Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will fly to Europe today to attend the NATO summit in Spain as the world faces the aftermath of the war in Ukraine and its impacts on the global economy.
It is the first time an Australian leader has attended a NATO meeting since Kevin Rudd in 2008.
Aside from talking about rising fuel and food costs caused in part by the war between Russia and Ukraine, Albanese is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Anthony Albanese will head to Europe today for the NATO summit. (AP)
Australia has had strained relations with France since it withdrew from a $ 90 billion submarine deal.
Meanwhile, the prime minister seems poised to return to a storm made by his own creation after angering MPs by reducing staff allocations to members of parliament.
Two MPs, ACT Sen. David Pocock and Tasmanian Sen. Jacqui Lambie, have threatened to vote against Labor government legislation for the measure, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Lambie said staff cuts would mean it would be difficult for him to know the details of labor bills.
“I thought Labor should be adults?” she said.
“If we can’t go through the legislation [with advisers] how can we vote for it? I don’t vote for something I can’t pass up. “
Jacqui Lambie is not happy with the staff cuts. (Alex Ellinghausen)
Albanese has said the number of advisers assigned to MPs will be reduced from four per MP to one.
Deputies will continue to have four lower-paid advisers to deal with constituency issues.
New political editor Chris Uhlmann said that while any protest by MPs would not cause a problem for workers in the lower house, it could be problematic when passing legislation in the Senate.
“(The Albanian) doesn’t need them in the lower house because he has the numbers there. He needs them in the Senate. Labor needs all the greens to join, plus one, so he needs one more senator in the upper house. said Uhlmann.
Staff cuts are expected to save the government about $ 4 million.