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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Emily Wind and Amy Remeikis (earlier)

MP tells voice debate ‘it’s OK to vote no’ – as it happened

Linda Burney Brendan OConnor Amy Remeikis Anthony Albanese Daniel Hurst Martin Farrer Paul Karp Coalition Essential
Sussan Ley at Parliament House
Sussan Ley claims Anthony Albanese is taking the low road and hurling insults when he is pushed for more detail on the Indigenous voice to parliament. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

What we learned, Tuesday 30 May

That’s where we’ll leave the blog for today – thanks so much for joining us. Here is a wrap of the day’s biggest stories:

  • A gunshot fired into a Macquarie Fields primary school classroom in Sydney midday was “without much weight behind it”, being stopped by a blind after shattering a window. The incident is being investigated and there were no reports of injuries to any students or staff at the school.

  • Demolition work has begun on the century-old Sydney hat factory that was destroyed in a once-in-a-decade blaze, as police speak with a fourth teenage boy over the incident.

  • Senator Mehreen Faruqi has revealed she has “experienced racism in the Greens” as leader Adam Bandt declined to rule out that the party had received complaints about alleged racism beyond one expected from Lidia Thorpe.

  • The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, made a stirring voice plea during a speech in Adelaide, saying all Australians would wake up on referendum morning with “the strongest sense of ourselves”.

  • Meanwhile, the independent senator Jacqui Lambie has threatened to disrupt the Senate “every hour for two weeks straight” unless the government releases more information about the potential stripping of medals from former commanders of Australian special forces in Afghanistan.

  • Promised pay rises for NSW frontline workers will be funded by a two-year freeze on the wages of state politicians and public service senior executives.

  • In continuing PwC news, Defence officials revealed that Defence currently has 54 current contracts with PwC with a total contact value of about $223m.

Updated

No tax lost due to PwC breach: ATO

The Australian Taxation Officer commissioner, Chris Jordan, has just given an opening statement about how it became aware of PwC’s alleged breach of confidentiality.

Jordan said the ATO became aware in 2016 of a “handful of multinationals suspiciously and quickly seeking to restructure” in response to a new multinational tax avoidance law.

Jordan said the ATO commenced a number of reviews and audits. It was hampered by inappropriate claims of legal professional privilege. The ATO was concerned by “artificial schemes marketed by PwC” and discovered a matter of “significant concern” in the Collins matter, a potential breach of confidentiality, he said.

Jordan said the ATO lacks “criminal investigative powers” so was not able to investigate further because the breach of confidentiality was “not a tax offence”. It referred information to the Australian Federal Police in 2018 and 2019, and formally referred it to the Tax Practitioners Board in July 2020.

Jordan reassured the community “we got on top of this early ... we stopped any tax loss from this egregious behaviour”.

Jeremy Hirschhorn, the second commissioner, said this was because the two or three companies which had restructured reversed those actions, and other companies proposing to decided against it.

Sussan Ley: ‘it’s OK to vote no’ in voice referendum

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley has told parliament “it’s OK to vote no” in the Indigenous voice referendum, saying “millions” of people will vote against the constitutional change.

In a speech on the referendum, expected to be one of the last before the lower house votes on the bill, Ley branded the PM, Anthony Albanese, “the self-proclaimed ‘moral arbiter’ of Australia’s national conscience, not as a leader seeking consensus”.

She claimed:

Again, and again when given the opportunity to provide the detail, the prime minister takes the low road and hurls insults instead.

Ley called on the government to pull back on its plan for the referendum and instead legislate the voice while changing the referendum question to one of simple constitutional recognition for Australia’s Indigenous people. The government has committed to enshrining the voice as a form of constitutional recognition, pointing to the long-held rejection of simple rejection by Indigenous-led processes.

But Ley accused Albanese of “moral blackmail” on the referendum. She said:

It’s OK to vote no and still remain part of the national effort to help your Indigenous brothers and sisters, as you look on with anguish at what is happening in their communities. It’s OK to vote no and still demand better action from all politicians when it comes to closing the gap.

It’s OK to vote no, full stop. And it’s OK to vote yes, too.

The debate on the bill is likely to come to an end tonight, before votes on the bill tomorrow. It will then go to the Senate, which sits in two weeks’ time (this week being another round of estimates hearings).

Updated

Gunshot fired into Macquarie Fields primary school was ‘without much weight behind it’

Police have just finished speaking to the media about a shot being fired into the window of a Macquarie Fields public school around midday today.

The officer said a bullet was fired into the classroom of a Year 1 and 2 class but it was stopped by the blind.

They just heard a window smash in their classroom.

It was a totally reckless act by somebody who is acting in a way with a firearm that is very dangerous to the community.

[The students have] heard a windows smash, the bullet has come into the classroom, but it’s been stopped by the blind. So it hasn’t come into the classroom with any speed or velocity. It’s just enough to smash the window.

The officer said it was “a bullet without much weight behind it”.

Size doesn’t matter, it’s about the force behind it, so it hasn’t had that much force behind it.

… we believe it could come from a distance but it could have hit something … so we can’t say exactly what happened until the … team had finished [investigating].

There were no reports of injuries to any students or staff at the school following the shot, and the school was not placed into lockdown.

Updated

Campbell says he encouraged deputy PM to seek independent views on command accountability for military in Afghanistan

Angus Campbell also told the hearing it was open to the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, to seek additional advice from a third party about the issue of command accountability in Afghanistan.

The chief of the Australian defence force told the Greens senator, David Shoebridge:

Senator, I can assure you, although I appreciate that you would wish an independent assurance, that this has been done in meticulous consistency. And the deputy prime minister – I have encouraged that he seek independent views.

Updated

General Angus Campbell outlines how he avoided conflict of interest in reviewing own performance as a commander

The chief of the Australian defence force, Gen Angus Campbell, says he considered appointing one of his predecessors to review his own performance as a commander in Afghanistan, but “didn’t want to give them that pain”.

Campbell has provided more details about the review into command accountability, in response to questions from the Greens senator David Shoebridge in a Senate estimates committee hearing this evening.

Readers will recall that earlier today Campbell said his own performance was included in a review into command accountability in Afghanistan. He had said the focus was on “a small number of persons who held command appointments during particular periods of operational service in Afghanistan” and that the matter was now being considered by the defence minister, Richard Marles.

During this evening’s hearing, Campbell confirmed that he was the one who undertook the review. Asked by Shoebridge how he had dealt with that “conflict of interest”, Campbell said there was a three-step process. Marles would consider the issue next and then ultimately it would be for the governor general to sign off any any recommended action.

Campbell said Marles had “access to all of my considerations” and had the power to act if he “were to regard my considerations inadequate, inconsistent or self interested”. Campbell said he did not feel he could appoint someone else from within the ADF to review his command accountability, because that idea “suffers from the reality that they are all under my command”. Campbell added:

I did consider whether I might refer myself to some of my predecessors. But quite frankly, with the level of emotion and unintentional and also intentional disinformation about this issue, I quite frankly, didn’t want to give them that pain.

Updated

MP Rick Wilson will dissent from Liberal party on voice issue

Liberal MP Rick Wilson has revealed himself as one of the “authorised dissenters” who will vote against the constitutional alteration bill, due to a legislative quirk which would have otherwise barred the Liberal Party from contributing to the official information pamphlet for the referendum.

As we brought you earlier, the Liberals have have picked a group of MPs who will vote against the bill – even as the party itself backs the bill in principle. This, as we’ve reported before, comes down to a legal quirk where only those MPs who vote against the alteration bill can have input into the referendum pamphlet sent to all homes.

So because the Liberals will let the referendum occur, even though they oppose the referendum, they wouldn’t be able to help write the pamphlet – unless some MPs oppose the bill. So the Liberal whips oversaw a process to choose some MPs to vote No.

The Liberal whips’ office hasn’t responded to our requests for more info, but Wilson – MP for the West Australian seat of O’Connor - just told the parliament he would be voting no on the bill to allow the referendum.

He said he was “very much looking forward” to contributing to the pamphlet, but stressed he wasn’t voting no because he didn’t want the referendum to be held - he was just voting no in order to help write the pamphlet.

The deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, is due to make a speech of her own shortly.

Updated

Reports of earth tremor near Melbourne

There are reports of an earth tremor around the Ferntree Gully area this evening:

Qantas calls for eco-friendly fuel rules in Australia

Qantas has called on the federal government to mandate sustainable aviation fuel, arguing all Australian airlines should be forced to cut pollution from air travel, AAP reports.

The call came as the national carrier revealed it had created a $400 million “climate fund” to invest in biofuel projects with Airbus, and for further research in the field.

The announcement, made during the airline’s investment event on Tuesday, also follows the Queensland government declaring it would work with Qantas to create an eco-friendly fuel refinery in the state.

Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is considered a major pathway to cutting emissions within the aviation industry, which has pledged to reach net zero by 2050.

Qantas will use $290m from its $400m climate fund to invest in domestic fuel production with Airbus, including the biofuel refinery project in Queensland, while the remaining $110m goes towards other projects and research in the field.

Updated

Shot fired into window of Sydney public school

Police are expected to front the media within the hour following a report of a shot being fired into the window of a Macquarie Fields public school today.

Around 12.45pm, officers were called to the Sydney public school after receiving a report that a classroom window had been broken by a metal projectile.

A crime scene was established and an investigation was commenced.

There were no reports of injuries to any students or staff at the school, and the school was not placed into lockdown.

Investigations have revealed that the object is a small calibre bullet, which has been seized and will be forensically examined by specialist police.

Updated

To catch up on the day’s biggest headlines so far, my colleague Antoun Issa has you covered:

Liberal MP, Keith Wolahan, is asked about pamphlets on the voice to parliament debate.

Afternoon Briefing host Greg Jennett asks:

Do you understand that Liberal colleagues in both chambers will vote no in order to get themselves impaneled on that no pamphlet campaign exercise?

Wolahan:

… I’m not sure who they all are, but the few that I’ve spoken to who will [vote no], it’s out of conviction. They have a strongly held view and they’d like to have a stay in what the wording is in the pamphlet… We want that pamphlet to be as clear as it can be for both sides because it will go in every letter box before the referendum.

Updated

Independent MP targets ‘eating disorder’ online content

People would be able to report social media content perceived to be fuelling eating disorders under proposed new powers, AAP reports.

Independent federal MP Zoe Daniel will introduce legislation to allow the e-safety commissioner to pull down such social media posts.

Under the proposal, a new complaints mechanism would be established so people could raise specific cases of content and issues with the commissioner.

Daniel said she had spoken with Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, which was open to new steps:

It’s very productive to be having this public conversation – we get to decide as a society, as a community, what is harmful content and where we want those lines to be drawn.

There’s also the involvement of the platforms themselves and the self-regulation where they actually get involved in making those nuanced decisions.

Zoe Daniel in parliament
Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

• For information and support in Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

Updated

Updated

Further to Greens senator Dorinda Cox’s earlier comments on her experience with racism, she told the ABC she has toyed with the idea of lodging formal complaints on numerous occasions in the past:

The toll and the emotional burden that it takes to have these conversations is absolutely exhausting for us as First Nations people and people of colour in this country.

The toll that it takes on you has immense amounts of physiological but also psychological impact and I do not want to downplay that all.

This is an avenue that is open, and should be open, to every person in the country as a matter of recourse to talk about institutionalised racism and what their experience have been.

She stressed the importance of creating safe spaces for First Nations people to be able to speak about their experiences and tell their stories:

I think that is the whole drive behind me entering into politics, it was the reason that I put my hand up to be a Greens senator in the first place… We are an anti-racist party…

Updated

Many thanks to Amy for taking us through the day. I’ll be with you for the remainder of the evening, let’s get into it.

Emily Wind is going to take you through the rest of the evening. I will be back early tomorrow morning ahead of the next house sitting, where estimates continues.

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent in Reader’s QT questions – we will start chasing those answers for you.

Until then, please take care of you.

Updated

Greens senator Dorinda Cox is speaking to the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing and is asked about her experience with racism;.

