What we learned today, Wednesday 7 February
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Labor’s closing loopholes bill is a step closer to passing parliament after a deal was struck with the Greens that includes a right to disconnect from work for employees.
Australia should adopt the US policy of paying whistleblowers, the former competition tsar Allan Fels told the National Press Club today.
Australians are continuously overcharged and subjected to “profit push” pricing by major corporations enjoying scant competition, resulting in higher inflation and intensifying cost-of-living pressures, an inquiry commissioned by the ACTU found.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, sought but failed to suspend standing orders in the House of Representatives to move that Australia “end its support for Israel’s invasion of Gaza”. In response, the assistant foreign minister, Tim Watts, defended the government’s approach to the war in Gaza.
Four Victorian Greens MPs were kicked out of parliament after they held signs up during question time that accused the government of “arming Israel”.
Labor backbenchers have privately played down the impact of Australia’s pause in funding to a key UN agency delivering aid to Gaza, with one MP denouncing “misinformation underpinning some online media and email campaigns”.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations have called for urgent action in the wake of the Closing the Gap report, which gave a scathing assessment of the potential failure of the whole agreement due to governments simply not doing enough.
The Queensland government has approved Whitehaven’s Winchester South coalmine to extract up to 17m tonnes of thermal and metallurgical coal each year for 28 years.
The Queensland government will set “yearly targets” for reducing youth crime.
About 100 pro-Palestine protesters gathered at the front of Parliament House in Canberra today to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the blockade.
More asbestos has been found in new locations in Sydney and regional NSW after the discovery of contamination at several other Transport for New South Wales sites including the Rozelle parklands.
Updated
Victorian Greens MPs asked to apologise for signs in parliament
The speaker in Victoria’s lower house, Maree Edwards, has requested the four Greens MPs who broke parliament’s rules and displayed signs during question time formally apologise.
Edwards met with MPs Gabrielle de Vietri, Sam Hibbins, Tim Read and Ellen Sandell this afternoon after she suspended them from the chamber for 90 minutes for holding up signs which read “Vic Labor Stop Arming Israel”.
This apology is expected to occur in the lower house on Thursday morning.
Updated
Coles blames farmers and suppliers for higher prices
Coles has blamed high supermarket prices on requests for hikes from farmers and suppliers in a parliamentary inquiry into supermarket prices, AAP reports.
In a submission to the committee, Coles says it has received on average more than 70 requests a week from suppliers and farmers, which is almost double the level a few years ago.
The supermarket giant adds it has been affected by increased energy, labour, logistics and packaging costs.
Coles has told the committee, led by the Greens senator Nick McKim, that for every $100 of operating revenue earned, $73.09 is spent on buying and getting products to stores, with the vast majority going to suppliers.
Wages and benefits are the next highest expenditures, accounting for $11.87 out of every $100.
Coles says in its submission:
We highly value these long-term partnerships and it is our ambition to continue to build on these successes and contribute to the long-term sustainability of our valued suppliers.
The supermarket chain says its suppliers are subject to the same cost pressures that households are grappling with.
Updated
Berejiklian Icac probe drives integrity changes for MPs
An investigation that sensationally revealed the ex-premier Gladys Berejiklian’s secret relationship with a colleague has sparked a slew of integrity changes for NSW politicians, AAP reports.
Parliamentary representatives will have to provide expanded and more up-to-date information about potential conflicts of interest under the proposed changes.
Disclosures will be published on the NSW parliament’s website on an ongoing basis – instead of periodically – under the proposed reform, announced by the state government on Wednesday.
It will also be a legal requirement to respond to any Independent Commission Against Corruption recommendations directed at the government.
The premier, Chris Minns, says the changes will restore trust in government and make clear what is expected of ministers and members following two separate investigations into Liberal representatives:
The people of NSW need to have faith that politicians and elected officials are acting in the public interest.
Updated
Parents charged with two-year-old’s murder over alleged failure to seek medical care
Queensland police have charged the parents of a two-year-old girl with murder for allegedly failing to seek medical treatment for her.
The toddler was declared dead by medical staff after presenting at Mackay Base hospital on 29 December 2022.
Police will allege the child had been sick for some time, and her parents negligently caused her death by not seeking medical treatment.
They have also been charged with failure to have a birth registered.
Read more here:
Updated
If you’re just catching up on today’s news, my colleague Antoun Issa has the top news stories here for you in our afternoon update:
Thank you Amy Remeikis, and hello blog readers! I’ll now be with you until this evening.
Updated
Jordyn Beazley will take you through what is left of the day. We’ll be back tomorrow with the last sitting day of the week (but not the fortnight, with the House of Reps next week) and the PNG prime minister, James Marape, making his historic address to a joint sitting of the parliament.
Thank you so much to everyone who sat through that with us. It is a lot, all of the time, and rarely a place for grownups. You help us through. I’ll be back early tomorrow morning – but in the meantime, take care of you.
Updated
Here is how Mike Bowers saw QT:
TFW you just want your couch and a hot chocolate:
The current leader of the Nationals:
The former leader of the Nationals consults one of the three quadrants of his brain.
Updated
Fight over who said ‘you can’t handle the truth’ joke first
Because this is the Australian parliament, and also the Liberal party, there is now conjecture over whether or not Dan Tehan stole the ‘you can’t handle the truth’ joke from one of his colleagues.
Various versions have the LNP MP Keith Pitt yelling it first, others have Sussan Ley having said it.
But Tehan got the glory.
Updated
Question time is about as boring as the Oscars, so they do have that in common.
"this is question time, not the Academy Awards"
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) February 7, 2024
if you can believe it, federal parliament stalled for a minute as Anthony Albanese and Dan Tehan quoted Jack Nicholson movies back at each other pic.twitter.com/sjH9Ld0alK
Queensland government approves coalmine despite concern over ‘climate change consequences’
The Queensland government has approved Whitehaven’s Winchester South coalmine to extract up to 17m tonnes of thermal and metallurgical coal each year for 28 years.
Queensland’s coordinator-general recommended the approval of the mine last year despite conceding it “has the capacity to limit human rights” due to “climate change consequences that may arise from the project.”
The project is estimated to produce 583m tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution – more than Australia’s national annual greenhouse gas emissions – including 14.2m tonnes of on site emissions, and 567m tonnes of scope three emissions when it is burned overseas.
Approximately 58% of the mine’s coal is slated for steel production, while the other 42% would be exported to Asian countries for use producing electricity.
The decision comes after Queensland premier, Steven Miles, doubled the state’s emissions reduction target to 75% by 2035 – making it one of the most ambitious in the country.
Dr Coral Rowston, the director of Environmental Advocacy in Central Queensland, said it was “contradictory” for the Queensland government to approve the mine so soon after bolstering its emissions reduction target.
The Queensland Miles Government can reduce the state’s emissions, or it can have new coalmines. It can’t have both.”
The mine still requires federal approval before going ahead.
Updated
Victorian premier and opposition leader blast Greens Gaza protest
Back to the Victorian parliament and both Jacinta Allan and opposition leader, John Pesutto, slammed the protest by the Greens and questioned whether the 90-minute suspension was appropriate.
Allan says de Vietri has pulled other stunts in the parliament, including when she posed for a selfie with climate protesters from the floor of the Legislative Assembly last year. (When de Vietri refused to apologise she was suspended from parliament for the remainder of the sitting week).
Opposition manager of business in the lower house, James Newbury, said:
Kicking a member out for 90 minutes for this ongoing behaviour, for shutting down our parliament … is not just causing division but it is hurting people.
Allan said it was an “unprecedented moment” as she agreed with Newbury:
I condemn that behaviour today. It is unparliamentary but worse than that it is disrespectful to the Victorian community.
Speaker Maree Edwards said she would request an apology from the Greens MPs on Wednesday afternoon:
If I do not receive that apology, there will be further matters to proceed with.
Updated
Because it has been one of the biggest subjects of the week, here is Anthony Albanese’s latest ad for Nemesis:
Which is all fun and games, but one day it’s going to be his documentary they are talking about in the chamber.
Updated
Question time ends.
Dear Dolly that was an ordeal.
Ley attacks Albanese over super changes
Sigh. Sussan Ley’s social media team are only doing their job, but honestly:
Remember this one?
— Sussan Ley (@sussanley) February 7, 2024
We have a Liar in the Lodge. @AlboMP just lies.
You can’t believe a word he says. pic.twitter.com/7QpqrXW4UM
The super changes have to get through an election. I know all politicians rely on voters not paying attention to get this stuff through, but it’s the job of journalists to actually pay attention to what is happening and call it out.
And what are those super changes?
Lowering the concession people with more than $3m in their super account receive. So they still receive a concession, but if the legislation passes after the election, the concession amount will go from 30% to 15%. And that isn’t on the whole super balance – just on the contributions made over $3m.
You know how many people that impacts? About 1%.
Updated
Dan Tehan gets the boot for yelling Nicholson movie line
In among the Jack Nicholson movie bit Anthony Albanese was going on about, Dan Tehan got booted under 94A for yelling ‘You can’t handle the truth’ and then saluted on his way out.
Again, I urge anyone of these people to actually watch a movie. Nicholson yelled that line as the bad guy when he was goaded into admitting he had ordered the code red, which led to the death of one of his recruits.
Fun fact, Nicholson ad libbed that line. And I bet he regrets it every single day because Gen X men can not stop repeating it.
Updated
The same questions are being asked and really, it is all getting a bit tedious, even for question time. And it is only day two.
‘Nemesis is like a reboot of Fight Club’: Albanese takes the stage
Completing the Sunshine Coast duo, the LNP MP for Fairfax Ted O’Brien is then booted under 94A.
Anthony Albanese continues with what has become the government’s answer to this. And surprisingly for the government, this early in a policy change, it is coherent.
There are two options, here.
One is that those opposite can say that the Morrison tax cut should be kept. They come in here, they vote against it, it changes, and they promise to roll it back.
The second is, that they agree with us, our package is better. If our package is not better, why are they saying they are going to vote for it?
He then moves on to his favourite subject this week. Spare a thought for poor Toto, who no doubt has been watching Nemesis with the PM:
Were they saying that they are going to vote for it? Mr Speaker, the Member for Casey was not a part of the last circus that we have seen out there on Nemesis for the first couple of weeks.
The last couple of weeks. Mr Speaker, some people ask me last night why of all the Jack Nicholson movies I picked the Shining? Well, it could not be a few good men, Mr Speaker. It could not be a few good men.
It couldn’t be Terms of Endearment, Mr Speaker.
The chamber erupts because that is its job and Milton Dick tells the prime minister this is question time not the Academy Awards which is news to people who entered politics because they couldn’t make it on the stage.
