What we learned today, Wednesday 28 September
Thanks for joining us for this last pre-budget parliamentary sitting week. Here’s a little snippet of what we learned today:
The federal government has asked Optus to cover the costs of replacement passports for customers caught up in the telco’s data breach, with Anthony Albanese saying “we believe that Optus should pay, not taxpayers”.
Queensland will end its reliance on coal by 2035, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announcing the state’s eight coal-fired power plants will be turned into renewable energy hubs. The government has signed a workforce charter with three unions that they say represent a “job security guarantee”.
The Albanese government has resisted pressure to extend the six-month halving of the fuel excise, which will expire at midnight tonight, with petrol prices expected to rise as a consequence.
The independent MP Helen Haines has been nominated as a member of the committee which will inspect the integrity commission legislation introduced into parliament today. She says she has concerns over the public hearings threshold, particularly the “exceptional circumstances” test.
The cashless debit card repeal legislation has passed the House of Representatives for a second time, formalising its pending abolition and allowing participants in some regions to opt out of the scheme after 4 October.
And the Royal Australian College of GPs has sounded the alarm about the GP crisis, with the college’s president, Karen Price, saying “unless things change, more and more practices will face the impossible decision of hiking fees for patients or closing up shop”.
We’ll be keeping you up to date with the live news blog from tomorrow, with Natasha May kicking it off first thing in the AM. Look after yourselves.
Updated
A little update on the dam in South Australia that’s in danger of collapse and threatening homes:
The @SA_SES is continuing to lower the water levels of private dam in Echunga.
— SASES (@SA_SES) September 28, 2022
Relief Services will be available at the Echunga Recreational Ground until 9pm on Wednesday night to provide advice & support with regarding alternative accommodation.
Photo: Dean Faulkner, ABC news pic.twitter.com/EMvn18mSwW
