What we learned, Sunday 18 February
We’ll close up this blog now. Thanks all for your company, comments and correspondence.
The major stories:
We heard a re-enlivened debate – from a decade ago – over an asylum seeker boat arriving in Australia. The Coalition opposition accused the Labor government of “losing control” of the country’s borders after a boat bearing asylum seekers from South Asia arrived in Western Australia. The government responded, saying its commitment to Operation Sovereign Borders “is absolute”. (It should also be noted that asylum seeker boats have arrived in Australia every year for the last 35 years, save for one (2021). And that the number of people who arrive by plane and seek asylum consistently dwarfs the number arriving by boat.)
Tay-Tay is A-OK. Taylor Swift’s Sydney concert will go ahead in Sydney after Olympic Park was cleared of any asbestos risk.
But two more Sydney schools have tested positive for asbestos contamination. There are now more than 30 confirmed sites across Sydney.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Lincoln is drifting towards Western Australia but heavy rain could linger a little while longer over north-west Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Updated
Government’s commitment to Operation Sovereign Borders ‘absolute’, home affairs minister says
In response to criticism from opposition leader Peter Dutton that the government had “lost control” of Australia’s borders with the arrival of an asylum seeker boat in Western Australia, the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, has said the government’s commitment to Operation Sovereign Borders “is absolute”:
Every person who has attempted to reach Australia by boat since I have been Minister is back in their home country, or in Nauru, having wasted thousands of dollars and having risked their lives.
Operation Sovereign Borders is only possible thanks to the hard work and bravery of the men and women of the Australian Border Force. Protecting our borders is difficult and dangerous and on behalf of all Australians I thank them.
Comments such as those made by the Opposition Leader this weekend run directly counter to Australia’s national security. This conduct undermines Operation Sovereign Borders and gives people smugglers the disinformation they need to get people on boats.
Peter Dutton is trying to weaken our borders for his own political gain. He will say or do anything to wreck, and create division, if it is to his political advantage.
Updated
‘Never Surrender High-Tops’. Dear readers, I give you American democracy in action.
Updated
Tasmanian Liberals to slash stamp duty for first-home buyers if re-elected
AAP’s Callum Godde reports:
Australia’s only Liberal government has swung a housing pitch at young voters, promising a user tax on short-stay rentals such as Airbnbs to slash stamp duty for first-home buyers.
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff says stamp duty for homes worth up to $750,000 bought by first-time buyers will be completely waived if the Liberals are re-elected on 23 March.
The plan would double the state’s existing stamp duty discount of 50% and lift the value cap from $600,000, saving an extra 1,500 prospective buyers up to $28,935.
Rockliff told reporters in Franklin on Sunday:
I want young Tasmanians to have that dream, that aspiration of owning their own home.
I recognise that for now it’s out of reach for many, many young Tasmanians.
The policy would apply to existing houses, units and apartments and run for two years until mid-2026.
It would cost $60m but be partially offset by a 5% levy on short-stay rentals, unveiled earlier on Sunday.
We want more young Tasmanians to buy a home here, to build a career here, and raise a family here.
— Jeremy Rockliff (@jeremyrockliff) February 18, 2024
Only a re-elected majority Liberal Government and our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future will make it easier for Tasmanians to own their own home.https://t.co/GLgN69nSLC
Consumers would foot the bill for the proposed levy on short-stay platforms such as Airbnb and Stayz, which is expected to raise $11m a year.
“This policy will help to ease the supply side-pressures,” Rockliff said.
Hotels, pubs and other traditional accommodation operators would not be captured by the levy.
Rockliff argued the surcharge would be mostly paid by interstate and overseas travellers, pointing to data showing 83% of Tasmanian short-stay users not being local.
Victoria is introducing a 7.5% consumer-facing levy on short stays from 2025 to raise $70m a year for social housing.
NSW is considering its own rental booking surcharge, which is already in place in parts of Germany, France and the United States.
Airbnb thrust its support behind the Tasmanian Liberals’ plan, describing tourism levies between 3-5% as a fair and sustainable way to raise revenue for communities.
“Bringing in a simple short-stay levy rather than multiple regulations at a local council level around the state is the right call,” the company’s Australian and New Zealand head of public policy, Michael Crosby, told AAP in a statement.
But Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White said the short-stay levy amounted to a broken promise from the premier.
“[He] just a few short years ago said they would never impose a visitor tax on the accommodation sector,” she said.