Albanese finishes with:
These changes are so bad they are going to vote for them. The changes are so bad. I mean, Mr Speaker, Mr Speaker, Nemesis is like a reboot of Fight Club except for Fight Club, nobody could talk about it but they can’t talk about anything else, they can’t talk about anything else but fighting themselves.
They have no credibility, Mr Speaker.
People always forget that Fight Club was also a comment on capitalism and ended with Tyler/the narrator blowing up the commercial sector. Also, men who couldn’t regulate their emotions fought and made bombs out of soap.
Updated
Tit for tat continues over tax cuts
How is this still going?
The Liberal MP for Casey Aaron Violi asks:
The prime minister and other ministers committed to support the stage-three tax cuts in full on over a hundred occasions. For example, on 29 August 2022, the prime minister said, and I quote, ‘parliament made a decision to legislate these tax cuts and we made a decision that we would stand by that legislation.’ How can Australian families ever trust this Government on taxes again after he repeatedly lied to them?
He is made to withdraw that last part for being unparliamentary.
He does, but in the same way you’d do it if your mum made you apologise to a bratty younger sibling.
Anthony Albanese:
He should be pretty enthusiastic about the government making the decision to look after low and middle income earners because in his electorate, 87% of his electorate get a tax cut. 87%. Every single one, 100%, will get the tax cut. 100%. Yes we have. Economic circumstances have changed. But you have changed your position. You now say that you are going to vote against the Morrison tax cuts. There’s what you’re going to do. Maybe, maybe you’re going to go back to saying that you will roll it back.
Updated
Zoe Daniel asks government to consider tax indexation to reduce bracket creep
Back to the federal parliament and independent MP Zoe Daniel asked Jim Chalmers:
Will the government consider implementing tax indexation to reduce the corrosive impact of bracket creep on hard-working Australians?
Which Chalmers deadbats:
What the parliament needs to understand – I’m confident that the cross-bench does, I know for a fact that our side of the parliament does, I’m not so sure that those opposite do – is that you can return bracket creep in a number of ways.
It doesn’t just have to be returned disproportionately to people who are already on the highest incomes.
And what the Treasury advice makes really clear, the Treasury advice that we released at the same time we announced our position and our policy, is that what we are doing is we are returning bracket creep where bracket creep does the most damage – and that’s through the middle incomes.
And so one of the reasons why, one of the motivations for, the design of the tax package that we released almost a couple of weeks ago, is because, as people on low and middle incomes, as their average tax rates climb faster as their incomes rise, bracket creep does the most damage there.
And so our responsibility and our objective is to return more bracket creep to middle Australia. And that’s why, I think, from memory, Mr Speaker, I think average tax rates go as a consequence of what we are proposing from 25.4% to 23.9%, getting those average tax rates down is an indication that we’re doing something about bracket creep. Even if we’re not doing it exactly the way that the member for Goldstein proposes.
Updated
‘Stop Arming Israel’: Four Victorian Greens MPs booted out of parliament over signs
Checking in with the Victorian state parliament for a moment and Benita Kolovos reports:
All four Victorian Greens MPs have been kicked out of parliament after they held signs up during question time that accused the government of “arming Israel”.
During the fiery question time, Richmond MP Gabrielle di Vietri asked the premier, Jacinta Allan, whether the government would scrap its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel’s Ministry of Defence, signed in December 2022.
Allan said she would not and compared the MoU to those signed with a range of countries.
In her supplementary question, di Vietri claimed that without walking away from that deal, the government risked being “complicit in genocide”:
The [International Court of Justice] ICJ ruling has made it very clear that governments have a duty to prevent genocide in Palestine. So in light of this ruling and the risk of Victoria being complicit in genocide through this agreement, will the premier cancel Labor’s deal with the Israeli Ministry of Defence?
But Allan accused di Vietri of misrepresenting the ICJ ruling:
She has either misrepresented or misunderstood the ICJ ruling around what they did and didn’t say about the situation around genocide in the Middle East. The member for Richmond needs to not misrepresent international incidents for her own political purposes.
Immediately after this, de Vietri and her colleagues Ellen Sandell, Tim Read and Sam Hibbins took to their feet to hold up signs which read: “Vic Labor Stop Arming Israel”.
They were immediately thrown out of the chamber for 90 minutes
All four Greens MPs have been kicked out of the chamber for 90 minutes. Richmond MP Gabrielle de Vietri had accused the government of “being complicit in genocide” over a MoU the government signed with Israel in December 2022. pic.twitter.com/GNf9uusjT5
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) February 7, 2024
Updated
The social services minister delivering a dixer on who the tax cuts will help when they won’t help people receiving welfare (who do pay tax) is probably not the smartest move.
‘More cost-of-living relief to more people’: Chalmers responds
Jim Chalmers:
Once again, Mr Speaker, the shadow treasurer is a day late and a dollar short when it comes to these questions. It is a matter of public record now, because of the conversation at the committee chaired by Senator Hume, that in response to the prime minister and I making it very clear that we wanted more cost-of-living relief options, we knew that in addition to the cost-of-living relief that was already flowing, we wanted to do something bigger and broader without putting extra pressure on inflation.
We made that clear over the course of summer.
The prime minister, I think, on multiple occasions, he ran through them a moment ago, said that publicly. We indicated that privately as well.
And as the Treasury has made it clear, on 11 December, they conveyed to colleagues in the Treasury that they thought that using the tax system would be an appropriate way to provide more cost-of-living relief to more people without putting extra pressure on inflation.
I think people know that we have been looking for more ways to provide more help to more people over the course of the summer.
And it became increasingly clear to us in the lead-up to the cabinet decision that the tax system had an important role to play there. And so my advice to the opposition is to stop searching around and lurching around for excuses to oppose bigger tax cuts. What we have been motivated by here is the pressure people are under and actually doing something about it.
Updated
Taylor asks Chalmers about timing of stage-three tax cuts. Again
What a day! Angus Taylor asks Jim Chalmers a question for the second question time in a row! If QT was an app, Taylor would have just unlocked an achievement.
Taylor:
My question is to the treasurer: when did the treasurer, or his office, instruct Treasury to undertake work on the legislated stage-three tax cuts?
Again, not sure how much of a winning strategy this is, because do people who like the tax cuts, which seems to be enough that even the Coalition is voting for them despite threatening to rain hellfire upon the government for two weeks straight, care when Treasury started looking at them?
Updated
Senate debates fuel efficiency standards
In Senate question time, Nationals senator, Bridget McKenzie, is asking about the national vehicle efficiency standards the federal government released over the weekend.
McKenzie asked the government to confirm there will be no cost increases to four-wheel drives and SUVs in Australia as a result of its introduction.
Murray Watt answered with a quote from Liberal MP Paul Fletcher on the topic while he was a minister.
Fletcher told ABC in 2018:
So when fuel efficiency standards were introduced in the US, the most popular models before introduction stayed the most popular models after introduction … there wasn’t a material change in price and we don’t expect that there would be a material change in price here.”
McKenzie pointed out industry groups have “expressed doubts” about the modelling provided to the government by a third-party consultant. This modelling wasn’t released but referenced in an 86-page impact analysis statement, released earlier this week. McKenzie called for the government to release it in full.
Watt directed her to read the full 86 pages and then again pointed to the US example:
There’s another country not too far from here that’s a little bit similar to Australia … it’s called the United States of America. And you know what? Fuel efficiency standards are in place and the last time I watched a movie in America, there was a pickup truck in that movie, because there are a bunch of trucks in America despite having fuel efficiency standards. That is exactly what will happen here.
Updated
Monique Ryan asks Mark Dreyfus about ‘mandatory publication of ministerial diaries’
Kooyong independent MP Monique Ryan then comes out of left field with an actual question to attorney-general Mark Dreyfus:
In 2015, you said to the then-attorney-general, “Australia has the right to know what the government is doing, what senior ministers are doing with their time, who they’re meeting with, and who they’re being lobbied by.” I agree. So, is the government open to supporting my clean up politics act, which would require the mandatory publication of ministerial diaries?
Dreyfus:
I do recognise the member’s advocacy for more transparency in government, and after nine years of Liberal government, more transparency has been desperately needed. The Albanese government is committed to upholding a high standard testify integrity, transparency and accountability, a standard the former government never aspired to, let alone achieved.
He then goes through what the government has done so far, but Ryan is not the one and today is not the day:
The attorney-general was not asked about the former government. There was not alternative approaches. He was asked quite a specific question. He’s had a preamble and I’m going to invite him to return back to the member’s question, to make sure he is directly relevant.
Dreyfus goes on as he was, comparing this government to the previous government and Milton Dick pulls him up again with the speaker version of ‘ahhhh, I have already told you nope, so slay or sashay away’ and Dreyfus gets to the point:
I recognise the call by the member for Kooyong for automatic access to ministerial diaries. Such access to diaries would be alien to the Commonwealth’s freedom of information system, which does not provide for the automatic publication of any category of document. Access to official documents of government is available under the Freedom of Information Act by request. Each request is subject to assessment, which is governed by statutory requirements, it’s governed by a series of exemptions – each of which need to be considered. Decisions are subject to review by the information commissioner and, if necessary, by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal – that’s just how our system works. And I thank the member for her question.
And yet, the states can do it. So where there is a will there is a way. Guess there isn’t the will.
Updated
Albanese bites back over tax policy
Anthony Albanese:
We have made it very clear of what our tax policy is. I did it at the building down the road there. It’s called the National Press Club. I did it, clearly, put forward a clear policy plan that those opposite – including the member who asked the question – I assume, is voting for. I’m not sure but I assume he’s voting for our legislation that was moved by the treasurer yesterday.
That’s our tax policy.
That’s what we’ve put forward.
That’s what we are legislating here. And that’s what those opposite, who spent so much time, so much time saying they were going to fight it, they were going to roll it back, are now saying they will vote for.
(That is where Angus Taylor was warned)
Updated
Littleproud asks Albanese to rule out changes to family trusts
David Littleproud asked Anthony Albanese:
Farming families and small businesses rely on family trusts to manage their assets. Will the prime minister rule out any changes to family trusts or will this just be another broken promise to regional Australians?
So what we are setting up here is NO CHANGES TO ANYTHING EVER which is just a wonderful way to set policy. Why change something that might actually need changing – like Australia’s tax system – because it is no longer fit for purpose and is widening inequality, when you can just use it to wedge your opponents forever on political grounds? Love this for all of us.
Anthony Albanese:
I thank the member for his question, but perhaps he should have saved it for the joint party room. Because the deputy leader of the opposition, because the Nats don’t get that position for reasons I don’t quite understand. He’s very loyal to the National Party, is the leader of the National Party, that’s true.
