Anthony Albanese has started his second term with a flurry of phone calls from world leaders, including what he described as a warm and positive conversation with US President Donald Trump. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong, is my guest this morning. Minister, welcome back to Breakfast.

Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: G’day, Sally. Good to be with you.

Sara: Do you want to stay on as Foreign Minister?

Foreign Minister: I will be staying on as Foreign Minister and I’m looking forward to be part of a third-term Labor Government as well, but look what I want to say first is just to thank your listeners. We were given an enormous opportunity, a great privilege on Saturday. We’re very conscious of the weight of that, the responsibility of that and the privilege of that. And we will work every day to repay the trust Australians have shown in us.

Sara: How do you guard against hubris or the party letting standards drop with such an emphatic result going into a second term?

Foreign Minister: I think the culture in the Albanese Labor government, set by the Prime Minister, but by all of us in the leadership group, in the cabinet, in the caucus is we never take the position we have for granted. We never take the Australian people for granted, we serve ultimately at their pleasure and they have – Australians are always our focus. So, I think when the Prime Minister talks about humility, about recognising the weight of responsibility, that is what we have, the sense we have across our caucus.

Sara: What was it in the results on Saturday that surprised you?

Foreign Minister: The extent to which the Coalition are not the party of middle Australia. Now, I had a look at the AEC’s current count of metropolitan seats, so they have an inner and outer metropolitan seats at this stage, on current numbers, the Coalition are down to seven out of 88 seats in metropolitan areas. You know what that says, Sally? That says that in the cities and suburbs, the Coalition does not represent middle Australia. It doesn’t represent the hopes, aspirations and struggles of people, of Australians and their families living in our cities and suburbs. That really was a profound message from the electorate.

Sara: Let’s have a look at your portfolio. The Prime Minister had the chance to speak directly with Donald Trump yesterday. What was discussed and what sort of value do you think there was in having that call yesterday?

Foreign Minister: It was very important to reach out after an election to key leaders. And obviously, the US is so important to Australia. And the Prime Minister also has spoken to a number of other leaders in the region and beyond. He spoke about that yesterday in his press conference. There’s obviously a lot to discuss with the United States, we know we have a difference of views on tariffs and we will continue to press our view to them as well as getting on with the job that we said, which was to continue to diversify Australia’s exports as a consequence, not only of this US tariff decision, but to make sure we are more economically resilient in a world that is changing.

Sara: Has there been any significant progress or developments in Australia’s push to secure an exemption from the Trump tariffs?

Foreign Minister: Well, we’ve been in caretaker, which is what you’re in when you’re in the election. So, obviously the business of government becomes much, much more constrained because of the political campaign. We will continue to engage with the US administration, whether it’s on steel or more broadly. We know that President Trump and his administration have a different view on tariffs, a much tougher view than the first Trump administration. We know that these tariffs have been imposed on countries across the world and that no country has been in a better position than Australia. But equally, we believe that tariffs are unjustified and unwarranted. You would know that we have very few, the US is less than five per cent of our exports. What we need to do, apart from what we’ve done, which is to open up trade with China, where we’ve seen $20 billion worth of trade impediments taken off in our first term of government. But we need to do what we were doing in the first term, we need to continue to do that, which is to diversify our export markets.

Sara: What sort of effect could it have on Australia if Donald Trump goes forward with this proposed 100 per cent tariff on foreign-made films? And is it even possible given that now it’s not a physical entity, films are a service rather than a good.

Foreign Minister: And films are a lot of collaboration in films between countries and certainly Australia and America, we’ve worked so closely on so many great movies and our movie and entertainment industries are really very interlinked and very collaborative. And you see Australian actors working in the US, you see American films being filmed here in Australia. You see such collaboration through the whole creative process. And I think that’s to the benefit of both our countries. So, what we would say to the Trump administration is, it’s a great thing that we’re collaborating on films. So, let’s keep working together because that’s what viewers want to see, the audience wants to see. I heard the President as I was driving into the office early this morning, I think actually on one of the news clips that you ran, saying that he will talk to the studios, and that’s a good thing. And I think what he’d hear from them is that this collaboration, the involvement of Australian artists, Australian actors, as well as filming in Australia, is a good thing for the US industry.