“This is a government that’s trying to tax its way out of a cost-of-living crisis.”
Visiting Launceston, White announced Labor would change the northern Tasmanian city’s general hospital redevelopment plan to include a childcare centre if it ends 10 years of Liberal rule.
Labor has already pledged $75m to open more childcare services in schools, Tafe campuses, government office buildings and other sites.
White said:
This would make it more affordable and accessible for Tasmanian families to go work and pay the bills.
Tasmanians are heading to an early poll after the Rockliff government failed to resolve a standoff with two crossbench independents.
Updated
Opposition gets personal ahead of Dunkley byelection
The looming Dunkley byelection will be a chance for voters to send a message to the government, the opposition leader has declared, ahead of early voting.
Pre-polling starts on Monday, ahead of the 2 March byelection, with the major parties jostling for early votes.
Speaking at the Liberal campaign launch for the party’s candidate, Nathan Conroy, opposition leader Peter Dutton said the byelection would be a referendum on the government’s performance.
We’re not going to wake up after the byelection and find that there’s a change of government, but this is an opportunity for Australians to send a message to a bad government.
Send Anthony Albanese and Labor a message this byelection, send it not just on behalf of your local community but on behalf of millions of Australians around the country.
The byelection was triggered by the death of former Labor MP Peta Murphy, who passed away in December following a long battle with cancer.
While Labor holds the seat with a 6.3% margin, the byelection is slated to be a close contest, with the standard swing against a sitting government between 4% and 5%.
Cost-of-living issues have dominated debate in the lead-up to the poll, coming after the government introduced changes to planned stage-three tax cuts.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese said the Coalition had nothing positive to offer the electorate.
Labor has pre-selected community advocate Jodie Belyea as its candidate for the seat.
– AAP
Updated
Dingoes bite tourists in Queensland
Two tourists have become the latest victims of dingo bites on the Queensland island of K’gari with six incidents in as many weeks.
An 18-year-old woman was walking to Lake Wabby on Saturday afternoon as part of a tour group when a tagged dingo bit her on the back of her left leg.
She suffered puncture marks around her left knee and was treated by paramedics.
About five hours later, a person on a separate tour was mouthed or nipped by a dingo on the beachfront near Dilli Village.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers will step up patrols in the areas and attempt to contact the tourists.
– AAP
Exports to China soar to $17bn as trade barriers fall
A record $16.8bn in agriculture, fisheries and forestry exports went to China in the last financial year as punitive trade barriers fell.
The export increase in the 2022-23 financial year marked a 22% increase in value from the previous year.
Cotton, barley and roundwood subject to trade impediments were boosted in the year to October 2023 after the barriers came down.
Cotton exports were valued at $824m, a $757m jump from the previous 12 months; barley was worth $443m compared with $0; and roundwood was worth $780,000, up $646,000.
Barriers remain on Australian wine entering the Chinese market but there are hopes the tariffs could be dropped as soon as next month.
Australia has suspended a World Trade Organisation (WTO) complaint against China in exchange for a review.
A similar process for barley led to tariffs being dropped by Beijing.
Impediments on Australian lobster and meat also remain a sticking point.
The trade minister, Don Farrell, is will meet his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, on the sidelines of a WTO ministerial meeting in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month.
– AAP
Updated
Wages tracking higher but growth likely peaking
Heftier sums have been landing in bank accounts in a welcome development for financially-stretched Australian workers.
Another strong quarter for pay growth is expected when the Australian Bureau of Statistics releases its December wage price index on Wednesday.
A record-breaking 1.3% quarterly increase in the three months to September was recorded by the key measure of wages growth in the economy.
Annually, wage growth was running at 4%.
But economists say the pace of growth should slacken a bit from the highs of the last print.
Strong demand for labour in part explained the record growth through to September. In a tight labour market, employers will offer higher salaries to entice staff.
The industrial umpire’s minimum and award wage boost and a pay bump for aged care workers also fed into the robust quarterly result.
The average weekly earnings index is also scheduled this week, which is a broader measure of pay movements than the wage price index.
The bureau will release the weekly earnings data on Thursday.
The Reserve Bank will also tease out its decision to keep interest rates on hold in the minutes from the February meeting when its minutes are released on Tuesday.
– AAP
Updated
Auction level rises slightly over weekend
Auction activity has risen this weekend with 2,044 auctions held.