But he said this today on the Today show, he said, ‘I’m not going to play the yes, this is good, no, this is bad, the rule-in, rule-out – I’m not going to do that.’
(That’s when Phil Thompson got booted)
Updated
‘You’re the prime minister genius’: LNP MP for Herbert gets the boot for slagging PM
The LNP MP for Herbert, Phil Thompson, decides to remind everyone of his existence in the chamber by getting booted for yelling out:
“You’re the prime minister genius” in this next answer from Anthony Albanese and moments later, Paul Karp reports that Angus Taylor was officially warned for saying “no answer on that – so that’s another tax coming”.
Just a bit of forward sizzle because we have heard all of this before.
Updated
Albanese defends stage-three tax cuts as ‘right decision done for the right reasons’
Anthony Albanese gives a very clear line on why the government changed the stage-three tax cuts:
We have undertaken this measure because it was the right decision done for the right reasons at the right time.
Seems like the Coalition’s back foot has given some clarity.
Updated
‘All sorts of colourful language’: Albanese deflects with another Nemesis reference
The Liberal MP for Menzies, Keith Wolahan, who is held up by some in the party has future leadership material, asks the PM:
My question is to the prime minister: on Monday evening on ABC’s 7.30, the treasurer confirmed the timing of the government’s decision to break its promise on stage-three was purely political and, quote, ‘We didn’t want to wait, frankly, until after the Dunkley byelection.’
The prime minister claimed his word is his bond. Isn’t it now clear Australians can’t trust a word he says?
Now, I have never worked for a politician and I only have a vague assumption of what goes on in tactics meetings for things like QT. But I would think that when asking questions of the government, I wouldn’t mention the network the government has been talking about all week because a documentary of some of the worst times of your own government has been running and giving your opponents a bunch of question time fodder.
Because under the QT rules, anything in a question can be addressed by the minister answering it.
Which is what Anthony Albanese does:
I can confirm to the member for Menzies, I was watching the ABC on Monday night.
And they all were too, Mr Speaker! They were all watching it.
They were all watching it, one by one, because most of them were on it!
Most of them were on it. In a competition of who could show the most hatred for their colleagues. It was just extraordinary, Mr Speaker. One after the other, all out there, using all sorts of colourful language, all sorts of colourful language about each other, Mr Speaker.
Updated
Albanese retorts with a Nemesis reference
Ahhhh there we go!
Anthony Albanese:
Our united, proper processes that we go through stands in stark contrast with what we’ve seen in Nemesis. Stark contrast. To the mob who hate each other, who had completely dysfunctional relationships, and they’re all still there. They’re all still there. They’re all appearing, one by one. And I look forward to next Monday night.
I imagine that the only person enjoying Nemesis more than Anthony Albanese is Malcolm Turnbull. One can only guess at their message exchanges lately.
Updated
Albanese and Taylor exchange barbs on tax cuts
Back to question time and Angus Taylor – who apparently would NEVER lower himself to the ‘grubby’ activity of sitting on the couch and watching Clueless for the 146th time while reciting the lines to his cat and eating his body weight in chocolate – asks the prime minister:
On 11 December last year, Treasury was instructed to undertake work that included changes to the stage-three tax cuts. After that date, the prime minister and the treasurer then repeated 12 times they hadn’t changed their position on the stage-three tax cuts. Indeed, the prime minister said, ‘We’re not reconsidering that position.” Prime minister, after repeatedly misleading Australians, how can anyone trust you or your Government?
Anthony Albanese:
The shadow treasurer, I assume, knows that he’s completely wrong in his assessment of what the Treasury officials said occurred on 11 December. She made it very clear that she, as a good public servant, that Treasury initiated that work.
There are a bunch of interjections and then Albanese says:
On 21 December and on 3 January and on other occasions, said we were working on ways in which we could provide further support for low-and middle-income Australians. That’s what we do. That’s what we do. And we have been doing that through a range of measures since we came to office.
The answer is going on, which means we are about to get a Nemesis reference. Honestly, if it wasn’t government funded, the ABC should be charging for all the material it is giving Labor this week.
Updated
Woolworths defends prices after Fels press club address
While all of that was going on, Woolworths has responded to comments made by Prof Allan Fels, who was highly critical of supermarket pricing strategies at his National Press Club address today.
A Woolworths spokesperson said the company was “focusing our price investments into vegetables and protein”.
While inflation is moderating, we continue to be committed to ensuring our customers get value every time they shop with us.
Fels, who said today that supermarkets had used the pandemic and inflationary period as cover for price rises, wants to see the federal government set up a commission that could investigate high prices on an ongoing basis.
Updated
‘An old back in black mug’: Treasurer takes swipe at Angus Taylor
Jim Chalmers takes a dixer on tax just so he can take a swipe at the shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor:
Last week, the Shadow Treasurer accused me of having no plan to take this country back to what it was like during the Morrison government. I want to make it clear to the house that I took this as a compliment, Mr Speaker. Because when the rest of Australia watches that Nemesis documentary on the ABC, they see a cautionary tale.
But when the member for Hume settles down in his PJs with a little hot choccie and an old back in black mug to watch that documentary, he sees some kind of golden era.
Paul Fletcher jumps up to complain of the “grubby” personal attacks – and honestly if he thinks sitting on the couch in your PJs with a hot chocolate to watch some comfort TV is “grubby” then do I have news for him about my ideal Friday night.
Updated
LNP MP for Fisher gets the boot
The LNP MP for Fisher, Andrew Wallace gets booted out of the chamber under 94A for his constant interjections. Interjections are one of the only ways Wallace reminds people he is in the parliament, so we get it, but Milton Dick is not feeling it today.
Updated
Higher density in transport corridors will fix housing problems, says Albanese
Anthony Albanese takes time during his recantation of Labor’s housing policy to say:
I look forward to the Greens political party councillors at my local council, as I do, supporting higher density in areas such as along Parramatta Road in Sydney. Because that is how – that is how you fix it. Higher densities around transport corridors, around areas like Parramatta Road in Sydney, that’s been dilapidated, that’s been subject to increased crime because there simply isn’t people around those communities. I look forward to being shocked if Greens councillors actually vote for medium density. I look forward to it. They’re the sort of measures that we want in place to make a big difference.
Updated
Albanese says solution to Australia’s housing problems is ‘supply’
Anthony Albanese takes the question where he likes – what the government has been doing:
I thank the member for Melbourne for his question, which goes to Labor’s position on housing. And we have consistently said, including to the Greens political party, that the key to the solution for housing in this country is housing supply.
Just waiting for the inevitable point of order on relevance here now.
Updated
‘Do people have to win the lottery?’: Bandt questions government on housing prices
Adam Bandt is up next with the non-government questions and he asks:
Under Labor’s housing and rental crisis, average rents have gone up nearly $100 a week and mortgages nearly $200 while Labor spends billions of dollars a year pushing house prices out of reach of first home buyers with tax handouts that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy.
You’ve said Labor has changed on tax cuts because of economic pressures, so will you now also axe unfair negative gearing and capital gains tax handouts to help fix Labor’s housing crisis? Or do people have to win the lottery to get a home under Labor’s plan?
In fairness, I am not sure it is ‘Labor’s housing and rental crisis’ given we are at the funnel end of decades of bad policy coming to its ultimate fruition. That is not to defend the government, just a fact.
Labor is upholding those policies though, so there is also that.
Updated
Opposition attacks government over stage-three tax cuts in Senate
Question time is also happening over in the Senate. No surprises but the opposition is attacking the government over its adjustments to the stage-three tax cuts.
The Coalition on Tuesday endorsed a decision of shadow cabinet to attempt to amend but not to vote against Labor’s tax plan that will redistributes benefits to low- and middle-income earners.
Shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, has asked how the public can trust the Albanese government given it backed them in until last month’s tweaks. She lists off a number of other promises, including taxes on the family home, to confirm whether they will be broken too.
Government leader, Penny Wong, is particularly vocal today. She says the opposition is trying to run “pathetic” scare campaigns.
Updated
Albanese hits back
Anthony Albanese:
I’m asked by the Deputy Leader of the opposition, of all people, about tax policy and about consistency. Tax policy and consistency. The person who stood up, stood up before we’d even announced our new tax policy, and said, ‘We will fight this legislation in the parliament. We don’t even know what it will look like.’ You know, ‘We’ll fight them on the beaches.’ It was Churchillian, Mr Speaker! Churchillian! They will fight it on the beaches until the tide changes. And then there can be – just get washed away in a week. Washed away, Mr Speaker.
She said ‘When this legislation hits the parliament, we will fight it. We will fight it all the way. I’m digging in, along with my colleagues and our leader, Peter Dutton, to fight this fight.’
They weren’t just fighting it, they were fighting this fight. Really, really hard. Not just hard, really, really hard!
There is a point of order, a bit of back and forth, injections and yadda yadda – you get the idea.
Updated
‘Cannot trust a word you say’: Ley takes aim at Albanese
Sussan Ley is up next and she makes clear today’s theme, which is a variation of the last 18 months theme – the prime minister can not be trusted.
Bold of her to assume any politician is trusted.
Anyway, here is Ley:
Before the election, the prime minister promised a $275 reduction in energy prices, to changes to super taxes, no changes to franking credits, cheaper mortgages and no changes to bipartisan tax policy. The prime minister has broken every one of these promises. The prime minister claimed his word is his bond. Isn’t it now clear, prime minister, Australians cannot trust a word you say.
OK, so the $275 was by 2025. There are no changes to super taxes yet, because they have been deferred to after the next election so Australians get to vote on it. Franking credits – sigh. Cheaper mortgages depends on banks and the tax policy change is bipartisan again because the Coalition is voting for it.
Updated
In response to that call out, Paul Karp hears Jim Chalmers sledge Andrew Hastie across the chamber about the monkey pod room, saying “up there on the projector” which is in reference to Nemesis.
Even typing those words I am trying to imagine how I would explain Australian politics to someone who has never been forced to pay any attention to it and utterly failing. We are not a serious country.
OK, maybe for the first time in history Andrew Hastie has caused me to laugh out loud, making a point of order on Richard Marles’ dixer which he points out was essentially ‘tell us how good you are’.
Hastie would recognise that of course – it was a staple of the Coalition’s dixers, but still.
OK, the first dixer is on the tax cut people in the defence force will get and now these dixers have gone too far.
If we are going to start going through every single department and how everyone working in that particular field is going to get a tax cut, then I am calling in the right to completely ignore dixers, because that is what press releases are for.