Sara: As you’re saying, we’re coming out of caretaker mode. On the question of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would your government allow the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu if he were ever to visit Australia?

Foreign Minister: I’m surprised you asked me that, Sally, because I’ve answered that multiple times, as has the Attorney-General, Mr Dreyfus, and we don’t speculate on hypotheticals. I know that this was something I think Senator Cash pressed me on quite obviously in Senate Estimates, and I gave her the same answer. One of the things I would say about this election, though, the Middle East conflict has been so deeply distressing for so many people and it has been polarising in the Australian community because people do have very strongly held, different views. We have always said, let’s not bring the conflict here. And I think the result on Saturday demonstrates that Australians also don’t think we should bring that kind of anger and conflict into our society. We will continue to advocate for a ceasefire, for the return of hostages and for humanitarian aid to flow.

Sara: How concerned is Australia about the political instability in the Solomon Islands right now, and particularly today’s expected no confidence motion against the Prime Minister?

Foreign Minister: These are matters for the people and the Parliament of the Solomon Islands. It’s a sovereign country and you know, I’m not going to comment on it. That’s a matter for, as I said, the people and the representatives of Solomon Islands.

Sara: Penny Wong, we’ll need to leave it there. Thank you for your time this morning on Breakfast.

Foreign Minister: Great to speak with you.

Sara: That’s Senator Penny Wong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Source: Australia’s climate in 2024: 2nd warmest and 8th wettest year on record

Karl Stefanovic, Host: Well, back to work for the Labor Government this week after partying like it was 1983. Well, we all like a party, don’t we? Or is it just me? Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong joins us now live from Adelaide to discuss. Penny, good morning to you. How was it?

Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Good morning, Karl. Look, it’s you know we feel humbled, and grateful, and really conscious of the responsibility and privilege Australians have given us, and we will work every day to repay that trust.

Stefanovic: Was there a specific moment on the night when you knew you’d won, when you turned to someone and said, this is ours.

Foreign Minister: Well, I think I was with the Prime Minister and obviously we were looking at a lot of the results and frankly, the result became much clearer, much quicker than I thought it would. Because what we saw, really, is that the Liberal Party is not the party of middle Australia. The cities and the suburbs of Australia looked at Peter Dutton, looked at the Liberal Party, and said, look, you’re not in touch with the life I’m living. You’re not in touch with the things that are hard for me, the things that I want. You’re not in touch with my values. And very comprehensively across the country, we saw, particularly our cities and our suburbs, the Liberals hold such a small fraction of the seats within metropolitan Australia. They just don’t represent middle Australia.

Stefanovic: What did you say to each other when you knew you’d won?

Foreign Minister: I think I gave him a hug.

Stefanovic: Pretty emotional?

Foreign Minister: It’s always emotional. It’s a big thing isn’t it? I mean, it’s a big thing to form government. It’s a big thing to be given that responsibility and the honour of forming government by the Australian people. It’s a humbling moment, and we carry that with us. And as the Prime Minister said, we’re back to work and we will work every day to repay this trust.

Stefanovic: Okay, let’s get on with it. A couple of quick-fire election questions for you. Is Tanya still on the front bench after that air kiss?

Foreign Minister: Tanya, as the PM has said, will be a senior cabinet minister, he’s made that clear.

Stefanovic: Does Chris Bowen need some time off the bench?

Foreign Minister: I think Chris is, remember, Chris when we first came to government, had to deal with a gas crisis, an energy crisis, where as a result of where we’d been, we had real reliability and supply problems. He’s doing, and has done, an excellent job. What happens to people’s portfolios is at the privilege of the Prime Minister. He’s made some indication about a number of us in the leadership group and in senior portfolios, who will continue in our current jobs but the rest is up to him.

