Australia news LIVE: Country’s bulk-billing black spots, treasurer wants definition for superannuation, death toll in New Zealand climbs

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he wants to act as quickly as possible to address the deadly threat posed by silica dust from manufactured kitchen benchtops, saying the issue required coordination between state and federal governments.

At a press conference in Perth, as part of a two-day visit to WA that includes a meeting of the federal cabinet in Port Headland tomorrow, Albanese was asked whether he would fast-track a ban on imported manufactured stone products.

“The issue of silicosis is a really serious one, and it is impacting on workers,” he said. “That has got to be front and centre. We’ll look at what can be done with state and territory governments in co-operation.

“This should not be a partisan issue. It should be an issue which is about occupational health and safety, with the safety of those workers front and centre,” Albanese said.

He pointed to the joint investigation between this masthead and 60 Minutes, which aired the stories of workers battling the debilitating symptoms of the lung disease, as having reinforced concerns about the issue.

In response to the coverage, Federal Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke confirmed he had put silicosis on the agenda at next week’s meeting of workplace health and safety ministers.

“Certainly, I’m of the view that we should respond as quickly as we can. But we want to work this through with state and territory governments, with the industry as well, to make sure that there aren’t any unintended consequences. My government acts in an orderly fashion and we will be doing so on this as well,” Albanese said.

If you haven’t had a COVID vaccine, or had the virus, in the last six months, you’re eligible for a new booster shot as of today.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) is recommending the booster, in particular, for people who are at risk of severe illness.

But how do you decide whether it’s for you? Here’s how chair of epidemiology at Deakin University, Catherine Bennett, explains it to Samantha Selinger-Morris:

Really, the focus is on those at risk of more severe illness.

It might make a difference if there are people that have had COVID but were actually quite unwell with that – that might help reduce symptomatic illness. And it might, for a while, get a bit of protection against infection.

Read the full details here.

A former Nationals MP who quit the party due to its opposition to the Voice to parliament, says sceptics will be proven wrong about the proposal.

Andrew Gee, who quit the party in December and now sits on the cross bench as an independent, has joined Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney in regional NSW as the Yes campaign kicks off.

Gee said people who had opposed the High Court’s Mabo decision, which recognised Indigenous land rights, were proven wrong about the implications and the same would happen with the voice.

“Sceptics out there, once this voice is implemented, will see that this is not a scary thing, this is not a bad moment for our history, this is an uplifting moment for our history,” he told reporters in Orange today.

“We want this to be a true community conversation, and it should be a moment in our history to celebrate and not to divide.

“I just hope that the sceptics will approach this with an open mind and an open heart.”

Earlier, Nationals Leader David Littleproud told Sky News the voice would create an extra layer of bureaucracy that wouldn’t help advance better outcomes for Indigenous people.

But Burney labelled Littleproud’s comments as “misinformation” and “scaremongering”.

AAP

Thanks for joining us this Monday. Before we close our coverage of the day, here’s a wrap of what’s made news:

• The prime minister says he wants action on the deadly threat of silica dust from manufactured kitchen benchtops addressed “as quickly as we can” following an extensive investigation by this masthead
• Superannuation tax concessions worth $53 billion could be overhauled by Treasurer Jim Chalmers in an attempt to repair the budget’s bottom line
• An Australian man has been killed by a shark on a popular beach in New Caledonia
• Australia cricket captain Pat Cummins is returning to Sydney due to a family illness but will rejoin the team in India for the final two Tests
• Negotiators are working to free an Australian professor and his team taken hostage in PNG

And if you’re brave enough to delve into the Roald Dahl debate, acclaimed children’s author Andy Griffiths offers a fresh take here (it has the name “Augustus Gloop” in the headline, which means you pretty much have to read it).

Have a good night. We’re back from 7am tomorrow.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he wants to act as quickly as possible to address the deadly threat posed by silica dust from manufactured kitchen benchtops, saying the issue required coordination between state and federal governments.

At a press conference in Perth, as part of a two-day visit to WA that includes a meeting of the federal cabinet in Port Headland tomorrow, Albanese was asked whether he would fast-track a ban on imported manufactured stone products.

“The issue of silicosis is a really serious one, and it is impacting on workers,” he said. “That has got to be front and centre. We’ll look at what can be done with state and territory governments in co-operation.

“This should not be a partisan issue. It should be an issue which is about occupational health and safety, with the safety of those workers front and centre,” Albanese said.

He pointed to the joint investigation between this masthead and 60 Minutes, which aired the stories of workers battling the debilitating symptoms of the lung disease, as having reinforced concerns about the issue.

In response to the coverage, Federal Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke confirmed he had put silicosis on the agenda at next week’s meeting of workplace health and safety ministers.

“Certainly, I’m of the view that we should respond as quickly as we can. But we want to work this through with state and territory governments, with the industry as well, to make sure that there aren’t any unintended consequences. My government acts in an orderly fashion and we will be doing so on this as well,” Albanese said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Perth this afternoon visiting a local TAFE. He was due to speak to the media around 4.30pm AEDT (1.30pm local time), but is expected any moment now.

Tomorrow, national cabinet will meet in northern WA, in the town of Port Hedland.

If you haven’t had a COVID vaccine, or had the virus, in the last six months, you’re eligible for a new booster shot as of today.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) is recommending the booster, in particular, for people who are at risk of severe illness.

But how do you decide whether it’s for you? Here’s how chair of epidemiology at Deakin University, Catherine Bennett, explains it to Samantha Selinger-Morris:

Really, the focus is on those at risk of more severe illness.

It might make a difference if there are people that have had COVID but were actually quite unwell with that – that might help reduce symptomatic illness. And it might, for a while, get a bit of protection against infection.

Read the full details here.