Dutton and Albanese go at it over living costs and tax cuts
Question time begins without a delay today and Peter Dutton is straight into a question which could have been delivered at anytime in the last six months:
My question is to the prime minister: under this Government, Australians are paying, on average, $8,000 a year in additional costs. People with a mortgage are paying $24,000 a year – they’re worse off. Energy costs are up by a thousand dollars and food prices are up nearly 10%, prime minister. Prime minister, isn’t every Australian worse off as a result of your broken promises and bad decisions?
This leaves the floor open for Anthony Albanese to give an answer he could have given anytime in the last six months, but with the added spice of the tax cut legislation Labor is very chuffed about. (After Dutton repeats the question because of the amount of interjections on all sides, because the chamber is basically a container facility for unsocialised adults.)
I thought I was going to get a question about our cost-of-living tax cuts.
But I got a much more general invitation into the difference that this Government has made.
He goes through the same things we have heard for the past year and then finishes with:
Now every Australian will get a tax cut. Every Australian. 84% of them will get a higher tax cut under us. And if they really thought their system was better, they’d be voting against it and promising to roll it back. Unless they do that, unless they do that – and who knows, they change their position every day – it’s still possible.
There are more interjections and then his time finishes, so he yells out:
Now they’re voting for it!
Updated
Now that we are all up to date with what has gone on so far, let’s head into the chamber for QT.
I’m microdosing Turkish coffee. I hope you have something to help you
Tim Watts accuses Greens and Coalition of ‘playing domestic politics’ in Gaza debate
The assistant foreign minister, Tim Watts, responding to the Greens’ motion about Israel and Gaza earlier today, took aim at both that party and the Coalition. Watts told the lower house:
All too often those opposite have shown their priority on this issue is not good faith engagement on one of the most complex, emotive issues around the globe. Instead, it’s to play domestic politics – to seek to divide our community for political gain, to never let the truth get in the way of a campaigning opportunity, to use more and more extreme rhetoric designed to inflame opinions and demand that the government does the same, to perpetuate misinformation to stoke outrage. Time and time again, this government has had to clean up misinformation spread by the Greens and the opposition.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said the motion moved by the Greens was “one-sided” and “disgraceful” and failed to mention Hamas and the hostages still held in Gaza.
Dutton accused the Labor party of “trying to walk both sides of the street” but said he “can assure the Australian public that our Coalition will stand shoulder to shoulder with people of the Jewish community in this country, to make sure that we stand up against the attacks, [and] to recognise that people are living in fear”.
Updated
Gaza death toll ‘appalling’ but Australia must not forget 130 hostages, says Tim Watts
Tim Watts said:
And as a strong demonstration of our commitment to international law and respect for international institutions, we’ve been clear in responding to the International Court of Justice’s interim decision on the conflict. We’ve made plain our expectation that Israel act in accordance with the ICJ’s ruling, including to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance. The world has witnessed a harrowing number of civilian deaths in this conflict, including children, and we have reports from the UN that 400,000 Palestinians in Gaza are starving, and that a million are at risk of starvation. There are an estimated 1.7 million people in Gaza internally displaced and there are increasingly few safe places for Palestinians to go. This must not continue.
Watts said the motion that the house was considering was “absolutely correct in citing the appalling death toll of this conflict and the increasing scale of humanitarian suffering”, adding:
But we cannot forget, as this motion does, that more than 130 hostages are still being held by Hamas, nor can we forget the murder, the rapes and the sexual abuse of October 7, conducted by Hamas, as this motion does.
The Australian government has consistently called for the immediate return of all hostages held by Hamas and the end of Hamas rocket attacks on Israel.
The unimaginable human suffering being experienced in the region is why Australia is part of the international diplomatic effort supporting an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to enable increased aid to flow and hostages to be released. It’s why we joined with 152 other countries at the United Nations [in December] to vote for a humanitarian ceasefire as a critical urgent step on the path to a permanent ceasefire. And like any ceasefire, this can’t be one sided. We’ve made it clear that such a ceasefire would require Hamas to return hostages, to stop using Palestinians as human shields and to cease rocket attacks on Israel.
Updated
Tim Watts defends government’s approach to Gaza war as ‘principled and consistent’
The assistant minister for foreign affairs, Tim Watts, responded that “in the wake of Hamas’s appalling terrorist attacks of October 7, the Albanese government has taken a principled and consistent approach to the conflict in the Middle East, and the way it rebounds in our community at home”.
Watts said Australia was “not a central player in this conflict” but did have a respected voice. Watts said he and the foreign minister, Penny Wong, had travelled to the region to “advance our principled position”. He said:
From the outset of this conflict, we’ve been consistent in the way that we’ve used our voice – consistent in saying that Israel does have a right to defend itself against these appalling terrorist attacks, but the way that Israel exercises that right matters [and] that Israel must respect international law.
We’ve been consistent in calling on Israel to honour its commitment to uphold international law and protect innocent lives and to conduct its military operations lawfully.
We’ve consistently set out our view that international humanitarian law requires the application of principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in military operations; that international law requires that states distinguish between lawful military targets and civilians; that international law requires that a state’s use of force must always be proportionate; and that international law means that in conducting military operations, states must exercise constant care, and take all feasible precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure from harm.
Updated
‘This is now a slaughter’: Adam Bandt calls for Gaza ceasefire and release of Israeli hostages
Adam Bandt addressed the issue of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza:
We need the full and immediate release of hostages. We all condemn the attacks on civilians. But we also need a full and permanent ceasefire. And we need an end to the occupation, because that is how the people of Palestine and Israel will be entitled to live [with] justice and peace and security in a lasting way that everyone is entitled to, not only as a matter of morality, but as a matter of international law.
Bandt said Israel’s actions had “moved beyond self-defence – this is now a slaughter”. He said the vote was an opportunity for every MP to say “enough’s enough”.
The Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown, seconding the motion, told the house:
In the Senate yesterday, the foreign minister had the gall, the nerve to say that the government has taken a constructive approach to this conflict. What a sick joke – the needs of the people in Gaza, the need for basic supplies just to stay alive, for a roof over their head has not suspended in Gaza. This government must restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and uphold Australia’s obligation under international law to prevent genocide.
Updated
Adam Bandt urges parliament to stop its support for Israel’s operations in Gaza
Let’s return to the earlier debate in the House of Representatives when the leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, sought but failed to suspend standing orders in order to have the parliament rescind support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Bandt told the house:
Parliament must stop backing the invasion of Gaza. Labor must stop backing the invasion of Gaza and help stop a genocide. Nothing could be more urgent than helping to stop slaughter …
Every day matters. 27,000 people have been killed, many of them children. And meanwhile, the standing position of this parliament and this government is to back the invasion.
Bandt said the original motion passed by the parliament last year was flawed:
Now, when the Labor Party brought a motion to parliament, on the eve of a looming invasion, to say that they backed the invasion, we opposed it. We opposed it because we made the point at the time that when you sanction an invasion of an area, half the size of Canberra, where 2.2 million people, 40% of whom are under 15, are walled into that area with nowhere to go, then you unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.
And sadly, that is what we have seen day after day after day. And if the facts aren’t enough for Labor to change its mind, then listen to the International Court of Justice because the International Court of Justice has concluded that there is a plausible case of genocide here.
Updated
Question time will be upon us within the next 15 minutes
It’s been a hodgepodge of a day so far. The Coalition is still trying to work out its attack lines now that it doesn’t have the voice to rely on and it turns out tax cuts for most working Australians (welfare recipients who pay tax won’t receive a cut here) isn’t a government ending policy, even if there had been an election promise involved.
So, we are in the period where they try to work out what will stick. Which is painful for all involved
Updated
‘We are closing no gaps’: Greens pressure government to act on Closing The Gap report
Greens senator Dorinda Cox says “the government does not know best” after the release of the damning Closing The Gap report.
The Productivity Commission found the Closing The Gap agreement was at risk of failure if governments didn’t fundamentally rewrite how they respond to Indigenous affairs policy.
Cox, the Greens spokesperson for First Nations issues, said she was hopeful changes could be made to rescue Closing The Gap, but that the government needed to make big changes.
“We are closing no gaps. That’s the reality,” she said at a doorstop today.
“If it continues down the trajectory it’s on, we’ll continue to see not just the gap not closing, but the gap widening, and that would be disastrous for our communities.”
Cox spoke of her concern about “not putting our energy and resources in the right places”, and said she was eager to see new announcements from the government – with new policy expected to be unveiled next week.
“We’re at a very clear juncture now. This Closing The Gap report is an element of truth-telling. What we need to see is that on a national level,” Cox said.
“It should have been up to the Albanese government to create a plan b and move into 2024 with a clear plan for truth and treaty in this country, and that’s what the Greens will providing advice on.”
“Truth and treaty, the time is right now.”
Updated
Prof Allan Fels also says there should be more calling out of pricing:
People have concerns about overpricing. It is quite hard for a person without legal powers to investigate what is really going on. So we sometimes, the media, others say, ‘gee, that price looks higher, but I need to know more’. So, I think, we should have more probing by governments and shaming, etc, about higher prices, and I think the public would deeply welcome that activity.
Updated
Australia should pay whistleblowers, says Allan Fels
Asked about anti-competition practicers, the former competition tsar said Australia should adopt the US policy of paying whistleblowers.
One way of making it more effective would be to strengthen whistleblower protection. Cartels nearly always are only detected, it is almost always secret agreements if there is a whistleblower.
The rewards for being a whistleblower are very, very slight. And the harms are pretty miserable as a rule.
The United States these days, the bastion of Conservative governments, even of the Democrats, it pays whistleblowers rewards. I think we should bring that here.
Updated
Allan Fels lambasts supermarkets for spruiking price drops but not hikes
Back to the press club, and prof Allan Fels makes the point that supermarkets are quick to tell consumers when they are dropping prices, but not when they are raising them.
The former watchdog says that when they are questioned on rises, they say that costs have gone up.
They tend to skip over whether they have added something extra to their profit margins or not.
The Fels-led price gouging inquiry found that major supermarkets were able to increase profit margins during the inflationary period because of low competitive forces.
The findings are in keeping with Guardian Australia analysis that has consistently found that the major supermarkets increased their profit margins even as living costs surged.
Australia’s major supermarkets have credited improved profitability to cost savings and productivity improvements.
Updated
‘There will be targets’: LNP promises to reduce youth crime if elected
Looking at Queensland state politics for a moment and its opposition leader, David Crisafulli, says he will set “yearly targets” for reducing youth crime, and that his ministers will be held accountable for hitting them.
Crisafulli told reporters on Tuesday that if his party is successful at October’s election, specific ministers in his government would be responsible for bringing down crime rates.
