What we learned: Wednesday, 29 November
With that, we will wrap up the blog for the evening. Stay safe and dry out there.
Here are today’s major developments:
Anthony Albanese announced the federal government was reopening the Morrison government’s Australian thalidomide survivor support program “to ensure that anyone who may have missed the previous opportunity to apply does not miss out on the support they need and deserve” after issuing a national apology to those harmed.
Labor has signalled it would support further extensions to the truce between Israel and Hamas to allow the further release of hostages and delivery of “much-needed” aid to Gaza.
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has reached a deal with the independent senator David Pocock that should see the government pass its Murray-Darling legislation in the Senate.
The October consumer price index has come in at 4.9%. Economists had forecast the annual pace to be 5.2%, slowing from the 5.6% increases reported by the ABS for September.
With Eden Foster now formally declared the new Labor MP for Mulgrave, replacing Daniel Andrews, Victoria’s parliament has reached gender parity for the first time.
And the father of reconciliation, Patrick Dodson, gave his final speech in the Senate today after bowing out of politics due to ill health.
Updated
Storm warnings on east coast
South-east Queensland, south-east New South Wales including Sydney and parts of eastern Victoria are subject to storm warnings.
A number of areas are under “flood watch” and expected to be elevated to “flood warnings” in the next 24 hours, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
These warnings could be in place for several days.
⚠️⛈️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning updated to include Giant Hail (>5cm) and Destructive Winds (>125km/hr) for the cell passing to the south of Esk. This thunderstorm is very dangerous. See: https://t.co/FBmpsInT9o pic.twitter.com/knj0Rf8utb
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) November 29, 2023
⚠️⛈️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning update: Sydney Basin could experience Damaging Wind Gusts, Large Hail and Heavy Rainfall that may lead to flash flooding. Keep up to date with the current warnings at https://t.co/jJWt2wlxel pic.twitter.com/HXrOfqZzEz
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) November 29, 2023
Updated
Home affairs ranks in bottom 10 government workplaces in public service survey
Michael Pezzullo’s former department has ranked in the bottom 10 of 100 government workplaces, the bureaucracy’s latest report card has revealed.
Services Australia, which manages the Centrelink program, has also finished up in 96th place as public servants provide their experiences working for the federal government.
The bureaucracy’s annual census results, released on Wednesday afternoon, show the home affairs department received an overall employee engagement score of 69, placing it 93rd out of the 100 agencies participating.
The score is a two-point improvement on the previous year but represents a consistent trend for the mega department once helmed by Pezzullo, considered by many to have been the country’s most powerful bureaucrat until his sacking on Monday.
Less than half responded positively when asked whether their senior leaders worked as a team or whether they communicated effectively with the rest of the agency.
Around 53% of staff at Services Australia, an agency at the centre of the robodebt saga, felt their workplace cared about their health and wellbeing and slightly more, 57%, believed those at the top created “an environment that enables us to deliver our best”.
Rounding out the lowest score of the workplaces was the National Mental Health Commission, a small agency of 50 staff, where none of them responded positively to a question on how the agency deals with change.
Just 17% of the commission’s staff believed the agency did a good job of promoting health and wellbeing, supported and actively promoted an inclusive workplace culture and inspired them to come up with new or better ways of doing things.
On the flipside, the tiny Organ and Tissue Authority has ranked highest in employee engagement with honourable mentions going to second-place holders Commonwealth Grants Commission and third-place holders, Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
Updated
Victorian police seize $7m worth of cigarettes, tobacco and vapes
Victorian police have seized more than $7m in cigarettes, tobacco and vapes since an operation began in October, the body has confirmed.
This morning, members of the Viper Taskforce said a man had been charged overnight and a significant quantity of illicit tobacco products had been seized as part of its ongoing investigation into organised crime syndicates linked to illicit tobacco.
The investigation began after police received intelligence to suggest large amounts of illicit tobacco were being stored in sheds to be supplied to tobacconists on a daily basis.
This afternoon, it said there had been at least 30 serious incidents over the past eight months, including 29 arsons or attempted arsons.
The incidents were predominantly linked to tobacco stores across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Since the inception of Taskforce Lunar, announced in October, investigators have issued 65 warrants and 18 arrests.
Some 2,145,796 cigarettes have been seized (worth an estimated $2.6m), 983.53 kg of loose tobacco ($1.8m) and 100,713 e-cigarettes ($3m street value).
Updated
Sixteen universities join program to subsidise places to help deliver nuclear subs
Sixteen universities have joined a federal government program to subsidise places to deliver the Aukus nuclear submarine program.
The $128m funding will deliver an additional 4,001 commonwealth-supported places in Stem courses to grow the skilled workforce needed to deliver Aukus.
The places, to be funded over four years from 2024, will apply to 38 Stem-related courses including engineering, mathematics, chemistry and physics.
A quarter of them will be allocated to South Australian universities to support the construction of nuclear-powered submarines in Adelaide.
Also receiving places are Group of Eight elites the University of New South Wales, the University of Queensland, the University of Melbourne, the University of Western Australia and the Australian National University.
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said it was “critical” the federal government made investments now to ensure the skilled workforce was in place.
But the education analyst Andrew Norton has raised his eyebrows at the funding, suggesting on his blog universities would need to divert resources from other activities to support nuclear submarine training.
Updated
Deniliquin effectively blocked off by flooding, SES says
In Deniliquin, 135mm of rain fell overnight, causing significant flooding and effectively blocking off the town.
Volunteers and commanders have been on the ground since this morning, and are continuing to respond to more than 40 incidents.
The NSW SES assistant commissioner, Sean Kearns, says:
We’re working to pump water from the town so crews can access parts of the town which have been cut off by flood waters.
Our teams, supported by our partner emergency services on the ground, have been responding to incidents since this morning, and resources continue to be sent to Deniliquin to assist.
Updated
NSW SES has responded to more than 550 incidents since midnight
More than 550 incidents have been responded to in NSW since midnight, with volunteers continuing to call to a “large number”, particularly in the south-east.
Rainfall in excess of 200mm is now expected over parts of the south coast in the next 24 hours, with isolated super cells developing this afternoon and into this evening in the north-east part of the state.
Flooding around the Bega River also remains a concern, but we’ve prepositioned NSW SES assets and are well-resourced to respond.
Residents are being asked to prepare, with possible major flooding this evening. NSW SES members will be door knocking residents to warn them of their risks and the potential they may need to evacuate.
We are urging residents to follow the directions of NSW SES personnel if they are asked to leave.
NSW SES volunteers are on the ground on Lake Conjola, to begin assessments on properties that have been impacted when conditions ease.
Rainfall totals in the 24 hours to 9am have been in excess of 120mm:
Porters Creek Dam: 351mm
Point Perpendicular: 226mm
Ulladulla: 196mm
Moruya: 125 mm
Deniliquin: 135mm
Updated
NSW SES has 22 dedicated flood rescue teams at work in storm-hit areas
Back to the storms hitting Victoria and New South Wales.
As mentioned earlier, persistent, heavy rain is continuing to fall across large parts of NSW, with severe weather expected to impact the south coast from Jervis Bay to the Victorian border this afternoon and into the evening.
Twenty-two dedicated NSW SES flood rescue teams are responding to flood rescue incidents in the south coast and Illawarra, and a further 12 have been placed in metropolitan Sydney.
Of 12 flood rescues that had already occurred, two were in St Georges Basin, two were in South Nowra, two were in Deniliquin, one was in Lake Conjola, one was in Moruya, one was in Young, one was in Raglan and one was in Bathurst.
The NSW SES assistant commissioner, Sean Kearns, said flash and riverine flooding was “likely”.
We know flash flooding can bring debris and sewage over the road, and you just don’t know what damage to the road lays beneath the surface.
Updated
US to host meeting to bed down Aukus pact
The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, will host a meeting with his Australian and UK counterparts in California later this week as part of efforts to bed down the Aukus security pact.
The Pentagon has issued a statement saying that Austin will host the Australian defence minister, Richard Marles, and the UK’s defence secretary, Grant Shapps, for Aukus-related talks on 1 December:
The leaders will review progress made in implementing the Optimal Pathway to provide Australia with a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability and discuss current and future efforts to develop and deliver advanced capabilities and promote deeper collaboration between the three nations’ innovation ecosystems and defence industrial bases.
Updated
Back to the world of politics, and the Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie appeared on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing earlier, talking water buybacks.
On Monday, the Albanese government and Greens reached a deal on legislation to amend the Murray-Darling Basin plan and ensure an additional 450 gigalitres of environmental flows.
By sidelining yourselves from the Coalition and not engaging in those negotiations, have you left vulnerable, regional communities more exposed to unwanted buybacks?
McKenzie replied “not at all”.
We’ve been very clear we don’t think buybacks should be part of solving the complex issue of ensuring we have sustainable communities, sustainable rivers and environmental assets. Buybacks devastate rural and regional communities … they are really the wrong way to go about achieving the ultimate outcome.
Asked if the Nationals had “empowered the likes of David Van”, a former Liberal senator who voted in favour of the bill, McKenzie said the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, was “peddling a policy framework that assists her with future leadership contests within the Labor party”.
David Van, he does appear according to his public remarks as if he is positioning himself to be a crossbench kingmaker. Does that make him a dangerous player in the Senate?
McKenzie replied:
He is an independent senator and like all the independent senators they make their views well and truly known and they do whatever they can to further their own interests.
Updated
SES warns of thunderstorms and ‘super cells’ in north-east parts of NSW
There is also concern at the SES about forecast thunderstorms and “super cells” that may hit in north-east parts of NSW.
Those super cells may also have damaging gusts of wind and large to giant hail.
The NSW SES has flood rescue teams to respond, however, urged the community to stay safe and not drive into flood waters.
There are 15 warnings out for various river systems in the state, including Moruya, with a watch and act warning expected to be issued for Bega. River rises may reach the “major” level, which should take some time as the river is generally quite dry.
We are nowhere near that at the moment … if that is the case the SES will be conducting door knocking into those areas we expect to be impacted. Localised flash flooding is our biggest concern.
There have already been some evacuations, including one or two properties at Wrights Beach and 40 properties inundated at Lake Conjola, as well as evacuations of vehicles moving into flood waters.
Updated
Deniliquin a priority as more rain expected, NSW SES says
NSW SES says more heavy rain is forecast in the state’s south east over the next 24 hours, with more than 200mm falls expected in “various locations” and potential for falls of up to 300mm.
This will result in further flash flooding … please try to stay safe, avoid using roads, and if there’s water on the road avoid driving in all cases.
Deniliquin is also a priority area, with initial forecasts suggesting rainfall of up to 135mm could hit the town over a 24-hour period. The town has been “effectively cut off” due to flood waters, with multiple flood rescues undertaken.
If it is that large, that will be near record rainfall for that town. We’ve got some 40 jobs still outstanding there, we’ve had SES crews on the ground since 8am … there are issues getting into Deniliquin because how the rain has fallen has effectively cut it off with it falling inside the lagoon levee system around the town.
Updated
Stormy weather on NSW south coast prompts a dozen rescues
In New South Wales, state emergency services have provided an update to ongoing stormy weather and heavy rainfall hitting the state.
A dozen rescues have been undertaken in the past 24 hours including one that was ongoing at the time of the press conference in Nowra, with two people being rescued from a car that drove into flood waters.
More than 200mm of rain was observed in parts of the south coast including Sassafras, Moruya and Jervis Bay.
This led to localised flash flooding in a number of areas including St Georges Basin, Wrights Beach and Lake Conjola.
Updated
Northern Territory authorities concerned about pro-Palestinian protests at Pine Gap
The Northern Territory police force has issued a joint statement with fire and rescue regarding “increased protest activity” in Alice Springs.
In recent weeks, pro-Palestinian protesters have attempted to block access to the joint Australian-US defence facility at Pine Gap in central Australia. They’re calling for it to be closed permanently, citing concerns it is collecting intelligence the US National Security Agency (NSA) is providing to the Israel Defense Forces.
Police alleged during the early hours of Monday protesters again attempted to block access to Pine Gap through Hatt Road.
Two women, aged 32 and 39, locked themselves to a 44-gallon drum filled with concrete.
Police attempted to negotiate with the pair, who refused to stop blocking the road, resulting in diversions being implemented around the protesters to allow workers access to Pine Gap.
Both have since been issued notices to appear for summary traffic offences and are due to appear in Alice Springs local court on 22 February 2024.
Commander James Gray-Spence said police and emergency services had always respected the right to protest, however, it did not support “tactics that involve committing offences that diverts emergency resources away from critical care and response”.
Six police officers were required to attend this incident and negotiate with the protesters, provide traffic control, not to mention the hours of work that go into issuing notices to appear and following up court proceedings.
These police officers were taken away from priority tasks including domestic violence response and preventing crime and antisocial behaviour.
Updated
Turning to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Khalil is asked whether it is welcomed that the Biden administration is applying some pressure on the Israeli government to use what the American media is calling “more surgical methods” in military operations in Gaza.
Khalil says the stance is “consistent with what we’ve been saying from the very beginning”.
The protection of innocent life is paramount – it needs to be paramount – as is the adherence to international law and humanitarian law. This is consistent with what we’ve been saying.
