What we learned today, Wednesday 26 April
And that’s where we’ll leave you today. Thank you for following along! Here’s what we learned:
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says there will be cost-of-living relief in the budget and the government will “prioritise the most vulnerable” but has refused to commit to raising the jobseeker rate.
Labor backbenchers have joined hundreds of politicians, academics, business leaders and advocates in calling for the Albanese government to accept the major recommendation of its expert poverty panel and substantially increase the jobseeker rate.
Inflation has declined to 7% in the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, down from 7.8% in the December quarter. Chalmers told reporters “the worst of the inflationary pressures are behind us”.
Millions of Australians will face a 7.1% increase on their student debts when indexation is added on 1 June, with an independent MP and the Greens urging the government to intervene to stop the “unprecedented and deeply unjust” rise.
The Albanese government will extend the price cap on wholesale gas prices until at least mid-2025 in an attempt to limit soaring energy costs.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, told the National Press Club that freezing residential rents is possible thanks to “wall-to-wall Labor state governments”.
Australians will soon be able to collect two months’ worth of medicine for the price of one month for more than 300 common medicines under a major reform to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
We’ll be back with you tomorrow. Enjoy your evening!
Updated
NSW cashless cards to be pokies reform ‘game changer’
Cashless cards for poker machines will be a game changer in reducing gambling harm, advocates say, as NSW prepares to introduce a statewide trial in the wake of damning new data.
AAP has reported the comments in the wake of the latest official half-yearly gambling data. It showed gamers were losing more than $23m every day and statewide losses in pubs and clubs totalled $4.26bn in late 2022, generating $1.18bn in tax.
The data, covering June to November in clubs and July to December in pubs, is the equivalent to about $1,000 for every man, woman and child in NSW, according to Wesley Mission.
The Wesley Mission general manager, Jim Wackett, said:
The reality is that poker machines are going cashless. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when.
He described cashless cards as a “game changer”, allowing people to self-exclude from venues and set daily, weekly and yearly loss limits.
Updated
‘The fair and right thing to do’: another Labor MP backs raising jobseeker
The Labor MP Peter Khalil is the latest government member to publicly back an increase to the jobseeker unemployment payment, saying he is “confident” there will be measures to help the vulnerable in May’s budget.
Khalil tweeted this afternoon that he had signed the open letter from the Australian Council of Social Service to raise the rate, saying: “I support an increased rate & I have signed it.”
Khalil joins a growing list of Labor MPs to publicly call for an increase.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and prime minister, Anthony Albanese, are facing a strong internal push from caucus members to raise the jobseeker rate, with backbenchers making their case directly to cabinet ministers in an attempt to move the government’s position.
Khalil wrote on Twitter:
My comments supporting raising Jobseeker are on the record. I’ve advocated on this issue publicly & internally with colleagues since elected in 2016.
My arguments for raising the rate haven’t changed. It’s the fair & right thing to do so people can live in dignity.
(1/3) I have seen the open letter by ACOSS today. I support an increased rate & I have signed it.
— Peter Khalil MP (@PeterKhalilMP) April 26, 2023
My comments supporting raising Jobseeker are on the record. I’ve advocated on this issue publicly & internally with colleagues since elected in 2016.
Updated
Coal price cap to expire as gas industry group raises investor concerns about new code
Blog readers from earlier today would have read about the Albanese government’s plan to extend the $12/gigajoule gas price cap until at least mid-2025. (Catch up here.)
Anyway, we subsequently learned from the energy minister Chris Bowen’s office that the parallel black coal price cap – at $125 a tonne – will not be extended after its 12-month application ends. Apparently, coal supply issues were not as complicated as gas ones and so the process will be left to lapse.
Well, the main gas industry group, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association has (after due consideration) circulated its view of the proposed gas changes, including a mandatory code of conduct.
In sum, Appea reckons there’s still a lot of undetailed devil to emerge and Bowen himself will have a fair degree of discretion over which producers might be granted exemption from the price cap.
The Appea chief executive, Samantha McCulloch, said:
While automatic exemptions from price controls are proposed for small domestic-only producers, in most cases meaningful supply investments will require further conditional exemptions.
Exemptions will start at 12 months in length, meaning projects may need to reapply many times over the course of project operations, with no guarantee that the basis for an exemption today will be sufficient for an exemption in the future.
Conditional exemptions may also be varied or revoked at any time. Long-term capital investments for new gas supply cannot be made on the basis of one year of certainty.
Appea also doesn’t like a few other things, including noting the International Energy Agency recommends against making the temporary price cap less temporary (lest they become permanent and curtail investment).
Meanwhile, Andrew Richards, CEO of the Energy Users Association of Australia, reckons the gas industry hasn’t played nice for years and were “daring the government to come into the field”.
Richards is wary about some of the fine print, too, but is more concerned that his members can actually get access to get at that $12/GJ. That hasn’t always been the case, so he’s hoping the government stays firm and makes sure gas producers – who export 85% of their output in eastern Australia – spare some for domestic users.
Updated
NSW Liberal MP backs Indigenous voice
The Liberal MP James Griffin has backed the voice to parliament, adding his name to a growing list of Liberals distancing themselves from federal opposition leader Peter Dutton’s advocacy for the no campaign.
The former NSW environment and heritage minister wrote in a social media post:
It is one thing to recognise 65,000 years of Aboriginal connection to this vast land; it is another thing to create a voice that will help Aboriginal people thrive. It is time to do both.
One message I took loud and clear from every Aboriginal community I met with was the value of recognition and listening – to inform practical policy development – and this is what the voice is about.
Updated
Eraring gap among the issues facing new NSW energy minister Penny Sharpe
The new Labor government in New South Wales knows that it faces a bit of an energy squeeze in coming years, and it kindly provided a media briefing by senior officials both from within its energy department but also from the Australian Energy Market Operator.
This week’s closure of AGL’s Liddell power station in the Hunter was one prompt (read our features on the plant’s legacy and what comes next here), but actually the ailing plant has been a clunker for a while. Average generation has been less than 1,000 megawatts for a while, or half its “nameplate” capacity of 2,000MW.
Instead, media interest is fast turning to what happens when Origin Energy shuts its far bigger Eraring plant, now scheduled for an exit in August 2025. That plant is generating roughly 20% of NSW power demand or a tad under 2,800MW.
NSW gets Aemo to compile an energy security target monitor. Its October 2022 version identified a possible “security breach” of 262MW in 2025-26, and a smaller one the following year.
(There’s more breaches possible post-2029, assuming Vales Point power plant closes. That presumably will trigger “Vale Vales Point” headlines.)
A lot can happen between now and a few years down the track, though. Let’s hope most of them involve more renewables coming on stream, and not ageing coal-fired power plants having more unplanned shutdowns.
The NSW energy minister, Penny Sharpe, though, is likely to be among those watching Eraring closely.
Updated
Dutton gears up for another fight on nuclear energy
Peter Dutton seems to be gearing up for another fight on nuclear energy, blanketing his socials this afternoon with a cartoon-ish video from shadow energy minister Ted O’Brien titled “time to talk nuclear”.
Dutton wrote alongside the video, which has now been posted to his Facebook and Instagram pages so far:
It’s time for an honest and mature debate about nuclear energy in our country.
The video was originally posted to O’Brien’s pages about two weeks ago. The shadow climate and energy minister described nuclear as “next-generation, zero-emissions energy”, and said Australia was “known to be one of the world’s most sophisticated nuclear nations.”
It’s the latest step in his “time to talk nuclear” campaign, which has included O’Brien travelling to the site of the Hiroshima atomic blast in Japan.
Dutton re-posted one of O’Brien’s videos on Wednesday afternoon, which features the Queensland MP narrating against an animated background. O’Brien talks about Australia’s ANSTO nuclear science station in Sydney and the Aukus nuclear submarines, then notes that nuclear energy is banned in Australia.
O’Brien said:
In Australia the door to nuclear energy is shut. What’s the case for opening it up? That’s what we’ll be discussing in future videos.
You can probably count on the Coalition continuing to discuss the case as well.
Student debt 'avalanche' a sign loan system is broken, Faruqi says
The student “debt avalanche” will increase by around $5bn this year, the Greens senator and education spokesperson Mehreen Faruqi has told a rally in Sydney.
The rally was held after the release of the latest consumer price index figures, which confirmed student loans would increase by 7.1% when next indexed on 1 June, increasing debt overall from about $74bn to just under $80bn.
Faruqi said the federal government couldn’t “keep pretending” the student loan system was working.
We know that inflation is now the highest it has been in decades. This is obscene. It is deeply unfair. And it is actually cruel. This is happening at the time when ... wages are stagnating and inequality is rising ... the system is broken when student debt is rising faster than it can be paid off. The system is broken when people have to start paying off their debt when they earn just a little more than minimum wage.
The Universities Australia CEO, Catriona Jackson, said cost-of-living increases were “hitting graduates hard” but Help repayments were “not part of that” because while loans would increase overall, individual repayments would remain tied to income.
CPI growth affects the overall size of a student loan and the length of time you’re paying it back. Repayments don’t start until you earn $48,361 and they do not increase week on week. We’re lucky in Australia to have a funding system that has enabled millions of Australians to study at university who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. Our system is the envy of the world.
Jackson said proposals by the Greens to abolish indexation could cost up to $9bn, taking money away from “essential services”.