Stefanovic: Will you stay a full term?

Foreign Minister: Yes, I will. And in fact, the size of this victory and the prospect of a third-term Labor Government, it looks pretty good.

Stefanovic: You’ll stay in that portfolio?

Foreign Minister: I want to. And the Prime Minister’s indicated that me, Richard, Don Farrell, Katy and Jim will stay where we are. And we’re really appreciative, all of us, of the opportunity and the trust he’s shown in us.

Stefanovic: Will the PM stay a full term?

Foreign Minister: He’s said so. And I think –

Stefanovic: And then some?

Foreign Minister: It’s a pretty funny thing to ask. Yeah exactly, and then some. I think it’s a pretty funny thing to ask given what we saw on Saturday.

Stefanovic: I mean, everyone’s happy with that? Jim’s alright with that?

Foreign Minister: I think Jim’s answered this very clearly. He’s made the point, what an honour it is for all of us to serve as senior ministers in a Labor Government. And the Prime Minister leads this Government, and this opportunity that we all have is as much down to him as it is to the Australian people.

Stefanovic: Alright, more importantly, Trump’s tariffs loom pretty large, as you would know. Will you help sandbag the Australian film industry? If so, what might that look like? Because there’s a great deal of understandable nervousness inside that industry.

Foreign Minister: Absolutely. And I think that there’s also the reality, isn’t there, which is we do a lot of work with the American film industry. And there’s a lot of films, Australian actors in American films, Australian crews working on US films, films filmed here in Australia, which are collaborations between American studios and Australian companies. So, these tariffs really don’t reflect the reality of the cooperation and collaboration between our countries. So, we’ll obviously be putting that view to the US administration. I did hear as I was driving in this morning, President Trump on the radio saying that he was going to have a discussion with the studios, and we think that’s a good thing.

Stefanovic: Okay, meantime, the Greens here say they’re still carrying a stick in the Senate. You’ll still need to listen to them. It’s more like a toothpick with a cocktail onion now, don’t you think?

Foreign Minister: I wonder if I can use that line. Do you think I can use that line in the Senate with them? Karl, what do you reckon?

Stefanovic: You can quote me anytime you want.

Foreign Minister: ‘As Karl said’. See how that goes down? It might work, might not. Look, one of the things about Saturday, Karl, is I think Australians rejected the politics of conflict and the politics of grievance. And, unfortunately, Adam Bandt in some ways is quite like Peter Dutton. It’s the same conflict, it’s the same, frankly, sometimes quite aggressive, and the same politics of protest and grievance. And I think Australians have comprehensively rejected that. And my suggestion to Adam Bandt is perhaps he should consider what message Australians sent to all of us in the Parliament.

Stefanovic: He may not be there. Look, you mentioned the Voice during the campaign as well, Penny. I listened to it and you clearly weren’t saying you were going to go back to it, but it was seized upon, as you know. Did you worry at any point that you’d made a mistake to the party?

Foreign Minister: You know me, Karl, I’m always hard on myself, aren’t I? And, of course, you always worry about giving your opponent the opportunity to have a go. But can I say, I think what it demonstrated was what I said at the start – Peter Dutton’s reflexes, the Liberal Party’s desire to get into the culture wars, is part of them not being where middle Australia is at. People were concerned about Medicare, people were concerned about cost of living, people were concerned about tax cuts. People were concerned about schools and hospitals and bulk billing, fee-free TAFE. People were concerned about making sure, in an uncertain world, where we see a lot of change globally, that steady leadership would be required. That’s what Australians wanted to see. They weren’t interested in the Peter Dutton Liberal Party culture wars.

Stefanovic: That’s definitely a no, then? You’re not going to be pursuing that?

Foreign Minister: We’ve made that clear, the Australian people have made that clear, the Voice is gone.

