Australia news as it happened: PM lands in Washington ahead of meeting with Trump; Jacinta Price fronts court in high-stakes defamation battle

That’s where we’ll leave today’s live coverage. Join us again tomorrow for a dedicated live coverage of the Albanese-Trump meeting and a separate continuing live coverage in other news.

Here’s what we covered today.

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has touched down in the United States ahead of a scheduled face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump. The meeting is set to take place early tomorrow morning, AEDT. Upholding the under-review AUKUS pact, and leveraging Australia’s role in supplying the West with critical minerals, will be high on the agenda. It will be the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders since Albanese took office.

• The Coalition will put forward a policy to cut personal income tax at the 2028 federal election, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has announced. Ley said the policy commitment would target low- and middle-income earners. Under Peter Dutton, the opposition controversially opposed Labor’s tax cut proposal just before the election.

• Nationals leader David Littleproud has denied feuding with Barnaby Joyce while insisting the New England MP must accept the fact he has been shunted to the backbench. Joyce – a former Nationals leader – wrote to his branch members at the weekend to claim he had been forced to stand down at the next election and quit the party room due to a personality clash with Littleproud.

• Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price “trampled” on the reputation of a prominent Indigenous leader without caring whether her claims were true or false, the Federal Court has heard. Price fronted the Federal Court in Darwin today for the first day of a defamation case, which was filed against her by Central Land Council chief executive Les Turner.

• Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has announced it will order an independent inquiry into allegations of a toxic workplace culture, sexual harassment and safety compliance breaches. The announcement follows a months-long investigation by this masthead and 60 Minutes into the service, which covers an area from the NSW Central Coast to the Queensland border.

• A Melbourne protest that resulted in rocks being thrown at police was an aberration, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has suggested, while maintaining the city is safe. Allan once again rejected calls for a protest permit system and defended the right to protest peacefully, saying Sunday’s incident should not be conflated with demonstrations that had become a constant weekend presence.

Chris Minns says a breakfast meeting with former Labor premier-turned lobbyist Morris Iemma was not disclosed because the catch-up was “about something to do with a local political scene” – despite emails later discussing proposed housing redevelopment projects.

Minns said that receiving advice from Iemma, one of the state’s most influential lobbyists, was “not necessarily particularly strange”, comparing it to something offered in the “opinion pages in the newspaper” or “when you brush past someone at the opening of something”.

Iemma has established one of the most sought-after lobbying shops among property developers because of the access offered to the state Labor government.

Read the full story here.

Victoria’s premier has reiterated her opposition to a protest permit system and defended the right to protest peacefully.

Speaking from a Melbourne hospital earlier today, the premier said Sunday’s violence should not be conflated with demonstrations that have become a constant weekend presence.

Catch up on that press conference below.

Moderate Liberals have hailed Barnaby Joyce’s planned departure from the Coalition after blaming the former Nationals leader’s brand of populist politics for costing them votes in an election where many lost their seats.

This masthead revealed last week that Joyce was in advanced talks with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, and the New England MP has since confirmed he would not contest his seat at the election due in 2028, paving the way for him to run for the minor party in the Senate.

Jason Falinski, a former Liberal MP for Mackellar on Sydney’s northern beaches, said it would be “positive” for the Liberals if Joyce were to represent One Nation.

“He costs us votes in 2022,” said Falinski, who lost his seat in that election to pro-climate action independent Sophie Scamps and who also served as a Liberal Party NSW state president.

Read the full story here.

A buyer has been found for Regional Express Airlines, which collapsed into administration 15 months ago.

Sources with direct knowledge of the deal, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said Nasdaq-listed US aviation company Air T had agreed to buy Rex, and the deal would leave most of the airline’s creditors empty-handed.

The terms of the deal were expected to be released as early as this week, the sources said.

Read the full story here.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has raised the alarm about the cost of the NDIS as she seeks to position the Coalition as the party better able to manage the budget.

Ley delivered a speech on Monday pledging to cut income taxes if elected. Under Peter Dutton, the opposition controversially opposed Labor’s tax cut proposal just before the election.

Speaking on 2GB, Ley flagged the $52 billion disability scheme as one place the government could save funds.

Labor is also trying to trim the scheme.

“I was talking to a teacher who said that one in six boys aged six or under are on the NDIS,” she said.“What … is going on?”

Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price “trampled” on the reputation of a prominent Indigenous leader without caring whether her claims were true or false, the Federal Court has heard in a high-stakes defamation battle.

Price fronted the Federal Court in Darwin today for the first day of the defamation case, which was filed against her by Central Land Council chief executive Les Turner. She is expected to give evidence during the seven-day trial.

Turner, who launched the proceedings against Price in September last year, alleges Price defamed him in a media release published on her website and emailed to almost 2000 journalists in July that year.

He was not named, but Price said in the document that an unsuccessful motion of no confidence had been moved against “the CEO of the Central Land Council”.

Read the full story here.