Updated
‘This debt is furthering the generational wealth crisis’: National Union of Students president
Circling back to the rally held by students and the Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi today in Sydney calling on the federal government to abolish indexation of Hecs and Help debts.
Bailey Riley, the NUS president, told the crowd students were “stressed … anxious and worried” about extended debts.
The average time to pay off student loans has steadily risen to just under a decade.
This debt is furthering the generational wealth crisis … while the older generations benefit from their free debtless education, the Labor government could make the decision to enact debt relief in a heartbeat. Hecs indexation is now being calculated at 7.1%. This is disgusting, especially with [the] compounding effect … every year our debt rises while wages stay stagnant.
Izabella Antoniou, a former student, contracted community worker and “exploited renter”, told the rally while she loved her university experience, it didn’t grant her job security to bring down her loan.
Like 3 million other Australians, I’m about to have my Hecs debt indexed out my ass. For most of my career, I didn’t even make it to the payback threshold. And the times I did was only because the threshold was lowered.
When that indexation hits on June 1, my debt will actually go up more than I ever paid it off, it will hit its highest point. And I am not the only one. So many of us are in the exact same position with an average jump of $1,700. That is two extra subjects that I did not sign up for and I know no one else did either.
Updated
Labor doing everything it can to support vulnerable Australians, McCarthy says
The Labor government is “very aware of the vulnerable in this country” and is doing “everything” it can to support people, says the assistant minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy.
The senator made the comment on the ABC after she was asked whether enshrining an Indigenous voice to parliament might also aid a resolution on issues such as the call to increase jobseeker.
It followed comments today by the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, that there would be cost-of-living relief in the budget and the government will “prioritise the most vulnerable” but refused to commit to raising the jobseeker rate.
Chalmers and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, are also facing a strong internal push from caucus members to raise the jobseeker rate, with backbenchers making their case directly to cabinet ministers in an attempt to move the government’s position.
Here’s McCarthy:
When I speak with First Nations communities … it is largely about issues like community development and employment … and the fact that they want to see more jobs and opportunities with that program increase. So we are naturally working on that.
Updated
More on the new submissions to the parliamentary inquiry investigating the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum.
The Australian Lawyers Alliance said it “supports the provisions of this Bill, and we submit that those provisions are legally sound, well-drafted and appropriate”.
The ALA backed the enshrinement of the voice in the constitution, as well as the plan to leave specific details of the body to the parliament of the day, and said it was appropriate for it to address both the parliament and executive.
The ALA said:
In the experience of ALA members, this reflects the reality of law and policy development whereby the Executive Government is integral during the development and drafting of those laws and policies.
However, the Samuel Griffith Society said it would rather see the voice set up through legislation, not in the constitution.
Xavier Boffa, the group’s executive director, wrote:
There is no reason why an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice cannot be legislated by the Commonwealth Parliament, without any amendment to the Constitution. The Commonwealth has legislated to establish similar bodies on many occasions.
He raised concerns about “unforeseen issues” associated with placing the body in the constitution, claiming it would be “the first time that it has been proposed to amend the Constitution to establish a new body”.
Boffa wrote:
These are compelling reasons to favour an incremental or ‘minimalist’ approach to constitutional reform. The proposed Chapter IX does not represent such an approach. Specifically, it is unnecessary and inadvisable to link constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with the establishment of the proposed ‘Voice.’ It would be more prudent to pursue each separately.
As noted, the Uluru statement from the heart requests Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander constitutional recognition through the mechanism of the voice, which was chosen by participants in the Uluru process as a way to ensure meaningful (not just symbolic) recognition of Australia’s Indigenous history.
Updated
Voice ‘critical to delivering meaningful outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’
More Aboriginal organisations and lawyers groups have come out in support of the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, in submissions to the parliamentary inquiry investigating the proposal.
In newly uploaded contributions to the inquiry’s website, the latest support comes from the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations (FVTOC), the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, the Kimberley Land Council and the Australian Lawyers Alliance. But the Samuel Griffith Society, a constitutional conservative group, has raised concerns.
The FVTOC said in its submission:
A constitutionally enshrined voice is the only form of constitutional recognition that has been collectively endorsed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through an extensive dialogue process that culminated in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Constitutional enshrinement of the Voice is essential to honour the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and deliver on the mandate of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
The traditional owner corporations said that the voice speaking to executive government was “critical to delivering meaningful outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”.
The Kimberley Land Council described the proposal as “culturally and historically appropriate and legally certain”.
The congress backed the voice as “a practical solution to ensure more effective policies, programs and services for our communities”.
Updated
Students call on federal government to abolish Hecs debt indexation
The National Union of Students and Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi have held a rally this afternoon in Sydney following the release of consumer price index figures, calling on the federal government to abolish indexation of student loans and raise the minimum repayment income before debts rise on 1 June.
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics have confirmed students will face a 7.1% increase on their debts when indexation is added, the highest rate in decades.
The law student Tilly Langford grew up in a coastal town with a single mother on a pension. The Gumbaynggirr woman told the crowd she knew early on she wanted to study law and politics in Sydney but was dissuaded by peers due to the reality of student debt.
She has two years left of her studies, but is already $40,000 in debt. In June, it will rise by a further $3,000.
I saw too often just how many people in my family and community members were unable to speak the notoriously difficult language [of the law] and how they were punished for it. But as uni got closer, more and more people warned me of the cost, not just the cost of rent and food and bills, but mainly the cost of my degree itself.
I don’t know yet if I made the right decision not taking any of that advice, but a lot of my friends did. So many of them gave up on the idea purely because of the fear and pressure of being thousands of dollars in debt for a very large portion of our lives.
Updated
Bandt: ‘I want to hear less talk about missiles and more about fixing the housing crisis’
In case you missed it, here’s a clip from the Greens leader, Adam Bandt, speaking at the National Press Club today.
He called for less talk about defence spending from Anthony Albanese and more about the housing crisis.
Updated
Man drowns at Phillip Island in Victoria
A bodyboarder has drowned at a popular tourist beach in Victoria.
The 70-year-old Traralgon man signalled for help at Smith’s Beach on Phillip Island on Wednesday morning, but was unconscious by the time onlookers pulled him to shore.
They were unable to revive the man, who died at the scene.
Victoria Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
Updated
AFL culture around concussion must change, inquiry told
The AFL must introduce a policy around chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and change its culture around concussions to better protect players, experts have told an inquiry.
AAP reports the league’s medical chief, Michael Makdissi, told the Senate inquiry into the issue on Wednesday that official policies are needed to improve health outcomes for players, given the link between repetitive head trauma and CTE.
About 80 players are diagnosed with concussion each season in the AFL.
In March, Margalit Injury Lawyers lodged a landmark class action against the AFL in the supreme court of Victoria.
The Victorian law firm is seeking compensation for injuries caused to former players by the impact of concussion for pain and suffering, economic loss and medical expenses.
Here’s the latest from the inquiry:
Updated
Thank you for leading us through today’s news, Natasha! I’ll now be with you for the rest of the afternoon.
Thank you for your attention this hump day. Jordyn Beazley has the blog the rest of this afternoon!
Telstra users between Sydney and Coober Pedy were reporting issues with the network, earlier today but the telco says all is resolved.
Data from Downdetector, where users can flag if the network is down, showed a spike in reports about 1.30pm, with users in Rose Bay across to South Australia sharing on social media they were having issues.
In a statement to Guardian Australia Telstra said:
We had a brief network issue this afternoon that stopped some of our mobile customers from accessing the internet for a few minutes. Calls and SMS weren’t affected at any stage.
We’re sorry for the hassle and we’re keeping a close eye on things to ensure everyone can keep browsing.
Updated
Bandt refutes notion Greens are against more housing in their own electorates
Circling back to Adam Bandt’s address at the press club, the Greens leader is defending the party against the idea they are nimby-ing developments that increase housing supply.
Bandt has spent the speech accusing the Albanese government of failing to address the rental crisis, but my colleague Paul Karp makes the point that the Greens themselves could be a bigger part of the solution by less nimby-ing of developments. (The verb derived from the collective noun nimbys, short for “not in my back yard”.)
He asked Bandt:
The Greens’ housing spokesperson has four petitions on his website opposing or arguing to scale down developments … can the Greens be a bigger part of the solution by less nimby-ing of developments that increase housing supply? And how many extra dwellings would you volunteer to be built in Melbourne, Brisbane, Ryan and Griffith?
Bandt:
Let’s be crystal clear. Where the growth has been in housing in many areas has been in inner-city areas like mine. Areas where the Greens vote has been high that have seen the highest increases in density in housing.
Last time I asked the parliamentary library to look into it, it was in Liberal – now some Independent – electorates where the council for whatever reason, the developments had not gone ahead. That’s where the growth hasn’t been.
… There has been significant increase in density and significant housing growth in areas where the Greens have a strong vote.
Bandt cites some projects which the Greens have opposed for reasons of building on a flood plain:
I have been a really strong advocate for increased public housing to my electorate of Melbourne and you’ll find other Greens MPs right across the country saying exactly the same. And what we’ve been confronted with is Labor parties at the state level selling off private land and selling it off to public developers.
So yes, from time to time, there might be discussion about whether or not it should be built at this particular place or that particular place. But what you find and this is what this dispute with the government at the moment is about. The Greens want more public housing and more affordable housing in areas close to where people work, and Labor is not up for it.
