What we learned; Thursday 27 April
That’s where we’ll leave the blog for today – thanks so much for joining us. Here is a wrap of the day’s biggest stories:
The Albanese government released a review of Australia’s migration system, proposing major reform for the 1.8 million temporary migrants with work rights. An explainer on the changes can be read here.
The move was welcomed by the Australian Council of Trade Unions and Universities Australia. However, Nationals leader David Littleproud shared concerns that regional and rural areas risk being “left behind” by the changes.
The search for an Australian man who went overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in a remote area of the Pacific has been called off for the day, after a US Coast Guard plane exhausted its fuel supply.
Defence minister Richard Marles announced $3.8bn to strengthen defence bases in northern Australia over the next four years.
Victoria will hold a state funeral for Father Bob Maguire on Friday 5 May.
And when questioned on income support payments, Anthony Albanese said the federal government is “not in the position” to do everything it would like within its first year after inheriting “trillions of dollars of debt”.
Updated
Two dead after Sydney hospital car park crash
Two people have died after a crash in the car park of a Sydney hospital.
Emergency services were called to Nepean Hospital near Penrith at about 3.20pm following reports of a crash.
On arrival, officers were told a car – driven by a woman believed to be in her 60s – allegedly reversed into another car, before hitting a pedestrian – a woman believed to be in her 40s.
According to a NSW police statement the driver and pedestrian were both assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics; however, they were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the other car – a woman believed to be aged in her 30s – was treated by hospital staff for shock.
Police have commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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Daniel Andrews outlines priorities ahead of tomorrow’s national cabinet meeting
The Victorian premier has arrived in Brisbane for national cabinet tomorrow and has reiterated that “fixing Medicare” is his top priority. Here’s the statement he’s provided to media:
We’ve been clear – fixing Medicare so Victorians have access to fast, free and local GPs is our top priority for national cabinet.
We know what the solutions to Australia’s broken primary care system are – we urgently need to pay GPs more so Victorians pay less, increase university places to get a pipeline of new doctors across the nation, attract GPs from overseas to Australia faster – and break down the barriers between primary care and our hospital system.
I’m looking forward to a productive meeting of first ministers to continue advocating for a fair share for Victorians.
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State funeral for Father Bob Maguire to be open to public and streamed online
Andrews has released a statement with more details on the state funeral for Father Bob Maguire:
A state funeral to honour the extraordinary life of Father Bob Maguire AM AFD will be held at 11am on Friday 5 May 2023 at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne.
A social justice warrior and passionate advocate for the disadvantaged, Father Bob devoted his life to helping those less fortunate, and his contribution to Victoria was nothing short of remarkable.
The funeral is open to the public, but space is limited. Doors at the venue will open at 10am for the 11am Service.
For those unable to attend, the Service will be live-streamed online.
At the request of Father Bob’s family, memorial tributes may be made in the form of contributions to the Father Bob Maguire Foundation. To donate, please visit: donate.mycause.com.au/charity/1553.
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Victoria to hold state funeral for Father Bob Maguire
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, says Father Bob Maguire’s family have accepted his offer of a state funeral to remember him.
The service will be held on Friday, 5 May at St Patrick’s.
Andrews said the service will “celebrate the life and work of a great Victorian”.
I'm so pleased Father Bob's family have accepted our offer of a state funeral to remember him.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) April 27, 2023
The service will be held Friday 5th of May at St Patrick's and will celebrate the life and work of a great Victorian.
For our state, and the whole nation.
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Below-average rainfall expected for May-July, BoM says
The Bureau of Meteorology has released its long-range forecast for May to July, warning that the coming months are likely to be drier than usual for most areas:
The long-range forecast for May to July shows below average rainfall is likely in most areas, along with warmer days than usual. Learn more: https://t.co/1iz9IVm4ss pic.twitter.com/4RfdirRvcH
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) April 27, 2023
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PM shares photos of meeting Nauru leader on Twitter
Anthony Albanese has shared images on social media of meeting with the president of Nauru, Russ Kun, today in Brisbane.
Great to meet Russ Kun, President of Nauru, today to discuss how we can build a stronger Pacific and strengthen Australia-Nauru relations. 🇦🇺🇳🇷 pic.twitter.com/Picn8xB6Wj
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) April 27, 2023
In a statement, Albanese said:
I was delighted to meet with President Kun for our first bilateral meeting.
Australia and Nauru have a strong and longstanding partnership, and we continue to stand together as members of the Pacific family.
I look forward to continuing to work together and strengthen the bond between our two nations.
Updated
Catch up on today’s biggest headlines so far with this wrap from my colleague Antoun Issa:
Breaking promise over stage-three tax cuts would be politically unwise: Craig Emerson
Next up is former Labor MP Craig Emerson who is asked about Labor’s stance on the stage-three tax cuts – with the party voting in support of them while in opposition and going to the election promising no changes.
Emerson shared his personal view and said “it matters in politics” that a party stands by the promises they take to an election:
[If] every new government says [when] it’s breaking a promise, ‘But circumstances have changed …’ as if the public [is going to think], ‘Oh, I never thought that would happen’ – I think that’s a very big consideration.
I think if there are substantial proposals in relation to tax and you took them to the next election and said, ‘We are seeking your support for that,’ that’s perfectly legitimate.
The final point is – [progressives] say … these are so unfair and they’re [benefiting] high-income earners and so on. The opposition won’t say, ‘Fair enough. They’re high-income earners, so it’s alright to break that promise.’ The opposition will say, ‘You can’t trust anything that the politicians say when their lips are moving.’
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Christopher Pyne says Labor ‘are on a bit of a tightrope’ as budget approaches
Former Liberal MP Christopher Pyne is speaking on Afternoon Briefing about the call for the rate of jobseeker to be raised, in the context of cost-of-living relief in the upcoming budget.
He said he doesn’t “envy” treasurer Jim Chalmers’ task to reduce debt and fund national security while coming out a period of extra spending with Covid and answering to “a large chorus of people” who are “demanding huge spending on social programs”:
The reality is the government only has so much money and the taxpayers will only bend so far, and if the government announces that they’re not going to go ahead with the next stage of tax cuts, then I think Middle Australia will react very negatively to the idea that Labor has returned to type.
I think they are on a bit of a tightrope. I don’t expect to see substantial changes to social payments.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new payment, perhaps around electricity or one of those kinds of staples that are necessary to deal with the cost-of-living increases, but that’s because that would give the government some political lift. Just increasing current pensions and so forth doesn’t actually do much for political parties.
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Assistant minister to PM says coronation of Charles is the biggest event in the world this year
Assistant minister to the prime minister, Patrick Gorman, is asked about the upcoming coronation of King Charles III in nine days on Afternoon Briefing. He labelled it the biggest official event on the globe this year.