Cox says:

I have experienced racism on a daily basis and you only have to look at my social media pages and the height of what we now know to be the national conversation happening around The Voice to Parliament and the heightened rate in which I have experienced some of those racist remarks that have been targeted directly towards me.

As a Greens senator but also as a First Nations woman and being a first Nations senator particularly, here from WA, as the first Aboriginal woman from WA to federal senate, that obviously, comes with lots of challenges around representation and identity and making workplaces in particular, safe across the country.

And I think this is the job not just of political parties but also the responsibility of all of us as Australians to ensure that we are making it safe for everybody and not to experience institutionalised racism. And when I think about my career and the examples that I have particularly, in advocating this for families and communities who have had a lack of response, these goes to the heart of getting responses that are entangled within institutionalised racism and we have to look at those and we have to look at understanding the core or the root cause of those problems to dismantle the structures and the systems that exist.

And it goes right down to legislation and policy in order to make sure that we understand the impact and if we are to achieve outcomes such as Closing The Gap or the work that I am currently doing within the missing and murdered First Nations and women and children’s inquiry that is really important issue that we know it stemmed from institutionalised racism is I think it is an important conversation that we can have and it is one that I am particularly, passionate about.

The more things change…

Greens urge government to build housing

On housing, Max Chandler-Mather says the data showing new dwelling approvals fell 8.1% in April and 24.1% from the previous year demonstrates why the government needs to get a wriggle on with clearing the way to build more public and affordable housing:

With private housing construction plummeting, now is the perfect time for the government to take up the slack in the construction industry by investing billions of extra dollars each year in building public and affordable housing.

Rather than gambling $10bn on the stock and only spending some of the returns in a few years’ time, Labor should do what governments used to and invest billions of dollars now directly building public and affordable housing.

Australia has the construction capacity to build 110,000 public and affordable homes over the next five years, it can afford the $5bn a year it would cost, all we need is the political will from the federal Labor government.

With people sleeping in cars and tents because they can’t find an affordable home, and construction industry jobs at risk as private approvals collapse, it’s a no-brainer for the government to step in and invest billions of dollars now and build the public and affordable housing Australia so desperately needs.

Max Chandler-Mather
Greens member for Griffith, Max Chandler-Mather. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Poll respondents agree on need for sweeping changes in housing

Minor parties on the left and right are taking heart from Guardian’s Essential Poll which found majority support for a range of drastic policies to tackle the housing crisis.

The Greens housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather, noted at a press conference earlier today there is 60% support for a rental freeze.

In a statement One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, boasted about 59% support for capping migration to reduce demand for housing. Like the Coalition, One Nation also wants to allow use of super for housing.

Hanson said:

The housing and rental crisis is simple economics: too little supply and too high demand. Our policy increases supply and reduces demand. It makes sense, and it’s apparent the voters agree.”

I’m sure that more housing can be built without bringing migration into it, but that is not where Peter Dutton and Hanson want the debate going.

Updated

I think about historians and what they will be asked to save about this period in politics to ensure future generations get a rounded view of the nation and then I think that media alerts like this will probably be among what is saved;

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will be interviewed by Ricki-Lee, Tim and Joel on Nova 96.9FM.

Updated

PNG delays security treaty with Australia

Reuters reports that Papua New Guinea is delaying its proposed security treaty with Australia as it consults “domestic processes”, a week after signing a defence agreement with the US that sparked student protests:

Papua New Guinea is being courted by China and the US amid rising tensions between the two major powers.

Washington and its allies are concerned at Beijing’s security ambitions in the strategically located Pacific Islands region, after Beijing struck a security pact with Solomon Islands.

PNG prime minister, James Marape, met with Australia’s defence minister, Richard Marles, on Monday on the sidelines of the Korea-Pacific Islands Summit in Seoul and discussed the “proposed bilateral security treaty”, Marape’s office said in a statement on Tuesday.

It is a work in progress and requires the PNG side to consult our domestic processes and sovereign laws in relation to certain wordings and provisions,” the statement said.

Marape had “conveyed his apologies to prime minister Anthony Albanese for the delay in formalising this proposed Treaty with Australia”, it added.

James Marape.
Papua New Guinea's prime minister, James Marape. Photograph: Roan Paul/Government of Papua New Guinea/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Qantas app to include baggage tracking

The airline is overhauling its smartphone app to give passengers the ability to track their baggage at the end of this year.

The app will also better integrate the Qantas loyalty points program, communicate during disruptions and offer enhancements like fast check-in and more control over bookings, the company says.

The airline announced the plan at its first investor strategy day since the pandemic, which focused on customer experience. After mishandled baggage rates soared last year as airlines returned to pre-Covid levels of operation, it believes the new feature will be welcome.

Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce said:

This is a structurally different business than it was before Covid, operating in markets that have also changed.

New technology is central to our plan ... We’ll be able to serve our customers better, reduce our cost base through lower running costs and carve out some new competitive advantages.

The Qantas announcement comes after Virgin became the first Australian airline to offer baggage tracking earlier this month. Passengers track their luggage through a smartphone app, which sends a push notification when their luggage has been received post check-in, as well as when it arrives at their destination.

Virgin will expand the service to all flights between Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and the Gold Coast by the middle of the year.

Updated

ADF chief pressed by Jacqui Lambie during Senate estimates

The chief of the Australian Defence Force, Gen Angus Campbell, has told a Senate committee hearing that his own performance as a commander during the time the ADF was deployed in Afghanistan was considered as part of a recent review.

Campbell, facing continued questioning from the Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, declined to tell the committee precisely how many commanders faced the potential removal of honours or awards as a result of a recent review of command accountability stemming from the Brereton inquiry.

During the committee hearing, Campbell told Lambie it was “a small number of persons who held command appointments during particular periods of operational service in Afghanistan”.

I know that not only yourself but a range of other interested parties and the media are circling around this issue like great whites in a feeding frenzy and I would wish to decline to tell you the number so as to mitigate the enthusiasm with which these people are, quite frankly, hunted down by particularly the media looking for spectacle.

Campbell made clear that the current process related to the accountability of a leader for the performance of those under their command - and was an administrative issue that should not be “conflated” with criminal allegations.

Lambie asked him “where is your command accountability” for the time he was commander of Joint Task Force 633 (January 2011 to January 2012).

Campbell said the approach was to review all rank levels and all time periods of service and then offer recommendations to the defence minister, Richard Marles. Campbell told the committee he was not afforded any “special circumstances” in that process:

As a member of all of the commanders who were in Afghanistan at different times and in different circumstances, I was included in that review.

Angus Campbell during Senate Estimates
Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Gen Angus Campbell during Senate estimates today. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Guardian Australia has sought further details and comment from Marles and Defence.

Updated

Labor MP Daniel Mulino is raising an issue of privilege in relation to Australian Financial Review stories about a briefing the RBA governor Philip Lowe gave to the house standing committee on economics about interest rate movements.

Mulino said the apparent unauthorised disclosure was of “grave concern” to him, and this may be a breach of privileges. He said the economics committee would investigate then report back to the house.

So there’s no push to the privileges committee yet, but that’s a warning shot that Mulino and Labor think someone has leaked from the economics committee.

Updated

Question time ends

But it lives on in our existential crises.

Milton Dick says he will be lighting the parliament facade for Reconciliation Week and then Paul Fletcher asks for direction on how questions could be tighter because “we’ve been asking very tight questions and the prime minister is giving all kinds of discursive responses but not being brought back to the question”.

Tony Burke gives the parliamentary version of “cry about it”, pointing out that the end of question time isn’t the time to raise it.

Dick says he’ll look at it and get back to Fletcher.

And we are finally freed.

Updated

Darren Chester is still on the “Anthony Albanese misled parliament” train and it seems like everyone is fed up at this point.

Chester:

Will the hardwood timber [industry] receive direct support from your government?

Albanese:

This is a dry gully they are stuck in. Having come here and asked a question suggesting there is a misleading of parliament last Thursday, they are now asking us will intervene over decisions that as we said early on, were decisions of the Victorian government. Not a decision by us.

Peter Dutton (Albanese has been on his feet for 30 seconds)

Thank you very much. This was a very tight question. Given your recent and previous rulings. There is no wiggle room or the ability for the Prime Minister to have this outrage, he needs to answer the questions because it goes to his conduct in the chamber.

Tony Burke:

To the point of order, I am not sure how it goes to what the leader of the opposition just said because that was not in the question. What was in the question was a question about how money will be expanded on how the National be construction fund will be used. That is where it went.

Milton Dick gets Albanese to continue:

I refer the member to my answer of last Thursday that was accurate in every aspect. Included in that, I quote from last Thursday’s answer. The Victorian government has a $200m structural adjustment package in its budget. That is what I said last Thursday, that is the case today. What I have spoken about as well is our policy to provide support for the forestry sector through the National Reconstruction fund. Something those opposite seem completely oblivious to. They come in here and voted against it. They voted against it and then they say it is not broad enough.

Dutton tries again with another point of order, but Dick says no.

Albanese:

Thanks Mr Speaker. He is very angry, Mr Speaker. Cannot help himself.

Updated

Julie Collins takes a dixer on the housing fund which shows that the negotiations on the housing fund have not found common ground as yet.

Julie Collins
Julie Collins during Question Time. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Anthony Albanese accused by Nationals of ‘misleading’ timber workers

Darren Chester is back and crankier than ever!

My question is to the prime minister. I refer to the prime minister’s previous answer when he continues to mislead hardwood timber workers and their families. And suggests they will share in the national reconstruction fund. Prime minister, that is not true, is it?

Darren Chester speaks during Question Time last week.
Nationals member for Gippsland, Darren Chester speaks during Question Time last week. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Anthony Albanese

You don’t get to verbal someone – this is the hansard for the House of Representatives Hansard from last Thursday.

This is what I said. ‘That is why we become what government are investing $300m to grow plantations, modernise our timber manufacturing infrastructure and build the skills of our forestry workforce.” Tick.

‘I note through the national reconstruction fund we specifically set aside funding to support the forestry industry. Tick.

‘But the Member for Gippsland voted against it and everybody had voted against it as well’.

That is what I said. Last Thursday. And the member came to this dispatch box and pretended I said something else. Pretended I said something else. That is the Hansard from last Thursday. I stand by those comments. I stand by the national reconstruction fund. I stand by the $15bn for manufacturing. I stand by the $3bn for renewables and low emissions technology. I stand by the $1.5bn for medical manufacturing. I stand by the billion dollars evaluating resources...

Chester tries to raise a point of order on relevance but Milton Dick has HAD ENOUGH and there is no point of order.

Albanese says more words but they are just a jumble of the words he said before.

Updated

Greens senator David Shoebridge has written to state and federal attorneys general urging them to act on legal tactics being used to deny child abuse survivors the opportunity for justice.

Guardian Australia has revealed, through 12 months of reporting and a major investigation published two months ago, that the Catholic church and other institutions are now routinely using the deaths of perpetrators to argue that survivors’ civil claims should be permanently stayed. Where granted, a permanent stay shuts down a case and shields the institution before it reaches trial.

Shoebridge said he had written to the state and federal attorneys general urging them to reform the law that allows the tactic to be used, following an episode on the same subject by Four Corners on Monday night.

The high court is set to decide upon the Catholic church’s use of a stay in one abuse case, that involving a woman known only as GLJ, in coming months.

But many lawyers say reform will be needed regardless of what the high court decides.

Shoebridge said:

I’ve worked with survivors of child sexual abuse for more than 10 years and I’m still shocked by the brutal tactics of the institutions that failed to protect them then, and will do anything to avoid paying them compensation now.

Institutions destroyed their own records, or deliberately refused to keep them, and this fact should never deny the children abused their right to go to court.

The work of implementing the findings of the royal commission will never be done if organisations are allowed to use permanent stays to dent survivors fair compensation.

The child abuse royal commission recommended institutions retain the ability to use stay applications in abuse cases, though critics say it could not have contemplated that they would be used in this fashion. Plaintiff lawyers also argue the way stays are being used conflicts with the intent of separate reforms designed to remove delay as a barrier to justice.

