What we learned; Wednesday 29 March
We’re going to wrap up the live blog now. Here’s what made the news today:
Australia’s annual inflation rate slowed in February, led by smaller rises for fuel and housing, adding to evidence that the worst of the price increases has passed.
Seven members of the Coalition, including the frontbenchers Angus Taylor, Andrew Hastie, Dan Tehan and Ted O’Brien, have apologised for leaving parliament after the speaker had ordered doors to be closed.
The spy agency Asio will take over issuing the highest level security clearances in Australia in response to what the government calls “the unprecedented threat from espionage and foreign interference”.
The attorney general, Mark Dreyus, announced Paul Brereton will lead the national anti-corruption commission when it launches in the middle of the year.
The Albanese government could have to make decisions on whether to approve up to 28 coalmine developments that would make it harder to meet emission reduction targets set under its newly approved climate policy, according to a new analysis.
Assessment and support services for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder will be the subject of parliamentary scrutiny after the Australian Senate backed a Greens proposal for an inquiry on the issue.
Thanks for sticking with us today. Amy Remeikis will be back with you early tomorrow morning. Have a great night.
Updated
Traditional owner ‘shocked and distressed’ by treatment ahead of Obama event
Traditional owner Aunty Joy Murphy has said she was prevented from performing a welcome to country ceremony at an event with former US president, Barack Obama, in Melbourne.
In a statement, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation said Aunty Murphy had previously welcomed dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. It is concerned by what it describes as “a lack of understanding and respect” shown to the senior elder by event organisers.
Here’s the statement from Aunty Murphy:
I have been shocked and distressed by the way I have been treated by event organisers.
I am 78 years of age. I have never been treated or spoken to in this way in the past. I do not want this to be a reflection on President Obama. I am a leader of the Wurundjeri Nation. I asked to be treated as an equal.
Updated
Collingwood confirms support for yes campaign
The Collingwood football club has issued a statement confirming the organisation supports an Indigenous Voice to parliament.
Here’s part of the statement:
The Collingwood Football Club has been on a journey for a number of years now to better understand its past in order to be better for the future and the board’s support for a First Nations Voice to parliament is a natural progression of its commitment to doing and being better.
Over the course of recent months, the club has engaged and provided safe spaces for our players and staff to more deeply understand the conversation ahead of each Australian being asked to participate in a Referendum later this year to enshrine a First Nations Voice in the Australian constitution.
The board acknowledges and understands that to be better as a country and to enact meaningful change, we need to hear from First Nations peoples; their needs and aspirations. In doing so, it has been important for the Club to facilitate discussions from both sides of the ‘YES and ’NO’ campaigns to help inform individual decision-making. The club has engaged First Nations experts to present on both the YES and NO campaigns to its people.
(…)
The club wants to be clear, we are not instructing anyone on how to vote but rather state that as a board, we believe supporting a First Nations Voice to parliament is the right thing to do.
That statement briefly alludes to it, but the club itself was hit with allegations of structural racism after an independent investigation two years ago.
Updated
Liberal senator introduces cryptocurrency regulation
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg has introduced a private members bill that aims to regulate the cryptocurrency sector, which he has criticised the government for failing to legislate since coming into government.
The proposed legislation would require exchanges to be licensed by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, which would close a loophole which has allowed cryptocurrency companies to take over other companies with financial services licences and present them as holding licences to consumers - even though that licence does not cover crypto.
Failed crypto exchange FTX and a number of others that operate in Australia have obtained licences through this method, and in the case of FTX, while the company was under examination by Asic at the time of collapse, the regulator had not taken any action to suspend its licence prior to the collapse.
Bragg’s bill would also regulate stablecoins among other measures.
He said:
If the government does not want to act, the parliament must.
The Digital Assets Bill will put Australia back into the race to regulate. This will protect consumers and promote investment.
The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, issued a token mapping discussion paper in February on potential regulation of the sector. Submissions closed on 3 March, but none have yet been published and the government has yet to announce any plans to regulate.
Updated
Senate inquiry to investigate corporate greenwashing
A Senate inquiry will soon examine the impacts of greenwashing on consumers and the environment. The environment and communications references committee will recommend how to improve transparency and accountability.
Earlier this month, the competition watchdog announced it would step up its probe of companies’ environmental claims after an initial sweep found more than half made misleading statements ranging from overstating climate action to developing their own certification schemes.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young will lead the committee:
With recent ACCC figures showing over half of brands making false green claims to make themselves sound ‘greener’, corporate greenwashing is out of control, and it is the environment and consumers that are paying the price.
Australians are more concerned about our environment than ever before, and they want to do the right thing by the planet when choosing products and services. They should be able to have confidence that when brands claim to be green it must be true.
Whether it’s the clothing on our backs, or the food and drink we consume, everyday Australians are confronted with false environmental claims everywhere.
Updated
Dreyfus praises Brereton as ‘the best person’ for job as anti-corruption commissioner
The attorney-general, Mark Dreyus, has said Paul Brereton has the experience and skill needed to lead the national anti-corruption commission when it launches in the middle of the year.
Here’s what the AG told Afternoon Briefing:
Paul Brereton is one of Australia’s most experienced investigators. He’s had a very, very good judicial career and before that, a career as a barrister. I’m completely confident that after the merit-based appointments process that he was selected by, that we have the best person for the job.
It’s a very important appointment, obviously. Both he and the two deputy commissioners that are to be appointed, Nicole Rose, who is a very experienced public servant, presently the CEO of Austrac, and Ben Gauntlett, presently the disability discrimination commissioner but also a lawyer. I’m confident with Paul as commissioner and these two deputy commissioners, we’ve got a very, very good team.
Claims Andrews at risk of Chinese influence ‘laughable’, assistant treasurer says
The Victorian government denies the premier could be manipulated by the Chinese government during his first visit to the country since the Covid-19 outbreak.
Daniel Andrews arrived in Beijing on Tuesday to begin a five-day visit to meet with senior officials on issues of trade and international students.
A government-distributed itinerary said Andrews met with Chinese education minister Huai Jinpeng to discuss the safety of Chinese students in Victoria, postgraduate student exchanges and special needs education.
The premier also met with the mayor of Beijing and the vice-president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
That association was criticised in 2020 by former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who accused it of “co-opting subnational governments” to “directly and malignly influence state and local leaders”.
On Wednesday, Andrews travelled from Beijing to Nanjing for meetings with the Communist party secretary of Jiangsu and the mayor of Jiangsu.
Chinese media outlets this week aired old footage from 2017 of Andrews saying there needed to be respectful dialogue between China and Australia.
Victorian assistant treasurer, Danny Pearson, denied Andrews was at risk of Chinese influence or interference. Here’s what he told reporters:
I don’t think anyone has manipulated the premier ever.
The premier is his own man and the notion he’s some sort of Manchurian candidate is just laughable.
– via AAP
Updated
'First of its kind': nature repair market launched to incentivise conservation
Earlier today, the environment minister Tanya Plibersek introduced legislation to establish a nature repair market to incentivise private restoration and protection of nature.
Under the scheme, landholders would be issued tradeable certificates for projects that improve biodiversity.
Plibersek said the market would be “the first of its kind in the world” and would encourage “good environmental work” and “make it easier for businesses, philanthropists and other Australians to invest in these activities that repair and protect nature”.
Introduction of the legislation followed two months of public consultation. The proposal has been controversial with some critics concerned it monetises core conservation work that should be funded by governments.
There are also concerns about where market demand will come from, with several groups calling for the scheme to explicitly exclude trading of certificates as offsets for the destruction of habitat for developments. In the proposal’s current form, offsets appear to be factored in as a source of demand under the scheme.
People will be examining the legislation closely before it goes to the Senate for debate.
Brendan Sydes, of the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the government should focus on strengthening Australia’s environmental laws before creating a new market. He said the government should not view offsets as a potential source of demand for credits issued under any scheme:
The test for success of a nature repair market must be whether it delivers genuine benefits for nature.
Linking ‘nature repair’ so closely to the generation of offsets risks facilitating the destruction of more existing wildlife habitat.
Jody Gunn, the chief executive of the Australian Land Conservation Alliance, the peak body representing organisations that manage projects on private land, welcomed the bill’s introduction.
The global and national finance gap to address the biodiversity crisis is significant. We need all hands on deck – government, philanthropy and private funding will all be critical to turn the tide on Australia’s biodiversity scorecard.
But she said the organisation did not support the market being used to facilitate environmental offsets for major developments, especially offsets at any significant scale.
The Greens environment spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, said the party had serious concerns about the government’s environmental priorities:
Australia’s environment needs protection, not a ‘Green Wall Street’ propped up by bogus offsets.
Nothing in this bill will save Australia’s koalas from extinction. Until we have laws that protect critical habitat and stop native forest logging, no amount of market spin will save nature.
Updated
Lidia Thorpe votes with Coalition on Indigenous land council inquiry
The independent senator, Lidia Thorpe, has voted with the Coalition for a motion to inquire into Indigenous bodies including land councils. The motion was defeated 30 votes to 29.
In January Guardian Australia revealed that Thorpe put her name to the establishment of the inquiry before being forced to withdraw by the Greens leader, Adam Bandt.
Thorpe then blamed an “administrative error” for the move in November, when she briefly teamed up with the Nationals’ Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Liberal James McGrath, among others, to ask the Senate for a year-long inquiry, which would run throughout the voice referendum debate.
But after quitting the Greens to sit as an independent, Thorpe re-added her name to the motion.
The motion was put to a vote on Wednesday, but was defeated by Labor, the Greens and the independent senator David Pocock.
Updated
Four appear in court over Cassius Turvey’s alleged murder
Four people accused of fatally bashing Indigenous teenager Cassius Turvey as he walked home from school in Perth have returned to court.
Police will allege Cassius, a 15-year-old Noongar Yamatji boy, was chased down and attacked with a metal pole as he was walking with friends on 13 October 2022.
He suffered serious head injuries and died in hospital 10 days later, triggering an outpouring of grief and anger across the nation.
Brodie Lee Palmer, 27, Mitchell Colin Forth, 24, Jack Steven James Brearley, 21, and Aleesha Louise Gilmore, 20, have been charged with murder over the death.
They briefly appeared on Wednesday via video link in Stirling Gardens magistrates court when their cases were mentioned.
None have entered pleas in response to the charge and all were remanded in custody until 24 May for another mention ahead of a committal hearing.
Brearley was charged in October, while Palmer, Forth and Gilmore were charged in January.