If this topic is close to your heart, you’ll want to hear our transport and urban affairs correspondent Elias Visontay discuss how and why nimbys are opposing new developments and the case for changing their mindset on yesterday’s podcast:
Updated
Palaszczuk claims underdog status in fourth-term quest
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she will campaign for a historic fourth term as the underdog as she commits to strengthening integrity measures before next year’s election, AAP reports.
Asked about recent YouGov polling published in the Courier-Mail that puts the LNP opposition marginally ahead in the two-party preferred race, Palaszczuk conceded Labor had work to do.
She told reporters in Bundaberg:
It means that we’re definitely the underdog when it comes to the next election.
We have to fight every single day.
The people of Queensland know me, they know that I care about them, they know that I’m absolutely focused.
Updated
Taylor is asked what he thinks about calls which are coming even from within Labor ranks to raise jobseeker. He points to how the opposition raised jobseeker during the pandemic before adding:
But right now the best way to help someone who is looking for a job is to help them get a job. We have over 420,000 vacancies in the economy, this is completely unprecedented.
Reporter:
So just to be clear, you don’t think an increase of jobseeker is necessary?
Taylor:
What we think right now is the priority has to be getting people to work … It is a priority because it simultaneously raises the income of the person finding a job and takes pressure off inflation because there is more capacity to supply and that puts downward pressure on prices.
Updated
Angus Taylor repeats call for the government to lower taxes
Taylor repeats his call for the government to lower, not raise taxes, and flags the possibility Labor could have its eye on franking credits, superannuation and stage-three tax cuts:
We know we have a government that wants to hit Australians with taxes on franking credits which are so essential to particularly older Australians’ incomes. We know this is a government that is coming after Australian superannuation and we know this is a government that would love to get rid of the stage-three tax cuts, despite the fact that Australians are being pushed up into higher tax bracket with income tax brackets. And with inflation, it’s now the time to take pressure off Australians and the income tax they are paying but this is a government that would support pressure, extra pressure on.
Updated
Taylor says the upcoming budget is the government’s opportunity to deal with inflationary pressures “head on”:
It is nigh on a year since they’ve been in government and we still do not see a plan that is going to contain inflation.
… The government must take responsibility – it is time for the government to recognise that inflation comes from Canberra.
The first thing the government can do in the budget is to re-establish a commitment to budget balance.… Why does that matter so much? Because of the government having to borrow more that puts upward pressure on interest rates for all Australians. They are competing, the government is competing with Australian businesses and households to borrow money and that puts upward pressure on it interest rates and inflation.
Updated
Households suffering due to 'rampant' inflation, shadow treasurer says
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, does not agree with the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, that inflation is moderating. Speaking in Canberra, Taylor says:
When the ABS announced that inflation is running rampant at 7%. At 7%. We have heard the treasurer say that inflation is moderating. If this is moderation, then heaven help us.
Heaven help us because as I get around Australia, get around to households and businesses, they are seeing extraordinary pain that is from the cost-of-living pressures.
This is clearly a treasurer who does not understand the pains are being felt, if he thinks this is moderation. The truth of the matter is what we saw in the data today, is inflation increases or inflation strength in our broad range of goods and services. It is almost across the board.
… It is not confined to specific supply chains, this is rampant inflation right across our economy.
Updated
Bandt: Albanese government is making Australia less safe
Adam Bandt has accused the Albanese government of signing Australia up to go to war again with the US “whenever the US decides on its next military adventurism”.
Continued his criticisms of the Aukus deal, Bandt says he agrees with Paul Keating that the actions the Albanese government has taken are the wrong ones.
Asked about national security Bandt says:
One of our biggest concerns about the direction that the government is taking is that it makes Australia less safe. One of the biggest threats to Australia is the risk of conflict between the US and China. That would be disastrous for the world. But for Australia as well.
Australia’s role as a country that has a relationship with both of those countries must be to try to de-escalate tensions. And instead, the government is going in a different direction, which is joining one side of the conflict unequivocally and making the Australian Defence Force an offshoot of the US Defence Force and signing Australia up to go to war again with the US whenever the US decides on its next military adventurism.
That does not make Australia more safe. It makes Australia less safe. So our concern is that what Australia should be doing – and on this, here’s where I agree with Paul Keating. I think that foreign minister Penny Wong’s rhetoric on this is right and a welcome change from the last government. But the actions are something completely different. The actions are writing an open chequebook to the US for Australia to start buying military equipment that is about being an offshoot of the US in the next offensive action that it decides to engage in in our region. So we want to see Australia made safer. That doesn’t come by spending $368bn on nuclear submarines.
Updated
Circling back to the treasurer’s press conference, Jim Chalmers was asked about the shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor’s opinion that the government should be able to deliver a surplus.
Chalmers has hit back that Taylor is the “poster child” for the trillion dollars of the country’s debt:
The shadow treasurer was a cabinet minister in a government which had almost nothing to show for $1 trillion of debt.
I don’t think people take Angus Taylor seriously when it comes to the Budget. He is in many ways the poster child for the waste and rorts which defined the wasted decade and the trillion dollars of Liberal debt that we inherited.
We’ve made it really clear that we see a substantial part of our job in this Budget and otherwise to clean up the mess that we were left. Now, the Budget will improve substantially this year and next year as a consequence of low unemployment and good prices for our exports, but a lot of the pressures on the Budget intensify rather than ease after that.
Pharmacy Guild president Trent Twomey has launched an extraordinary attack on the federal government’s plans to allow people to get two months’ worth of medication scripts at one time, alleging it would send pharmacies broke and owners bankrupt, and claiming the Labor government “don’t give a shit”.
Twomey, one of the few voices unhappy with the government’s changes, accused Labor politicians of “taking their phones off the hook” when he tried to call and complain about it. In a press conference at Parliament House, with several community pharmacists, Twomey claimed businesses would go bust due to them receiving less money in dispensing fees – and alleged health minister Mark Butler “doesn’t seem to give a shit”.
Twomey said:
If those spin doctors down there don’t want to believe what I’ve got to say, get off your arse and talk to these guys.
I’ve had Labor party senators and MPs just take their phones off the hook because they don’t give a shit … they just don’t care.
As Paul has just reported in his article above, the government had anticipated strong pushback from the Pharmacy Guild. Today, Butler announced that 6 million Australians accessing 325 common medicines will be eligible for two-month prescriptions for the price of one.
The Australian Medical Association, Royal College of General Practitioners and Consumer Health Forum have backed the changes, saying it would make it easier to see GPs and cut costs for patients. Butler, speaking before Twomey’s press conference, cautioned against “scare campaigns being put by the pharmacy lobby group”.
I advise people to take advice around medicine supply and shortages from our medicines authorities rather than the pharmacy lobby group.
Twomey also rubbished claims that there were few supply shortages to worry about. Several pharmacists at the press conference spoke about experiencing shortfalls of medicine – one claimed that the true issue of shortages was “five times as big” as the government claimed.
Updated
Bandt lashes Labor: I want to hear less talk about missiles and more about fixing the housing crisis
Taking questions, Bandt is getting fired up saying he wants to hear less talk about missiles from the PM and more about a housing crisis that is leaving pregnant women couch surfing:
I’m just furious that the Government says that there’s a quarter of a trillion dollars for stage-three tax cuts and $368bn for nuclear submarines but can’t commit to lifting single parents and job seekers and people with a disability out of poverty.
This is why Labor is a centre-right party that prioritises tax cuts for the wealthy over building more public housing. And the prime minister has spent the last three days dressing himself in khaki and talking about tax cuts for the wealthy, while people live in poverty.
In my electorate, there are people living in tents because they can’t afford a place to live. I’m trying to find houses for pregnant women who are couch surfing. We have people who are spending 60% of their income on rent and queues at food banks are growing. And meanwhile, the prime minister goes and talks about missiles.
I want to hear less talk from the prime minister about missiles and more about funding a rent freeze and lifting people out of poverty. Because in a wealthy country like ours, where Labor can afford a quarter of a trillion dollars to give Clive Palmer and Gina Rinehart a tax cut, it makes me incredibly angry that they’re leaving people in poverty and then tinkering around the ends and saying – maybe we’ll raise income support by a little bit. I want to hear less talk about missiles and more about fixing the rental and housing crisis and building an adequate number of public housing so that everyone in this country has a place to live.
The crowd applauds.
Updated
Adam Bandt says rent freeze is possible with ‘wall-to-wall’ Labor governments
The Greens leader Adam Bandt is telling the National Press Club that freezing residential rents is possible thanks to “wall-to-wall Labor state governments”.
Bandt is accusing the Albanese government of not keeping up with the “sea change in Australia’s housing system:
If Labor wants our support on the housing bill, it needs to come to the table on the rental crisis and on building more public and affordable housing.
With all of the question time contempt about a rent freeze being pixie dust and his reported delight about campaigning at the next election on the housing bill failing in the Senate, the prime minister needs to understand that this isn’t an inner-city council meeting and a chance to get even with the Greens. This is a full-blown nationwide rental crisis that needs to be confronted.
The prime minister’s scorn shows he hasn’t kept up with the sea change in Australia’s housing system. There is now a third of the country who rent. As a group, renters have been ignored by the old parties. The Greens campaigned strongly on representer rights at the federal election and our vote wept up.
Read Paul Karp’s full preview of the speech here:
Updated
Chalmers on Hecs debts: ‘Our job is to get on top of this inflation challenge’
Chalmers is also asked about student HECS debts, which are set to increase at possibly one of the most astronomical percentages in history:
Do you think that young people have any trouble paying off their HECS debts?