Updated

Independent Fowler MP Dai Le wants to know about council funding and asks Anthony Albanese:

What will the federal government do to ensure funding will be allocated properly to prioritise disadvantaged communities?


Albanese:

…The Member for Fowler is absolutely right to say that I am a supporter of local government.

That is why just in the coming month, there will be every meeting of the Australian Council of Local Government where every single mayor and shire president will be meeting with the federal government including all of my ministers to make sure you get that direct engagement of all.

I am a firm believer in need-based funding for local government and the grants commission make assessments based upon equity issues.

I’m very conscious …an area such as Liverpool Council is a disadvantaged area. Therefore [it] should receive more support than some other areas that are in a stronger position to raise revenues themselves in their local communities.

I am also aware in my view and this is something I have put for a long period of time, funding for local community infrastructure is best delivered through local government.

Updated

Paul Fletcher has a question for Anthony Albanese:

I refer to his answer last Thursday when he told the house that the national reconstruction fund is an example of how is government supports timber workers. Given the government did a deal to specifically exclude the native hardwood timber industry from accessing the fund, did the prime minister mislead parliament?

Anthony Albanese:

I am pleased to get that question. They voted against the national reconstruction fund. They voted against it. And in that, in the member’s question he just asked, are we supporting timber workers, you bet we are. You bet we are.

And that is why we have, as part of the national reconstruction fund, $500 million for evaluating and in agriculture, fisheries, forestry food and fibre. That is why we have that. That is why we have that.

The Victorian government have made a decision, they have made a decision to end native forest logging and that is a decision for them.

What we are doing is making sure that we provide an avenue for increased investment, increased investment in forestry through the national reconstruction fund. That is very important because the member may be unaware that around 90% of our forest product now comes from plantation timber. We want to see more plantation forest and we want to see more jobs. We are investing $300m to grow plantations and modernised timber manufacturing and infrastructure.

A bunch of interjections happen, Darren Chester is warned and then Fletcher has a point of order on relevance, which is not relevant.

Albanese:

According to those opposite there are no timber workers in the sustainable forestry industry. That would be news to the suppliers at Visy and the workers in Tumbarumba, all those who work in the industry.

We on this side of the chamber brought forward a fund, a fund of $15bn and those opposite, of course, voted against it. But they vote against everything.

They do not like being called the “No-alition” so I won’t do that but they vote no to everything including the national reconstruction fund.

Fin.

Updated

Angus Taylor
Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor during Question Time in March. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Angus Taylor gets a warning that he will be booted under 94A and lose the chance to lead the matter of public importance which is just after this session, so Taylor zips it.

We move on to a dixer for Tanya Plibersek and Milton Dick has to call for quiet again because there are so many groans from the opposition.

Dick:

When questions are being asked to ministers, I have been through this many times. It is not a time to groan, to give comments. It is to be in silence so I can hear the question. For some reason when certain ministers are asked, there is always an audible groan.

It is not going to continue. Otherwise I will take action.

This happened with Clare O’Neil and Anika Wells as well. What. Could. The. Common. Thread. Be *thinking face emoji*

Labor MPs Marion Scrymgour and Ged Kearney seem to note the same thing – that when female ministers are asked questions, there are groans.

Updated

The Liberal MP for Flinders Zoe McKenzie asks:

Under the government price increase announced last week, the average Victorian will pay a further 25% more on energy or $532 more for residential customer. Why are the prime minister’s broken promises making things so much worse for middle Australia?

Chris Bowen takes this one.

There is quite a bit of old ground covered – the Coalition didn’t vote for the market intervention and then get to Angus Taylor hiding power price increases until after the 2022 election

Why did he do that? I think the other is obvious because he was embarrassed because he was ashamed. Now he says, “It is not my fault. He signed the regulation. There are two signatures.

Peter Dutton then pushes Milton Dick:

It is on relevance. Australians are hurting at the moment and this minister is trying to tell them the power bills are going down when they know they are going up and up and up.

Dick warns Dutton he is running out of leeway.

Bowen finishes with:

The DMO [default market offer] last week was issued in accordance with the law. Not the law that was changed by the side of the house but the law that was signed by the previous minister only two signatures.

His own and governor general. We don’t blame the governor general because we blame the previous minister.

That is the fact.

They … were not honest with the Australian people, we have been clear with the Australian people that energy prices are under pressure around the world for around the world are intervening including this government and we are intervening against the wishes of those opposite.

Updated

Back to QT and the Nationals Darren Chester asks Anthony Albanese:

I refer to an answer in Question Time last Thursday when he said and I quote, “Through the National Reconstruction fund, we specifically set aside funding to support the forestry industry.” Prime Minister, how does the National Reconstruction fund support timber workers and their families and the native hardwood timber industry?

(Now, the Coalition voted against the national reconstruction fund. But much like the temporary energy caps, which the Coalition also voted against, it says no and then it moans. Labor had, what our political editor Katherine Murphy used to call ‘bitch and fold’ – where the then Labor opposition would talk about all the issues with a piece of legislation (national security, stage three tax cuts etc) and then vote for it. The Coalition is saying no to legislation more often than not, but then moans about the legislation not going far enough.)

Industry minister Ed Husic takes this one.

We want to see manufacturing jobs growth. Particularly in our region. It is why in the Reconstruction fund, which we are very happy to get a question on, would be great to get your support for, we wanted in particular to support a value in resources and in agriculture in particular. And within agriculture, we targeted forestry products. We did want to provide for value in those products.

Chester has a point of order that is not a point of order and Husic continues:

It is a bit rich for them to suddenly come here and asked what the reconstruction fund will be able to do for regional communities and they never ever backed the fund. Never prepared to back manufacturing and were not prepared to engage in this.

We will be able either from a variety of different sources, either native hardwood or through the plantation, if there are products where we want to be able to value, and those products here on short, we want support that. It would have been nice to get their support, instead they want to be able to do what they always do, say no, do nothing and criticise at the end.

To this, Peter Dutton says: ‘sounds like a noodle nation arrangement’

Dan Dan noodles?

Updated

There are about nine ongoing investigations into fraud within the department of social services, senate estimates has been told, but the details are scarce. Fraud’s been a terrible problem within the national disability insurance scheme.

Officials took questions about the details on notice.

On a lighter note, Liberal senator Anne Ruston started quoting the Australian Council of Social Service chief, Cassandra Goldie, talking about the increase to the rate of JobSeeker and the prospect of more than a million still living in poverty. “God forbid,” she said of her venture into progressive politics.

Labor senator Don Farrell said it was “no surprise” when he was quizzed on the same topic by Greens senator Janet Rice.

It is a bit of a surprise the Coalition would ask me these questions .. after your nine years of neglect,” he said.

Cue a sigh from Ruston that sounded like it came with an eyeroll.

Anthony Albanese continues:

Mr Speaker, this is the paradox of the shadow treasurer.

He’s lightweight, but dense.

The fact is, the fact is that when you look at Australia’s performance, he asked about inflation, well, he should know. Because the CPI jumped 21% in the March 2020 two quarters. On his watch. The largest quarterly raise this century. This century. The notable price rises in the quarter included automotive fuel, 11%, beef, 7.6, vegetable 6.6, fruit, 4.9 and nondurable grocery product 6.7. That is what occurred.

Paul Karp hears Angus Taylor say: “when are you going to take responsibility” before he gets up to ask about relevance because wHeN iS tHE pRImE mINister gOinG tO TaKe reSPonsIbiLitY?

Milton Dick says the prime minister COULD NOT BE MORE RELEVANT and Albanese gets to continue:

In the 12 months to March quarter 2023 the shadow treasurer likes to talk about the G7 and things we are a member [we are not]

But when you have a look at what the G7 countries and you compare us with them, the fact is I am asked about food and at the G7 countries, this is where there. Canada, 10.5. France, 15.6. Germany, 20. Italy, 13, UK, 18.1. The United States, 9.9.

Every single one of those countries has higher, higher food inflation. You cannot be more specific than this.

In Australia, in every single one, Australia’s performance has been better and I note that at the National Press Club, the shadow treasurer was asked why was inflation something that was out of the Coalition ‘s control that is now, as you say, able to be controlled by labour men, especially given the war in Ukraine is still going. What was his answer?

That said it all. Well, the key to answering that question is that we are not in government, Labor is now.

That says it all about this lightweight shadow treasurer.

Updated

Angus Taylor has a question for Anthony Albanese and Labor can’t even be bothered with keeping its running joke of groaning, because it is not to the treasurer.

Taylor:

My question is to the prime minister. UBS Data shows that in the last month alone the price of Vegemite has increased by 8%, peanut butter by 9%, yoghurt has increased by 12%. Having promised to take responsibility, will the prime minister apologise to Australians for failing take pressure off inflation, leading Australians to pay more at the checkout?

Milton Dick asks him to repeat it because there is so much heckling on both sides he couldn’t hear the question.

Taylor does so. Happily.

Albanese:

I thank the Shadow Treasurer for the question. He seems incapable of asking a question of the Treasurer and of course, of course they spent their budget estimates last week asking the big questions about what T-shirts people were wearing and….

(I am sure the people at home are just absolutely riveted)

Updated

Paul Karp hears Coalition groans after Clare O’Neil blamed the previous government for the immigration mess. There is forced laughter from Michael Sukkar.

Tony Pasin says “don’t worry they’ll fix it with fundraising dinners”.

Jason Wood is also grumbling.

Updated

Clare O’Neil:

Can I genuinely thank the member for Mackellar for this question? She is right there are some absolutely terrible things that we inherited in the immigration system and there is a large volume of work occurring on this matter at the moment.

If I could give the parliament a little context, we arrived in government one year ago to find the immigration system in an absolute mess.

We had 1 million unprocessed visas in the system, we had an explosion of low-wage temp remote migration that we saw under the member of the opposition when he was running the portfolio, and as the member points out, we had clear evidence that the system was being used to facilitate terrible crimes, terrible crimes that I don’t think anyone in this parliament would defend.

The worst of those were instances of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the broken migration system was at the heart of those crimes being committed. Right under the nose of the leader of opposition who sits opposite me.

There is an enormous amount of work under way to address these concerns and it was not just the Nixon review all they will speak to that in a second.

We asked Australian Border Force to stand up a new task force to address some of these issues, operation Inglenook, and that has been enormously successful.

They have done somewhere just over 50 major disruptions of incidents where they believe that some of these issues are present in Australia at the moment. They have stopped people at the border and cancelled visas, they have dealt with a number of very shoddy migration agents so there has been very good practical action.

Of course, the system itself has facilitated this and that is why I ask Christine Nixon, the toughest cop that works in Victoria to look at this review.

I would like to acknowledge her work. It has very much been of assistance to the government and you can hear how we’re going to address these issues.

The government is considering the review at the moment and we will release the review and government’s response that review shortly. I am very happy to speak to the member in private, before the review was released, and afterwards to talk to her about some of these very important issues facing Australia.

Updated

Independent MP for Mackellar, Dr Sophie Scamps asks:

Last year, Victoria Police commissioner Christine Nixon was commissioned to investigate Australia’s migration system. In your own words, the system is currently being used to facilitate some of the worst crimes that can be conducted such as human trafficking and sex slavery. It was promised this report will be made public before the last budget. My question is why hasn’t the report released publicly yet and when will it be released?

Which coincidentally, is a question a reader had asked us to ask as part of Guardian reader’s QT. So we can get this answer a little earlier. (It’s almost as if the crossbench ask questions people want answers to!)

Updated

Jim Chalmers has a cold

Chalmers with a cold is Excel without blocks, Treasury without tea—only worse.

For the common cold robs Chalmers of that uninsurable jewel… OK, it is not that serious. But he is certainly missing some zsa zsa zu.

And also, we should be at home when we have colds.

Soldiering on is very pre-2020.

Updated

It has not taken long for the first QT of the week to descend into ridiculousness

Sussan Ley:

My question is to the prime minister. On 97 occasions before the last election, the prime minister promised to reduce every Australian power bill by $275. But the government’s own budget papers say power prices will rise by 10% and last week, the energy regulator said on 1 July prices were wise by as much as 25%. Prime minister, how on earth can power prices rise by 25% but fall by $275.