When it comes to the coronation, we can’t deny the reality of what Australia is in 2023. We are a constitutional monarchy. We have the King as our head of state. Him being crowned as King in Westminster Abbey is going to be an incredibly significant moment.
Gorman said the coronation falls on a weekend, so no public holiday is necessary:
I don’t think any of the states or territories have chosen to grant a public holiday.
He also said the prime minister had offered an invitation in person to King Charles III to visit Australia on a royal tour and that “the royal family are always welcome in Australia”:
We hope to see a visit in the near future. It is traditional, as we saw with Queen Elizabeth II, that a year after the coronation she came and did an incredibly big tour of Australia – I think there were some 57 different events that she attended.
So that invitation is open-ended, it is always there, and the royal family are always welcome in Australia.
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Migration review about pathways for people already in the country, says Labor’s Kristy McBain
Labor frontbencher Kristy McBain is speaking about the government’s migration review and said her office is always being contacted about visa issues. She said from a regional perspective, “we know that the system needs an overhaul”:
I think the important part of today’s announcement was that there are so many people here on temporary skilled visas who had no pathway to Australian citizenship.
So this isn’t necessarily about having to increase that cap, it’s about making that pathway there for people that are already in this country [and] who already have jobs in a number of our locations across a number of the skills shortages we have – giving them a pathway to citizenship for the first time.
Which I think is going to be greatly accepted by [not just] those people but also their employers, who have been for some years now hoping that there will be a pathway for them going forward, ‘cause you don’t want to lose a worker in current jobs market we have.
Liberal MP Angie Bell said she wants more details on how an increase of about 650,000 migrants will affect the budget and what it’s going to cost:
We haven’t heard any details on where the extra numbers are coming from. We haven’t heard any details on where they’re going to be housed. We haven’t heard any details on impact on infrastructure.
We don’t think the government’s done the work at this point. We hold our breaths to see what happens at budget to see how this is going to be incorporated in the process, but we don’t hold out much hope for what the government’s going to do in this area in terms of good management.
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NSW health minister says investment needed to improve primary care across country
Ahead of the national cabinet meeting tomorrow, Ryan Park is asked what will be on the agenda for Premier Chris Minns and NSW:
We’ll continue to advocate really strongly for New South Wales residents, as every other premier and first minister and health minister will do right across the country.
We know that there is pressure on hospitals at the moment because of some pressure and strain on our primary care and a lack of access to GPs. That’s a fact.
We need to make sure that we’ve got a very strong primary care setting across New South Wales and across the country … it’s going to have to come with some significant investment because at the moment, too many of our emergency departments are taking patients into them because they can’t access GP and primary care.
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Foreign workers ‘likely to be part of the mix’ to achieve safe staffing levels in hospitals, NSW minister says
The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, is speaking on Afternoon Briefing about the Safe Staff Working Group. Announced today, this will drive the implementation of safe staffing levels across NSW’s public hospital system, starting with emergency departments.
In the context of today’s migration reform, Park is asked how reliant the state government will be on foreign workers to achieve these benchmarks:
They’re likely to be part of the mix.
He is also asked about the competition for staffing between the state and federal government when it comes to health workforces:
Without a doubt. It’s always the case in terms of labour across any industry, and healthcare is no different.
There’s only so many nurses and midwives and allied healthcare workers currently in the system.
I think the community expect … cooperation between the state and the Commonwealth governments.
Updated
Nationals call scrapping of agricultural visa 'a massive kick in the guts' for farmers
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has issued a statement saying that regional and rural areas risk being left behind in migration reform announced today.
He said the federal government’s reforms of the migration system are “a start”, but lack a “clear strategy” to combat widespread worker shortages in the regions.
This is why we introduced the dedicated agriculture visa, which would have helped alleviate the severe worker shortages that regional Australia, and the entire supply chain, is currently facing, while also creating a new pathway for permanent residency through the ag visa.
Littleproud called the government’s decision to scrap the visa “unconscionable” and “a massive kick in the guts for our farmers”.
Littleproud also said he is concerned about “another level of bureaucracy in identifying skill shortages” when evidence of shortages is “already plain to see” in regional areas.
Regional Australia can’t be left behind in Labor’s migration reform. pic.twitter.com/fe7LaElTwl
— David Littleproud MP (@D_LittleproudMP) April 27, 2023
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Government buying defence contractor CEA to keep ‘sovereign asset’ in Australian hands: Marles
The defence minister and deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, is appearing on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, where he is asked about the government’s $500m deal to take Canberra-based defence contractor CEA Technologies Pty Ltd into public hands.
Marles said CEA is “one of the “great products” of the Australian defence industry and this is why they’ve taken this step:
We want to make sure that … this is a company that exists or resides in Australian hands, and the best way of doing that is making sure that the government is able to purchase it.
That’s the announcement that we’ve made today and what it really means is that the technology and the capability of CEA remains a national sovereign asset.
When asked how much of taxpayers’ money will be invested, Marles said a figure isn’t being put out there “for a range of commercial reasons”
But we are making sure that we’re in a position where we are able to have CEA in Australian hands, and not just Australian hands – actually government hands.
You can read more about the deal here:
Updated
Every Australian home should be given energy performance rating: report
A new joint report by the Property Council of Australia and the Green Building Council of Australia calls for every Australian home to be given an energy performance rating, allowing buyers or renters to know the energy efficiency of their home before moving in.
The Every Building Counts report was launched in Sydney today and sets out a suite of property-focused policy recommendations that would help Australia achieve its decarbonisation goals.
Among the report’s 39 recommendations is the creation of a national rating scheme for the energy performance of homes, similar to white goods and electronic appliances.
The @PropertyCouncil's new report “Every Building Counts” brings together recommendations about the energy performance of our buildings, and outlines the importance of a national energy rating system to ensure healthier and more resilient homes. pic.twitter.com/qjDBghFisw
— Senator Jenny McAllister (@jennymcallister) April 27, 2023
Labor has already revealed the federal budget will include funding to expand and upgrade the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme, which allows people to understand the energy performance of their home.
The tool will be upgraded to apply to existing homes, not just new homes.
At a doorstop in Sydney today, assistant minister for climate change and energy Jenny McAllister said:
Many [homes] are decades old, but practically, a homeowner would ask an accredited assessor to come to their house and assess … the energy performance of their home.
That’ll also give them the information they need to decide where and how to make upgrades that might improve it … it’ll give homeowners the opportunity to take control of their own energy performance and make decisions that are good for their home and their family.”
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Aussie designer wins lawsuit against singer Katy Perry
An Australian fashion designer has won a lawsuit against pop superstar Katy Perry over a long-running trademark dispute, AAP is reporting.