Police allege the trio were with Brearley during the assault on the teen. The court heard Brearley’s case was ready to proceed to a committal hearing and lawyers were preparing documents for the other three cases.
– via AAP
Updated
Goodbye from Amy and welcome Henry
The House is getting ready to wrap up and I really don’t think anyone in the Senate can handle looking at each other for much longer, so I am going to bid you adieu and hand you over to Henry Belot for the evening.
I will be back very early tomorrow to take you through the last sitting day for a month – so make sure you have your coffee and fortitude ready!
And thank you for bearing with us when it comes to the comments – we miss you too and we do try to keep them open for as long as possible, but it is not always possible. You can always reach me here and here though, if you have something you’d like to say, or add to the conversation.
Stick around with Henry, and as always – take care of you.
Updated
Sydney University strikes to continue after 'unprecedented' meeting of 700 staff
It’s official – the University of Sydney’s strike campaign will be the longest of any tertiary institution in Australia after a record meeting of more than 700 staff voted strongly in favour of further industrial action.
Union members and students will hit the placards on Friday this week and Wednesday next week in rejection of management’s latest enterprise bargaining proposal. It marks nine days of strikes since negotiations began more than 21 months ago.
Nick Riemer, president of the university’s branch of the NTEU said it was now an “unprecedented situation” for the faculty.
It’s the biggest meeting Sydney University has held in its history and there’s no doubt this strike has been the longest campaign on any Australian campus in the history of the NTEU... it’s remarkable people still have it in them.
Provost and the vice chancellor are unable to guarantee the smooth running of the university while maintaining attacks on staff conditions … this should create a serious crisis for them.
An unprecedented meeting of 700+ @NTEUnion members has just convincingly voted to continue our strike campaign. This is the biggest single number of members voting to strike that we have *ever had* - and it's 21 months into a hard campaign. Register for the pickets! #USydstrike. pic.twitter.com/c2Ool2sNrg
— Nick Riemer (@NickRiemer1) March 29, 2023
Riemer said management was still unwilling to attend bargaining meetings and were still represented by a lawyer who flew from interstate.
We need to see more being done to protect teaching focused staff - we need to see a better pay offer, we need to see a commitment to a parity target for Indigenous employment and more improvements for professional and casual staff.
Last week, the jury was out over whether industrial action would go ahead with a vote of about 600 split exactly down the middle. In an email sent to staff, management committed to preserving the 40/40/20 model – a key union demand that ensures academic loads are split evenly between research and teaching, with 20% of time allocated to administrative work.
The latest proposal also offered a 10% increase on new continuing academic roles from 300 to 330, with a “significant number” put aside for casual staff. The university’s current financial offer is around a 15% salary increase over three years plus a $2,000 sign-on payment.
Updated
I miss home.
The councillors were too stunned to speak https://t.co/Xsdnydkr2O
— Eden Gillespie (@edengillespie) March 29, 2023
Counting to three in QT – from the lens of Mike Bowers
Updated
Shorten accuses Robert of ‘gaslighting the dead’ on robodebt; withdraws comment
After question time, the government services minister, Bill Shorten, used a personal explanation to accuse Stuart Robert of “gaslighting the dead and bereaved” over robodebt. He withdrew that remark.
The substance of the dispute is whether Jarrad Madgwick, who took his own life after receiving a debt notice, had received a robodebt or not. Robert has claimed he did not.
Shorten told the House of Representatives that he has received advice from Services Australia that the “debt was raised as a result of an income compliance review” and therefore was part of the robodebt program.
The manager of opposition business, Paul Fletcher, objected.
Robert said it “remains the case, and remains the fact” that Madgwick’s debt was “properly raised, and was not done fully or partially using income averaging” and was therefore not part of robodebt.
Updated
Defence strategic review out in a month, not next week, Marles clarifies
Richard Marles has corrected his answer in question time earlier when he said the defence strategic review would be released “next week”. He has now said that it is in fact the government’s intention “to release that review in a month’s time”.
Updated
Question time ends
Mark Butler takes one more dixer and then Anthony Albanese mercifully ends question time.
One. More. To. Go.
Expect tomorrow’s to be particularly feral – it is the last one for a month, with the Easter break coming up, meaning no parliament until the budget is handed down in the first week of May. And the Aston byelection will be held on Saturday. So last chance to see if anyone is paying attention (the lack of early voter engagement would say, no. No one is)
Updated
Poster brain is not limited to Twitter. It is also present in the parliament.
So the LNP filibuster in the Senate last night on the Safeguard mechanism and in her speech Lib Senator Sarah Henderson blamed the govt for breaking a promise on a more family-friendly parliament! pic.twitter.com/yk4PFvTqew
— Greg Jericho (@GrogsGamut) March 29, 2023
Updated
Anthony Albanese answered that question by saying he was not a lawyer and quoting actual lawyers, including Julian Leeser himself, who have said they do not see an issue with the voice when it comes to the courts.
(None of this is new.)
No one can stop people from taking challenges to the court – people can choose to litigate any number of things. But it is about whether there are fundamental legal issues with the existence of the voice, and the overwhelming legal view is that no, there is not.
Updated
Word of the day: justiciable
The shadow attorney general Julian Leeser asks Anthony Albanese whether the voice is justiciable (which means able to be judged by the court).
Tony Burke is on his feet to say that the question is against standing orders.
Standing order 98 D expressly says what question must not ask ministers. There is nothing in this question other than a legal opinion. The entire question is a legal opinion, there is nothing else in it at all, if there was ever a question that just completely offends the prohibition in standing order 98, this is it.
Peter Dutton says it is in order:
This question is completely in order, goes to the design feature of the Voice, goes to public commentary to the prime minister has been making freely to this very question and he should be able to answer the question in this parliament.
Milton Dick asks Leeser to rework the question and Leeser comes back with:
Is the government’s policy intention that the voice be justiciable?
As Paul Karp points out, the question doesn’t actually make a lot of sense, because it should be “are the decisions of the voice justiciable” because otherwise it makes it sound that they expect litigation arguing the voice shouldn’t exist.
Updated
Rebekha Sharkie compares Labor election promises of community solar batteries to sports rorts
The independent MP for Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie, asks:
The department, in response to selection criteria for the community batteries and household solar grants program, stated the selections were determined by the Australian Labor party while in opposition prior to the May 2022 federal election. The department was not involved in these decisions and has no records or documents to show the criteria applied to processes involved in making approved eligible selection locations. How is this different to sports rorts?
Chris Bowen:
I must say, with respect to the member, it would have been rather surprising if the Department of Energy was involved in election commitments we made from a position.
I’m not quite sure how that would have worked.
It was our election commitment for 58 community batteries out of a program of 400.
And yes, there were election commitments that will be delivered, and I’m happy to report to the member that the process of determining the service providers who will deliver these 58 is well in advance, and the Department of Industry has called for tenders. Those tenders have closed, those bids are being considered in relation to the rest of the batteries, the rest of the 400. I’m pleased to inform the member that they will be calling for tenders and bids from communities and network service providers as to [which] communities should host the rest of those batteries.
Yes, oppositions make election commitments, yes we do; oppositions make election commitments.
The government who was elected will deliver, so those 58 sites will be delivered. The rest of those sites are open for tender … in the first week of April, I’m pleased to advise the honourable member.
Sharkie attempts to table the FoI report, but Tony Burke denies leave, as he says given it is an FoI, it is already public.
Updated
Opposition becoming ‘one of those cults that say the world is going to end’, PM says
Anthony Albanese turns the latest “Why do Australians always pay more under Labor?” question into “This is why NSW Labor won Penrith”.
One of the things that they were looking for in Penrith when I was there was an end to … your philosophy, it’s all doom and the world will end. Everything is all terrible.
Those opposite are turning into one of those cults that say the world is going to end; every time the centre passes a piece of legislation, they put their robes on, they put their robes on and all get ready because it’s all going to end. Whether it’s a safeguard mechanism, whether it’s the national reconstruction fund, whether it’s industrial relations.
Remember the IR legislation? They said small business was going to be destroyed by that. There were going to be mass strikes. The only strike we have seen has been from the leader of the opposition entering New South Wales. That’s the only strike that we have seen.
The fact is we are getting on with the business of making a positive difference. Whether it’s … action such as safeguard mechanism, whether it is dealing with supply chain issues through the national reconstruction fund, whether it is housing through the Housing Australia future fund, whether it be the industrial relations legislation, [or] the legislation that I spoke on before question time, about gender pay equity.
All of these things, what we’re doing is working … constructively for solutions because that is what Australians are looking for. They had conflict fatigue, they want a government that will deliver, make a difference, notwithstanding the challenges that are before the global economy.
A government that is actually legislating on agenda and making a positive difference. And that is the feedback I got in Penrith last Friday.
Updated
Daniel Andrews to meet with Jiangsu province leaders in China
The Victorian premier’s private office has provided an update of Daniel Andrew’s second day on his China trade mission.
The four-day trip – focused on boosting the cohort of Chinese students in the state – has sparked criticism for the exclusion of journalists and higher education leaders.
The update says the premier is expected on Wednesday to meet with Xin Changxing, party secretary of the CPC Jiangsu provincial committee, and Xu Kunlin, governor of Jiangsu.
The premier’s private office has also provided an update about Andrews’ meetings on Tuesday. The office said a meeting with education minister included discussions about further exchanges for postgraduate students including short-stay visits.
Updated
This seems as a good a time as any to remind you that we will be running a live blog on Saturday night, following along with the Aston byelection, because there is no such thing as too much punishment.
Albanese: "[Dutton] might not have been able to go to NSW but we made sure he was there. We made sure he had a big presence. And here's a tip - he will be there in Aston as well on Saturday." #auspol #qt
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) March 29, 2023
EXPECT SCARY CORFLUTES
Bandt asks whether Labor will treat housing and rental crisis with same urgency as power bills
Adam Bandt has another of the crossbench questions.
When electricity bills were rising, you pulled together all the states and territories and parliaments across the country … to deal with it. With a fully fledged rental crisis, ripping millions of people who need help right now – not in the future but right now – will you show the same level of urgency and organise a national rent freeze?
Anthony Albanese:
I do have a proposal to change the constitution that we are talking about here. But that sort of measure would require us to take over from state and territory governments and he knows it. One of the things I won’t do, won’t do, is promise absolute pixie dust. Because that is what that is. It is what it is.
The fact is that the commonwealth government and the member knows full well. Come on! No!