(screams into the abyss)

You already know what Anthony Albanese says:

I note the member voted against energy price bill relief. Voted against it. In this chamber. In this chamber. I note also if you compare what we have predicted to be the price rises in the October budget and compare it with our budget papers, you will see our action in putting price caps call on gas, energy has made a substantial difference.

That is what the experts will say.

I am asked about cheaper energy and I have seen a proposal for cheaper energy. I can inform the house I have seen a proposal for free electricity. Free. Because the Member for New England had to say this about nuclear power. How about we do this?

Because the Member for Hinkler came in. And he said this. In my view, and as they go to a community that supports it. Because we know the big problem is they had this policy and under the Leader of the Opposition has problems with costings policy but there is a costing here.

Ley goes to interject with a point of order that is not a point of order and we all lose some more precious minutes from our lives.

Updated

Question time begins

We are straight into it with Peter Dutton asking about…power prices!

Thank you very much because my question is to the prime minister. Yesterday afternoon I visited a manufacturer in the Yarra Valley that have seen their energy bill skyrocket by $200,000 since Labor came to office.

This is why Australians are paying more at the checkout. Given none of the energy bill relief and has not gone to a single small business or family, why is Labor ignoring the suffering caused of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis?

I think you know what the answer is.

Anthony Albanese:

It is indeed the one-year anniversary of the member for Hume’s [Angus Taylor] decision to hide price rises. You actively hid high prices, we acted to shield families from them. And you voted against it. You voted against it. You voted against shielding families.

And so on, and so on…

Updated

Ok, we are in the chamber for question time

It is 90-second statement time, when MPs get to partake in the airing of the grievances, as well as try out their amateur stand up routine.

It is as painful as it sounds.

Paul Fletcher is up and talking about…power prices.

It is going to be a long question time.

Updated

Victorian opposition leader distances himself from McArthur comments

State Coalition leader, John Pesutto, says he doesn’t agree with comments made by his upper house MP, Bev McArthur, and will speak to her about her statement.

ICYMI - McArthur, an upper house MP representing western Victoria who opposes the Indigenous voice to parliament, said Indigenous people should be grateful for the “wonderful things that have been enabled via colonisation” such as hospitals, running water and electricity.

Bev McArthur speaks in the Legislative Council
Victorian Liberal party upper house MP Bev McArthur speaks in the Legislative Council. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Asked if he thought these comments were appropriate, Pesutto said:

I don’t know what’s driving at, the way she said that, I do not accept that as a statement, I think is hurtful to Indigenous Victorians and Indigenous Australians … I think it’s incumbent on everyone to engage in debates about Indigenous Australians and the great contribution our First Nations people have made it our country in a very respectful way. There are ways to conduct this debate without causing hurt or offence.


Under questioning, Pesutto said he was yet to speak to McArthur but would do so.

Updated

Hecs/Help indexing negating wage increases due to indexation

You are always told that Hecs/Help is an interest free loan. But governments never want to talk about how it is indexed. And that raising it to inflation when inflation is high can add years to how long it takes you to pay off.

And when your pay packet is being docked in extra tax to meet that bill, it matters, because your wage is going backwards. Any payrise is usually negated by the increased tax you are paying. Which influences what decisions you make about whether or not you can afford to buy a home, start a family – even where you live.

So yes, it matters.

Updated

Victorian Coalition ‘can’t claim to be fiscally responsible’ if repealing property investor and business levies

Asked why the opposition won’t commit to repealing the levies on business and property investors if elected, Brad Rowswell says they can’t afford to:

If we were in a financial position to do that, we absolutely would. But we can’t claim to be fiscally responsible while also not knowing the circumstances that we will face in three years’ time. That schools tax is opening up a new front. It’s crossing a precipice that we are not prepared to cross.

Updated

Pesutto confirms opposition will vote against new taxes in Victorian budget

The Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, has confirmed the Coalition will vote against new taxes in the state budget.

Speaking in his party room on Tuesday, he said the opposition has also committed to repealing the introduction of the payroll tax for private schools if they are elected in 2026.

Pesutto says:

We don’t believe Victorians who work hard and send their kids to independent schools should be punished for the financial incompetence of the Andrews government …

The reason we have singled out, at this stage, the schools tax as a tax we committed to repealing in government after 2026, is that for a long time and historically we’ve always left independent schools untouched by payroll tax because we don’t think it’s fair, and generations before us have never considered it fair.

The shadow treasurer, Brad Rowswell also announced if elected they would introduce a legislated debt cap:

We’re not ready to say what that state debt cap level will be, because chances are over the next three-and-a-half years the economic circumstances state will change.

But together with ratings agencies, in consultation with them and other financial institutions in this state, we will have more to say about that before the next election.

The budget, handed down last week, details a “Covid debt repayment plan” to bring the state’s borrowings – set to total $171.4bn by 2026/27 – under control.

It includes two new 10-year levies on property investors and big business, which will raise $8.6bn over the next four years.

Payroll tax exemptions for about 110 “high-fee” private schools is also expected to deliver an additional $422.2m in government revenue.

Updated

Care to try something new with us?

We are about an hour out from question time, which has us thinking – imagine if you could actually get some questions answered?

Things that you would actually want to know?

Well, we are going to try. Given that constituents don’t often have a voice, we are going to see if we can get some answers for you.

If you have a burning question for your local representative, or a minister – about where they stand on an issue, something happening in your electorate, or just something you have wanted to know about how they vote, send me an email at amy.remeikis@theguardian.com.

Put ‘Guardian QT’ in the subject line and then in the email body, let me know who you want the answer from, and what your question is.

We will then gather them and see what answers we can get for you.

This is going to be a work in progress, but given how many of you write to us about question time and what a waste it is, we hope we can get some actual answers for you.

Updated

Referendum debate and speeches in house, but vote will not occur today

Over in the house there will be a little more than 30 minutes of debate on the referendum legislation before the 90-second statements ahead of question time begin.

The speeches will start up again at 4.30-5pm and then, once done, Mark Dreyfus will begin summing up the debate.

But there won’t be a vote tonight.

Updated

Jacqui Lambie threatens to disrupt Senate over Afghanistan medals

The independent senator Jacqui Lambie has threatened to disrupt the Senate “every hour for two weeks straight” unless the government releases more information about the potential stripping of medals from former commanders of Australian special forces in Afghanistan.

Lambie foreshadowed the possible disruption to Senate proceedings during a tense exchange with the chief of the Australian defence force, Gen Angus Campbell, in an estimates committee hearing today.

During the hearing, Lambie suggested that up to 24 letters had been sent by Campbell in recent months “asking them to give their medals back”. Campbell did not confirm exactly how many letters may have been sent – he said he did not agree with the number – but it was a “very serious” and complex matter. He noted that the Brereton inquiry had recommended that a review be undertaken into decorations afforded to people in certain command positions.

Lambie replied to Campbell:

I don’t think it’s going to come down to you to release those letters, because I’m going to fight you every single step of the way. It’s even going to get worse for the Senate when I stop it every hour for two weeks straight until I get those letters redacted with the names [removed from] them.

Campbell said he would not release those letters “unless directed otherwise by the government”. He said this was “for the integrity of the process and for the privacy of the individuals”.

Lambie shot back:

The only integrity right now is your integrity which is right up there on the Richter scale, I can assure you. So I’m asking once again: minister, when are those letters going to arrive here? Or we’re going to have a hard few weeks in that senate, I can assure you. We can stop it every hour, every morning.

The Labor senator Jenny McAllister, who was representing the defence minister at the hearing, said the government would take the matter on notice. McAllister said the government would consider Campbell’s advice and the matters Lambie had raised, and come to a decision about what information could be provided.

Updated

Liberal partyroom discusses details of voice no campaign

Staying in the Liberal party room meeting, one MP also raised concerns about the fact the no campaign hasn’t got deductible gift recipient status for the referendum, which Dutton said he was conscious of and lobbying the government for updates on. We must point out, though, that the reason the no campaign doesn’t have DGR status is because they withdrew the application – literally the day before it was granted that status in the budget.

The no campaign withdrew the application and said it would put in another application because the two major organisations are merging. But DGR status for the voice no case committee is literally listed in the budget papers, after being granted by the government.

Staying on the referendum, the Liberals have identified a group of MPs who will vote against the bill – even as the party itself backs the bill in principle. This, as we’ve reported before, comes down to a legislative quirk where only those MPs who vote against the alteration bill can have input into the referendum pamphlet sent to all homes.

So because the Liberals will let the referendum occur, even though they oppose the referendum, they wouldn’t be able to help write the pamphlet – unless some MPs oppose the bill. So the Liberal whips oversaw a process to choose some MPs to vote no.

We don’t know who they are, and have asked the whips office for more information.

Updated

Opposition claim government is ‘chasing’ the wealthy at party room meeting

The Liberal party has identified its “authorised dissenters” who will vote against the constitutional alteration bill, to allow the party to have input into the referendum pamphlet.

In the Coalition partyroom meeting today, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, also chided the Labor government for “chasing aspirational people with wealth”.

The opposition meeting focused largely on cost of living and energy concerns, with Dutton telling the room that Australian families were struggling. He told his troops that the opposition needed to show “empathy” for those struggles, but to also put the blame for those issues on decisions made by the Albanese government. Dutton raised concerns about rising prices for energy, transport and storage being passed on to consumers at supermarkets.

The opposition also claimed the government was “chasing” the wealthy, pointing to investment properties or other assets.

The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, praised the “unity” in the Coalition and claimed the government was focused on “niche social issues”. He said the Coalition should continue to prosecute Labor for alleged “broken promises”, pointing to energy and cost of living concerns.

In questions to the leadership, several Coalition MPs claimed the government was neglecting the regions in regards to infrastructure spending, while two others brought up “faith-based” concerns – one on schools, critical of government delays on the Law Reform Commission report into discrimination at religious schools, and the other critical of the takeover of the Calvary hospital in Canberra.

Updated

Mehreen Faruqi: 'Yes, I have experienced racism in the Greens'

Earlier Adam Bandt and Mehreen Faruqi spoke to reporters in Canberra about racism in the context of independent senator Lidia Thorpe’s complaint, which the Greens are yet to see.

Adam Bandt said:

There is institutional racism in Australia, and no one is exempt from that. I’ve spoken to First Nations MPs, MPs of colour, who told me that they experienced discrimination in society and including, frankly, within the Greens. This is something we all have an obligation to stamp out. No workplace, no institution, no political party is immune.

Bandt was asked if he had received “any form of complaint about racism in your party”.

He replied that it is his obligation as leader to take steps that racism doesn’t occur. “I’m not going to comment,” he said, beyond that “any complaints we receive, we act on”.

Mehreen Faruqi said:

In my 30 years in Australia I have worked in many organisations before I stepped into politics. And I have experienced racism in each and every single one of them. And yes, I have experienced racism in the Greens … So I want to be clear that racism is systemic in this country and it has to be stamped out and eradicated at every single level and that does include the Greens.

Faruqi noted the level of racism directed at public figures who are person of colour demonstrates the “intersection of sexism and racism”, which she described as “visceral”.

Updated

Austrac and Crown file submission proposing $450m penalty

Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) has announced that it and Crown (Perth and Melbourne) have filed joint submissions with the federal court proposing a $450m penalty over Crown’s breaches of the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act).

The court will have to consider the proposal, but given it is a joint filing, it means that Crown has agreed to it. But it won’t be decided until the court has examined it and decided whether or not it is an appropriate penalty.

From Austrac’s statement:

In reaching this agreement, Crown has admitted that it operated in contravention of the AML/CTF Act, including that Crown Melbourne and Crown Perth:

  • Failed to appropriately assess the money laundering and terrorism financing risks they faced, and to identify and respond to changes in risk over time.

  • Did not have appropriate risk-based systems and controls in their AML/CTF programs to mitigate and manage the money laundering and terrorism financing risks they faced.

  • Failed to establish an appropriate framework for Board and senior management oversight of their AML/CTF programs.

  • Did not have a transaction monitoring program that was appropriate to the nature, size and complexity of their business.