Stefanovic: Okay, I suppose you don’t care about the Liberal leadership, why would you? But Gina Rinehart is saying the country needs to move to the right, more Trump-like. How do you respond?

Foreign Minister: Ms Rinehart has been very public about those views for some time but I think Australians spoke on Saturday.

Stefanovic: Penny, always good to talk to you. Thank you so much, and best of luck with the job ahead.

Foreign Minister: Great to speak with you. I’ll try the cocktail line.

Source: New South Wales Government 2

6 May 2025

Who does this notice affect?

Stakeholders in the import and shipping industries—including vessel masters, freight forwarders, offshore treatment providers, Biosecurity Industry Participants, importers, customs brokers, principal agents and master consolidators.

What has changed?

Following the identification of biosecurity concerns, we have listed SGS Canada Inc (AEI: CA4003SB) as ‘under review’ on the…

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

Victorians are being reminded to be vigilant, with poisonous mushrooms becoming present in the community during autumn as the weather becomes wetter and cooler.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Dr Christian McGrath is encouraging Victorians to be on the lookout for wild mushrooms growing in home gardens and publicly accessible areas.

Poisonous mushrooms including death cap mushrooms and yellow-staining mushrooms become more evident in Victoria at this time of year, and initial symptoms of poisoning can include stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Dr McGrath said it was important to remove any wild mushrooms growing in home gardens to avoid young children and pets coming into any contact with them.

“Adults and children should not touch wild mushrooms with their bare hands, let alone eat them, and animals should be kept well away from them,” Dr McGrath said.

“Anyone who collects and consumes wild mushrooms of unknown species is putting themselves at risk of potential poisoning and serious illness. Consuming a death cap mushroom can be fatal.”

With no home test available to distinguish safe and edible mushrooms from poisonous mushrooms, it is recommended to only eat mushrooms bought from the supermarket, greengrocer or another reputable source.

“Unless you are an expert, do not pick and eat wild mushrooms.” Dr Christian McGrath said.

Wild mushrooms growing in home gardens should only be removed by wearing gloves, carefully placing them in a bag and disposing of them in a closed general waste (landfill) rubbish bin.

If you or anyone in your care may have eaten a poisonous mushroom, do not wait for symptoms to occur. Call the Victorian Poisons Information Centre immediately on 13 11 26 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) for appropriate advice.

If a person has trouble breathing, collapsed, is having a fit or is suffering an anaphylactic reaction, immediately call 000 for an ambulance. Do not call the Victorian Poisons Information Centre in an emergency.

If your pet has ingested a wild mushroom, contact the Animal Poisons Helpline on 1300 869 738 for advice.

More information on poisonous mushrooms is available on Better Health Channel.

Source: FairTrading New South Wales

What is the issue?

Death cap mushrooms

Death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) are extremely poisonous. Consuming just one mushroom can kill an adult. Symptoms usually commence 6 to 24 hours after ingestion with stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. These symptoms can then settle, giving a false sense of recovery, however the toxin will have entered the body’s circulation and started causing serious harm, particularly to the liver. Typically, 2 – 4 days after ingestion those severely poisoned will develop irreversible liver failure, often associated with kidney failure, that may ultimately result in death.

These mushrooms usually grow under oak trees and the caps are 40-160mm in diameter. The cap ranges in colour from pale yellow to green and olive brown and the ridges on the underside of the cap (gills) are white. The base of the stem has a membrane ‘cup’.

Yellow-staining mushrooms

The yellow-staining mushroom (Agaricus xanthodermus) is the cause of most poisonings due to ingestion of wild fungi in Victoria. Symptoms of yellow-staining mushroom poisoning include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. The severity of symptoms varies with the amount eaten.