This is more than twice the 1,642 auctions held last week and above the 1,846 auctions that occurred at the same time last year.
Based on results collected so far, CoreLogic’s summary found that the preliminary clearance rate was 75.4% across the country, which is marginally lower than the 76.2% preliminary rate recorded last week, but continues the growth on the week before which record 70.3% on final numbers.
This is higher than the 67.2% clearance rate recorded at the same time last year.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 688 auctions with a clearance rate of 81.7%
Melbourne: 961 auctions with a clearance rate of 72.7%
Brisbane: 169 auctions with a clearance rate of 116%
Adelaide: 140 auctions with a clearance rate of 76.1%
Canberra: 74 auctions with a clearance rate of 55.6%
Tasmania: Three auctions held
Perth: One of nine auctions held
Updated
Nickel producers get immediate financial royalty rebate
Nickel producers will get a financial assistance program to save thousands of jobs and keep intact Western Australia’s vision of processing the world’s battery minerals.
The WA premier, Roger Cook, announced on Saturday an 18-month rebate on royalty payments to help producers to ride out the slump in prices paid for the metal.
The nickel industry supported almost 10,000 jobs and generated sales of more than $5 billion last financial year.
It is also an essential component of the state’s vision of becoming a global hub for the downstream processing of battery metals.
The financial assistance program comes after six operating facilities, including major employer BHP, announced they were scaling back loss-making operations and mothballing processing plants and mines.
Nickel prices have fallen sharply in recent months as Indonesia ramps up supply with China’s backing, while cost pressures in Australia have increased.
The WA treasurer, Rita Saffioti, said the relief was consistent with previous royalty assistance programs to assist lithium producers and junior iron ore producers to adjust to changing market conditions.
Starting from this year’s March quarter, the rebate will be provided if the average price of nickel in concentrate is below US$20,000 a tonne for a given quarter.
– AAP
Updated
Kelly Wilkinson sought help – the police accused her of ‘cop-shopping’
In the final frantic days before she was murdered, Kelly Wilkinson visited multiple police stations, warning she was in danger. Official police notes say she was “cop shopping”.
On Wednesday, Wilkinson’s estranged husband, Brian Earl Johnston, a former US Marine, pleaded guilty to her murder. A court has previously heard that Johnston tied Wilkinson to a clothesline and set her on fire on 20 April 2021.
While he awaits sentencing, Johnston’s guilty plea brings his two-year murder case to an end. Now, Wilkinson’s family is pursuing an inquest to examine how the system was unable to protect her, despite clear evidence that Johnston posed a lethal risk. Police have already conceded the case represents a “failure”.
At the beginning of April 2021, police charged Johnston with four serious domestic violence offences against Wilkinson. He was given watch house bail.
In the weeks that followed, Wilkinson attempted to speak to police “almost every day” about her concerns in relation to Johnston, her sister, Natalie Wilkinson told the Gold Coast Bulletin in 2021, including allegations he had breached the conditions of his domestic violence order.
Another sister, Danielle Carroll, said at that time that Kelly had told police:
I am scared for my life, I am scared for my children’s life. We are not safe.
For the full story, read the report by Guardian Australia’s Ben Smee:
Updated
Some early photos are coming in from the Melbourne pro-Palestine rally currently under way.
.@OliveKidsAus' founder speaking to thousands at the Naarm Melbourne rally against the Gaza genocide, calling for Labor to finally cut political and military support 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/OjzsWwn4B1
— Chris Woods 🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 (@tophermwoods) February 18, 2024
All eyes on Rafah ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bP2n3s4tbb
— Chris Woods 🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 (@tophermwoods) February 18, 2024
Updated
Victorian home losses reach 46 as bushfires contained
Another home in Victoria’s west has been confirmed lost from catastrophic bushfires, as residents across the state are warned to remain vigilant amid the clean-up.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, has been advised by the Emergency Management Victoria commissioner, Rick Nugent, that a house was destroyed around Pomonal at the edge of the Grampians National Park.
“Our thoughts are with those communities,” Allan told reporters in Notting Hill on Sunday.
The premier said 45 homes in Pomonal and one in Dadswells Bridge had been lost. At least three businesses and 23 outbuildings were also razed in Pomonal.
Locals returning to inspect the losses were met with dangerous residual electricity still running through wires despite power lines going down.