Katie Jane Taylor (nee Perry) has sold and designed her clothing line under her Katie Perry label since 2007 after being inspired by a trip to Italy.
While singer Katheryn Hudson, more popularly known as Katy Perry, initially fought the Australian registration of the Katie Perry brand, she later withdrew this opposition and the mark was registered.
Taylor sued Hudson for infringement in the federal court in October 2019, more than 10 years after the singer started selling her own brand of merchandise including clothing under her own name.
Justice Brigitte Markovic wrote in a judgment published on Thursday:
This is a tale of two women, two teenage dreams and one name.
The judge found Hudson had infringed the mark on Twitter ahead of the 2014 Prism tour in Australia. However, the judge found the singer did not owe any compensation to the designer because she had used the Katy Perry mark in “good faith”.
Only her firm Kitty Purry is now liable for damages because of the sale of clothing during the tour, at pop-up stores and on the Bravado website.
Markovic rejected further claims the mark was infringed through clothing sold at Target and Myer and websites such as Amazon and eBay during the Prism tour or ahead of the Witness Tour which came to Australia in 2018.
A bid by the pop star and her companies to cancel the Katie Perry mark was also dismissed by the federal court.
Markovic will determine the amount of damages owed by Kitty Purry at a later date.
Updated
Universities Australia welcomes migration review amid ‘brain drain’ caused by international student visa system
Another peak body welcoming the government’s migration review is Universities Australia, who say international students are “key” to the country’s migration future and should be able to use their Australian education as Australian residents.
Chief executive Catriona Jackson said Australia needs a system that acknowledges the benefits of migration to our nation, “and that means a system with greater certainty for international workers who complement our homegrown workforce”:
International students have a key role to play, and we welcome the review’s focus in this area.
The current skills crisis highlights the urgent need to retain more of these students, when and where there is a clear need for their skills, to spur productivity and economic growth.
Jackson said Australia is a leading destination for international students yet “they remain one of our most underutilised assets”:
We educate hundreds of thousands of students from 144 countries each year, but only 16% stay on and use their Australian education as an Australian resident.
Our current visa system has caused this brain drain, leaving Australia worse off as we battle skill shortages and productivity problems.
We need a system that supports Australia’s interests rather than working against them.
Updated
Hospitals group welcomes news of migration system review
The Australian Private Hospitals Association has welcomed today’s news that Australia’s skilled migration system will be simplified, with “red tape reduced”.
In a statement, the APHA CEO, Michael Roff, said he is pleased that all temporary skilled workers will have a pathway to permanent residency by the end of the year.
He said Australia is lagging behind in what it offers the workers we need:
For example, Canada rapidly moved to offer health workers easy pathways to residency as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, France and the UK have made similar arrangements.
We are on the back foot and will have to catch up, just opening up migration again has not been enough to entice people here.
Roff said that in the private hospital sector alone there is a shortage of 8,000 nurses, and Australia continues to compete globally for a health workforce.
Having measures in place that will ensure an easy pathway to residency in Australia is a very welcome move.
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Albanese government choosing to fund Tasmanian AFL stadium over addressing housing crisis, Greens senators say
A second Greens senator has slammed the federal government for reportedly providing funding for an AFL stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart, Tasmania.
Tasmanian senator Nick McKim said on social media:
Tasmania has the least affordable rents and the fastest increase in homelessness in the country. But instead of supporting the Greens’ plan to fix housing and renting, Anthony Albanese plans to give $240 million for a footy stadium.
According to the Age, the $715m stadium would receive $240m in federal funding (set to be announced this weekend), $275m from the state government and $15m from the AFL, with the rest to come from commercial deals.
McKim argued that Tasmania is on the frontline of Australia’s rental and housing crisis and that this needs urgent attention.
[Albanese] should get cabinet to agree to freeze rents at tomorrow’s meeting, double rent assistance and build 225,000 houses nationally over the next decade. Fund this by [reining] in tax breaks for property speculators. Work with the Greens and this could pass parliament within weeks.
Earlier today, the Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson argued Tasmania’s self-determination has been “sold out” and that the prime minister must answer to Tasmanians “who are sleeping rough or struggling to put food on the table”.
Updated
Antonio Loiacono ‘brought light and life into every room’, says family of 20-year-old who died in football accident
The family of Antonio Loiacono – a 20-year-old footballer who died after an on-field collision – has issued a statement. They describe Loiacono as a “larrikin” who “brought light and life into every room” and reveal he was an organ donor. They said:
We would like to thank the community for the overwhelming support we’ve received – not just from friends and family, but from people across the state and even around the world.
Antonio loved football – the camaraderie of the players, their families, and the local country teams. Antonio started playing Auskick when he was just four years old, and we are so thankful for the love and support we’ve received from the football community over the past few days.
Antonio was a larrikin who had a gift for bringing people together, young and old, and brought light and life into every room. We feel so blessed that his spirit continues to unite the community, as he always did in life.
It was Antonio’s wish for his organs to be donated and we take comfort in knowing that in his death, others have been given the gift of life.
On behalf of Antonio’s family, we’d like to thank everyone who has sent us messages of love and support. We humbly request privacy for the family as we make arrangements for Antonio’s funeral, where we will celebrate his life and the life he gave to others.
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Peak body for skills training and higher education welcomes migration system review
The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia has welcomed the government’s review of Australia’s migration system.
Because independent skills training and higher education providers (which Iteca represents) support more than half of the onshore international student enrolments, the government’s announcements are critical for Iteca members.
The chief executive, Troy Williams, said students needed simple pathways to stay in Australia if they have the skills and capabilities that businesses need.
The linkages between international education and addressing Australia’s skills needs are critical areas of reform, according to Iteca. Williams said:
From the perspective of the international education sector, it’s great to see a commitment to closer alignment of the nation’s skills needs and international education.
The minister is correct to say that the migration system will never be a substitute for adequately skilling Australian workers, but there are also benefits in leveraging the skills of international students in Australia with the education and skills our economy needs.
Williams said that international students are often “baffled” by “too many visa categories and lengthy processing arrangements” that produce “inconsistent outcomes”.
Iteca members welcome a more transparent and less complicated system.
Iteca says it will work with the government as issues associated with implementing the recommendations are considered.
Updated
Thanks to Natasha for leading us through the morning! I’ll be with you for the remainder of the day, let’s get into it.
This is me signing off for the day and handing you over to Emily Wind! See you back here tomorrow morning.
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Why is student debt rising if loan system is interest-free?
If you’ve noticed rising Hecs debts making the headlines, but scratching your head about how that is when Australia’s student loan system is supposed to be interest-free, our higher education reporter Caitlin Cassidy helps explain it in this video:
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ACTU president: we need to ensure ‘local workers are not undercut’ when workers brought into Australia are underpaid
ACTU president Michele O’Neil also welcomed the lifting of the temporary skilled migration income threshold (TSMIT) from $53,900 up to $70,000 but said there was still further changes she’d like to see.
