Australia news live: Victorian Liberal leader again refuses to rule out One Nation deal in November; federal Labor may extend fuel excise cut

Nepean result shows ‘Liberals can’t govern without One Nation’, premier says. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCanavan defends Coalition decision to preference One Nation ahead of independent in Farrer: ‘Socialists and communists always go last’Matt Canavan said he understood why voters in Farrer, set for a byelection next Saturday, were disillusioned with the federal opposition.I‘ve been down there for 20 days, 15 nights – and 10 of those I’ve been in a swag – over the past month.I’m doing everything I can to fight for them. I’d love to fight for that great part of our country again, it’s a wonderful part of our nation where we pioneered the use of irrigation and dams. It still produces 40% of our food, 60% of our fruit.Under my leadership, [in] my view, socialists and communists always go last.I think we need to really see how the overseas conflict evolves, how prices evolve for oil. But I think, you know, it is doing what it was intended to do. It’s not a silver bullet, but it is providing material support for people. And as I said, it’s providing support for people who are really doing it tough when they can’t shift away from using petrol. Continue reading...