Bandt is shaking his head, Paul Karp tells me, but he can’t hear what Bandt is saying because the Coalition is jeering so loud.
Peter Dutton has a point of order that is not a point of order and Albanese refers to “angry Peter” being back, to which Dutton responds that Albanese has a “glass jaw”.
Meanwhile, rents are going up around the country and there are thousands of Australians experiencing housing stress.
Albanese returns to the question:
The Greens party asked about housing policy and asked about the cost of housing.
… You cannot have credibility coming in here, saying we don’t think $10 billion is enough, we want $20 billion, therefore we will oppose $10 million. It’s absurd! [He is talking about the housing fund.]
To vote for zero rather than to vote for progress. The Housing Australia future fund is on top of the housing accord, on top of the commonwealth state housing agreement, on top of the homelessness plan that we have as well.
It is in addition to commonwealth rent assistance as well; all of those measures, all of those measures represent a comprehensive plan.
One of the things that we do not have control over, and the member knows quite well that we are not able to do, is, as a commonwealth government, flick a switch and demand a rent freeze. He knows that that is not possible.
He knows it is not real and he should do better than coming here and make statements that he knows cannot be delivered.
We can deliver something, he can talk to his senators across there and say en bloc [vote for it].
(Much like there are Liberal MPs who now seem to think the almighty free market isn’t always right, now that they sit on the other side of the chamber, Labor MPs suddenly seem powerless to act on housing prices now that they are on the government benches. Just magic how that happens!)
Updated
PM says he hopes LNP MP told constituents ‘sorry for voting against $1.5bn on energy price relief’
LNP MP Luke Howarth (who I forgot about until he stepped up to ask a question) wants to know why people always pay more under Labor.
Except he asks it like “wHY dO aUstraLIan FamILiEs AlwAys pAY mORe unDeR LaBor?”
He uses the case study of constituents who are paying more for groceries.
(For champions of the free market, which apparently is never wrong, some Liberal MPs sure want governments to step in and fix systemic issues with our markets. It’s almost like moving to the opposition side of the chamber brings with it some clarity.)
Anthony Albanese:
Australians paid more under the Coalition and inflation because the largest increase, the largest increase in any quarter this entry was March 2022, 2.1%. Australians paid more tax, more tax – the highest taxing government in modern Australian history was the Howard government, the second-highest, the second-highest was the Abbott, Turnbull, Morrison government. That is a fact. The deficit was larger under those opposite.
Now, we understand that there are inflationary pressures in the economy; today the inflation figures have come off a bit, the monthly figures, but we understand that there is more work to be done, we understand that the pressure that constituents [face], such as the ones mentioned by the member for Petrie …
And that is why, that’s why, I just hope that the member for Petrie told those people that, yes, that is true, I get that it’s tough, sorry for voting against $1.5 billion on energy price relief.
Updated
Meanwhile, in New Zealand:
Jan Tinetti's office say she is sore but on the road to recovery and has been given the rest of the day off.https://t.co/KHFGPIPiyt
— Ben McKay (@benmackey) March 29, 2023
Updated
Which governments does Australia always pay more under?
LNP MP Michelle Landry is next on the “why does everyone always pay more under Labor” train, and honestly, at this stage, I think it would be less painful if I just referred you to the Hansard from any sitting day in the last three months.
When it comes to tax though – fun fact, Australia always pays more tax under the Coalition. The Howard-Costello government comes in first as the highest taxing government in Australia’s parliamentary history and the former government comes in second.
Updated
Albanese rattles off series of industry endorsements of ‘certainty’ given by safeguard mechanism
The Liberal MP for Menzies, Keith Wolahan, wants to know:
Gas producers warn the prime minister’s deal with the Greens will create more hurdles and reduce investments in new gas projects. With new projects facing the axe which will increase energy costs, and warnings to Victorians [over] gas shortages this winter, when will this out-of-touch prime minister admit this will make a bad situation was for families and businesses?
Anthony Albanese, after his “you didn’t vote for the relief” routine, says:
What industry has had to say about what has been announced – the Business Council of Australia said this: “This is welcome progress towards ending the impasse of climate and energy policy and delivering certainty about the future. Businesses agree that we cannot make the same mistakes as the past by letting ambiguity and uncertainty undermine progress. Australia needs a credible, durable framework to reach its climate targets and grow the economy.”
The Australian Industry Group said this: “It’s a good deal, overall industry will view the announced deal with some relief that pragmatism and reasonable compromise has prevailed. This gives industry certainty it needs to make the investments it needs to both keep the lights on and industry moving.”
And the Australian Chamber of Commerce said this: “We welcome the certainty, the agreement will bring.” The certainty the agreement will bring.
And the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association said this: “APGA welcomes the certainty of the reforms safeguard mechanism, which will help Australia reach its emissions reductions target faster.”
That is what we have to say.
He then tries to link it to the Aston byelection, but he is out of time.
Updated
At the end of all of that though, Richard Marles did say that the government would release the strategic defence review it had ordered next week.
Updated
Richard Marles continues criticisms of former government’s defence policy of ‘making announcements’
The defence minister, Richard Marles, is still working through the criticism of the previous government that Labor cut funding to defence when it was last in government and now never lets an opportunity to criticise the former government on its defence funding go by.
Today’s effort includes these lines:
The heart of the former government’s defence strategic policy was making announcements.
When it came to announcements, they were a formidable power; they would make announcements at the press club, make announcements at the defence bases. They would make announcements with the Top Gun music, they would make announcements about defensive capabilities, they made announcements about announcements and when the announcements were finished, they would brief the media, and we were presented with visions of future next-generation weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
What stood behind those announcements was a different story. And often it was absolutely nothing.
… That is the legacy that those opposite have left us. It is literally all announcement and no delivery. It is as if they thought they could walk on to the battlefield with a megaphone and announce our adversaries into submission.
Updated
Andrew Wilkie presses government on community opposition to funding third AFL stadium in Tasmania
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie wants to know:
I refer to my repeated lobbying you and your government to not contribute funding for a third AFL stadium in Tasmania.
… The community remains overwhelmingly opposed to the proposal and rightly insists more federal funding go to the things that really matter. In light of all this, will you rule out funding this ridiculous idea?
Anthony Albanese won’t commit either way.
I am proud that Labor governments have such a strong history of investing in Tasmania. I know that in the past I have constructively worked for the member … on the proposals including the $50 million at the federal government provided for them a grade-point site way back in 2012.
It is true that since then, there was a failure to invest and progress open redevelopment on that side. I think that site is ideal for a significant urban project and renewable for Tasmania. I thought that for a long time. It is unfortunate that the site still has remediation work to do.
I understand the member’s position and he has put it very clearly. I will continue to work constructively with the Tasmanian government of Premier Rockliff, I will continue to engage with him and as the member knows, the Tasmanian premier in particular has a very strong view about this. Proposals have been submitted to the government and they have been considered as part of a budget process.
He goes on, but that is the gist of it.
Updated
Ed Husic continues his victory lap on the national reconstruction fund getting passed through the parliament.
Moving on.
Albanese: Opposition have ‘stopped participating in debate’ and ‘just say no to absolutely everything’
The Liberal MP for Flinders, Zoe McKenzie (who is wearing a moon boot I think), has a question for Anthony Albanese:
Last week’s ANZ consumer confidence survey shows consumers are as pessimistic as when the pandemic started, it’s about time to buy major household items and mortgage holders are increasingly grim. But the prime minister says Australians have had a good 10 months. When will this out-of-touch prime minister finally admit that Australia families always pay more under Labor?
Albanese responds (after accidentally referring to Brendan O’Connor as the member for O’Connor, which is actually Rick Wilson – the perils of an Anglo-dominant society, huh?) with “Well, what have you done about it?” (as a vibe, obviously I am paraphrasing):
Earlier today, you had the bizarre situation of those opposite, actually calling a division after the Senate returned to the national reconstruction fund legislation to this parliament.
That’s about growth, that’s about investment, it’s about making sure that our economy grows and on top of that, of course, you have the $1.5 billion in the energy price relief plan.
Something that was opposed by those opposite. Something that was opposed by those opposite.
The fact is that those opposite are coming here, they just oppose everything, they’ve stopped participating in debate, they are just the observers of Australian politics, the people who just … say no to absolutely everything that is put forward, who never move amendments, who don’t [have] any constructive alternative.
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Just 15% of Australians feel companies are doing enough to protect data and privacy
While 84% of Australians feel that companies should be responsible for keeping their data safe, only 15% think those companies are doing enough to protect their privacy, a survey has found.
Independent thinktank Consumer Policy Research Centre conducted a nationally representative survey of 1000 Australians in March this year, canvassing their views around online data privacy.
The survey found that only 7% of people feel that companies give them real choices to protect their privacy online, with researchers saying “the take-it- or-leave-it approach to privacy policies doesn’t give people real choice”.
Seventy-nine per cent of people are not comfortable with companies sharing or selling their personal information under any circumstances, despite whole industries existing to do just this.
The research also showed that 90% of people expect companies to prevent misuse of their data that leaves them worse off, and 82% support “a strong regulator that has sufficient resources to investigate privacy harms” and has the power to “pause, test or ban” potentially harmful practices.
The research comes as the government looks to finalise its response to the recent review of the Privacy Act. The public feedback window for this closes on Friday.
CPRC digital policy director Chandni Gupta said the current review of the Privacy Act needed to focus on making businesses more accountable:
It is clear that Australians deserve much more when it comes to keeping their data safe and using it responsibly. The law needs to catch up.
CPRC is calling on the federal government to match laws with consumer expectations, including empowering the regulator to ban or restrict “harmful” data-sharing and tracking practices. Gupta:
There is a responsibility shift required so Australians can trust that businesses are gathering only required data and keeping it safe.
There needs to be clear rules about what businesses can and can’t do with our data.
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Question time begins
May Dolly have mercy on us.
Peter Dutton starts with the same question we have heard, as Sussan Ley put it earlier this week, “hundreds of times” – and nothing has changed, in either the question or the answer.
It’s about the $275 cut to power bills by 2025, which was Labor’s promise during the election, based on modelling of the impact of its rewiring the nation program.
Dutton is right in that the government hasn’t mentioned it again, but also, things have sort of changed globally. And power prices were going up under the Coalition.
(Not having an energy policy tends to have repercussions.)
Dutton asks:
Australians are hurting and the government is making the situation worse, not better. Prime minister, how can Australians trust you and this government when you continue to fail to live up to you word and your promise?