Chalmers:
Of course they do. One of the good things about the HECS system is it means people only begin to pay back a sliver, a portion of their education costs when they earn a certain amount of money. And the arrangements for HECS and for university loans and education loans have been unchanged by this government this is long-standing practice.
People pay it back when they reach a certain level of income, which I think is appropriate. Obviously, this inflation in our economy has a lot of consequences.
Our job is to try and get on top of this inflation challenge in our economy to provide assistance where we can do that in the most responsible way and that’s what we’re doing.
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Treasurer concedes it is 'tough' to live on current jobseeker rate
Taking questions, Jim Chalmers is asked if he could survive on $49.60 a day following some of his own Labor colleagues calling on the prime minister to raise jobseeker payments. He responds:
There will be cost-of-living relief in the budget and it will prioritise the most vulnerable people. I want to make that really clear.
Pressed again on whether he could live on the rate – which Bill Shorten has admitted he couldn’t – Chalmers says:
I acknowledge and I recognise that it is tough to live on the JobSeeker payment and that’s why we want to move as many people as we can off that payment and into good, secure, well-paid jobs.
… I have a lot of respect for the people who have made this suggestion to us today in the letter that has been released today. These are good people making suggestions in good faith.
And it’s not unusual at this point in the budget cycle for people to call for more spending in one area or another.
My job is to weigh up all the competing demands on the budget, to do the right and responsible thing, to try and make it all add up and so I make it clear once again there will be cost-of-living relief in the budget. It will prioritise the most vulnerable and there will be a premium on what’s responsible in the context of all of these pressures on our budget, on our economy and most importantly on people.
Updated
Chalmers goes on that while inflationary pressure is easing, he understands household budgets are still tight.
Now, while inflation is still unacceptably high, we do welcome the fact that some of these price pressures in our economy have started to ease, but even as these pressures ease a bit, we understand that Australian households and small businesses are still under the pump. Cost-of-living pressures are still coming at us from around the world and they are still being felt around the kitchen tables of this country.
Chalmers says the two measures announced today – the two-for-one prescription changes and the mandatory code for gas – are “key” developments to make a difference to cost-of-living pressures.
So these are good examples of how we address the cost-of-living pressures that people are facing, without adding to inflation. You’ll see in the budget that I hand down that we will prioritise the most vulnerable. There will be a premium on what is the most responsible. And you’ll see that in the budget in 13 days’ time.
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Worst of inflationary pressures behind us, treasurer says
What does the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, make of the latest inflation numbers? He’s telling us in Sydney:
Today’s new inflation data provides further evidence that inflation has passed its peak and is now moderating in our economy. The worst of the inflationary pressures are behind us, but they will hang around higher than we’d like for longer than we’d like.
The consumer price index rose by 7% over the year to the March quarter, down from 7.8% over the year to December. In the quarter, inflation rose 1.4%. This is the smallest quarterly increase since December 2021.
Inflation began building in our economy early in 2022, the biggest increase, biggest monthly increase, in inflation was in the March quarter of 2022 before the election, and it’s now easing in our economy.
The ABS monthly indicator also came out today and it also moderated to 6.3% over the 12 months to March from 6.8% in the year to February.
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Economists divided on what CPI numbers mean for interest rates
Given the March quarter inflation numbers were more or less what economists had predicted (“no nasty shocks” was the response from one), it’s perhaps not so surprising there will be division about what it all means for mortgage holders and other borrowers.
Those inclined to think the RBA will stay put at its 2 May meeting will probably still think so. Likewise for those who forecast the central bank will resume hikes.
Among those in the former camp is Dwyfor Evans, a strategist at State Street Global Markets, who notes the “generally weaker tone” to inflation includes the lowest underlying rate since the end of 2021. Evans said:
Although the absolute level of inflation remains markedly above the RBA target, the weaker series offers further evidence that the rate hiking cycle has likely come to an end, as alluded to in cash rate futures.
David Bassanese from Betashares agreed that the March quarter numbers “provided reassuring evidence that inflation likely peaked late last year”.
[T]here’s a good chance the RBA won’t need to raise interest rates again this year.
Instead, I still see scope for a rate cut on or before Melbourne Cup as the economy slows.
However, Sean Langcake from BIS Oxford Economics said inflation was in line with the RBA’s most recent forecasts. “We think there is enough momentum in core and services inflation to warrant tighter policy settings, and maintain our expectation for another rate hike in May.”
For what it’s worth, I reckon the RBA will extend the pause (in part to avoid copping more flak after last week’s release of the review into the bank).
Anyway, here’s the underlying inflation yarn if you want to read more:
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NSW premier welcomes Quad summit announcement
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has welcomed the announcement from prime minister Anthony Albanese that Sydney will host the 2023 Quad leaders meeting.
Minns said it was “fitting” for the meeting to take place in the harbour city.
He said:
The Quad is among Australia’s most important strategic, economic and diplomatic international partnerships.
The Quad is committed to promoting stability, resilience and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, where all nations can cooperate, trade and thrive.
This is vital to NSW’s economy. Our businesses have trading ties that extend across the globe.
State government agencies and NSW police are working with the commonwealth to work out the details and minimise the disruption to the city.
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Townsville and Sydney to host Women’s State of Origin
Townsville and Sydney have been chosen to host this year’s groundbreaking Women’s State of Origin series, the NRL has announced.
It will be the first time since 2018, when the Women’s Interstate Challenge was rebranded, that Women’s Origin will take place as a series. The matches will be played at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta on 1 June and Queensland Country Bank Stadium on 22 June.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said today:
Women’s Origin has grown significantly since the first match in 2018.
The matches at CommBank Stadium and Queensland Country Bank Stadium will provide another opportunity to showcase the best female players in modern stadiums in front of passionate Queensland and New South Wales fans.
The games will be played during primetime on Thursday nights, “another exciting change” according to Abdo.
State premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the decision to host the game in northeastern Queensland was “great news for Townsville and women’s sport”.
State of Origin is coming to Townsville in June! Queensland Country Bank Stadium will host the women’s decider on June 22. This is great news for Townsville and women’s sport. QUEENSLANDER!! pic.twitter.com/4vB5cypH9v
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) April 25, 2023
Queensland dominated the old Women’s Interstate Challenge, winning 16 straight years from 1999 to 2014 until NSW managed a draw in 2015. The Blues finally turned the tide a year later with their first victory. Since the rebranded competition began in 2019, the rival states have each won two games, with NSW the current shield holders.
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‘Reasonable doubt’ of Kathleen Folbigg’s guilt over deaths of her four children, inquiry told
Counsel assisting an inquiry into Kathleen Folbigg’s convictions have submitted there is reasonable doubt about her guilt over the deaths of her four children, AAP reports.
Sophie Callan SC said, summarising her closing submissions on Wednesday:
On the whole of the body of evidence before this inquiry there is a reasonable doubt as to Ms Folbigg’s guilt.
Help debts to rise by more than $1,500 on average with indexation
Australians with average student debts of $24,770 will be hit with a record $1,758 increase when next indexed following the release of today’s consumer price index (CPI) figures.
The repayment of Hecs, formerly Help loans, are tied to indexation, which calculates the level of compulsory repayments.
The March quarterly figures, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday morning revealed Australians with student debt face a 7.1% increase from 1 July, up from 3.9% last year and 0.6% in 2020.
For more than half a million people with debts of $40,000, it will add another $2,840.
With wages lagging behind inflation, it means some students will see their debts increase, not decrease despite meeting the minimum repayment threshold.
Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi has been calling for indexation on debts to be abolished and for Australians to not be required to start paying debt back until meeting the median wage.
More than 3 million Australians have student debt and each one of them will be hit with a student debt avalanche on June 1. The clock is ticking for Labor to take action to stop this devastating blow.
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Housing, food and services drive inflation
Among the different sectors the ABS counts for inflation, housing posted the highest increase, with an annual advance of 9.8% compared with a year earlier. That sector was also the biggest rise in the December quarter but at least the pace retreated from the 10.7% clip then.
None of the groups recorded an annual decline (no surprise there) but at least clothing and footwear notched a 2.6% slide compared with the December quarter. Furnishings, household equipment and services eased 0.5%. (Back in December, communication was the only sector to report a fall, and it remained basically flat with a 0.1% increase in the March quarter.)
Also on the promising side was the 7.6% pace of cost increases for goods. That was down from 9.5% in the final three months of last year, and you can thanks lower petrol and diesel for that.
However, the 6.1% increase in the cost of services was the most at annual rate since 2001. Blame higher prices for holiday travel, rents and even restaurant meals.
The RBA won’t be so keen on that pick up in service inflation. They’ll see it as a worrying hint that higher good inflation (think Covid shortages, Ukraine war) continues to spread to the rest of the economy.
Expect housing to remain in the news. As flagged by the ABS on Monday, rents in particular aren’t showing much moderation. Rental prices (in capital cities) are now coming at the fastest pace since 2010, reflecting strong demand and low vacancy rates.
Finally, food inflation seems to be coming off the worst of the flood disruptions (before the drought ones kick in, we fear, looking at the El Nino prospects). Still, food prices were still rising at an annual 8% rate in the March quarter, not much lower than the 9.2% pace in the previous three months.
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Dutton opposes government's prescription changes
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has taken to LinkedIn to oppose the Albanese government’s new two-for-one prescription medicine changes.
