The day that was, Thursday 7 December
We are going to wrap up the blog here on the last sitting day for 2023. It’s been a busy day to say the least. Here’s what made the news:
A big chunk of the government’s industrial relations agenda passed the parliament, including a criminal offence for industrial manslaughter as well as “closing the loophole”.
A landmark review into the NDIS scheme has found the critical lifeboat supporting more than 600,000 Australians with disabilities needs to be fixed to ensure its future sustainability for decades to come.
The government detailed how new legislation aimed to ensure community protection following the passage of citizenship cessation laws in parliament.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the opposition did not take up an offer from the government for a briefing on the legal advice surrounding the NZYQ high court ruling.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, echoed the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, in warning Israel against driving Gaza’s civilian population “into the arms of the enemy”.
We’ll be back tomorrow with a live blog on all the latest news of the day.
Until then, enjoy your evening.
Updated
Labor MPs say more rent control measures ‘too great a risk to bear’ and could make things worse for renters
Both the Coalition and Labor senators said they did not support a rent cap, with Labor MPs Marielle Smith and Louise Pratt saying the recent increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance and Labor’s plan to build 30,000 social and affordable rental homes in five years would help to elevate the pressure in the market.
They wrote:
On the balance of the evidence provided to the committee from housing policy experts, Labor Senators are of the view that the potential unintended consequences of implementing a strict rent freeze and additional rent control measures are too great a risk to bear and could ultimately make things worse for those they seek to help.
The committee did agree that banning no-grounds evictions, including after the first term, and curtailing rent bidding would help better protect renters.
In August this year, the federal government announced it would work with the states and territories to develop a “genuine reasonable grounds for eviction, having consideration to the current actions of some jurisdictions”.
The inquiry heard that almost 650,000 households across Australia were in severe housing stress, with stories of renters struggling amid soaring prices and low vacancy rates.
Updated
