What we learned, Wednesday 29 March
We’re going to wrap up the live blog now. Here’s what made the news today:
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has given the clearest details yet of how the Indigenous voice would work as the words to alter the constitution were presented to federal parliament.
Australia’s parliament has passed the country’s most significant emissions reduction legislation in more than a decade after the government won backing from Greens and independent MPs for a plan to deal with pollution from major industrial sites.
The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has called on Mark Latham to apologise for comments about the sexuality of fellow state MP Alex Greenwich that left the New South Wales environment minister, Penny Sharpe, “physically sickened”.
Up to a third of looming residential power bill hikes could be avoided if governments cracked down on electricity networks, research finds.
Human rights commissioner Lorraine Finlay has made a “serious error” that is “likely to mislead voters” by claiming that the Indigenous voice to parliament “undermines the foundational human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination” in Australia, according to five former human rights commissioners.
Thanks for sticking with us today. We’ll be back with you bright and early tomorrow morning.
Updated
Bosses can’t force staff to work on public holidays
Employers could land in hot water if they make their staff work on public holidays without giving them the option to take it off, AAP reports.
A Federal Court judgment has ruled in favour of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) going up against mining giant BHP. Three judges found that BHP had contravened the Fair Work Act by requiring employees to work on a public holiday as part of their regular roster.
The employees did not receive any additional remuneration for working those days.
Mining and Energy Union president Tony Maher lauded the decision as “a fantastic win for workers that restores genuine choice over working on public holidays”:
The right for workers to spend time with friends and family at important times of the year was traditionally respected by mining companies, however this has been eroded under pressure for non-stop production.
As a result of this decision, mining companies and all employers will need to be more respectful of employees’ rights to enjoy public holidays and come up with ways to provide choice.
– AAP
Shorten attacks Robert’s links to lobbyist
During question time, the minister for government services, Bill Shorten, accused Liberal MP Stuart Robert of failing to disclose his links to lobbying firm Synergy 360, which was bidding for government contracts.
In the chamber, Shorten said:
“So far, I have been unable to locate any disclosure from the Member for Fadden, disclosing his relationship with Synergy 360 anywhere. Now, leaked emails from (...) executives reveal how they planned to use the lobbying firm’s special connection with the Member for Fadden to gain special, privileged and commercially valuable access to the important ACLEI [Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity] committee in parliament and also other decision makers in government.”
Shorten continued to allege the lobbyists asked Robert about the prospect of delivering a presentation to the national security committee. Robert was a Liberal backbencher at the time.
In response, Robert rejected the allegations made by Shorten and described the comments as “ridiculous”.
“I reject fully, the imputation and the allegations that the minister has made regarding emails that I am not included in, have no knowledge of, and clearly have contents that are absurd. The idea that someone could present to NCS is ridiculous.”
Updated
National security watchdog calls for end of preventive detention regime
A rather explosive report from the watchdog scrutinising Australia’s national security laws has just been tabled in parliament.
The report examines the use of continuing detention orders (CDOs), which allow “terrorist offenders” to be imprisoned for up to three years to prevent them from committing crimes, rather than for any crimes they have committed.
CDOs can be used where courts are satisfied the person poses an unacceptable risk of committing a serious terrorism offence if released into the community.
The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM), however, was damning of their use. In the final report to an inquiry conducted last year, he found the CDO regime should be abolished.
Grant Donaldson, who heads the INSLM, said:
Australia leads the world in making laws of a kind discussed in this report. The law that this report discusses permits people in our society to be imprisoned, not as a punishment for a crime committed, but because it is decided that their living freely in our society unacceptably risks them committing a crime in the future.
Only one Australian parliament, and a mere handful of Australian parliamentarians, have resisted these laws, and these laws have made us a coarser and harsher society. I doubt that anyone knows whether they have made us safer.
In gentler times these kinds of laws did not exist, although some deny it.
In times past, people who had committed crimes and served their sentences were thought to have paid their debt to society and lived with us in our communities, even though some reoffended.
Updated
Navalny’s chief of staff urges stronger, continued sanctions on Russia
Alexei Navalny’s chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, is in Canberra and has been doing the media rounds as well as speaking with federal politicians.
Volkov told the ABC that economic sanctions on Russia are now beginning to have an impact and must be continued.
Here’s what he told ABC Afternoon Briefing a short time ago:
Well, it has not been strong yet. The year of 2022 was actually quite a good year for Putin’s economy because of the overinflated prices on natural resources, because of expectations of a very harsh winter in Europe.
In 2022, European countries actually paid to Russia four times the amount of money they sent to Ukraine for oil and gas because of the high prices.
Now, things are getting better and Putin’s economy is now struggling but this sanction policy has to be continued and the personal sanctions have to be tailored because now they do not split Russian elites but rather consolidate them.
Here’s the full video statement
My response to comments made by Mark Latham on Twitter today. pic.twitter.com/phuoTYUtHQ
— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) March 30, 2023
Hanson condemns Latham and calls for apology
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is not impressed with Mark Latham’s tweet earlier today, which has been widely condemned and “physically sickened” one NSW minister.
Latham, the NSW One Nation leader, made the comments in response to an article in which state MP Alex Greenwich called Latham “a disgusting human being”. The article was about LGBTQ+ protesters being targeted outside an event Latham spoke at earlier this month.
In response, Latham said “Disgusting?” and then went on to make gratuitous comments about a sexual act. Guardian Australia has chosen not to publish the full comment.
Josh Butler has monitored Hanson’s response:
Pauline Hanson has slammed Mark Latham for his comments to Alex Greenwich:
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) March 30, 2023
"I don't condone them, neither do my MPs. I think they are disgusting"
Says she tried to call Latham "to no avail" and says he should apologise
"It's now over to Mark to answer the people" pic.twitter.com/0nQP5qu3iS
Australian shares climb to near three-week high
The Australian share market has turned in another solid performance, securing its fourth straight day of gains as fears of a widespread banking crisis ease.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index ended Thursday up 72 points, or 1.02% to 7,122.3, its highest close since March 10.
The All Ordinaries rose 76.4 points, or 1.06%, to 7,312.4.
The Australian dollar was buying 66.88 US cents, from 66.97 US cents at Wednesday’s ASX close.
- AAP
Liddle and Bragg to join committee examining Indigenous voice
Further to that earlier post about the make-up of the committee inquiring into the Indigenous voice referendum, opposition frontbencher Simon Birmingham has said Kerrynne Liddle and Andrew Bragg will be the remaining Coalition representatives on the committee.
Speaking on the ABC, Birmingham described Liddle as “a strong thoughtful Indigenous woman” and Bragg as “well-known for his views in wanting to see a voice and supporting that, but Andrew has expressed concerns about getting the wording right”.
He said Liddle and Bragg will “add great weight” to the committee.
They will join Labor reps Nita Green, Jana Stewart, Linda White, Sharon Claydon, Peta Murphy, Shayne Neumann and Gordon Reid; Greens senator Dorinda Cox; independent (and former Nationals) MP Andrew Gee; and Coalition members Pat Conaghan and Keith Wolahan.
The committee will report by 15 May.
Updated
NSW election seats still to be called
Four seats are yet to be called following the New South Wales election almost a week ago, following another day of counting.
Labor has claimed victory and Chris Minns has been sworn in as premier, but the party needs two more seats to reach the 47 needed to form a majority government.
The party is ahead in Ryde but trailing in Goulburn, Holsworthy and Terrigal.
Earlier today deputy premier, Prue Car, said:
Clearly, what happened on Saturday is that the people of NSW voted for a fresh start for the state and delivered a number of seats to Labor, so we are able to form government.
ABC chief elections analyst Antony Green is reporting the NSW Electoral Commission did not do a distribution of preferences on the votes it counted today and he does not know when they are going to come in.
He explained the commission would count another lot of postal votes on Saturday and to expect an update then.
Voice select-committee members being finalised
Members of the newly established Joint Select Committee on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum – to inquire into the government’s constitutional alteration – are being finalised, but it’s not clear yet who will represent the Coalition opposition.
As we reported earlier, it’ll be a 13 member committee; seven from the government, four from the opposition, and two from the crossbench. The government has nominated Nita Green, Jana Stewart, Linda White, Sharon Claydon, Peta Murphy, Shayne Neumann and Gordon Reid (all obviously supporters of the voice, coming from Labor).
In the Senate, the Greens nominated Dorinda Cox, while independent (and former Nationals) MP Andrew Gee nominated himself for the lower house.
A slightly different picture for the Coalition. In the lower house, Nats MP Pat Conaghan and Liberal Keith Wolahan have both nominated – both sceptics of the voice. In the Senate, we haven’t yet got confirmation of who will represent the Coalition.
We’ll bring you more if it gets decided this afternoon, before parliament is set to adjourn until May.
Updated
McCarthy calls for respectful voice debate during committee stage
The assistant minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, has been asked whether she expects some Coalition politicians to undermine the voice proposal through the Senate committee process in coming weeks.
She has told the ABC that a contest of ideas is welcome, as long as it’s respectful.
Look, we have always engaged in this whole approach as this is democracy in action. People have their opinions and people have a fair opportunity to say what they want to say. All I have called for is they do it in a respectful manner.
We are not about always agreeing on things, but we can always put our points across. In this case, with the inquiry, obviously there will be people, and we would expect there to be people, Australians, who would want to put that case as to whether or not they agree with the words.
Updated
Parliament winds down in last sitting until May
The MPs are starting to look longingly at the doors –it has been a long two weeks and all the business that needs to get done has been mostly ticked off, so the parliament is beginning to wind down.
It won’t sit for a month now – there is the Easter break and also just the “we are sort of sick of seeing you” break, and then, come May, it is all systems go. Anthony Albanese will head to the UK for the King’s coronation and then pretty much turn around and come home for the budget. Then there is the Quad meeting, which Australia is hosting, and is sort of a big deal.
And that is not counting any of the normal things that pop up, along with the RBA review, interest rate decisions, increased lobbying for last-ditch budget inclusions, the housing fund negotiations, TikTok and whatever else happens along.
PLUS the Aston byelection this Saturday, which, depending on the result – no one is seriously contemplating a Labor win given the history of byelections and the apathy shown by voters so far – particularly since Labor holds the state and the federal parliament – but if it is a below average performance for the Liberals, questions will be asked about Peter Dutton’s long-term leadership prospects.
We will have a blog for the Aston byelection, which I will be helming, so I won’t say goodbye – just à bientot – as I hand you over to Henry Belot for the rest of the afternoon.
But a very, very big thank you to everyone who followed along with politics live for the past fortnight, as well as the team – Paul Karp, Josh Butler and Daniel Hurst, as well as Mikey Bowers, who is the heart at the centre.
Thank you, thank you, thank you and take care of you.
Updated
If you haven’t seen it yet, Lorena Allam has this story:
Human rights commissioner Lorraine Finlay has made a “serious error” that is “likely to mislead voters” by claiming that the Indigenous voice to parliament “undermines the foundational human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination” in Australia, according to five former human rights commissioners.
In an opinion piece published in the Australian on Thursday, Finlay wrote that as a former constitutional law academic, she did not consider the voice to be a “modest proposal”.
Finlay said the inclusion of “executive government” in the proposed wording of the amendment would increase the risks of “bureaucratic complexity, legal uncertainty and judicial activism”.
“The draft wording … inserts race into the Australian constitution in a way that undermines the foundational human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination and creates constitutional uncertainty in terms of its interpretation and operation,” she wrote.
In a joint statement, five former human rights commissioners – Edward Santow, Chris Sidoti, Cathy Branson, Brian Burdekin and Graham Innes – said they “unanimously disagree” with her view.
Updated
Milton Dick says two incidents involving parliament staff were ‘not the same’
Milton Dick responds to the LNP MP for Longman’s letter and Peter Dutton’s query.
The short version – the two incidents were not the same.