Anthony Albanese continues his one-man show, One Answer, 786 Ways, and says:
The leader of the opposition would know full well what the circumstances are, because he came in here in December and voted against energy price relief. Voted against $1.5 billion of support on energy policy. And the leader of the opposition might be confused because they had 22 announcements and didn’t legislate one.
But over in the senate, they are discussing the safeguard mechanism, the safeguard mechanism which is the key to driving down emissions by 43% by 2030.
But it’s also the key for investment certainty. The investment certainty the business has been crying out for you. The business certainty that is absolutely necessary.
Now … the predecessor as prime minister, of course, the member for Cook [Scott Morrison], in September 2018 said this: Angus Taylor has one job, get electricity prices down … Now, the member for Cook isn’t known for wanting just one job. That won’t be in the biographies that are written about the member for Cook because multiple jobs were given out to all those opposite.
War in Ukraine, supply chains, big mess, inflation etc, etc – you get the drift.
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Ley predicts many manufacturers’ demise over national reconstruction fund
Further to that Sussan Ley press conference, she had some criticisms over the national reconstruction fund, which the Coalition did not engage on, and linked it to the safeguard legislation, which the Coalition also did not engage on, and also brought in industrial relation changes the Coalition also did not engage with, and came up with:
Australian manufacturers are facing some of the most difficult circumstances that they’ve seen for decades. I make this prediction: many manufacturers that were operating on the first day of Anthony Albanese’s prime ministership will not be in business at the end of this term of parliament. Labor’s national reconstruction fund will not save those manufacturers, it will not save the jobs at risk if they go bust.
So the prime minister can do as many celebratory cartwheels as he likes*, and cheer as loudly as he likes, but Aussie manufacturers are not cheering today. They’re going to the wall because of unaffordable power prices, they cannot operate because of a lack of skilled workforce, and they continue to face disrupted supply chains. Labor is making a bad situation worse, not better. Australian manufacturers are going backwards, not forwards.
Now Labor’s flawed industrial relations changes will make it harder to secure the workforce we need and the deal that was done with the Greens on the safeguards mechanism will drive up power prices.
*Point of order – no disrespect to the PM, but I doubt that man has done a cartwheel in his life.
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Australian organisations including Crown Resorts, University of Melbourne listed on dark web as having data compromised
It has flown under the radar a little due to the Latitude Financial data breach but a number of Australian organisations have been listed on the dark web by cybercriminal group CI0p as having their data compromised in an attack on a file transfer provider GoAnywhere.
The website domains of over 100 organisations have been listed so far including in Australia, Crown Resorts, the University of Melbourne, the Tasmanian government, Rio Tinto and Service Stream.
Crown Resorts and the University of Melbourne have reportedly received threats from the alleged hackers over the data obtained but so far no data has been posted on the dark web.
Emsisoft threat analyst Brett Callow said the scale of the breach could mean CI0p could now be in possession of an enormous amount of data that could be used for other scams or ID fraud, or be posted online for others to use for such attacks.
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The questions continued:
Ken Wyatt said your party runs the risk of being seen globally as racist if you block the Voice to Parliament, is he right?
Ley:
No he is not, with great respect to my friend and former colleague, there is nothing racist about our approach at all. It is simply one that seeks the detail, and we have entered into this process in good faith. We continue to engage respectfully in that debate.
But what I’m not seeing from the Prime Minister in his cursory and dismissive answers in the Parliament is actually a respect from him for the detail and the information that every single Australian deserves. By not releasing the Solicitor General’s advice, when that could in fact provide some of that detail, is actually incredibly unhelpful.
Reporter asks Sussan Ley whether Liberals are adding to public misinformation on Indigenous voice
The transcript for the Sussan Ley press conference has lobbed.
The deputy Liberal leader was also asked about the way the Liberal party is dealing with the voice.
She was asked:
Are you and your colleagues being dishonest in asking for more details and asking answers on specific hypothetical scenarios, particular bills? Are you adding to the public misinformation campaign ahead of the referendum?
Ley responded:
Absolutely not at all. We are engaging in respectful debate, and we are respectfully asking questions and respectfully seeking details.
I’ve actually been disappointed this week, listening to Anthony Albanese in the parliament about the way he’s approached this issue. He has actually sought to weaponise the good faith of the shadow attorney general over many years and that has been totally inappropriate.
All we’re doing … as members of parliament, and as a Liberal party, on behalf of Australians across this country, is seeking answers and asking for details.
The personal offence that the prime minister seems to take whenever he’s asked a question, and the indignation with which he responds, is quite frankly, ridiculous.
I say to the prime minister, just be straight with the Australian people. If there is advice that has been provided by the solicitor general that would help illuminate this debate, then all Australians are entitled to understand the details of this. So why not simply release that advice?
Now today, we hear about leaks from members of the referendum committee, we heard reports about those leaks this morning. Are we seriously going to have a referendum that’s informed by leaks from a committee, when we could in fact have the advice, have the detail, get the answers?
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Question time approaches
It is somehow, inexplicably, almost question time again, even though it feels like we just did that.
The MPs are making their 90-second statements to the house, where they actually speak (a lot of the time) on their communities and things that are important to them.
It’s almost like what question time would be like if party MPs were actually allowed to ask questions on behalf of their constituents, instead of just following party lines.
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Independent MPs call for single parents to be placed back on parenting payment instead of jobseeker
Zoe Daniel and Kylea Tink have co-hosted a press conference calling for the government to reinstate the parenting payment for single parents until their youngest child turns 16.
The independents, supported by colleagues on the crossbench including Dr Monique Ryan, want to see a reversal of the Gillard-era changes which moved single parents on to the jobseeker payment when their child turned eight.
Daniel said:
When I was elected, I said I wanted to speak up for women who didn’t have a voice, and I think this is a classic case of that.
There are roughly 230,000 people on a single parent payment in this country. 220,000 of those are women – that’s more than 95%.
And we know that 60%-plus of them have left a violent relationship.
So, in effect, we are putting women in a position of choosing violence or choosing poverty, and if they want to leave violence, choosing poverty for their children.
This creates not only poverty and challenge for the mum, but intergenerational [ones], obviously, for these children.
And that comes down to things like lack of capacity for the family to accommodate extracurricular activities for these kids – we have choices where we can put our kids into sport, ballet, language classes, and allow them to expand their interests after school, for example.
These mums are forced into a position where, if they can work at all, they’re working in gig work, in casual work, and then if they earn too much money, it’s even taken away from them under the existing single parent payment.
My position is that we have a national plan to end violence against women and children in this country within a generation that is at odds with this policy.
This is something that the government really should and needs to address.
And that’s why my colleagues and I are speaking up on this today.
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John Kerin, minister in Hawke and Keating governments, dies aged 85
Former Hawke and Keating primary industries minister John Kerin (who I think, at eight years, is the longest-serving industries minister Australia has had) has died aged 85.
I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of John Kerin.
— Senator Murray Watt (@MurrayWatt) March 28, 2023
Australia’s best & most reformist Agriculture Minister. Always generous with his advice to me and other Ministers. I will miss those early morning & late night emails.
My condolences to John’s many friends and family. pic.twitter.com/X1cMDD1vLp
John Kerin once wrote, “Politics is like farming; no-one is forced to do it, but someone has to.” John did both, bringing his deep experience of the land to federal Parliament and becoming the best minister for primary industries we've ever had. He will be greatly missed. Vale.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 28, 2023
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Minority Labor government in NSW looking likely as two more seats called
The New South Wales premier, Labor’s Chris Minns, is likely to be forced to govern in minority in the state after the party fell short in two of the key knife-edge contests after Saturday’s election.
Five days after polls closed in the state, and with a new interim government sworn in to power, Labor needs two extra seats to reach the 47 it needs to govern in its own right.
On Wednesday, the path to reaching that number narrowed, with the ABC calling the seat of Kiama for former Coalition minister turned independent Gareth Ward.
Ward, who on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to charges over allegations of historical sexual offences, had been in a tight contest with Labor’s candidate, Katelin McInerney.
McInerney had been ahead on preferences earlier in the count, but the flow of postal votes to Ward has given him an unsurmountable lead, ABC election analyst Antony Green says.
Labor has also fallen short in the seat of Miranda in southern Sydney. Held by another former Coalition minister in Eleni Petinos, the tight result in the seat wasn’t predicted by even the most optimistic of Labor figures.
Petinos, who was dumped from cabinet last year but remained on the backbench, has suffered an almost 13% swing against her but will hold on.
But Labor has not given up hopes of picking up the two extra seats needed. It still has the lead in the north-western Sydney seat of Ryde, and holds an outside chance in two others – Terrigal on the central coast and Holsworthy in the south-west.
The party holds a narrow lead of about 235 votes in Ryde, and is sweating on the split of the remaining postal and absentee votes. Initial postal votes have gone the Liberals’ way, but Labor hopes that will narrow as later votes and absentees come in.
We likely won’t know the outcome until much later this week.
“I’d rather be us than them right now,” is how one Labor insider described that seat.
The other two seats are far more challenging. The Labor candidates trail by 237 and 526 votes in Terrigal and Holsworthy respectively, but the party is hoping remaining votes can narrow the margin.
In Terrigal, another seat where Labor did not expect to be competitive, the party had initially led the vote until the first batch of postals split heavily for the Coalition. It is now hoping that the remaining postals will even out, and that absentee ballots will be in Labor’s favour.
Holsworthy is the most unlikely, but again Labor is hoping postal votes even out while their candidate, Mick Maroney, picks up the bulk of absentee ballots.
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Apologies from MPs for conduct that left parliament attendant injured ‘clearly appropriate’: Ley
Just dipping back into the Sussan Ley presser from a little while ago – the deputy Liberal leader was asked about the members of the Coalition who attempted to leave the house after Milton Dick had ordered the doors to be locked, which resulted in a chamber attendant receiving minor injuries:
I take seriously any incident on the floor of the House of Representatives of the antechamber. I will always thank, praise and call out the good work of our attendants, as will every member of this parliament. There’s no disagreement there.
I didn’t see the events that took place, I didn’t hear everything said at that time, I wasn’t in the parliament. I do understand that members have stood up and apologised unreservedly this morning and I think that’s clearly appropriate.
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Family law advocacy group says reforms need to go further to protect victim-survivors of family violence and abuse
Full Stop Australia says it is pleased with some of the family law act reforms Mark Dreyfus has announced, but the advocacy group hopes to convince the government to go further.