Dutton said that the changes will make it harder to stock medicines that pharmacists are already struggling to get enough of – a claim the health minister Mark Butler warned was a scare campaign by the pharmacy lobby.
Dutton posted to LinkedIn yesterday highlighting the adverse effects it will have on pharmacists such as Karen Brown, the managing partner of TerryWhite Chemmart in Arana Hills:
It’s always great to catch up with my local pharmacist to get my regular flu shot. Karen shared her concerns about new changes by the government which will make it harder for community pharmacists.
She told me the government’s changes, which will increase dispensing to 60 days, have come out of the blue. Pharmacists are already struggling to get enough stock for families and older Australians. Karen says these changes will make it even harder.
The changes could also cause such a significant financial impact to community pharmacies that they must reduce their hours and services.
Next time you visit your local pharmacist, I encourage you to ask them about how the proposed changes will impact you as a customer and them as a local small business.
Butler at his press conference earlier this morning expressed his disappointment that Dutton had opposed the measure before the details had been been announced.
Perhaps no one will be surprised that Mr Dutton, given the choice between backing patients or backing profit, has yet again decided to leave patients out in the cold.
That is all consistent with his time as health minister and with the record of the former government, when having been provided with this advice that could halve the cost of medicines for millions of patients with chronic disease, decided to do nothing and have those patients continue to shell out hundreds of millions of dollars unnecessarily.
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‘This is going to be nation leading’: Victorian attorney general on raising age of criminal responsibility
Victoria’s attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, is speaking in Melbourne about raising the age of criminal responsibility.
She says the government needs the next three years for research, investment and testing before raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14:
If we are in a position to do that sooner then that is something we can look at.
Victoria has abandoned the national approach to raising the age in favour of a two-phased plan to raise the age to 12 in 2024 and then again to 14 in 2027.
She said the number of 10 to 11 year olds in custody in Victoria has halved from 2017 thanks to investment in programs designed to support families and divert children away from the criminal justice system. Symes acknowledged this won’t be the case in all states:
They don’t have the benefit of such positive numbers in every state.
I would love a national approach, but I do not underestimate the complexity of other states, not just their numbers, but their sheer size of geography and in relation to provision of services.
Everyone is committed to doing better, but I think in Victoria we can lead the way, we can be a good example and people can look to our policies to see if they are appropriate settings for their jurisdictions.
This is going to be nation leading. We are going to be the first state to raise the age [to 14] and I know that other states were watching intently on the experience here in Victoria.
The Northern Territory is raising the age to 12 in the second half of 2023 and the Australian Capital Territory to 14 by 2026. Tasmania will lift the minimum age of incarceration to 14, while leaving the age of criminal responsibility at 10.
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‘Urgent’: David Pocock and Acoss call on Labor to raise jobseeker
Independent senator David Pocock has held a press conference in Canberra alongside Australian Council of Social Services CEO Cassandra Goldie calling on the government to raise jobseeker as an “urgent” issue.
Jobseeker has been a priority for Pocock since his election. If you cast your mind back to last year, the government was only able to pass its industrial relations bill thanks to Pocock’s support, which he offered in exchange for the creation of the economic inclusion advisory committee. That’s the committee which has two weeks ago recommended raising Jobseeker and the government looks set to ignore.
Pocock has also tweeted:
The rate of Jobseeker and Youth Allowance means people are living in poverty and aren’t able to get back into work. Thanks to everyone who has joined the call to raise the rate. Call your local MP and let them know if you want to see our safety nets increased to build a fairer.
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Inflation retreats on many fronts but non-discretionary cost rises remain high
The 7% reading for March quarter CPI is pretty much where economists had expected for the annual rate.
The underlying inflation, or trimmed mean, that cuts out more volatile items came in at an annual pace of 6.6%, or slightly better than those pundits had tipped.
That’s still well above the 2-3% band the Reserve Bank targets so the pressure is not yet off for further rate hikes.
Non-discretionary goods were still rising at an annual clip of 7.2% in the quarter. That’s down from the 8.4% pace set at the end of 2022 – but still high.
The dollar was holding steady at about 66.25 US cents while the ASX 200 index of the top stocks on the sharemarket halved its loss for the day to be about 0.15% lower just now. Not a huge move but a hint perhaps that another rate rise is seen as just that little bit less likely after today’s numbers.
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Australia’s inflation rate eases to 7% in March quarter
Australia’s inflation rate eased to 7% in the first three months of 2023 – down from its 32-year high of 7.8% for the December quarter.
Economists had expected the March quarter headline consumer price index to come in at an annual pace of about 7%.
The number, announced by the ABS, will be critical for the Reserve Bank when it considers whether to resume lifting official interest rates again next Tuesday.
More soon.
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Victoria to raise age of criminal responsibility to 12, attorney general confirms
Victoria’s attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, is expected to speak at a press conference in Melbourne any minute but she’s just released a statement confirming the state is going to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 and then to 14 by 2027.
In the statement, Symes said:
When very young children engage in harmful behaviour, we know that something has gone terribly wrong in their life. We need to respond effectively and compassionately whilst still making sure they’re accountable for their actions.
This important reform is a careful and considered first step towards making sure fewer children are entering the criminal justice system and ensuring the safety of all Victorians.
As part of the reforms, Symes has also announced the government will also codify and strengthen the existing legal presumption known as doli incapax, which states a child under 14 cannot be held criminally responsible unless they knew their actions were seriously wrong, to ensure it is better understood and applied consistently in the courts.
For those aged between 10 and 11, support services will be used to address the causes of problematic behaviours and prevent future contact with the criminal justice system.
Police will be able determine appropriate responses to what Symes said were “very rare instances” of 10 and 11-year-olds seriously offending.
Once this first step of raising the age to 12 has been implemented, Symes said the government will further raise the minimum age of responsibility to 14 years old by 2027 – with exceptions for certain serious crimes.
The government is expected to begin consultation with key stakeholders and agencies soon, with legislation to be introduced to parliament later this year. It will come into effect in late 2024.
Attorney-general Jaclyn Symes has confirmed Victoria is going to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 and then to 14 by 2027. Here's her statement: pic.twitter.com/mgSCJYODXE
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) April 26, 2023
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Queensland deputy premier dismisses Greens’ rent freeze
Queensland’s deputy premier has dismissed the Greens’ proposal to work with the states to deliver a two-year rent freeze as an “extreme” and “radical” policy that “might be good for getting the Greens political party a headline” but “will not deliver a single additional affordable home”.
Steven Miles said:
The only thing a policy like that will do is drive investors out of the market and cause people to stop developments that are already underway.
We’ve heard that from investors, from developers. We need more supply and more stock.
Adam Bandt will outline Greens housing policy in a speech to the National Press Club today at which he will argue the Albanese government should pay the states $16bn more for affordable housing in return for a promise to freeze all residential rents for two years.
Miles rebuked that idea while speaking at the unveiling of plans for a major housing and commercial development which is set to build 140 affordable homes as part of five towers built next to the Gabba stadium and the future cross-river rail station.
Woolloongabba is held by the Greens at local, state and federal levels, but Miles said Labor could ward off that party’s growing popularity in inner-city Brisbane by “actually delivering affordable housing”.
The Greens can talk a good game, the Greens political party can talk a good game, but they cannot deliver a thing and their policies will not deliver a thing.
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Traditional owners rebuke super funds over Santos investments
Indigenous groups say Australia’s biggest superannuation funds are breaching human rights standards by investing in energy company Santos and its Barossa and Narrabri gas projects.
The complaint, sent to 20 major funds on Wednesday, comes amid long-standing opposition to the planned projects by traditional owners, concerned about environmental and cultural impacts.
A media statement accompanying the letter said that under international standards, “investors like super funds have an obligation to prevent adverse human rights impacts of companies in which they are invested”.
The complaints to the super funds were lodged by Equity Generation Lawyers with assistance from climate activist group Market Forces.
The offshore Barossa gas project, in the Timor Sea, has faced years of delays and resistance. The project is half complete and Santos has flagged that drilling could re-start by the end of the year pending the approval of an updated environmental plan.
The Narrabri project, in New South Wales, has attracted opposition from farmers as well as the Gomeroi people. It has been touted as an initiative that will alleviate shortfalls in gas supplies to Australia’s tight east coast market.
Super funds would typically have an exposure to Santos, given it is among Australia’s top 50 largest listed companies, unless specific investment options screen out oil and gas companies.
The company has said it partners with Indigenous communities to create mutually beneficial relationships, and that it has engaged dozens of Indigenous cultural heritage offices across its operations.
Albanese has also responded to criticisms of the defence strategic review, saying it has “overwhelmingly” been welcomed and reaffirms takes national security in the “right direction”:
I say this is the most comprehensive reassessment of Australia’s defence force posture and strategy that has occurred since the second world war.
I am not surprised that the ‘noalition’ have decided that they are against things, that they will continue to just be critical, having presided over a range of announcements that led to nothing.
We have provided substantial funding – $19bn across the forward estimates – but we have also made sure that there is a proper assessment of what Australia’s needs are and that we are ensuring that every dollar goes to make the appropriate difference.
I am very proud of the defence strategic review … It is the right direction.
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Albanese says Greens caught ‘bizarre disease of just saying no to everything’ amid housing deadlock
Albanese is asked about the deadlock with the Greens on passing the government’s Housing Australia Future Fund.
