Australia news LIVE: Defence Minister hails Australia’s defence relationship with the US; NATO thanks Australia for sending aircraft to monitor Russian threats

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7.17am

Canavan responds to Paterson’s populism claims: ‘I don’t care what people call us’

By Emily Kaine

Nationals senator Matt Canavan has responded to Liberal frontbencher James Paterson’s remarks this week that a Nigel Farage-style populist turn could destroy the Liberal party.

Speaking to Sky News this morning, Canavan insisted that he was not concerned about being labelled by “particular political philosophies”, and instead called on the Coalition to direct their efforts into dumping net zero, cracking down on immigration and “fighting for the Australian people”.

“I don’t really like putting labels on anything, whether they’re labels for particular political philosophies or labels representing political leaders in other countries. What I think we should do is just put our own country first, and think of the Australian people. The reason I believe we’re in these doldrums is because we’ve ... rolled over on issues like net zero.

“So what I want to see is us rediscover our fighting spirit. That’s the only way we’ll win. We should be, as I say, putting the Australian people first, and the way to do that is to dump net zero, regain control of our borders and fight for the Australian people. So I don’t care what people call us. I don’t care if you call us Farage or Trump or far right, whatever.”

7.02am

Ferries slowed as fog blankets Sydney

By Daniel Lo Surdo

A thick blanket of fog covered Sydney this morning, prompting some ferry services to run at reduced speeds as they navigated poor visibility.

The fog appeared shortly after sunrise, rolling through Sydney Harbour and partially obscuring the view of the Harbour Bridge and CBD skyline, before thinning as the morning wore on.

Transport for NSW confirmed a handful of ferries travelling on the Parramatta River were slowed by the fog, but that other services were unaffected.

The Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in a view of the city obscured by fog.

6.44am

NATO thanks Australia for role in monitoring Russian threats

By David Crowe

An Australian surveillance aircraft will return home after patrolling Europe during nightly Russian bombardments of Ukraine.

The aircraft and its crew completed 45 missions during periods of high alert when Russian forces were sending swarms of drones over Ukraine and provoking NATO with drone incursions over Poland and Estonia.

The end of the deployment comes as Ukraine calls for more international support to heighten pressure on Russia, amid hopes the ceasefire in the Middle East could be followed by a peace deal in Europe.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte thanked Australia for sending the aircraft to watch for threats from Russia, as he warned that conflict in Europe was shaping security risks in Asia, writes David Crowe.

6.44am

Marles declares US-Australia defence relationship ‘closer than any other country’

By Paul Sakkal

Defence Minister Richard Marles has declared that Australia’s defence relationship with the US is “closer than any other country”, ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to meet with US President Donald Trump next week.

Despite months of turmoil sparked by Trump’s tariffs and a Pentagon probe into the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, Marles predicted a warm meeting between Albanese and Trump next Monday, pushing back on fears of an Oval Office blow-up such as the one Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky faced this year.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.

Marles, in an interview with this masthead in his parliamentary office, opened up on his August talks with top Trump lieutenants JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth. The group shared “only positive words” on AUKUS, Marles revealed, and a focus on Australia’s role in the Indo-Pacific.

The opposition has criticised Albanese for taking until October to meet Trump for bilateral talks despite the president being inaugurated in January, but Marles defended the delay, saying it was down to “happenstance” and Australia’s May election.

The prime minister has taken heavy reading material with him on his week-long Pacific holiday this week as he prepares for one of his most important foreign trips to date, with AUKUS, critical minerals, tariff exemptions and the US-China contest on the agenda.

6.44am

What’s making news today

By Emily Kaine

Good morning and welcome to our national news live blog for Thursday, October 16. My name is Emily Kaine, and I’ll be helming our coverage throughout this morning. Here’s what is making headlines today.

Defence Minister Richard Marles has declared that Australia’s defence relationship with the US is “closer than any other country”, ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s meeting with President Donald Trump next week.
An Australian surveillance aircraft will return home after patrolling Europe during nightly Russian bombardments of Ukraine. The aircraft and its crew completed 45 missions during periods of high alert when Russian forces were sending swarms of drones over Ukraine and provoking NATO with drone incursions over Poland and Estonia. David Crowe writes that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte thanked Australia for sending the aircraft to watch for threats from Russia, as he warned that conflict in Europe was shaping security risks in Asia.
Victorian primary school students will see their screen time slashed to a maximum of 90 minutes a day in the classroom, in a major change aimed at returning students to traditional learning. The Victorian government will unveil the major education reform today.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the murder of five Australian-based journalists known as the Balibo Five – Seven News reporter Greg Shackleton, 29, cameraman Gary Cunningham, 27, and sound recordist Tony Stewart, 21, and Nine News reporter Malcolm Rennie, 28, and cameraman Brian Peters, 29. The five newsmen had gone to East Timor to report on Indonesia’s impending invasion. They were deliberately shot and stabbed by Indonesian special forces in the early morning of October 16, 1975, to prevent them from exposing the covert attack on the border town of Balibo. Kate Aubusson and the Sydney Morning Herald’s chief photographer Kate Geraghty travelled to Timor-Leste and spoke with one of the last surviving witnesses of the events surrounding the murder of the Balibo Five.