Carcasses of dead animals were strewn everywhere and water systems polluted from fire retardant used in the aerial efforts to quell the flames.
While the fire threat has eased, Allan flagged more hot weather was on the way from midweek and urged Victorians not to let their guard down.
Even though we’ve got milder weather here in the city, the fire danger rating is high [in the] Wimmera, Mallee and northern districts today.
We need to continue to monitor the weather, take the advice from the agencies, heed those warnings.
– AAP
Updated
Drones replace helicopters for checking bush powerlines
Endeavour Energy will replace noisy helicopters with stealthy drones for its annual safety checks of over 13,000 kilometres of power lines in bushfire-prone areas.
Steve Lette, head of digital at Endeavour, said the upcoming bushfire season is “especially concerning because the current summer’s rains and high temperatures have supercharged forest undergrowth”.
Previously, helicopters were the go-to choice for the NSW power distribution network that operates in Sydney’s western outskirts, the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, Illawarra and South Coast.
But Lette said helicopters caused problems because of their noise level, particularly for customers with livestock.
The introduction of drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and advanced sensors aims to mitigate these issues.
More than 2.4 million people rely on the poles and wires, and don’t want a repeat of devastating 2019-20 bushfires that choked the region and cut essential services.
Two of the worst affected coastal towns were the first to be equipped with a “community microgrid” to make them more independent during power outages.
Endeavour said around 100 homes in Bawley Point and Kioloa were fitted with subsidised solar panels or batteries in 2023 to help create the first microgrid of its kind in NSW.
To keep residents informed of drone flights, customers will receive SMS notifications in advance of an inspection near their property.
– AAP
Updated
Three NSW women charged after social media brawl
NSW police have charged three women for their alleged involvement in a prearranged brawl for social media in Swansea.
People were called to a fast-food outlet on the Old Pacific Highway in Swansea at 10.30pm on Friday after reports a brawl was under way.
As officers arrived, those involved allegedly fled the scene but witnesses told the officers three women had met at the location for a pre-arranged fight that was streamed on a social media platform.
Copies of the video were provided to police and investigations began.
Following the investigation police have charged three women – aged 31, 29 and 18 – with affray.
They were all issued future court attendance notices to appear before Belmont local court, with the 31-year-old appearing on 6 March, the 18-year-old on 13 March and the 29-year-old on 3 April.
Updated
Native species are losing ground in Victoria’s Alpine national park as brumby population booms
The journey from Cooma in southern New South Wales to Native Cat Flat in Victoria’s Alpine national park is a challenging trek along rugged four-wheel-drive tracks. For Richard Swain, a Wiradjuri man born in the Snowy Mountains, it’s worth the trip. We are headed to an area of remnant vegetation, fenced off from the more than 2,700 feral horses that live in the national park and Bogong High Plains.
There are four exclusion plots, each bordered by a modest wire fence. Behind the fences, lush sphagnum, dense vegetation, grass tussocks, shrubs and herbs thrive, showcasing an alpine landscape unaffected by the presence of horses.
Outside the fence, the ground is pockmarked with deep hoofprints and the native grasses are overgrazed. It looks like a paddock, not a sensitive alpine ecosystem.
“This is the habitat that is required for our critically endangered species, and in this entire wetland you’ve got only these four plots, not even as big as a tennis court … the rest of it is mowed off like a golf course,” Swain says.
If you ever want to know what horses do to the high mountain country, this is it.
For more on this story, read the full feature by Otis Filley:
Updated
Two more Sydney schools test positive for asbestos
The EPA has been providing an update as the state’s asbestos crisis continues to develop.
On Sunday, the agency announced mulch at another two schools had been confirmed as containing bonded asbestos following testing.
St Luke’s Catholic College at Marsden Park will close for a week while remediation work is undertaken. More than 2,000 students are expected to be impacted by the closure.
Penrith Christian School at Orchard Hills also discovered contamination in a pile of mulch that was far from students.
The NSW Department of Education secretary, Murat Dizdar, said:
There shouldn’t be recycled mulch and there should not be certainly mulch that has any remnants of any asbestos. That’s illegal. What’s occurred here is a great shame.
More than 30 sites across Sydney have tested positive so far. See the full list here:
Updated
Taylor Swift concert will go ahead after EPA finds no danger at Olympic Park
The venue for Taylor Swift’s upcoming Sydney performances has been given the green light after an earlier asbestos scare.
