Tax cuts begin; Fatima Payman suspended from the Labor Party; The election results in France drive the National Rally

Labor senator Fatima Payman has been suspended indefinitely from the Labor caucus during crisis talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at The Lodge in Canberra.

Payman was summoned to the Prime Minister’s residence yesterday afternoon after an emotional interview on ABC’s Insiders programme, in which she promised to cross the floor again and vote for a motion supporting an independent Palestinian state if the Greens put another motion to parliament this week.

The defiant Western Australian senator was at The Lodge for about 40 minutes and was spotted exiting through the mast at about 3.10pm yesterday. Asked if she had been expelled from the ALP, Payman said she had not, but did not answer any further questions.

You can read the full story on Payman’s suspension here and read James Massoli’s analysis of the situation and what it means for the Labour Party here.