What we learned today, Tuesday 2 July
With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Stay warm and dry out there, I’m off to use my labrador as a hot water bottle.
Here were today’s major developments:
Federal Labor MPs and senators endorsed the suspension of Senator Fatima Payman from the party’s parliamentary caucus. On Tuesday afternoon, minister Bill Shorten said her suspension gave herself and the party time to “work out what’s important”.
The Greens senator Dorinda Cox said Australia’s Indigenous community “want some sense of hope” in the wake of the failed voice referendum last year, as her party launched its own push to set up a federal truth telling and justice commission.
Over in the Senate, Mehreen Faruqi denounced Labor’s international student cap as “a racist dog-whistle of a policy”. The Greens deputy leader pressed the government to “dump the destructive international student caps bill” and contended that the legislation was “a blatant attack on international students”.
The Coalition announced plans for divestiture powers as a “last resort” to address supermarket price-gouging. It’s an amalgamation of the government’s mandatory code of conduct for the grocery giants and the Greens’ push for divestiture powers.
And budget airline Bonza will be officially wound up, after the airline’s creditors voted to liquidate the airline.
Updated
Farmers vow to keep fighting Labor’s live sheep export ban
Farmers are vowing to continue to fight the Albanese government’s live sheep export ban and accuse Labor of turning its back on Australian agriculture.
Live sheep exports by sea will be banned from May 2028 after legislation passed the Senate on Monday night.
Exporters, farmers and other agricultural suppliers say their businesses will be ruined and regional towns in Western Australia will die because of the ban.
Mark Harvey-Sutton of the Livestock Exporters’ Council has “never seen the sector so united, so mobilised and so furious”.
Last-minute lobbying by Western Australian farmers and exporters was not enough to have the legislation blocked, with the bill passing the Senate with the support of the Greens and some crossbenchers.
Advocates of the live export trade who travelled to Canberra have vowed to target the Albanese government in marginal Labor seats across Australia.
The ban has been welcomed by animal rights groups. Jed Goodfellow from the Australian Alliance for Animals described the phase-out as a pivotal moment in the history of animal welfare.
This legislation has been a long time coming for our members and their 2 million-plus supporters who have been calling for an end to this cruel and unnecessary trade for decades.
– AAP
Updated