  • Had an enhanced customer due diligence program that lacked appropriate procedures to ensure higher risk customers were subjected to extra scrutiny.

  • Did not conduct appropriate ongoing customer due diligence on a range of specific customers who presented higher money laundering risks.

Updated

WA Labor begins process of finding new premier

Meanwhile, in Western Australia, WA Labor is trying to work out who will be the next premier after Mark McGowan’s resignation announcement yesterday.

The party would, if possible, like a consensus candidate – a leadership battle could take up to five or so weeks, which, given there are parliament sittings and everyone is trying to pretend that business will go on as usual, is not ideal.

So far, it is between deputy premier Roger Cook and health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson. MPs are starting to pick sides.

Updated

Mehreen Faruqi says she has experienced racism in ‘each and every’ organisation she has worked at

The Greens are yet to receive Lidia Thorpe’s official complaint. The Greens turned independent senator said on Sunday she was planning on lodging a complaint with the human rights commission over racism she experienced while a party member.

This morning, Adam Bandt said the Greens were an “anti-racist” and “anti-hate” party and were working to stamp out institutional racism within other systems, like parliament.

Questions over Thorpe’s coming complaint have been raised in a press conference Bandt and his colleagues held a little while ago. Senator Mehreen Faruqi said she has experienced racism in “each and every” organisation she has worked at, which includes the Greens:

Updated

Government grilled on existing PwC contracts at social services estimates

Contracts with scandal-plagued PricewaterhouseCoopers have been a scorching topic at estimates, and social services estimates is no different.

The Greens senator Janet Rice has asked the department’s chief operating officer, Pat Hetherington, about the contracts. He says they have three, two of which will end on 30 June, the other on 30 September. Rice is asking him if he can be confident the DSS data is secure. He said:

I think we’re reasonably strong on managing those things. Clearly, this will give us an opportunity to review whether all the controls we have in place are sufficient … we do have a comprehensive approach to this.

Updated

Liberal senator Michaelia Cash is back in her happy place – criticising Labor over its IR plans.

In groundbreaking estimates revelations, Cash has discovered that Burke’s department, (employment and workplace relations) hires contractors and – *gasp* pays them at different rates to what the public servants employed by the department receive.

This is of course, a dig at Burke’s push for ‘same work, same pay’ which is targeting labour force hires. The key difference of course, being that companies are hiring from labour hire firms BECAUSE they can pay them less, while letting go of their own full time employees.

Contracts within the public service are different – some are there because of public servant caps and are brought in for particular projects, or because of the skills which are needed for a time.

Cash says it is hypocritical. From her release:

It is extraordinary that the Minister’s own Department is not leading by example.’

Mr Burke wants to impose new laws on the private sector but his own Department can’t even say if they will apply to themselves.

Certainly, at the moment his own Department is not working by the principles that he espouses.

They don’t pay contractors the same as public servants. The hypocrisy of this Minister knows no bounds.

Keeping stage-three tax cuts ‘a matter of trust’, says Don Farrell

If you wound back time, you might not have the $313bn stage-three tax cuts, Labor senator Don Farrell has told estimates.

But the government remains committed to them, he said, and it’s “not just politics”. The independent senator David Pocock asked him about the need to balance the economy, and whether the cuts were “economically responsible”. Farrell said:

If you could wind back time, well then maybe you would never have had these tax cuts, but the reality is they were passed by previous parliaments, they are currently the law of the land.

We went to the election saying that we would not reverse them. And, and I think … as a matter of trust between the Australian people and the government then we have to do what we said we were going to do, and that’s, I think has been a hallmark of this prime minister. If he’s said he’s going to do something then he will.

Updated

Swearing-in ceremony to take place Wednesday after assistant ministry rejig

Remember the slight rejig of the assistant ministry, where parliament secretaries (assistant ministers) got some extra duties to help lighten the load for some of the ministers?

Well, there will be a swearing-in ceremony at Government House on Wednesday to make it all official-official.

Updated

Tradie platform Hipages’ automatic subscription renewal likely in breach of consumer law

Tradie platform Hipages has admitted it was likely in breach of Australian consumer law over failing to adequately disclose contract terms allowing automatic subscription renewals and early termination fee charges between October 2018 and January 2022.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said Hipages had agreed with an undertaking to clearly disclose its subscription renewal and cancellation policies in telephone scripts and email communications.

ACCC deputy chair, Mick Keogh, said:

Many subscribers were unaware that they had to specifically opt out of Hipages’ automatic 12-month renewal, and that there was only a very short cooling off period in which they could avoid paying an early termination fee.

When some people attempted to cancel their auto-renewed contracts, they were told they would have to pay out the full 12-month term.

The ACCC has long called for powers to take on unfair contract terms and fight back against online subscription traps. The federal government has indicated it is interested in regulating in this area.

Updated

Defence officials have revealed they are looking for another $1.8bn in savings as they prepare a new national defence strategy.

Drilling down into the budget documents is a core part of the Senate estimates committee process – and the Coalition has extracted a confirmation that the search for cost-shuffles within Defence is not yet finished.

Officials said they had already found about $6bn of savings – but the target is $7.8bn, leaving a gap of $1.8bn over the initial four-year budget period.

The vice-chief of the Australian defence force, Vice Admiral David Johnston, said:

The additional $1.8bn – we will reprioritise as we do the work of returning with the national defence strategy over this next few months.

That new national defence strategy is due to be released in 2024.

Simon Birmingham, a former finance minister, had been chasing details of the $19bn in funding required over the four-yet budget period to cover the government’s six priorities in the defence strategic review. This commitment always said to be budget-neutral over the first four years, meaning it would come from a combination of savings and existing allocations.

Tom Hamilton, a deputy secretary of the Department of Defence, said:

That $19bn included around $12bn of funding that was already allocated to those six priorities. The residual funding – the government directed that Defence identify lower priority activities from within the defence budget that would be redirected to these new priorities better suited to our strategic circumstances.

Birmingham replied:

Thanks, Mr Hamilton. I think that was a way of saying ‘none’ in terms of the $19bn, none of it is additional funding that is new flowing into Defence.

Updated

PwC team auditing Treasury not involved in tax scandal, officials say

Earlier, Treasury officials answered questions about a PwC contract for $985,000 for auditing and governance oversight of Treasury.

Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy said that in the delivery of that contract, Treasury had “no cause for concern”. But he said Nick McKim’s point is “well made and understood about broader public perception of the company”. He said Treasury would consider “carefully” whether to renew the contract when it’s up at the end of the year, but didn’t want to impose “financial consequences” (by cancelling it early).

Officials said Treasury had “sought and received assurance that no members of our internal audit team were involved in the tax practitioners board matter”.

The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, said PwC’s conduct on the tax practitioner board matter was “outrageous” but it “was not a breach of procurement”.

She said:

I know people would like us to go around cancelling existing contracts, that’s not available without significant financial risks.

Updated

Reynolds says Labor answer in estimates ‘sounds like it was written by … a smart-arse year 12 political student’

Much of this morning’s social services Senate estimates have been consumed with alleged smart-arsery.

The Liberal senator Linda Reynolds asked the minister for the national disability insurance scheme, Bill Shorten, a question about fraud within the NDIS, and got back a bit of waffle that, frankly, most journalists have come to expect as answers to questions.

But Reynolds is not so used to non-answers, from the sounds of it. She’s asking senator Don Farrell (who’s representing the government in the estimates hearing) if he would have written something like that:

I mean, that sounds like it was written by you know, a smart-arse year 12 political student.

This is, I think, a two fingered salute to every NDIS participant who was concerned about fraud.

The other theme this morning is the inadequacy of jobseeker – the Greens senator Janet Rice is trying to get Farrell to say it’s not enough. He is resisting.

Updated

Labor’s Tim Watts expands on ‘confronting’ history of ancestor John Watts on Q+A

We covered this last week after his speech in the parliament, but Labor MP Tim Watts expanded on his ancestor John Watts on ABC’s Q+A last night.

John Watts was a settler in Queensland’s Darling Downs who was elected to parliament and contributed to the destruction, displacement and death of Indigenous people in the area:

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Just one of the reasons the PwC matter is so complicated.

Statue of union activist Zelda D’Aprano unveiled in Melbourne

Huh.

This statue is being unveiled at the same time as the South Australian upper house is debating the state’s proposed new protest laws, which could see people who participate in peaceful protests like this fined $50,000 or facing jail.

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No questions from Labor MPs to ministers, media told

What questions did MPs ask ministers in the Labor caucus meeting about general business?

None! Everyone is very happy apparently, no questions, notes or queries.

Not sure their constituents would feel the same way …

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Albanese gives caucus his election seat hitlist

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, used his meeting with Labor caucus to give a vote of thanks to Mark McGowan, the WA premier who yesterday announced his retirement.

Albanese said he had made 12 visits to WA so far, and the WA MPs were a “huge strength for us”.

Albanese said he believed that at the next election Labor “will also be targeting Canning and Moore” – the WA seats currently held by Andrew Hastie and Ian Goodenough.

Albanese said Labor was also likely to target unspecified seats in Queensland, Sturt in South Australia, Banks in NSW, and seats in northern Tasmania, and seats in Victoria like Menzies.

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The About the House account has your program ready to go for you:

Why is the media so fond of ‘party room sources’?

The party room meetings are breaking up – we will bring you those updates again soon.

In case you are not a regular Politics Live follower, or have forgotten, there is a briefing after each party room meeting, given by a nominated MP, who reads from the minutes. They give a brief rundown of the legislation discussed, what the leaders said and what the themes were, and then give brief details about questions backbenchers may have asked. That part is all de-identified “a MP asked about” and it is up to journalists to work out who.

It is all treated as background, which means you can’t attribute it to the MP who is giving the briefing, but it is why you see “party room sources” so often, and why we all have basically the same detail.

No, I don’t know how it started and I was surprised to see how it worked when I arrived in the press gallery, but I think some of these things need to be demystified.

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The budget is not inflationary, Kennedy maintains

Liberal senator Dean Smith foreshadows he will be pushing Steven Kennedy to explain how the government’s budget is not inflationary.

He wants to talk about “vulnerabilities”. It’s a statement, not a question, and it is all part of the Coalition’s plan to paint the government as being responsible for the cost-of-living crisis.

Kennedy says he does not believe the budget as a whole is inflationary or adding to inflationary pressures and says the crucial difference here, is time – it is spread across the course of the year.

In terms of the overall contribution to – is this substantially moving aggregate demand and leading us to revise up our inflationary numbers … the answer is no.

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Treasury explains what it knew when about PwC

Diane Brown, Treasury’s revenue deputy secretary, noted that the department had already provided an answer to a question on notice about what it knew when on the PwC.

It said:

In September 2018 Treasury was asked to provide information to the Australian Taxation Office about a possible breach of confidentiality in relation to the Multinational Anti-Avoidance Law. In late 2020, the [Tax Practitioner Board] made enquiries with Treasury regarding information relevant to TPB investigations. There were further discussions with the TPB in 2021 and 2022 and Treasury was made aware of the outcome of the TPB’s investigation in relation to Mr Collins in December 2022.


Brown said the ATO was “seeking information on PwC and their involvement” in tax avoidance consultation “for the purposes of an inquiry into the conduct of Mr [John] Collins”.

We weren’t told a wider context.


Treasury was asked for a copy of the confidentiality agreements Collins signed. But Brown explained that as Treasury assisted the ATO with its investigations, the ATO was subject to secrecy provisions and was not able to explain what it was investigating.

Brown took on notice whether the treasurer was informed at the time.

I don’t believe the treasurer was told.

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The current economy is not like the GFC or Covid dips, Treasury says

Back to Steven Kennedy for a moment – another key difference between the economy now and what happened in the GFC and Covid?

The tax system is taking more money out of the economy because unemployment is so low and people are working more. So while tax revenues collapsed during the GFC and Covid, it has increased here.

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Shoebridge asks if defence has tried to ‘test the integrity’ of PwC relationship

The Greens senator David Shoebridge has asked what work has been done, since the PwC scandal broke, to “test the integrity” of the relationship between Defence and the consulting firm.