Angela Lynch, who manages the group’s advocacy, said the move to remove “equal responsibility” as the presumption of “equal custody” was a start, but more needed to be done.
The group is calling for:
The development of specialised best interest lists specific to family violence and abuse cases to increase risk and safety considerations.
Including a definition and improving responses to coercive control.
Developing earlier and more robust interventions to stop litigation abuse (where perpetrators use the court system to continue their abuse) before harm has been caused.
Instituting an independent, national, wide-ranging inquiry into responses to child sexual abuse in the family law system led by recognised experts in child sexual abuse.
A review of the national standards for family dispute resolution (including private and court mediation) to ensure family violence safety is prioritised and development of specialised models to allow non-court options when it is safe to do so.
More work to make court processes trauma- and family violence-informed to improve safety.
Support for economic justice for victim-survivors with improvements to the assessment, collection and payment of child support and the better recognition of the devastating financial impact of family violence in property outcomes.
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Sussan Ley criticises national reconstruction fund
Sussan Ley held a press conference on the national reconstruction fund, which the opposition is not happy with, despite not having been part of the negotiations where it could have improved the fund.
Seems to be a pattern.
I’ve just come from the house and I’ve listened to the industry minister talk about saving manufacturing, saving manufacturing jobs, being a country that makes things again, these are all of the good … statements that anyone might make.
But if you link his statements with the reality of his fund, what you see is a complete disconnect.
So we need to support our manufacturers, we absolutely have to, because I genuinely am concerned that many of them will not be in business come the next election, that were in business and did listen to the promises of this government as Anthony Albanese came into government in May 2022.
Now the single biggest issue they face is the cost of energy. And if you can’t power your heavy industry, you can’t make things in this country any more.
You certainly can’t make houses which include steel, aluminium, glass, bricks, concrete – all of which are under attack by the Labor party and the Greens under their safeguard mechanism.
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Not sure how any senator could be smiling after the 4.13am sitting finish and 9am turnaround, but then again that sentence could end after “smiling” and still make sense.
Anyways, Andrew Bragg is happy today.
Today I will introduce a bill to regulate digital assets in Australia. The Labor Government has failed to act. The Parliament must step up to protect Australians & promote investment. pic.twitter.com/rJbN9D6fVv
— Senator Andrew Bragg (@ajamesbragg) March 28, 2023
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Vietnam war medal honours those who were not recognised as they should have been, says veteran affairs minister
The minister for veterans’ affairs, Matt Keogh, says the Vietnam war commemorative medal rights some historical wrongs when it comes to recognising those who served. In many cases it wasn’t even a choice – more than 15,000 young men were conscripted during the Vietnam war.
This was a war that was at times contentious at home, and for some veterans, their service was not recognised as it should have been.
To each and every one of our Vietnam veterans: we honour you. We thank you.
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Safeguard mechanism’s passing assured, but it won’t go down easy
The house has agreed to the Senate amendments to the national reconstruction fund (which had been agreed to before the bill went through its paces in that chamber) and is now being sent for assent.
The Senate now just has to deal with the second reading speeches for the safeguard mechanism as its main order of business before everyone gets to go home tomorrow, but that doesn’t seem overly simple, given the Coalition’s filibustering push.
It will get passed. It’s just going to get messy.
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CPI includes power prices for first time; rises in fuel and travel prices slow down
The ABS CPI numbers include for the first time the monthly change in power prices.
These were up 17.2% from a year earlier. That’s a number that will likely rise a bit more in the year ahead given what’s coming after June, with some states tipping increases of 30% or more.
For the first time, @ABSStats has released a separate series for power prices. Expect a lot of attention on this series in the coming years. pic.twitter.com/tph98Jcs5a
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) March 29, 2023
There’s some relief on another energy front, though, with automotive fuel prices rising an annual rate of 5.6%. Sounds like a lot, but it’s barely a road bump compared to the 43.2% annual pace recorded last June.
Automotive fuel prices rose 5.6% in February from a year earlier - well down from the 43% peak of annual increases recorded last June. (Source: @ABSStats ) pic.twitter.com/u8LiaWKGWH
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) March 29, 2023
Another down arrow of sorts was in the travel and accommodation section – that group’s price increase moderated to 14.9%. Sounds steep, but in December, this measure was up 29.3% – an example of the post-pandemic “revenge spending”, presumably.
The RBA will be looking at how broad-based inflation remains. Yesterday we had February retail sales up modestly – but more than economists had tipped. We’ve also had stronger-than-expected jobs figures for last month.
It’s looking like a tough call for the RBA board next Tuesday.
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Greens treasury spokesperson says interest rate rises ‘must stop’
The Greens treasury spokesperson, Nick McKim, thinks the February CPI figure shows there is no need for further interest rate increases:
Today’s figures are the strongest indication yet that inflation has peaked.
For months the RBA has used the spectre of a wage-price spiral to justify repeated and unnecessary rate hikes. That spectre has now been banished.
By the RBA’s own admission, current high inflation was always a supply side problem. Rate rises were never the right tool to tackle this bout of inflation. And now that inflation is coming down, the rate rises must stop.
The RBA, aided and abetted by a do-nothing Labor government, has inflicted massive pain on renters and mortgage holders with this unnecessary rate hike cycle.
Next week we will see if the RBA is finally prepared to act in the best interests of Australians instead of blindly following the rest of the world towards a recession.
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Labor’s SmartCard bill marks return of cashless welfare card under new name
There were a lot of press releases about the abolition of the cashless welfare card (even thought the basics card remained) but there was more to come – the more being the cashless welfare card, with a new hat.
The biggest expansion of cashless welfare since the introduction of the BasicsCard. The ALP bill sets the framework for a national expansion, just because it says "voluntary" it won't be voluntary for some, and it gives the next coalition gov. the keys to make it mandatory https://t.co/P5CcnXXR7H
— Antipoverty Centre (@antipovertycent) March 28, 2023
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Somewhere, the chaos bench of the Senate is whirring into action …
just how "woke" is the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet (lol)?
— cameron wilson (@cameronwilson) March 29, 2023
4.6% of employees chose to switch the Australia Day holiday to another day according to an FOI'd doc pic.twitter.com/AvQQ63cs3n
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Inflation drivers: new housing, food and non-alcoholic drinks
As noted earlier, the ABS February consumer price index came in a 6.8%.
Market economists had tipped it would come in at 7.2%, or slower than the 7.4% pace in January. December’s 8.4% annual rate looks to have been the peak.
February annual CPI slows further to 6.8% from 7.4% in January. (Market had been expecting about 7.2%, so RBA rate pause next week now a little more likely.) pic.twitter.com/dV5n6dfkSK
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) March 29, 2023
The key inflation drivers last month were new housing, with costs up 9.9% compared with a year ago, food and non-alcoholic drinks, which were up 8%.
Still, the housing cost spurt is the slowest in 12 months. Rents, meanwhile, rose at an annual rate of 4.8%, maintaining the pace we saw January.
The Reserve Bank wants to see inflation back within the 2% to 3% band but it’s prepared to be patient. It doesn’t expect that level to be reached until late 2024 or 2025 (depending on whether you’re counting underlying inflation or not).
More soon.
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Meet the national anti-corruption commission
The national anti-corruption commission has to be ticked off by the governor general:
Commissioner: The Hon Justice Paul Brereton AM RFD
Deputy Commissioner: Ms Nicole Rose PSM
Deputy Commissioner: Dr Ben Gauntlett
Chief Executive Officer: Mr Philip Reed
Inspector: Ms Gail Furness SC
Mark Dreyfus says:
Each proposed appointee was selected in accordance with the government’s merit and transparency policy. They have the experience and capacity to guide the Nacc through its first months and years of operation and set it up for future success.
The proposed appointments to the Nacc have been approved by the parliamentary joint committee on the national anti-corruption commission as required by the National Anti-Corruption Commission Act.
In addition, I have appointed Ms Jaala Hinchcliffe as acting deputy commissioner for up to 12 months or until a third substantive deputy commissioner is appointed.
With these proposed appointments the government is delivering on its commitment to the Australian people to return integrity, honesty and accountability to government by establishing a powerful, transparent and independent national anti-corruption commission in its first term.
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Paul Brereton announced as first federal anti-corruption commissioner
Meanwhile, at Mark Dreyfus’s press conference Australia has its first national anti-corruption commissioner
Mark Dreyfus announcing Paul Brereton (of alleged war crimes report fame) is the first National Anti Corruption Commissioner. #auspol pic.twitter.com/9A0Cdn9j9q
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) March 29, 2023
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Monthly CPI figure is 6.8%
The monthly CPI figure is out – inflation rose by 6.8% in the year to February.
Updated
Palaszczuk lays out affordable housing plan for Queensland
The Queensland government has announced it will fund the purchase of hundreds of homes once it exits the federal government’s national rental affordability scheme (NRAS).
The premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, told parliament on Wednesday that the government’s $2bn housing investment fund would secure housing in Townsville and across south-east Queensland through a partnership with the community housing provider National Affordable Housing.
Palaszczuk said the government would allow National Affordable Housing to “investigate” purchasing up to 335 of the 5,000 homes that investors will sell once they exit the NRAS which wraps up in 2026.
She said 50 homes were already under contract, with the purchase of up to 100 properties expected in the second half of 2023.
“Where the commonwealth government has stepped out of the housing sector, our government will step in,” she said. “These 335 are part of the first tranch … these homes would otherwise have been lost from the pool of affordable properties once they exit the NRAS.”
The government yesterday announced it would limit rent increases to once a year and provide an additional $28m to continue the immediate housing response package for another year to provide emergency hotel accommodation.
The state government also announced a suite of tax concessions for property developers, including slashing land tax in half for 20 years if one in 10 units in a development were “affordable” housing.
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Vietnam war commemoration
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam war and the government has launched a commemorative medallion to honour those who served during the conflict.
Anthony Albanese attended an event with veterans at parliament this morning:
We are extremely grateful to be joined today by some of those fine Australians who donned our uniform to serve in our name in Vietnam.
As prime minister of Australia, I thank you.
Your presence here today honours the families of those we lost. It honours all those you served with. All you experienced together. All you endured together.
Your experiences during and after the war are a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by those who have served our country and the debt of gratitude we owe each and every one of you.
It’s important as Australians that we know the stories of your service in Vietnam, but also what you’ve achieved since.