On Thursday last week, 23rd of March, based on the routine reports produced at the time by the chamber and parliamentary security staff involved, the circumstances of last Thursday’s division are these:
After I’d ordered that the doors be locked, there was a delay in closing the main ceremonial doors of the chamber.
During the delay, several members walked through the doors. One walked several steps into the chamber and two walked behind, pausing at the junction of the ceremonial doors and the door into the attendance office.
Although they were intending to enter, I gave two further orders to lock the doors.
The sergeant of arms on duty approached the members and indicated the first member should leave, advising the Speaker had ordered that the doors be locked prior to them entering. All three members then left immediately.
The doors were locked. The members were not counted in the division.
The reports from both the sergeant’s office and the Department of Parliamentary Services made at the time did not identify any physical contact between the staff and the members.
Yesterday, a review of the video of last Thursday in the chamber has confirmed the details provided in the contemporaneous staff reports.
As a final check, the staff involved were expressly queried about whether there might have been any physical contact between them and the members and the staff confirmed there was none.
I would like to distinguish this situation to what occurred on Tuesday last week – members who were outside and without the ability to directly hear my voice attempted to enter an open door and left when asked to immediately.
On Tuesday, members who were already in the chamber and were able to hear my call to find their chair left the chamber, and further, when asked to return to the chamber, they refused to do so.
In the process of the departure, as we know, a staff member was injured.
These situations are not the same.
Updated
Paul Fletcher says Labor’s Jim Chalmers and Julie Collins also pushed past parliament attendant last Thursday
Paul Fletcher has a question for the speaker.
I had a question for you and that would ordinarily come immediately after question time but obviously, normal proceedings were interrupted yesterday.
The leader of the opposition asked you about the incident last Thursday afternoon at the doors at the back of the house.
Today the member for Longman has written to you advising that he witnessed the members for Rankin and Franklin [Jim Chalmers and Julie Collins] pushed their way through after the attendant began closing the doors.
I’m sure you will agree that the rules must be applied impartially and equally to all members regardless of party affiliation. When will you update the House on the progress of your investigation into the incident last Thursday?
This is in response to the Coalition MPs having to apologise yesterday, after an attendant was injured when Coalition MPs attempted to push through the doors after the Speaker had ordered the doors locked.
Updated
Safeguard mechanism legislation passes
There is applause as the safeguard mechanism legislation passes the house, 89 to 50.
Updated
Crossbench independents make final shots at opposition before division over safeguard mechanism bill
The crossbench have been a little savage in their final speeches on the safeguard bill.
Zali Steggall told Ted O’Brien that the former member for Warringah (Tony Abbott) “learned the hard way” what ignoring climate action did to electoral prospects.
Allegra Spender told the opposition that if they wanted her seat back, “or hers, or hers, or hers or hers or hers” (referring to the teal independent MPs) to vote for the bill, “and maybe elect some women”.
The house is dividing to approve the Senate’s amendments.
Updated
These people don’t have to see each other for a month.
You think they would be at least a little bit more cheery. As captured by Mike Bowers:
Updated
Ted O’Brien continues arguments against safeguard mechanism even as bill set to pass
Ted O’Brien is giving his best impression of a Best & Less version of George Brandis as he continues to argue against why the country should have any sort of climate action.
It also takes a very brave member to criticise a bill your side completely bowed out of influencing, but this is the line the Coalition has taken and it will die on this hill.
All of this theatre is for the members’ Facebook pages and the Sky After Dark crew – this bill is all but done. It has the numbers. It just needs the final vote.
Updated
The government is trying to pass the safeguard mechanism through the house (the Senate amended it, so it has to be ticked off again by the house before going to the governor-general) and Ted O’Brien is showing just how much the Coalition has learned when it comes to climate policy from the election.
Not a lot. It takes a special person to argue why a mechanism set up by your own side is going to be the end of sunshine, lollipops and I assume happiness (rainbows having already been cancelled), especially when so many climate advocates argue that it isn’t even ambitious policy, but here we are.
O’Brien essentially lays out the world ending, in what Anthony Albanese calls “apocalypse soon”.
Updated
Trade minister dismisses Inpex boss’s comments, says government policies will have ‘zero impact’ on gas exports
The Coalition’s Simon Birmingham asked the trade minister, Don Farrell, about the Inpex boss’s comments during Senate question time.
Farrell said the government’s policies would have “zero impact” on Australia’s international reputation “or our reliability or our stability as a supplier of, amongst other things, gas”.
He said companies were free to make comments, but the government was “making sensible decisions in the interests of Australian consumers”.
Birmingham asked a follow-up:
Will Labor’s interventions create new market opportunities for Russia, China and Iran? And why should Australians take the word of Senator Farrell ahead of one of our largest foreign investors and experts in this field?
Farrell replied:
You can rely on my word. I am a minister in a fantastic Labor government and we are all about providing a stable political environment in which to continue to supply [gas] reliably …
In the case of Inpex, I had a very long meeting with the gentleman you are talking about before that lunch. It was an extremely amicable meeting, at which I made it very clear that this country continues to be a stable, reliable supplier of gas into the Japanese market. Japan is not the only place we’re supplying gas.
Updated
Shoebridge presses Wong on representations to US and UK about Assange
I missed this in the mess of question time, so apologies to Daniel Hurst – but he followed up on Penny Wong’s comments on Julian Assange:
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, went on to say regarding the representations to the US and the UK about Julian Assange:
We are doing what we can, between government and government, but there are limits to what that diplomacy can achieve.
David Shoebridge of the Greens had a follow-up question:
It is a simple question, minister, that Julian Assange’s family are asking it and as Australian citizens they deserve an answer to: Did their prime minister ask President Biden to drop the United States prosecution and allow Julian to come home when they met just a few short weeks ago? Please answer the question.
Wong replied:
The prime minister has made his views clear about this matter having been dragged on too long but I again would make this point: Whilst we are doing what we can between government and government, there are limits until Mr Assange has concluded the legal processes* …
I am saying while there are legal proceedings on foot, it is very difficult for there to be resolution between governments. I think that is an observation of fact.
The chamber gets rowdy. Someone interjected:
That is plain rubbish.
Wong said she also wanted to make clear that she had engaged with Assange’s family.
*Just for context, it’s worth pointing out that Assange remains in Belmarsh prison in London as he fights a US attempt to extradite him to face charges in connection with the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars as well as diplomatic cables.
Updated
Japanese oil and gas company Inpex expresses concern over ‘deteriorating’ investment climate in Australia
The Japanese oil and gas company Inpex has raised concern that the investment climate in Australia “appears to be deteriorating”.
Inpex is involved in the Ichthys LNG project, which uses the Ichthys Field about 220km offshore Western Australia and is largely export-focused.
Takayuki Ueda, the president and chief executive of Inpex, delivered a strongly worded speech to an event at Parliament House in Canberra attended by politicians from both major parties:
Unfortunately, the investment climate in Australia appears to be deteriorating. In Japan we say, ‘Don’t cheat at rock, paper, scissors.’ This translates to ‘Don’t move the goalposts after the game has started!’
Ueda acknowledged “price challenges in the Australian east coast gas market” and said while Inpex was not directly involved in that market, “we believe the clear solution is to encourage additional supply”. Ueda said Inpex was concerned that market intervention would “only compound the situation”:
Price intervention is likely to discourage investment in exploration and production while simultaneously driving up demand.
The political temptation may be to restrict LNG exports via the Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism, but this would risk damaging Australia’s hard-earned international reputation as a premium trading partner and should therefore be avoided at all costs.
The energy policy environment in Australia today appears to be driven almost by ideology and domestic concerns. This gives us great cause for concern.
While we still don’t have sufficient detail, the likely consequences of the new policies being rushed into legislation are considerable.
Ueda said global demand for energy was growing, especially in the Indo-Pacific, but policies that could “choke investment and strangle the expansion of LNG projects in this country” would mean that “increasing energy demand in our region will be met by coal and not by natural gas”.
Ueda said there could also be geopolitical consequences:
Alarmingly, the “inconvenient truth” is most likely that Russia, China and Iran fill the void.
I hope this point is obvious to all of you and that you appreciate that this outcome would represent a direct threat to the rules-based international order essential to the peace, stability and prosperity of the region, if not the world.
Updated
May shaping up to be busy month for Australian leaders
So the Quad meeting – the UK, the US, Australia and India – will be held in May, which is also when the budget will be handed down.
So a busy month:
6 May – UK for coronation
9 May – budget
May TBD – Quad meeting
25 May – Guardian Australia’s 10th birthday (and my birthday, because the GA and I are both Gemini queens)
(An earlier version of this post had the date of the budget wrong. It’s been a long week and time has no meaning. Apologies.)
Updated
Delegation of ‘outstanding citizens’ to represent Australia at Charles’s coronation
Anthony Albanese is telling the parliament he is off to King Charles’ coronation next month on 6 May.
And he’ll be taking some people with him:
I’m pleased to inform the house on 6 May I will attend, along with the governor general, the coronation of his Majesty King Charles III in London, and our nation will be represented at this historic event by us, along with all of the state governors and a number of other notable Australians most of which are based in the United Kingdom.
Outstanding citizens have been chosen to show the world the best about our values, caring for others, serving communities and championing progress, and I note that the palace requests in particular that there be a significant representation from Indigenous Australians as part of the coronation.
They will be a holder of the Victoria Cross for Australia and another of the Cross of Valour will attend, as well as a representative of the Australian defence force. While in the UK, I will meet with Prime Minister Sunak to continue what has been a productive discussions on defence and security cooperation as well Australian investment ties. I know that the Australia-UK free trade agreement received assent in the United Kingdom on 23 March.
This is an achievement both sides of this house have played a role in, and I’m sure all members will welcome the new jobs and opportunities that this agreement will unlock …
During the trip, I will also visit … [unintelligible] which will play a key role in manufacturing the first Aukus submarine and will also be a source of great expertise and training opportunities for the next generation of Australian defence manufacturing.
In addition to that, Mr Speaker … I’ve spoken with the leader of the opposition about the Quad leaders meeting, which will take place in May. When those arrangements are finalised, we will through you, Mr Speaker, and the president of the Senate, give members and senators as much notice as possible for those arrangements.
Updated
Ley kicked out of question time
Sussan Ley ends the last question time for the month by getting booted for abusing the standing orders by using a point of order to say the government’s policies are “warped”.
Always go out on a high.
Updated
Mark Butler gives his daily “Peter Dutton was voted the worst health minister ever’ dixer which seems to be one of his favourite parts of the day.
We all need our crutches.
Updated
Greens MP asks Albanese about possibility of national rent freeze
The Greens MP for Griffith, Max Chandler-Mather wants to know from Anthony Albanese:
Yesterday you said you couldn’t organise a national rent freeze because of the constitution. But during the pandemic, national cabinet regulated rentals with a moratorium on evictions. As well as making proposals to national cabinet, the federal government has the power to offer grants on the condition that states freeze rent increases.
The government uses the same power to regulate health and education. With so many renters one rent increase away from eviction, will he finally take national leadership and coordinate a national freeze on rent?
Albanese:
I thank the member for his question, which in part he answered himself. During the pandemic, there were a range of things that occurred with the support of everyone in this parliament. There was for example a circumstance whereby we were paying people’s wages. We don’t pay people’s wages today.
(Sussan Ley is interjecting with “You should care about them!” (people’s wages) because we are in the upside down.)
Albanese:
There were a range of emergency measures put in place over workplaces, support for businesses, state governments made those decisions. The idea that the national government has the power to impose a rent freeze, that is essentially to nationalise the private rental market around Australia, is just not the case. It’s just not the case. And the member knows that that’s the case.
What we have is a real solution that’s being put forward, and that is a national housing accord, that is the commonwealth state housing agreement, which is where the commonwealth, together with the states, negotiates in a way in which states then don’t say, yeah, we will back that money and withdraw our investment by the amount the commonwealth puts in, which is why you need to have that negotiation.