It’s important the US administration but the entire international community works together to find a pathway to forge peace …
It’s unacceptable to go back to the old paradigms of violence in the cycle we’ve seen for 70-plus years. The pathway to peace must involve a framework for economic reconstruction, for security transition … so we can start to look at the negotiation towards a Palestinian state and self-determination, Palestinian justice.
Updated
The Labor MP and chair of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, Peter Khalil, is appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, discussing his party’s laws on preventive detention following the recent high court ruling.
Khalil says there is a preventive terrorism order regime in existence already, and Labor’s rules will apply to a “very small cohort”.
It hasn’t really been used and it is for very extreme circumstances.
Let’s be really clear, what we’re talking about with these detainees is a very small cohort of individuals who have serious offences – child sexual abuse, murder, violent crime – and we are introducing laws to impose strict rules on those individuals, like curfews and ankle braces … and for an even smaller lot of individuals, where there is a need to protect the Australian public, that is an introduction of the laws around preventive detention to keep Australians safe effectively from any risk.
Khalil says as soon as the high court handed down its decision, the “number one priority of the Albanese government was community safety”.
It is used in circumstances and has a lot of regulatory elements to it to make sure that civil liberties are also protected. There is that balance between public safety, protecting the Australian public, and individuals’ liberty.
Updated
Thanks as always to the wonderful Amy Remeikis for guiding us through another big day (and it’s only Wednesday). I’ll be with you for the rest of the evening.
Tomorrow is shaping up to be a busy and, if the last few days have been any indication, messy last day of the joint sitting week.
There is another house sitting day planned to help tidy up any amendments or whatnot from the Senate. So we may get one more day of this. And that is, of course, predisposing that the parliament deals with Labor’s preventive detention legislation as quickly as Labor wants it dealt with.
But we’ll find out more about all of that tomorrow. I am going to leave you in the exceptionally capable hands of Caitlin Cassidy to guide you through the evening, but check back for updates. I’ll be back early tomorrow morning – until then, take care of you.
Updated
Australia votes against UN motion for Israel to withdraw from occupied Syrian Golan
Australia has voted against a Syrian-backed motion at the UN general assembly that would have demanded “once more that Israel withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967 in implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions”.
The general assembly adopted the resolution, with 91 countries voting in favour.
Australia was one of eight countries that voted against the resolution, alongside the US, Canada, the UK, Israel, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.
More than 60 countries abstained, including New Zealand.
Updated
Queensland minister defends regional speed camera from claims of ‘blatant revenue raising’
Queensland’s roads minister has defended the government’s regional speed camera from allegations of “blatant revenue raising”.
The Guardian reported last week that nearly $300,000 in fines had been levied by a single towed automatic speed camera in three weeks at the small town of Malanda. Most people received their fines a month after allegedly speeding, some of them several times.
The One Nation MP Stephen Andrew told the roads minister, Mark Bailey, that unless notices were issued quicker they would not deter bad behaviour.
Without genuine early intervention how can these multiple speeding infringements be considered for safety instead of blatant revenue raising?
Bailey said “no one likes getting a speeding fine” but 2022 was the bloodiest year on Queensland roads in decades, with a disproportionate number of accidents in rural areas.
There is no doubt that it is a deterrent for them when they then drive in future to not do the same thing.
We should all be sending a clear message that the number of fatalities and serious crashes that are disproportionately higher per capita in rural and regional areas, we all have a role to play to send a signal out: don’t speed. You’re not leaving enough buffer if something happens.
He said cameras and sites were always calibratedaccording to department rules and plans.
The LNP MP Ann Leahy, who represents an outback electorate, interjected to back up questioning by Andrew and Katter’s Australian party MP Shane Knuth.
Updated
Environmental groups call for gas drilling ban in Queensland’s Channel Country
Green groups are pressing the government to urgently ban gas drilling in the Channel Country of western Queensland.
Lock the Gate, the Wilderness Society and Western Rivers Alliance held a rally outside Queensland parliament this morning, calling for action this year.
In advance of the 2015 election, Labor promised to restore legislation protecting the state’s “wild rivers”, laws repealed by the government of Campbell Newman.
But in 2021, the government granted 11 applications for petroleum leases in the area. Any gas development would need to win additional approvals in order to frack.
A decision from the government on the future of the Channel Country is believed to be imminent.
Lock the Gate coordinator Ellie Smith said the rivers were among the last free-flowing rivers on Earth, and they deserve to be protected.
What we want for Christmas is the Palaszczuk government to announce that they will put in the highest productions for the rivers.
Smith said they were concerned about the potential for contamination of the region, among other environmental risks.
“We know that most of the wells that they drill are fracked and so they’re bringing in chemicals that could potentially pollute the region,” she said.
The environment minister, Leanne Linard, said the government would make a decision “as soon as possible”.
The Palaszczuk government is committed to protecting the long-term health, ecology and cultural values of the rivers and flood plains of the Lake Eyre Basin within Queensland.
In June, we sought community feedback on options to better protect the region. Public consultation closed in late August, with around 17,500 unique responses received. The government is considering the feedback received and will make a decision as soon as possible.
Updated
Queensland to set up First Nations advisory group for records about Indigenous people
Queensland will establish a First Nations advisory group to centre Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander decision-making in the state’s management of public records.
Under the landmark legislation passed on Wednesday, the First Nations advisory group will provide advice about records about Indigenous Queenslanders.
Queensland State Archives has already digitised more than 18,000 records that relate to the state’s First Nations people. Many of them were captured without First Nations people’s knowledge or consent.
Queensland’s treaty minister, Quandamooka woman Leeanne Enoch, said the laws were the “first step towards recognising First Nations data sovereignty within Queensland”.
The nature, volume and content of public records relating to First Nations people and their knowledge is different to that of other Queenslanders – they may contain content that is sensitive, inaccurate or offensive and may have been used in the past in a way that disrupted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural practices and communities.
Mick Gooda, the co-chair of the Interim Truth and Treaty Body, said the history of First Nations people “is not complete and has been told from a predominately non-Indigenous colonial worldview”.
The First Nations archives adviser, Dr Rose Barrowcliffe, said Indigenous people had rarely had a say about decisions regarding records that affect them.
We have been able to make significant changes that have supported the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples when we have been involved.
Updated
Victorian Labor won’t support cannabis bill but is ‘amenable’ to reform
The Victorian government says it won’t support a bill in the upper house to legalise personal use of cannabis but is “amenable” to reform.
The upper house is currently debating a bill by the Legalise Cannabis party, which would allow adults to legally possess small quantities for personal use and grow up to six plants.
The mental health minister, Ingrid Stitt, told the chamber:
In relation to this bill that proposes to legalise the adult personal use of cannabis beyond that required for medicinal reasons, we are unable to support it in its current form at this time. However, the government is amenable to ongoing discussions with the Legalise Cannabis Victoria party on this topic and a process that will take the advice of experts and engage with the community. And I’m looking forward to continuing those important discussions.
The Liberal MP Matt Bach also spoke in support of the bill. While noting the mixed views in his party on the topic, Bach said there were too many people in prison for minor offences such as cannabis possession and urged reform. He told the upper house:
We want fewer poor and vulnerable and disadvantaged people in our prisons. We want fewer people full stop [in prison]. But obviously, you know that the organs of the state tend to incarcerate poor and vulnerable and disadvantaged people at a far greater rate than people like you and I. It is beholden upon us, I think, to look in good faith at any measure that we can that will not, of course, then lead to other adverse outcomes, as I believe significant drug law reform would not lead to other adverse outcomes.
Updated
Here’s some of how Mike Bowers saw the main players of that QT.
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Public service survey finds uptick in workers feeling bullied or harassed
The federal government’s central public service agency has revealed there has been an uptick in the number of public servants who have felt bullied or harassed in the workplace.
New figures in the Australian public service commission’s state of the service report, released on Wednesday, show the number of bureaucrats claiming to have faced either bullying or harassment has increased to 10.4%, up from 9.7% in 2022.
The report, which is a yearly snapshot of the federal government’s more than 170,000 workers, also showed just over two-thirds of workers agreed their direct supervisor failed to call out “unacceptable behaviour”.
On the positive side, 84% agreed they strongly believe in the purpose and objectives of the APS, while 76% agreed they gained a sense of accomplishment in their job.
The report’s release comes as the bureaucracy comes to grips with the July release of the damning royal commission report into the illegal robodebt scheme.
That report found the income-averaging scheme was a “crude and cruel mechanism” and a “costly failure of public administration”.
The assistant public service minister, Pat Gorman, said it was “encouraging to see engagement levels remain high” in the report despite the “disheartening” effects of robodebt.
On Monday, the long-serving home affairs chief, Michael Pezzullo, also became the first secretary to be sacked from the top job for misconduct after an independent inquiry found he had breached the code of conduct at least 14 times.
The public service commissioner, Gordon de Brouwer, admitted recent events indicated APS values had “not always been upheld” but said in his report, written prior to the news of Pezzullo’s termination, “rebuilding trust in the APS is a priority”.
There is a strong and renewed focus on strengthening leadership and integrity across the APS.
Updated
Milton Dick had fun kicking people out of QT today (I am being sarcastic).
The LNP’s Ted O’Brien was also booted (but it can be hard to spot him at times).
Updated
Labor’s big counterpunch on immigration detention
The highlight of today’s question time was a big counterpunch from the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, that Peter Dutton had exercised a discretion allowing the plaintiff who overturned indefinite immigration detention to reapply for a visa after he was convicted of raping a 10-year-old.
Giles told the lower house:
The leader of the opposition intervened … to allow the convicted paedophile at the centre of the high court case, NZYQ, to apply for a new visa instead of seeking to have him removed from Australia.
He argued this had “enabled [NZYQ] to stay in this country” and “remain in Australia until the day the high court made its decision”.
Guardian Australia has confirmed that on 11 February 2016 Dutton lifted a bar to allow NZYQ to apply for a safe haven enterprise visa, two weeks after he pleaded guilty and was convicted of raping a 10-year-old. The application was rejected in July 2020 by a delegate of the minister.
Now, that’s definitely a big hit for Labor but it’s not clear to me that NZYQ, a stateless Rohingya man convicted of rape, would have done anything other than languish in immigration detention after he’d served his criminal sentence.
Here are a few other points to consider when allocating responsibility:
Indefinite immigration detention has been bipartisan policy since a 2004 high court decision suggested it was lawful (the Al-Kateb decision that was overturned in NZYQ).
On 30 May 2023, Giles, as the defendant, and NZYQ agreed the facts of the case which included that it was impossible to deport him.
All approaches to Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and the Five Eyes countries to deport NZYQ only began after 30 May.
Between 26 May and late August, Labor considered releasing NZYQ “in light of litigation risk” but opted against it.
So, who lost the case? The Australian government did. The constitutionality of indefinite detention has had a question mark over it for some time. Both major parties are responsible for the indefinite detention regime – it’s just in this game of musical chairs it was Labor in office when the music stopped.
Updated
As expected, the government and the opposition have combined in the Senate to defeat the Greens’ attempt to suspend standing orders.
The Greens were moving to suspend proceedings to bring on a debate to mark the UN international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people and to demand the government “call for a permanent ceasefire and an end to the invasion of Gaza”.
In the end, just 11 senators voted to suspend standing orders and 28 senators voted against suspending standing orders.
That means the regularly scheduled proceedings of the Senate now continue.
Updated
The Greens’ foreign affairs spokesperson, Jordon Steele-John, tells the Senate:
This government is not even brave enough to call for a ceasefire in the name of humanity ...
This is an insult to the humanity of the Australian community. It is a profound failure of moral clarity, it is a profound failure to connect the work and responsibility we do in this place with the human beings in Australia and around the world who need the courage of people in decision-making spaces right now to match theirs.
I call on the government to choose the side of history that you want to be on when we look back collectively on the international day of solidarity with Palestinians next year.
Right now the Labor government is leaving a bloody stain on its legacy and on the broader Australian democracy. It must call for a ceasefire now.
The government moves that the question be put right away – the chamber is now dividing on the issue of whether to suspend standing orders to debate the issue.
Updated
Anthony Albanese pays tribute to Prof Arnold Dix whose tunnelling expertise helped save the lives of 41 miners trapped in a mine collapse in India. Peter Dutton also pays tribute to Dix.
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Question time ends
Goodness. That was gross.
We have at least one more to go – possibly two, if the Senate cleanup sitting day continues through to QT.
Huzzah.
Updated
The prime minister continues, addressing the interjections from the opposition:
I know those opposite like privatisation, but the idea that the commonwealth – was fully funded by a state government and a private entity that has the largest number of toll roads, the largest number of toll roads of any city in the world – but there’s a suggestion we should just give them more money even though a project’s fully funded.
That’s what’s suggested by those opposite.
The commonwealth is making significant investments in western Sydney, including the $5.3bn for the airport, $5.25bn for the Sydney metro Western Sydney airport and Elizabeth Drive overpass, the M12, $1.6bn for the M12. That is the commonwealth’s commitment … All under construction, all ready to go.
