Australia news LIVE: PM vows to cut migration as One Nation leads in third poll; Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un to meet in North Korea

Italian prosecutors have put Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir under investigation over the treatment of activists who were part of a Gaza flotilla last month, a judicial source said.

The source, who asked not to be named, confirmed earlier reports by Italian news agencies and said that Ben-Gvir was being investigated on suspicion of torture and kidnapping of Italian citizens who were among the activists.

If the probe determines charges are warranted, prosecutors could lodge a formal request for trial.

In response to the Italian investigation, Ben-Gvir said in a statement: “I will not shy away from one investigation or another and will continue to stand proudly alongside our fighters.”

Sticking with the ABC managing director, Hugh Marks defended the broadcaster’s collaboration on a podcast about autism with former Australian of the Year Grace Tame.

Marks said he understood why people objected to the project, but that it had begun before Tame chanted “globalise the intifada” at a rally earlier this year.

“When we engaged her for the project … it was before those particular comments that were made,” he told Radio National.

“I understand why people feel Grace shouldn’t have a program on the ABC, given you know the controversy that’s reported and associated with many of her comments, but I think if you look at the program itself, you know, it’s a great podcast that she’s done, a great job on a topic that I’m sure will be of real interest and real importance to many Australians who suffer from those conditions.”

Asked whether it was appropriate for radio presenter Charlie Pickering to weigh into the debate, Marks said: “He did express that they were his own views. They weren’t represented at the ABC. It was a little bit on the hop and a little bit not, so I think you know we felt comfortable that we were able to accept that his comments weren’t a breach of the ABC code of conduct.”

ABC managing director Hugh Marks said disagreement with outgoing news director Justin Stevens on the future of the broadcaster’s news division led to the veteran leader’s departure.

“Maybe we felt there were different directions to pursue,” Marks told ABC Radio National.

“A lot of people, particularly in the live news area of the ABC, I think, feel stretched and pressured, and that’s because we’ve added services to what we do.

“That’s a problem that I know I’ve got to solve.”

The Labor Party has rolled out social media ads asking for donations to counter the rise of One Nation as polls begin to show the minor party overtaking the government.

The ads ask Labor supporters to donate between $10 and $27 to “take on” One Nation and stop the minor party turning polling support into seats.

“This is still early but we can’t let them gain any more momentum,” one post says.

“99 per cent of people reading this won’t contribute. We hope you’ll be different,” another says.

A recent Redbridge poll projected that Labor could lose as many as 18 seats in a One Nation flood if an election were held today. The next election will be called before May 2028.

Staying with Thistlethwaite’s appearance on ABC TV this morning, the minister has said the government strongly backs a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Iran as the conflict continues to wreak havoc on the Australian economy.

His remarks follow a flare-up of violence between the two countries, who traded strikes earlier in the week, threatening to derail peace negotiations.

“It’s a fragile ceasefire, and we want it to become a permanent ceasefire. Australians are becoming increasingly frustrated with the stop-start of this conflict and its ongoing effects on our economy and the international economy,” Thistlethwaite said.

“They’re paying for it at the petrol bowsers, and it’s starting to flow through to household owners, particularly food and groceries.”

Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite said US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a new 12.5 per cent tariff on imports from 60 countries, including Australia, is “unjustified”.

Washington has justified the threat by claiming the countries have violated anti-slavery laws on imported goods.

Thistlethwaite called the threat unfair this morning, as he defended Australia’s record of enforcing “some of the most stringent and strongest anti-forced labour and modern slavery laws in the world”.

“These tariffs are completely unjustified,” he told ABC’s News Breakfast program.

“We will continue to try and negotiate and work with the United States to have them removed as quickly as possible.”

Nationals leader Matt Canavan has rejected suggestions this morning that One Nation is the new opposition in waiting, after another poll showed Pauline Hanson’s party leading the Coalition in popularity.

“It doesn’t stand up because the opposition is the one with the second-most seats in the parliament … We’ve got to get rid of this government. I think the polls show that very clearly,” he told Sky News.

Canavan said he would not be distracted by polls so far out from the next federal election.

“It’s a long way to the next election, and I’m not going to get distracted by polls that will come out. There’ll be hundreds of polls between now and an election.”

Satisfaction with life among Australians is lower now than during the depths of the pandemic as financial pressures and housing costs squeeze people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, with Anthony Albanese admitting the cost of living is contributing to the splintering of the nation’s politics.

Research made public this morning by consultancy KPMG shows life satisfaction – a measure that tracks whether a person is content with their circumstances – is now substantially lower than it was in the mid-2010s across all age groups, while it has nose-dived among people facing the biggest financial hit.

Large proportions of people would struggle to find $2000 in an emergency, a key measure of financial stress, while household wealth levels have stalled since the start of the decade.

KPMG urban economist Terry Rawnsley said unlike during the pandemic, when many Australians had their income levels boosted by government schemes such as JobKeeper and ultra-low interest rates, people today were under sustained financial pressure.

“These factors have left many average Australians in a precarious financial position for the better part of five years and is undoubtedly affecting how they feel about their lives,” he said.

Hello and welcome to our national news live blog for Tuesday, June 9. If you’re just catching up on the news after the long weekend, here’s what you need to know.

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed to cut migration as a third consecutive poll shows One Nation leading in popularity over both Labor and the Coalition. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has blamed Labor’s May budget for the Coalition’s flailing polling numbers, and told this masthead the budget had “further eroded trust in the political system”.
• One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce told The Australian that the December shooting at Bondi Beach was the “political bomb” that triggered his party’s rise. He said his defection to the party had made it socially acceptable for Australians to say they supported One Nation.
• Former NRL player and Fijian international Kane Evans has detailed his battles with alcohol, substance addiction and suicidal thoughts while wrestling with his sexuality in an emotional interview aired on Channel Nine’s 100% Footy last night. The 34-year-old is just the second male player to publicly come out as gay in professional Australian rugby league.
• Israel and Iran traded fire yesterday in their first attacks since the US struck a ceasefire with Tehran two months ago. Hours later, Iran’s military said that it would stop offensive operations, but that it would strike again if Israel attacks Lebanon. US President Donald Trump called for an end to the renewed violence, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to respond to any future strikes “with force”.
• And Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in North Korea to meet Kim Jong-un in his first visit to the country in seven years.