Australian political and global news update

Welcome to our rolling live coverage of all the latest news and developments around Australia and the world this Monday, September 14.

Here is what’s making news today.

Thank you for following our national news live blog on Monday, September 14.

Here’s what made headlines today:

Nationals deputy leader Matt Canavan has slammed Pauline Hanson’s comments about Indigenous people as a “divisive re-reading of our nation’s history”.

“It reduces patriotism. The reason I am a patriot is because I think all parts of our history have made us who we are and I am very proud of that,” Canavan told the ABC.

“That includes our Indigenous heritage too,” he said.

When asked if Hanson should be censured in the Senate after she called Indigenous Australians “the most primitive race on earth”, Canavan said he did not like using that mechanism.

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has condemned as “false claims” Pauline Hanson’s description of Indigenous Australians as “the most primitive race on earth”.

Hanson has been widely rebuked for the comments, which she made on a podcast about a year ago, in which she also attacked what she said is a lack of inventions like the wheel and dismissed Indigenous rock paintings.

“We have thousands of generations of knowledge of this country. We maintained and sustained our land and water and totems for thousands of generations,” Thorpe told the ABC.

“It is unfortunate that Senator Hanson is putting out that narrative. It is very disappointing and (those comments) are harmful,” she said.

Hundreds of workers will be laid off following a decision to permanently shut down a troubled steelworks’ blast furnace.

The Whyalla steelworks’ blast furnace has been offline since April, with workers at the South Australian site told on Monday morning it won’t be restarted.

The furnace, commissioned in the 1960s and used to melt iron ore for making steel, has had repeated shutdowns in recent years and undergone unscheduled maintenance.

About 500 workers are expected to lose their jobs.

Former opposition leader Sussan Ley has been appointed to the board of the Snowy Hydro Project.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen revealed Ley’s appointment – as well as that of former Australian Energy Market Operator executive Merryn York – on Monday.

“Sussan brings extensive experience in government and regional Australia, as well as a strong understanding of Snowy 2.0,” Bowen said.

The project has been marred by delays and cost overruns since construction kicked off in 2020. It was initially costed at $2 billion, but estimates have since blown out to $12 billion. Italian engineering giant WeBuild is delivering the project.

Liberal backbencher Andrew Wallace has attempted to table a stack of papers which he said contained more than 10,000 signatures from Australians opposing Labor’s plan to cut back the private health rebate for over-65s.

He referenced a couple from regional Queensland who he said would be forced to choose between paying their bills and paying for private health insurance.

“Why won’t this government reconsider its position on the private health insurance rebate?” he said.

Health Minister Mark Butler said Australia’s need for more aged care beds meant tough choices had to be made.

“We’ll see an investment of an additional $3 billion that is saved from that measure into those aged care services – services that we desperately, desperately need,” he said.

It’s opposition frontbencher Tony Pasin’s turn to have a go over the Marrickville Golf Club grants.

“2019 footage has emerged depicting the prime minister announcing to a Marrickville Golf anti-development rally, and I quote: ‘I declare an interest. I live in Buchanan Street, and I’ve been coming here for decades and using the club’. Why did the prime minister declare to his golf club that he owned a multi-million-dollar property next door, but failed to declare his golf club membership to the parliament before giving them $6 million?” Pasin said.

Albanese replied: “I make no apologies for the fact that I stand up for every organisation in my electorate. That’s what good local members do.”

The prime minister repeated he had not known about the undeclared membership until last week, and to provide certainty, he had written to the club to decline any honorary membership.

The prime minister has rejected a suggestion Labor gave millions in grants to the Marrickville Golf Club to improve the value of a home he reportedly owned nearby.

A $6 million grant to the club has come under scrutiny after it was revealed Anthony Albanese had not declared an honorary membership, which he said he did not know about and argued was worth $5 over two years.

“The prime minister reportedly owns a multimillion-dollar investment property just 200 metres away from Marrickville Golf Club, where he holds an undisclosed honorary membership,” opposition frontbencher Angie Bell said today.

“Did the prime minister’s decision to hand a $6 million grant to Marrickville Golf Club to upgrade its clubhouse and remove the sewage stink increase the value of his investment property down the road?” she said.

Independent MP Rebekha Sharkie has accused the government of failing on “every metric” over its aged care policy.

“Australia needs 10,000 aged care beds annually to meet demand. Last year, just 800 were added, net,” Sharkie told parliament.

“Over 100,000 older Australians [are] waiting for approved home support. Nearly 5000 have died waiting for a package.”

Aged Care Minister Sam Rae said Labor was committed to rebuilding the system from the ground up after a royal commission exposed “the most profound moral injustice being inflicted upon older people in our community”.

Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson has deployed comments from Labor luminary Bill Kelty to attack the prime minister over the housing crisis.

Kelty told this masthead at the weekend: “The PM is telling the country with glee that the price of property is falling, yet the un affordability rate is increasing.”

During question time today, Wilson asked Anthony Albanese: “Will the prime minister admit Bill Kelty is right?”

In response, Albanese sledged Wilson.