Updated
The independent MP Dai Le asks:
By 2030, 10 million passengers will travel through Western Sydney airport. Western Sydney residents deserve metros and roads like other areas. We travel long distances for work. The east west metro has been cancelled and now your government has cut $160m from the M12-M7 connection, yet still the Epping bridge expansion with $220m. Why is western Sydney treated as second class and not prioritised, given our disadvantages?
Anthony Albanese:
I thank the member for Fowler for her question. And the premise of it though is completely wrong. Completely wrong.
As I have had discussions with Premier Chris Minns about it. I am a major supporter of the second Sydney airport. I think it is a very important ... piece of infrastructure and it is something that does require a range of infrastructure around.
Of course, Western Sydney airport would be built had the Howard government when they came to office cancelled funding for a project that was already under construction, that was already under construction, and had had the sod turned and had funding in the budget, funding that was ripped out by the first Howard budget back in 1996. That’s what happened.
It would have been up and operating for more than a decade now had that not occurred.
Updated
The Liberal senator James McGrath has a question on the electoral reform report earlier this week, which recommended doubling territory senators and looking at growing the number of parliamentarians more broadly.
In particular, McGrath asks whether the Labor government will take its proposal to the next federal election to see whether the public agrees.
The special minister of state, Don Farrell, gets up to start responding but he doesn’t get to the point quick enough so McGrath interrupts it with a point of order.
Farrell then hits back.
We don’t want any more Coalition MPs in this place. We don’t want any more. We’ve had enough. We’ve got enough already.
The Coalition erupts. Farrell later responds to some more heckling on:
Dutton wants better politicians. Why isn’t Senator [Gerard] Rennick being re-endorsed? Because I understand he was on …
Farrell gets cut off before finishing his sentence and then withdraws his comment.
McGrath then says the Labor government has already wasted $450m on the failed referendum and is now proposing to add “at least” 50 MPs and 32 senators during a cost-of-living crisis.
Farrell responds he’s doing “nothing of the sort” and Senate question time ends on that note.
Updated
The shadow attorney general, Michaelia Cash, is now up quizzing Penny Wong about the high court ruling against indefinite detention.
In particular, however, she asks where is the preventive detention bill, just 24 hours after the high court released its reasons on Tuesday.
Wong points out the Coalition teamed up with the Greens on Monday to stop its “patch-up” bill which Peter Dutton described as being created “on the run”.
She said:
How many hours after [Cash’s] party voted with the Greens against toughening up this legislation? ... the Australian people know what you are. You have no plan. All you are about is division.
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Clare O’Neil then says she is sad that Dan Tehan has been kicked out because she had some questions for him. But before she can get into what she wanted to say (it is about Peter Dutton approving NZYQ being able to apply for a new visa) there are a bunch of points of order.
O’Neil ends with:
I make no apologies for doing everything I could to get this person out of the country. I would contrast that with the leader of the opposition because he is the reason that NZYQ was here.
As interesting as the Labor counter-punch against Peter Dutton is - I don't think Clare O'Neil actually answered the question about whether she signed off on the 30 May, 2023 concession that it was impossible to deport NZYQ.
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) November 29, 2023
Why did all the deportation attempts on come later?
Updated
Chris Bowen does some more yelling in a dixer and Ted O’Brien gets kicked out again for trying to yell back.
Dan Tehan is back:
On 30 May 2023 the government told the high court it was an agreed fact that there was no real hope of NZYQ being removed from Australia in the reasonably foreseeable future. Yet reports in the Guardian say the minister for home affairs said she had operational advice about the case and it was likely the government would avoid it by deporting him. Did the minister sign off on the facts that the government put before the high court on 30 May 2023?
Clare O’Neil:
Let me share a few facts that we have learned about this case with the house. The first is that we learned from the minister for immigration earlier in question time that NZYQ would not even have been here were it not for the incompetence of the leader of the opposition. Secondly, I will make no apologies for doing everything within my power to deport this person from our country. I’m not going to apologise for that. In fact I would say again to the parliament that if I had any legal power ...
Tehan is back up and Milton Dick warns that it is 30 seconds into the question so does he really want to waste his point of order on relevance now?
Tehan:
I was just calling for a statement of fact, did the minister ...
Dick is tired.
I gave you a hint that it had to be on relevance and you got up and you said what you wanted to say, so that is an abuse of standing orders, and you continually do that, and you will leave the chamber under 94A.
Tehan leaves the chamber.
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Dan Tehan asks Andrew Giles:
Al Jazeera has reported Sirul Azhar Umar, who was sentenced in Malaysia for the murder of a pregnant woman that involved shooting her and blowing up her body with explosives was released from immigration detention into the Australian community not wearing a tracking device or subject to a curfew. Can the minister confirm whether this is true.
(You can read the story Tehan references here.)
Giles says he is unaware of the report and says:
I can say, as I have said repeatedly, that every person required to be released by order of the high court was done so and in respect of every one of them, 141, strict visa conditions were applied initially and following, of course, the passage of legislation that we were able to get through the parliament on the Thursday of the last sitting week. Obviously, in respect of the persons subject to the conditions after the passage of legislation, I was required to make determination in respect of each of them in respect of the additional condition.
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It’s the usual rowdiness over in Senate question time – a place where senators cannot be ejected, unlike the House of Representatives.
The serial pot-stirrer Murray Watt is answering a dixer planted by his South Australian colleague, Karen Grogan, on what the Labor government is doing in response to the high court’s ruling on NZYQ.
Watt lists off a number of funding announcements and then turns his attention to Peter Dutton, a former home affairs minister.
We all know that Mr Dutton has spent years telling us to close the back door to Australia. But, as I said yesterday, now we find out that he left the front gate open, swinging in the breeze.
Watt beats his chest as he says Dutton allowed the Albanian mafia into Australia in a reference to a report by the Nine newspapers in July.
We don’t talk tough, we act tough,” Watt said after the chest beating incident.
Opposition senators raise their voices. It’s quite a scene.
Updated
There was also a dixer in there from Lisa Chesters to Andrew Giles – you can see Labor’s pushback against the opposition here. The political debate on this has become very low and, as you can see, the gloves are absolutely off now.
Q: How is the Albanese Labor government responding to the high court reasoning announced yesterday? How is the government acting to keep Australians safe? And what approaches has the government rejected?
As part of his answer Giles says:
I’m asked about alternatives. Of course this week we have seen Senator Smith who wrote a letter requesting that a convicted paedophile be released from immigration detention. He asked that he be transferred from Christmas Island into the community, knowing the serious nature of this man’s offending. He still requested this release, as the minister for home affairs just said, twice. Let me be clear. I didn’t let him out. Community safety is the utmost priority of this side of the chamber.
But I can tell you who did make a decision. I can tell you who did. The leader of the opposition. That’s right, the leader of the opposition intervened as the then minister for immigration to allow the convicted paedophile at the centre of the high court case, NZYQ, to apply for a new visa instead of seeking to have him removed from Australia.
The leader of the opposition instead made a decision that enabled him to stay in this country.
The leader of the opposition’s personal intervention meant that he was allowed to remain in Australia until the day the high court made its decision.
This ultimately is his mess. Once again, this leader of the opposition talks tough but he acts weak. It is time... It is time... And you need to stop playing political games and work with us to keep Australians safe.
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Clare O’Neil then returns to what she was talking about in her answer to Sussan Ley:
We have also heard, Senator [Dean] Smith, a handpicked leader of the leader of the opposition’s frontbench chose to use his precious power as an Australian senator to advocate for a child sex offender.
He didn’t do it once, he did it twice.
This is an individual who was convicted of child sex offences involving a teenage girl. Senator Smith described in his letter, he described that offender in his second letter to the immigration minister as being ‘on a consensual and non-consensual level’.
I’ll leave it to the leader of the opposition to explain what Senator Smith could possibly have meant by consensual sex with a child.
Now the leader of the opposition loves to talk tough, we hear it all day on borders, immigration and national security.
The record doesn’t back it up. Surely this is the simplest test yet. We hear again and again the leader of the opposition come into the chamber and make heartfelt speeches about child sex offences, yet he has an apologist for this conduct on his frontbench. He can do something to change it and I call on him to do it.
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Anthony Albanese answers the question by pointing out how many immigration detainees absconded from detention while the Coalition was in government and includes this line:
The high court required the release of individuals with similar circumstances to NZYQ, who took the case.
If NZYQ had been deported instead of being granted permission to apply a visa by the person who was the minister at the time, the leader of the opposition, none of this would have occurred. None of this would have occurred. None of this would have occurred.
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Peter Dutton asks his first question of the day:
The government has been flat-footed and asleep at the wheel since the high court decision on 8 November. That much and much more is obvious. Given the ...
There are too many interjections, so Milton Dick has him start again:
The government has been caught asleep at the wheel … since the high court decision on 8 November. The seriousness of the matter includes the release of one high-risk offender into the community, potentially a rapist, potentially a child sex offender.
The government refuses to provide any detail.
Can the prime minister update the Australian public what risk there is to them and what detail does he have to give some assurance to the Australian people that this individual will be brought back into custody as soon as humanly possible?
There is no evidence the person is a “high-risk offender”. It is true there has been no detail, which is where this vacuum the opposition is filling has come from.
(It is also true that Australian citizens who commit crimes and complete their custodial sentence are released into the community every single day.)
Updated
Penny Wong has continued the federal government’s silence on whether a man was able to leave immigration detention without electronic monitoring because his visa conditions were not read out to him.
Guardian Australia earlier today reported the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, was staying mum on whether the Australian Border Force failed to verbally brief the missing man on the conditions of his bridging visa and the ABF did not fit him with an ankle bracelet as it was required to do.
Upon being questioned about the issue by the Liberal senator James Paterson, Wong responded:
I’m not going to engage in discussion in this chamber about operational matters other than to say we support the ABF and AFP in their work to ensure ... Australians are safe, and we will continue to do that.
Read the original report by my colleague, Paul Karp:
Updated
Clare O’Neil continues:
We had some very disturbing news earlier this week that a handpicked person on the frontbench of the opposition has used his position as a senator not once but twice to advocate for the release from detention of a child sex offender, a child sex offender …
Sussan Ley interjects on relevance, and Tony Burke returns the tag line at the end of her question opened up the question. Milton Dick allows O’Neil to continue, but she says she’ll come back to it (which means it is an upcoming dixer).
Updated
O’Neil accuses Coalition of ‘shameless politics’ after high court detention ruling
Clare O’Neil continues:
So let me compare and contrast a little bit about how the government has handled this high court decision, and what we are seeing from those opposite. What we have seen from the government is that within a week and one day of the high court decision, we had released the people that the high court ordered us to release under bespoke visas.
We had set up a completely new regime of community protection, established a joint operation between police and ABF, who are case-managing each of these individuals in the community.
Now we have the reasons for the decision from the high court, and as I have said, I would have preferred that none of these people be released from detention. I support preventive detention and that is why I will be bringing a proposal back to the parliament.
We will be able to move through this quite quickly if we get the support and the cooperation of the opposition.
But what have we seen since this decision was made? We have seen three weeks of the most shameless politics I have actually ever seen played in this parliament.
And that included the opposition’s unbelievable action earlier this week, where we brought a proposal to this parliament, the minister for immigration and I brought a proposal to this parliament to strengthen the laws that we passed, to criminalise paedophiles loitering near schools, a pretty uncontroversial proposal, but what did they do?
They came in and they voted against it. And there was only one reason for that, because they put politics above the safety of the Australian community.
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Then, much like a middle-aged man’s hairline, the chamber takes a few steps back from congeniality and moves on.
Sussan Ley:
The minister failed to prepare for an expected high court loss and then falsely claimed she was advised she would win. She claimed urgent laws weren’t necessary until we wrote them for her. She claimed the Coalition’s preventive detention proposal is utterly impossible, but now says parliament won’t rise without legislating it. She can’t explain how one of the criminals she released has disappeared. Minister, why is your job is safe when the Australian public is not?
Clare O’Neil:
I will leave the political commentary to the deputy leader of the opposition. And I would say to those of you who are here in the chamber that I see the opposition has had a little bit of a meeting this morning and decided they will spend today making a political attack on me. Well, congratulations, congratulations ... you are free to do that, but I would just say it says a hell of a lot more about you, than it does about me.
(Which is kinda funny given that up until this happened, O’Neil’s question time job was an almost daily rendition of “how terrible was Peter Dutton as a home affairs minister? let me count the ways”, but no one has memories in this place.)
There are enough interjections that Milton Dick gives a general warning to the chamber – next person named will get booted.
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Albanese and Dutton give shoutout to Movember organisers in 20th year
The speaker, Milton Dick, acknowledges special guests in the speaker’s gallery, which includes the Queensland delegation fighting for more infrastructure funding, which includes the deputy premier, Steven Miles, and some mayors), the mayor of Palmerston, the ambassador for Uruguay and representatives from the Movember foundation.
Which explains the number of mos in the chamber today.
Anthony Albanese stands up on indulgence:
Just maybe a shoutout as well for the crew from Movember who are here. Michelle Terry, the CEO, and Richard Deutsch, the chair of Movember.