This isn’t an SRC, this is a national government. This is a national government, and what national governments have to do is put forward real solutions to issues.
And that’s why we will also have our national homeless strategy. That’s why the housing Australia future fund bill which will provide 30,000 additional homes that are affordable or social – 4,000 of which will be reserved for women and children escaping domestic violence – will provide funding for veterans at risk of homelessness, will provide $100 million for emergency housing, will provide support to repair Indigenous housing in remote communities, should be passed.
Now those opposite, and you can argue during the break if you want that you are against $10 billion of funding, because you think it should be $20 billion, or whatever figure you want to pluck out. But the idea that you will support zero, which is what opposing this legislation will do, we will let members in your electorate know exactly that that’s the case, that that is exactly the case. So I would say to the member and his colleagues, vote for this legislation and support it.
Updated
Then we get to this question from former Morrison minister Melissa Price:
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has told the senate inquiry into Labor’s cost of living prices that the rising cost of living is having an acute adverse impact on small and family businesses that underpin livelihoods. Prime minister, why do Australian families and businesses always pay more under Labor?
Anthony Albanese:
Again, we’ve got that tag in there, which allows me to do a comparison between this government and the former government, although there is a link there, because, if I’m not mistaken, it’s a former minister in the former government that has made a submission that you’re talking about. Is that right? Is that right?
So the political appointment made by those opposite, that they leave out of the question, gives a submission which is pro-Liberal.
Deirdre Chambers, what a coincidence! The member from Western Australia of course, I do note in Western Australia today there is a bit of a comparison about the former government and this government.
… The former attorney general of the former government is suing, as a part of Clive Palmer’s operation to sue the WA government for $300 billion. $300 billion!
The Liberal party were anti-WA when they were in government, they are anti-WA now they are the opposition …
Paul Fletcher asks about relevance and Milton Dick tells Albanese to get back to the question.
It was also about former Liberal party ministers, and Mr Porter, and knowing Clive Palmer’s record for paying his workers, I hope Christian Porter ask for his money upfront. I hope you got that!
I mean, together at last, Palmer and Porter. Name a more iconic duo, I dare you!
(The Labor benches laugh uproariously at the mention of a 2016 meme, because, as we have discussed, the bar is somewhere around Dante’s third circle of hell.)
Updated
In case you were thinking the chamber was behaving itself and MPs were acting like adults today, the Labor member for Cunningham, Alison Byrnes, just had to withdraw a comment after she yelled “Sussan the screamer” at the deputy Liberal leader.
Good times.
Updated
Julie Collins calls out Greens MPs over stalled housing future fund bill
Helen Haines has the next crossbench question:
2021 Anzus data released last week revealed that in Wangaratta, homelessness has increased 67% since 2016. With the passage of the government’s housing Australia future legislation in doubt, I’m worried we will be left without a plan to fix this urgent problem. What is your Plan B to guarantee my constituents will have a roof over their heads?
As she asks this question, Paul Karp sees Anthony Albanese waggle his finger at the Greens MPs in the house (negotiations with the Greens have stalled because they want the government to go further).
Housing minister Julie Collins (after laying out some programs):
We [have] a broad housing agenda; obviously, the housing Australia Future Fund is central to [that] because it will allow us to work with other tiers of government, investors, community housing providers … to get more homes on the ground more quickly, which is why it’s so important.
… And as [Haines] indicated, [there are] vulnerable people right across Australia today that need the legislation through the parliament. So I would say to those opposite to talk to your senators … and tell them how important this legislation is.
If you’re serious about the housing situation in Australia today, we need the bill through the parliament. And I would say to the Greens … this needs to be done and needs to be done quickly.
We are delaying this because the Greens wouldn’t allow it to debate in the Senate. So I say to the Greens political party, you go back to your lectures and you tell people the houses are not on the ground today because this was not able to be brought on in the Senate … the people in Australia today, they need these houses and they need them today.
Updated
Michelle Rowland, the communications minister, has taken a dixer on some reforms the government is enacting – Paul Karp has you covered here:
Updated
Wong says she and PM have raised Assange’s case with US but warns of ‘limits’ of diplomatic efforts
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said the Australian government continues to raise Julian Assange’s case with the US and UK governments, but warned that there are “limit to what that diplomacy can achieve”.
Over in Senate question time, the Greens senator David Shoebridge asked whether Anthony Albanese had raised the ongoing prosecution and detention of the WikiLeaks co-founder when the prime minister met with the US president, Joe Biden, in San Diego on 14 March (the day of the Aukus announcement).
Wong acknowledged that there was “a depth of community sentiment” about Assange’s case:
It is not generally my practice to give chapter and verse of everything that is said in every diplomatic communication, but in the interests of transparency on this issue, I have said that I have personally expressed this view – the view, that is, that Mr Assange’s case has dragged on long enough and should be brought to a close – to the governments of the United States and the government of the United Kingdom and I will continue to do so.
The prime minister has made clear in the parliament, and I would refer you to his answers, that he has raised this case at the appropriate levels. What I would say is this – and you would know this, Senator Shoebridge, as a lawyer – we are not able as an Australian government to intervene in another country’s legal or court processes.
[Interjections]
It is true. It is true. Well, Senator Shoebridge, there is a thing called the rule of law. There is a principle called the separation of powers. No amount of bellowing at me from that end of the chamber is going to change the fact that a court has to determine the legal process. So we can raise these issues as I have and as the prime minister has, but we are not able to alter the judicial processes of another country.
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Albanese quotes victims of robodebt scheme in response to question on poverty and financial stress
The Liberal MP for Casey, Aaron Violi, asks the prime minister:
More and more Australians have to make difficult decisions to make ends meet. Uniting Care has told the Senate inquiry into Labor’s cost of living crisis that they are witnessing a surge in first-time support recipients they describe as double income earning families finding themselves at risk of poverty, homelessness and financial stress.
When will this out-of-touch prime minister finally admit to Australian families that they will always pay more under Labor?
It’s amazing how sitting on the opposition benches means people at risk of poverty are suddenly visible.
Anthony Albanese answers the question by referring to robodebt. Paul Fletcher asks about relevance, and Milton Dick says the tagline on the Coalition questions (“they will always pay more under Labor”) lets the prime minister compare and contrast governments in his answer.
Albanese:
This is what Sandra Bevan had to say: ‘With these threats of taking money directly out of my pay or out of my bank account from a tax return, it was such a weight on my shoulders. I do remember driving home at night, just thinking, just beside myself with worry about this money, and thinking’ – to quote her – ‘“I could just drive my car into a tree and make it stop.” But my kids need me, they already lost their dad and I was trying my best to keep a roof over our head.’
Matthew Thompson appeared at the commission as well. He incorrectly was told he had $11,000 [of debt]. He said this: ‘The robodebt scheme has had a lasting effect on me as it had on many others. It made my mental health worse, it made me feel like a criminal and a cheat. It really messed me out. The ministers who gave evidence were referred to, given what they said, I don’t think they are honourable and I don’t think they deserve to be called honourable.’
They were the architects of the scheme which has caused so much pain to so many people and which has caused some people to lose their lives. That is a direct result of what those opposite did. That is a different approach than we have towards people who are vulnerable in our community.
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Pro-Palestine groups call on universities to reject antisemitism definition which includes ‘targeting Israel’
A coalition of pro-Palestine community groups has urged universities to follow suit with the Australian National University in publicly rejecting a controversial definition of antisemitism.
In a statement yesterday, an ANU spokesperson said it looked closely at the definition and felt it had “sufficient protections and measures in place to help prevent and respond to any form of discrimination within its existing policies and procedures”.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition has been critiqued as an “outright attack on academic freedom” among Palestinian and Arab scholars who argue its definition of antisemitism, which includes “targeting the state of Israel”, could be used to shut down legitimate criticism of Israel.
The Australian National Imams Council, Islamic Council of Victoria, Palestinian Christians in Australia and the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network released a joint statement praising the ANU on its decision.
It came after the adoption of the statement by the University of Melbourne, Monash University, the University of Wollongong, Macquarie University and University of the Sunshine Coast after lobbying from a coalition of MPs.
APAN president Nasser Mashni said:
We welcome ANU’s responsible decision to protect the rights and freedoms of academics and students by choosing not to take on this politicised and discredited definition of antisemitism. It’s important that antisemitism and other forms of racism are addressed, and we already have effective measures in place.”
ICV president Adel Salman said universities had “sidestepped community consultation” on concerns raised among the Palestinian community towards the adoption of the statement.
The Australasian Union of Jewish Students and Zionist Federation of Australia praised the University of Melbourne to be the first institution to publicly adopt the definition.
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‘Whatever is in it, you will be against it’, says PM to opposition in reply to question on May budget
Angus Taylor asks the PM:
Will the prime minister rule out any changes in the budget to the tax treatment of work expenses?
Albanese:
Like other governments in the past what we will do is hand down our budget in 30 days’ time. The treasurer said it will be a good one. And what are we aiming at doing? What are we aiming at doing?
We will be addressing both the short-term pressures that are on cost of living and you will see those measures including our energy price relief plan, including, of course, the other plans budgeted for a cheaper childcare, cheaper medicines, all of those measures.
But you will also see the funding of plans that are based upon dealing with the medium- and longer-term challenges in our economy. The pressures that are on the health system, the pressures that are on supply chains through our national reconstruction fund, dealing with skills and making sure that people who get appropriate training and education going forward as well.
Taylor has a point of order:
Relevance, Mr Speaker. It was a very specific question. We do not need pixie dust.
Milton Dick says that is not a point of order and reminds Taylor he has the MPI today (the matter of public importance debate after QT) which is basically saying – do you want to give that, or do you want to be booted?
Albanese returns to not answering the question:
One of the things I was surprised to see [is] them taking a point on relevance. Never has an opposition that worked so hard to make themselves irrelevant. Irrelevant.
Whatever is in our budget next month, whatever is in it, you will be against it.
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Zali Steggall asks whether victims of ACBF-Youpla collapse will be compensated in May budget
The independent MP Zali Steggall has one of the crossbench questions today:
Yesterday, I met with the elders from Save Sorry Business using their Voice to seek compensation for the harm caused by the ACBF scheme. So many trusted and invested in the scheme because they thought it was government endorsed through Centrelink. The collapse of the scheme has delayed families being able to put loved ones to rest.
Will the prime minister listen to the voice of these elders, and pay compensation to so many affected in the May budget?
Stephen Jones, the assistant treasurer, takes this one and says he was at the meeting yesterday and he is disgusted with the former scheme:
It was why one of the first things that the minister for Indigenous Affairs and myself acted upon when we came into government was to ensure that we could put in place an interim arrangement, because when we came into government … there were bodies, because the company had collapsed, and [families] could not afford to bury them.
So, our first act when we came into government was to ensure that we put in place an interim scheme to make sure that we could get those bodies out of morgues and the families could bury their loved ones.
Now, Mr Speaker, over the course of this week, there’s been a lot of discussion about the sorts of things that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should have a voice to parliament on.
I can only think that if over the last 30 years we had been listening to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people then we would not have let this game go on for so long, and we would have ensured that the people that the Member for Warringah had joined our attention to had their issues dealt with when the scheme was closed down.
The government is committed to ensuring we put in place an enduring solution for these people but in the meantime we will ensure that …
Steggall has a point of order – will it be addressed in the budget? – but Jones has concluded his answer.
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Organisations of all kinds want to be part of ‘historic unifying moment’ of voice to parliament, PM says
Sussan Ley is up next and she includes a nice little postscript to this question:
Is there any issue on which the voice will not be able to provide advice to government, and is the prime minister able to factually respond without taking personal offence to reasonable questions and without his usual indignation?
Anthony Albanese:
Mr Speaker, I keep the Uluru Statement from the Heart framed on the wall of my office. Such an economy of words but it demonstrates such a generosity of spirit. It is a patient, gracious call to be heard by the first peoples of Australia. To have a say. In the concluding words of the steam and others - we invite you to walk with us and amendment of the Australian people for a better future. This is an invitation to all of us, as Australians, right across Australia.