The other thing we are pleased to hear in today’s announcement is a lift to the TSMIT, the amount of money that skilled migrants as a minimum can be paid.
This has been broken, frozen for over a decade under the previous government. It is important this threshold has been lifted to $70,000, but what we know is that more work needs to be done here.
We need to make sure it is indexed and continues to provide protection so that local workers are not undercut by employers bringing workers into this country and paying them below industry standards.
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ACTU welcomes government’s plan to overhaul migration policy
Australian Council of Trade Unions’ president Michele O’Neil is speaking in Melbourne:
Australia has a great and proud tradition of welcoming permanent migrants to this country. But what we have seen happen to our migration system is we have seen it shift to one of temporary short-term visas.
That has led to a huge exploitation of migrant workers. Migrant workers are underpaid, often harassed, and don’t have safe workplaces to work in. The other thing we really welcome in today’s announcement from Minister O’Neil is that the new migration system is going to be evidence-based.
Way too long we have had a system where employers claimed skill shortages but often what it has been is a shortage of jobs with good wages and conditions, not a shortage of skills.
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Search for dog after woman mauled in Katherine
A search continues for a dog involved in a serious attack on a woman in Katherine, AAP reports.
Northern Territory police say they are investigating the incident, which occurred early on Thursday. In a statement they said: “A dark brown dog with no collar attacked a woman, causing injuries.”
Reports indicated the woman had suffered a serious arm injury and was likely to be flown to Darwin for treatment.
The dog was last seen at the intersection of Lucy Street and Riverbank Drive.
Police urged the public to exercise caution in the area.
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Government to buy radar company for nearly $500m
Our foreign affairs and defence correspondent, Daniel Hurst, brings you this exclusive:
The Australian government will spend nearly $500m to take majority ownership of a Canberra-based defence contractor that makes radar systems.
The deal to take CEA Technologies Pty Limited into public hands will ensure ‘the continued development of Australia’s radar capability in an increasingly complex strategic environment’, the government says.
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Penny Wong on Sudan: ‘The 72-hour ceasefire ends tonight and further flights after that cannot be guaranteed.’
The minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, is urging Australians wishing to depart Sudan to leave as soon as possible.
More than 60 Australians have already left safely, but flights out of the country could not be guaranteed after the ceasefire ends tonight, Wong said.
Australians in Sudan can access several flights operated by partner countries today (27 April) from Wadi Sayyidna airfield north of Khartoum.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) April 27, 2023
The 72-hour ceasefire ends tonight and further flights after that cannot be guaranteed.
Australians wishing to depart should strongly consider leaving as soon as possible.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) April 27, 2023
If you cannot make it to Wadi Sayyidna, ferries are departing from Port Sudan to Jeddah.
The security situation remains dangerous. Consider the risks for any departure route carefully.
We continue to work with partners to secure evacuations and are in direct contact with registered Australians. More than 60 Australians have now safely left Sudan.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) April 27, 2023
Register with DFAT if you are in Sudan at https://t.co/e6kWiZDH72 and subscribe to https://t.co/WB2Sz8BKJX
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Debt means government ‘not in the position’ to do everything within first year, PM says
Questioned on income support payments, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the federal government is currently “not in the position” to do everything within its first year, after inheriting “trillions of dollars of debt”.
Albanese told reporters the government is doing all it can to drive productivity and will reassess income support payments down the track.
The issue of people’s payments is one that the federal government is looking at.
We have a budget in a couple of weeks’ time, but we aren’t in a position, with the trillion dollars of debt that we inherited, to do everything within our first year to address the inadequacy of the former government.
But what we are doing is working with business to drive productivity.
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Australia ‘open’ to providing more cybersecurity assistance to Ukraine
The National Press Club address from the home affairs minister has wrapped up, but just before it ended O’Neill flagged Australia is open to providing further cybersecurity assistance to Ukraine.
Andrew Tillett among the self-described “cast of thousands from the [Financial Review] here today” asked the minister:
Australia provided assistance to Ukrainian government early on in the war last year with cybersecurity assistance. There have been reports this week that the government has not backed three requests from the Ukraine for further assistance. Can you explain what the situation is and are we open to providing further assistance?
O’Neill:
I can’t get into the detail of those but I can say we are open to discussions with Ukraine about how we can help them and we do consider proposals from time to time.
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Home affairs minister says Australia has ‘serious labour shortages’
Clare O’Neil is taking questions. Our chief political correspondent Paul Karp asks her:
The review talk about shifting from an exclusive focus on the permanent migration cap to considering net overseas migration. If 1.8m people being here permanently temporary is too many, is the government going to set a target for what that figure should be and what do you think it should be?
O’Neil says the “program as a whole” will be discussed tomorrow:
There is virtually obsessive focus on the number of permanent visa holders that we grant each year. All the while we have people coming and going aren’t accounted for or thought about or talked about. I think that will change as a consequence of this. Overall we absolutely believe in better planning for the migration output as a whole for the country.
In terms of a desirable target the minister says “for me, quantity is not the really important question here” but she flags that would like to see the program tightened in the medium term.
Most of the migration debates I have observed as an Australian has become virtually obsessed with big Australia or small Australia and you have to push yourself into one of those dichotomies.
I think inevitably the size of this program depends a little bit on the circumstances of the moment. In Covid, it was right [that] the borders and our migration rate is zero. Coming out of Covid, we are playing catch-up and have serious labour shortages and it is probably inevitable will run a slightly larger migration program over time.
My desire is to see that program tightened and potentially smaller into the medium term and most of the proposals I have talked about today will assist us in doing that.
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Albanese reminisces about growing up next to a Wagon Wheel factory
Prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has reminisced about growing up near a Wagon Wheel factory and how workers handed him broken biscuits as a child.
Albanese told the story today while opening a Coles distribution centre in Redbank, south-west of Brisbane.
I grew up in Camperdown in Sydney, and on the corner was the Westons factory [that] used to produce Wagon Wheels. The smell was permanently in my nostrils for my entire life.
As kids ... we would just stand outside and we’d always get broken Wagon Wheels and biscuits.
Albanese joked that he considers himself the world record holder for the number of Wagon Wheels eaten in an hour – which he said he thinks is 35.
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PM flags healthcare on agenda at tomorrow’s cabinet meeting
Prime minister, Anthony Albanese, isn’t giving much away ahead of tomorrow’s cabinet meeting.
Fronting a press conference in Redbank, west of Brisbane, Albanese flagged healthcare will be on the agenda, as well as housing issues.
