Australia politics live: Labor defends Catherine King’s top-tier Qantas membership gift; defence recruitment reaches 16-year high

About this story

Follow the day’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, says there is optimism that steel making will continue in his state, after the closure of a major blast furnace at Whyalla was announced yesterday.Speaking to ABC News Breakfast from Whyalla and donned in some hi-vis, Malinauskas says there was disappointment, heartbreak, but also a sense of inevitability when the announcement was made.[Whyalla] has the capacity t