Australia news LIVE: Albanese warns against fuelling extremism; Kim, Putin in Beijing for military parade; Afghanistan earthquake death toll passes 1400

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6.43am

Albanese warns opponents against fuelling extremism

By Paul Sakkal

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned his political opponents against fuelling radicalism and threats to politicians after the weekend’s anti-immigration rallies, the arrests of neo-Nazis and growing concern about far-right conspiracists.

Parliament was again engulfed in debate over extremism on a day when Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan was confronted by a prominent neo-Nazi, an incident Albanese labelled as “horrific”.

The prime minister, pictured on Tuesday, was questioned about a hostile regional reception he received last week.

The prime minister was probed in question time about the hostile treatment he received at an event last week in the Victorian town of Ballarat.

Albanese, under pressure over the building of unpopular green energy projects in regional areas, was repeatedly heckled by a crowd that included a woman with a noose around her neck.

6.38am

Trump urged to stick with AUKUS

By Michael Koziol

A high-level coalition of former ministers and military leaders is urging the Trump administration not to abandon the AUKUS pact with Australia and the United Kingdom, saying that while it will rob the US of nuclear-powered submarines at a crucial time, the benefits are worth the cost.

Jim Mattis, who served as Donald Trump’s defence secretary in his first term, co-wrote a piece published in the respected journal Foreign Affairs with former Australian defence minister Marise Payne, former UK chief of defence staff Nicholas Carter and former US chief of naval operations Gary Roughead.

Jim Mattis and Marise Payne, the respective defence ministers of the US and Australia in 2018, have co-authored a piece urging Trump to stick with AUKUS.

Published overnight, the essay warns that cancelling or substantially weakening AUKUS “would do the work of Washington’s adversaries for them”, noting both China and Russia do not like the alliance.

6.34am

What’s making news today

By Daniel Lo Surdo

Hello and welcome to the national news blog. My name is Daniel Lo Surdo, and I’ll be helming our live coverage this morning.

Here’s what is making news today:

Labor is set to introduce legislation within hours to force Australians to pay for access to government documents under freedom of information laws, to combat anonymous bot requests and allow public servants to give frank advice. The legislation has been criticised by the opposition, who described it as a “truth tax”, while the government has called it a necessary step to ensure the smooth functioning of the public service.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has joined Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing. They will be attending a military parade at 11am today when China is expected to unveil new weaponry in a show of military muscle aimed at Western powers. Kim arrived with a delegation that included his daughter. It’s his first time attending a major multilateral event in his 14-year rule. Twenty-six country leaders are in Beijing for the parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, including former Australian politicians Dan Andrews and Bob Carr.
The death toll from a strong earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has passed 1400, according to the Taliban government, with more than 3000 injured after the 6.0 magnitude quake struck on Monday (AEST). Australian officials are working with the United Nations and other international partners to support relief efforts, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong describing the loss of life as “devastating”. Another earthquake, of magnitude 5.5, shook south-eastern Afghanistan overnight.