We need greater consistency and greater cooperation between the federal and state governments,” he said. “I’m very confident tomorrow’s meeting will be a very positive one in the lead-up to the budget.
The government will make more announcements after tomorrow’s press conference, the prime minister said.
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By the end of 2023, ‘all skilled temporary workers will have a pathway to permanent residency’
O’Neil makes two announcements about the changes that will be taking place this year:
We are not just proposing a pathway and a plan, we’re putting a down payment on the system we want to build by taking a first set of actions in the federal budget and I want to announce two of those today.
First, as of 1 July, the temporary skilled migration income threshold – also known as the TISMIT – will increase from $53,900 to $70,000. This is the first increase in a decade and has been a big deal. The Grattan Institute call $70,000 the Goldilocks threshold. We call it essential to ensuring this program is what it says it is, a skilled worker program, not a guest worker program.
Second, I can announce as of the end of 2023, the end of this year, all skilled temporary workers will have a pathway to permanent residency. This does not mean an expansion of our capped program. It does not mean more people. It simply means a group of temporary workers who have been denied even the opportunity to apply for permanent residency will be able to do so.
Read the full story from Paul Karp here:
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O’Neill is now outlining the changes she’s proposing to fixing Australia’s migration system. Our chief political correspondent Paul Karp has summarised the major changes in this explainer you can read here:
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Migration system ‘a national tragedy’ says home affairs minister
The bureaucratic hurdles making skilled migrants turn to other nations is a “national tragedy”, O’Neil says.
She outlines this giving the hypothetical if Brian Schmidt had applied to come to Australia today:
These problems are much more than just an irritation. Remember, other developed countries are competing for the same migrants that we need here in Australia. For aged care nurses, for engineers, for tech experts.
Complexity and delay can put them off Australia altogether. Professor Brian Schmidt is the vice xhancellor of Australian National University and one of the finest minds of his generation. He came to Australia in the 1990s and he was granted a visa in four days.
Today’s world-leading young astrophysicist would wait many months just to get an answer from our system and that is if she or he were lucky and could find their occupation on the rigid skills list.
So we can assume that the Brian Schmidt of today would take a Nobel prize and moved to Canada instead. And that is a national tragedy. But because of our migration system this is probably happening to us all the time. Our migration program is also failing once they have arrived in Australia.
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O’Neil blames Dutton for creating ‘an immigration system that favoured temporary migration’
O’Neil is blaming Peter Dutton in his time as home affairs minister for creating a temporary migration system.
What he created was an immigration system that favoured temporary migration and increasingly lower paid jobs and these are the two essential ingredients to the worker exploitation that we know is occurring in Australia.
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O’Neil to reveal how Labor plans to ‘fix’ the migration system
O’Neil says she is today releasing a draft outline of a new migration strategy for Australia “built in the national interest”.
She says her speech will address the twin problems of the migration program: that it’s too temporary and a “bureaucratic nightmare”:
I want to do two simple things. I want to explain what is going on in our migration system and how our government plans to fix it.
The first big problem is that our migration system today is not delivering Australia the skills we need for the challenges that I have set out … Today, our system is dominated by a large temporary migration program and that program is not well designed.
… The second problem I want to explain is how our migration system turned into a bureaucratic nightmare.
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Clare O’Neil speaks at National Press Club about migration review
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, is addressing the National Press Club, responding to the migration review.
She harks back to Labor’s history on migration history: a “gutsy” Ben Chifley warning that we must “populate or perish” in the 1940s, Gough Whitlam in the 1970s blowing open the “dusty doors of power to bury the white Australia policy as well as Paul Keating using skilled migration to drive Australia out of recession.
She tells the audience in Canberra:
Today I want to have a conversation about migration which is direct and honest. In each of these historic instances migration helped us become a more prosperous and secure Australia because the system was designed to meet the challenges of the moment.
And that is not true of our system today. I would challenge anyone in this room to explain what national problems our migration system is seeking to solve.
Our migration system is suffering from a decade of genuinely breathtaking neglect. It is broken, it is failing our businesses and failing migrants themselves and, most important of all, it is failing Australians. And that cannot continue because we as a country face some big national challenges migration can help us change that.
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AEC concerned about voice misinformation
The Australian Electoral Commission says it is concerned about misinformation and disinformation around the Indigenous Voice referendum, planning a “significant” series of information campaigns to stamp out falsehoods about the voting process.
The AEC gave a media briefing this morning in Parliament House, ahead of the referendum to be held later this year (mid-October is seen as a likely option). Commissioner Tom Rogers stressed the AEC’s role was to monitor misinformation and disinformation around the electoral process only, and would not weigh in on the content of the referendum – that is, they would for instance talk about how votes can be cast and how the referendum is decided, but not fact-check legal claims about how the Indigenous voice would operate or what it would do.
The AEC is already running information campaigns on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and platforms such as Reddit. Rogers said the commission was already seeing a lot of previously debunked falsehoods around the electoral process, including claims about Dominion voting machines (which are not used in Australia), as well as people misunderstanding the rules of the referendum.
He said the AEC was concerned some voters may confuse the rules of the marriage equality postal survey in 2017 with the rules of a referendum. Unlike the postal survey, it is compulsory to vote in a referendum; the result is binding; and most people will end up voting in-person, not via the post.
There are also the same rules as at a federal election, including that voting is compulsory (lest you face a $20 fine). Rogers said national enrolment was hovering around 97%, with Indigenous enrolment around 84.5%.
Rogers also stressed there may not be a definitive result in the referendum on the night of the vote. Remember, a referendum is run differently to a federal election – to pass, the vote requires a national majority of support on a national basis, and a majority of voters in a majority of states (that is, four of the six states).
The AEC will publish results on a rolling basis through the night, once polls close at 6pm, just like a standard election – with results to be displayed on their website on a national count, a state-by-state count, plus by polling booth and electorate.
There will be a lot of data.
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ABS data reveals Australia’s top 10 most advantaged and disadvantaged LGAs
Six of Australia’s top 10 most advantaged local government areas (LGA) are clustered in Sydney, while the 10 most disadvantaged areas are spread across Queensland and the Northern Territory, new government data reveals.
Updated socioeconomic indexes based on 2021 census data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday reveal that Woollahra in Sydney’s inner-east is the nation’s most advantaged LGA, while Woorabinda, which is 170km south-west of Rockhampton in Central Queensland is the most disadvantaged.
The top 10 most advantaged LGAs in Australia in order are: Woollahra (NSW), Mosman (NSW), Ku-ring-gai (NSW), Darwin Waterfront Precinct (NT), North Sydney (NSW), Waverley (NSW), Lane Cove (NSW), Peppermint Grove (WA), Nedlands (WA) and Cottesloe (WA).
