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Federal politics live: Two more more Australians confirmed safe in Nepal-Tibet flood disasterBy political reporter Courtney Gould
Posted Fri 4 Sep 2026 at 6:59amFri 4 Sep 2026 at 6:59amFri 4 Sep 2026 at 6:59amSkip to timeline
Two more Australians have been confirmed safe after the Nepal-Tibet flood, with the number of unaccounted-for Australians revised down to 36.
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Fri 4 Sep 2026 at 6:55amFri 4 Sep 2026 at 6:55am
Two more more Australians confirmed safe in Nepal-Tibet flood disaster
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By Courtney Gould
Two more Australians have been confirmed safe in the Nepal-Tibet flood disaster.
The ABC understands that two citizens who were previously uncontactable have now been found safe in Nepal and are well. They do not require consular assistance.
As of this morning, 36 Australians remain unaccounted for.
A 15-person Australian Disaster Assistance Response Team is expected to arrive in Kathmandu later today. A further 7 AFP disaster victim identification specialists are due to arrive on Saturday morning.
More than 1,200 people have been confirmed dead in the disaster, with more than 5,500 people missing on both sides of the border.
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Fri 4 Sep 2026 at 7:11amFri 4 Sep 2026 at 7:11am
‘Serious concerns’ for 36 unaccounted for Australians in flood disaster
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By Courtney Gould
Australia still has very “serious concerns” for the safety of the 36 citizens yet to be located after the Nepal-Tibet flood disaster.
Two more Australians were confirmed safe overnight, revising the number of missing citizens down to 36.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers welcomed the news but stressed the government still held concerns about the safety of the remaining 36.
“I can confirm two more Australians were located overnight. That would be a huge relief to the loved ones of these two Australians who’ve been located,” he tells ABC’s News Breakfast.
“But we still have very serious concerns for the 36 Australians that we haven’t been able to locate yet.
“There are thousands of people still missing in Nepal and in Tibet. Good news that two Australians have been located overnight. We are concerned for the 36 who are still unaccounted for.”
Chalmers says Australia has sent “some of its best people” to assist in the search and rescue and recovery.
Fri 4 Sep 2026 at 7:05amFri 4 Sep 2026 at 7:05am
States fume over private health changes
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By Stephanie Dalzell
The states and territories have set the stage for a showdown with the Commonwealth over its proposed private health insurance rebate changes, with some demanding the federal government ditch the plan amid new warnings it will worsen the strain on public hospitals.
Health ministers will discuss the proposal to remove the higher rebate for Australians aged 65 and over at a meeting in Sydney today.
The federal government says the change will bank $ 3 billion in savings over four years, to be spent elsewhere in the aged care system.
But states like New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory have all raised concerns over the proposal, while the Queensland LNP and Tasmanian Liberal governments have gone further, demanding the plan be ditched.
“This is, I think, robbing Peter to pay Paul – and Paul hasn’t been paid yet,” Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls told the ABC.
“We think that the Commonwealth has not yet got a full understanding of the impact … if we see more people dropping out of private health insurance, then we’ll see more people turning up in our public health institutions, including our public hospitals.”
Read more at the link below.
Fri 4 Sep 2026 at 6:48amFri 4 Sep 2026 at 6:48am
Good morning 👋
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By Courtney Gould
Hello friends. Welcome to our politics live blog. I’m Courtney Gould from the ABC’s Parliament House team, here to guide you through the day.
The states and territories have set the stage for a showdown with the federal government over its proposed changes to private health insurance rebates. Otherwise, I have no idea where the day will take us.
So let’s just dive right in, shall we?
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