And I do see more and more Australians taking up this invitation.
On the 17 April, I’ll be with a former member at this place. The Liberal member for Macarthur, Pat Farmer is an ultra-marathon runner and fitter than anyone who is still here now.
He is going to run … 14,000km in a six-month run around Australia in support of constitutional recognition and a voice to parliament. Eighty kilometres a day, beginning in Hobart and he will be seen off by the Tasmanian premier … and the Tasmanian opposition leader as well.
Passing through every state and territory, yesterday, the Collingwood football club announced their support. … They said this: “The board support for a First Nations voice to parliament is a natural progression of its commitment to doing and being better.”
Ley has a point of order on relevance. Milton Dick rules it is not a point of order.
Albanese:
… And if the deputy leader didn’t like that, then she shouldn’t affirm the question in at least personal way.
But what I do note is that overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly, there is goodwill from school groups, community groups, local councils, who want to be a part of the historic unifying moment; sporting organisations, leaders of every faith in Australia, seven religious charities including St Vincent DePaul and Salvation Army, minerals groups like BHP, Rio Tinto, Origin and Wesfarmers, NAB, ANZ, Woolworths, Coles.
All of these bodies, all of these bodies uniting for a better Australia, uniting in a positive way. And I would say that those people of goodwill will continue to advocate for a campaign when the referendum [comes].
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Question time begins
Question time is upon us, for the last time in a month.
It may take that long to recover.
The opening question is from Peter Dutton to Anthony Albanese on … you guessed it, cost of living and Labor’s power price promise and out-of-touch prime ministers.
There is nothing new in the question and nothing new in the answer, but we have all lost more minutes from our lives.
The first dixer is on the voice.
Linda Burney says in answer:
It’s a simple question – a proposed law to alter the constitution, to recognise first peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
Do you approve this proposed alteration? It’s a simple question. A matter from the heart. It is the combination of so much consultation and hard work. I want to thank members of the referendum working group, the referendum engagement group, some who … joined us here today. And the legal expert group for their wisdom and dedication.
I want to finish with this quote from Noel Pearson. And I ask everyone to listen to this: ‘Now is the time for us to act as Australians, not as Labor people, not as Greens, not as Liberal or National Party people. Not as Indigenous, non-Indigenous people, but as Australians. Because what we are trying to achieve here is unity. We want inclusion, a better future and this will do it.’
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Voice to parliament proposition ‘so simple, so logical’, Bridget Archer says
Liberal MP Bridget Archer has backed the voice to parliament as a “simple proposition”, saying that people “shouldn’t lose sight of that”.
Her comments come at a pivotal time, as her party decides whether to back or oppose the voice, with the constitutional alteration bill being introduced today.
Archer spoke at a barbecue put on by the Parliamentary Friends of the Uluru Statement group. Numerous Labor MPs and ministers were on hand, but as Amy and Mike reported earlier, only a small number of Liberals. Archer is one of the group’s co-chairs, and a supporter of the voice.
Giving a short speech at the event, Archer described the voice as “so simple, so logical.”
It is a momentous day today, a really important step forward … But there’s still a long way to go, and I don’t think we should lose sight of that.
For me, this is a simple proposition. Recognition, long overdue, but consultation. It’s so simple, so logical.
How can you possibly expect to make change for people if you don’t ask them?
It’s a simple proposition. We shouldn’t lose sight of that.
Archer noted the long process toward the voice, and said she hoped “we only have to wait a little bit longer”.
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Josh Wilson speaks on Clive Palmer’s lawsuit against Western Australia
Josh Wilson, the Labor MP for Fremantle, used his 90-second statement to address Clive Palmer launching a lawsuit against Western Australia:
Imagine the breakfast-table trauma in WA this morning. People grabbing a copy of the West Australian only to be confronted by the special combo of Clive Palmer and Christian Porter.
That’s some kind of dream team there. Clive Palmer wants to rip off WA to the tune of $300 billion dollars, and Christian Porter is trying to help him achieve that using a dodgy international tribunal system called ISDS.
We know the Coalition loves Clive Palmer. They supported his legal action against WA when Christian Porter was the attorney general.
And we know the Coalition loves investor-state dispute settlement arrangements – the dodgy system known as ISDS through which multinational companies try to override public policy in areas like health and the environment and worker’s rights. The system that allows billionaires and multinationals to have a go at ripping money out of the public purse.
That’s what Clive Palmer is trying to do with Christian Porter’s help – take the Western Australian community to the cleaners for $300 billion dollars.
I have no idea why those opposite think it’s clever to undermine Australian sovereignty in that way, but already this year, members opposite have brought motions supporting ISDS.
You have to ask, whose side are they on?
Well, I can tell you, we’re not going to do Clive Palmer’s bidding on this side of politics, and we’re not going to rollover for multinationals that want to take Australia for a ride.
They can keep Christian Porter and they can keep Clive Palmer.
On this side of the house, we are going to back Western Australia and we are going to make sure that multinationals and billionaires don’t use these dodgy tribunals to rip money out of the public purse.
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Last question time until May approaches
It is 90-second statement time in the house, which means it is almost question time, which means it is time for our daily dose of despair.
Grab your coffee/something stronger and strap in for the last question time before the budget is handed down in the first week of May.
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More Coalition MPs seen at Parliamentary Friends of The Uluru Statement from the Heart barbecue
We have an update on Coalition MPs who attended the parliamentary friends of the Uluru Statement from the Heart barbecue:
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg was also spotted, along with Bridget Archer.
Andrew Gee, who quit the Nationals after the party room announced it would not support the voice, was also there.
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The safeguard mechanism legislation is on its way back to the house to approve the Senate amendments:
The Safeguard Mechanism (Crediting) Amendment Bill 2023 https://t.co/HX2iFHDuBO has passed the #Senate with amendments from the Government and the Australian Greens. Next step is for the House of Reps to consider the Senate's amendments
— Australian Senate (@AuSenate) March 30, 2023
Once it has passed the house, it heads off for assent and then it is done – Australia has some sort of climate policy.
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John Pesutto says Daniel Andrews’ ‘drip feed’ of information on China trip ‘a slap in the face’ on transparency
The Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, has just held a press conference to call for a parliamentary inquiry into premier Daniel Andrews’ trip to China.
Andrews arrived in China on Tuesday morning for a four-day trip aimed at strengthening Victoria’s standing among prospective students. But in a break from tradition, he did not invite journalists, relevant ministers or stakeholders.
Pesutto said:
I strongly support all trade missions to our trading partners, particularly our largest trading partner.
But for Daniel Andrews to go to China and drip feed Australian media, particularly Victorian media and the Victorian people, with very basic information that doesn’t tell anybody what the real purposes of the visit are, what he hopes to achieve, is a real slap in the face when it comes to transparency.
Victorians deserve the truth about the trip. We all want our trade missions to be successful. But we are all entitled to know the full details of the trip.
Victoria’s parliament doesn’t sit again until May so we won’t know if their motion to get the economic and infrastructure committee to conduct a “short, sharp inquiry” into the trip will be successful for some time.
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The Senate is still dividing on amendments to the safeguard mechanism legislation – but only those already agreed to by the government will get up.
Still, a million amendments is democracy manifest, so we go through the motions.
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The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, spoke to 2GB Radio earlier this morning, and was asked about his comments to the Coalition party room about the Aston byelection being made more difficult by talking about themselves.
Asked if this was a reference to John Pesutto’s attempt to expel Moira Deeming, Dutton agreed that “it’s frustrating because we have a great candidate in Roshena Campbell”, who he described as a strong person, a barrister and a mother of three.
He said:
This is an opportunity to elect a good representative. The’re not going to change the government in a byelection. It’s a chance to send the government a message. One of the first things they did in government was to cut road funding [in Aston] … We should be talking about those issues, not other issues. I think Roshena has done a great job on the ground. Byelections are always close. The government is in its honeymoon. The propaganda and lies they’re telling down there [are] outrageous. That’s what they do … Pensioners are hurting, they’re paying $19,000 more on their mortgages.
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The Greens senator Janet Rice has introduced a private members bill (Ending Poverty in Australia (Antipoverty Commission) Bill 2023) which would establish an anti-poverty commission – that would provide the Parliament “with independent and transparent advice on the causes of poverty in Australia, how to reduce it, and advice on the minimum levels for social security payments, including JobSeeker, the Parenting Parent, Youth Allowance, the Age Pension, and the Disability Support Pension”.
Rice said the advice would be “given by independent Commissioners, appointed in consultation with state and territory ministers, and under scrutiny of a Joint Parliamentary Committee, as is done with the ANAO and the Nacc.”
As part of the bill, Rice wants to see a national poverty line established, which would act as a benchmark in terms of measuring poverty and social security payments.
Rice said:
Right now, woefully inadequate government payments are leaving millions of women, children, uni students, jobseekers and renters in poverty.
Australia needs a fully independent, transparent and representative commission to advise the Parliament on our social security system and what needs to be done to fix it.
While the Greens support the concept of the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, Labor’s current model is led by a former minister with members appointed entirely at the Government’s discretion, and is constrained by needing to take into account the government’s current policies.
It’s unclear if anyone on the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has any lived experience of poverty or surviving on social security payments. It does currently include the Chair of the Business Council of Australia.
In contrast the Commissioners of the Anti-Poverty Commission would be free to give advice based on the evidence, and not be caged-in by the Government’s fiscal strategy and existing policies.
The bill would need the support of the government to pass.
The Parliamentary Friends of The Uluru Statement from The Heart are holding a barbecue in the senate courtyard with the Referendum Engagement Group which includes over 60 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives from across Australia.
Mike Bowers is there and says the only member of the Coalition he can see is Bridget Archer.
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Over in the senate and the final votes are happening on the safeguard mechanism bill.
The last amendments are being voted on and then it is all but done.
Palmer says he will spend any windfall from lawsuit on neglected WA hospitals
Clive Palmer has responded to the reporting of his $300bn lawsuit against Australia (it is a long story, but it goes back to changes the WA government made regarding his iron ore mine in the Pilbara, which have been litigated up to the high court. He lost in the high court, so Palmer is using international law for this one). Former attorney general Christian Porter is listed as one of the lawyers representing Palmer.
From the statement (he posted on Twitter):
Clive Palmer said today that if he was to receive any windfall from a future lawsuit, it would be spent on neglected WA hospitals under the McGowan Government & a new independent newspaper for the state.
“If any windfall was to come to Mineralogy, the funds would be used for public good,’’ Mr Palmer said.
“Following years of neglect from the McGowan Government, proper funding of health and hospitals in Western Australia is well overdue.
“A better health system and new independent voice for WA citizens is desperately needed.”
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Health minister announces new Covid measures
The health minister, Mark Butler, has just announced further measures to protect those most at risk. From 1 April, more than 160,000 people aged 60 to 69 will have free access to the antiviral treatment Paxlovid under expanded eligibility guidelines, he said. The change means people in this age group with only one risk factor for severe illness – instead of two – will get access to the drug, which prevents progression to severe illness.
More than 1 million Australians have received a booster so far this year, and around 70% of those are aged 60 and over, Butler said.
From 31 March the government will update its reporting of vaccine uptake to report data on how many adults have received a 2023 booster dose; how many have received a dose in the past six months; how many have received one more than six months ago, and how many are completely unvaccinated.
Butler also announced that from 1 April, new aged care worker Covid-19 leave grants will be available to support permanent or casual aged care workers caring for older Australians most at risk of severe illness. Workers can receive a payment of up to $750 directly from their employer when they are required to take leave related to Covid and have no leave entitlements available.
Meanwhile a new report from the chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, on the lessons of the fourth wave of the Omicron variant notes the wave ended in late February, was longer than previous waves but led to less severe illness than the third wave in the winter of 2022.