The 10 most disadvantaged LGAs in Australia in order are: Woorabinda (QLD), Cherbourg (QLD), Belyuen (NT), West Daly (NT), Yarrabah (QLD), Kowanyama (QLD), Wujal Wujal (QLD), East Arnhem (NT), Doomadgee (QLD) and Central Desert (NT).
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Victoria’s child protection system under scrutiny at Yoorrook Justice Commission
The Victorian government department that oversees the child protection system is fronting the state’s Indigenous truth-telling commission.
The hearing marks the first time a government witness has been grilled by the Yoorrook Justice Commission – Australia’s first Indigenous truth-telling body. Premier Daniel Andrews last year vowed to overhaul Victoria’s child protection system, saying too many First Nations children were being taken away from their families by the state.
Argiri Alisandratos, acting associate secretary of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, says he wants the child protections system to be led by Indigenous organisations:
The vision is for us to transfer decision-making responsibilities, greater decision-making responsibilities to Aboriginal community-controlled organisations.
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Greens senator says income support needs to be raised above poverty line
Greens senator Janet Rice is calling on the government to raise the rate of all income support above the poverty line, three years since the Covid supplement was introduced.
As the chair of the Senate poverty inquiry, Rice said she’s heard numerous stories of how the Covid supplement “completely changed” people’s lives and that the policy move demonstrated “raising income support is possible”.
On this day three years ago, the Liberal Government introduced the COVID Supplement and income support recipients received an extra $550 per fortnight.
— Janet Rice (@janet_rice) April 27, 2023
More clearly than ever, it showed that raising income support is possible. Poverty is a political choice. 🧵 1/6
In a series of tweets, she said:
In opposition, Anthony Albanese is on the record saying that income support is inadequate.
Just last week, he rejected the recommendations of his own experts who joined advocates, payment recipients and the Greens in calling for a raise in the rate of income support.
Instead of helping those who need it, they are handing $254 billion to the ultra-wealthy through their stage 3 tax cuts, and another $368 billion for nuclear submarines.
The Labor Government can’t keep burying their heads in the sand and continue to ignore the millions of renters, single parents, students, women, and people with a disability all doing it tough.
— Janet Rice (@janet_rice) April 27, 2023
It’s time to raise the rate of all income support above the poverty line. 🧵 6/6
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Australia-first study launched into impact of long Covid on victim-survivors
Monash University researchers today launched an Australian-first study into the impact of long Covid on victim-survivors’ experiences of intimate partner violence.
The Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre-led study will address a gap in global research into how long Covid impacts victim-survivors’ safety and support needs, despite the first-two years of the pandemic being well-researched.
Centre director Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon said:
Globally there has been no attention paid to the intersection between long Covid and intimate partner violence.
This is staggering given past research which documents that victim-survivors of intimate partner violence against women are twice as likely to develop long-term illnesses, including chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
The project – which involves a national survey – aims to elevate the interpersonal safety and support needs of individuals diagnosed with long Covid to ensure they are not overlooked and to improve outcomes.
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Finalists for Archibald prize revealed
The 57 finalists of the 2023 Archibald prize have been revealed by the Art Gallery of NSW, including portraits of singer and activist Archie Roach, actors Claudia Karvan and Sam Neill and Guardian Australia’s political editor Katharine Murphy.
The winning painting will be announced on 5 May, with a $100,000 prize awarded to the best portrait of a person “distinguished in art, letters, science or politics” painted by an Australian resident.
The finalists for the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes will be on show at Art Gallery of New South Wales from 6 May to 13 September.
View a selection of the finalists here:
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‘White elephant on the waterfront’: Greens senator rails against funding for Hobart AFL stadium
Tasmanian Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson has slammed the Tasmanian Liberals and federal Labor government for reportedly funding an AFL stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart.
He argued that Tasmania’s self-determination has been “sold out” and that the prime minister must answer to Tasmanians “who are sleeping rough or struggling to put food on the table”.
According to the Age, the $715m stadium would receive $240m in federal funding (set to be announced this weekend), $275m from the state government and $15m from the AFL, with the rest to come from commercial deals.
In a series of tweets, Whish-Wilson said:
In bowing to the demands of the AFL the Tasmanian Liberals and federal Labor have sold out Tassie’s self-determination and our future health and wellbeing.
All for a vanity project that will *at best* lose more than $132 million - however the real cost will be much higher.
When the PM arrives in nipaluna/Hobart this weekend to talk up his white elephant on the waterfront I hope he comes prepared to answer to Tasmanians who are sleeping rough or struggling to put food on the table.
Budgets are all about priorities.
— Peter Whish-Wilson (@SenatorSurfer) April 26, 2023
Poverty is a political choice.
When the PM arrives in nipaluna/Hobart this weekend to talk up his white elephant on the waterfront I hope he comes prepared to answer to Tasmanians who are sleeping rough or struggling to put food on the table.
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Search for overboard Australian suspended
The search for an Australian man who went overboard from a cruise ship in the remote Pacific has been called off for the day after a US Coast Guard plane exhausted its fuel supply.
A passenger went overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas before 11pm Tuesday night local time two days out from when it was due to arrive in Honolulu.
Ryan Fisher, petty officer second class and spokesperson for the 14th district coast guard based in Honolulu, said the US coast guard’s Hercules plane had been searching for the Australian since 9am local time Wednesday morning.
However, it was forced to end its search at 3pm local time (that’s just over a half hour ago AEST) because it had exhausted its six hours of fuel supply. Fisher told Guardian Australia:
The latest update I received which was four minutes ago: the [Hercules HC130 plane] completed five search patterns and they are returning to our air station for crew rest and fuel replenishment.
They plan on resuming the search efforts tomorrow morning. And the safety net broadcast to any vessels in the area is still ongoing.
That safety net broadcast is essentially an urgent call to any ships in the area that might be able to help.
No other aircraft were available to continue the search, including the Coast Guard’s navy partners who were contacted, Fisher said.
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More than 100 Australians in ‘dangerous circumstance’ in Sudan, PM says
Albanese says the government is continuing to provide consular support for over 100 Australian citizens in a “dangerous” position in Sudan.
We would call upon all sides of the conflict in Sudan to refrain from the violence that is occurring in Sudan, but we’re also working with our allies, including the United Kingdom, to make sure that our people in Sudan are looked after.
I think that Australia always does a remarkable job through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to look after Australian citizens.
This is a dangerous circumstance. There are over 100 Australians in Sudan and we are doing our best to reach out to them to provide them with support.
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Immigration overhaul for New Zealanders part of wider push to give migrants security, PM says
Continuing talking about migration, Albanese says the recent change for New Zealanders is a wider push to give migrants security, meaning they’ll be better able to contribute to Australia:
I met someone coming through here on the way to this press conference, a Kiwi who has been in Australia for more than four years, but hasn’t been able to become a citizen.