The New South Wales environment watchdog on Sunday confirmed mulch from around Olympic Park has undergone extensive testing before being cleared.
Environment Protection Authority chief executive Tony Chappel said:
All of our tests at Olympic Park are negative, and I can say with certainty that the harbour city is ready to welcome Taylor Swift with open arms.
Updated
Federal plan to fight scammers and spammers
The federal government is considering making it mandatory for businesses that want to use their name as a sender ID for text messages to register in a bid to fight SMS scams.
Scammers have been known to use message headers to pretend to be Australia Post or toll providers or other businesses to scam unwitting people who believe it is the legitimate brand.
The government has been piloting a registry since December last year, with CBA, NAB, the Australian Taxation Office and Services Australia registering their names, while Telstra, Optus, TPG and Pivotal blocked non-registered accounts attempting to message pretending to be those organisations as part of the trial
The federal government is now considering two options, in a consultation paper released on Saturday. One would open it up to be a voluntary sign-up for businesses, or alternatively a mandatory system where any business wishing to identify itself in a message header would be required to register the name, as well as likely pay a sign-up fee and annual fee to maintain the name.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has received $10m over four years to set up and maintain the registry, but in the consultation paper, the government indicated it would look to a cost-recovery model to charge businesses on the register. In Singapore, the registration fee is a little over A$500 and the annual fee is over A$200.
Consultation is open until 20 March.
The minister for communications, Michelle Rowland, said:
Feedback from consumers, businesses, charities and government services will help inform the next phase of the Registry, including on whether the scheme should be mandatory. I encourage all interested Australians to have their say.
Updated
Concerts, horse races and ballet: Australian politicians declare their freebies after a busy summer
Federal politicians have enjoyed a busy summer thanks to the generosity of large companies, sporting organisations and alcohol brands, receiving dozens of free tickets to cricket and tennis matches, horse races and concerts.
Recent disclosures on the parliament’s register of interests reveal Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton, Richard Marles, Jim Chalmers, Sussan Ley and Bridget McKenzie were among dozens of MPs to have accepted gifts of free passes through the holidays.
Cricket Australia and Tennis Australia were the major benefactors of tickets, with the likes of Sportsbet, Westpac, Telstra, and beverage stables Diageo, Lion, Asahi and Treasury Wines also entertaining MPs, according to political disclosure forms.
Analysis of the registers of members’ and senators’ interests by Guardian Australia found at least 23 instances of federal politicians disclosing tickets to cricket matches this summer, and 24 of tennis tickets. Included in the tickets were the Big Bash cricket, the United Cup, the Brisbane International, the Australian Open and Test cricket matches.
There were seven examples of politicians accepting passes to horse racing events, five for soccer matches and three for basketball games.
For more on what disclosure records reveal, read the full story from Guardian Australia’s Josh Butler:
Updated
With weekly pro-Palestine rallies continuing across Australian capitals, here are the details of the protests planned for this weekend:
Melbourne: 12 noon today at State Library Victoria
Brisbane: 4pm today at King George Square
Sydney: A rally was held yesterday at Hyde Park
Perth: A rally was held on Friday in Fremantle
Hobart: A car rally was held on Saturday.
Mass protests in Sydney, Australia, for ‘Global day of action for Gaza’.
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) February 17, 2024
Protesters called for a 'Free Palestine' and an end to Israel’s occupation pic.twitter.com/pe2DpZlk5q
Updated
Rockliff goes after Airbnb ahead of Tas election
Tourists and locals who stay in a Tasmanian Airbnb will be slugged a surcharge if the nation’s only Liberal government survives the upcoming state election.
The premier, Jeremy Rockliff, has revealed plans for a 5% levy on short-stay rentals such as those advertised on Airbnb and Stayz if the Liberals are re-elected on 23 March.
The proposed levy of would be paid by consumers and is expected to generate $11m a year, which the Liberals say will be entirely redirected to give first-home buyers a leg up.
Rockliff said on Sunday that the policy will help “ease the supply side pressures” and to help more young Tasmanians to buy their first home:
When Tasmanians have a key to their own home, they also unlock countless opportunities.
There is no doubt increasing number of homes on the short-stay market has reduced availability and contributed to higher rents, the housing minister, Nic Street, said.
Hotels, pubs and other traditional accommodation operators will not be captured by the levy.
The Tasmanian Liberals have also promised to ban arbitrary caps on short-stay listings and geographic distortions of the market.
