Labor wins Gilmore, the final seat in dispute after the 2022 election, leaving the house of representatives with 77 Labor members, the Coalition 58, and Greens/Independents with 16;
The Australian Medical Association president, Dr Omar Khorshid, has welcomed the appointment of Mark Butler as health minister and called for upcoming discussions on healthcare to address the “growing crisis in Australia’s hospital system”.
In a statement, Khorshid said Butler had invaluable experience as a former minister for ageing and Australia’s first minister for mental health in the Gillard government, as well as in the role of opposition health spokesman. But he urged him to “grasp this opportunity to start a new relationship with the states and territories on reforming the health system”.
Khorshid said:
While we need a long-term funding solution, we also need practical, short-to-medium-term solutions that can be implemented soon and don’t have any unintended consequences, including extending the short-term 50/50 hospital funding that’s due to expire in September.
Covid is not over. We need to work on way to make our society and health system more resilient to endemic Covid in order to avoid unnecessary deaths and the huge disruptions to our hospital system. This winter, we need to make sure people with respiratory illnesses are getting the care they need in the right settings.
Just on Albanese’s comments earlier about his cabinet containing more women than any other in history: he has 10 women in the 22 cabinet positions, and 13 in total in the ministry of 29.
Worth noting that climate change is not part of the environment portfolio held by Tanya Plibersek, who also has responsibility for water. Chris Bowen is minister for climate change and energy.
Anthony Albanese has declined to offer a public update on any representations he might be making to the US about the case against the Wikileaks cofounder, Julian Assange. The prime minister gave a response that indicated any discussions would be conducted behind closed doors.
Albanese has previously expressed concern about the case against Assange for disclosures related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, saying in December 2021 he did “not see what purpose is served by the ongoing pursuit of Mr Assange” and that “enough is enough”.
Penny Wong, who is now minister for foreign affairs, told the National Press Club on 13 May:
I think whatever the views people have about Mr Assange’s behaviour, I think the case – it is clear that this has dragged on a long time. And certainly, we would encourage, were we elected, the US government to bring this matter to a close. But ultimately, that is a matter for the administration.
Guardian Australia asked whether Albanese’s position, as prime minister, was that the US should be encouraged to drop charges against Assange and whether he had made any representations to that effect. The prime minister replied with a single-sentence response:
My position is that not all foreign affairs is best done with the loudhailer.
A few people have pointed out that the Billy Bragg reference Albanese made was to the song “to have and to have not”, and specifically to the lyric: “just because you’re going forwards, doesn’t mean I’m going backwards”. Which makes a little more sense than what I’d heard earlier.
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