Now, common sense tells you that if someone is working at a facility like this, has been here for 11 years in this gentleman’s case, but hasn’t been able to become a citizen, then smoothing that pathway so that it’s equivalent to what Australians receive in New Zealand, is a sensible change that we announced on the weekend right here in Queensland with Prime Minister Hipkins.
There’s a particularly large number of people from New Zealand have made south-east Queensland their home. They’re paying taxes. They’re contributing. Their kids are going to local schools. They’re raising a family here. And these changes, again, aimed at more permanency. Giving people that security will mean they’re able to make a greater contribution to the Australian community.
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PM flags easier ‘permanent pathway’ to residency for migrants
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is giving a media conference visiting a Coles logistics outfit in Redbank in south-west Brisbane, and says he can “certainly” see a good argument for greater permanent residency opportunities for migrants.
Albanese is being asked about immigration ahead of the government releasing its response to the migration review later today:
Prime minister, just on the skills shortage and the need for jobs to be filled, can you see a good argument for making a pathway to permanent residency?
Albanese:
I certainly can. If you look at this facility and you talk to Coles management … one of the things that happened with this facility was that some skilled labour was brought in with specialised expertise in order to make this vision a reality.
What we need to do to be less reliant upon temporary labour and to give people that permanent pathway to being secure, to making a contribution here in Australia.
The truth is that the migration system that we inherited was broken. There are over 1 million people waiting for visas in this country. What we need to do is to make sure that we identify the skills we need, identify the regions where we need additional workforce, and tailor our migration system so that it benefits those people who come to Australia, but more importantly as well, so that it benefits our national interests.
And that is what our migration system is focused on. That’s what Clare O’Neil will be speaking more about today.
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Review into Landbridge Group’s lease over the Port of Darwin nearly finished, Marles reveals
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, has revealed that officials may be close to finishing a review into a Chinese company’s lease over the Port of Darwin.
Marles was in Darwin this morning to announce nearly $4bn in funding over the next four years for upgrading and hardening Australian defence force bases in the north of Australia.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said in June last year that the government would review the circumstances surrounding the Port of Darwin lease “in an orderly way”.
Asked today about the issue, Marles said:
The review into the Port of Darwin has its own process which is being done through the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. It’s a fair way down the track so we will be awaiting the outcome of that review but that sits separately to what we’re doing with the defence strategic review … The outcome of that review is not far off … I’m not about to speculate on the outcome of that review. Let’s see what it comes up with, but it’s not far off.
The NT’s then-Country Liberal party government granted a 99-year lease over the Port of Darwin to Landbridge Group in 2015, in a move that has been subject to several reviews.
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Closure of Victorian pig slaughterhouse welcomed by animal right activists
Animal right activists have welcomed reports that a slaughterhouse in Laverton, Melbourne has closed following the release of covertly filmed footage depicting the use of carbon dioxide stunning.
Farm Transparency Project released footage earlier this month depicting the use of carbon dioxide stunning, described by industry as the safest method possible to stun pigs. The footage, first aired by the ABC, showed pigs writhing, gasping for air, screaming and frothing at the mouth while locked in packed cage gondolas.
The ABC reported on Wednesday that one of the slaughterhouses depicted in the footage, operated by Australian Food Group, has now closed amid an investigation by the government regulator PrimeSafe.
The executive director of Farm Transparency Project, Chris Delforce, described the closure as a “massive win for pigs”.
For decades now the Australian pork industry has held up gassing pigs to death as the gold standard in ‘humane’ pig slaughter. Despite numerous reports and investigations proving exactly the opposite, it took me hiding myself inside one of these horrific gas chambers in order to finally reveal this to a mainstream audience and start a long overdue national conversation about the way we treat farmed animals.
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Japanese brewer launches takeover for Blackmores
Japanese beverages company Kirin Corporation has lodged a $1.9bn takeover bid to buy Blackmores in a deal supported by the vitamin maker’s board.
Blackmores, founded in the 1930s via a health food shop in Brisbane, told shareholders on Thursday they will receive $95 per share, representing a premium to recent trading levels of above 20%.
The board said it unanimously recommends shareholders vote in favour of the deal in the absence of a superior offer.
Blackmores chair Wendy Stops said:
The Kirin scheme represents an attractive, all-cash transaction.
Stops said the deal offered “appropriate long-term value for the company and an attractive outcome for Blackmores shareholders”.
Marcus Blackmore, the company’s largest shareholder and son of founder Maurice Blackmore, is supporting the proposal.
The vitamins and supplements company has shed just over one-third of its share price during the past five years amid difficult pandemic trading conditions that also interrupted sales to Chinese customers.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Kirin is a major brewer that owns Australia-based Lion, which holds the Tooheys and XXXX labels among its portfolio of drinks.
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Melbourne comedy festival director laments 'bin fire' following Humphries death
Susan Provan, the director of the Melbourne international comedy festival (MICF) since 1994, has been speaking to 3RRRFM reflecting on the complicated legacy of Barry Humphries.
Humphries death on Saturday coincided with the end of the festival. Its decision four years ago to rename “The Barry” – the festival’s prize for its most outstanding act, now known as the MICF award – quickly became the focus of discussion.
Provan has defended the decision to rename the award four years ago “largely because of … his really horrible comments about the transgender community”.
However, Proven says the fact this “tiny part” of Humphries’ career has become the focus after his death is “a bit sad really”.
We found this whole thing really distressing because as I said on Saturday night we posted a tribute. So much of the media have claimed that we did nothing – we were out there in the same way that everybody else was.
And then this complete bin fire focusing everything on the comedy festival. I think it’s just awful.
How must his family be feeling that his whole legacy and everything has been turned into this shitstorm with the Melbourne comedy festival, it’s just totally inappropriate and wrong and distressing?
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New funding to crack down on NDIS fraud syndicates
Syndicates ripping off the National Disability Insurance Scheme will be targeted in a fraud crackdown backed by nearly $50m in funding, AAP reports.
The upcoming federal budget will include the funding to target fraud and non-compliant payments within the scheme. The $48.3m allocated will go towards 200 staff at the National Disability Insurance Agency, as well as new systems to detect fraud.
NDIS minister Bill Shorten said the funding would make sure money going towards the scheme would assist people with disabilities. Shorten said today:
We have found evidence of egregious fraud that involves complex criminal networks ripping off NDIS participants and Australian taxpayers.
This funding will ensure the agency has the capability to address fraud and non-compliance.
Shorten said a fraud task force set up in October last year was already investigating multiple criminal syndicates, some handling tens of millions in NDIS funds.
Some of the syndicates have targeted people with false information on how the NDIS operates, some using the promise of cash or vouchers.