Kelly says the focus of Australia’s response to the pandemic should continue to be on protecting those at greatest risk of severe illness, including older Australians, those with disability, those with complex pre-existing medical conditions, and the immune-compromised.
It comes as updated WHO Covid vaccination guidelines state only high risk groups should receive ongoing Covid-19 booster doses because strong population-level immunity means ongoing boosting of the general population offers little impact.
This is in line with Australia’s advice from Atagi.
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Commonwealth Bank tips pause in rate rises as inflation cools
The smaller than expected February inflation rate, coming in at 6.8%, has prompted Australia’s biggest bank to back in a pause in rate rises when the Reserve Bank board meets next Tuesday.
CBA had been forecasting another 25 basis point rate rise by the RBA to 3.85% but now say the odds slightly favour the central bank pausing.
That still leaves the ANZ and NAB picking a quarter-point rate rise next week, while Westpac was expecting a pause.
However, the CBA still reckons there’s one more rate rise to come – just that it’ll be delayed. CBA economists said:
A pause in the tightening cycle in April does not necessarily mark the end of the tightening cycle.
The RBA Board can pause in April while retaining full optionality to raise the cash rate in May if the data comes in a little hotter than anticipated over the next month.
Separately, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has released data on the number of vacancies in the economy. These totalled 438,500 in February, down a modest 1.5% from November. (Some economists had picked falls of as much as 8%.
Bjorn Jarvis, ABS head of labour statistics, said: “The number of job vacancies fell by around 1% between November and February, and were down by 9% from the peak in May 2022.”
The slide was the third consecutive quarter of declines but it’s worth noting that vacancies remain about double pre-pandemic levels even with a record run of interest rate rises.
There is still a very high demand for labour from employers across Australia and across all industries,” Jarvis said.
So far that strong demand has not led to a surge in wages which might be why the RBA can afford to take a break in hiking rates to see whether it has done enough to cool excess demand in the economy.
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Albanese on voice debate: ‘We should be able to have respectful disagreement, rather than hateful speech’
Anthony Albanese has had a chat to Network Ten’s Narelda Jacobs about the voice.
Jacobs asked whether he was concerned about the debate:
Prime minister, are you concerned about the debate descending into some pretty hateful scenes? We have seen some ugly anti-trans protests recently and there has been a lot said on social media, I know no we don’t like to talk about social media, but there have been some pretty hateful things that have been said ... are you concerned about the direction Australia’s heading with this poll?
Albanese:
I’ve said at the time of the election and, indeed, when I became Labor leader, that people had conflict fatigue. We should be able to have respectful disagreement, rather than hateful speech, which is never warranted and adds nothing to public discourse. Public representatives have a responsibility to do that, but I’m concerned that with social media we seem to have a circumstance whereby people would say things through various social media applications that they would never say to someone face to face. And we know that that can be hurtful and it can have drastic consequences. We are a diverse society and we need to respect each and every individual in the society for who they are. And that is something that I try to bring to the way that my government functions and that is something that I think we will have a responsibility to advance.
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Scammers impersonating banks in calls and texts to steal money, ACCC warns
Scammers have upped the ante in their bid to steal money from Australians, increasingly impersonating calls and texts from banks.
The consumer watchdog said scammers are tricking their victims by sending texts that appear in previous conversation threads from their genuine banks, and also making calls that appear to be from the bank’s legitimate phone numbers.
The watchdog said the calls and texts often have a sense of urgency, raising issues such as fraudulent activity or a frozen account.
Australians losing money to bank impersonations rose significantly last year, the watchdog said, with over $169m lost.
Here’s ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe:
We are incredibly concerned about bank impersonation scams because they can be so convincing, they are very hard to detect.
What’s equally worrying about this particular scam, is that it is emptying every last cent out of victims’ savings accounts, with losses averaging $22,000 and more than 90 reports of losses between $40,000 and $800,000.
Lowe has outlined some advice to avoid the scam:
No matter how legitimate a call or message seems, a bank would not ask you to urgently transfer funds. Hang up if you receive a call from someone claiming to be from your bank and requesting you transfer money to “keep it safe”.
If you receive a text with a telephone number with a number to call, do not use it. Instead, call your bank directly on a phone number you have sourced yourself.
Never provide online banking passwords, one-time security codes, pins or tokens to anyone over the phone.
Contact your bank or financial institution immediately if you think you have been scammed.
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Dipping into parliament a little early because there are SHENANIGANS
Tony Burke sought leave to try to amend the standing orders to stop anyone, including the government, from moving gag motions from 6.30am to the adjournment of the sitting (among other changes).
But the opposition has said no.
Burke wants to stop the gag motions to try to get things moving, but the opposition says the government is “eager to reduce the capacity of the parliament … to hold the executive government to account”.
Paul Fletcher says one way it is doing that is limiting when divisions may be called.
So both are using their best reasonable voices to explain why they are being reasonable.
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Indigenous elder to welcome Obama at lunch after being removed from event
The Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation has confirmed that Aunty Joy Murphy will perform a Welcome to Country at former US president Barack Obama’s business lunch in Melbourne today.
Aunty Joy Murphy was scheduled to welcome Obama to Wurundjeri land in Melbourne last night on the latest leg of his speaking tour of Australia.
But she was removed by the event’s organisers, Growth Faculty, after she asked for a support person to help her at the event and to provide Obama with a gift in line with cultural practice.
Earlier today Growth Faculty issued a statement:
Due to security requirements, the organisation was unable to accommodate last minute changes to the agreed upon ceremony.
Aunty Joy said that organisers from Growth Facility called her on Wednesday evening to personally apologise:
I have accepted their apology and will receive President Obama on behalf of my people.
Although it saddens me to think that I had to go through the events of yesterday, I’m happy that Aboriginal culture has been given appropriate recognition. It will be my great pleasure to welcome the first Black American president to Wurundjeri Country on behalf of my community and Ancestors.
I hope that this meeting with Obama helps to achieve healing and change.
In a statement, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation said that Aunty Joy had requested to bring a support person and the opportunity to provide Obama with a gift “weeks in advance”.
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Albanese government’s transparency commitments welcomed by advocates
Transparency International Australia has welcomed the commitments outlined by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, at an anti-corruption forum today. They included a new strengthening democracy taskforce and recognition of the role of civil society to ensure accountability and transparency.
The chief executive of Transparency International Australia, Clancy Moore, attended the summit in South Korea that Wong addressed via video link earlier today. The session was titled “challenges and progress in addressing corruption”.
Moore urged Australia to place “anti-corruption, accountability and democracy as central pillars of the aid program”. In a statement, Moore said:
Australia’s anti-money laundering laws need strengthening so that lawyers, accountants and real-estate agents to do proper due diligence and report suspicious transactions that fly under the radar.
Corruption is the biggest threat to democracy. It leads to poverty, inequality and fuels conflict. We welcome these commitments by Foreign Minister Wong to strengthen accountability and promote transparency across the Indo-Pacific region.
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Number of children in childcare falling amid teacher shortages
The number of children attending preschool is falling amid ongoing teacher shortages hitting the sector.
Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today found there were 4,575 fewer children enrolled in childcare programs in 2022 compared with the previous year – a 1.3% decrease.
Of those enrolled, just one in four parents were accessing free childcare and three in ten were paying $5 or more per hour for preschool programs.
There are 334,440 children aged four or five enrolled in preschool programs - representing around nine in ten four-year-olds and one in five children aged five.
At the same time, the number of children enrolled across more than one provider type has increased by 45,363 - a 13% jump. Of those children, just 5% paid no fees.
Overall, around two-thirds of children enrolled in preschool programs paid $4 or less out of pocket per hour after subsidies were dedicated and three in 10 paid $5 or more.
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Monique Ryan calls for Australians to join bone marrow registry to help cancer patients
The independent MP Monique Ryan, who joined Bob Katter’s cross parliamentary push for more funding for the bone marrow registry to boost its donor numbers, has welcomed the launch of the Strength to Give national cheek swab recruitment campaign.
The cheek swab provides a sample of cells to compare specific protein markers with those of patients who need a bone marrow transplant.
Patients with blood cancers need us to act fast. Every 31 minutes someone in Australia is diagnosed with blood cancer and almost 6,000 Australians lose their lives to blood cancers every year.
But I am pleased to report that as of Monday 27 March, Australians aged 18-35 can jump on to the Strength to Give website, click the Register button and receive a free home-delivered cheek swab kit.
Donors no longer need to be blood donors making a blood donation – but they can still register on the website and complete their enrolment by giving a blood sample when they next donate blood.
But Ryan, like Katter, Labor MP Dr Mike Freelander and LNP MP Bert Van Manen, said there is still a long way to go “to create a sustainable commitment to improve the registry and make a significant difference to Australian patients”.
There has been $500,000 released for the register, but Ryan wants health minister Mark Butler to commit more “as soon as possible so the registry can attract as many donors as it can swab – and save even more lives”.
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Tanya Plibersek says TikTok account is on personal phone, not government phone
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, is one of the more popular government members on TikTok.
She has been asked whether she would keep her account if the federal government review into the app comes back and recommends TikTok be deleted off government phones.
Plibersek says she is already ahead of that – her TikTok app is held on a seperate private phone that is not linked to her work contacts or emails.
She told Sky News:
I don’t have it on my phone. We use a completely separate phone.
It’s not linked in any way to any information. None of my emails. None of my work.
On concerns China may be offended if Australia acts on the app, Plibersek says:
Look, I read that report this morning. I’m sure that we won’t make any decision based on something as loose as that. We’ll take the advice of our security agencies when we make decisions like this. But I don’t think it’s a big deal to have a separate phone to do this sort of communication. I think it’s good to communicate with people on the platforms that they use most often. I see how often my kids are on TikTok and I think being able to talk to people about what the government is doing and what we’re doing in the environment portfolio, it’s a great opportunity to do that. I just don’t want to have any potential compromising of my official data, so keeping the two things separate makes sense.
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Aston byelection poll negative for Dutton
Internal Labor polling for the Aston byelection has somehow found its way into the hands of Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell and you will be absolutely completely SHOCKED to learn that it’s negative for Peter Dutton.
The poll found just 21% of people had a favourable view of Mr Dutton, 50% were unfavourable with 24% unsure and 5% having never heard of him.
The federal Liberal leader has been quieter than a teenage Amy sneaking back into the house after missing curfew this last week in the parliament. He has been pretty silent during question time, hasn’t held press conferences, has kept media to a minimum and didn’t attend the chamber when the voice constitutional amendment was being introduced.
All signs point to it being a consequence of the Aston byelection. A government hasn’t won a byelection off an opposition for more than a century. Labor is unlikely to win Saturday, but that it looks to be in the race is enough to spook the Liberal party, particularly after the loss of the NSW state election last week.
If the Liberals don’t win the seat by the usual byelection margin (5-6%) it is not going to be overly comfortable for Dutton, who barely campaigned in the NSW election.
If you can’t win Victoria and you can’t win NSW, then you can’t win a federal election. It is as simple as that.
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‘We still share an interest in avoiding one country dominating – or any country being dominated,’ Wong tells international summit
Penny Wong also told the event that transparency and accountability were important to Australia’s goal of preserving “an order respectful of international law, rules and norms” across the region.
Wong said Australia’s approach in the Indo-Pacific included working with partners to strengthen governance and accountability, supporting elections, promoting gender equality, diversity and inclusion and supporting civil society organisations and voices:
This is a part of Australia’s approach in the Pacific family – where we work in partnership to strengthen electoral commissions, conduct anti-corruption and cybercrime training, and to build capacity in the law and justice sector.
I want to acknowledge that a number of ministerial colleagues from the Pacific are attending today.
I wanted to finish by mentioning that the Pacific Islands Forum members recently gathered together in Fiji for a special leaders retreat, a Talanoa – a process of inclusive and participatory dialogue in the Pacific way.