In your advocacy for your mates, your local community and your continued involvement with ex-service organisations, we see some of the very best of the Australian spirit.
It is that spirit – backed by lived experience – that has seen so many veterans adding to and strengthening communities and businesses with their skills as leaders, planners, thinkers, and communicators.
And an ethos built on service, courage, respect, and integrity.
To every veteran here today, it’s an honour to be here with you.
For those serving men and women, thank you for joining with your veterans and the parliament here today, including the chief of the defence force.
I say today, and every day: thank you for your service.
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Daniel Andrews, online from China
It is 8.15am in Beijing, so Daniel Andrews is starting his day off with his mind on home
Today we're boosting funding for LGBTIQ+ organisations to deliver more vital mental health and support services.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) March 29, 2023
Because the debate of the last week has been toxic, and for trans Victorians it's been deeply personal. pic.twitter.com/sF17yXzXA4
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Inflation statistic due to land
We’ll shortly get consumer price index numbers from the ABS for February. The market is expecting CPI was running at an annual pace of 7.2% last month, or still well outside the 2%-3% band that the Reserve Bank aims for over time.
Such a number would be slower than the 8.4% peak in December and 7.4% pace in January. (To confuse things slightly, CPI in the December quarter was 7.8%.)
Either way, it’ll be a surprise if inflation didn’t continue to slump from its three-decade highs. We did see it pick up, though, in the UK last month, so it’s not at all guaranteed to go down.
The monthly CPI is not treated quite as gospel compared with the quarterly numbers within the RBA. Still, they haven’t had a lot of stats to work with lately, and this is the last one of note that the board will get to chew over before next Tuesday’s board meeting.
As we noted over the weekend, three of the big four commercial banks expect the RBA will lift its key interest rate for an 11th consecutive meeting at next week’s gathering. Investors, bless them, are predicting the central bank will pause for the first time since last April.
Ahead of today's February CPI numbers, investors were 95% sure the RBA would pause in its rate rises in April. (Three of the top four banks expect the RBA will hike another 25bp to 3.85%.) pic.twitter.com/mt8wvuzrpE
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) March 28, 2023
Anyway, we’ll find out shortly which way the scales are tilting.
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Coalition presser coming up
Sussan Ley has called a press conference for 12.30pm in the opposition party room.
There is no mention of what it is for, but given just *gestures at everything* I am sure there will be plenty to talk about.
Updated
(continued from previous post)
Also represented in the panel will be Dr Jordana Hunter, school education program director at the Grattan Institute, president of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Principals Association and principal at Cabbage Tree Island Public School Dyonne Anderson, professor of Educational Leadership at University of Melbourne Pasi Sahlberg, Emeritus professor at Victoria University Stephen Lamb and former Secretary of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Lisa Paul.
A ministerial reference group, to include unions and representatives of the non-government sector, will be announced in the coming weeks.
O’Brien AM:
I look forward consulting broadly to ensure sure we provide ministers evidence informed advice on the types of reforms that can make a lasting difference to our young people and boost educational outcomes for all Australian students – no matter what their background.”
A productivity review into the latest NSRA was damning in its critique, finding its implementation over the past four years had been sluggish with little impact in improving outcomes.
Jason Clare announces expert advisers for school funding
The education minister, Jason Clare, has announced the expert panel to inform the next national school reform agreement (NSRA), due to deliver its report by the end of October.
Dr Lisa O’Brien AM, chair of the Australian Education Research Organisation and former Smith Family CEO will chair the panel, to be composed of six stakeholders and academics in the sector.
The current agreement, which sets out school funding agreements between the commonwealth and state and territories, was due to expire at the end of 2023 but has been extended for another 12 months to the end of 2024 to enable “sufficient time” for negotiations.
It means schools will have to wait until at least 2027 to receive 95% of the schooling resource standard. A key federal government commitment is to get every school to 100% of its fair funding level.
Clare:
This expert panel will zero in on how we can drive real and measurable improvements for students most at risk of falling behind and who need additional support.
There will be a particular focus on students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, regional and remote Australia, First Nations students, students with disability and students from a language background other than English.
It will also look at how we ensure public funding is delivering on national agreements and that all school authorities are transparent and accountable to the community for how funding is invested and measured.
Updated
Gareth Ward poised to return to NSW parliament despite being suspended: ABC
Former New South Wales Coalition minister Gareth Ward is likely to be re-elected to the state’s parliament as an independent as he faces criminal charges over alleged historical sexual offences.
The ABC’s Antony Green called the knife-edge seat of Kiama for Ward on Wednesday morning.
Labor had been ahead on polling night after an 11.8% swing, but a strong preference for Ward among prepoll and postal voters has seen him secure the seat he has held since 2011.
Ward’s likely re-election comes only a day after he pleaded not guilty to a series of alleged sexual offences against a teenage boy and a man.
Police allege that Ward indecently assaulted a 17-year-old boy at Meroo Meadow on NSW’s south coast in February 2013 and that he raped a 27-year-old man in Sydney in September 2015.
After he was charged last year Ward was expelled from the Liberal party and suspended from the parliament.
The incoming Labor premier, Chris Minns, has vowed to continue that suspension until Ward’s criminal case is resolved. He has also said he will not negotiate with Ward to pass legislation.
Labor’s loss in Kiama also essentially ruled out the party’s chances of governing in majority. While that looked likely on election night, the party has since fallen behind in a number of key races. It remains hopeful of picking up the Sydney seat of Ryde, but will probably fall short of the 47 seats needed to govern in its own right.
Updated
War powers bill voted down
As predicted, the Greens war powers bill has been defeated.
Daniel Hurst reports the final numbers were 12 ayes and 26 noes.
Updated
Labor’s Nita Green condemns ‘self-indulgent’ Greens’ campaign on war powers
In the Senate, Labor condemned the Greens over their attempt to campaign on the war powers issue and the tone of the debate.
(The Greens senator Jordon Steele-John had, introducing his private senator’s bill, had said earlier that his push for a parliamentary vote applied only to conflict “beyond our territorial waters” and said “So before you give us that claptrap, I will put that on the record”.”
Here is a particularly strongly worded portion of Labor senator Nita Green’s speech to the Senate taking aim at the Greens:
I did want to keep the tone of my contribution pretty respectful, but I don’t think there is a more self-indulgent, self-righteous, self-interested group in this Senate chamber who should be so far away from national security decisions it’s not funny. These are people who should never ever be involved in making national security decisions and they should never ever be involved in having some balance of power that decides what we do in the defence of our country …
What I do not want to see is a situation where we have troops about to be deployed to an emergency situation or a situation that involves putting people in harm’s way and that decision is held up because of the self-interested political purposes of the Greens political party. They should be so far removed from national security matters – I think the Australian people would agree with that.
Updated
The apologies in pictures
Mike Bowers made it into the chamber for the tail end of the Coalition MPs making apologies for trying to exit the chamber after the Speaker had ordered the doors to be locked in a division, which resulted in a chamber attendant being hurt.
(Bowers had been in the blue room for the prime minister’s press conference, but can move like nobody else when it comes to where the news is.)
Updated
It’s about the “values”, not the details
Back to Anthony Albanese’s earlier press conference, Paul Karp tried pushing the prime minister on what exactly Tony Burke’s “consistent with our values” answer meant when it came to the government’s fair work commission submission on the minimum wage.
Albanese was not forthcoming.
Q: Tony Burke says that the government submission on the minimum wage will be consistent with your values. Is it still your absolute belief that the wages of the lowest paid should keep up with inflation? And will that be reflected in the submission?
Albanese:
We are absolutely consistent with our values. And what we don’t do in submissions, we didn’t do it last time, was put a dollar figure on that.
Q: But what about the principle?
Albanese:
I just answered the question. You get one.
Q: Just going along from Paul’s question, given the high rate of inflation, your submission this year showed some more restraint from the previous.
Albanese:
Well, it will be consistent with our values.
Updated
Labor and Coalition shoot down Greens war powers bill
Back on the private member’s bill Jordon Steele-John is pushing; the Labor senator Nita Green, in response, made clear she was unimpressed with what she saw as the Greens’ attempt to campaign on the war powers issue and the tone of the debate. The Coalition’s Simon Birmingham said he had sat on the national security committee of cabinet and it was a “solemn responsibility”.
(As we said, it doesn’t have the numbers to go anywhere.)
Updated
ADHD inquiry wins support
Also in the Senate, Jordon Steele-John has received support for his proposal to set up a Senate inquiry into attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and support services.
Last year more than 10,000 ADHD community members answered my call to share their experiences with the healthcare system.
The results are confronting, to say the least, identifying significant access barriers to ADHD assessment and support services in Australia.
In particular, a large proportion of respondents shared issues with cost, wait time and stigma from their healthcare providers.
The serious long-term impacts of ADHD are well-established, yet we have not seen a single substantive conversation about the condition in parliament over the past five years.
Updated
Greens push for change to war powers
In the Senate, the Greens senator Jordon Steele-John is pushing a private senator’s bill to reform the nation’s war powers. This bill – which is a longstanding Greens policy – would “insert a new section into the Defence Act 1903 under which service of members of the Defence Force beyond the territorial limits of Australia in warlike actions would require the approval of both Houses of the Parliament, with certain exceptions”.
Steele-John tried to invoke the spectre of a future Peter Dutton prime ministership to argue it shouldn’t be a government’s decision alone:
I know that many in the Labor party support this reform but are worried about breaking the party line … To those worried about the impact of breaking the party line this morning I want to ask you a question: do you really want to give Peter Dutton the unilateral power to declare war. Do you really think that is a good idea? We can fix this right here, here this morning, by supporting this Greens bill today and stop the risk of another illegal war just 20 years after we engaged in the last one.
(Spoiler alert: The bill won’t pass. The major parties don’t support it. And an inquiry into the issue is due to report soon.)
Updated
Daniel Andrews is not being manipulated in China: frontbencher
Victorian government frontbencher Danny Pearson has faced questions this morning about Daniel Andrews’ trade mission to China.
The four-day trip – focused on boosting the cohort of Chinese students in the state – sparked criticism for the exclusion of journalists and higher education leaders.
Pearson told reporters the premier would be available to answer questions about his trip upon his return on Saturday:
You’ll be afforded the opportunity of asking him questions and you’ll be able to provide greater levels of background and context and detail.
A half-page itinerary released by Andrews’ office yesterday showed he was expected to meet the vice-president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. During the Trump era, the US Department of State claimed the organisation was “tasked with co-opting subnational governments”.
