What we learned, Tuesday 4 November
We will be leaving it there, thanks for joining us. Here’s what we covered today:
The Reserve Bank has left the official interest rate on hold at 3.6%, after a surprise jump in inflation.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission has confirmed it is investigating a matter which “relates to a grants scheme” relating to a commonwealth official.
The opposition has dumped controversial plans to allow Australian first home buyers to access some of their superannuation savings for a deposit.
Barnaby Joyce claimed credit for the Coalition sitting on the brink of dropping or dramatically altering its net zero emissions pledge, saying he and supporters like Matt Canavan have “just moved the whole agenda to exactly where I want it to be”.
Large streaming services like Netflix will be required to spend 10% of their Australian expenditure on local content like dramas and arts programs, under new content obligations to be introduced by the federal government
The Greens are expected to vote against the EPBC environmental laws in the lower house this week.
The Coalition will oppose Labor’s controversial bill to dramatically curtail freedom of information laws, voicing alarm at new fees to lodge requests and the government’s push to expand cabinet confidentiality rules.
The Senate established two new inquiries into the country’s new aged care system, after the legislative changes came into force this week.
Thirteen people were arrested after hundreds gathered to protest a state government-sponsored defence conference in Sydney, amid criticism that Israel’s largest weapons companies were attending the event.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, defended the state government’s sponsorship of the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition.
Queensland teachers voted to take strike action in the next three weeks, after knocking back a pay offer from the state government last Friday.
Updated
Liberals abandon super for housing policy
The opposition has confirmed it has dumped controversial plans to allow Australian first home buyers to access some of their superannuation savings for a deposit.
Before the May election, the Peter Dutton-led opposition said it would allow first home buyers and older women to access up to $50,000 from their retirement savings to go towards the deposit for their first home. Economists said the plan could push up house prices and do little for people most in need of help getting into the housing market.
On Monday the shadow minister for housing and homelessness, Andrew Bragg, told ABC TV the policy was dead, part of a review of all its election promises.
“We won’t have that policy again,” he said.
I think it’s not necessarily going to solve the problem and I think we need to have more effort on the supply side. There may still be a case for some demand side measures, but I want to reorient … our overall position.”
In Senate question time on Tuesday, the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, called the change in policy “a crab walk away” from the previous policy:
There it went on the floor, on the scrap heap.
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