The associate secretary of the Department of Defence, Matt Yannopoulos, told the Senate foreign affairs, defence and trade committee hearing:

We have identified all of the active contracts with PwC and attained assurance from them, most recently again yesterday to the secretary from the CEO, and to myself from the defence lead partner, that over the last 10 years of work that PriceWaterhouseCoopers has done for defence none of the individuals named have ever done any work fordefence.

Shoebridge wanted clarity about which individuals. Yannopoulos indicated that the assurance included the 54 individuals whose names have not been publicly released.

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Are the welfare increases inflationary?

Treasury estimates has moved on to Liberal senator Dean Smith, who is asking Steven Kennedy about who tends to spend more – people on low incomes, or high incomes.

(He knows the answer is low incomes. Smith has been tasked to get evidence that the very modest increase to welfare payments are stimulatory as part of the Coalition’s budget attacks)

Kennedy is going through the differences between the payments given during the global financial crisis and what is happening now.

He says the support given during the GFC was all at once (in the same quarter) and went to most of the population.

The difference with the cost-of-living package now, Kennedy says, is that the package is spread out across the year and it is a smaller number in terms of spend against GFC or Covid package.

It’s about “size and design” Kennedy says.

So not as much money, being spread out across the year = not inflationary.

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Defence reveals $223m in PwC contracts

Defence officials have just revealed that Defence currently has 54 current contracts with PwC with a total contact value of about $223m.

To be specific: $223,299,943.56.

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Albanese cites cost-of-living measures when asked about voice cost to taxpayers

It was Adelaide radio day for the prime minister – he also spoke to FiveAAA, a station he has a long relationship with.

He was asked about a message from a listener on why taxpayer money was going to the voice, given the cost-of-living crisis:

Q: Good morning. Question for the PM, my mortgage has just risen again to two-thirds of my income, energy prices in my home are increasing by up to 25%. My daughter had to bid over against 40 other people to get a rental. Yet you continue to argue for the allocation of public money to the voice, which is about number 5,000 on my list of priorities at the moment. What do you say to people like Martin? Because there’s more of them out there than the yes camp is aware of.

Albanese:

What I say to Martin is that we are concentrating on matters that affect him. We just handed down a budget that will give energy price relief. We are trying to get legislation through the Senate that will have an impact on housing, through our Housing Australia Future Fund, but we had other legislation as part of the budget as well – rental relief for people in the private sector. We had increased funding for community housing.

We had in the budget, following on from our cheaper medicines policy that came in on January 1, further measures that will reduce the cost of medicines by September 30 … cheaper childcare comes in on July 1. We’re doing all of those things that affect a vast number of Australians. But at the same time, yes, we are going to give the Australian people the opportunity to vote on something that overwhelmingly will not have a direct impact on most Australians. But it just might make a positive difference for some of the most disadvantaged Australians …

And this, I think, is something that is within the Australian ethos of the fair go. And I understand that many people are doing it tough. And that’s why we introduced those measures in the budget. And that’s why we’ll continue to work each and every day on the full range of issues. That’s why in health, in order to give people access to bulk-billing, the last time I was in Adelaide I was in a medical centre in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, in the electorate of Spence around Elizabeth, talking about our tripling of the bulk-billing incentive. That, at that medical centre, will make an enormous difference for people, speaking to the doctors and the people on the ground there.

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Coalition argues Labor is not allocating defence enough in the next four years

The Coalition’s line of attack, during defence estimates, is to suggest the lack of new funding for defence over the first four years shows the Albanese government isn’t responding to the strategic circumstances with the urgency required.

There is a lot of back and forth between the opposition and defence officials about this (the government has cut or scaled back some projects in order to fund other priorities, but says defence funding will increase overall in the medium to long term).

The secretary of the Department of Defence, Greg Moriarty, gives the clearest answer:

We rely on the funding envelope that the government sets for us.

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Treasury secretary: PwC emails 'disturbing'

Labor senator Deb O’Neill is asking treasury officials about 144 pages of PwC emails, including one in which Peter Collins said there was “little chance of an anti-hybrid rule” because the board of taxation had “little real idea”.

Several of the emails, which she read into Hansard, referred to the fact Treasury consultations were “supposed to be secret” or “confidential” - although one noted that global partners “may have a copy from other sources”.

The Treasury secretary, Steven Kennedy, said:

By any community standard you could say they’re clearly disturbing. They are relevant to our considerations. Having appeared in many Senate committees, may I say the Senate has done a very good job in exposing these issues. [Emails tabled on] 2nd May were a crucial piece of information, which allowed us to take a step. They were important to our consideration referring the matter [to the Australian federal police].”

Kennedy confirmed Treasury didn’t have the emails until the Senate economics committee made them public.

We’re now going through a timeline given by revenue deputy secretary Diane Brown.

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Campbell says China’s military buildup is concerning because it is not transparent

Gen Campbell is also asked about China’s military buildup more generally.

Campbell gives some figures, including that the PLA navy now had about 355 ships and 58 submarines. He said this has grown since the turn of century from a force of 210 ships, while there are estimates that it could have about 440 ships by 2030.

Campbell says there has been a “very significant change in scale” and “in technological sophistication”. He says that in some areas, such as hypersonic weapons, China’s work is “extremely advanced”.

He explains:

Australia does not critique any country from seeking its defence and from preparing tis military for such purposes. The scale of that capability is going to vary subject to the resources and capacities and the security interests of each nation.

But where that scale is large, there is also a concomitant responsibility to offer the level of transparency, assurance and reassure abut the intended purpose of that capability.

And I think that is where we see there has been some critique of an absence of transparency and of assurance to the region with regard to the scale and intent of that build up that you spoke of.

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China seeking to ‘squeeze’ Taiwan, ADF chief says

The chief of the Australian defence force, Gen Angus Campbell, says China’s People’s Liberation Army has carried out exercises that appear designed to “squeeze” the government and people of Taiwan.

Campbell is giving evidence at Senate estimates this morning. In response to questions about Taiwan, the self-governed democracy of 24 million people that China claims as a wayward province and has not ruled out taking by force, Campbell says:

China has in recent years undertaken a range of very substantial exercise activities or posturing activities that in some of those exercises centre on the island of Taiwan and could reasonably be regarded as seeking to pressure Taiwan or to squeeze the government of Taiwan in terms of its sense of its development and the aspirations of the people of Taiwan.

Now, of course Australia is committed to the One China policy but the manner in which some of those exercises have been undertaken can increase regional tensions particularly between the island of Taiwan and the People’s Liberation Army in those exercises. We would not wish to see issues being resolved through either conflict or miscalculation and misadventure but rather than by considered diplomatic engagement and a peaceful resolution of disputes.

Hearings made Treasury aware of PwC documents, secretary says

Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy has praised the Senate committee for their handling of the PwC matter and says that it has assisted in informing Treasury of the extent of what went on, particularly when it came to being made aware of documents.

The committee is now hearing the timeline of events (as far as Treasury is concerned).

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Economics estimates turns to PwC

In economics estimates, Labor senator Deborah O’Neill and Greens senator David Shoebridge have asking Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy about the PwC matter now.

But all are having to be careful in their comments because of the investigations which are under way.

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Albanese explains the ‘Chicken Littles’ reference

So what did Anthony Albanese mean by referring to the “Chicken Littles” in his Lowitja O’Donoghue oration overnight?

I meant the idea that the sky would fall in – the great Chicken Little story which is there.

The truth is that people, before the apology [to the stolen generations], many said that this would lead to catastrophic consequences, that it would change our whole system of government and that we would be more divided because of it. And what I saw on that day in 2008 was a moment of national unity.

And now does anyone say that it was a bad idea? In the Mabo decision, when the Wik decision was handed down, I remember ads being circulated showing that people were going to lose their backyards.

Now, none of that eventuated.

Now, the proposal that will be put forward in the last quarter of this year is a very simple one. It gives recognition to the first peoples of Australia and recognises them, just as constitutions around the world have recognised their first peoples. Australia hasn’t: it stands out as the only developed nation in the world that arose from, had a colony as its past that didn’t recognise that. And secondly, it’s about listening. It’s about providing an opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to express their views on matters that affect them.

It’s not binding, it’s not a funding body, it won’t override parliament, it won’t change our system of government, it won’t impact the day to day lives of the overwhelming majority of your listeners.

But it just might make the lives of some of our most disadvantaged people, our first peoples, that much better.

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Albanese says it’s important protesters stop ‘completely alienating people from their causes’

Back to Anthony Albanese and his interview with ABC radio Adelaide, the prime minister used climate protesters throwing paint on the glass which protects art works as justification for why people are pushing for these sorts of laws.

Again, none of the art works have been damaged.

I have every faith that Peter Malinauskas will act responsibly. We have seen emerge in recent times, I’ve got to say, when I see depictions of people throwing food and paint and various things, smearing great works of art for example, I just shake my head and think, I’m not quite sure how that that assists the cause which the advocates are pushing.

And certainly, always, people have got to bear that in mind of how they bring people with them. It is, of course, important that people be able to express their views.

But it’s important at the same time that they don’t endanger emergency service personnel, that they don’t disrupt in a way that completely alienates people from their causes.

Uh huh. Perhaps Merle Thornton and Rosalie Bogner should have rethought chaining themselves to the Regatta Bar, because it alienated so many people against equal rights.

The Cummeragunja walk-off probably alienated people too.

Charlie Perkins might have been better off writing some strongly worded letters.

(I think you get the point.)

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Horror weekend on Victoria’s roads

The Victorian police minister, Anthony Carbines, is speaking to reporters outside parliament about the horror weekend on the state’s roads. There were nine fatalities, including three teenagers and a woman in her 30s in a single-vehicle crash on Saturday in regional Victoria.

He said:

What we need drivers to do is to respect the roads. Pay attention and get back to basics: wearing your seatbelt, obey the speed limit, no phones. What we’ve seen across the weekend, and across many other days now has been lives needlessly lost and families broken up and destroyed by road trauma. We’re seeing this across other jurisdictions, as well, which is not unique to Victoria. Also in my conversations with Victoria police, they’re briefed also, that in large part it’s not road conditions. It’s single vehicles into stationary objects, particularly in regional Victoria. While investigations will follow their course, what we’re finding really isn’t speed. It’s not wearing seatbelts, and it’s distracted driving using their phones and other devices.

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Budget deficit shrinking as proportion of GDP at record rate, estimates told

Steven Kennedy has also discussed the rapidly improving budget bottom line.

He said:

From 2021-22 as a proportion of GDP, the budget deficit contracted 5%. This is a record contraction. From 2021-22 to 2022-23 the budget deficit is forecast to contract by 1.5%. This is the largest two-year contraction on record.”

Kennedy said this will flow through to a “significantly” improved outlook in the medium term, with the underlying cash deficit narrowing from 1.3% in 2025-26 to just under 0.5% in 2032-33, compared with 1.9% projected in October.


It won’t quite fit on a bumper sticker, but Labor will shout this from the rooftops.

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Treasury estimates advice will be ‘careful’ so as to not prejudice PwC investigations

Steven Kennedy has now addressed the PwC scandal.

He said:

I’ll conclude with some brief comments on the PwC matter. The tax practitioner board investigated Mr [Peter] Collins from PwC and found that he failed to act with integrity, as required under his professional, ethical, and legal obligations and terminated his tax agent registration for a period of two years. In addition, the tax practitioners board ordered PwC to take steps to ensure it manages conflicts of interest appropriately.

The Tax Practitioners Board published these findings and actions in January 2023. The Tax Practitioners Board’s tabling of emails in parliament on the 2nd of May 2023, which were uncovered during its investigation, has highlighted this significant extent of the unauthorised disclosure of confidential commonwealth information and the wide range of individuals within PwC who were directly and indirectly privy to the confidential information.

In the light of these recent revelations and the seriousness of this misconduct, Treasury referred the matter to the Australian federal police to consider commencement of a criminal investigation …

Treasury is not able to comment further on the AFP referral or on the specifics of any other potential action so as to not prejudice those options. Evidence that we give today will be careful to avoid prejudicing any police investigation.