- AAP
Updated
Politicians ‘accountable for their actions’ if they drink in parliament: Albanese
The PM is asked about reports by Sky News that the Nationals deputy leader, Perin Davey, has admitted to drinking alcohol before appearing at a parliamentary committee.
Look, I behave responsibly, as should all members of parliament. And, you know, I think when you’re at work, your job is to work. And like any other Australian workplace, people will look at that footage or other footage that’s been around recently, and make up their own mind. I think that politicians have a responsibility to think about the great honour that we have of representing our electorates.
But the PM stops short of calling for a ban on drinking in parliament.
I think people are accountable for their actions. They’re up for election every three years. And I think that the constituents, whether they be in the House of Representatives or the Senate, will make up their own mind based upon a range of factors, including personal behaviour. But I think that, when you are a member of parliament, you’re by definition an adult. You’re someone who has a great deal of responsibility. And it’s important that we show respect for the people who’ve sent us to parliament.
Updated
Dutton asylum comments ‘overblown’ and ‘overreach’: Albanese
Anthony Albanese is calling on the opposition to not politicise national security.
The prime minister is speaking at a press conference, following news that a group of refugees has been found in a regional community in north-western Australia.
Albanese cites comments by the commander of Operation Sovereign Borders, Rear Admiral Brett Sonter, calling on political leaders not to politicise the development, saying the operation “remains in place”.
Peter Dutton is someone who is showing, with his overblown rhetoric and with his overreach on this issue, showing that he’s not interested in outcomes or in the Australian national interest. As usual, he’s just interested in politics.
Updated
Goodenough a ‘loyal servant of the Liberal Party’, won’t quit: Hastie
A senior West Australian Liberal has expressed confidence backbench MP Ian Goodenough will remain with the party following his preselection loss.
Goodenough lost preselection for the upcoming federal election in the Perth seat of Moore on Saturday to former federal MP Vince Connelly.
Despite Opposition Leader Peter Dutton expressing support for Goodenough ahead of the vote, Connelly won 137 to 39.
Speculation has since swirled that Goodenough will serve out the rest of his parliamentary term as an independent.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, opposition defence spokesman and fellow West Australian Liberal Andrew Hastie says he expects Goodenough will stick with the party.
I’m confident Ian will do the right thing but we’ve got to allow space for the guy to be disappointed.
He’s served in the parliament for 10 years now and it’s not easy when you lose an election and he lost his election yesterday.
Goodenough was first elected to federal parliament in 2013 as part of the coalition landslide victory.
Hastie said the preselection loss would be a lot to process for Goodenough after a long stint in parliament.
Ian’s a sensible, loyal servant of the Liberal Party, he’s obviously going to be very disappointed today with the results from yesterday but this is grassroots democracy in action.
This is the way we preselect our candidates, it went to a fair vote and the other candidate won.
- AAP
Updated
New Zealand PM lays out austerity agenda in first speech
The New Zealand prime minister, Chris Luxon, has pledged a major crackdown on long-term welfare recipients, telling them “the free ride is over”.
Luxon delivered his first “state of the nation” address as prime minister in Auckland on Sunday, describing New Zealand as “fragile” and laying the blame for a loss of “mojo” at the former government’s feet.
A central theme was welfare reform, given a growing number of Kiwis on unemployment benefits receiving long-term welfare.
“There are 70,000 more people on a Jobseeker unemployment benefit today than there were in 2017,” he said, referring to a six-year spell when New Zealand’s population also grew by 500,000 people.
Even more catastrophic is that if you do go onto a benefit, you’ll stay there for longer.
For the 2,000 young people receiving a youth payment or young parent payment, they are now expected to spend an average of 24 years of their working life on a benefit.
Luxon said his government unapologetically cut spending on the unemployed, saying he was prepared for “tough choices”.
We’ll do everything we can to help people into work, but if they don’t play ball the free ride is over.
I won’t apologise for making tough choices to support young people off welfare and into work, because 24 years languishing on welfare means no hope. It means no opportunity. It means no dignity from work.
I will not apologise for tough love.
All Kiwis, of course, have a right to support when times are tough but with that right also comes responsibility.
The responsibility to look for a job, or to train for new opportunities.
And if you don’t – make no mistake – there will be consequences ... there will be sanctions if you don’t take that support seriously.