Greens leader Adam Bandt will be using his speech at the National Press Club later today to call for a rent freeze and an end to tax breaks for property investors. He says the government should instead directly fund affordable housing.
Albanese is accusing the Greens of having “caught this bizarre disease of just saying no to everything” from the Coalition.
Albanese:
It makes me wonder what the Greens party’s political and thought processes are. They are out there giving saying that they want more investment in social and affordable housing and their strategy to do that is to block $10bn to create a fund for investment in social and affordable housing that is on top of the commonwealth state housing agreements, on top of all the other investments that the federal government will be making in housing. This is completely illogical.
If the Greens vote against the $10bn Housing Australia Future Fund they are voting against $10bn of investment into social and affordable housing.
They have caught this bizarre disease of just saying no to everything, without any rational explanation. I would say to the Greens political party, they’re entitled to vote whatever way they want but they will be held to account for it and any of their rhetoric about housing issues will be regarded as just farcical if they vote against this fund.
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‘You don’t have long to wait’: Albanese on budget speculation
Albanese is asked about speculation his government will reverse – or at least partially reverse – the decision that cut off the single-parent payment after their youngest child reached aged eight. The PM is emphasising the “budget has not been finalised.”
There is a range of people out there making comments who think they know what is in it.
I will give you a tip. The expenditure review committee is meeting today … We are still finalising the budget.
The budget now is less than two weeks away, so you don’t have long to wait and I am very confident that that will be a budget that will serve Australia’s national interests.
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Albanese on jobseeker: ‘I understand that people are under real pressure’
Taking questions, Albanese is asked about the news this morning that four Labor backbenchers are calling for the jobseeker rate to be increased. Asked if they have a point, the PM reminds Australians that he grew up as a boy who lived with his single mother on a disability pension in public housing.
We will continue to engage with people in various sectors who are making their arguments of what they think should occur in the budget.
I won’t be, over the next couple of weeks, speculating on what will be in the Budget but I understand that people are under real pressure.
I certainly understand that. I know what it is like to grow up in a household reliant upon a pension. In my case an invalid pension of my mother. I know the pressure that can place people under. Of course, it is unsurprising that people in the Labor Party want to do more as all of us do.
What we will be doing in the budget is balancing up the need to provide cost of living relief for people with as well making sure that we show restraint as well so we don’t add to inflationary pressure in the budget.
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Sydney to host 2023 Quad leaders meeting
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is in front of the Sydney Opera House announcing that the 2023 Quad leaders meeting will take place in “Australia’s most recognisable building”.
He says the meeting will also provide the opportunity for a “world showcase” of the city.
I am pleased today to announce that Sydney will be the host of the Quad leaders meeting for 2023. That meeting will be held here on 24 May 2023. Prior to that and around that there will be various events, the details with the three leaders that will be announced.
The hosting of this Quad leaders meeting there at the Sydney Opera House, Australia’s most recognisable building, will be a chance for us to work cooperatively with the United States, Japan and India but also will be an enormous opportunity to showcase this beautiful city in this wonderful country to the entire world.
For the days before, during and after, there will be a world showcase on this city and on our nation of Australia. This, I regard as a real opportunity for us, which will have spinoffs, we will be discussing the global economic environment that we know is under pressure due to global inflationary pressures.
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Fox News has not said why its star host Tucker Carlson was sacked but Andrew Bolt says he knows why.
On Sky News Australia last night Bolt told his viewers the right-wing media was shocked by the abrupt removal of Carlson who was the network’s highest rating presenter.
Over the weekend the media speculated why Carlson was removed and “no one could figure out exactly why Tucker had been sacked or even if he had been sacked, and by whom”, Bolt said.
Bolt said:
Tucker was actually sacked … by Lachlan Murdoch, the day-to-day boss of News Corp.
And the scoop is that he was sacked essentially for thinking that he was bigger than Fox News.
Marles says prescription changes will not impact supply and demand of medicines
Reporter:
Can you guarantee no person will go without medicine because of this plan and can you guarantee no pharmacy will have to close because of this plan?
Butler:
This will not impact the supply and demand of these 300 medicines over a period of time. We have deliberately decided to phase in these arrangements over the course of this year and next year so pharmacists are able to change their itinerary arrangements.
It is important to stress that not every patient on these medicines is going to rock up to their pharmacy with a new 60 day script at the same time. Patients will come off their existing scripts at different times.
They will have to consult with their GPs about whether they qualify for the 60 day dispensing arrangements and there are strong arrangements we have in place, we pay wholesalers to have in place to ensure every pharmacist can have supply delivered to them within 24 hours.
I caution people against taking advice from the pharmacy lobby group about supply arrangements that are monitored very closely by our medicines authorities.
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Health minister warns of pharmacy lobby 'scare campaigns'
Taking questions, Butler is pushing back against what he calls the pharmacy lobby’s “scare campaigns” that suggest his new policy could worsen medicine shortages.
Reporter:
The Pharmacy Guild is saying of the 300 medicines that are part of the changes, about 40% have shortages at the moment, and it is all well and good to double the amount of prescriptions for patients but double of nothing is still nothing. What is being done to ensure that these medicines that are part of the changes have adequate supplies and also particularly for regional and rural pharmacies where their supplies might not be as much as the city counterparts?
Butler:
Firstly, I advise people to take advice around medicine supply and shortages from our medicines authorities rather than the pharmacy lobby group. The actual truth is of the 325 medicines that I have announced today, only seven of them are experiencing supply shortages. Shortages which are reflected across the world and are a product of the impact of Covid supply lines.
This is not going to change the number of tablets dispensed in a given period of time. It is simply going to mean that people can get two boxes at a time, instead of having to get one box and come back twice as often. We have very strong arrangements for supply from wholesalers in this country, wholesalers are funded by taxpayers to ensure that any pharmacist that is dealing with supply shortages will have that supply delivered within 24 hours anywhere in this country, whether you are a pharmacy in the city or a pharmacy in regional and rural Australia.
I would caution against some of the scare campaigns being put by the pharmacy lobby group.
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Community and rural pharmacy services to get more investment, Butler says
Speaking about the promise to reinvest the savings in community pharmacy services, Mark Butler says rural pharmacies in particular will benefit.
The health minister says he wants to see pharmacists delivering more services and health programs “using all of their vast skills and training as health professionals”.
I want to stress that the savings that the commonwealth government will make from this measure, which are significant and amount to about $1.2bn over the forward estimates, will be entirely reinvested back into community pharmacy.
Every single dollar we save from this measure will be reinvested into programs and services, delivered by community pharmacy to Australian patients. In particular, I want to see pharmacists delivering more services, more health programs, using all of their vast skills and training as health professionals for the benefit of their customers and their patients.
I value the work of pharmacy very highly. There is much more that well-trained pharmacists can do to support the health of their community. I want them doing more than just dispensing and processing repeat scripts. They can be doing more, if we are able to get them out from behind the counter, working directly with patients on their health needs.
Further details of these measures will be released over coming days. I can indicate in particular that we will be providing additional support to pharmacies in rural communities by doubling the rural maintenance allowance provided to pharmacies in rural areas, given the particular circumstances that we know health services in those parts of Australia face.
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Butler is saying the budget measures are important at a time that cost of living is forcing people to compromise their health:
Cheaper medicines is good for the patient’s health and the hip pocket. I have said a number of times that the Bureau of Statistics says that as many as almost 1 million Australians go without a medicine or defer getting a script filled because of cost.
Dropping the price of medicines is better for patients’ compliance with their medicines that their doctor has prescribed as important for their health.
We also know from over seas evidence having a larger supply for the medicines improves compliance by 20%. People go off their medicines often when they come to the end of a script because they have trouble getting their script filled, getting into a GP, because of a busy life or they run out of their supply and find it difficult to get to a pharmacist.
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Prescriptions reforms are safe, health minister says
Butler is reassuring that the committee who made this decision has made sure it will be safe for eligible patients:
The pharmaceutical benefits advisory committee assessed the safety profile of each of those medicines very carefully.
The advisory committee recommended clinical criteria for two months’ supply and, in particular, recommended that the patient’s condition must be stable and must be suitable for two months’ supply rather than just 30 days.
It is important to stress that this will ultimately be a decision for a patient’s treating doctor to be confident that providing two months’ supply of medicines is appropriate given the stability of their condition.
In many cases these patients will have been on these medicines for many, many years.
Butler gives an example:
I talked to someone yesterday in their 40s, who has been on the same medicine since they were 15. At the moment has to go to a GP every six months and a pharmacist every month, paying co-payments each time they make that visit for a medicine that they have been receiving in pretty much exactly the same way, not just for years but for decades.
Butler says many of the countries which Australia compares itself to have implemented similar measures.
Updated
Cost of medicines to be slashed for about 6 million people
The health minister, Mark Butler, has stepped up in Canberra to make the announcement of a major reform to the pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS).
Under the changes, Australians will be collect two months’ worth of medicine for the price of one month for more than 300 common medicines, essentially halving the c
Butler says that the move is based on the benefits advisory committee.
The advice from the advisory committee is that more than 300 medicines, 325 common medicines be approved for two or even three months supply to patients. The current rule is that only 30 days supply of tablets is able, or medicines, is able to be supplied to patients.
This means that given that general practitioners are able to issue a script with five repeats, this means that patients with chronic disease at the very least need to make two visits to a GP every year and 12 visits to a pharmacist every year to get their medicines – making co-payments to the pharmacist on every single one of those visits.