The 20th anniversary of Movember. I am advised by my staff who participate in Movember, sometimes more than I would like, that they have raised over $1bn over 20 years. That is quite an extraordinary effort, so congratulations to all who are involved and all who participate.
And then it is Peter Dutton’s turn (after a bit of lighthearted back and forth with Albanese).
The prime minister is giving me a bit of stick about facial hair.
I would say, as the father of two sons, one of whom has just come back from schoolies sporting a mullet and a big mo, that other Australians should follow suit even against their parents’ advice.
But do it in the name of Movember, and if you are after a good cause to support, or you are thinking of somebody who is far away but that you would like to give an early Christmas present to, I would advise all Australians to go to the Movember website, to provide sponsorship and support to a very worthy cause. I commend all of those who are involved in the promotion, in the governance and in a program that every Australian has really taken as a very special cause. Congratulations to all those involved and I would love to be joining you this year, but perhaps a donation in lieu would be sufficient.
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Opposition grills government on stage-three tax cuts commitment
Senate question time has also kicked off, with the upper house opposition leader, Simon Birmingham, asking about the Labor government’s commitment to stage-three tax cuts.
The question comes after The Australian reported today that the Sydney backbench MP Jerome Laxale said he would “encourage” the government to look at whether the controversial Coalition-initiated tax cuts should still go ahead.
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, responds that the cuts are already legislated and the government’s position to support them hasn’t changed.
Birmingham then follows up with another question asking the minister to deliver “a crystal-clear commitment”, pointing to Laxale’s reported comments.
Gallagher fires back:
You can’t force me to speak in a way that you find acceptable. I have answered the question.
Updated
David Littleproud has a point of order on relevance. Tanya Plibersek is told to get on with her answer and she says:
If the leader of the Nationals really cared about farming communities, he would pass this legislation because he knows that if this legislation is not passed by the end of the Senate sitting period, then there will be automatic [measure] that will drop water entitlements automatically.
You should know that when the member for New England was the water minister he was happy to buy water.
He bought $80m worth of water from a company set up in the Cayman Islands by the shadow treasurer.
The Speaker tells Plibersek to stay relevant to the question.
Katharine Murphy in the chamber hears Angus Taylor say “say that outside the chamber” (speech in the chamber of course, being legally protected).
Plibersek finishes with:
There has been plenty of modelling ... including by Sarah Wheeler, who is a well-respected economist, who has shown that the modelling that the member claims shows that water buybacks push up prices is discredited. And the modelling that the Victorian government is relying on is completely discredited.
The modelling done by Sarah Wheeler and other economists has shown that, of course, there are all sorts of things that affect food and beverage prices – floods, droughts, fuel prices and labour shortages, which you did nothing to deal with for farming economies when you were in government.
Another thing that affects food prices are trade embargoes like the ones that this government has successfully dealt with.
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Plibersek rejects claim Murray-Darling water buybacks drive up food prices
The Nationals MP Sam Birrell (yes, I had to look him up too) asks Anthony Albanese:
Labor’s Murray-Darling Basin plan has been estimated by water market specialists to cost up to $22bn to deliver in full. Has the government undertaken modelling on the cost to taxpayers and the financial and social impacts on basin communities of water buybacks, which will drive up prices at the supermarket for all Australian families?
Tanya Plibersek takes this one:
The first thing to say, of course, is that it’s very clear that last time voluntary water purchase happened – the largest year a voluntary purchase, 2011-12, when almost 500 gigalitres of water was brought – the price of food and beverage prices went down by 4-5%.
The interjections get very loud.
Plibersek continues:
The next thing I would like to say is those opposite, the National party, are perfectly happy for anyone to buy water other than the Australian government to protect the environment. They’re very happy for foreign companies to buy water.
There are more interjections.
Plibersek:
In fact, more water is owned by foreign companies than is owned by the commonwealth environment water holder. They’re very happy to sell water. The member for New England, the shadow minister, when he was the water minister bought $80m of water ...
Updated
Tony Burke is taking a dixer on how many times the Coalition voted no on the closing the loophole IR bill and its amendments.
While he enjoys himself, might be a good time to let you know that Anthony Albanese will deliver the Whitlam Oration this evening. That is hosted by the Whitlam Institute.
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Question time begins
It opens with Angus Taylor asking Anthony Albanese:
Will the prime minister rule out breaking his election promise to deliver the stage-three tax cuts in full?
Albanese:
We haven’t changed our position on the stage-three tax cuts. At all. At all.
If only all questions and answers were as succinct.
Probably as pointless a wish as hoping we might one day be able to have a serious conversation about much-needed tax reform in this country that actually addresses inequality.
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Labor party members from western Sydney have met with several federal MPs to urge the government to call for an “immediate, permanent and just ceasefire” in Gaza.
The 15-strong delegation was led by Suzan Wahhab, the president of Palestinian Christians in Australia, who told reporters at Parliament House a short time ago:
We believe that there’s a humanitarian catastrophe right now that is engulfing the whole of Gaza and we can’t stay silent and see those people die from starvation, from lack of access to clean water and lack of access to medicine.
We cannot stay silent and see those people die in front of our eyes on TV screens, we will not let that happen. So we are asking every single politician and normal ordinary Australian people to find it your hearts to show mercy and ask your representative for a permanent, immediate ceasefire.
Dr Mohamad Assoum, an infectious diseases epidemiologist and the vice-president of the Labor party’s Auburn-Lidcombe branch, told reporters:
We have doctors operating without anaesthetic, children having to have their limbs amputated because of the utter deterioration of the humanitarian condition in Gaza. International law is very clear, the Geneva Conventions is very clear. The UN is very clear, the WHO are very clear: we need an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
The group said the federal MPs they met included Jason Clare, Andrew Charlton, Linda Burney and Anne Stanley.
Asked if the delegation got any sense MPs were open to demanding a full ceasefire, Assoum said:
We understand that everyone is on the side of human rights. And we do get the inclination that many many politicians in Canberra are seeking a permanent ceasefire as well.
To date the government has signalled it would welcome the extension of the current truce between Israel and Hamas but has said any ceasefire cannot be “one-sided”.
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Bill Shorten’s team continues to abuse meme formats. (Evergreen statement.)
Close to a million Aussies haven’t claimed $230 million worth of Medicare payments. Could you be one of them?
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) November 29, 2023
Head to your myGov app and update your bank account details now.
For more info, head to: https://t.co/IYG9iIRNMY pic.twitter.com/8RvYYN5Fm7
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Labor senator says government not considering changes to stage-three tax cuts
Queensland Labor senator Anthony Chisholm remembered some of the lessons of campaigning language it seems, after he was asked whether or not the government should be reconsidering the stage-three tax cuts (as some backbenchers would like to see happen, following “feedback” from their electorates, on the ABC.
Chisholm answered:
That’s not something the government are considering at this time, Greg. I certainly know … it’s not something we are considering.
That little gap there is Chisholm remembering what happens when politicians say things like “at this time” (the immediate response being SO MAYBE AT ANOTHER TIME?!)
Chisholm finished all of that answer with:
What I know is ... we’ve got great backbenchers who are out and about in their community.
We know that inflation and cost of living is significant. The [inflation] numbers reported today were encouraging. It’s great. We know it is the central focus of the government in doing what we can … It’s obviously significant that we think we’re getting the balance right but the prime minister and the treasurer have indicated there will be more to do the next budget. I’m sure they will take on board feedback from their great hard-working backbenchers who are out talking to the community and providing that in-touch commentary that you’d expect.
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Patrick Dodson bids the Senate farewell in a final speech
Readers following politics yesterday will know the father of reconciliation, Patrick Dodson, is bowing out of politics because of ill health. I wrote a piece yesterday marking that departure. You can find that here if you’d like to catch up.
Dodson has given his final speech in the Senate today. It’s fair to say there were few dry eyes in the chamber. Dodson has expressed his disappointment about the defeat of the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum. But he told the Senate the repudiation needed to be a moment of “fresh opportunity” to pursue substantive matters of reconciliation.
This renewed conversation must proceed under a human rights framework, Dodson said today. “We can begin that journey by implementing the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples,” he said. Dodson said the other important component of next steps was to help First Nations people “achieve and enjoy economic independence”. He said Indigenous Australians needed to create economic independence by “leveraging up their significant asset bases”.
He said:
We have the opportunity now to approach reconciliation on the basis of justice.
That will strengthen our integrity as a nation. Australians have become more aware of these issues now than they were before the referendum process.
Dodson said the next chapter of reconciliation would be written by the next generation – younger Indigenous leaders and non-Indigenous people – “those with ambition, those with hope, those who love this nation”.
The emotion caught up with him at that point.
I’ll leave it to them.
Dodson said durable reconciliation required healthy country, where the use of resources was balanced “and sacredness is embedded in the landscape”. It also required healthy spirit – strong communities, where people mattered and were valued.
He signed off.
I’ll see you when I see you. Thank you.
Senators replied with a standing ovation.
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Closing the Loopholes IR bill passes House
In between all of that, the Closing the Loopholes IR bill has passed the House (which, of course it would, the government controls that) and is on its way to the Senate where negotiations with the crossbench continue.
Tony Burke would like you to know, judging from his press release on the bill’s partial passage through the parliament, that the Coalition voted against it. There are dot points. You get the picture.
Updated
We are now 20 minutes out from question time, where there will be more focus on the indefinite detention decision and the coming preventive detention legislation.
So grab what you need to get through it now.
The Greens have continued their advocacy for a permanent ceasefire in the Senate chamber:
Today is International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a day with profound significance as Israel prepares to resume its war on Palestine.
— Janet Rice (@janet_rice) November 29, 2023
This must become a permanent ceasefire, we must have a just and lasting peace in Palestine.
Ceasefire now! pic.twitter.com/nUV0e6eJYf
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Bill Shorten questioned over David Van’s appearance alongside Tanya Plibersek
Continuing on from that earlier press conference with Bill Shorten, one reporter asked the former Labor leader about David Van’s appearance alongside Tanya Plibersek yesterday.
To speed readers up, the environment minister and Van held a joint press conference on Tuesday after the government agreed to the Liberal-turned-independent senators’ amendments on the restoring rivers bill.
Van confirmed on Tuesday the parliamentary workplace inquiry into sexual misconduct allegations made against him, sparked by a referral from his former leader, Peter Dutton, was “an ongoing confidential process”.
A reporter queried Shorten about whether he was comfortable his colleague had “elevated” Van’s status by conducting the joint presser with him given the ongoing inquiry.
Shorten responded:
This is a government who works with, leaving aside Senator Van, we work with, sometimes, the Greens, we’ll work sometimes with One Nation, we will work with the Liberals and the Nats. It’s a democracy and we’ve got to work with the people that the people give us.
The independent senator Lidia Thorpe had alleged Van had acted inappropriately against her in June – a claim he has denied.
Van said in June, upon being stood down from the Liberal party room, that he had been denied a presumption of innocence after multiple inappropriate touching allegations were made against him.
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Traditional owners ask for Roper River to be protected from water intensive industries
I missed this in the parliament yesterday (apologies, was a very busy day) but traditional owners from the Northern Territory travelled to Canberra to ask politicians to protect the Roper River from “new water intensive industries in the catchment and to be at the forefront of decision-making for the river”.
Representatives from communities across 20,000km of the NT, which covers the catchment, presented a 13-metre hand-painted cultural map to the parliament and a statement, signed by community members, asking for the river to be protected.
Alawa traditional owner Naomi Wilfred said:
We’ve got so many important springs to protect.
We made that map to show Canberra about the water connection. The threat we’re worrying about is cotton is coming in and I think we’ll have no water left. We want to tell them to stop taking water and start listening to the rightful traditional owners.
We want to see this river protected for our future generations.
There are proposals for the river catchment to be used to help with cotton, fracking and mining industries. Traditional owners saw they have not been properly consulted about the proposals and their cultural knowledge and the aspirations of their communities have not been taken into account.
Traditional Owners have travelled 5000km to Parliament House to unveil a simply extraordinary 13 metre long map of the songlines and cultural places that make up the Roper River in the NT, under threat from fracking, cotton and mining.
— Dr Kirsty Howey (@kirsty_howey) November 28, 2023
It’s time for those in power to listen. pic.twitter.com/R0BkyIhDpc
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Jess Rudd has a couple of simple points and she is making them over and over again.
What can be done to improve the early childhood sector now?
Rudd:
We can fix the activity test. We can fix wages so that educators have a wage increase that they can live on. That’s critical if we want to actually get people into the sector or for them to see themselves as having that as a professional career. I think that these are the sorts of things that could be done now, and I really look forward to seeing where this multi-employer bargaining process takes the government because it will be good to see government at the table as a funder of this important economic reform.
Updated
Jess Rudd says when it comes to finding the money for the government to act, there also needs to be acknowledgement of the money it can also save:
I am not sitting at Treasury with a calculator. And – so – and I’m really bad at Excel Spreadsheet. I’ve got to put that out there. But what I know is that this is an investment in our future.
If I had to pick one thing to do, it would be this. I would say that ‘cause I’m an advocate in this space.