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Albanese walks both sides of protest laws debate

Anthony Albanese spoke to ABC radio Adelaide this morning where he tried to walk both sides of the South Australian protest laws debate.

In case you missed it, the SA Labor government adopted a bill drafted by the Liberal opposition to massively increase the penalties for peaceful protests, if they disrupt the public. It is being rushed through the parliament.

Now, putting aside the fact that protests are SUPPOSED to disrupt things – that is the whole point – the legislation follows a worrying trend across state (Labor) governments to adopt anti-protest measures. Under the SA legislation, “wilfully” obstructing a public place is being changed to “intentionally or recklessly” obstructing a public place. That gives police a lot more discretion in charging people for attending peaceful protests, or even for just existing – homeless people, or someone having a mental health episode in a public space which obstructs someone could be caught up in these laws as well.

Fines are being increased to $50,000 and/or a prison sentence under the proposal which has the support of both the major parties in South Australia.

Unions, who know something about disruptive protests to create change are outraged. Asked about it on radio this morning, Albanese tried to walk both sides of the argument.

Of course, free speech is important. But it’s also important to exercise responsibility as well. And some of the depiction of shutting down a whole city in a dangerous way can be an issue, and it doesn’t actually help the cause either. I have marched many a time, as have, I’m sure, most members of political parties. It’s important that people be able to express their views. But it’s important also that they don’t alienate the public while they’re doing it.

Uh huh.

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ACTU leaders to push for closure of labour law loopholes

Australian Council of Trade Union leaders as well as union members from across Australia are headed to the parliament today to push for the parliament to close loopholes in labour laws which allow businesses to pay labour hire workers less than other workers.

Tony Burke is leading the government charge on this – this meeting of union leaders and delegates is to give the crossbench a bit of a push, I would say.

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Australia continuing to conduct activities in South China Sea, Defence secretary says

At the Defence estimates committee hearing, the secretary of the Department of Defence, Greg Moriarty, mentions the recent dialogue with China’s People’s Liberation Army. He makes clear this doesn’t change Australia’s activities in the South China Sea:

Defence is supporting the government’s efforts to stabilise relations with China. In March defence hosted the People’s Liberation Army in Russell [the Canberra suburb where Defence is based] for the first Defence dialogue since 2019.

These talks were an opportunity to exchange views on regional security issues – and for us to underline our national interests directly to the PLA.

Meanwhile, ADF vessels and aircraft have continued to exercise Australia’s rights under international law to freedom of navigation and overflight, including in the South China Sea, and in support of UNSC [United Nations Security Council] resolutions on North Korea’s illegal nuclear weapons program.

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Victorian Greens demand two-year rent freeze in exchange for supporting tax reform bills

The Victorian Greens leader, Samantha Ratnam, is demanding a two-year rent freeze in exchange for supporting the government’s new taxes.

She told reporters:

The Greens are really concerned that there aren’t enough safeguards for renters within its tax reform package. That’s why the Greens want safeguards as part of ensuring confidence to support the government’s tax reform bills and the best way the government can provide a safe guide for renters is implementing a rent freeze now, we’ve had polling just overnight, revealing that the majority of Australians support stronger safeguards for renters, including a rent freeze. It’s very likely the government is going to need the support of the Greens in order to guarantee passage of its tax reform bills. We want the government to sit down with the Greens and implemented stronger safeguards.

Ratnam, however, would not say if it would block the legislation if its demands aren’t met. (Which is likely given the treasurer ruled out a rent freeze last week.)

Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam.
Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

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Activity in housing market has ‘stabilised’, Treasury secretary says

Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy said that there are signs that activity in the established housing market – buying and selling of houses and apartments – has “stabilised”.

He said:

But housing construction has not yet worked through its cyclical downturn. There are still a large number of dwellings under construction. Almost 240,000 in the December quarter, which is currently supporting activity. However, approvals for new buildings have fallen significantly over recent months. After the current pipeline of work is completed, the downturn in approvals will mean fewer housing starts. This will naturally flow through to construction work done. And we expect dwelling investment to contract 2.5% this year.”

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Defence secretary addresses Senate estimates

The secretary of the Department of Defence, Greg Moriarty, is up at Senate estimates and has given a rundown of the action to implement the defence strategic review. He says that work is happening against the backdrop of an “increasingly challenging set of strategic circumstances”. He mentions Russia’s war in Ukraine and alludes to China’s military buildup in his opening summary:

War has returned to Europe as Russia persists in its illegal invasion of Ukraine, and we face the largest military build-up ever seen in the Indo-Pacific. The increasing risks of climate change, proliferation and pandemics require greater, not less global cooperation. This tougher strategic environment is driving the sense of urgency with which Defence is now implementing government direction in response to the review.

In the month since the government’s announcement, we have taken action against the six priority areas the government has identified.

Moriarty says these steps include work to advance the nuclear-powered submarines. As previously announced, 1 July will see the establishment of a submarine agency to oversee nuclear-powered submarine program.

He also says Defence is looking at streamlining its acquisition processes:

We have begun work to remove unnecessary barriers to acquisitions.

Secretary of the Department of Defence, Greg Moriarty.
Secretary of the Department of Defence, Greg Moriarty. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

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Interest rates likely to ‘remain elevated for a time’, Treasury secretary says

The Treasury secretary, Steven Kennedy, is giving an opening statement at Senate estimates, discussing the 3.6% growth of the Australian economy in 2022 due to post-pandemic spending.

But Kennedy said this has put “strains on economies around the world”, with “wild swings in demand” for products, and inflation in energy prices due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This was followed by high inflation, sharply rising interest rates and tightening financial conditions, he said. These put a strain on households and caused businesses to delay or scale back investment.

Kennedy said:

The risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside. Overall, we are expecting the pace of global growth in 2023 and 2024 to be the weakest in two decades outside the GFC and the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Kennedy said the economy likely reached its peak in the September quarter and is now “transitioning to a more balanced position between supply and demand”. Interest rates will likely “remain elevated for a time” and inflation is not likely to return to the RBA’s 2-3% target band quickly.

The secretary of Treasury, Steven Kennedy.
The secretary of Treasury, Steven Kennedy. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

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If you haven’t read this from Jonathan Barrett yet, take a look. I don’t think it will come as a surprise, but … sigh.

Australia’s big banks have loaned more than $13bn for fossil fuel projects over the past two years even as they publicly advocate for emissions reductions, a new report suggests.

Analysis by environmental activist group Market Forces has found that while Australia’s major banks largely avoid providing direct project finance to new coal, oil and gas projects, they do fund corporate entities that develop them.

Market Forces said the financing arrangements represented a loophole that enabled lenders to bankroll fossil fuel production while claiming not to directly support new projects.

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Daniel Andrews responds to Mark McGowan’s surprise resignation

Daniel Andrews has also spoken about the shock resignation of WA premier, Mark McGowan. He says he was caught by surprise:

Mark McGowan, he’s a very good friend of mine, and I wish him the very best and it’s a rare thing in politics to be able to go on your own terms. And that’s exactly what Mark McGowan has done. And I think he can be very, very proud of the work that he’s done over a very long term. Very, very proud of the work he’s done over a very long period of time, almost 30 years in public life.

Western Australian premier Mark McGowan announces his resignation on Monday.
Western Australian premier Mark McGowan announces his resignation on Monday. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/EPA

Asked if he’s also exhausted, given he’s been Labor leader for longer than McGowan and also seen his state through the pandemic, Andrews replied:

I’m all good. And there’s a lot to get on with … These jobs are an amazing privilege. And there are no easy days in this job. That’s not a complaint. That’s just a fact. And so it makes them so special. Because the work that you do impacts people in every corner of our state and if you’ve got a bit of ambition, then you can influence things well beyond your state. You can actually drive national reform. I think Mark’s done his fair share of that. You’d like to think that Victoria has played a part in that also.

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Pay freeze looms for NSW politicians

State MPs and senior public sector executives in New South Wales will have their pay frozen for two years, if legislation introduced to the parliament today succeeds.

The NSW cabinet last night approved the bills that would see the government deliver on its election promise to pause growth for the state’s most highly paid public sector workers.

The premier, Chris Minns, said:

We have inherited a challenging budget, but budgets are about priorities.
Our priority is rebuilding our essential services and investing in frontline workers.

The government is facing increasing pressure from unions to abolish the frontline worker pay freeze, with unions so far declining the state’s offers amid ongoing industrial action.

New South Wales premier Chris Minns.
New South Wales premier Chris Minns. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

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Daniel Andrews says he’s received ‘important assurances’ from PwC

The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has been speaking to reporters outside parliament this morning.

Asked whether the government is investigating any of its contracts with PwC, he said:

The secretary of my department has spoken with very senior people at PwC and sought assurances about their conduct both in the past and indeed any work that they’re doing at the moment.

We’ve received those those important assurances. And what’s more, I’ve asked the very direct question of my secretary, ‘Is it safe for us to wait until the federal government does whatever they’re going to do in relation to PwC?’ They’ve got a number of different processes ongoing at the moment. The advice to me is yes, we can wait and see what comes out of the federal government’s work. And then once they make decisions either how far away that will be but if and when they make decisions about the future PwC and its work for the government. Then we’ll obviously look at that very carefully.

Victoria premier Daniel Andrews.
Victoria premier Daniel Andrews. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

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Parliament resumes after a public holiday in Canberra

It was a public holiday in Canberra yesterday, which is why there was no parliament sitting or estimates (hearings will continue on Friday to make up the lost day).

It being Tuesday means it is party room meeting day, so the house sitting won’t actually get under way until midday.

We will bring you all the details of those meetings as soon as they break – expect a lot of voice chat this morning.

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The highest number of women in recorded history are in full-time work in Australia

The employment minister, Tony Burke, and minister for women, Katy Gallagher, have released new statistics about employment, and particularly the participation of women.

Some highlights:

  • Between May 2022 and April 2023, total net jobs have increased by 332,900.

  • 85% of total jobs growth over the last 11 months (from May 2022 to April 2023) have been full-time jobs.

  • 163,900 more women have joined the labour force since May 2022. Women’s labour force participation hit a record high in June 2022 and March 2023.

  • The highest number of women in recorded history are in full-time work. Female full-time employment currently stands at 3,826,900.

Burke said:

We’re not just getting women into jobs – we’re getting them into secure, full-time jobs. This is what happens when you have a government that is determined to improve job security and get wages moving – it encourages more people to join or come back to the workforce.

Gallagher said:

This is a government that puts women at the heart of our decision-making, which is why in our first year in office we’ve delivered the biggest investment in women in the last 40 years. Supporting women to work in decent jobs is the key to women’s economic equality – and women’s equality isn’t just a nice to have, it’s an economic and social imperative.

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‘People need to know’: O’Neill calls on PwC to name staff put on leave

One of the reasons Deborah O’Neill believes PwC needs to make all the names public is because of the possibility some may have moved on to other firms and organisations and for transparency sake, “people need to know” where they are:

They may no longer be at PwC they may have moved on and you know who knows they could have created their own businesses.

They could be now on the international board of auditing standards. They could be at Deloitte in London. I trust the people who are interacting with all those who are named the 53 in the emails to find out about whether that person is suitably engaged currently, people need to know these assurance companies are critical to the proper functioning of the market of the financial markets, not just in Australia, but globally.

They are in positions to influence what people know and discern about the truth or otherwise of documents that relate to company outcomes. You cannot be an assurance company that deals in truth and containment of information to make sure the market knows that it’s accurate.

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O’Neill decries ‘contemptuous’ response from PwC

Labor senator Deborah O’Neill said the response from Price Waterhouse Cooper has done nothing to restore trust.

She told the ABC:

Would you trust them? Do you think your listeners would trust them? Do you think that I trust them at this point of time?

And after what we saw yesterday, how can we possibly trust them? This is this is the equivalent of PwC in Australia just wagging their finger at the nation saying, ‘Don’t you worry about that. We’ve sent nine people home to have an extended holiday that’s going to sort the problem out. Do you want the 53 names? Sorry, we’re not going to give it to you.’

That is the response we’ve had from PwC.

It’s contemptuous.