Pearson disputed suggestions that the meeting meant Andrews would be exposed to attempts to manipulate him:
I don’t think anyone has ever manipulated the premier, ever. The premier is his own man. The notion that he’s some sort of Manchurian candidate is just laughable.
Updated
Tony Burke on wage rises: in full
For those who missed it this morning, here is the exchange between Tony Burke and ABC radio host Patricia Karvelas on the minimum wage submission the government will be making to the fair work commission on Friday.
Q: Now, minister, this week’s submissions are due to the Fair Work Commission before they determine the minimum wage. What’s the government going to put in your submission?
Burke:
Our submission goes in on Friday and I’ll be making more public comments once the submission’s in on Friday. If I put it in these terms: when our submission’s in on Friday, people will see that our values haven’t changed. I think that’s probably the best way I can put it in advance of announcements that we’ll make on Friday.
Q: OK. You know that Radio National breakfast likes to hear first where you might go. You say “values haven’t changed”.
Burke:
I think you just did.
Q: I think I did, but you know I’m going to tease it out a little more. The unions say they want to see wages increase to at least match inflation. You support that concept?
Burke:
The thing that we have to work our way through is there are some members of the workforce who have the least room to move with what’s been happening with inflation and certainly the full award system goes all the way up to some people who are on significantly higher wages. The principles that we dealt with last year were to say – no government ever wants anyone to go backwards, but last year we put forward the principle that the focus needed to be on the people on the lowest incomes because they had the least savings, they had the least room to move.
Q: And is it exactly the same concept, because inflation obviously is higher? Last year it was 5% and we won’t forget the one word that the prime minister – then opposition leader – backed, which was “absolutely” that it should keep up with inflation. Will you use the same word? Will you absolutely back the idea that it should keep up with inflation which is now around 7%?
Burke:
You never photocopy a submission one year to the next. They’re never identical in every way. But as I’ve said, our values haven’t changed and what you’ve referred to there is a pretty strong value statement from the prime minister.
Updated
Shenanigans denied – for now
That motion has gone down 26 to 29.
The Senate chamber moves on – but don’t expect it to be the last attempt of shenanigans today (the Senate was made for shenanigans).
Updated
Coalition angles for more Senate delay
Looks like it is going to be a very long 48 hours in the Senate. After fillibustering and keeping the Senate sitting until 4.13am, the Coalition is now trying to suspend standing orders in the red chamber to debate the Productivity Commission amendment (electricity reporting) bill 2023 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Updated
Albanese cites unfounded fears of apology to stolen generations
Anthony Albanese also noted that the shadow attorney general, Julian Leeser, and academic Greg Craven had backed similar words for a constitutional change in 2014.
Albanese said that “every single time there has been an advance” on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs, “there has been an argument which says it will end in litigation in the courts”. He cited the Wik and Mabo decisions, and the apology to the stolen generations.
He said:
I sat in that parliament through the entire Howard government years, being told that if we had an apology, it would divide the nation. Does anyone think that the apology divided the nation now? I’d ask people in this parliament, in the House of Representatives and Senate. For those people who are thinking about what they should do, what they have an obligation in my view to consider is, did the apology create more unity or less? In my view, it made us a better nation. So will constitutional recognition.
Updated
Albanese calls on media to not ‘assist nonsense’ on the voice
Anthony Albanese has said media have a responsibility not to “assist nonsense” in the public debate about the Indigenous Voice to parliament and the executive government.
Asked about a poll finding 60% of Western Australians in support, he said:
I wasn’t surprised because I think Australians will always stand up for the fair go. I think it’s part of our ethos. Australians know that this referendum is about just two things: recognising. Indigenous Australians in our constitution and secondly, that they should be consulted about matters that affect them.
And all of the noise that is attempted to be created by opponents – declared and undeclared – to the voice whether that be in the media, some sections of the media, or whether that be in the parliament, of talk about looking for every nuance to try to push out there what essentially will be a scare campaign.
Justice Kenneth Hayne, someone who was chosen by the former government to conduct serious royal commissions has said is just that – they are all just scare campaigns with no validity, [Former chief] Justice [Robert] French has said exactly the same thing. The wording that is being put forward is very clear. Do you support constitutional recognition through a voice? And the three clauses: one, there shall be a voice. Two, that it may – may, important word – give advice on matters that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people … Three the parliament is to determine the structure and function ...You can have word games. In this place or in the chamber there. But it’s just word games. People can see that. The idea that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders I sat with are going to say ‘yes yes, our priority is making a submission to the Reserve Bank about interest rates’.
There’s a … 10-year gap in life expectancy. There are worse educational outcomes housing, infant mortality. So, I say to the people in this room: that you have a responsibility as well. To report on, people who have different views, and people entitled to either vote yes or not, but people have a responsibility not to assist some of the nonsense that’s been out there.
Updated
Trauma counselling and support service appeals for funding
Full Stop, the 24-hour trauma counselling and support service for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse is hoping the government will step in with a funding lifeline which will save it from closure, after demand on its service increased by 50% over the last year.
It’s CEO, Hayley Foster, has been in Canberra lobbying MPs, including Amanda Rishworth.
LNP MP Karen Andrews told Sky she had written to Rishworth on behalf of the service, but was yet to receive a response:
I’m still waiting for a response from Minister Rishworth, but I’m sure that she will respond and I know that she does take issues in relation to family and domestic violence very seriously. The point of me writing to the minister was to make sure that front of mind was the need to make sure that there was appropriate levels of, of funding. In the case of telephone counselling, telephone, uh, advice, it is so important that people have the opportunity to call someone who is experienced, who’s knowledgable, who is very well qualified in the areas that they are able to provide support for those affected by domestic and family violence. And as we’ve just heard from Ms Foster, some of the people that call the helplines, the assistance online are people who would not be able to access services in their own community, or they’re unable to access them in any other forms potentially because of the costs involved in this. So the services that are provided by Full Stop are in fact very important and quite unique.
(I don’t believe the Morrison government funded Full Stop, but am happy to be corrected.)
Updated
Coalition MPs apologise after attendant hurt in parliament push
Coalition MPs Dan Tehan, Ted O’Brien, Angus Taylor, Zoe McKenzie, Llew O’Brien, Andrew Hastie and Sam Birrell are among those who apologise.
Llew O’Brien gives a particularly decent apology:
I unreservedly apologise to the house and yourself for leaving after your direction yesterday. And I also apologise to the staff if they were involved in this. Staff here in the chamber do an incredible job and one of them is not crowd control. And I apologise to them for that
Updated
Speaker says it was “disrespectful and a very serious matter”
Milton Dick explains more about the injured attendant.
For a staff member of this chamber to be treated in this way, when they are simply doing their job is disrespectful and a very serious matter.
I’ve spoken to the parliamentary staff who are involved or observed this incident and I have reviewed a written report from them.
I want to make it clear that I’m committed to ensuring that this building and this chamber a safe and respectful places of work or no staff members should be hurt in the course of doing their work in service of this house.
Updated
Attendant was pushed into doorframe and hurt their arm, Speaker says
Milton Dick finishes the prayers and then turns to a “very serious and grave incident which occurred yesterday afternoon”.
After the bells had been rung, all the doors are to be locked. After I gave this order, I’m aware that a number of members exited the chamber where one of the attendants was attempting to close and lock the door to the opposition lobby as directed.
As all members are aware under standing order 129, after the Speaker orders the doors to be locked, no member may enter or leave the chamber until after the division. It does not matter whether the doors have been able to be fully closed. The point at which the order is given from the chair is the point at which no member is allowed to enter or leave the chamber.
The most serious aspect of this incident is that members physically pushed their way past the attendant to get out of the chamber.
It resulted in [the attendant] getting hit [into] the doorframe and hurting their arm. I’m particularly disgusted by this behaviour and I will not tolerate it for staff.
Updated
Speaker investigates reports Coalition MPs rushed doors of the House
About 5.30pm yesterday, Tony Burke asked the speaker, Milton Dick to look into an issue of Coalition MPs trying to rush out of the chamber doors after they were locked for a division:
I am not in a position to name individual members of parliament, but we as a House cannot be in a situation – out of respect for the staff who work in this building –where, when you ask people to lock the doors, they have members of parliament physically pushing past them to get out of the room. There are standing orders that are quite specific in terms of people’s obligation. Once you say, ‘Lock the doors,’ at that moment people have to move to the seats and pick a side or do as some members did, quite appropriately, and take the advisers’ boxes. Mr Speaker, regardless of practice and standing orders, we cannot be in a position, as a House, where people are using their physical size to push past the members of staff after you have said, ‘Lock the doors.’ It would be appreciated if you could review the video. It would also be appreciated if the members involved reported directly to you so that you can work out what the appropriate action is.
Dick had asked for the members to return to their seats, but he said he would be looking into what happened and was treating it “very seriously” so stay tuned for what happened there – we will be getting a statement very shortly.
Updated
Politics has stalled housing fund, Albanese says
Back to the PM for a moment and Anthony Albanese is asked about the stalled housing fund bill negotiations.
He blames politics. In other incredible revelations, the days of the week end in y and I eat too much refined sugar.
Albanese:
All those, all those who say they support increased investment in social and affordable housing should vote for the bill. It’s as simple as that.
I find it rather bizarre. Their argument that says what we want is more money and therefore will vote for no money. It’s up to the Greens political party to explain their position on that.
Updated
‘Jobs, jobs, jobs’: Swan MP talks up national reconstruction fund
Zaneta Mascarenhas, the Labor MP for Swan, has done a doorstop on the national reconstruction fund – Mascarenhas might be a first term MP but she learned the art of the rah-rah well.
What does the national reconstruction fund mean? It means jobs, jobs and jobs. And not just any job. Secure jobs, well paid jobs, Australian jobs, jobs that people can be proud of. The national reconstruction fund is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in diversifying Australia’s economy.
During the pandemic, we saw how much we were reliant on things overseas. We saw how fragile our supply chains are. We saw that there was skills shortages across the world, we also saw that our routes were quite fragile.
… I started my career in steel-cap boots on a mine site. I’m proud of what the mining industry has contributed to innovation across Australia. However, we need to do more. We need to diversify our economy, we need to become more sophisticated. I’m looking forward to the investment the reconstruction fund will make into Australia.
When I knocked on doors in Swan, I saw that people wanted to make their things here.
Let’s see this great legislation implemented.