Accepting the advice of the … committee for two months supply of medicine, which is what the government is doing, will halve that number of visits, so patients who are very stable in their condition and have been on these medicines for some time will be able to get a supply of their medicines with only one visit to the GP per year instead of two and only six visits to the pharmacist instead of 12.
This will obviously involve much less inconvenience for patients, which will reduce pressure which we know is substantial on general practice and, importantly, it will halve the cost of those medicines for 6 million patients.
Read the full story here:
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Plibesek signals greater protection of Aboriginal rock art in WA
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, says the government is working very closely with the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation on WA’s Burrup peninsula to prevent any further damage to ancient rock art.
Last week Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill in a National Press Club address said her company’s decision to relocate ancient art rock from the site of the Karratha Gas Plant was not something they would do again.
We did it in a way that was culturally sensitive at the time, but in the light of hindsight, it’s not something we would repeat.
This morning, Plibersek told ABC Radio:
Those early relocations were done thoughtlessly. I’ve actually visited the site a couple of times now. I’ve seen where the rock art was relocated. It was basically just, you know, picked up with a bulldozer and moved, stuck in a corner somewhere.
I know that the senior law man for the Murujuga area has been looking at any further relocations... it’s not really for me to talk about, but I can tell you very confidently that we are working very closely with the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, which is the elected body corporate for the five traditional owner groups in the area. And they have been very clear their expectations of what has to happen in this area.
The World Heritage listing is really exciting. It means that this place will be internationally renowned and I hope attract visitors, because it is globally significant.
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CPI result set to decide on case for RBA rate hike
The Reserve Bank made it clear in its April meeting minutes that it came close to lifting its cash rate for a record 11th time earlier this month. One reason it didn’t was the board wanted to see more evidence of the strength of the economy.
We’ll get a key stat this morning when the ABS releases March quarter consumer price index numbers at 11.30am Aest. Economists are expecting the annual rate to come in at about 7%, providing more proof that inflation has very likely peaked. (It was 6.8% in February alone, and 7.8% for the December quarter.)
As things stand, investors aren’t expecting the RBA to budge the cash rate from 3.6% but economists reckon a strong inflation number will be enough to nudge the central bank to move again.
Ahead of today's March quarter CPI release, investors were assessing the chance of the RBA resume its interest rate hikes as about 17%. Economists, though, say an annual CPI number that comes in at about 7% or higher should make another rate rise quite likely. pic.twitter.com/zz5haiSfC5
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) April 25, 2023
Prepare, though, for a bit of nuance when the numbers land. As the descriptor suggests, the headline CPI number is what people will likely see flashing on their screens (and topping articles).
However, the RBA is usually more focused on an inflation measure called the trimmed mean. That strips out more volatile items to get closer to the underlying rate. Economists reckon that measure might only ease a bit from the 6.9% recorded in the December quarter. This is the number the central bank wants to see return quickly to its 2%-3% target band.
That target band got a tick in the RBA review that landed last week. In case you missed it, we had a look at an alternative to inflation targeting that may one day dim the focus on inflation as an RBA rate trigger:
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‘Buried’ Powerhouse museum report could have stopped $500m redevelopment
A heritage architect hired by the previous New South Wales government to consult on major redevelopments at Sydney’s Powerhouse museum is alleging that his research was buried. He alleges this was because it would have scuppered controversial plans to demolish much of the beloved Sydney institution.
Alan Croker, who has previously consulted on architectural landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, told Guardian Australia his company, Design 5, had drafted a conservation management plan (CMP) on the heritage significance of the Ultimo site in October 2021.
His recommendation that the entire site be heritage listed threatened $500m plans to turn the Powerhouse into a commercially oriented fashion and design hub.
Elderly man in critical condition after alleged carjacking in Brisbane
An 87-year-old man is in a critical condition after falling from a moving vehicle during an alleged assault in an underground car park in Brisbane, AAP reports.
His accused attacker is due to face court today, charged with grievous bodily harm, robbery with violence and possession of methylamphetamine.
Police believe there was a struggle between the two men after the alleged offender entered a vehicle in a Brisbane city car park at about 9pm on Friday night.
Investigators say the 20-year-old Mareeba man then drove forward causing the victim to fall from the moving vehicle, before crashing through the boom gate and speeding away.
The elderly man remains in a critical condition with significant head injuries after being taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
Officers found the car at Musgrave Park, not far from the city, on Saturday before arresting the alleged offender in Brisbane on Tuesday.
He was detained and treated for injuries sustained while attempting to flee, and is due to face the Brisbane Magistrates Court today.
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The shadow defence minister, Andrew Hastie, is criticising the defence strategic review for shifting resources from the army to the airforce and navy.
Speaking to ABC Radio this morning, Hastie said shifting from a land base to an air and maritime defence capability does make sense:
But not at the cost of our land combat power. And I think, to go to the point, this is some of the risks inherent to the defence strategic review by cutting the program from 450 to 129 vehicles to get to the details straight up.
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Marles says budget will ‘have an eye to our most vulnerable’ but sticks to party line on jobseeker
When defence minister Richard Marles was asked about jobseeker in his ABC Radio interview, like Plibersek he also expressed concern for the most vulnerable, without making any tangible commitment to raising jobseeker.
We will have an eye to our most vulnerable in the decisions we announce on budget night.
However on the call from the economic inclusion advisory committee’s report to raise the rate of jobseeker, Marles brought out the party line:
We’re not able to fund every single good idea.
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Plibersek tight-lipped on jobseeker as pressure on Labor rises
Tanya Plibersek is now being asked about those strong words from Ken Henry on ABC Radio:
Is the government preparing to be cruel using his language?
Plibersek:
We’re a Labor government and we look for every opportunity to help the most disadvantaged people. We know that unemployed people in Australia, in particular long-term unemployed people, have been doing it really tough. We want to make sure that the most vulnerable Australians are properly looked after – that will always be a motivation for Labour governments.
Karvelas:
But there is a sense of urgency here if a former Treasury secretary says it’s cruel. That’s pretty strong language, isn’t it?
Plibersek:
I’m not going to talk about what might or might not be in the budget. I’ll leave that for the prime minister and the treasurer.
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Foundational tax reform required to return budget to surplus, Ken Henry says
Henry is also calling for “major foundational tax reform” in order for the budget to be returned to surplus. He says major structural change is needed, including finding ways to treat the most disadvantaged with respect.
Asked about the government’s pushback with lines like they can’t afford to fund every great idea, Henry says:
Nothing that’s in the budget should be regarded as being baked-in.
… This budget in order for it to be brought back into balance is going to require major structural change and it’s going to require major structural change on both the spending side of the budget and the taxation side of the budget.
Indeed, I see no prospect of this budget being returned to a structural surplus without major foundational tax reform. We are going to have to find ways of meeting the demands of society and we are certainly going to have to find ways of being able to treat the most disadvantaged with respect.
Henry says jobseeker being raised to the 70% of the age pension, which is what the government’s independent economic inclusion advisory committee recommended, is the “the figure we should be talking about.”
Updated
'Being cruel to people doesn’t work': Ken Henry calls for jobseeker boost
The former Treasury secretary Ken Henry says it would be cruel for the government not to increase the rate of the jobseeker payment in next month’s budget.
Henry is among more than 300 politicians academics, business leaders and community advocates who have signed an open letter to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, calling for a substantial increase in JobSeeker in next month’s budget.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast this morning, Henry pointed to the findings of several reports, including the advice of the independent Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee. He goes on:
It certainly hasn’t been in [people’s] interest, nor in the interest of the economy, to keep them on something as low as $50 a day.
The only economic argument for keeping people on such low payments while they’re out of work is to give them an incentive to get a job.
Now, here we are with an unemployment rate as low as what has been seen at any time in the past 50 years and yet there are still about a million people who are reliant upon these payments to meet their needs.
We know that about 80% of those people will have to rely on these payments for more than 12 months despite the tightest labour market that Australia has had in 50 years.
If this tells us one thing, it should tell us that being cruel to people doesn’t work. It’s not what is going to get them into a job. The people we’re talking about here need to have some respect shown to them during the period in which they are out of work and they need help to find a job.
Michael Rowland:
In your view would it be cruel not to increase jobseeker?
Henry:
Yes, I think it would. Yes, I do.
Updated
Defence spending will ‘definitely’ rise above 2% of GDP, Marles says
Asked if defence spending will be higher than 2% of GDP, defence minister Richard Marles says:
Defence spending will rise over the trajectory we inherited from the former government over the next 10 years.
That’s currently 2% of GDP – which Marles then confirms without putting a percentage on it:
I’m not going to walk down the path of putting a GDP percentage on it, and no one really could ... it will definitely be beyond 2%.
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Marles says building guided missiles in Australia would be a ‘game changer’
The coming federal budget will earmark more than $4bn to expand the range of the Australian Defence Force’s missiles and establish domestic manufacturing, as our defence correspondent Daniel Hurst reported this morning:
The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, says he is confident domestic manufacturing capability will be in place in the “next couple of years.” But he won’t give a more specific timeline speaking to ABC Radio this morning.
There’s a bit of a tussle about whether it’s new money, as Patricia Karvelas calls Marles up on it being reallocated. Pointing to the rise in $2.5b for local production of guided weapons, Marles says:
That’s a significant increase and a complete game changer is being able to manufacturer guided missiles in this country.