It’s where we share perspectives as fellow democracies and come together to make decisions in our collective interests as stewards of the Blue Pacific.
Even elsewhere in the region, where countries have different political systems, we still share an interest in avoiding one country dominating – or any country being dominated.
We see how democratic principles can work in an international context.
We are all sovereign nations, but we freely come together to solve problems together.
It is up to all of us, including the small and medium-sized countries like my own, to create the kind of world to which we aspire – stable, peaceful, prosperous and respectful of sovereignty.
We can navigate our shared challenges best when we do it together, through regional and multilateral organisations, with transparency and accountability.
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Penny Wong speaks to international summit about corruption
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has told an international summit that democracy “depends on public trust in the integrity of our political system”.
Wong was speaking by video link to a summit co-hosted by South Korea on the topic “challenges and progress in addressing corruption”. (It is part of the US summit for democracy events and was also co-hosted by Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Zambia.)
Wong said she was pleased that so many civil society members were participating in the forum, because civil society “can strengthen democracy and hold governments to account”. Wong said:
Australians cherish our democracy, and understand that democracy depends on public trust in the integrity of our political system.
At last year’s election, Australians voted resoundingly for a national anti-corruption commission.
Australia is also establishing a Strengthening Democracy Taskforce to identify concrete initiatives to bolster Australia’s democratic resilience and enhance trust among citizens, and between citizens and governments.
As the prime minister Anthony Albanese has said, ‘Even some of the oldest, most stable democracies have come under attack from a whole range of corrosive, insidious forces. No one is immune.’
As governments, we have an obligation to maintain the trust of the people, while strengthening our democratic principles.
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Australian Human Rights Commission responds to tabling of Indigenous voice referendum bill
The Australian Human Rights Commission president, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM, has responded to the tabling of the constitutional amendment bill for the voice referendum:
The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomes the Federal Government’s introduction of Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 to parliament. The Bill sets out the proposed wording in the constitution for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
As Australia’s National Human Rights Institution, the Commission considers the proposal for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament to be consistent with fundamental human rights principles, and with international human rights conventions that Australia has endorsed.
There is clear international guidance that establishing representative structures to support self-determination and representation for Indigenous peoples is necessary to prevent and overcome discrimination.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have unique and inherent rights that arise from their distinct status as Australia’s First Peoples. The proposal for a Voice is consistent with the realisation of these rights, and with the rights of all Australians.”
The Australian Human Rights commissioner, Lorraine Finlay, this morning claimed in the Australian newspaper it “undermines the foundational human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination”.
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Linda Burney and referendum working group entering one of the parliamentary courtyards for a press conference makes for a very powerful photo (from Mike Bowers).
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Health officials to provide Covid update in an hour
Health minister Mark Butler and the chief medical officer, Professor Paul Kelly will hold a Covid update presser in about an hour.
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TikTok says it’s being ‘unfairly singled out’ over potential ban on Australian government devices
TikTok has argued it is being “unfairly singled out” amid reports of a potential ban on Australian government devices (the government has not yet announced this; the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, is considering action after a departmental review focused on social media on government devices and an announcement is expected in the near future).
Lee Hunter, the general manager of TikTok Australia New Zealand, says the company is being subjected to “a lot of accusations not rooted in evidence”. Hunter tells Sky News:
I think it’s tricky to ban something you don’t understand.
Hunter says Australian users’ data is held in the US and Singapore.
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Australians stranded overseas during pandemic lockdowns received ‘confusing and misleading public messaging’, review finds
The joint committee into public accounts and audits (I know, try and contain your excitement) has finished its review of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s role in facilitating the return of Australians who were stranded during the pandemic border closures.
You will be shocked to discover that things did not go as smoothly as they might have.
Committee chair, Labor MP Julian Hill said Dfat gave evidence it didn’t always receive the advice it needed to enact ministers’ public statements. (The ministers of course, being in the previous government.)
This led to confusing and misleading public messaging to stranded Australians in 2020 and 2021, and underscores the responsibility of government ministers to ensure they are informed by sensible and evidence-based advice before making public commitments in such sensitive areas.
The committee also considers that more could and should have been done by the commonwealth to provide adequate quarantine facilities later in the pandemic. This was one of the key constraints upon Dfat’s ability to bring stranded Australians home.”
The committee makes several unanimous recommendations aimed at strengthening the Australian government’s future crisis response, and ensuring that lessons learned from Covid-19 are incorporated into existing frameworks, including that:
the government formally respond to the 2021 Halton review into hotel quarantine arrangements
human rights considerations be incorporated into the Australian government crisis management framework, and
the auditor general consider an audit of the updated version of this framework.
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Trade minister speaks from China
The assistant trade minister, Tim Ayres, has just been interviewed on Sky News, in a live cross from China. He is the first Australian government minister to attend the Bo’ao Forum for Asia annual conference since 2016.
Ayres says it is an “important opportunity to prosecute the argument for Australia’s interests” although he plays down the idea that the trade impediments will be solved “overnight”.
Ayres says he has met with the Chinese vice commerce minister and expects that the Australian trade minister, Don Farrell, will meet in China with the commerce minister in the “coming weeks and months” (Farrell was invited to do so after a virtual meeting back in February; the date has not yet been set).
Ayres says:
We are on a purposeful, calm and consistent trajectory here.
The Sky interview quickly pivots to the visit to China by the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, and accusations of a lack of transparency by not bringing Australian journalists with him.
Ayres reiterates that Andrews and his office briefed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and engaged with the Australian government prior to his departure.
Ayres resists the invitation to take a swipe at the Labor premier, saying he “can’t speak to his media schedule or his itinerary but I’m sure that he’ll be available on return for interviews”.
Ayres says “it is a problem, to be fair, that there are no Australian journalists in China”.
(Readers may recall the ABC’s Bill Birtles and the Australian Financial Review’s Michael Smith were rushed out of China after an intense diplomatic standoff in 2020.)
Ayres continues:
In Australia, we value freedom of the press and freedom of movement - these concepts are important to our understanding of democracy. It would be a good thing if there were Australian journalists in the corridors of the conference that I’m at and indeed in China more broadly. It would serve to mean that there was better information, better analysis, so it’s in the interests of both countries in my view as well as being in the interests of the the press gallery.
I know that there is a lot of interest in this subject. I’ve tried to do as much media engagement, not just with the international press and the Chinese press here but also Australian media while I’ve been on this trip.
It’s not perfect and I’d expect that Mr Andrews is encountering the same challenges.
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Medicare card goes digital
Australians will be able to access their Medicare card digitally as the public health pass is made available on the MyGov app today.
The minister for government services, Bill Shorten, said Medicare is getting a digital facelift to make accessing government services easier, and provide better protections against fraud.
Here’s Shorten:
As with all items in the MyGov wallet, the Medicare card has protections against fraud and theft, including a hologram and QR code.
It’s the latest personal document to be digitised and made available in the MyGov “wallet” after Centrelink concession cards and Covid-19 vaccination certificates went digital in September. Drivers in NSW will have the option of adding their license to their MyGov wallet later this year.
Australians will still have the option to use the physical card. Shorten said the government is encouraging health professionals to accept digital Medicare cards, but it may take time to be universally adopted.
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NDIA staff need better training in disability awareness and anti-discrimination, report finds
The interim report into the Capability and Culture of the NDIA (the agency which administers the NDIS) has been handed down and the very first recommendation is that staff be better trained:
The committee recommends that NDIA staff have comprehensive training in disability awareness and anti-discrimination, and that the government support planners and other NDIA staff, including contact centre staff, to develop specialist skills in specific areas of disability and participants’ needs, so the scheme can serve the diversity of NDIS participants.
This is not a new recommendation. There have been calls for NDIA staff to be better trained in how to treat their clients, including addressing disability awareness and anti-discrimination for years.
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Governor general David Hurley to visit Vietnam
Government House has announced:
At the invitation of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley will undertake a state visit to Vietnam.
The Governor-General and Mrs Hurley will travel from Australia to Vietnam in recognition of the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations between the two countries. The visit will include meetings with the President, His Excellency Mr Vo Van Thuong; Prime Minister, His Excellency Pham Minh Chinh; and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, His Excellency Nguyen Phu Trong.
Their Excellencies will attend events in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to recognise and celebrate the strong trade, cultural and people-to-people links between Australia and Vietnam.
The Governor-General and Mrs Hurley will depart Australia on 3 April and return on 6 April. Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC CVO, Governor of Victoria, will serve as Administrator of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia during the visit.
There is no official word whether Linda Hurley will lead any of her hosts in a singalong.
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Jim Chalmers backs pay rise for lowest-paid workers
I present this exchange between a reporter and the treasurer without comment (although I expect that sound you can hear is Greg Jericho screaming into the abyss).
Q: Treasurer, the government has spent months trying to rein in spending, running tighter budgets, trying to soften spending in the market, particularly things that lower-paid workers would spend money on – retail, groceries. How is a strong pay rise for the lowest-paid workers consistent with that practice?
Jim Chalmers:
Because at a time cost-of-living pressures are putting working families under the pump, we want them to be able to earn enough to provide for their loved ones. Decent, sustainable, responsible, meaningful wages growth is part of the solution here, not part of the problem. We’ve got an inflation challenge for other reasons, not because the lowest-paid Australians are being paid too much. We want to see meaningful, responsible, sustainable wages growth in our economy and in our country. And it makes sense, it’s common sense to begin with the lowest paid.
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Medibank faces class action after massive hack
A class action has been launched against Medibank, AAP reports:
Medibank shareholders have taken legal action against the private health insurer for not disclosing alleged cyber security “deficiencies”.
The class action was filed in the supreme court of Victoria and served on Medibank on Wednesday.
Medibank reported the massive data breach in October last year, after Russian hackers stole the sensitive health records of almost 10 million Australians.
In a statement, Medibank said the proceedings were being brought by legal firm Quinn Emanuel on behalf of shareholders who acquired an interest between 1 July 2019 to 19 October 2022.
“The statement of claim includes allegations that Medibank breached its continuous disclosure obligations under the Corporations Act 2001 and ASX Listing Rules by not disclosing to the market information relating to alleged deficiencies in its cyber security systems,” the statement reads.
The cybercriminals have since dumped all the customer information they stole from the health insurer on the dark web after demanding a ransom be paid.
Medibank refused to pay the money, a decision supported by the federal government.
It follows Maurice Blackburn launching a compensation claim against the health insurer over the hack.
The government last year introduced tough new penalties for serious or repeated data breaches, to whichever is the greater of $50m, 30%t of the company’s turnover in the relevant period, or three times the value of any benefit gained from the stolen data.
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Sam Lim continued:
Around the same time as this article from the ABC, the Daily Mail published a story online implying that three Chinese men taking photographs at the Avalon air show in Melbourne were spies! This was absolutely outrageous! I’m sure many of you have heard of my own personal experience, when I was doing campaigning and doorknocking in the Tangney electorate, where I, too, was being told, “Go back to China” – even though I was, in fact, born in Malaysia. We have all heard: “Do not judge a book by its cover.” So why should the colour of my skin, the way I talk and the way I express myself be used against me as a weapon?
The racial profiling in this article not only affected the victims but also caused profound discomfort and anxiety to many in the Chinese community and those of Asian heritage. It is unfair, unreasonable and unacceptable to suspect anyone with a camera at a public event – let alone anyone who looks Asian or to be of Chinese descent – of being a spy. The article has since been swiftly removed, after the Daily Mail received complaints and an open letter calling them out for their baseless accusations.
As leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that we do not propagate false narratives that can harm our communities and divide us. I say this because more than 160 nationalities live in my electorate of Tangney. It reflects modern Australia, where we represent a unique and diverse set of cultures. We must work towards building bridges between our multicultural communities to promote peace and harmony. Hindsight is a great thing. I say this to all media watching or listening: let us acknowledge and appreciate the significant contribution of our multicultural communities in Australia. Let us all work together to promote peace and harmony between all communities, because our words are powerful. They should be used for unity, not division.