This mushroom looks very similar to regular purchased mushrooms or ‘cultivated mushrooms’ (Agaricus bisporus) and to edible wild mushrooms such as the field mushroom (Agaricus campestris). In urban areas the yellow-staining mushroom is unfortunately much more common than edible mushrooms. It can grow in large troops in lawns and gardens, and when damaged, the cap and stem stain yellow, later fading to a brownish colour. The mushroom can also emit a chemical-like smell.

Who is at risk?

Anyone who collects and consumes wild mushrooms of unknown species is putting themselves at risk of potential poisoning and serious illness. Consuming a death cap mushroom may result in death.

Children should not touch wild mushrooms with their bare hands and animals should be kept away from them.

Pets can develop a range of illness from eating wild mushrooms including gastroenteritis-type syndrome to severe life-threatening disease and death. Dogs are more likely than cats to ingest mushrooms.

Recommendations

Unless you are an expert, do not pick and eat wild mushrooms in Victoria.

If you suspect you or anyone in your care may have eaten a poisonous mushroom, do not wait for symptoms to occur before seeking medical attention.

Contact the Victorian Poisons Information Centre immediately on 13 11 26 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Australia wide) for appropriate advice. This may include seeking treatment at a hospital emergency department. Keep a sample and a photograph of the mushroom that was consumed to share with the Victorian Poisons Information Centre for expert identification of the mushroom.

If you or anyone in your care has trouble breathing, collapsed, is having a fit or is suffering an anaphylactic reaction, immediately call 000 for an ambulance. Do not call the Victorian Poisons Information Centre in an emergency.

Pet owners should take particular care in areas where mushrooms may grow and where possible, remove any mushrooms from your garden before pets have a chance to eat them.

Remove any mushrooms growing in the home garden by wearing gloves, carefully placing them in a bag, and disposing of them in a closed general waste (landfill) rubbish bin.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Our CBR is the ACT Government’s key channel to connect with Canberrans and keep you up-to-date with what’s happening in the city. Our CBR includes a monthly print edition, email newsletter and website.

You can easily opt in or out of the newsletter subscription at any time.

Source: Australia’s climate in 2024: 2nd warmest and 8th wettest year on record

Bridget Brennan, Host: We’re joined now by the Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, who’s in Adelaide. Good morning to you, Penny Wong, and congratulations.

Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Good morning, good to be with you and thank you. And I want to start by thanking your viewers for the opportunity and responsibility that’s been entrusted to us and we’re really conscious of what a privilege that is and we will work every day to repay the trust that Australians have shown in us.

Brennan: Seeing you up on the stage on Saturday night, there seemed to be an even more jubilant mood than 2022. Did the election result take you by surprise and what was the mood on Saturday night?

Foreign Minister: Well, it was pretty electric in the room and my family was there, which was lovely, and my daughters did say how loud it was. So, I don’t know whether you got a sense of that on the camera, but it was pretty loud when I got up on stage. It’s been a long time since, you know, a Prime Minister was re-elected. And it’s certainly been a long time, you know, since we’ve seen that kind of, that kind of emphatic decision. And it really showed, I think, that the Liberal Party doesn’t represent middle Australia. That’s really the clear message of the election result.

Brennan: Were you expecting seats into the 80s in the lower house?

Foreign Minister: Can I just say it’s at the upper end of my expectations, but I think if you look at the metropolitan electorates around the country, overwhelmingly, Australians who live in cities and suburbs looked at the Liberal Party and said, ‘you don’t represent my aspirations, you don’t reflect the things I’m worried about, you don’t reflect where I want to go.’ And you know that is the clear message from the election. As I said, we’re really humbled by and grateful for the opportunity and we understand what it means.

Brennan: Why do you think it appears Chinese-Australian voters swung towards the Labor Party again at this election? And what impact do you think your messaging had on WeChat, for example, in seats like Menzies?