But I can see what Danielle Wood at the Productivity Commission was saying. She was saying that it would deliver for the economy, that it would deliver for education and it would deliver for equality. Show me another policy that does all of that in one hit? We’re in an inflationary cycle, people are struggling to pay for life. They need two incomes, they can’t afford to get two incomes. Fix it.
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Jessica Rudd says childcare pricing needs ‘cop on the beat’
Back at the press club, Jess Rudd was asked about childcare providers who put their prices up in response to the government increasing the childcare subsidy.
She said the Parenthood had heard from countless members about costs increasing and that it is time for the government to intervene in the market:
We need a cop on the beat when it comes to pricing because there are providers who are looking for the opportunity to line their pockets. That’s what happens in a system that has been cobbled together over so many years and is no longer fit for purpose in the 21st century.
I mean, it’s virtually the same system that my mum and dad were dealing with when they were seeking early childcare education for me and I turn 40 next week.
We need reform. We need reform and we need someone to concentrate on what’s happening with prices. And anyone who’s trying to charge in excess of the cap and claim the subsidy needs to be able to demonstrate why they’re doing that.
What are they doing additionally? What is the additional service they’re providing?
These are the things that need to be looked at and I’m looking forward to reading the ACCC’s final report … and also the Productivity Commission report in the middle of next year.
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Bill Shorten says national cabinet will discuss potential changes to NDIS funding
Bill Shorten has said the states and territories have received 1,200 pages of supporting information ahead of a national cabinet meeting next week to discuss potential changes to the way the NDIS is funded.
In a press conference on Wednesday, the NDIS minister said the discussions would centre around how the scheme, which supports more than 600,000 Australians with disabilities, would achieve an 8% cost growth cap from 2026.
It’s no secret the scheme is growing faster than was intended and so we and the premiers and the prime minister had set a target of 8%. Now, what we’re doing is putting the meat on the bone of reforms to achieve that 8%.
Shorten said there would be a “long overdue” discussion about what the states and territories can do to support disabled people whose disability is “not so severe they need to be on the NDIS” but will still need to have support services.
It will take years to increase the level of broader disability support around the country outside of the NDIS scheme, Shorten said, but he also flagged there wasn’t “an infinite amount of time” to spend sorting through the issues.
Shorten also flagged the federal government had put out a consultation paper with the states earlier this month on the issue of twin pricing.
Twin pricing enables providers to charge a public price for disability support equipment, such as walking sticks and wheelchairs, and a higher price for those on NDIS packages.
The minister flagged it was planning to release more information about its potential solution next month.
Hopefully, we’ll have more news about that early December about making new laws to outlaw the practice of ripping off people on the NDIS.
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Albanese and Dutton meet with thalidomide survivors
Going back to the thalidomide apology, Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have also met with survivors and their families at a special morning tea in Parliament House.
The prime minister, in particular, was in hot demand for survivors wanting a quick chat. About 80 survivors made the trip to Canberra, with family and friends swelling numbers in the Great Hall into the hundreds. The politicians posed for photographs and signed a few autographs with those affected by the thalidomide tragedy – one woman even presented the PM with a straw hat that she had painted for the day – but survivors and their families did have some mixed emotions about the day.
Trish Jackson, a survivor we have spoken to several times in the lead-up to the apology, said the government’s announcement to reopen the support scheme to new entrants (some survivors aren’t officially included in the public program) was “awesome”. But speaking to media outside the hall, Jackson noted her parents were elderly and could not make the trip – adding that she and other survivors would “never forget what they went through”.
Greg Stevens said the apology was “about time”. He described himself as “one of the lucky ones” in the survivors’ cohort but said he and others needed more support beyond what the government had announced – suggesting higher lump sum payments and better help with securing housing.
“Better late than never,” Stevens said.
The former health minister Greg Hunt, who was part of the former Coalition government that extended thalidomide support in 2020, quietly made his way through the crowd too. He declined to speak on the record but spoke warmly with numerous survivors. It was Hunt as health minister who had kickstarted the moves toward an apology and recognition site for survivors.
Albanese announced in his apology speech that the Thalidomide Survivors Support Program would be reopened “to ensure that anyone who may have missed the previous opportunity to apply for support does not miss out on the support they need and deserve” – with payments also being increased through indexation, another reform.
Lisa McManus, leader of the thalidomide survivors group, said she was happy at the recognition and apology but said she was eager to see the fine details of how the support program would be reformed for her fellow survivors.
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We’ll dip out of the National Press Club address for a moment to check in on what’s been happening in parliament.
Updated
Jessica Rudd says government must ‘stick to its guns’ on early childhood reform
Jess Rudd says policy reform is never easy but she hopes this government sticks to its promises on early childhood reform, despite the challenges:
Political reformers like this prime minister face far more resistance and [require] core strength and agility.
They must stare down their critics and forge a path through to deliver on ambitious agendas.
Even when those critics are their colleagues, who might seek to temper that ambition in favour of political survival.
And I get that. I get that, as an instinct, particularly when you can see that there’s a lot that could be done in a second term, so political survival matters.
I’m lucky to have had a window into these sorts of political dilemmas. It helps me bring empathy to my current role at the Parenthood. But the empathy that I have for policy-makers is trumped by the empathy I have for parents of young children every single day.
And this is why the government must stick to its guns. It must persevere with what I hope will be its legacy. It’s an education reform. It’s an equality reform. It’s an economic reform.
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Jessica Rudd says Albanese government’s first term ‘reasonably complicated’
And this government?
Up the hill events have certainly made the life of our 47th parliament and 31st prime minister reasonably complicated.
We are in the throes of an inflationary cycle tabloided up as the cost-of-living crisis.
There are two major wars under way with devastating humanitarian impacts, not to mention the economic ripple effect in this post-pandemic world.
We’ve had umpteen rate rises and a new RBA governor intent on telling us that we still require further belt-tightening in the form of increased mortgage repayments.
This is a harsh sting for all the battlers out there, particularly those with young children, who haven’t seen their wages grow to pay for it all but I’ll get to that.
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Jessica Rudd leans on her knowledge of retail politics to speak about what she knows about first-term governments (which was also the topic of her second fiction novel).
First terms are notoriously haunted by the spark and bright ideas of an all too recent and eager opposition desperate to get there but discovering post-election that things are always easier said than done.
The rusty cogs of bureaucracy creak and events at home and abroad always get in the way of delivering services.
Honeymoons are declared over. Polls narrow. And the three years worth of parliamentary sand slips through the hourglass quicker than you can say Yarralumla.
They then screech into their first election campaign with the equally reassuring and sobering knowledge that very few lose government within their first term.
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Jessica Rudd says childcare subsidy activity test a ‘policy lemon’
Jessica Rudd, the interim chief executive of advocacy group the Parenthood, is giving an address at the National Press Club today, where she is reiterating the call for the reform of the early childhood education and care sector.
Rudd and the Parenthood argue it is not just about education, it is also about increasing productivity – that it’s a double win.
Reforming early childhood education is legacy material. It’s a reform that will deliver immediate benefits for families on cost of living but it is also a reform that will build our future capability. It’s an investment in the leaders of tomorrow.
Australia should be the best place in the world to be a parent and raise a child. We are the country of Bluey, for goodness sake. We have mangoes and verandahs, the oldest continuing cultures in the world. We are resilient and diverse; vast and bold.
One of the ways to reform it as quickly as possible? Rudd says removing the activity test (which sets how many hours of childcare a child can receive the subsidy for).
The activity test is a policy lemon which eight consecutive specialist reports have told us. We don’t need another report before the government fixes it once and for all. This could be done today but should be done by the next budget at least.
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Class action launched against Queensland government over child protection laws
Bottoms English Lawyers have announced Indigenous children and parents have launched a class action against the Queensland government for what they allege is the “systemic failure to reunite families removed under child protection laws”.
The cases allege Queensland’s Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services breached the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) and failed to follow the Child Placement Principle in the Child Protection Act 1999 (Qld) by refusing or failing to reunite or restore family relationships, failing to support children within the system to learn and practice their culture, language, or maintain their connection to Country, and failing to place children with Indigenous family members.
The statement goes on:
The Child Placement Principle in the Child Protection Act requires the Department to place Indigenous children removed from their parents with family, or First Nations carers if possible. It is only when these options have been exhausted that First Nations children should be placed outside their community with non-Indigenous carers.
It is also claimed that in some cases, the Department failed or refused to provide information about removed children’s First Nations families.
The group are seeking both financial and non-financial redress, including an overhaul of the system.
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Michele Bullock claims house price rises helping Australians ‘feel a little bit more wealthy’
The RBA governor, Michele Bullock, spoke at a forum in Hong Kong yesterday where she made these comments:
People are very unhappy. The cash flow channel works very quickly in Australia, and it’s very prominent.
But what I’d like to highlight is despite that noise, households and businesses in Australia are actually in a pretty good position. Their balance sheets are pretty good.
Bullock again referred to the “large saving buffers” people built up during the pandemic, which, again was not across the board and is not across the board now.
Housing prices are rising again, much to everyone’s surprise, so that’s sort of helping people feel a little bit more wealthy.
To which you would have to say – only if you have a house. And only if it is paid off, or mostly paid off.
Mortgage repayments & rents are going through the roof while the RBA signals its intention to continue increasing interest rates.
— David Pocock (@DavidPocock) November 28, 2023
Surely there’s a better way to cool the economy without pulling cash out of the pockets of Australians & pouring it into the coffers of the banks. pic.twitter.com/0usuqcPOPc
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Mike Bowers was in the chamber for the national apology to Australians impacted by the thalidomide tragedy.
Here is what it looked like:
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Jim Chalmers introduces RBA legislation
AAP has also reported on the RBA legislation introduced by the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, this morning:
The next phase of a major shake-up to the Reserve Bank of Australia has kicked off with Chalmers introducing changes to parliament.
A dual-board set-up is one of the major reform items, with the plan to have one for making interest rate decisions and second for overseeing the institution’s operations.
A power allowing the treasurer to intervene in interest rate decisions is also set to be abolished.
The veto power, outlined in the RBA Act, has never been used.
Chalmers said the reforms were the biggest undertaken at the major economic institution in more than three decades.
“This legislation will strengthen the Reserve Bank’s independence, clarify its mandate and modernise its structures,” he said in parliament on Wednesday.
He said the new monetary board would be guided by a new statement on the conduct of monetary policy as a supplement to the Reserve Bank Act.
“It will set out the views of the government and the Reserve Bank on important aspects of monetary policy, including the flexible inflation target of two to three per cent,” he said.
“This will help improve co-ordination between fiscal monetary and macroprudential policies.”
An independent review of the RBA was released in April and called for a range of renovation measures, some of which the institution has already acted on, such as the move to fewer meetings a year.
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Housing costs 6.1% higher in CPI numbers
The CPI numbers for October, while on the slightly weak side, did contain a few notable increases.
Rents, for instance, were still up 6.6% on a year earlier, although that increase was down from the annual clip of 7.8% in August and 7.6% in September. All up, housing costs were 6.1% higher than a year earlier.
Gas and other household fuels were also up 13%, accelerating from 12.7% in September. Electricity costs were 10.1% higher but at least the annual pace had eased from 18% in September.
Automotive fuel was 8.6% higher than in October 2022 but at least the pace of increases had slowed from the 19.7% pace – almost a fifth – clocked in September.
Food and beverages last month were 5.3% higher from a year earlier, going in the wrong direction after increases of 4.4% in August and 4.7% in September.
The underlying or trimmed mean measure that stripped out more volatile movements also eased but at a glacial rate from 5.6% in August to 5.4% in September to 5.3% in October.
That latter set of numbers might be why the market reaction was a bit mixed even though the headline CPI figure surprised on the downside. The Australian dollar was still hovering around the US66.5c mark, while stocks got a bit of a boost, for now.
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Zoe Daniel speaking on Closing the Loopholes bill
Independent MP Zoe Daniel is speaking on the Closing the Loopholes bill and said she hasn’t been able to get an answer on how it will help to improve productivity, which she says has been a conversation missing from many of the conversations in the house.
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October consumer price index at 4.9%, ABS says
The October consumer price index has come in at 4.9%, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has just announced.
Economists had forecast the annual pace to come in 5.2%, slowing from the 5.6% increases reported by the ABS for September.
The result will be monitored closely by the Reserve Bank with its board to meet next Tuesday to decide whether to leave its cash rate at 4.35% or to lift it for a 14th time since May 2022.
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The House is moving through amendments on Tony Burke’s bill. Once this is all done, it will head to the Senate where the real battle is – without the support of the crossbench, the bill will sit in limbo.
Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock want to carve out four urgent measures of the bill and have created private member’s bills to do just that, which will go nowhere without the government’s support. The government says those measures are in the omnibus bill, which they can support and get passed. But Lambie and Pocock want more time to address the other parts of the omnibus bill, given some of the employer concerns.
Hence – a deadlock.
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The Museum of Australian Democracy (Moad) at Old Parliament House has named Guardian cartoonist and all round legend (and fellow Litho) Fiona Katauskas the Behind the Lines Political Cartoonist of the Year
This year’s talented winner of Behind the Lines, @FionaKatauskas at Old Parliament House with @barriecassidy, Min for the Arts Tony Burke and fellow cartoonists #MOAD pic.twitter.com/4Hb4JOY23y
— Heather Ewart (@heatherewart1) November 28, 2023
David McBride’s father among first doctors to link thalidomide and birth defects
During his speech, Peter Dutton made reference to an Australian obstetrician, who in early 1961, was among the first doctors to draw a link between thalidomide and birth defects.