Crime will be lower under an LNP government than what Queenslanders have lived through for the last decade where crime has increased year on year …
There will be targets. There will be people held accountable for those targets. And Queenslanders will feel safer, and the figures will show that they feel safer.
Updated
Supermarkets used Covid lockdowns as excuse to rise prices, says Allan Fels
Prof Allan Fels is asked about supermarket prices and says:
Our inquiry was flooded with submissions and concerns about supermarket prices. We all know the whole community is very concerned about them. Why have they crept up? There has been an aspect the Covid lockdown has really facilitated a rise in margins. They went up and have not come back.
Sometimes firms need a little bit of a justification in an occasional environment to get prices up. They had the opportunity during Covid and have continued with it. That is the immediate on the surface comment. With competition, there is some but it is not very strong, and even between them and Aldi and IGA have stabilised a little bit. I would say, it has not been quite as strong. That is another factor in causing a slow upward drift.
Updated
Price gouging inquiry received 750 submissions
There were more than 750 public submissions to the price gouging inquiry, which included the experiences of one nurse who has been struggling with a huge increase in expenses.
This includes a 40% rise in insurance premiums, an issue starting to squeeze budgets.
She has to make spending compromises every day,” Fels told the National Press Club.
She told me there have been times when she skipped meals, lived off toast, worn shoes with holes in them for extended periods because she couldn’t afford to replace them.”
Updated
Greens confirm support for closing loopholes bill
Labor’s closing loopholes bill is a step closer to passing parliament after a deal was struck with the Greens that includes a right to disconnect from work for employees.
On Wednesday the Greens announced the Albanese government has accepted the right to disconnect, which will prevent employees being punished for refusing to take unreasonable work calls or answer emails in their unpaid personal time.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, told reporters on Wednesday the changes mean “when you clock off, you’ll be able to switch off”.
Unless you are getting paid for it … you should be able to ignore those calls, and those messages that come in,” he told reporters in Canberra.
The Greens workplace relations spokesperson, Barbara Pocock, said the new right applies to “all employees” but the amendment “won’t disturb all kinds of changes where people are paid to be on-call or where their job description requires it or where there’s an emergency”.
Pocock said the amendment would allow “reasonable contact” including “if there is a particular need like a change in your working conditions you need to know about, [a change] in your place or time of work”.
Pocock said employees who believed they were being contacted unreasonably would first take the issue up with their employer and, if it is not resolved, can then go to the Fair Work Commission for a stop order, punishable by a fine if the employer does not comply.
The right to disconnect has to be enforceable,” she said.
A worker has to got to have some backup when they say ‘that’s not okay, to contact me seven times on a Sunday’, as a nurse recently said to me, [in an instance of] unpaid contact.”
Pocock said the changes would be phased in over six months, to give employers time to “adapt, listen and learn”, with a longer phase-in for small business.
Updated
Guardian coverage of the price gouging inquiry findings
Jonathan Barratt has reported on the report Allan Fels handed to the ACTU here:
Australians are continuously overcharged and subjected to “profit push” pricing by major corporations enjoying scant competition, resulting in higher inflation and intensifying cost-of-living pressures.
The findings of the ACTU-ordered price gouging inquiry have been published amid renewed scrutiny on the pricing practices of dominant businesses that enjoy a large share of the market, including supermarkets, banks, airlines, and electricity companies.
Chaired by former watchdog Allan Fels, the inquiry found that some of the highest price increases occur in sectors where a few players have disproportionate market power over consumers, supply chains and their workforce.
And you’ll find some of the terms Fels has used, explained, here:
Updated
Lack of competition is raising costs, price gouging inquiry finds
Allan Fels, who is handing down the findings of a price gouging inquiry for the ACTU, has told the National Press Club that Australians are consistently overcharged due to a lack of competition.
He said there’s been much discussion about inflation and its causes, but silence about the actual prices charged to consumers.
The inquiry found that Australians are subjected to “profit push” pricing by major corporations enjoying limited competition, resulting in higher inflation and intensifying cost-of-living pressures.
Any contribution of excessive profits to inflation raises questions over Australia’s policy response to rising prices, which has almost solely relied on interest rate hikes to quash demand.
Updated
Government can help with price gouging, former ACCC chair says
The former ACCC chair (Australian competition and consumer commission) Prof Allan Fels is giving the National Press Club address today. He has just completed an inquiry for the ACTU on price gouging and conditions and is now speaking on his findings.
Jonathan Barrett is watching this for you, but the long and short of it is:
My conclusion is Australians are paying prices that are too high too often. And the cause is weak and ineffective competition into many sectors of the economy. Two policies are needed.
First, the Australian government needs to act on the high prices to investigate their nature and causes and where possible, their remedies.
The remedies do not include price control but there is much the government can do.
Secondly, remove or weaken market power with greater competition.
Updated
RBA unlikely to cut rate anytime soon
The Reserve Bank doesn’t look likely to be cutting its interest rate soon, if yesterday’s media blitz was any guide. (The cash rate was left at 4.35% and may stay there for a long stint.)
Inflation has been sliding, reaching a two-year low in December quarter, but the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, wants to see it firmly heading towards 2.5% before changing settings (which might even involve a rate rise but that seems unlikely).
Anyway, many households might have wondered how useful a guide the consumer price index actually is. Take housing, for instance, where rents are tracked and the cost of building a new home in the CPI, but not how much it costs to buy an existing one.
The ABS‘s latest cost of living indices for the December quarter show increases of 0.5% and 1.1% for the quarter, versus CPI’s 0.6% increase. All groups bar one – just – was higher than the 4.1% annual CPI pace.
Cost of living increases aren't spread evenly, with employees (likely to have mortgages to repay) seeing the biggest rise while self-funded retirees are tracking close to CPI. (Source: @ABSStats ) pic.twitter.com/TULDa6L5Zl
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) February 7, 2024
There weren’t many categories cited, just insurance and financial services, alcohol and tobacco and housing. There was a distinct variation particularly for housing.
Housing costs are also relatively high for age pensioners particularly versus self-funded retirees. pic.twitter.com/n5vFkeup4Y
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) February 7, 2024
The insurance rise, at least, is in line with the CPI trends. (The ABS says insurance prices were up 16.2% in the December quarter from a year earlier, the sharpest rise in almost 23 years.)
And it seems, all groups were facing similar rises.
Meanwhile there's little escape from rising insurance costs (and hard to see how that might be reversed as our atmosphere gets ever more energised)... pic.twitter.com/olARUkRHg4
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) February 7, 2024
And, in case you were wondering how the RBA comes up with its calculations, this piece from earlier today might help:
Updated
‘Cash is king’: Milton Dick on the Bob Katter cash clash
I promised you I would look into this and I do try to keep my promises – but earlier this morning I reported on the absolute SCANDAL that was Bob Katter being denied the opportunity to pay for his fish, rice and veggies at the parliamentary staff dining room, known as the trough, with cash.
Why? Because the trough is cashless and has been for some time.
Katter had some colourful words about it at the time, which essentially drilled down to “how can the place that makes laws about legal tender not accept legal tender” and vowed to have the decision reversed.
Well, lucky for Katter, the speaker Milton Dick was in the trough at the same time, and Katter was able to take his issue straight to the presiding officer.
Dick has taken Katter’s complaints seriously and we have been told there will be a cash station installed at the trough in the very near future, where its use will be “monitored”.
“Some say Bob Katter is the king of the parliament, but I always say cash is king,” Dick said when we finally managed to pin him down on this issue.
So very soon, Katter will be able to pay for his fish, rice and veggies from the trough with cash and peace is once again restored on the hill.
May a thousand blossoms bloom.
Updated
Punishing MPs under the Set the Standards recommendations
We reported a bit earlier that today is the second anniversary of when the parliament adopted the Set the Standard report recommendations Kate Jenkins handed down. And that there was a lot of work still to be done.
Part of that outstanding work is the lack of an enforcement body. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission is the missing piece – while the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service has been set up to support staff who have been harassed, the body which is supposed to investigate those allegations and penalise offenders if necessary, has not been set up.
Part of the issue is that no one really knows how to punish an MP for wrongdoing. Under the constitution they can’t be stopped from performing their duties or kicked out (other than for a few exemptions set out in the constitution) so that makes it hard to set out how a penalty would work.
Greens senator Larissa Waters says the powers that be need to work it out:
The timeframe for that IPSC was first extended until February, and has now blown out 1 whole year until October 2024.
We know that without real prospects that an MP will be sanctioned, staff are reluctant to come forward. Consequences are crucial.
As a member of the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce I know that work to set up the IPSC is complex, but there is no excuse for it having been so slow.
Updated
Education union welcomes VET crackdown
The Australian Education Union (AEU) has welcomed the federal government’s legislation to weed out unscrupulous VET providers, calling the legislation “long overdue”.
The move follows a $37.8m investment last year to establish an integrity unit within ASQA and create a tipoff line for egregious misconduct.
The federal president of the AEU, Correna Haythorpe, urged the Coalition and the Greens to support the legislation.
For too long the system has been plagued with bottom-feeders, fraudsters and cheats. That stops now. “These measures are long overdue and we commend the Minister For Skills and Training for acting on issues which everyone knows have plagued the VET sector for a very long time.”
The Independent Tertiary Council Australia (ITECA), warned the legislation risked being a “regulatory overreach”, pointing to an amendment which enabled the federal government to effectively ban the establishment of new RTOs and prevent new RTOs from expanding their course offerings.
Troy Williams, ITECA’s chief executive, said the reforms were a “degree of market intervention that we’ve not seen before”, adding the body had written to the federal government recommending safeguard measures be put in place.
Not only in the skills training system but elsewhere in the economy. It would be concerning if the legislation to be introduced into the parliament today did not clearly articulate why and for how long the government may act to stop the creation of new RTOs, nor spell out in what circumstances it would stop existing RTOs from seeking to offer new accredited courses.”
Updated
Independent MP pushes reimbursement scheme for scam victims
Dr Monique Ryan is starting a parliamentary friends of scam protection – she is joining the call of victims who want banks to reimburse people who have been scammed – and want the government to change laws to make that happen.
Ryan said:
If thieves were running into people’s homes and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars every day, there would be a public outcry. This is no different. The government and the banks need to put their heads together and get this reimbursement scheme up and running.”
Updated
Government eyes crackdown on VET sector with bill
The federal government is introducing new legislation to crack down on dodgy Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers in a renewed bid to improve the reputation of the sector.
The bill, to be introduced into parliament today, will grant the sector’s regulation body expanded powers to automatically cancel registration of fraudulent providers who fail to provide training and assessment in 12 months, and hit RTOs who deceive the public with financial penalties five times that in the current legislation to remove the cost risk benefit of malpractice.
