Australia news live: Chaos erupts overnight at Alice Springs Hospital as man arrested over death of Kumanjayi Little Baby; Trump floats new plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz

Before next week’s Farrer byelection, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticised the Liberal and National parties’ preferencing of One Nation over independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe.

“One Nation would not have the opportunity to be successful were it not for the decision of the Liberal Party and the National Party to support One Nation by giving the One Nation candidate preferences,” Albanese said.

“That’s something that is completely contradictory to what John Howard did when he was prime minister, when One Nation were on the rise, way back in 1998 before they collapsed. One Nation has a history of people being elected to Parliament, including here in NSW, such as Mark Latham, and then there being a breakdown in those relationships.”

Albanese said the reason a byelection was taking place on May 9, was because men in the Liberal Party had deposed their first female leader, Sussan Ley.

“People got together and removed Sussan Ley as the leader of the Liberal Party before she even had a chance to give a budget reply, and she was never given an opportunity,” Albanese said.

“The men in the Liberal Party gathered on the day of a funeral of one of their former colleagues in order to discuss who would replace Sussan Ley as the leader of the Liberal Party. And they didn’t give her a chance. That’s why this byelection is occurring.”

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has accused the government of being in denial about the management of Indigenous communities, after former Aboriginal affairs spokeswoman senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, called for an inquiry in an opinion piece this morning.

“Get out of denial about the situation we’re seeing around Alice Springs and elsewhere. I mean, it’s the denial that has led us to this place where people aren’t prepared to have honest conversations about the state of affairs in our town camps and what options there are to address it,” Taylor told Sky News this morning.

“We’ll work with the government on any reasonable options to address this, but we’ve got to get out of denial about what this is doing to those communities.”

Taylor said the government needs to “come clean, confront the reality” of violence and sexual violence in Indigenous communities, and referenced a Coalition election commitment last year to hold a royal commission on the matter.

“We will work with the government on any reasonable proposal to address what is a completely untenable and unsustainable situation,” Taylor said.

“We need to have bipartisanship. We need both sides of politics working together to address what is a truly tragic situation,” he said.

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has called for a “full and transparent investigation” into the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby as she warned events in Alice Springs overnight were spurring racism against Indigenous Australians.

“This is a time of deep grief for our people. It’s a time for sorry business and there must be calm. We must all show respect for the family and those grieving,” Thorpe said.

“There must also be a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances of this crime, and the perpetrator must be held to account.

“Our families and communities must not be demonised or blamed for the violent actions of one individual,” she said.

The national commissioner for Indigenous children has called for an investigation into the correctional systems that allowed the recent release of Jefferson Lewis, who was arrested over the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby.

“This is an extremely sad day for our people,” National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Sue-Anne Hunter said.

“It is with heavy hearts that we acknowledge the devastating loss of Kumanjayi Little Baby. Our thoughts are with her family, her community, the wider Northern Territory public, and all those across the nation carrying grief at this time.

“As we call for justice, we also call for unity, and we remember the loss that sits at the centre of this. The hope we held for Kumanjayi Little Baby’s safe discovery and return must now be held for the futures of our children. This must compel us to be better and do better for them,” she said in a statement.

“Every child has a right to safety and a bright future … We call for a wider investigation into the correctional systems that led to his release.”

Lewis was flown to Darwin in the early hours of this morning following an outbreak of violence in Alice Springs.

Anthony Albanese has defended his government’s funding of security agencies after the release of the first interim report from the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.

“The fact is that all of the agencies since I’ve been prime minister have had increased funding, whether it be [Australian Security Intelligence Organisation], the Australian Signals Directorate, the [Australian Secret Intelligence Service] or the Australian Federal Police,” the prime minister said.

The royal commission yesterday reported that despite rises in intelligence agency funding, spending has been “significantly” shifted away from counter-terrorism since 2020. Funding has moved towards foreign espionage and interference.

Albanese said the commission would continue to work through the issues, and all recommendations relating to the Commonwealth in yesterday’s interim report have been adopted.

The interim report provided 14 recommendations for the Commonwealth alongside states and territories, including a commitment to the National Gun Buyback Scheme and enhanced policing of “high risk” Jewish community events.

Senior Yapa (Warlpiri) elder Robin Granites, spokesperson for the family of Kumanjayi Little Baby, has called for calm and respect.

“It is time now for sorry business, to show respect for our family and have space for grieving and remembering.

“Everyone is feeling very upset and emotions are very high, I understand that.

“This man has been caught, thanks to community action, and we must now let justice take its course while we take the time to mourn Kumanjayi Little Baby and support our family,” Granites said.

He urged people to carefully consider their need to travel to Mparntwe/Alice Springs in a statement distributed on Friday by SNAICC – National Voice for our Children.

“If you need to come to join sorry business, that’s fine. But just come for that, then return home please.

“Now is not the time to be heroes on social media or make trouble.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said word of the Kumanjayi Little Baby’s death “breaks your heart”, and that he understood the “anger and frustration” of community members, but called for calm.

“This is a community that are hurting, that need to come together.”

“There’s meetings there on the ground, as we speak right now, bringing together community leaders, the police, the health workers, the people at the hospital who had to deal with what occurred last night,” Albanese told a press conference in Sydney this morning.

“We want to see the community come together, but we certainly understand people’s anger and frustration and that that was expressed, but we want the community to come together,” he said.

The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.

The statement furthers an argument earlier laid out by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war.

Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.

A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28 have terminated”.

Donald Trump has invited Iraq’s prime minister nominee to visit Washington after he forms a new government, as the US seeks to limit Iran’s influence on its neighbour.

In a telephone call, Trump and Ali al-Zaidi discussed “ways to develop and strengthen” bilateral relations between the US and Iraq in various fields, according to a statement from the Iraqi premier’s office. They also agreed to cooperate to consolidate stability in the region.

Iraq’s largest Shiite bloc, the Coordination Framework, nominated Zaidi to be the next prime minister after Nouri al-Maliki, who held the position between 2006 and 2014, withdrew his bid for another tenure.

The candidacy of Maliki, who boasts close ties with Iran, alarmed Washington, as Trump stressed that his return would cause a rift between the US and Iraq – the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ second-largest producer.

Qantas’ plan to fly fewer domestic services has been extended for a further three months while the war-sparked fuel crisis continues to bite.

The airline said its 5 per cent cut in domestic capacity, initially planned from May to June, would be extended to September.

International capacity will also decline by two percentage points until the first quarter of 2027.

Airlines globally have been grappling with a run-up in fuel prices sparked by the Iran war, which has removed fuel supply, reduced capacity, driven up oil and jet fuel costs, and diminished demand for flights in some domestic markets.