Australia news live: aged care nurses get pay rise; fuel excise cut due to end at midnight

Australia's health minister, Mark Butler, is defending Luke Gosling's position as special envoy after Gosling was charged with assault against the Northern Territory administrator. Butler argues the role carries no executive authority, telling reporters that as a backbench MP rather than a minister, Gosling isn't required to step aside over a charge alone. The Guardian notes Butler pointed to provisions that would apply upon conviction, drawing a line between the two.

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