Marles says that the government has already been working with manufacturers, naming companies Raytheon and Lockheed about the production facilities in Australia.
I’m confident it will enable us to bring forward manufacturing capabilities in Australia much sooner. It’s a complete game changer.
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Plibersek pledges $260m to protect national parks after 'decade of neglect'
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, is this morning committing to $260m to Australia’s national parks to address problems after “a decade of neglect”.
Plibersek is telling ABC News some parks have become unsafe:
What we’ve seen in our national parks, feral animals, invasive weeds, despite the best efforts of our rangers and staff, they just haven’t been able to keep up with the demand in our parks.
They’ve actually become unsafe. One of the worst examples I heard was broken and missing crocodile signs in Kakadu national park.
It means that we can protect nature better. It means that we can deal with those feral animals, like the feral cats we’ve got on Christmas Island that are responsible for the last two extinctions we had in Australia.
Plibersek says it also means a better visitor experience for tourists and that parks will be able to employ an extra 110 staff, more than 30% of whom are Indigenous.
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Community consultation begins on safe injecting room for Melbourne’s CBD
People who live and work in Melbourne’s CBD are being urged to have their say on a proposed medically supervised safe injecting room in the city.
Former Victoria police commissioner, Ken Lay, has for several years been working on a report on whether the city needs a safe injecting facility and where it should be located.
So far, he has met with 157 stakeholders in the CBD over 78 sessions and is now calling on the wider city community to complete a survey on the issue.
The survey will ask for the community’s views on:
- Drug harms and activity in the City of Melbourne
- The proposed Medically Supervised Injective Service trial for the City of Melbourne
- Opportunities to address safety and amenity issues relating to a Medically Supervised Injecting Service in the City of Melbourne.
The consultation period will run from Wednesday to 16 May. Lay is expected to hand in his report to the government by the end of May. It was initially due back in 2020.
You can access the survey here from about 9am.
Gas code to be supported by ‘strong enforcement regime’, ministers say
Anyway, there will also be a process to qualify for exemptions from the price cap on the basis of making satisfactory ACCC and court enforceable supply commitments, while small gas producers will be exempt if they supply only the domestic market.
The ministers said:
The Gas Code will be supported by a strong enforcement regime delivered by the ACCC, with a review to be undertaken no later than two years after coming into effect, to ensure the Gas Code remains effective and fit for purpose.
The Gas Code will minimise the risk of supply shortfalls, deliver Australian gas at reasonable prices for Australian families and industry, and provide certainty for our valued trading partners.
We’ve asked the government what has become of the price cap for black coal. That cap was set at $125 per tonne and affected Queensland and New South Wales only where some power plants burn that fossil fuel for electricity generation.
You’ll be the first to know if they tell us.
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Gas price cap extended to mid-2025 to keep lid on energy prices
The Albanese government has extended its $12 per gigajoule price cap on gas prices to July 2025 in a bid to limit the increases in energy prices.
Back in December, as we reported at the time, the government lost patience with energy producers and imposed price caps on gas and black coal for domestic users.
Ministers Chris Bowen, Madeleine King and Ed Husic said in a joint statement this morning:
Coupled with action to cap coal costs for power generators, gas price caps under the Government’s Energy Price Relief Plan nearly halved wholesale energy prices.
(There’s a bit of debate about how much these price interventions lowered wholesale electricity prices, which in turn, account for about one-third of the final bill you and I pay.)
So, the government is also releasing its final consultation for its mandatory code of conduct (Gas Code) to secure more gas at “reasonable prices for Australian consumers”, with a 12 May deadline to respond.
The ministers said:
The Gas Code will ensure sufficient supply of Australian gas for Australian users at reasonable prices, give producers the certainty they need to invest in supply, and ensure Australia remains a reliable trading partner by allowing LNG producers to meet their export commitments.
(This is a contested part, too, with producers irked that the government would seek to impose a price on new gas developments, saying it will be highly interventionist and will deter new investments.)
Updated
Drop in inflation expected when CPI figures announced today
Economists expect a sharp drop in headline inflation in the quarterly consumer prices index being released on Tuesday.
However even a generous decline may not be enough to steer the reserve bank away from a May interest rate hike.
Consumer prices started surging last year due to global supply side issues, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and stimulus programs during the pandemic, but the Australian Bureau of Statistic’s inflation quarterly index likely passed its peak last quarter.
A Reuters poll forecast a 1.3% lift in headline inflation in the March quarter, down from a 1.9% lift in the final three months of 2022.
On an annual basis, inflation is expected to sink to 6.9% after hitting 7.8% in the December quarter.
As well as signs of moderation in the monthly inflation gauge, St George senior economist Pat Bustamante said several one-off factors that drove last quarter’s increase, such as the unwinding of state power subsidies and the fuel excise cut, and would not feature in the March edition.
But Bustamante said the RBA, which opted to keep interest rates on pause last month after 10 consecutive hikes, will be on the lookout for a decent fall in core inflation.
The closer the March quarter outcome is to the RBA’s June forecast of 6.2%, the more likely the RBA board will be satisfied that they have done enough tightening to ensure inflation is on track to decline to the target band of two-three per cent at the desired pace,” he wrote in an analysis.
– via AAP
Updated
Good morning! Natasha May on deck with you.
Zoe Daniel on student debt: ‘Help is no longer fit for purpose’
Zoe Daniel says the federal government has “made it clear” it won’t freeze indexation of student debts as proposed by the Greens and others but there are immediate options that can be implemented to ease the pain on graduates.
Among her proposals will be determining indexation based upon the more stable wage price index, as occurs in the UK, tying indexation to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s trimmed or weighted average which is a better determiner of underlying inflation or changing the timing of compulsory repayments so extra tax withheld is calculated before rather than after tax returns are submitted.
If indexation were applied after compulsory repayments, Australian students would be saving hundreds of dollars this year alone. These are all stopgap measures. After being set up in the 1980s, Help is no longer fit for purpose and is overdue for independent review.
Bailey Riley, president of the National Union of Students, has welcomed Daniel’s support to tackle “the crisis of skyrocketing student debt” on young Australians:
We are already looking at becoming the most indebted generation in Australia’s history and now the federal government is looking to profit from young Australians during a cost of living crisis.
The National Tertiary Education Union has echoed calls by the Greens for the higher repayment threshold and abolishing indexation.
Dr Alison Barnes, president of the NTEU, said the body was “deeply worried” students were going backwards and couldn’t repay debt fast enough to build financial security.
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Ease student debt pressure, Zoe Daniel says
The independent MP Zoe Daniel will join a growing coalition calling upon the federal government to implement urgent reform to ease the pressure of student debt following the release of the latest inflation indexation rate.
The repayment of Hecs loans is tied to indexation, which calculates the level of compulsory repayments.
The March figures, which will released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today, are expected to be about 7%, up from 3.9% last year and 0.6% in 2020.
With wages lagging behind high inflation, Australians with an average Hecs debts $22,636 will be hit with an increase of about $1,584 when next indexed on 1 June under the current figures.
Daniel will say Help is not fit for purpose at a time of “unprecedented” cost of living pressures, calling for an urgent review into the system.
The data shows that women are disproportionately affected by rising university costs, and that the current indexation system further exacerbates the gender pay gap. Average debts have climbed from $12,990 in 2008-09 to more than $22,000 in 2021-22. Repayment is taking more than two years longer than in 2005-06. Tertiary education is more than a cost – it is an investment in our future. A better educated workforce means greater productivity and greater prosperity for all.
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Labor backbenchers call for higher jobseeker rate
Labor backbenchers have joined hundreds of politicians, academics, business leaders and advocates in calling for the Albanese government to accept the major recommendation of its expert poverty panel and substantially increase the jobseeker rate.
Labor MPs including Alicia Payne, Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah, Kate Thwaites and Louise Miller-Frost have added their name to an open letter calling on their party leader Anthony Albanese to stop leaving “people with the least behind”.
Albanese went to the election promising “no one held back, no one left behind”.
The signatories to the open letter, which was co-organised by the Australian Council of Social Service and includes the support of Bridget Archer, teal independents and members of the senate crossbench say it’s time Labor fulfilled its vow and addressed the “increased deprivation” faced by welfare recipients.
And this is how we reported yesterday on advocates warning the Albanese government against adopting a “half measure” of restoring single-parent payments only until children reach high school age.
Updated
Welcome
Morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you the top stories from overnight before Natasha May comes along to take you through the day.
Our lead story this morning is that the health minister, Mark Butler, will today outline changes to prescription costs that will slash out-of-pocket costs for GP visits and medicines. Under the budget measure, patients can expect savings of up to $180 a year for each medicine, while concessions card holders will be $43.80 better off for each medicine. The money will come from the government having to pay fewer subsidies to pharmacists.
Talking of the budget – there’s a lot of clamour for various measures with Labor backbenchers today joining hundreds of politicians, academics, business leaders and advocates in calling for the Albanese government to accept the major recommendation of its expert poverty panel and substantially increase the jobseeker rate. Also, independent MP Zoe Daniel will join a growing coalition calling upon the federal government to implement urgent reform to ease the pressure of student debt. It comes as the latest indexation rate is released on the same day as the latest inflation figures.
And a heritage architect has alleged the previous NSW government buried his report recommending Sydney’s Powerhouse museum site should be heritage listed because it would have scuppered plans for a commercial redevelopment. “It’s time somebody told the truth about what happened,” Alan Croker has told us. “This ongoing silence is not right.”