Luxon’s National party won last October’s election pledging to reduce government spending, and has already made ground on that promise, making NZ$7bn (A$6.6bn) in cuts at a mini-budget last December.
The finance minister, Nicola Willis, has ordered further cuts from government departments, writing to public sector chiefs asking for suggestions ahead of the 30 May budget.
In this speech, Luxon laid out a laundry list of promises his government has come good on, including axing Labour’s clean car rebate, light rail plans, fuel taxes and industrial relations reform.
- AAP
Updated
‘Lack of ABF funding’ contributed to WA boat arrival, Hastie says
Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie says a lack of funding contributed to the unexpected arrival of refugees in two regional communities in northern Australia.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Hastie accused the government of slashing funding to the border force.
The government has ripped $600m out of the Australian Border Force and so the question is, can we even surveil the north-west coast of Australia?
- AAP
Updated
Littleproud hits at Labor over asylum seekers found in WA
Nationals leader David Littleproud has joined opposition leader Peter Dutton’s attack on the government after the arrival of refugees in north-western Australia.
During an appearance on Nine’s Today program, Littleproud claimed Australia’s borders were “porous”.
The damage is already done, you don’t get on a boat unless you’ve got something to sell to these people, and they’ve been telling them that Australia’s borders are porous.
We need to make sure the resources are there for Border Force to intercept these people, because this is dangerous. This is people’s lives at risk as well, beyond our borders.
– AAP
Updated
Communications minister Michelle Rowland says opposition leader Peter Dutton is compromising Australia’s border security by trying to score political points after a group of asylum seekers managed to land in Australia.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Rowland said Dutton’s claims that the government had “lost control” of the border were “actually harmful”.
I would be very cautionary in terms of Mr Dutton and his comments, as leading people in the Australian Border Force have said any suggestion of alternative narratives is actually harmful.
Operation Sovereign Borders has been operating in exactly the same way since it was introduced under the previous government, consistent with successive governments.
Operation Sovereign Borders commander Rear Admiral Brett Sonter said alternative narratives had the potential to be exploited by people smugglers.
– AAP
Updated
Asked about the Barnaby Joyce incident and “issues of alcohol in Parliament House”, Chandler-Mather says the public is right to expect “a high standard for politicians”, even though they “don’t always deliver”.
Look, personally, in general I don’t think drug testing and alcohol testing in any workplace is necessarily a good idea. People are justifiably upset at the standard politicians hold themselves to.
Updated
Blaming immigration for housing prices is a “huge distraction”, Chandler-Mather says.
When we talk about immigrants, we’re talking about the nurses and teachers, construction workers. Secondly, we saw during Covid net migration reached near zero and house prices continue to … go up. Property is treated as a massive speculative asset that drives up the price of housing.
Chandler-Mather says that on the night of the census, there were a million vacant homes in Australia.
I want to be clear, we have enough homes for people to live in. We have enough construction materials to build the homes for the new people coming to this country. We don’t have the political will to take on a housing system and property developers who restrict supply to make money for themselves and treat housing as a huge speculative asset.
Updated
Phasing out negative gearing may ease rental prices: Chandler-Mather
Phasing out negative gearing would have no impacts, Chandler-Mather says, and removing the policy may put “downward pressure on rents”.
One of the things the tax handouts have done is deprive a lots of renters the chance to buy a home. Howard introduced the capital gains tax discounts and 26% renters in the country and now it’s 30%. We would have an extra 400,000 renters who could have bought a home if that hadn’t have happened.
On the argument that the problem is supply, Chandler-Mather says that building more houses in the current market would not solve the problem as investors “hoard homes that could go to first-home buyers”.
If you want to fix the housing crisis, you’re much better off building houses and phasing out the massive handouts for property investors that will cost the budget tens of billions over the next few years.
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Chander-Mather says the Greens want negative gearing grandfathered out, where individuals would be allowed to negatively gear one property and get rid of the 50% discount on the capital gains tax discount.
This would raise billions of dollars we could invest in in building in public housing. We’re better off spending billions of dollars building public housing, than giving tax handouts for people with up to 20 investment properties. It’s easier for someone to buy their tenth investment property than someone trying to buy their first.
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Chandler-Mather says the Greens will, however, negotiate with the government over the proposal and will vote for it if the party can secure wins in other areas such as building more public housing, a cap on rent increases and negotiate “a phaseout of tax handouts for property investors”.