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Sam Lim calls out racial bias in Australia media
Late last night in the parliament sitting, the Labor member for Tangney, Sam Lim spoke about the media’s responsibility when it comes to how they report on issues involving people of non-Anglo communities.
The contributions made by our multicultural communities shape our country for the better. It is the addition of colour, flavour, depth and dimension, in the form of culturally and linguistically diverse experiences, that enriches our way of life. But often – too often – the perception of our multicultural community is skewed by subliminal messaging or full-blown agitational remarks by our media. We must call this out.
I refer to an article from ABC news earlier this month, with the headline: ‘India: Narendra Modi calls on Albanese to combat Sikh attacks on Hindu temples in Australia’. This article was not only misleading but also so harmful to both the Sikh and Hindu communities in Australia.
I have large communities of Sikhs and Hindus in my electorate of Tangney. Canning Vale is the home of the first Sikh gurdwara in Western Australia. Canning Vale is also the home of the Perth Hindu Temple. Whilst there are differences, both communities work tirelessly to advocate for their people, and both communities are benefiting from the election commitment made by our government to their place of worship.
The recent incidents of violence highlighted in the article do not represent the Australian Sikh community. We must condemn any form of violence, but we must also ensure that we do not target an entire community. It is important to understand that the Sikhs follow the teachings of their gurus, which emphasise love, compassion and service to humanity. The recent incidents of violence do not reflect the values and the teachings encompassed by the Sikh faith.
(Continued in next post)
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At that same press conference Linda Burney has spoken at, Pat Anderson AO, an Alyawarre woman and the Chairperson of the Lowitja Foundation who is a member of the referendum council cut to the chase:
There is nowhere else to go. We’ve got our bare arses on the barbed wire now.”
Labor looking less likely to have majority in NSW parliament
The count is continuing after the New South Wales election and it looks less and less likely Labor will for majority government.
The party needs 47 seats to form a majority and has already claimed 45.
On Thursday morning, Labor was just ahead in Ryde but remained behind by a few hundred votes in Goulburn, Holsworthy and Terrigal.
The NSW Electoral Commission will today count some absentee votes after the ABC yesterday called Kiama for Liberal-turned-independent Gareth Ward.
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Linda Burney: ‘We are one step closer to making history’
Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney has spoken about the constitutional amendment laying the pathway for the voice referendum:
Today with the introduction of the constitution alteration bill we are one step closer to making history.
One step closer to making history.
One step closer to creating a voice that will make sure the voices of our people are heard.
One step closer to improving lives with the voice that makes a difference.
One step closer to moving Australia forward for everyone.
This referendum is not about politicians and it’s not about lawyers.
It is about the Australian people having a say, having a say in the future of our country, having a say so that we can recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in our founding document.
The people you see behind me make me proud, they make me strong. I want to recognise all of them.
They are members of the referendum engagement group. More than 60 members representing communities across the width and breadth of this vast land. They have an important role in biding government ahead of the referendum later this year.
They are here today to say a simple word – yes. Yes to the Uluru Statement From the Heart yes to constitutional recognition, yes to a voice to the parliament.
Now there will always be those that seek to hold us back. Those wreckers, they want to hold Australia back. We want to take Australia forward. We want to take Australia forward more united, more hopeful and more reconciled than ever before.
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There is a reason this screenshot was chosen from the Parl View feed and it is not because the prime minister is front and centre.
It is because of who is not there. In politics, an absence can say almost as much as the substance.
This morning we took the first formal step to holding a referendum.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 29, 2023
It will be a chance for all Australians to be heard, and to change our country for the better.
To recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our constitution, and deliver a Voice to Parliament. pic.twitter.com/RvbjNg5tcY
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Companies with more than 100 employees to publish gender pay gaps
From early next year, companies with more than 100 employees will have to publish their gender pay gaps, in the hope that transparency will lead to change.
The workplace gender equality amendment (closing the gender pay gap) bill 2023 passed overnight – changes come into effect in early 2024.
The minister for women, Katy Gallagher, said it’s one measure to close the pay gap (currently around 13.3%) sometime before generation Alpha hits their 30s.
On current projections it will take another 26 years to close the gender pay gap. Women have waited long enough for the pay gap to close – this government will not let them wait another quarter of a century.
The gender pay gaps will be published on the Workplace Gender Equality Agency website.
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Who was – and wasn’t – present for the introduction of the Indigenous voice referendum bill?
The government benches were full as attorney general Mark Dreyfus introduced the constitutional alteration bill to advance the Indigenous voice – but it was a different story on the opposition side, with little more than a dozen Coalition MPs initially in the chamber.
More filtered in as Dreyfus gave his speech, with about 25 by the end – but that number did not include either opposition leader Peter Dutton or deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley. Nationals leader David Littleproud was in the room, as was shadow Indigenous Australians minister and shadow attorney general Julian Leeser.
On the other side, the government made room on their frontbench for Indigenous MPs Gordon Reid and Marion Scrymgour, who normally sit a few rows further back. Also watching from the side were senators Malarndirri McCarthy, Jana Stewart and Nita Green.
As Dreyfus finished his speech, there was a loud round of applause and a standing ovation from the Labor benches and much of the crossbench. He and Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney were approached by most of their caucus for hugs and handshakes.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese, also clapping, pointed up to the public gallery to acknowledge members of the government’s referendum working group and other Indigenous leaders, who were watching the bill’s introduction.
From our vantage point in the press gallery section of the chamber, we could only see one Coalition MP – Russell Broadbent – clapping the bill’s introduction after Dreyfus’ speech.
Dreyfus, Burney and McCarthy will hold a press conference shortly.
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The House of Representatives has resolved to establish a joint select committee on the voice referendum – the Senate will now consider the message (it will agree) and then the committee will be chosen and it will be off and running.
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Here is how the chamber looked as Mark Dreyfus introduced the constitutional amendment bill for the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum.
Michael Sukkar is sitting in Peter Dutton’s chair.
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Dutton absent for introduction of Indigenous voice referendum bill
Peter Dutton was not in the House for the introduction of the constitutional amendment bill.
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Mark Dreyfus officially commends the bill to the House and there is a standing ovation from the Labor benches and the crossbench.
The House moves on to other government business.
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Indigenous voice’ ‘is the opportunity for a better future … for all Australians’, attorney general says
Mark Dreyfus:
The government sincerely thanks members for the referendum working group, the referendum engagement group and the constitutional expert group. Their counsel in developing this bill and guiding the conduct of the referendum has been both wise and invaluable and provides a solid foundation on which to continue on the path towards recognition.
The government, the parliament and the nation are indebted to the minister for Indigenous Australians for her commitment, her strength and her leadership.
The government also thanks member for the broader Australian community for their engagement throughout this process. The Uluru statement from the heart was issued to the peoples of Australia, not to the government.
It is now time for the Australian people to decide whether to accept that offer when they vote in this referendum.
I trust the Australian people to understand that this is the opportunity for a better future, not just for the first peoples of Australia, but for all Australians.
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‘The voice will provide a path for the executive government and the parliament to consult with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’
Mark Dreyfus:
The voice will not be required to make a representation on every law policy or program, the voice will determine when to make representations by managing its own priorities and allocate its resources in accordance with the priorities of First Nations peoples. Critically, the voice will be proactive. It will not have to wait for the moment to seek its views before it can provide them but all the constitution amendment oblige the parliament of the executive government to consult the voice before taking action.
The voice will provide a path for the executive government and the parliament to consult with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The voice will create a critical link between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the parliament and the executive government. Nothing in the provision it will hinder the ordinary functioning of our democratic system.
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Mark Dreyfus:
This bill responds that the call for a voice of First Nations people enshrined in the constitution. The government is also working towards Makarrata commission to respond the calls for agreement making a truth telling. This work will continue beyond the referendum. This bill is about recognising and listening. It recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of this land. It is about creating the voice and it is up to the parliament and the executive to listen. This is an important reform. But it is modest. It supplements the existing structures of Australia’s democratic system and enhances the normal functioning of government and the law. It creates an independent institution that speaks of the parliament and the executive government. But it does not replace direct or impede the actions of either.
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Mark Dreyfus introduces Indigenous voice referendum bill
Mark Dreyfus is introducing the Indigenous voice to parliament wording and principles legislation to the House.
The Labor and crossbench is largely full. The same can not be said for the opposition benches. Peter Dutton was not there for the start and David Littleproud has shown up about 10 minutes into proceedings.
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Coalition calls for ban on TikTok on government phones
The Coalition did not ban TikTok from government phones while it was in government, but now wants the Labor government to IMMEDIATELY announce the ban.
And if not immediately, then yesterday.
The former home affairs minister Karen Andrews held a doorstop on the issue this morning:
It’s now been several weeks that the Coalition has been asking the government to make some definitive announcements in relation to TikTok. We are very strongly of the view that at the very least, TikTok should be banned from government devices. We have the minister for cybersecurity who has been noticeably absent from this particular debate. The time has well passed for action.
We are hearing extraordinary concerns being raised overseas about TikTok. And the information that we already know that is publicly available is that TikTok as an app can get your contacts, it can get access to your calendar, to facial recognition, to the characteristics of your voice, to your keystroke patterns. This is hugely concerning for people in Australia to know that effectively a foreign government can have access to that information.
Now, national security is a significant issue and the government of the day has the responsibility to keep Australians safe. That means that in the cyber world in which we live, they need to take definitive action to protect Australians. Now, the least that the government should be doing is banning TikTok on government devices, but so far we have the minister responsible deep in a cyber slumber.
I don’t know what a cyber slumber is, but it sounds nice.
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Greg Jericho has already anticipated the “we can’t afford it” cries that will come with calls for a minimum wage increase.
Me on fears of a wages break out (seriously, we’re still doing this?) public-sector wage caps and the minimum wage
— Greg Jericho (@GrogsGamut) March 29, 2023
Ignore the doomsayers, the sky won’t fall if Australian workers get a pay rise https://t.co/MyrHlMuxY0
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‘Security requirements’ led to changes to the Welcome to Country at Obama event in Melbourne
Growth Faculty, who hosted last night’s event with former US president Barack Obama, have said in a statement that “security requirements” led to changes to the Welcome to Country.
Aunty Joy Murphy was scheduled to welcome Obama to Wurundjeri land before the event in Melbourne on Wednesday night on the latest leg of his speaking tour of Australia.
But reports emerged yesterday that she was allegedly removed by the event’s organisers, Growth Faculty, after she asked them to provide a support person to help her at the event at John Cain Arena and also asked them to provide Obama with a gift in line with cultural practice.
In a statement this morning, a spokesperson for Growth Faculty said that there were changes to last night’s ceremony due to “security requirements” with a Welcome to Country instead delivered by Wurundjeri-Willam woman, Mandy Nicholson.
The statement reads:
Growth Faculty had been working with Aunty Joy and the Wurundjeri community for many weeks ahead of last night’s event.
Due to security requirements, the organisation was unable to accommodate last minute changes to the agreed upon ceremony.
Growth Faculty has apologised to Aunty Joy that last night’s ceremony could not be changed.
The spokesperson said that Aunty Joy has accepted an invitation to perform the welcome to country at a business lunch taking place in Melbourne today.
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Clive Palmer reportedly hires Christian Porter to help him sue Australia for $300bn
Clive Palmer’s Singapore based company Zeph Investments is suing Australia for US$198bn (A$296bn) in damages and costs over his iron ore project in the Pilbara.
The $300bn law suit has been lodged under international trade law, the West Australian reports.
And Christian Porter is listed as one of the lawyers representing Palmer.
You can find some of the history over the lawsuit, here, after the high court ruled against Palmer in one of his cases against the WA government.
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Businesses can afford to give workers a pay rise, McManus says
And what about the arguments that small business won’t be able to afford to give its workers a pay rise (unions are advocating for a wage increase in line with inflation with the Fair Work Commission).