The minister for skills and training, Brendan O’Connor, said the reforms were a response to continued integrity and quality issues in the VET sector, highlighted by the recent Nixon review.
What we are doing is simple. We are making it tougher for the bottom-feeders, the fraudsters, and the cheats to take advantage of students for a quick buck. We are restoring integrity to the sector.
We will weed out dodgy providers that exist in the sector, who seek to exploit students and compromise the integrity and reputation of the entire sector in the process.”
If passed, ASQA will be able to swiftly remove RTO’s and apply greater scrutiny to new providers looking to enter the sector.
RTOs operating for less than two years will be prevented from increasing their course offerings, while the minister’s powers will also be expanded to manage unsustainable influxes into the sector.
Updated
Mike Bowers was at the rally outside Parliament House that Daniel Hurst has reported on:
Updated
Further to Paul’s earlier post:
Today Labor & the Liberals voted to continue their support of Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
— Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) February 7, 2024
123 days of slaughter. Over 27,500 deaths.
It’s incomprehensible & unjust that this Government can’t even bring itself to say “stop”. pic.twitter.com/87xY70gAN4
Greens to announce agreement on right to disconnect
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, and workplace relations spokesperson, Barbara Pocock, are up at 12:10pm to announce that they have reached agreement with the Albanese government on a right to disconnect.
Guardian Australia understands the government has agreed to the right to disconnect, which will prevent employees being punished for refusing to take work calls or answer emails in their unpaid personal time. Minor drafting details were being ironed out this morning.
Combined with Lidia Thorpe’s vote, the Albanese government is close to having the numbers to pass its closing loopholes bill. Senator David Pocock is also close to a deal with Labor, which would clinch it.
Earlier today, Jacqui Lambie urged the government not to guillotine Senate debate or attempt to push the bill through this sitting – but Labor is close to having the numbers to do so.
Updated
Independent MP calls for further Myanmar sanctions
The independent MP for Goldstein, Zoe Daniel, has called for further targeted sanctions against Myanmar’s military junta, as well as further humanitarian assistance.
Last week, the Australian government imposed additional targeted sanctions against five entities linked to the Myanmar military regime, on what was the third anniversary of the military coup.
The financial sanctions target two banks, and three entities that supply jet fuel to the Myanmar military.
At the time the foreign minister, Penny Wong, said Australia would continue to “closely monitor the regime’s actions” and keep the targeted sanctions toward Myanmar “under review”.
In a statement on X today, Daniel said she welcomed the new sanctions, also calling for additional humanitarian assistance.
I welcome the government’s new sanctions designed to limit the ability of Myanmar’s military junta to access money, weapons and jet fuel to enable it to wage war on its people.
I have repeatedly pressed for this and appeal to the government to join our allies in adding further targeted sanctions”.
My statement on the new sanctions against Myanmar's military junta.
— Zoe Daniel MP (she/her) (@zdaniel) February 6, 2024
Additional humanitarian assistance is also needed. pic.twitter.com/iWC5hhNr7W
This echoes comments from the shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, who last week said the new sanctions “fail to bring [Australia] in line with counterparts like [the] US, UK [and] Canada”.
Updated
Labor backbenchers on UNRWA funding pause
Daniel Hurst and Paul Karp have taken a look at what some Labor backbenchers have been saying about the decision to pause funding to UNRWA:
Labor backbenchers have privately played down the impact of Australia’s pause in funding to a key UN agency delivering aid to Gaza, with one MP denouncing “misinformation underpinning some online media and email campaigns”.
An email from Lisa Chesters, the federal MP for Bendigo, gives an insight into how Labor members are responding to concerns from constituents about the effect of the freeze on $6m in recently announced funding to UNRWA.
Australia, the US and the UK were among more than 10 donors to suspend funding to the agency after the Israeli government alleged that as many as 12 staff members were involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel.
“You may be concerned about Australia’s recent decision regarding funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA),” Chesters wrote to a constituent.
Updated
Chris Minns says EPA asbestos investigation ‘tricky’
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, said the environmental watchdog’s investigation into the widespread asbestos contamination was “tricky” but he had confidence in the agency to determine what had happened.
The Environment Protection Authority launched an investigation after asbestos was first discovered in mulch at the Rozelle Parklands in January.
Minns said:
They’ve got extraordinary powers... but it is a tricky inquiry. When you’ve got so many different firms that are involved in the supply chain and the transport of the goods moved from so many different sites, it’s not as perhaps easy as I originally thought to identify how and why this has gone wrong. The most important thing is that we get it right.
Updated
Pro-Palestine protest outside Parliament House
About 100 pro-Palestine protesters have gathered at the front of Parliament House in Canberra to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the blockade.
Shame, Albo, shame; shame, Penny, shame,” supporters chanted, referring to the prime minister and the foreign minister.
Albanese you can’t hide; we charge you with genocide.”
One sign spotted at the event says:
Albo cost Aussie taxpayers $400m endorsing ‘the voice’ but made us all complicit in genocide.”
The Australian government has said it supports Israel’s right to self-defence following the 7 October Hamas attacks but that this must be in line with international law.
It said last week it expected Israel to comply with preliminary orders issued by the International Court of Justice following South Africa’s proceedings under the genocide convention.
Updated
Closing the Gap report highlights need to return decision-making to Indigenous: Yoorrook
The chair of Victoria’s Indigenous truth-telling inquiry says the Closing the Gap report highlights the need to transfer resources and decision-making powers to Indigenous people to improve community outcomes.
Eleanor Bourke, co-chair of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, has released a statement on the Productivity Commission’s scathing report:
The evidence is clear that when First Peoples are engaged with and have control over decisions that affect their lives, the result is better outcomes.
This is what First Peoples have long been calling for, it is what Yoorrook recommended, and it is what the Productivity Commission is highlighting in its report today.
Updated
More asbestos found in Sydney
More asbestos has been found in new locations in Sydney and regional NSW after the discovery of contamination at several other Transport for New South Wales sites including the Rozelle parklands.
TfNSW said it found bonded asbestos yesterday around Belmore and Punchbowl stations as it continues to undertake testing after the discovery of asbestos in multiple sites around the park on top of the Rozelle interchange last month.
The department said it had also found bonded asbestos fragments in recycled garden mulch used along the Nowra Bridge project site – the first time the contaminated mulch has been identified outside Sydney.
A TfNSW spokesperson said:
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has been notified of all positive results across Transport sites.
The health and safety of the community and our workforce remain our highest priority.
The NSW environmental watchdog is continuing its own investigation into the contamination at the Rozelle parklands and other TfNSW infrastructure sites.
The Environment Protection Authority has said it now has 110 staff working on the investigation.
Updated
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has come to an agreement with the government on the IR laws:
I am happy to announce that I have successfully negotiated further protections for casuals as part of the closing loopholes package, and will be supporting it. pic.twitter.com/p4ocgBC015
— Senator Lidia Thorpe (@SenatorThorpe) February 6, 2024
Greens move to debate support for Israel in House of Reps
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, is attempting to suspend standing orders in the House of Representatives to move that Australia “end its support for Israel’s invasion of Gaza”.
The assistant foreign affairs minister, Tim Watts, explained the government’s position on the conflict, and accused the Greens of seeking to “divide” and play domestic politics.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, accused the Greens of antisemitic conduct “at the state level”, a possible reference to controversial comments by NSW MP Jenny Leong highlighted on social media, and the federal level.
Dutton questioned why the prime minister was not leading the government response, and criticised Labor and the Greens for swapping preferences.
It’s being voted on now and will be defeated. The full text of the motion is that the house:
(1) notes that since the House resolution of October 16, 2023 concerning Israel and Gaza, which supported the State of Israel’s looming invasion of Gaza by stating that the House ‘stands with Israel’, the following have occurred:
(a) an appalling and increasing toll of deaths and injuries caused by the State of Israel’s bombing and invasion of Gaza;
(b) a growing humanitarian catastrophe caused by the State of Israel’s blockade, bombing and invasion of Gaza; and
(c) the State of Israel is the subject of recent International Court of Justice orders in South Africa’s case regarding the prevention of genocide; and therefore
(2) does not support the State of Israel’s continued invasion of Gaza and calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire; and
(3) calls on the Australian government to end its support for the State of Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
Updated
Nemesis may have wrapped up, but bitter is forever. The former treasurer, turned US Ambassador Joe Hockey gives a masterclass in vague posting here.
To be clear I was asked multiple times to go on #nemesis. @abcnews I refused all requests from multiple sources. As I said in my Valedictory Speech I care too much about Australia to be bitter and twisted… no matter how much justification I may have for those emotions.
— Joe Hockey (@JoeHockey) February 5, 2024
PNG prime minister to arrive later today
Daniel Hurst and Rebecca Kuku have all the details regarding the PNG prime minister, James Marape’s visit to Australia – Marape will arrive later today ahead of his historic address of the parliament tomorrow:
Australia will roll out the red carpet to the visiting Papua New Guinea prime minister, James Marape, amid efforts to stall China’s security talks with the Pacific country.
Marape is due to arrive in Canberra on Wednesday before he addresses a joint sitting of the Australian parliament on Thursday – the first Pacific leader to be afforded this honour.
Amid increasing competition for influence in the region, the Australian government will seek to build on the security agreement with PNG that Marape and Anthony Albanese signed just two months ago.
You can read more, here:
Updated
Jacinta Allan confirms she’s a Swiftie
Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has confirmed she’s a Swiftie.
Speaking outside parliament, she says she’s heading to one of Taylor Swift’s three concerts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with her daughter:
I am very excited. Peak excitement. I’m happy to take advice on the outfit, I’m still in two minds about what I’m going to go with.The focus has been on what Peggy is going to be wearing. I would love to wear sparkles but I am being advised against it.
She says event organisers and the MCG have a plan in place to ensure the safety of “Taylorgating” – where fans without tickets gather outside her shows to experience the music from outside:
Arrangements are being put in place to ensure that for people who are going to the concert can move in and out of the MCG in a safe way but also too for those who may be around the venue to ensure that is managed in an appropriately safe way.
Updated
Victorian premier to visit India
Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, has told reporters her first overseas trip as leader will be to India as the country has strong links to the state’s “community and economy”.
She says:
It’s a source of great pride that many many people from India and the broader subcontinent choose Victoria, choose Melbourne as their home. We have deep cultural relationships, historic relationships with India and also too they are one of one of our biggest and most important trading partners.
In 2018, her predecessor, Daniel Andrews, visited India on a three-day trip. But he was more known for the seven trips to China he made during his time as Labor leader.
