What we learned: Tuesday 28 March
And that wraps our news for this evening. Here is what hit the headlines today:
David Pocock announced he would be voting for the safeguard mechanism, making up the last vote the government needs for the legislation to pass the Senate.
Electricity giant Origin Energy was taken over by Brookfield and MidOcean in an $18bn-plus bid. The deal means AGL Energy will be Australia’s only publicly listed energy player of any size.
NSW Labor’s leader Chris Minns was sworn in as the 47th premier of New South Wales.
The federal industry minister, Ed Husic, secured necessary cross-bench support for the national reconstruction fund, meaning the bill is set to pass the Senate.
Labor MP Josh Burns said the recent questioning of the Indigenous voice to parliament’s scope is an attempt by the opposition to “muddy the waters”.
And the government’s planned reforms to whistleblower protections have been delayed.
Updated
ACT Independent Senator David Pocock has confirmed support for the government’s National Reconstruction Fund Corporation Bill 2023, following an agreement today with industry and science minister Ed Husic.
Critical to the success of the NRF is ensuring there’s a sustainable pipeline of eligible projects at a stage suitable for funding through the corporation.
This is especially important for Canberra’s burgeoning startup sector and I welcome the government’s commitment to exploring additional policy mechanisms that would provide Australian startups access to finance as they navigate the path to commercialisation.
This commitment will help address one of the biggest challenges local firms raise with me around the need for more of that early capital to get them through the valley of death.
The bill is set to pass senate, after Labor met Greens demand for a ban on reconstruction fund investment in coal, gas and native logging earlier this month.