Updated
Albanese and Husic celebrate passing national reconstruction fund
Anthony Albanese opens his press conference with a dig at the opposition for not engaging with its legislation – saying if they want to be observers of the political process, rather than participants, voters will “mark them down for it”.
He congratulates Ed Husic on getting the national reconstruction fund across the line and Husic manages “this is a big day” before the Sky News feed (the ABC is not showing it as yet) cuts out with a “sorry Ed”.
So I’ll bring you some of that presser very soon.
Updated
Press conference incoming
After his negotiation win getting the national reconstruction fund across the line, Ed Husic and Anthony Albanese will hold a press conference this morning.
You should be hearing from the industry minister and PM very shortly.
It is absolutely bucketing down in Canberra, so no PM’s courtyard for Husic – he’ll have to settle for the blue room.
Updated
Rex Patrick challenges FoI ruling
Rex Patrick may not be a senator any longer, but that doesn’t mean he has given up his mission of trying to increase transparency in government.
Patrick has filed a case in the Adelaide registry of the federal court challenging why documents become ineligible under freedom of information laws when a minister leaves their role. For Patrick, it’s based on his attempts to get letters sent by former attorney-general Christian Porter to the then prime minister Scott Morrison about “sports rorts”. Once Porter left the attorney-general portfolio, those documents immediately became ineligible.
Patrick, and advocacy partner Grata Fund, want to know why.
The Information Commissioner’s decision means that when a Minister resigns or leaves office, documents that they take with them are no longer official documents that must be disclosed under FOI law. This approach has led to a significant gap in accountability for acts of any sitting government. It is especially problematic given ministerial reshuffles are increasingly common in contemporary Australian politics, particularly after corruption scandals. It leads to the absurd consequence that a Minister can escape scrutiny and shield information from being released under FOI laws simply by resigning or being shuffled around to a new position.This case has the potential to ensure that there is continuity in critical government documents and that they remain accessible with any change of Minister or government. If this case is successful, it will enable journalists and ordinary Australians to better hold the government to account and to strengthen the right to information under FOI laws. And ensure Ministers and scandals cannot hide behind a change of job.
Updated
Australia raises Israel concerns directly
Daniel Hurst has just published this story:
The Australian government has raised concerns with the Israeli government over a minister’s “inflammatory” remarks about the Palestinian people, Guardian Australia can reveal.
Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has provoked outrage by saying there was “no such thing as a Palestinian people”, just weeks after he said the Palestinian town of Huwara in the West Bank should be “erased”.
A source who did not wish to be named said Australia had conveyed concerns about Smotrich’s “inflammatory and irresponsible” comments in discussions with senior Israeli counterparts.
Updated
Housing fund negotiations continue, says Burke
Tony Burke was also asked about the future of Labor’s housing fund proposal – it has stalled in the Senate with the Greens, Lidia Thorpe and David Pocock all refusing to budge.
We continue to talk and continue to talk in good faith with the crossbench, and we’d be very happy to talk to the opposition, if they wanted to join conversations in good faith.
I would say, though, I remember last year, a whole lot of people when I was pushing and you’re interviewing me about it on the secure jobs better pay bill, different people and some print journalists had predicted I had no chance of getting that through by the end of the year. And we ended up finding our way there.
Updated
Sorry – I am told by a couple of senators that it was “technically” 4.13am.
So expect to see a few bleary-eyed senators in the coffee lines this morning.
Updated
Coalition drags out hard day’s night for Senate
We are hearing that there might be some very, very tired senators today – it seems the Senate didn’t adjourn until 4.15am.
The hours motion (which changes when the chamber adjourns, based on the business the Senate has to get through) was so the Senate could get through the second reading speeches of the safeguard mechanism legislation and it appears the Coalition fillibustered (kept speaking) meaning the chamber didn’t get through it’s business until the very early hours of this morning.
Updated
Labor will stay true to its ‘values’ on wages, says Burke
Tony Burke was pretty explicit in his advance announcement on the Fair Work Commission – he spoke about “values” and Labor’s value when it came to wages was not moving backwards.
Burke told RN Breakfast:
Our submission goes in on Friday. And I’ll be making more public comments once the submission is in on Friday. But if I put it in these terms, when our submissions in on Friday, people will see that our values haven’t changed. I think that’s probably the best way I can put it in, in advance of announcements that we’ll make on Friday.
… The thing that we have to work our way through is there are some members of the workforce who have the least room to move with what’s been happening with inflation.
And certainly the full award system goes all the way up to some people who are on significantly higher wages, the principles that we dealt with last year were to say no government ever wants anyone to go backwards that last year, we put forward the principle that the focus needed to be on the people on the lowest incomes because they had the least savings they had the least room to move.
Updated
Minimum wage rise submission to reflect cost of living, Burke says
Tony Burke is speaking to Patricia Karvelas on ABC radio RN National and he gives every hint that the government is backing a minimum wage increase in line with inflation.
The government submission to the Fair Work Commission won’t go in until Friday, and Burke is asked whether or not it would “absolutely” be in line with the cost of living increase.
That was a promise Anthony Albanese made during the election campaign when inflation was at 5%. It’s now nudging 8% and Burke is asked whether “absolutely” still stands.
You’d never photocopy a submission one year to the next and it’s never identical in every way. But as I’ve said, our values haven’t changed, and what you referred to there was a pretty strong value statement for the prime minister.
The value statement refers to the ideal that minimum wage workers shouldn’t go backwards in their wages.
Updated
Teals campaign for parenting payment extension
Zoe Daniel and Kylea Tink, two of the independents on the crossbench, are pushing for single parents to have restored access to the parenting payment until their child turns 16.
The teals are campaigning for a return to the pre-Gillard era, when single parents, overwhelmingly women, could stay on the payment until their child was almost finished school. Under the changes introduced by the Gillard government, parents are moved to Jobseeker when their child turns eight, which cuts their payment and enforces mutual obligations.
Daniel and Tink say the change is a small step towards alleviating poverty.
They’ll be holding a press conference on the campaign later today, along with experts, advocates and single parents.
Updated
Other proposed Family Law Act changes
The Family Law Act amendments also aim to give:
Clearer definitions of “family” and “relative” as it relates to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concepts of family;
Removing the restriction of independent children’s lawyers in 1980 Hague convention on civil aspects of international child abduction, ensuring children’s views are heard;
Protecting victims of family violence from systems abuse by restraining a party’s ability to file repeated and unmeritorious applications without first obtaining court approval;
Clarifying the law which prohibits the public communication of family law information so critical information can be shared and privacy protected; and
Regulating family report writers.
Updated
Attorney general pushes family law changes
Mark Dreyfus is introducing his changes to the Family Law Act a little later this morning.
What will it do? Well, it’s going to address some of the changes from the Howard era and aims to make things a little less complicated and a bit fairer:
Specifically, the bill introduces a safer and simpler framework for making parenting orders by:
Repealing the commonly misunderstood presumption of equal shared parental responsibility, making it clear the best interest of the child is paramount;
Simplifying the list of factors that are considered in determining the best interests of children in parenting arrangements;
Introducing a requirement for independent children’s lawyers (ICLs), when they are appointed, to meet directly with children;
Ensuring the court considers the right of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children to maintain their connection to their family, community, culture, country and language; and
Simplifying the enforcement of parenting orders to make the consequences of non-compliance clear.
Updated
Good morning
A very big thank you to Martin for starting us off this morning, the second last day of the parliament sitting week.
With the safeguard mechanism and national reconstruction fund in the bag, the government is turning its negotiating attention to the housing fund. But that’s not shifting, at least not this week.
Tomorrow, the wording of the voice referendum will be introduced to the parliament. That will kick things off in earnest with a parliamentary committee to review the legislation and suggest any changes. It will bring the Liberal party closer to having to make a decision, but if the last few days have proved anything, it’s that the Liberals aren’t moving from “no” territory. Under the guise of “just asking questions” the opposition is sowing doubt. Albanese and supporters have their work cut out for them.
We’ll cover all the day’s events and more as it unfolds. You’ve got Amy Remeikis with you for most of the day. I’m about to hit coffee number three with no end in sight.
Ready?
Updated
Industry welcomes $15bn manufacturing fund
Australian industry leaders are heralding the passing of a $15bn manufacturing fund as an economy booster, reports Australian Associated Press.
The government managed to pass its signature investment vehicle in the Senate after securing the support of key crossbenchers.
The chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Andrew McKellar, said the fund’s investment would help businesses diversify and boost the domestic economy.
“With Australia now having the lowest manufacturing self-sufficiency in the OECD, it’s critical we redouble our efforts to encourage and stimulate new manufacturing and industrial investment in this country,” he said.
The industry minister, Ed Husic, said the fund would shore up Australian businesses by ensuring more of the manufacturing process happened domestically.
“We want Australia to be a country that makes things, a nation that has faith in its knowhow and ability to get the job done,” Husic said.
The fund aims to drive investment in seven priority areas: resources, agriculture, transport, medical sciences, renewables and low-emissions technology and defence.
The Coalition opposed the fund, saying it would have an inflationary effect and that it was poorly designed.
But the Greens backed the legislation after securing amendments to ensure the money wouldn’t be invested in coal and gas projects.
Crossbench senators secured changes to how the fund’s board would operate and commitments to boost the ability for start-ups to access investment.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to Guardian Australia’s rolling coverage of the day in politics and all that is newsy. I’m Martin Farrer bringing you the best overnight stories before Amy Remeikis comes along to take over.
With so much focus on climate and emissions in this sitting fortnight, we have a very timely exclusive today on how our love affair with SUVs is costing a fortune in extra expense at the pumps but also driving up transport emissions when other countries are seeing their head lower. Our transport writer, Elias Visontay, has the details about the consequences of Australia’s soaring use of “big, dumb cars”.
We have another exclusive this morning that 1 million people – including one in seven children – are living below the poverty line in New South Wales, according to a new report highlighting the deepening inequality across Sydney. Research from the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling and based on 2021 census data also found at least 100,000 more people had slipped into poverty since 2016. We may also find out more about NSW Labor’s hopes of majority today as the Liberals face a decision whether to go right or left.
The monthly gauge of inflation is due out today, which should give the Reserve Bank an up-to-date picture of where price are headed and therefore whether interest rates need to go up again next week. The central bank will be looking at the volatile index for further signs inflation has peaked and is tracking down. It is forecast to come in at 7.1% – down from 7.45% last month – but markets are still undecided about whether or not the RBA will go for what will be its 11th consecutive hike.