O’Neill said it surprised her that PwC put people on leave and have not named them.

The reason that I’m continuing to push for PwC to put the names on the record themselves, is they made this mess, they unleashed this kind of behaviour.

The PwC company logo on a building in Sydney.
The PwC company logo on a building in Sydney. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Updated

Labor senator describes PwC tax leak scandal as a ‘train wreck’

Labor senator Deborah O’Neill is next up on ABC radio RN Breakfast and she is talking the PwC matter as well – and she is not happy.

In January it emerged that a former PwC tax advisor was found to have shared confidential government briefings on multinational tax consultations with clients

Since then it has emerged more people were involved, and the matter has been referred to the Australian federal police.

The firm put partners on leave yesterday, but have not named them. O’Neill says the response has not been good enough.

I think what we’ve seen is a train wreck and yesterday, a couple more carriages fell off.

This is about a cover-up. This is about PwC trying to stem the flow of an artery that’s well and truly open now, the reality is that this is a company that has not been open and honest with the Australian people.

The matter was referred to the AFP last week.

Treasury will be questioned about the matter in estimates in hearings today.

PwC Australia’s acting chief executive, Kristin Stubbins released a statement yesterday:

Specifically, I apologise to the community; to the Australian government for breaching your confidentiality; to our clients for any questions this may have raised about our integrity and trustworthiness and to the 10,000 hard-working, values-driven PwC Australia partners and staff who have been unfairly impacted.”

Stubbins acknowledged the firm “did not have adequate processes and governance in place”, and had a culture in its tax business that “both allowed inappropriate behaviour and has not, until now, always properly held our leaders and those involved to account”.

PwC announced that nine partners will go on leave “effective immediately”.

The firm said it was moving to ring-fence its government work “to minimise conflicts of interest and enhance governance”. That will include a standalone executive and governance board to cover all services to federal government departments and agencies.

Updated

Parliament has a responsibility to address institutional racism, Bandt says

Adam Bandt is then asked “is there racism in your party?” and says:

No.

Well, the Greens are an anti-racist party. The Greens take steps to fight racism wherever it occurs.

Now, what Senator Thorpe was referring to, is highlighting the practice of institutional racism, something that we’ve seen, for example, Stan Grant draw attention to over the period of time.

What what is clear, I think and what we learned from the First Nations MPs in our party including Senator Thorpe, when she was in the party, is that First Nations MPs, MPs of colour, face discrimination and barriers that other MPs don’t and that is something that we all have a job across parties across the parliament to learn how to do better.

And since I’ve been leader, we’ve taken steps within our own party to have that kind of, that look at what it means for First Nations MPs and MPs of colour to face institutional racism, how we can ensure that practices change, so that they don’t have MPs of colour and First Nations MPs are encouraged to get in parliament, those practices of institutional racism that exists across society that no one is immune from is something we all have an obligation to take steps to address.

Updated

‘The Greens are an anti-racist party’: Bandt responds to Lidia Thorpe’s racism claim

Adam Bandt is also asked about Lidia Thorpe’s coming racism claim against the Greens. Thorpe said she would be lodging a claim against her former party with the Human Rights Commission, during an interview with Insiders on Sunday.

Bandt told ABC radio RN Breakfast he was not aware of the detail of the complaint but said the party was committed to stamping out racism:

The Greens are an anti-racist party. The Greens are an anti-hate party. The Greens have taken steps to call out racism where it occurs and to stamp it out … whenever it occurs directly, but also institutional practices. It’s been something we have led the charge on in this parliament. And our MPs will continue to fight and stamp out racism where it occurs.

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe.
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Greens call for inquiry into PwC tax leak scandal

The Greens will also continue pursuing the PwC matter in estimates, Adam Bandt says. He wants a review of all the consulting contracts.

The first step must be a full and independent inquiry so the Australian people can have faith, about how information confidential sensitive information designed to ensure big corporations pay their fair share of tax was used.

Updated

Adam Bandt rails against Woodside’s exclusion from petroleum resource rent tax

Greens leader Adam Bandt is speaking to ABC radio RN Breakfast about the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) changes and in particular the fact that Woodside’s Western Australian North-West Shelf project isn’t included in it.

Treasury said that the Woodside project would be excluded from the changes announced in the last budget (deductions will be limited to 90% of revenue, with the PRRT applying on the remaining 10%) because it had pre-exisiting royalty arrangements.

Bandt is not having it.

The tax is still broken, and they’re meant to be subjected to it. They should pay their fair share of tax. As I say, even after these changes, Australia only brings in a few $100 million extra from these big gas corporations that are making billions of dollars of profits. It’s about a 10th of what comparable countries bring in. If we made these guess corporations pay their fair share of tax. They’d be an extra $94 billion over the decade to go to things like delivering cost-of-living relief, funding a rent freeze, getting dental into Medicare.

Greens leader Adam Bandt.
Greens leader Adam Bandt. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Zoe Daniel calls for more action on tackling eating disorders

Independent Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel is continuing her push to have the parliament think more about how to tackle eating disorders – she wants the eSafety commissioner to have more powers to remove pro-eating disorder content from the web and social media and “place a positive duty of care on online platforms for their users’ wellbeing”.

Daniel will be holding a press conference on that later this morning.

Independent member for Goldstein, Zoe Daniel.
Independent member for Goldstein, Zoe Daniel. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

Housing issue galvanising Australians

It was mentioned a little earlier this morning, but this Essential poll Paul Karp has written about really shows just how much of an issue housing has become:

A majority of respondents wanted to: further restrict foreign investment in property (68%), freeze rental increases (60%), cap immigration “until we have sufficient affordable housing” (59%) and allow people to access their super to buy a house (56%). One-fifth or less of respondents opposed those measures.

Exactly half (50%) supported capping the number of investment properties someone can own and about a quarter (23%) opposed.

The impossibility of the Australian housing market is radicalising more and more people – and it doesn’t seem like the government has quite caught on yet just how much it is impacting people, particularly young people.

Updated

How are Australian diplomats talking about Aukus? Daniel Hurst has the answer:

Albanese makes voice plea to all Australians

Australians are being invited to imagine who they want to be on the morning after a referendum to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the constitution, Australian Associated Press reports.

In a stirring delivery of the Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration in Adelaide, Anthony Albanese said he believed Australians would wake up on that morning with “the strongest sense of ourselves”.

A great nation that has dared to become even greater, not just to ourselves but to the world,” he said.

His speech came ahead of federal parliament’s return, when MPs will continue debate on the proposed wording to alter the constitution.

The legislation is expected to be voted on in the lower house this week, before it heads to the Senate.

Once it passes both houses of parliament, the wheels will be set in motion for a referendum to be held between October and November this year.

Albanese said after a successful referendum, treaty and truth-telling would be part of the nation’s next phase of reconciliation with Indigenous people.

One of the things that a voice to parliament will be able to do is talk about the need for agreement making and coming together after a conflict, and part of that is truth- telling about our history,” he said.

The prime minister used his speech to call out the “fog of fiction and misunderstanding” that had been peddled about the voice in the past few months.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese during the Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration at the University of Adelaide on Monday.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese during the Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration at the University of Adelaide on Monday. Photograph: Matt Turner/AAP

Updated

Regional skills shortages persist, says minister

Skills minister, Brendan O’Connor, warns that work shortages in regional areas are persisting, with high shortages in health, catering, mechanics, and education especially.

Pointing to the latest quarterly Labour Market Update released by Jobs and Skills Australia, O’Connor said skills shortages are particularly persistent in regional areas.

Shortages of doctors, nurses medical staff and other essential services workers in regional and rural areas is a particular concern.

Regional areas are facing skills shortages in a number of occupations including: general practitioners and resident medical officers, registered nurses, medical imaging professionals, early childhood (pre-primary school) teachers, cooks, motor mechanics, automotive electricians, and mining engineers.

O’Connor said the government’s fee-free Tafe programs had been particularly popular in regional areas, as well as noting the number of long-term unemployed had dropped in the last quarter.

The skills shortage crisis we inherited persists and the Australian government is committed to addressing this – our reform policies are more crucial than ever.

Fee-free Tafe and VET across the country has seen a strong take-up in regional areas, which will help develop the pipeline of workers needed.

Updated

Good morning

A very big thank you to Martin for kicking us off this morning.

You have Amy Remeikis for most of the day, taking you through the house sitting and of course, question time, as we all ride this existential crisis together.

In Canberra, you have Paul Karp, Josh Butler and Daniel Hurst, while the rest of the Guardian brains trust keeps you informed on what is happening outside of Capital Hill.

Ready?

Let’s get into it.

Government won't appoint voice members, says Burney

Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney says the government won’t appoint members to the voice – and that the body would help negotiate treaties with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

At a referendum forum in Canberra, Burney said there would be “no government appointments, none” to the voice. Some critics have recently questioned whether the voice would feature members appointed by the government – despite design principles of the voice, released publicly by the referendum working group, saying members “will be chosen by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people based on the wishes of local communities”.

At the forum, Burney said she had given some thought to exactly how that will work, but again reinforced prior statements that the exact details of the voice would be worked out post-referendum, following consultation with Indigenous Australians. Burney said this process would go around the country.

Asked about treaties, Burney said the Uluru statement from the heart called for a “sequential” order of voice, truth and treaty. Burney said a Makarrata commission (which the government is in process of setting up) would oversee a national process of agreement-making and treaty – but reinforced the government’s belief that voice must come first.

“You’ve got to have someone to negotiate with. Obviously the voice would have a role in that,” Burney said.

She noted that treaties would take 10 to 15 years to negotiate, saying the most contemporary example (in British Columbia) was at that upper edge.

“Quite frankly I don’t want to be sitting around in 15 years time, I might not even be around in 15 years, not having a voice to parliament,” Burney said.

She again stressed that the government had committed to the Uluru statement in full – which included treaty.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney.
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

Defence funding has fallen despite demands, says Aspi

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, which is part-funded by the Department of Defence, has crunched the defence budget figures.

In a report out today, titled “The big squeeze”, Aspi says the urgency of the demands upon defence is not reflected in its funding, at least in the short term:

The only increase in the defence budget over the next three years is compensation for the increased cost of imported military equipment flowing from a fall in the value of the Australian dollar. Excluding this, the core funding of Defence (not including the Australian Signals Directorate) has actually been reduced at a time when unprecedented demands are being placed upon it. Between 2023-4 and 2025-6, defence funding, excluding compensation for adverse foreign exchange movements, drops from $154bn to $152.5bn.

That is based on a comparison of the total funding over those three years and what had been earmarked in the Coalition’s March 2022 budget.

The Aspi report also warns that the department’s ability to recruit and retain personnel is “the primary risk” to achieving the plan outlined in the defence strategic review:

With unemployment at near record lows, Defence has been unable to meet its recruitment targets, which has been further exacerbated by increasing separation rates among uniformed personnel. Defence had planned for the ADF to raise its numbers this year (2022-23) by 2,201 but instead faced a contraction in size by 1,389 uniformed personnel.

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you a few of our top overnight yarns before my colleague Amy Remeikis takes over.

The top story today is our latest Essential poll which shows that a majority of voters support interventionist measures such as a rent freeze and migration caps to help ease pressures on the housing market. Such policies are supported by the Greens and the Coalition so the poll spells trouble for the Albanese government if they ignore popular opinion for much longer.

Anthony Albanese has urged Australians to imagine who they want to be on the morning after a referendum to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the constitution. In a stirring Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration at the University of Adelaide last night, the prime minister said he believed Australians would wake up on that morning with “the strongest sense of ourselves”, adding: “A great nation that has dared to become even greater, not just to ourselves but to the world.” More to come on this story.

But perhaps highlighting the work that needs to be done in achieving better outcomes for Indigenous Australians, we also have a shocking exclusive story on how nearly a third of prisoners in New South Wales are Aboriginal. The proportion of Aboriginal people has reached an all-time high of 29.7%, prompting an urgent call for governments to end the “over-policing” of Indigenous communities. The NSW Aboriginal Legal Service’s chief executive, Karly Warner, said the system was “stacked against Aboriginal people at every step of the way”.

Updated

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