Australia news LIVE: PM called misogynist for describing Grace Tame as ‘difficult’; Trade minister says government will fight Trump tariffs

Greens leader Larissa Waters has responded to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelling former Australian of the Year Grace Tame “difficult”.

Albanese is under fire after he took a swipe at Tame during the Herald Sun’s Future Victoria Summit yesterday, where during a word association game he called the activist and child abuse survivor “difficult”.

Waters posted on X and suggested the PM instead try the words “unbreakable”, “warrior” or “fierce” to describe Tame.

Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson also lobbied this morning for income tax cuts but stopped short of promising to take the policy to the next election.

“We’ll always work towards income tax cuts. We’ll always work towards them, as far as I’m concerned, because that’s how you incentivise work,” Wilson told ABC Radio National.

Asked whether that meant tax cuts would be a part of the Coalition’s economic policy, Wilson said: “We have to wait to see what bonfire we have inherited from the current government”.

“We’re going to obviously have a plan to lead up to the next election, but if I can achieve income tax cuts, I’ll always work towards it.”

Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame has reacted to the prime minister labelling her “difficult” and shared a series of supportive Instagram posts.

The prime minister has come under fire for taking the swipe at Tame during the Herald Sun’s Future Victoria Summit yesterday, where during a word association game he said the activist and child abuse survivor was difficult.

“‘Difficult’ is the misogynist’s code for a woman who won’t comply. History tends to call her courageous,” said one post by activist Harrison James.

Tame shared another from actor Kath Ebbs.

“If by ‘difficult’ you meant women not void of personality, a spine and a voice then yeah difficult it is … people standing up for something is more than we could say for our PM. Not only is Grace one of the greatest gifts in my life but she is a gift to so many. A voice for the voiceless and a beacon of hope for victims of abuse everywhere,” they said.

Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson said graft on CFMEU government projects and fraud in the NDIS was costing the budget and driving inflation.

Asked where the Coalition would make cuts in the budget to rein in government spending, Wilson said: “We would cut out the $15 billion dollars that’s gone from the taxpayer to organised crime by the CFMEU, apart from being outrageous, it’s also inflationary.

“The federal government has been contributing to these projects as well, and the prime minister refuses to do any audit to establish how much federal money is finding its way into organised crime.

“But we also know that the NDIA themselves have estimated around 10 per cent of the NDIS is going towards fraud,” Wilson told ABC Radio National.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government had cracked down on the CFMEU and was making good progress in bringing NDIS growth under control. “When we came to office, growth in spending on the NDIS I think was up around 22 per cent. We’re getting it down closer to between 5 and 6 per cent,” he said.

“We’ve made good progress there, but there is more work to do there, and I commend here [Health Minister] Mark Butler and [Disability Minister] Jenny McAllister, who are doing an absolute mountain of work, including with the states, to make sure that the NDIS delivers on its key objectives.”

China’s foreign ministry has responded to reports that the prime minister’s evacuation from The Lodge was prompted by Mandarin-language bomb threats aimed at a dissident dance troupe.

Beijing’s foreign minister spokeswoman, Mao Ning, in response to questions from the ABC, said China opposed “all forms of violent attacks”.

She went on to attack the Shun Yen dance troupe, which is linked to the Falun Gong religious movement, saying that “the so-called ‘Shen Yun’ performance is not a normal cultural activity at all, but a political tool used by the Falun Gong organisation to spread cult information and amass wealth”.

“In recent years, the so-called ‘Shen Yun’ performing arts troupe’s systematic abuse, illegal employment, and mind control of its staff have been repeatedly exposed. We hope that all sectors will remain vigilant.”

The dance troupe, operated by the persecuted religious movement, is currently touring Australia.

The threats reported in The Epoch Times, also linked to Falun Gong and independently verified by this masthead, said The Lodge would be blown up unless the performances were cancelled. The Australian Federal Police is investigating.

You can read more about the troupe here.

Staying with the opposition leader, Taylor accused Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke of being “hopelessly conflicted” on the issue of a cohort of 34 IS brides and their children seeking passage home to Australia.

Speaking to Sky News this morning, Taylor said: “The person who is driving the repatriation of these so-called ISIS brides who are ISIS members, ISIS supporters, is a close political ally of Tony Burke.”

“And so there are very serious questions here for Tony. Tony Burke, he is hopelessly conflicted. He had meetings, as have others, that are clear, clearing the way for these people to come back to Australia. Passports have been issued. There has only been one temporary exclusion order issued. I mean, it is clear this government is assisting, and as I say, doing everything but driving them to the airport.”

The government maintains it is not assisting the women and children to return home to Australia.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor says it is “critical” that the Liberal Party becomes a party of “conviction” to win back its voter base.

“Those who have left the Liberal Party for One Nation, it is critical that we restore confidence in the Liberal Party, that we attract those voters back. There are reasons they have left us. We need to be seen as a party of conviction, a party that is focused on the issues that really matter to Australians,” he told Sky News just now.

The newly appointed opposition leader faces a substantial challenge to attract voters after a devastating loss in the last federal election and a steep decline in popular support.

While support for the Liberals has plunged, recent polling has shown unprecedented support for One Nation.

Taylor also said he understood and respected members of the Coalition who had defected to One Nation due to their frustrations with the Liberal Party.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the May budget would be ambitious while recognising the economic challenges facing Australians following higher-than-expected inflation figures yesterday.

Asked whether that meant significant cuts, Chalmers said: “There will be more savings in the budget, we’ve made that clear.

“All of this is about responsible economic management. People can expect to see more of that in May, and as part of that, there will be more savings,” he told ABC Radio National.

Chalmers singled out economic hurdles, including inflation, the “long-standing productivity challenge”, and global economic uncertainty.

“These are the key factors and pressures that we’re focused on as we get closer towards making some key decisions about what will be and won’t be in the budget in May,” he said.

Staying with McKenzie, the National Party senator seemed unmoved by new video footage, obtained by this masthead, of Australian children stuck in Syrian detainment camps.

The 23 children of a cohort of IS brides, some of whom were born inside a Syrian camp, spoke of their dreams of returning home to Australia.

Responding to a snippet of one of those videos, Today host Karl Stefanovic asked: “Bridget, it’s tough to watch, isn’t it?”

“Karl, I mean, obviously, this is an awful situation. These women left a safe, prosperous, free country like ours to go fight in a war and support a war effort that was going to set up Islamic State and raise these children, these Australian children under sharia law, you know?” McKenzie responded.

But her resolve on the issue seemed to be unbroken.

“We do not want these women or their children back here,” she said.

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie did not rule out the possibility of the Coalition and One Nation taking on Labor together when asked if they would “join forces”.

“No one’s saying that those on the non-Labor side of parliament won’t be doing everything we can to stop a Labor government,” she told the Today show.

She did not dismiss suggestions that this sounded like a concession they would consider teaming up with Pauline Hanson’s party ahead of the next election.

“We’re a long way from a federal and state election outcome, but there’s an incredible amount of frustration, particularly from Australians working hard who are at the front line of the Labor Party’s economic agenda,” McKenzie said. “And it’s up to us on the non-Labor side to make sure we have the policies in front of everyday Australians so that they have a real choice at the next election.”

McKenzie’s comments come as polling shows popular support for One Nation surging, while support for the Coalition plunges.