He published a letter in the medical journal the Lancet, warning of the “multiple severe abnormalities” in babies delivered from women who had taken the drug thalidomide during pregnancy.
It was thought to be the first published suggestion from a doctor with concerns about thalidomide and led to researchers in Europe confirming the link.
That doctor’s name? Dr William McBride – father of David McBride.
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Mark Butler says program will give thalidomide survivors the support they need
The health minister, Mark Butler, says reopening the Thalidomide Survivors Support Program will make sure anyone who missed the previous opportunity to apply won’t miss out on support “they need and deserve”.
And the memorial will be “more than a plaque in a park” at the request from survivors, their loved ones and those affected by the drug:
The national memorial was designed in collaboration with thalidomide survivors – to honour and respect them, to acknowledge their pain and courage and to ensure this tragedy is never forgotten.
The words inscribed in the glass bricks were chosen by survivors to reflect their experience. It’s impossible to read those words and not be profoundly moved by the impact and legacy of the tragedy.
The thalidomide tragedy provides a powerful lesson about the need to be vigilant to safeguard people’s health.
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The chamber moves on to the closing the loopholes legislation.
The MPs move from the chamber – there will be a morning tea with survivors who have travelled to Canberra to witness the apology being delivered.
House stands in moment of silence
Peter Dutton finishes his speech by speaking directly to survivors:
Despite every hardship, and despite the difficulties yet to come, your lives have mattered, your lives have meaning.
You have meant so much to so many, to your families, to your friends, to your colleagues, to your fellow Australians –and to any Australian who is striving to be resilient in adversity, who is searching for stoicism in difficulty, you only need to look to the examples of the survivors of thalidomide for the inspiration that you seek.
The House stands in a moment of silence and the apology moves into the federation chamber, for other MPs to speak.
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Dutton says thalidomide apology shows ‘profound sense of regret’
Peter Dutton:
The national apology is not made today because we can fix the failures of the past, we cannot.
This national apology is not made to suggest that we grasp the extent of the hardship and the heartache endured by Australians impacted by thalidomide.
We never will.
This national apology is not made because we believe it will dull the torment or make the daily lives of [survivors] any easier.
It would be naive to think it could. But we make this national apology as an expression of a historical dereliction of duty, an affirmation of a recognition of responsibility.
As a proclamation of a profound sense of regret. With this sorry, we acknowledge national shortcomings.
With this sorry, we take the important step in strengthening the soul of our democracy through our reference for the truth.
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Peter Dutton:
There is a further tragedy lived by families, parents and especially mothers. One mother said, and I quote, ‘In my shock state in hospital, I was not helped by some of the staff’s comments and suggestions such as put him in an institution and forget about him.’ Another survivor stated: “Mum lives with so much guilt for take that one tablet, the guilt has eaten her away. She will have that guilt to the last breath she takes.
But perhaps the totality of the tragedy on all those impacted by this disruptive destructive drug is summed up by these profound words of a survivor: ‘The question of how much Thalidomide affected my life is simple - it affects me completely. Every single step of my journey has been governed, decided upon, influenced or impeded because of thalidomide. I can’t escape it as it lives with me every day.”
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Opposition leader reads firsthand accounts from thalidomide survivors
Peter Dutton:
I want to quote some of the excerpts from these firsthand accounts to illuminate the many tragic layers.
There is the tragedy of the physical ramifications of the drug and one survivor wrote: ‘Under the advice of her doctor, my mother took thalidomide and later gave birth to me. I had undeveloped arms, only two fingers on each and an extra toe. There are other underlying conditions that weren’t obvious at the time: heart problems, enlargement of part of my oesophagus, no gall bladder.’ Another said: ‘Thalidomide has robbed me of many opportunities to have a normal life such as being able to hear, play sport and having children’.
There is also the tragedy of the psychological consequences of the drug and one survivor noted: ‘I 100% blame thalidomide for stealing my dignity, my self-worth.’ Another survivor powerfully wrote: ‘This took away my ability to be independent. I always had to have someone to help me. I can never go anywhere by myself like others could. This made me angry and frustrated.’
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Dutton praises thalidomide survivors’ ‘profound principle and patience’
Peter Dutton is now speaking on the apology:
The prime minister, thank you for very heartfelt and moving words.
The Coalition commends you for delivering the national apology on behalf of the Australian government and the Australian people.
As the federal opposition we stand with the government in saying a heartfelt sorry to all Australians impacted by the thalidomide tragedy.
Sorry to the survivors, sorry for those who are sadly no longer with us and sorry to all of their families.
There are some 150 Australians alive today who are affected by thalidomide.
To these survivors and families who honour us with their presence in the gallery today, and to those who can’t be here with us but are watching the broadcast, I want to simply say this: you are more than owed this apology and this apology is more than overdue.
It’s an apology that should have been made long ago without your repeated asking.
It is an apology which, without your repeated asking, could not have been made today.
Although this apology is delayed, it is made today with the deepest sincerity and sorrow and I thank you for being people of profound principle and patience.
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Albanese says thalidomide survivors and families ‘fought for what was right’
Anthony Albanese finishes with:
I conclude today by saying to the survivors, their families and loved ones here with us, and all of you watching or listening around the nation and even overseas – the people of Australia are offering this apology to you.
And make no mistake, we are offering this apology because of you.
You deserved this apology and you made it happen.
Because you fought for what was right, because you spoke the hard truths until it was heard, because you knew that you deserved better, and because you continue to demand better, from your government, your parliament and your country, for six decades you have had to carry this cause.
Now, the challenge is on all of us here to do better for you. Together, I know we can, I know we must, I know we will.
I commend the national apology to all Australians impacted by the thalidomide tragedy to the House of Representatives.
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PM says government will reopen thalidomide survivor support program
Anthony Albanese says the government is reopening the Morrison government Australian thalidomide survivor support program “to ensure that anyone who may have missed the previous opportunity to apply does not miss out on the support they need and deserve”.
Further to this, for all survivors who currently receive the annual tax-exempt payment, and any new applicants who qualify for it, I want to make it clear that from now on, rather than these payments being locked at a particular level, we will act to ensure that support increases through indexation.
Tomorrow, a memorial will be officially unveiled.
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Prime minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton will both speak to the thalidomide apology motion. Despite both party leaders in the chamber, the benches behind them are far from full, particularly behind Dutton on the Coalition benches as Albanese speaks – although MPs are still filtering into the chamber.
There is an Auslan interpreter on a video screen behind Albanese, as he speaks.
The shadow health minister, Anne Ruston, and the Greens’ health spokesperson, Jordon Steele-John, both senators, are also in the House of Reps as the apology is given.
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Albanese says Australia has ‘moral responsibility’ for thalidomide tragedy
Anthony Albanese acknowledges the work of previous parliaments and leaders in moving forward with the apology, including Scott Morrison.
He then moves on to the mistakes which continued to be made at the time:
But without question, the heroes of those proceedings are the survivors and their families who shared their stories with such searing honesty. The people who put on the parliamentary record a hard truth too long denied.
Their courage demands that at the heart of this nation apology must be an acceptance of Australia’s moral responsibility. So today, as we express our sorrow and regret, we also acknowledge the inescapable historical facts.
The fact that even after the grave dangers of this drug were known, importing thalidomide was not prohibited.
Selling it was not banned. Products and samples in surgeries and shops were not comprehensively recalled or entirely destroyed. Saying “sorry” does not excuse this or erase it.
There are no words that can undo what has been suffered.
There’s no sum of money that can square the ledger. But our Australian commitment to a fair go for all demands that we try.
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Australian government’s official apology to thalidomide survivors
Anthony Albanese said survivors asked for the apology to include their parents and families. And it does.
This is the official apology:
Today, on behalf of the people of Australia, our government and this parliament offers a full unreserved and overdue apology to all thalidomide survivors, their families, loved ones and carers.
This apology takes in one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s medical history.
When expectant mothers through no fault of their own were exposed to a drug with devastating effects that were realised far too late.
To the survivors – we apologise for the pain thalidomide has inflicted on each and every one of you each and every day.
We are sorry. We are more sorry than we can say. We are sorry for the harm and the hurt and the hardship you have endured. We are sorry for all the cruelty you have had to bear.
We are sorry for all the opportunities you have been denied. We are sorry for the battle you have had to fight over decades for fair support and due recognition, and we are sorry that there are so many who deserve this apology who have not lived to see this day.
We offer our respect to their memories and we extend our deepest sympathies to their families and friends. To the mothers and fathers today, we apologise because you were failed, too.
We are sorry you have endured decades of knowing your children’s lives are harder than they should have been. We are sorry you have suffered your own hurt even though what happened is not your fault and it never was.
We are sorry – not imagining that these words can resolve the anguish or remove the pain. We understand an apology does not balance years of inaction and inadequate support.
We know the toll of thalidomide is still felt today. We know it will still be felt tomorrow. We promise your legacy and your example will never be forgotten.
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Albanese says ‘system failed’ parents and their children
Anthony Albanese:
A survivor named Patricia put it like this: ‘Thalidomide is like tossing a stone into the water – it causes a ripple effect. The drug didn’t just destroy me, it rippled on to my parents, my siblings, my family, my ambitions, my relationships, my jobs, my earnings, my health, my everything.’
Those ripples ran through lives around our nation – bullying and teasing at school, trauma and sadness at home, exclusion and rejection when looking for work, a constant battle against declining health and increasing need.
Hidden struggles and invisible pain.
The thousand different ways that ordinary tasks can be ordeals. And mothers and fathers and families haunted by a lifetime of undeserved regret – a regret that could never be reasoned away because it was fuelled by that all-powerful, all-consuming instinct that every parent knows, that inescapable sense of responsibility for your child’s health and happiness.
So let it be said today and recorded for all time – these parents, these mothers, did nothing wrong. These parents did not fail their children. The system failed them both.
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As Anthony Albanese began this apology, the Coalition benches were fairly empty. They have begun filling up now but most of the opposition have missed the beginning of this.
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Albanese says thalidomide caused ‘lifetime of damage’
Anthony Albanese goes back to when there were no checks on drugs being sold in Australia.
All over the country, expectant mothers were assured by doctors and chemists and advertisements that this drug was perfectly safe for them and for their baby.
Even though in Australia, at that time, there was no meaningful or worthwhile way of knowing this was true.
There was no system for properly evaluating the safety of medicines and the terrible cruelty of thalidomide is that, far from being safe, just one dose was enough to cause devastating harm.
Just one dose was enough to inflict a lifetime of damage on an unborn child or, indeed, cause premature death either in utero or in the years ahead.
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Prime minister delivers national apology to Australians impacted by thalidomide apology
Anthony Albanese is delivering the national apology to Australians affected by thalidomide.
Today, at long last, Australia will say sorry. I want to acknowledge and welcome all the thalidomide survivors and their families here with us in the parliament.
I extend that same respect to all those watching from afar here with us in spirit, you have been survivors from the day you were born. More than that, you have been advocates, organisers, champions and warriors.
Time and time again, you have summoned remarkable resolve. You have shown an extraordinary strength of character. Yet for so long, parliaments and governments have not proved equal to this or worthy of it. Too often, we have let you down. Today – your presence lifts all of us up.
And together, today we mark an absence too. At the conclusion of these proceedings, we will join in a minute’s silence to remember and honour all those this strategy took from us far too soon.
Because this apology will forever belong to those Australians as well.
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October consumer price index figures due
We will get an update on the cost of living crisis later this morning when we get the October consumer price index figures.
CPI is only a proxy of sorts for the cost of living but it’s the best we have for now. And it’s only the monthly numbers – rather than the quarterly ones.
That means it’s not quite as complete and so economists (and the Reserve Bank) treat the monthly figures as less gospel than the quarterly ones.
Still, the data will get a bit of scrutiny. After all, the monthly figures for July, August and September alone each showed CPI accelerating – not slowing – which is a worry.
Economists expect the October CPI to come in at 5.2%, or easing from September’s 5.6% pace. (The September quarter posted a 5.4% annual CPI.)
Given the caveats, it will need a big number – either way – to shift the RBA rates needle. For now, there’s only about a one-in-10 chance the central bank will hike again next Tuesday.
Still, after 13 rate rises in 18 months, it’s no wonder borrowers might be twitchy.
Stay tuned for the 11.30am AEDT release via this very blog.
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Pocock to support government’s detention laws but wants expiration date
David Pocock says he will support the federal government’s preventative detention laws but wants to see the extraordinary measures given a three or six-month expiration date.
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, announced on Tuesday afternoon the federal government would “finalise a tough preventive detention regime before parliament rises” hours after the high court released its reasons for ruling indefinite detention illegal.
The change could result in those recently released as a result of the court’s ruling being re-detained despite having served their criminal sentences.
At a press conference earlier this morning, the independent ACT senator said he had been given assurances the government would revisit his proposed amendments that would sunset the measure after three or six months to allow for a more considered permanent response.