Sally McManus says:
Small business are also doing way better than minimum-wage workers. There is 20% increase in their profits which isn’t as big as big business who are really doing well and unfortunately are doing well at a time when people are really feeling the pain.
We also see a record low number of bankruptcies and a record increase in the number of new businesses opening. Businesses whether they be small or large can cope with this pay increase. It is a much bigger risk to small business if people who buy from their shops have even less money to spend. If you don’t have healthy people, you don’t have a healthy economy.
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RBA ‘should stop increasing interest rates’, Sally McManus says
ACTU secretary Sally McManus was speaking to the ABC and was asked about the RBA review which Jim Chalmers will receive tomorrow. There have been suggestions a workers’ representative is added to the board, with some people saying that person should be McManus.
What does she think about what needs to happen with the board?
Firstly, the RBA definitely needs shaking up. There is a narrow group of people on the board. Whenever you have people with a narrow set of experiences and they’re not representing or have the perspective of the whole of community, they are going to have blind spots.
The biggest blind spot, or inability to understand what is happening with wages, they have been wrong every time, they tried to predict wage increases.
That is a bad thing because they base those predictions on what they do. That is because they don’t have anyone who actually understands what is going on. That is a big problem.
They should stop increasing interest rates. It is already hurting people far too much. As we can see, inflation is coming down as it is around the world, simply because the supply chain issues are resolving themselves.
The other issue is that some companies are putting up prices more than they need to.
This is also a problem around the world because of the concentration of some big businesses and it would be really good if there was calling out of that particular issue rather than saying to workers you shouldn’t ask for pay rises.
Updated
People on welfare increasingly worse off, Antipoverty Centre finds
The Antipoverty Centre, which advocates for those living in poverty, with researchers, advocates and activists who have direct, contemporary experience of poverty and unemployment, have been calling for an increase to Centrelink payments since its establishment in May 2021.
They report that things are worse than ever for people on welfare.
No, you're not going mad – things have gotten dramatically more expensive and those of us living on Centrelink payments had no room to move as it was.
— Antipoverty Centre (@antipovertycent) February 28, 2022
When will @Anne_Ruston & @LindaBurneyMP listen. We can't afford to eat. The poverty machine & the welfare system are killing us. https://t.co/iiZyNVH8wD
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25.3% of mortgage holders at risk of mortgage stress
Meanwhile, new research from polling company Roy Morgan shows an estimated 1.23m mortgage holders (25.3%) were at risk of mortgage stress.
(At risk is judged as spending 25% to 45% depending of income on the mortgage.)
The number of Australians ‘at risk’ of mortgage stress has increased by 514,000 over the last year as the RBA increased interest rates for 10 consecutive monthly meetings. Official interest rates are now at 3.6% in March 2023, the highest official interest rates since June 2012 over a decade ago.
It’s still below the GFC, but it is getting there.
Updated
Acoss’s cost of living report paints dire picture of poverty in Australia
Cost of living relief may be the focus of the government’s budget, and Jim Chalmers also told Patricia Karvelas that Katy Gallagher is reviewing Sam Mostyn’s women’s equality report (which recommended allowing single parents to stay on the parenting payment until their youngest child was 16).
But those living on jobseeker and associated payments were already in poverty before inflation became an issue. And the Australian Council of Social Service’s latest cost of living report paints a dire picture for people trying to survive on jobseeker ($18,000 a year) and youth allowance ($15,000 a year).
Not that it should be a surprise. None of this is new.
Among the cost of living report key findings:
•68% are eating less or skipping meals while 81% are cutting back on meat, fresh fruit, vegetables and other fresh items.
•68% have had difficulty getting medication or medical care due to the increased cost of living. 99% said that the inability to cover the cost of living harmed their mental health and 94% said it harmed their physical health.
•93% of people renting privately are in rental stress, paying more than 30% of their income on rent. 75% have received a rent increase in the past 12 months, with 50% reporting a rise of $30 or more a week.
•76% said they use their car less than normal, and a further 11% don’t use their car at all.
•65% are cutting back on cooling/ heating and 45% are taking fewer hot showers to reduce energy costs.
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Jim Chalmers says he will announce RBA governor Dr Phil Lowe’s decision in the middle of the year – after the review is done.
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Chalmers hopes for bipartisanship on RBA review
Jim Chalmers will receive the review into the Reserve Bank tomorrow. He says he will be releasing its report in April, along with some of the actions the government intends on taking.
But that will be well before the budget. And he is hoping for some bipartisanship.
I think people do understand how critically important the decisions taken by the independent Reserve Bank are and so we need to give the RBA the best possible basis to make those decisions. And one of the things that we’ve tried to do throughout is we see this as a bipartisan opportunity will see this as an opportunity for some bipartisanship.
What I’ve done is made sure that the panel hasn’t just kept me up to speed on their thinking and across their thinking but also the opposition and also the crossbench as well and I’ve got my differences with Angus Taylor, but I do want to say that he has been engaging with this Reserve Bank review panel in good faith and I appreciate that.
Because ideally, we would come at the recommendations when they’re available in a bipartisan way this should be beyond politics. it should be about the best Reserve Bank that we can possibly have for our country, no matter who’s in government.
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‘One of our highest priorities is to get wages moving again’
Does Jim Chalmers think that the union call for minimum wages to match inflation is fair?
Chalmers says:
Our submission will be consistent with our values and our policies and our objectives and one of our highest priorities is to get wages moving again in meaningful and sustainable ways.
I think it’s common sense to prioritise the lowest paid as you go about that. You know, some people might pretend that we’ve got an inflation problem in our economy because the lowest-paid Australians are getting paid too much and that is obviously absolute rubbish.
We’ve got an inflation problem because of a war in Ukraine combined with neglected supply chains over a wasted decade, which has made us more vulnerable to some of these price shocks. So we don’t have high inflation because low-paid workers are being paid too much.
We have said consistently since before the election and certainly after the election as well, that we don’t want to see the lowest paid economy go backwards.
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‘Cost-of-living relief is the priority,’ Chalmers says
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is on ABC radio RN National speaking inflation.
He says inflation seems to be moderating “in welcome ways” but understands that people are still feeling the impacts.
But does that mean there is help coming in the budget?
We have said throughout that when we can afford to provide a bit more help for people, Then we will look to do that.
He says he has received the economic inclusion report (that looked at the levels of Australia’s welfare payments) and is going through it:
Cost-of-living relief is the priority.
Updated
Constitutional alteration legislation
The constitutional alteration for the Indigenous voice to parliament will be introduced into parliament fairly early this morning.
It goes straight to a parliamentary committee, where recommendations for improvement will be made – but it will be down to the government whether or not any recommendations are accepted. Expect to hear a final decision from the Coalition on what it will do, once that process is done. (Although it is hard to see it shifting from no.)
Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 #auspol pic.twitter.com/uuHI7dquqw
— Political Alert (@political_alert) March 29, 2023
Updated
Katter gathers support for bone marrow registry funding
Bob Katter is gathering support for his campaign to have funding allocated to the Australian Bone Marrow Registry.
Kooyong independent MP Dr Monique Ryan, Labor MP Dr Mike Freelander and LNP MP Bert van Manen are coming together to call for government funding to help the bone marrow donor registry expand its donor base.
Mark Butler has already said it is something he is looking at but Katter wants things to move faster.
Updated
Indigenous elder barred from Obama event
An Indigenous elder has been barred from giving the welcome to country at a speaking event by former US president Barack Obama because she was allegedly being “too difficult”.
Aunty Joy Murphy was scheduled to welcome Obama to Wurundjeri land before the event in Melbourne on Wednesday night on the latest leg of his speaking tour of Australia.
But she was allegedly removed by the event’s organisers, Growth Faculty, after the she asked them to provide a support person to help her at the event at John Cain Arena and also asked them to provide Obama with a gift in line with cultural practice.
In a statement, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation said:
She was told that she was being ‘too difficult’ and was removed from event proceedings. This is a deep offence to the Wurundjeri people and to all First Nations people.
Our Welcome to Country protocols are our traditional law and practice that have been used to welcome and offer protection to our guests on Wurundjeri lands for millennia.
Aunty Joy, 78, who has welcomed dignitaries including Nelson Mandela and the Queen, said she was “shocked” at the way she had been treated.
She told the National Indigenous Times:
They have always shown me respect and accepted my welcome as a gift from our people. 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.
Growth Faculty has been contacted for comment.
Good morning
Thank you to Martin for kicking us off this morning – and a very big thank you to you for following along with us these past two weeks. But we’ve made it! It’s the final day of the two-week sitting. The MPs have one eye firmly on the door and are counting down the minutes until they’re sitting in the airport lounge, so let’s take you through these final hours.
There isn’t enough coffee in the world for today. You have Amy Remeikis with you – ready?
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Labor on track for minority government in NSW
Labor appears unlikely to form majority government in NSW, reports Australian Associated Press, with the party sitting on 45 seats and falling behind in three of the remaining four seats still in doubt.
The ABC has called Miranda for Liberal incumbent Eleni Petinos and the seat of Kiama for independent Gareth Ward, who faces rape and indecent assault charges.
Ward, who denies the allegations, on Wednesday thanked his supporters for an election victory that “may have seemed impossible to some”.
The former Liberal MP appeared in court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to several charges of sexual assault.
Labor needs two more seats to reach the 47 needed to form a majority government. The party remains ahead in Ryde but trails in Goulburn, Holsworthy and Terrigal.
With minority government now the most likely result, crossbench MPs are in a position to make demands in return for their support of a Labor government. Read our report here:
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Voice bill
A proposal to alter the words of the Australian constitution to enshrine an Indigenous voice will be presented to federal parliament today, Australian Associated Press reports.
The attorney-general, Mark Dreyfus, will introduce the bill on Thursday, setting the wheels in motion for a referendum this year.
Parliament finalised the rules surrounding the distribution of referendum information and political donations last week, modernising laws that were last used for the republic vote in 1999.
Dreyfus said the legislation would give Australians the power to change the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and establish a voice to parliament:
We want all members of the Australian parliament to support this referendum including every member of the crossbench and all members of the Liberal party and we’re very hopeful that there will be that support.
Alongside members of the government’s referendum working group last week, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, released the proposed words to be put to the Australian people.
The proposed question is: “A Proposed Law: to alter the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has not yet revealed whether the Liberal party will support the voice.
Since the release of the proposed wording, Dutton has called on the government to publish advice from the solicitor general on the provision that the voice would make representations to executive government.
Albanese said the wording was backed by leading constitutional law experts including former high court chief justice Robert French and academic Anne Twomey.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the final day of a huge sitting fortnight in the federal parliament. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll bring you some of the moving stories overnight before Amy Remeikis fires up again.
Our top story this morning is a call by trade unions for a pay rise of 7% for the lowest-paid workers, a raise in the national minimum wage of $1.50 an hour to keep pace with inflation. Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus said the rise was “essential” to help workers “keep their heads above water”. Our economics commentator Greg Jericho says the doomsayers are wrong: the sky won’t fall in if people get a decent pay rise.
Coles and Woolworths have both said they will examine the issue of the “horrific” gassing of pigs after it emerged that the supermarkets source pork from Victorian abattoirs that use the technique. Although the technique is legal and widely used, Woolworths has now announced it will examine the “circumstances surrounding this footage”, while Coles says it is “committed to working with suppliers who have animal welfare standards that meet the high expectations”.
An Indigenous elder has been barred from giving the welcome to country at a speaking event by former US president Barack Obama because she was allegedly being “too difficult”. Aunty Joy Murphy was scheduled to welcome Obama to Wurundjeri land before the event in Melbourne on Wednesday night on the latest leg of his speaking tour of Australia. More coming up on this story.
And the long-awaited bill setting out the Indigenous voice referendum question and constitutional changes is expected to be introduced to parliament by attorney general Mark Dreyfus. It is then to go to a parliamentary committee for review.