Updated
Deadline for Dunkley byelection nomination looms
The deadline to nominate as a candidate in the Dunkley byelection is approaching. Anyone who wants to stand has to have their paperwork in by midday on Thursday 8 February 2024.
The AEC says late nominations won’t be accepted.
Updated
As expected, the latest Greens motion to suspend standing orders to debate Australia’s support for Israel has failed. The senate moves on.
Victorian Indigenous bodies urge action on Closing the Gap report
Victoria’s First Nations groups are calling for urgent action after the Closing the Gap report found agreed reform to end Indigenous disadvantage had not been prioritised.
In a scathing report, the Productivity Commission has called for urgent changes to rescue the landmark agreement, accusing the federal government of “weak” action on key areas and not fulfilling its promises.
The First Peoples’ Assembly – the democratically elected Indigenous body in Victoria – says the report showed a treaty process was the missing ingredient to close the gap.
The assembly’s co-chair, Rueben Berg says the report highlights the importance of transferring decision-making power to Aboriginal groups to improve outcomes for communities:
It’s common sense. If politicians want better outcomes for our communities, if they want to ‘close the gap’, then they have to start handing over some of the decision-making power to Aboriginal people. That’s what we’ll be talking about in our Treaty negotiations.
Updated
Greens move to debate support for Israel in Senate
In the Senate, the Greens are attempting to suspend standing orders to debate a motion on Australia’s support for Isreal.
The motion, put forward by Jordan Steele-John is the latest in the Greens attempts to have the Senate debate Australia’s support and actions.
This motion, like the ones before it, will fail on the numbers, with Labor and the Coalition voting against it.
At the same time, there is a protest outside the parliament, calling for a permanent ceasefire and recognition of Palestinian rights.
Updated
It is the second anniversary of the day the government adopted the Kate Jenkins Set the Standards report.
There is obviously still a lot of work to be done. A lot.
The presiding officers, Milton Dick and Sue Lines have released a joint statement, which you can find here.
Updated
‘Lives are at risk’: Victorian MPs push again for pill testing
The “progressive bloc” in Victorian parliament’s upper house – made up of the Animal Justice party, the Greens and Legalise Cannabis party – are making another push for pill testing today.
Last year, they introduced a joint bill to parliament – the first by multiple political parties – to introduce a pill testing scheme. But they say the issue has become more urgent after several overdoses at music festivals over the summer.
Georgie Purcell, from the Animal Justice party, said:
As some of the youngest members of parliament, we know that people take drugs that’s the reality and pill testing doesn’t encourage the use of drugs. It simply makes it safer. For those who do we’ve obviously seen some really, really tragic circumstances, this summer during festival season and that’s why we’re calling on the government to listen.
The Greens MP Aiv Puglielli said:
We know that this should be above party politics … we have to push as much as we can, lives are at risk. The best time to have introduced this policy was 20 years ago, but the second best time is now. We need this in place before the next summer.
Updated
Victoria police to gain new powers to search for firearms
Further to the earlier report on the weapon changes in Victoria the police minister, Anthony Carbines, is introducing today, Carbines is also amending existing laws to make it easier for police to serve a firearm prohibition order (FPO) on a person.
An FPO allows police to stop and search a person of interest at any time to see if they have a firearm on them.
He said while the scheme has seen Victoria police issue more than 2,000 FPOs, they currently can only be served in person, which is difficult when people are actively avoiding police:
“If police believe you’re in a home or you’re in a vehicle and stopped, you can be served and you can’t avoid that service. We’ve had people in immigration detention, we’ve had people in custody, who have refused the service of firearm prohibition.
Carbines said only people of “ill repute” were subject to FPOs – no person doing the right thing will be stopped and searched under the changes. He said:
“You have to meet a pretty significant threshold to be the subject to a firearm prohibition order … Clearly a character of pretty ill repute.
Updated
Indigenous groups call for urgent action after Closing the Gap report
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations have called for urgent action in the wake of the Closing The Gap report, which gave a scathing assessment of the potential failure of the whole agreement due to governments simply not doing enough.
The Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Forum and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association (NATSIHA) said the Indigenous housing and homelessness crisis would “continue to deteriorate” if governments don’t fundamentally change their tack. They’ve called for a separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing and Homelessness plan to address the housing emergency.
Rob Macfarlane, CEO of NATSIHA, said they are “yet to see any real commitment” despite bringing ideas to government.
It is time for governments to move beyond rhetoric and embrace true power sharing … The gap will widen for our people if attention is not given to addressing the housing emergency faced by our people,” he said.
The SNAICC CEO, Catherine Liddle, called for governments to “substantially shift the way they operate”. She said that despite community-controlled organisations entering into the CTG agreement with good faith, “despite our best efforts this hasn’t happened. It’s past time all Governments got serious about changing the way they work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations.”
The Productivity Commission was blunt in its assessment that without fundamental change the Agreement will fail. Australia cannot afford to keep failing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children,” Liddle said.
Updated
PM criticises Dutton’s ‘vague commitment’ on tax reform
Anthony Albanese stopped briefly for a doorstop after his speech at the UN Women’s breakfast this morning.
He slammed Peter Dutton for a “vague commitment” on more tax reform from the Coalition in future, and admitted governments “need to do more” on Indigenous policy in the wake of the scathing Closing The Gap report out today.
We need to do more and the government acknowledges that,” Albanese said, after the Productivity Commission said the CTG report was on the brink of failure and that governments simply weren’t listening.
We’re doing work on a range of issues,” he continued, noting policies to develop housing in remote Australia, employment and boosting the Community Development Program.
All governments need to do better. The report today is a reminder of that, which is why we’ll continue to move forward practical measures in order to close the gap.
Albanese again pointed toward next week’s Closing The Gap statement, to be tabled in parliament, as a possible avenue for new policy announcements.
Asked about Dutton’s pledge to cut tax more ahead of the next election – which he didn’t give any details of yesterday – Albanese dismissed it as a “thought bubble”.
I’ve never seen such a vague commitment from a Labor government or a Labor opposition. You can’t just say ‘we’re gonna have more tax cuts, but we can’t tell you what they are or who they’re aimed at’,” Albanese said.
Their third position they’ve had in a week. They need to say, what will the cuts be and what will the new taxes be to make up for it? Either that or they’re going to be fiscally irresponsible.”
Asked about Jacqui Lambie’s reluctance to back the “right to disconnect” in the new IR bill, Albanese said discussions remained ongoing.
What we’re simply saying is, someone who’s not being paid 24 hours a day shouldn’t be penalised if they’re not online and available 24 hours a day,” he said.
Updated
Victoria to ban machete sales to minors
The Victoria police minister, Anthony Carbines, is announcing a ban on the sale of machetes to people under 18 and the introduction of tougher firearm prohibition orders he says, will stamp out organised crime.
Carbines will today introduce to parliament the firearms and control of weapons (machetes) amendment bill 2024 that will classify machetes as a “controlled weapon” and make it clear they cannot be possessed, carried, or used without a lawful excuse or sold to anyone under the age of 18.
He says:
Police feel that there is ambiguity when they enforce the law. Market and stall holder operators, they need to be very clear, you cannot sell machetes to those under 18 years of age.
You need to seek ID and you need to clear up who you’re selling to. [The new laws] also make it very clear that machetes can’t be carried by people who are underage. These changes were requested by Victorian Police.
Carbines said there will be exemptions for people who use machetes for “legitimate and lawful purposes”, such as farmers and agriculture workers clearing food crops, gardening and maintaining trails.
The penalty for carrying a controlled weapon with an unlawful excuse is a fine of more than $23,000 or a jail term of one year.
It is an offence for a person to sell a controlled weapon to any person under 18, with a fine of up to $3,846. It is also an offence for a child to buy a controlled weapon, with a fine of up to $2,308.
The changes are expected to come into effect in mid-2024.
Updated
NAB chief Ross McEwan to step down in April
The chief executive of National Australia Bank will step down in April after more than four years in the high-profile role.
McEwan, who will be replaced by the internal candidate Andrew Irvine, oversaw NAB’s response to the royal commission into misconduct during a tumultuous period for the financial sector.
He came in at a critical time with significant international experience and expertise,” NAB chair Philip Chronican said in a statement today.
Irvine has been group executive for NAB’s business and private banking since 2020 after holding senior banking roles in Canada.
Chronican said Irvine had been a “tireless advocate for the agricultural sector, small business and First Nations business”.
Updated
PM urges men to step up to address violence against women
In Australia, one man a week, on average, will kill his partner or former partner. In his speech to the International Women’s Day breakfast held in parliament this morning, Anthony Albanese said it was time for men to stand up to address violence against women (which should really be referred to as men committing violence against women, if you want to get down to it).
The final thing I’d say is that while women are shaping these policies and driving these responses, ending this epidemic of violence has to involve men stepping up.
Because violence against women is not a problem that women should have to solve.
Men have to be prepared to take responsibility for our actions and our attitudes.
To educate our sons, to talk to our mates.
To drive real change in the culture of our sporting clubs, our faith and community groups and our workplaces – including this workplace.
It’s great there are so many members and Senators here this morning.
I know that everyone elected to Parliament, from all points of the political compass, believes that the decisions we make here can help change the country for the better.
And practically every week, whenever we read about another life violently stolen, all of us are reminded of why change is needed and why it’s needed as a matter of urgency.
I know all of us are determined for Australia to do better on this.
Working together, I know we can and I’m confident we will.
Updated
New NAB chief announced
One of the Big Four has a new leader – NAB has announced Andrew Irvine will succeed Ross McEwan as Group CEO and managing director on 2 April.
Irvine is now the group executive business and private banking head.
Updated
Coalition hints at future tax reform
The Coalition will vote for the stage-three tax changes, because to paraphrase Peter Dutton, they don’t want to stand in the way of giving help to people. But the are continuing their “these changes are terrible” tour, which is a hard line to walk when you have acknowledged that they are going to help people.
To combat that, they are going to create a NEW tax plan. Stage Four; the Tax Awakens I assume.
Here was Jane Hume earlier today:
Once we have done the work to be able to recalibrate a personal income tax plan that restores aspiration back into our economy, that allows people to keep more of what they earn because they deserve to do so, and more importantly, doesn’t provide a disincentive for people to get a promotion, get a new job, go out and work those extra hours, so that they can keep more of their own money. That’s what Anthony Albanese has taken away.
Updated
PM speaks at UN women’s day breakfast in Canberra
Anthony Albanese gave a speech at the UN International Women’s Day breakfast which was held in parliament this morning. It is held earlier than March because of sitting day clashes.
I’ll bring you some of that in a moment when I chase it down.
The UN Women theme for 2024 is “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”.
That obviously means different things to different people though.