Overall that would be a good thing.
Chandler-Mather says the government’s policy is also inflationary.
It will hurt people trying to buy a home and renters trying to buy a home. Let’s play it out: the government is coming to the parliament with a policy that every mainstream economist said will have some upward impact on house prices in the middle of one of the worst housing crises we face in generations. I don’t think, taken on its own, it’s a good idea.
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Greens MP says Labor’s housing plan will ‘screw over’ most people
The Greens’ housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather, says the government’s plan to help those trying to buy a house will “screw over the vast majority of people” and only help 0.2% of renters buy a home each year.
Imagine you’re at an auction and one person has access to this scheme. And the 99.8% who don’t will watch that person bid up the price of housing because they have more money from the government and screws over the vast majority of people.
I don’t think Australians have to win a bizarre lottery to get an affordable home, especially when there are solutions we can pursue like tackling the big tax handouts for property investors, like capping increases and building public, that have worked in this country before to make housing affordable for every Australian.
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Heavy rain for NT and Queensland as ex-cyclone tracks west
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Lincoln is drifting towards Western Australia but heavy rain could linger a little while longer over north-west Queensland and the Northern Territory.
The weather system is tracking from the Gulf of Carpentaria across the central NT and will continue to deliver strong winds and heavy rain to already-soaked areas of the Top End.
Communities in Victoria River were told to prepare for wet weather going through the region late on Saturday.
⚠️Ex-TC Lincoln will continue to bring rain and flooding to the #NT and #QLD over the coming days. TC Lincoln crossed the coast as a Cat 1 system yesterday before weakening to a tropical low. Severe weather warnings and flood watches are current.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Territory (@BOM_NT) February 17, 2024
More: https://t.co/UPVY9cG3j0 pic.twitter.com/o7UT80EcOj
Heavy rain is expected along the system’s path, with totals of about 100mm and up to 180mm forecast.
A storm watch and act alert is in place for parts of Carpentaria, Barkly, Gregory and Tanami districts.
Damaging wind gusts, heavy rain and flash flooding are also possible for Tennant Creek, Elliott, Renner Springs, Mallapunyah, Barkly District west of Tennant Creek and Barkly District east of Tennant Creek.
A ridge over central Australia will weaken at the weekend, causing humidity over southern districts to increase and bringing the chance of showers and thunderstorms.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the system was at moderate risk of becoming a cyclone again if it reached waters west of the Kimberley in WA.
After crossing the Gulf of Carpentaria’s south-west coast on Friday evening, the storm is expected to reach the Kimberley by Monday.
– AAP
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Greens housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather will speak to ABC Insiders host David Speers this morning,
Coming up on #Insiders with David Speers:
— ABC News (@abcnews) February 17, 2024
Greens housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather 🔎
Amanda Copp 📸
John Paul Janke, Ashleigh Raper and David Crowe 🛋️
See you at 9am #auspol pic.twitter.com/RaTggO77RC
We will bring you all the latest as it develops.
Tax cuts aimed squarely at regions, PM declares
Regional Australians will overwhelmingly benefit from stage-three tax cuts, with more than eight in 10 bush residents better off under the federal government’s revamped plan, Labor modelling shows.
Cuts will flow to 13.6 million taxpayers including 86% of the workforce beyond the nation’s major centres, Anthony Albanese will tell Country Labor conference delegates at Nowra on the NSW south coast on Sunday.
Some 960,000 taxpayers across regional and rural areas of the state would come out financially in front of where they would have been had Labor not tweaked the stage-three package, the prime minister will say.
Our tax cuts are aimed squarely at regional Australia.
The prime minister is expected to repeat his claim that the opposition’s gut reaction had been to reject the changed stage-three cuts and promise to roll them back.
– AAP
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Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian Australia live blog.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese will tell his supporters that Labor’s changes to the stage-three tax cuts are aimed squarely at benefitting people in regional areas at a Country Labor conference at Nowra in NSW on Sunday. The PM will tell the conference that 960,000 taxpayers across regional and rural areas of the state will be better off with the changes than they would have been if the tax cuts remained unchanged.
Ex-Cyclone Lincoln is drifting towards Western Australia but heavy rain could linger a little while longer over north-west Queensland and the Northern Territory. Communities across Australia’s Top End had alerts issued for flash flood and strong wind gusts in communities across the Territory and northern Queensland.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started...
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