Australian news and politics live: Greens elect Queensland senator Larissa Waters as new leader

Speaking to media, Greens Leader Larissa Waters declared the left-wing party would work to address social and economic inequality and always call out “genocide” and “atrocities” when they occur, alluding to the Middle East conflict.

She said the Greens would push for funding for services.

“We’ve got to make sure that in a wealthy country like ours, everyone’s got a roof over their heads, and there’s a generation that’s been locked out of that,” Senator Waters said.

“We’ve got to make sure that we have strong funding for public services.

“We’ve got growing inequality here, and without full funding for the schools, for hospitals, for services, for raising the rate, then people are going to continue to suffer.

“Now, whether Greens are of course, we stand firm always on social justice and human rights, whether that’s First Nations justice, whether that’s free Palestine, whether that’s peace and human rights globally.

“We will always be there calling out atrocities, calling out a genocide and standing strongly on social justice and human rights.”

Queensland senator Larissa Waters has been unanimously elected as the new Greens leader, vowing to be “firm but constructive” with Labor as she called for a “progressive parliament”.

Senator Waters said the Greens had “a lot of work to do”, and was calling now for a “progressive parliament, and politics with heart”.

“This parliament could achieve real progress: climate and environment action, dental into Medicare and free childcare,” Senator Waters said.

“The Greens will be firm but constructive in our approach with the Labor government, and work for outcomes that help improve peoples’ lives and protect nature and the climate.”

Read the full story ​here​.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto have announced a new Defence agreement that builds on a deal they unveiled in Canberra last August.

Mr Albanese said the treaty-level agreement would lead to new cooperation between the two countries in maritime security, counter-terrorism and humanitarian and disaster relief.

“It represents the most significant step in the Australia and Indonesia Security partnership for three decades,” he said, standing alongside the President after their formal meeting.

“Let me be very clear: I do not see this agreement, though, as the last step, just the first step and I want us to aim higher, go further, and work even more closely together.

“I see President Prabowo as the leader with the vision and determination to make that happen.”

Mr Albanese also notes that this year marks the 80th anniversary of Indonesia declaring its independence and recalls that Australia was among the first countries to support the cause.

Richard Marles has rejected dumped minister Ed Husic’s description of him as a “factional assassin” and denied he has blood on his hands following Labor’s post-election reshuffle.

Mr Marles, who is acting Prime Minister while Anthony Albanese is in Indonesia, repeatedly blamed “collective processes” for the decision to axe Mr Husic and former Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus from the front bench.

He did not deny ignoring phone calls from Mr Husic and would not say whether he has spoken to Mr Dreyfus since the news broke.

“All the conversations I have . . . I do on the basis that those conversations are confidential,” Mr Marles told reporters in Perth.

“It is a difficult process and none of us have an entitlement to be a minister, we all know that. We know that we submit ourselves to those processes.”

Queensland senator Larissa Waters has been chosen as the new Greens leader following the shock electoral defeat of Adam Bandt.

At a party room meeting in Melbourne on Thursday, Senator Waters was elected over fellow senators Sarah Hanson-Young and Mehreen Faruqi.

The minor party lost three of its four lower-house seats in this month’s election, but held steady in the Senate.

With Labor increasing their presence in the Upper House, the Greens now hold the sole balance of power in the Senate.

Newly elected Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has met with Nationals Leader David Littleproud in Albury, on the NSW-Victoria border.

Ms Ley, now tasked with not only getting the Coalition back on track after a Labor landslide victory but also fostering unity with the Nationals, said the meeting was “respectful”.

It comes after comments from politicians cast doubt on the certainty of the Coalition’s future relationship.

The new Opposition Leader would not be drawn on further comment about discussions.

Ms Ley did make general comments though, speaking for the Coalition, talking about the struggles rural Australians face.

“I want to make sure that this Government understands that if the drought is encroaching, they need to be ready with relief, with support and recognition of what our farmers do for all of us,” Ms Ley said.

“As I said, I’m delighted to have returned for the eighth time as the member for Farrah, and I do look forward to connecting ... with the many different and diverse communities with an understanding that every community is different and every community has different needs.”

Anthony Albanese was asked about a letter Yang Hengjun had written to him on the sixth anniversary of the academic and writer’s imprisonment in China.

Dr Yang thanked the Prime Minister and Australian Government for its continued efforts to advocate for his freedom.

“Dear Prime Minister Albanese, words are now failing me. Tears blur my vision. I can only use a silent voice to thank you and all the people who care for and love me,” he wrote.

Mr Albanese confirmed he had read the letter.

“It was a message of profound courage and resilience and hope despite his difficult circumstances,” he said.

“We continue to advocate for Dr Yang’s interests and wellbeing at every opportunity, and I have certainly asked our ambassador to convey that very directly to Dr Yang.”

Mr Albanese faced repeated questioning about the story that emerged during the election campaign that Russia had asked Indonesia if it could base some of its war planes in the archipelagic nation.

Indonesia has said publicly that this will not happen.

Mr Albanese repeatedly said the Indonesian position is public, and refuses to add much more to that.

“Russia, of course, will try to increase its influence,” he said.

“We make very clear our position when it comes to Russia around the world.

“It’s not for me to comment on what occurred between countries that are not Australia.”

The Indonesian side has raised expectations that a number of agreements will be signed after the formal talks on Thursday.

Mr Albanese says these will go to further strengthening the defence ties between the two countries and building on the economic partnership by increasing investment.

On both fronts, this will involve investing in capability and relationships at personal, organisational and national levels.

“For example, there are some defence training exercises taking place in Australia from the Indonesian military. That’s an important, practical way that we step forward,” Mr Albanese said.

“When I was last minister in the government, we provided extensive training in maritime, in aviation, in security-related matters, and an organisation like AMSA (the Australian Maritime Safety Authority), for a country like Indonesia, which is an archipelago of islands, maritime security and maritime issues are particularly important.

“So, we can play a really important role there.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is now addressing media in Jakarta, where he is meeting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

He says he wanted to once again make his first overseas visit to Indonesia because of the importance of the relationship, particularly for Australia’s defence and economic security. It’s his fourth trip to Indonesia as leader.

The President made a surprise visit to the PM’s hotel last night, and Mr Albanese said they had an informal chat along with their foreign ministers, ahead of this morning’s more formal talks.

“The economic relationship between our two countries, I think, will continue to grow,” Mr Albanese said.

“It’s important to recognise… that, of course, Indonesia isn’t just Jakarta or Java. It is the extraordinary archipelago, the diverse country and the extraordinary nation that represents one of the world’s largest democracies.”