Foreign Minister: I’ll leave others to the commentary about me, but I was out expressing the same thing I’ve been saying for a long time, which is that the Liberal Party’s approach to a whole range of issues are of concern to the Australian-Chinese community. I thought Jane Hume saying, asserting that Labor volunteers, Chinese volunteers were spies was an extraordinary thing to say. And it continued a pattern of comments and behaviour by the Liberal Party that Chinese Australians were rightly concerned by. And we did see in many seats in Bennelong, in Chisholm, in Menzies, in Reid and beyond, Chinese Australians being really clear about their views about the Liberal Party.

Brennan: You made the step of acknowledging country as you stepped onto the stage on Saturday night, which I’ve heard meant a lot to Aboriginal Australians after what had happened in the previous week. This is not a gotcha question about your comments on the Voice at all. I just would ask you to reflect on the media’s response to those comments where you had looked at a social issue that may take many decades to progress on reconciliation and acknowledgement of Aboriginal people and yet it was sort of used as a sort of gotcha moment in those final days of the campaign. Did that disappoint you?

Foreign Minister: Of course, look, it was an inaccurate beat up. But I think more importantly, what it did show Australians is that the reflex for the Liberal Party was to have a culture war and get very aggro, let’s be frank. Whereas most Australians weren’t there, most Australians wanted to talk about Medicare and schools and cost of living and tax cuts and fee-free TAFE and childcare and 20 per cent off their HECS debt. That’s where most Australians were. But the Coalition, yet again, their reflex is to have a culture war, which is often very hurtful to First Nations Australians, but more generally to people who care about reconciliation. So, I think it was a demonstration of why the Liberal Party has done so badly in Australia’s cities and suburbs.

Brennan: Overnight we’ve heard of tariffs on incoming films made outside of the United States into America. This could have a damaging effect on our industry here in Australia. What will be your message to the Trump administration on this decision?

Foreign Minister: Well, our message is we make great films together. We collaborate together. We’ve got Australian actors who work on American films. We have films, American films, which are filmed here in Australia. We have collaboration between our artists in the creative industries. The collaboration is a good thing. So, let’s not get in the way of that.

Brennan: And will you serve another term as Foreign Minister, Penny Wong?

Foreign Minister: I absolutely will. And I’m really looking forward to not only doing good things this term, but working in a government that has the capacity to be a really long-term Labor Government and change this country for the better.

Brennan: Alright, thanks for your time this morning.

Foreign Minister: Great to speak with you.

Source: Australia’s climate in 2024: 2nd warmest and 8th wettest year on record

Natalie Barr, Host: For more, we’re joined by Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs in Adelaide. Good morning to you.

Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Good morning, Nat. Great to be with you.

Barr: Let’s talk about these tariffs on the film industry. 100 per cent on films produced outside the US, that would be huge for films made in Australia. What can you do about it?

Foreign Minister: Look, I heard President Trump made some comments overnight about talking to the industry about the effect of it. We all know how many films we see made in Australia, made between Australian and American filmmakers. We know how many Australian actors are beloved by American audiences. So, we obviously will be pressing our view about this to the US Administration. But I do welcome the fact that the President has indicated he’s going to engage with the studios about it. You know, we want to be able to see films where you get both Aussie actors and American studios working together.

Barr: Yeah, because this is a $5 billion industry in Australia. We’ve seen pictures just yesterday of Owen Wilson, the Hollywood star, in Brisbane shooting a movie. It injects millions into this country and the flow on effect is huge. Thousands of jobs are tied to it. But he seemed pretty set on 100 per cent. That would wipe out films being made here.

Foreign Minister: And I think the issue is audiences in the US as well as in Australia like to see Australian actors. We know American films are also filmed here in Australia. You know, the Fall Guy, the Elvis film. So, the reality is that the industry is set up where we do cooperate together. So, we certainly will be engaging not just for the economic opportunity, which you point out it’s a big, it’s a big earner for Australia, but also because it’s a good thing for us to be working together on films, and on entertainment.

Barr: Okay, well, look, keep us posted and let us know how you go with Donald Trump.

Foreign Minister: I’ll do that, I’ll do that.

Barr: Thank you, Penny.