Updated
Pocock prefers local solutions on Closing the Gap
David Pocock has a different view – he wants to see more solutions designed at a local level rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. He acknowledges that was part of what the voice was going to do, but he says even if Australians rejected enshrining it in the constitution, they wouldn’t stand in the way of local voices being put in place:
I think most Australians would acknowledge that people at a local level have a far better understanding of their problems than bureaucrats in Canberra.
And so I think that has to be part of what we do as a country is empowering local organisations to actually design and implement solutions at a local level.
It’s obviously a hard thing to do but you look at reports like the one that came out today, and we can’t keep doing the same thing. That’s ridiculous.
Updated
Without ‘fundamental change’ Closing the Gap will fail: Lambie
Jacqui Lambie also lets fly over the Productivity Commission report.
Lambie believes new people should be around the table to bring fresh ideas. She then turns to the Indigenous Affairs minister, Linda Burney, and Labor’s attitude to Indigenous issues since the voice referendum failed and says:
It seems with the voice, since it went down the voice Labor’s sat there in a corner and just closed their eyes.
I have not seen the Indigenous minister. If she’s not up to the job, then maybe it’s time to change her over.
Updated
Lambie also flags capital gains and negative gearing review
Jacqui Lambie agrees it is time to look at things like capital gains and negative gearing:
I understand you want investment and not just your super but how many houses do you need to invest?
I just remind those people they can’t take that money with them when they’re 10 foot under.
… It is part of the reason that we’re having a housing crisis out there.
(One of the issues though is that they know they can’t take it with them – it widens inequality because their children can borrow from the “bank of mum and dad” and then gain a house or inheritance that others do not.)
Updated
Housing system ‘isn’t working’: Pocock flags tax discussion
David Pocock takes a question about the stage-three tax changes and turns it into an answer in housing – which has been the missing piece in all of this talk so far.
I want to see the major parties talking about housing. We’ve got a housing system that isn’t working.
And the gall of some of these politicians who have multiple investment properties to get out up there and say we cannot touch negative gearing and capital gains tax discount – I think they have to be on the table.
If we want to turn this ship around and have housing is something that everyone in our community can afford and to not have housing where it’s arguably easier to buy your second house than it is your first house then you’ve got to look at the tax system and the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing are something that we’re going to have to have a discussion about.
But you know you look at the hysteria, led by people who have multiple properties.
Updated
Pocock voices concerns on IR bill, leaning towards yes
David Pocock is also speaking to ABC radio RN Breakfast (the pair are in the studio together) and he is listing some of his own concerns around the legislation which include some of the technicalities around the gig economy and road safety.
He sounds a little closer to a yes than Jacqui Lambie though.
Both have given all the praise to Tony Burke and his team for the negotiation process.
Lambie says Burke is one of the best negotiators she has come across in her political career. Pocock also gives all the snaps to his team. So the negotiations seem constructive at least.
Updated
‘Not one person has ever mentioned it’: Lambie on after hours work calls
Jacqui Lambie is speaking to ABC radio RN Breakfast about some of her concerns with the bill, which includes the right to disconnect:
I have to say nobody has ever spoken to me in the 10 years I’ve been in and out of politics, about phone calls after hours, not one person and even going through this not one person.
And I’ve been out there with my boots on the ground because I’m running a team in Tasmania for the state election. Not one person has mentioned anything about that not ever. So I just think if there’s not a problem while we’re trying to fix it.
Lambie says since the pandemic there has been a lot more flexibility around workplaces, and workers can already go to the fair work commission if they have an issue.
Here’s Cait Kelly with more on the issue:
Updated
ACCI criticises ‘rushed and flawed’ IR legislation changes
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has released a joint statement from the state and territory chamber CEOs urging the Senate “to carefully reconsider the implications of this rushed and flawed industrial relations legislation”.
The national, state and territory business chambers are united in support of our small and family enterprise business community that is already under significant pressure from rapidly rising costs.
We are gravely concerned that the proposed legislation will harm all business owners and operators, especially growing ones. The legislation will also impact the prospects for the very employees that it purports to protect. It will damage the communities that are reliant on the growth and resilience of local businesses.
Our members employ millions of Australians across regions, towns, cities, and every sector. Most of our members are small businesses that contribute so much, and we will burden them with additional constraints and costs.
These costs will be passed on to the community or result in the loss of jobs. Or both.
These warnings have come with every part of the IR changes. These particular ones would give casual employees more rights to seek permanent employment, changes to the gig economy, bring about the right to disconnect and update the definition of “employment” and “casual” employment.
Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock are the kingmakers in this legislation – negotiations are ongoing.
Updated
‘It’s the law’: Katter prompts return of cash payments at Parliament House
Bob Katter has a new legacy – returning cash to the parliamentary staff dining room.
The independent MP for Kennedy was SHOCKED when he went to buy his lunch of fish, rice and vegetables at what is known as the trough and had his $50 note rejected.
The trough has been cash free for some time. This was news to Katter, who wanted to remind the parliament that “to not accept Australian legal tender, in the very place, that makes the laws to accept cash as a form of currency” was a bit ridiculous.
Legal tender means you must accept it, it’s the law,” Katter said.
Katter is a huge cash advocate and saw this as a moment to make a larger point.
I fight the battle because otherwise all your freedom is gone. The banks will control your life. You can’t buy a loaf of bread without the bank’s permission. The banks will now have complete control of your life.
And there is another factor I appreciate – in North Queensland, and we’ve seen it recently, we’re having storms and cyclones knocking out our power lines. Your plastic magic won’t work without electricity and without cash you’ll starve, you won’t be able to buy fuel or medication either.
Staff gave Katter his meal free of charge and Katter said Speaker Milton Dick told him “we will reverse this policy immediately”. (We’ll check in with Dick a little later)
Things like the trough are run by DPS, not MPs, but the speaker and president of the Senate are the presiding officers.
Updated
Good morning
Thank you to Martin for starting us off this morning. You have Amy Remeikis with you now for the sitting day.
Paul Karp, Daniel Hurst, Josh Butler and Sarah Basford Canales will be along very soon and Mike Bowers will also help guide you through the parliamentary sitting day.
As Martin and Dan have laid out, foreign affairs and Australia’s relations with the Pacific will be the focus of the day. But there will also be quite a bit on tax after the Coalition’s capitulation yesterday and IR as Tony Burke works through his agenda.
It’s at least a three coffee morning. Ready? Let’s get into it.
Livestock export to be unloaded in Perth on Thursday amid heatwave
Livestock on board the MV Bahijah will be unloaded at Fremantle on Thursday after the owners failed to present a safe plan to ship them to the Middle East.
The Israel-owned vessel was 10 days into a passage to the Middle East when it was ordered to return to port when the government ruled it could not make the journey safely.
But the prospect of unloading the live cargo of almost 17,000 sheep and cattle has created a logistical headache for the port which is usually only geared up for sending animals overseas rather than receiving them. Onshore “processing facilities”, where the livestock are stunned and killed, do not have the capacity to deal with an unexpected influx of animals, one expert said.
An added complication is that Perth is facing a heatwave with temperatures on Thursday expected to reach 42C, presenting a heat risk for the animals.
Read the full story from Narelle Towie here:
Updated
PNG prime minister expected in Canberra
The Papua New Guinea prime minister, James Marape, is due to arrive in Canberra today before the annual leaders’ meeting and address to a joint sitting of parliament tomorrow.
It comes after reports PNG and China have entered early talks on security and policing cooperation.
For more, read our full report:
Updated
ADF expects training helicopters available midyear
The ADF expects that the training helicopters will be available for operations in Oakey in Queensland by around the middle of this year.
The government will argue these helicopters have been chosen because they can perform a variety of roles “including personnel and equipment transport and Defence assistance to the civil community”.
It has not dislocated the cost of the lease arrangement, but it is expected to last five years and be funded from within defence’s existing budget.
Separately, the government will also announce that it has signed $830m worth of sustainment and support contracts for Black Hawk, Apache and Chinook helicopters.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, said:
We need a highly capable army. When the tough but necessary decision was made last year to expedite the withdrawal of the MRH-90s from service, it meant that we needed to look at all options when it came to filling the capability gap and the training which our servicemen and women need.
We have been working with the United States and United Kingdom on ways in which we can bridge this gap, and their support and willingness with the acceleration of the Black Hawks and leasing of training helicopters will have a significant impact.
Updated
Defence to hire five helicopters from UK to fill gap left by Taipan retirement
The Australian Defence Force will hire five helicopters from the UK over the next five years as part of moves to fill a capability gap left by the early withdrawal of the Taipan fleet.
The federal government will announce today that it will procure five H135 “Juno” training helicopters from the United Kingdom through a lease arrangement, saying this will “support essential training requirements for army aircrew”.
The government will also confirm that the United States is delivering nine new Black Hawk helicopters this year. That will mean a total of 12 Black Hawk helicopters will be in Australia by the end of 2024. This number is believed to include the accelerated delivery of three Black Hawk helicopters that the US and Australia announced four months ago.
It’s part of a plan to acquire a fleet of 40 UH-60M Black Hawks from the US. While 12 of them will be here by the end of 2024, the remaining 28 will arrive in staged deliveries between 2025 and 2029.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live politics blog. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you the best of the overnight stories before my colleague Amy Remeikis takes the controls.
“Weak” action, broken promises and failing to listen to Indigenous communities. These are just some of the problems with Closing the Gap identified in a scathing report today that warns the program will fail without major reform. The Productivity Commission report on Closing the Gap will make uncomfortable reading in Canberra with a warning that successive governments have failed to accept “that they do not know what is best for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”.
The federal housing minister, Julie Collins, has described hundreds of premature homelessness deaths as “completely unacceptable” amid a push for a reporting scheme to shine a light on the crisis. It follows the launch this week of our series, Out in the cold, shining a light on the premature deaths of homeless people. The latest feature in our series charts the tragic story of rough sleeper Pasquale Giorgio who died in a police van in Surfers Paradise the day after asking an officer on the streets for help.
About 17,000 sheep and cattle intended for live export to Israel could be slaughtered in Australia if the exporters fail to come up with a plan to take the animals safely to the Middle East. The livestock are currently on board the MV Bahijah off the coast of Western Australia after being ordered to return to port when the government ruled it could not safely sail to Israel.
The Australian Defence Force will hire five helicopters from the UK over the next five years to help fill a capability gap left by the early withdrawal of the Taipan fleet – more on that soon.
And the visiting Papua New Guinea prime minister, James Marape, is due to arrive in Canberra today, before a meeting tomorrow with Anthony Albanese and an address to a joint sitting of the Australian parliament. We also have more on that coming up.