“The government’s obviously been in a tight spot with the high court decision. We’ve seen some pretty extraordinary moves in parliament to ramp through legislation with very little time to scrutinise it.”
Pressed on whether he would support any bill regardless of his amendments being included, Pocock said he agreed community safety was important, adding he had supported last week’s bill.
Read more about the latest development from my colleague Paul Karp:
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New Zealand government criticised for axing anti-smoking legislation
While Mark Butler has spent the past few months working to strengthen Australia’s legislation which deals with vaping, AAP reports the new New Zealand government has come under fire for walking back tough anti-smoking legislation.
The opposition leader, Chris Hipkins, says the coalition government has rendered New Zealand an “international embarrassment” for its climbdown over Smokefree laws.
Chris Luxon’s National-led government has decided to axe the world-leading legislation as part of its coalition deals with minor parties ACT and New Zealand First.
The decision created global headlines given the magnitude of the previous government’s plans to stop the sale of cigarettes to anyone born from 2009 onwards.
“That’s bad news for New Zealand. It’s bad for an international brand,” Hipkins said on Wednesday of the policy reversal.
“We’ve seen the government announcing that they are going to partly funding their tax cuts by increasing the number of young New Zealanders that smoke cigarettes.
“That is morally reprehensible. It shows that just two days into government they have already lost their moral compass.”
Beyond the international interest, the decision has created a huge local backlash.
Health groups – led by the Cancer Society and Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners – have called on the health minister, Shane Reti, to abandon plans, dubbing the new minister “Dr Shane Cigareti”.
New Zealand’s Smokefree 2025 goal was introduced in 2011 by John Key’s National government, with the aim of fewer than 5% of Kiwis to be smokers by that year.
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GPs back Pocock climate bill
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is backing independent senator David Pocock’s private member’s bill which would require the government to protect young people from climate change.
Pocock’s bill wants the government to consider the wellbeing of future generations and young people when making decisions that could see greenhouse gas emissions increase.
The RACGP president, Dr Nicole Higgins, said climate change was already affecting the health and wellbeing of Australians, and so the body is supporting the bill:
GPs are on the frontline of the climate crisis when it comes to the impacts on human health and wellbeing.
Climate change has widespread impacts on human health. Bushfires, heatwaves, floods, storms and cyclones kill, cause injuries, spread disease and cause long-term mental health issues.
And the health impacts of climate change on our population, and particularly our children and future generations, should be considered in all government decisions that could substantially contribute to climate change.
The government would have to support the bill for it to pass the House, which is unlikely to occur.
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Plibersek reaches deal with Pocock on Murray-Darling
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has reached a deal with the independent senator David Pocock that should see the government pass its Murray-Darling legislation in the Senate.
Pocock said the government had agreed to provide an additional $30m in contingency reserve that can be drawn on to support additional water in the Upper Murrumbidgee during droughts.
The government has also agreed to an additional $20m for science, monitoring and support for the health of the Upper Murrumbidgee catchment.
Other elements of the deal include a “statement of posture” from the board of Snowy Hydro to recognise its role in managing water to meet environmental, social and cultural needs alongside renewable energy production. Snowy Water and the NSW government will also work together on adapting water releases to conditions and temperatures to achieve better outcomes for fish and river ecology.
Pocock’s support, in addition to earlier deals announced with the Greens and senator David Van, should be enough to secure passage of the legislation, which will remove a cap on buybacks and extend deadlines for water recovery targets.
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Anthony Albanese will deliver the national apology to Australians impacted by the Thalidomide tragedy at 10.30am.
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Victorian premier quizzed over fee increase at Port of Melbourne
Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, was asked about the decision to increase fees and charges at the Port of Melbourne by 15%, which has prompted cruise ship operator Carnival Australia to no longer dock in Melbourne from 2025.
Allan said the port, which is run by a private operator, hadn’t increased fees in two years and the impact of the increase to cruise operators would be “modest”:
This is a very modest increase. It’s really up to the cruise operators how they choose to apply this to their overall operations. The advice I have, is it is something like $30 per passenger, which when you consider the overall investment that people make on these sorts of trips, it is a very modest increase. And it comes off the back of a period of time where these charges were frozen for two years … the charges now being applied is less is less than the inflation increase over that period of time. We all know what’s happened to inflation, particularly over the last 12 months, where we’ve seen successive interest rate rises and the impact of the inflationary pressures in the economy.
She said she was confident tourists would continue to visit Melbourne.
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Monthly inflation data to be released today
A reminder that the monthly inflation data will be released today – it is not as big a deal as the quarterly inflation, but will show what happened in October and give people a little more indication of what the RBA will be considering ahead of its last monthly meeting for the year on 5 December.
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Victoria parliament reaches gender parity
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan says with Eden Foster now formally declared the new Labor MP for Mulgrave, replacing Daniel Andrews, the state parliament has reached gender parity. She told reporters outside parliament:
It is a proud day, 100 years after women won the right to sit in the parliament, we now have a parliament that is 50-50 men and women. That’s historic by our standards but I think also when you look around the world that’s certainly historic internationally.
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Chalmers tables legislation to amend RBA Act
The parliament sitting has begun – and Jim Chalmers has tabled the legislation which will amend the RBA Act.
Among the changes: eight meetings a year (currently monthly except for January) but the one-day meetings will now be two days. That’s partly to give RBA staff more time to gather data for the meetings and is hoped will lead to more informed decisions. But could also mean that if there is a rate rise it could be by more percentage points than we are used to – for instance, instead of 25 or 50% increases, we could see 1.25% jumps as the RBA address inflation issues that have built up.
Chalmers is also seeking to remove the “break in case of emergency” government intervention power, which has never been used, but was put into the original act as an oversight power, in case of a rogue board. Removing a power that has never been used, but is there to keep the board in check seems short-sighted in this corro’s opinion.
Paul Keating has said he had to threaten to use the power to get the RBA to address inflation in the 90s – that the threat was enough, but it was necessary. The RBA is supposed to act in the interests of Australians, but if it’s not, then surely there needs to be some oversight to correct its course.
We’ll be getting a “governance board” in exchange, which will be academics giving their opinion on what the RBA should do. Given some of the status quo defenders angling for a spot on that board, don’t expect too much change in direction there.
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Victoria begins refunding tax paid by EV owners
Victoria’s treasurer, Tim Pallas, has confirmed the state has begun the process of refunding a tax paid by electric vehicle owners after the high court declared it invalid.
Last month, the high court ruled in favour of two electric car drivers who argued the imposition of the Victorian tax, charged per kilometre driven, was unconstitutional because the states do not have the power to impose such excise taxes on consumption.
Pallas told reporters outside parliament on Wednesday the government had received advice to refund all electric vehicle drivers:
It might take a few months as we identify who they are, but the advice that I’ve received is yes, there is an obligation to repay it. I think we’ve even decided to be sufficiently generous, albeit that there isn’t an obligation to pay interest, to pay the interest on the retention of those funds.
Pallas said the refunds was a “relatively small” hit to the state budget but the ramifications of the high court decision could be huge:
What is not a relatively small amount is a reimagining of the constitution by the high court and it’s going to cause very substantial problems for every state.
He said he would be raise the matter at the meeting of state and federal treasurers on Friday.
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Queensland delegation in Canberra to argue against infrastructure funding cuts
The so-called “team Queensland” (honestly, could we retire Team XX in the political sense for 2024) has arrived in Canberra to express its crankiness with the federal government infrastructure funding cuts.
Led by Queensland’s deputy premier Steven Miles, the group of officials and local government representatives are making their views on the funding changes known. One, because Queensland Labor is about to lose the next election and two, because when it comes to infrastructure funding, including for the Bruce Highway, which is a national highway, Queensland hasn’t always come out on top.
It won’t be the last time we see some friendly fire between the state and federal government ahead of October’s state election.
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Sussan Ley’s press gallery appeal
But they obviously think it’s a killer line (and probably will work in some sectors, because they also rely on people, including in the press gallery, not checking things like when parliament sits and when the opposition leader has held press conferences before running this stuff) because Sussan Ley walked out of the Sky studio and repeated it in a door stop:
I note that the home affairs minister has given a short statement this morning, she could not help pointing the finger once again at the opposition leader and the opposition, when in fact she should be taking the lead, stepping up and explaining in detail the legislation that’s going to be introduced. Instead, she seeks as always to score political points.
But where is the prime minister on this? The prime minister has not fronted all of you, the Canberra press gallery, since the 22nd of October, that’s over a month*.
In that time, we’ve had interest rate rise, we’ve had the Chinese Communist party attack on our Navy divers, we’ve had an infrastructure announcement that has pulled projects across Australia, and we’ve had this debacle of detainees released into the community**.
We’ve heard nothing from Anthony Albanese in this place, his workplace, where he should be fronting the press gallery and answering all of the questions that I know you have for him***.
*Again, there have been seven sitting days in that time.
**When the sonar pulse issue occurred, Anthony Albanese was in the US for Apec and he has all but confirmed he raised the issue directly with Xi Jinping, the infrastructure minister addressed the infrastructure announcement, and the high court decision which led to the release of refugees and migrants in indefinite detention has been spoken about every single sitting day.
***By this measure, I look forward to the opposition leader holding a Canberra press conference every single sitting week too, because that has not happened.
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Ley says Albanese’s lack of Canberra pressers is PM ‘missing in action’ – but what about Dutton?
Liberal deputy leader Sussan Ley has gone on Sky News to point out that Anthony Albanese has not held a press conference in Canberra since 22 October, which she says is the prime minister “missing in action”.
Which is true. But also true that since 22 October (which was a Sunday and just as Albanese was about to head to the US for the official White House visit) there has only been seven days of house sittings (which is when the prime minister is in Canberra).
Peter Dutton held a press conference in Canberra on 15 November, which was the first he had held in Canberra since 16 October. And prior to that, I think it was July when he held a presser in Canberra (Dutton did not hold a press conference in Canberra while the voice referendum was officially under way).
Now both have held press conferences outside of Canberra and done media interviews. But if missing in action applies to no press conference in Canberra for seven days, then surely it also has to apply to your own side.
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NSW Labor delegation heads to Canberra to push for permanent ceasefire in Gaza
A delegation from western Sydney is headed to Canberra today to meet with Labor MPs and push for the government to call for an “immediate, permanent and just ceasefire in Gaza”.
The NSW Labor Friends of Palestine group has helped organise the delegation, which will be led by Suzan Wahhab, president of Palestinian Christians in Australia (Pcia) and includes Dr Mohamad Assoum (Auburn-Lidcombe ALP); Syed Samnan (Camden ALP); Louisa Romanous (Toongabbie ALP President); Kassem Chalabi; Louay Moustapha (Barton ALP and convener of Labor Friends of Palestine); Ms Nahil Chidiac (Pcia) and Ms Keira Ademovic (Young Labor).
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Australia calls on Israel to ‘honour its commitment to uphold international law’
Penny Wong’s spokesperson reiterated that Hamas had “shown contempt for international law” but also noted that “for democracies, the standards we seek and accept are high”.
The spokesperson said Australia had “called on Israel to honour its commitment to uphold international law and protect innocent lives”, adding:
The world has witnessed a harrowing number of civilian deaths, including children. This must not continue.
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Australian government signals support for extension of Gaza truce
The Australian government has signalled it would support further extensions to the truce between Israel and Hamas to allow the further release of hostages and delivery of “much-needed” aid to Gaza.
While not yet calling for a full ceasefire, the government has also expressed concern about the “harrowing number of civilian deaths, including children”.
Under the tentative agreement between Israel and Hamas - negotiated through intermediaries - hostages held in Gaza are being released in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
It was originally set down for four days, but an agreement was reached on Monday to extend it by two days until Wednesday. US and Israeli spy chiefs have flown to Qatar for talks on a further potential extension.
Guardian Australia asked the foreign affairs minster, Penny Wong, for comment on whether the government hoped for further extensions and whether it was now ready to call for a full ceasefire.
A spokesperson for Wong responded:
Australia welcomes the two-day extension to the pause in hostilities in Gaza, and supports further extensions.
This extension will allow for the release of further hostages and for the delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance.
We continue to call for all hostages to be released and the protection of civilian lives.Australia wants to see continued steps towards a sustainable ceasefire, but it cannot be one-sided.
This deal represents important progress, but we must ultimately work for a long-term, enduring peace.
That requires a two-state solution with Israelis and Palestinians living securely and prosperously within internationally recognised borders.
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Climate crisis the biggest concern for Australian teenagers, survey shows
A new survey of almost 20,000 Australians aged 15-19 has found almost half consider climate change and severe weather to be an important concern, ahead of discrimination and the economy.
The 2023 Youth Survey Report released by housing charity group Mission Australia on Wednesday found 44% of those surveyed deemed environmental issues to be one of their top concerns, making it the most important issue for young people for the second year in a row. It was followed by equity and discrimination (31%), the economy and financial matters (31%) and mental health (30%).
Housing and homelessness also rated higher this year on the previous year, rising seven percentage points to 19% of respondents who listed it as one of the top concerns.
The charity’s CEO, Sharon Callister, said the research conducted between April and August this year showed young people were engaging with the biggest political and societal issues of the day.
