Live: Federal government launches probe into future of Australia Post

live Federal politics live: Federal government launches probe into future of Australia Post Communications Minister Anika Wells says a parliamentary inquiry will examine whether Australia Post is keeping pace with Australians' needs for the future. Follow all the updates in our live blog. Submit a comment or question Live updates Is Labor trying to woo One Nation's David Farley? Labor has denied Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is trying to woo One Nation MP David Farley by offering him an extra staff member. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson yesterday criticised the offer as an attempt by the government to "exert undue political influence" and split her party. Farley received a letter from Albanese this week authorising him to hire an additional staffer on a $200,000 salary package, an "unsolicited" offer the Farrer MP has rejected. Appearing on Channel 7, Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth denied the offer was an attempt to lure Farley over to Labor. "Quite frankly, I think Pauline is jumping at shadows. If she's already having trouble keeping her party together, well that says something about her," she says. "Just to be clear, lower house members wouldn't be doing their job if they were not meeting with ministers and meeting with the prime minister." Trade minister delivers 'hard truths' to farming industry Trade Minister Don Farrell delivered some blunt hard truths to the National Farmers Federation last night, arguing an Australia-EU free trade agreement is vital to the nation's economic prosperity and could generate $10 billion in additional trade in its first year. The National Farmers Federation have been some of the most vocal opponents to the FTA. "In a world of increasing geopolitical uncertainty, when protectionism and tariffs are barriers to growth, we cannot afford to close ourselves to the world," Farrell said. He told farmers that despite calls from the Coalition, the deal was as good as it was going to get and was not open to renegotiation. "Take a look at the TV right now. Protests in France, far right governments in Germany, protestors occupying the Colosseum in Italy," he said. "There is no way [Nationals leader] Matt Canavan can get a better deal". Farrell acknowledged that beef and lamb industries wanted more out of the deal but said he had to represent all Australian industries, 95% of which say they support the agreement. "I cannot in good conscience say that just because one sector didn't get everything they wanted, the entire economy gets nothing," he said. Parliamentary probe into future of Australia Post The Albanese government is launching a parliamentary inquiry in a bid to sure up the long-term viability of Australia Post. The 217-year-old institution has faced challenges in recent times, with falling foot traffic at some post offices and a drop in letters. Last financial year, there were about 1.42 billion letters sent through Australia post — but that was down 14.7 per cent from the year before. Communications Minister Anika Wells says changing consumer behaviour and commercial conditions posed significant challenges to the sustainability of Australia Post. "That's why I've asked the House committee to explore how we can better support a sustainable and accessible postal service that delivers for all Australians," she said. An Australia Post spokesperson said it looked forward to engaging constructively in the inquiry. "For several years, we have highlighted the growing challenges facing Australia Post, which are shared by postal organisations around the world," they said. "We welcome the government's action to address these challenges and support our long-term sustainability." The inquiry is due to report back by the middle of next year. Good morning 👋 Hello and welcome to our federal politics live blog. It's been a heck of a week — but we've made it to Friday. I'm Holly Tregenza, joining you live from Parliament House in Canberra, here and ready to bring you all of today's federal politics news. Loading