Callister also pointed to the increase in housing concerns among those participating in the survey.
Homelessness is a traumatic experience which can have ongoing impacts on a person’s life, their wellbeing and their future. As such, we strongly urge all levels of government to take immediate action to end homelessness.
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So what does working with the opposition on these new preventive detention laws look like? Clare O’Neil is on much more familiar ground here – criticising Peter Dutton – and she delivers the lines:
They certainly have made all the right noises about community safety but the reason I’m so concerned about their actual intention is because of what we’re seeing in the parliament this week, and that was the leader of the opposition lead his party to come in and vote against laws that help protect Australian children against pedophiles.
I’m not making it up. That actually happened.
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O’Neil on uncontactable detainees: ‘I’m not going to criticise police’
Clare O’Neil won’t get into the detail of one of the detainees who refused to wear a monitoring device and police have been unable to contact them since their release.
Border Force confirmed yesterday that the issue of the uncontactable former detainee had been referred to the Australian federal police. The AFP have not commented on the matter. And the government has also not said much.
O’Neil won’t get into it in this interview either. Instead, we get four versions of this answer:
I’m not going to criticise police. I would not do that. The Australian federal police and Australian Border Force have done an exceptional job at implementing a regime which was invented just a number of weeks ago. I stand by their performance, I stand by their integrity. We have referred this matter to the police and that’s the end of the discussion.
But if the conditions were not imposed as instructed (in this case, monitoring) doesn’t that mean they didn’t do the job they were supposed to do?
O’Neil:
I have great confidence in the work that they do. They will work through and resolve these issues over time.
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O’Neil: ‘I do not want these people on our streets. However, I must follow the law’
Clare O’Neil repeats that if it were up to her “all of these people would be in detention”.
(That is the political environment Australia has created around refugees and migrants –everyone has to be tougher than the last guy, because otherwise we’ll get accusations of being “soft on borders” and we know how that ends.)
O’Neil:
Because when the high court made its decision, they all were in detention, and that is because minister Giles and I had chosen to keep them there. I do not want these people on our streets. However, I must follow the law like every other Australian and the high court has required us to release these people into the community.
O’Neil then moves on to the preventive detention legislation which is coming:
The high court has just told us that politicians can’t punish, only a court can punish. So your questions about who would remain to be detained must now be referred to a court.
The courts will work with the legislation the parliament gives it though:
And that is why the parliament has a very important job to do now, our government’s commitment is to create the toughest preventative detention regime that is constitutionally possible, and we will be working with the parliament to do that.
Now, as I’ve said, we’ve got to see the opposition come with us and work with us constructively on this.
They have behaved atrociously over recent weeks making absolute politics out of this when there are serious community safety issues at the heart of the matter. That time is over. Stop slowing us down, stop saying no, come into the parliament and work with us to help protect the community.
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O’Neil accuses Dutton of hypocrisy over community safety
The opposition say they wanted amendments to the legislation they voted down, that it didn’t go far enough (as also they wanted to wait for the high court reasons).
Clare O’Neil said that is the opposition playing politics:
Well, they haven’t proposed any amendments.
They haven’t proposed him and their position is completely ridiculous and untenable.
I would have thought that one thing that the parliament can come together on is protecting children from child sex offenders.
Now after everything that Peter Dutton has said and done, beating his chest walking up and down the country, pretending he’s a tough guy, he then comes into the parliament and votes against a law that will help protect Australian children from sex offenders.
Now, I know there’s a lot of politics that gets played around the place. But let’s just be really clear, that is hypocritical.
It is wrong and it does not help us protect Australian citizens.
Every move that we have made and how we’ve managed this issue has been focused not on politics, not on winning the day, but on making sure we protect Australian citizens. I wish I could say the same as Peter Dutton’s behaviour.
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Clare O’Neil then turns to Peter Dutton:
I will just point out that just make sure you take Peter Dutton’s words with a grain of salt here.
I watched him come into the parliament this week. And when the government introduced a bill to criminalise sex offenders from loitering near schools and preschools, the opposition leader came in and voted against it.
So let’s just not make any bones about this. The opposition have played horrendous politics with this matter for weeks now. It’s time for that to end. We want to build a preventive detention regime. We need them to work with us and stop wrecking the solution.
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For what kinds of crimes would preventive detention be used?
Preventive detention can be used for terrorists or terrorism suspects already (yes, we already do this) so what other crimes will be added to the list? (Not all of the cohort have committed crimes.)
Clare O’Neil:
What I can tell you is that we’ll work through the detail of the law over the coming days. We’ve had a high court decision for about 17 hours now.
But the high court decision actually specifically refers to child sexual abuse as one of the grounds on which preventive detention might also be lawful.
These are the decisions that the government will make over the coming days and we want to get this law passed before the parliament rises next week.
So child sex offences?
O’Neil:
We will work through these issues and will do so in a way that is fast but also constitutional. What we have seen on the other side of politics is a pretty torrid history of rushing laws, doing it improperly and writing things that aren’t constitutional, that are later thrown out by the high court and the consequence is that the Australian community is less safe.
We don’t want to make that mistake. We will work through this carefully.
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‘We are not leaving here until a preventive detention regime is in place’: O’Neil
The government has said that the parliament won’t adjourn until the legislation for preventive detention is passed.
The house is due to finish sitting at the end of the week (the senate has another week) and then there is another house day to tidy up anything the senate sends their way) but home affairs minister Clare O’Neil says the parliament won’t break for Christmas if the bill isn’t passed.
She is speaking to ABC radio RN Breakfast and speaks about the coming legislation:
The most important thing to understand from the high court’s ruling is that the high court has said that politicians don’t get to make that decision (indefinite detention).
And so politicians have previously been allowed to hold people in immigration detention for very long periods of time. The high court has told us that that’s not constitutional under these circumstances.
The job now for the parliament is to create a preventive detention regime that is constitutional. That is going to mean that we need to refer those powers to courts.
Now we have just over a week of parliament left. We are not leaving here until a preventive detention regime is in place. To do that we are going to need Peter Dutton and the Liberals to work with us.
They are very good at saying no.
Now is the time to come into the parliament to work with the government to help keep the community safe.
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‘Preventive detention’ and high court ruling in focus
Late yesterday in the house, Clare O’Neil confirmed the government would be introducing preventive detention for the refugees and migrants who were released after the high court found indefinite detention to be unconstitutional.
The court published its reasons for the decision yesterday and gave the green light for the move – Paul Karp covers that off here:
The government may be able to redetain high-risk offenders within days under new laws Labor will seek to pass.
The opposition had been calling for preventive detention. (A reminder that not everyone in the cohort is a “hardcore” criminal, in fact, not all of them are criminals. Some had been charged but never found guilty, some had charges dropped, some were detained without charge. And in the case of custodial sentences, they had been served, but after being unable to be deported they were detained in immigration detention. Australians who complete their custodial sentence are released into the community).
The government said it was waiting for the high court reasons to ensure any further legislation would not be struck down by the court.
When the government attempted to strengthen the release conditions for those under watch in the community, the opposition voted against it, saying it was waiting for the high court reasons.
Now the opposition is saying that the government could have started on preventive detention three weeks ago, when no one had the reasons, because it turns out the court is OK with preventive detention. But earlier this week, the opposition used not having the reasons yet to vote down legislation related to the case.
So yeah. Expect more of that today.
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ATO concedes letters about on-hold debts caused 'unnecessary distress' and halts campaign
The Australian Taxation Office has paused a letter campaign alerting taxpayers they have historical debts after conceding its communication caused “unnecessary distress”.
While the ATO said it would review its overall approach to the on-hold tax debt scheme, it is not erasing the amounts allegedly owed.
Thousands of Australians were recently advised they have money owing, ranging from a few cents to thousands of dollars, that may be decades old and will be taken from future refunds.
The tax letters caused distress to recipients, who told Guardian Australia the debts were nearly impossible to contest given their historic nature.
The ATO said in a statement on Tuesday evening that it had heard the community concerns.
Taxpayers can check whether they have a debt on hold by calling us. However, we accept that our communication approach caused unnecessary distress – especially for those debts incurred several years ago.
We will review our overall approach to debts on hold before progressing any further.
On-hold tax debts are debts that the ATO is not taking active steps to recover, but will be extracted from future tax refunds or credits.
While some of those debts were paused because they are very small and weren’t previously deemed worth pursuing, some represent significant sums, according to letters viewed by Guardian Australia.
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Albanese to deliver national apology to thalidomide survivors
Anthony Albanese will deliver a national apology today to Australians affected by the thalidomide tragedy. Some of the 146 Australian survivors of the drug and their loved ones will be in Canberra to hear the national apology,
Josh Butler has covered some of their stories, and feelings about the long overdue apology, here
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Good morning
Thank you to Martin for kicking us all off this morning – you have Amy Remeikis with you now as we head into the sitting day.
Happy hump day, or if you prefer, happy half way through this particular existential crisis known as the working week.
It is absolutely pouring with rain in the nation’s capital. Matches the mood.
Ready?
Let’s get into it.
Free TV Australia says free-to-air prominence legislation an ‘important step’
Free TV Australia has welcomed the government’s commitment to ensuring that all Australians can access their local free television services on connected TVs through the introduction of legislation to implement a prominence framework in coming days.
Free TV chief Bridget Fair said viewers were being steered in the direction of services that favour the commercial interests of big tech and TV manufacturers rather than being given access to the full set of free local television services that they want to watch.
The new legislation was an “important step” towards ensuring that people were not being served up incomplete viewing choices based on who has paid the most money to be in the lineup.
She said:
While we are still awaiting full details of the legislation it is clear that there are still a few issues to be resolved with the Government’s proposed model. We look forward to participating in the next stage of discussions around this important issue.
Being able to share in the sporting moments that bring Australians together as a nation is also fundamental to our community. It’s important that the government has reaffirmed that live and free access to key sporting events remains a central part of the Australian way of life. With cost-of-living pressures top of mind for Australians, we cannot allow access to key sporting events to be limited by the subscriptions Australians can afford, their internet access or their data plan.
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Telstra fined over tripled-zero failure
Telstra has paid a $306,360 fine issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) for failing to provide accurate details to the Integrated Public Number Database used to locate and contact people in emergencies when they dial triple-zero.
The company had previously been fined $2.5m for systemic issues with complying with IPND rules, but in 2022, Telstra self-reported to Acma that it had found more issues in the same period, and had failed to provide accurate information on more than 19,000 occasions between October 2010 and August 2022.
Acma chair Nerida O’Loughlin said:
The IPND is essential in a crisis when emergency services or police need to contact or locate people in harm’s way. We will keep Telstra focused on fixing these longstanding issues and giving consumers confidence that their data is being accurately recorded.
A Telstra spokesperson said the company had been working to improve its systems, which is how it reported the issues to Acma.
“People’s privacy and safety is paramount and we’re sorry this happened.”
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Business fury at 'unfair ' IR bill changes
The business lobby is livid over the government accepting a Greens amendment to the IR bill, which they say would “give unions an unprecedented and unfair advantage in bargaining”.
This goes to a Greens push on what’s called “intractable bargaining”, where negotiations on a new industrial agreement have stalled, and the Fair Work Commission has to arbitrate.
Advocates for the change say it would help workers get breakthroughs on the bargaining process – but Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Andrew McKellar says the business community can’t support it, calling it “a sneaky and underhanded move”.
It’s expected the business lobby will strongly campaign against this change.
McKellar said in a statement:
The amendment, which seeks to change a law that only came into effect a matter of months ago, will mean that unions can drag out a bargaining dispute, unilaterally force a matter to be arbitrated by the Fair Work Commission, and because of the change, the employer will be worse off than before.
This change will only incentivise unions to stall and disrupt the bargaining process, further destroying productivity in our workplaces.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling politics coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and these are some of the best overnight and breaking stories to get you started before the main political dishes are served throughout the day by Amy Remeikis.
The battle to stop the spread of vaping is intensifying amid a surge in the number of shops selling the products. Our top story this morning shows that 600 outlets in New South Wales looked to cash in on the highly profitable trade despite tough new federal rules coming in next year. Anti-nicotine campaigners are concerned the surge shows that they believe the industry will succeed in watering down a federal ban on the importation of nicotine and non-nicotine vapes from March next year.
An extensive survey has revealed that the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum would probably have passed if the Coalition had not decided to campaign against it. It comes as the Western Australian senator veteran Pat Dodson announced that he was standing down from political life. Asked what lesson he would take from the voice defeat, Dodson took aim at the partisan nature of Canberra politics that had thwarted his dearly held project of reconciliation and said simply: “You can’t have a treaty with yourself.” Katharine Murphy was there to witness a most dignified departure from a man through whom “history seems to flow”.
Industry groups have lashed out at changes to the government’s workplace laws, describing the changes as rushed. The amendments, which passed the House of Representatives last night, will close labour hire loophole measures and add extra guardrails for the Fair Work Commission on gig worker minimum standards. But the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry say they have been “blindsided” by the 81 changes and that they say will drive up costs for businesses.
More on that coming up, and on a fine imposed on Telstra over problems with a vital database that locates people in emergencies.