Shorten said some syndicates had also encouraged people to access the scheme by faking medical evidence.
Many have drawn down millions of dollars in funding from hundreds of participants.
People ripping off the NDIS are going to prison. In the past 12 months, fraudsters have been sentenced to a combined 12.5 years in prison for ripping off the scheme.
The NDIS was set up almost 10 years ago, and is on track to be the federal budget’s biggest expense. Projections show it’s on track to cost $50bn by 2025/26, overtaking the annual cost of Medicare.
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Cosgrove to fill in former role as governor general
He may have been out of the job as governor general for four years, but Sir Peter Cosgrove is set to return for a brief stint at his old stomping ground at Government House.
Cosgrove will step in for the current governor general, David Hurley, who will be out of the country for two weeks.
Hurley and his wife Linda are set to fly out for a state visit to Greece on April 30. They will also attend the coronation of King Charles III, before returning on May 10.
While a state governor would normally fill in for the governor general in an official capacity while they are out of the country, all state governors will also be overseas at the time of the visit.
Due to the lack of state governors, Cosgrove will fill in for the current governor general during the 11-day period.
The appointment had to be signed off by the King, following a recommendation by prime minister Anthony Albanese.
Cosgrove served as the country’s 26th governor general from 2014 to 2019.
– via AAP
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‘They had spotlights in the water’: cruise passenger tells of frantic search for overboard Australian
Another passenger on the Quantum of the Seas cruise to Hawaii, Gale Doyle, a nurse from Yamba in NSW, has described to ABC News what happened when the passenger went overboard:
Around 11 o’clock last night, we were sitting at the bar and there was an Oscar Oscar Oscar call put across the intercom, and that is the man overboard signal.
… We were told the ship was turning around, and we were all to go back to our cabins, to make sure all of our party were accounted for.
Then the ship deployed the ribs, which are like the little lifeboat type boats, and they had spotlights out in the water. This went on for about an hour.
Eventually they started calling a person’s name, it was a male, because the person’s name [was sad] several times so we assumed this person is the missing person. But this morning there has been no notification from the ship at all as to what’s happened.
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Butler acknowledges nursing and aged care wages ‘have been too low’
A housing report from Anglicare out this morning has found the average enrolled nurse spends 60% of their income on rent.
Butler was also asked by ABC News, given the cost of rent and the pay of nurses, why would anyone become a nurse and how will the government address the issue:
Obviously, one of the things we’ve been doing is reflecting and recognising the very low wages that people receive in the very large aged care sector.
We supported a wage case conducted in the Fair Work Commission that will deliver a 15% pay increase to nurses in the aged care sector, traditionally paid less than colleagues in the hospital system for example.
Because we recognise that in too many care sectors, usually worked by women overwhelmingly, the wages have been too low and have not reflected first of all the cost of living, and rent is critical among those pressures, and the value of the work they deliver to their community.
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Katy Gallagher on single-parent payment: 'It changed my life. It saved me'
Circling back to finance minister Katy Gallagher’s interview on ABC Radio. Gallagher is asked about another live debate ahead of the budget - whether Labor will be reversing the change that saw single-parent payments shifted to jobseeker when their youngest child turns eight.
The women’s economic equality taskforce has called for the payment to be restored to the previous cutoff of a child turning 16. Media reports, and RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas, are confident the government has landed on 14 years old.
Karvelas:
You’re a mum that actually lived on single-parent payments … So you get it. You also have kids. When they turned 14 and a half. It’s not like things really dramatically change. It’s still hard. You still have to feed them right?
Gallagher:
Yeah, and you’re right, I did live on that payment. It changed my life. It saved me.
It gave me the support I needed to, to get myself together to look after my baby and to get back into work. So I 100% understand the importance of these payments. They are life changing and so important.
Children don’t just don’t stop needing their parents.
I accept and I don’t think anyone would pretend that costs just end at any particular year.
Gallagher emphasises that as much as Karvelas presses her, ultimately “any announcement around our position on all of these pressures that are coming to us would be in the budget in 12 days time.”
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Labor’s Julian Hill joins calls to raise jobseeker
Another Labor backbencher has added his name to the growing list within the Albanese government’s own ranks who would like to see jobseeker increased.
Julian Hill has this morning taken to Twitter saying “I would like to see an increase in Jobseeker” while acknowledging the pressures on the budget are “immense.”
Four other Labor MPs yesterday signed an open letter to the prime minister.
(1 of 4) Of course more support for disadvantaged people is needed in the Budget & I would like to see an increase in Jobseeker. My long held view hasn’t changed. I’m not in Cabinet so do not yet know what’s in the Budget. But I do know the pressures on the Budget are…#auspol
— Julian Hill MP (@JulianHillMP) April 26, 2023
(2) … immense & not everything can be done at once. Governing means tough choices have to be made about priorities, but I’ve been assured there will be measures in the May Budget to address disadvantage and am open minded about how that is achieved this year…#auspol
— Julian Hill MP (@JulianHillMP) April 26, 2023
(3) In answer to questions I’ve received, I have not signed ACOSS’ Open letter because my consistent position has always been that I do not sign ‘Open letters’ or ‘Petitions’ to the Government of which I’m a member. #auspol
— Julian Hill MP (@JulianHillMP) April 26, 2023
(4) As a backbench MP, like my colleagues, I’ll continue to advocate internally for the most vulnerable in society, and speak up publicly when I think that’s the most effective thing to do.#auspol
— Julian Hill MP (@JulianHillMP) April 26, 2023
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Mark Butler says Pharmacy Guild’s medicine shortage argument is ‘patently ridiculous’
Mark Butler has been making the rounds of news breakfast shows amid this stoush with the Pharmacy Guild over the new prescription medicines policy.
ABC News asks the health minister how he accounts for the disparity in how many medicines are in short supply. The Pharmacy Guild says 40% of the 320 medicines on the two-for-one list as part of the new policy are in shortage, but the government says it’s only seven medicines.
The pharmacy lobby also says the policy will cause supply problems and medicine shortages.
But Butler continues to advise Australians against listening to the pharmacy lobby:
I’d advise your viewers and everyone else involved in this debate to take advice on medicine shortages from the medicines authorities… rather than advice from the pharmacy lobby.
So I think this is a case of the pharmacy lobby seeking to ramp up concerns that people might have about a policy that just makes good sense.
If you think about this for three or four minutes, the idea that this change is going to cause supply problems is patently ridiculous. The number of tablets dispensed for cholesterol, heart pressure, blood problems and other things in between now and next Christmas will not change one bit because of this policy. It is simply going to change the shape of the way in which people have to shell out co-payment to their local pharmacist.
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‘Good for health and the hip pocket’: Mark Butler brushes off Pharmacy Guild backlash
The health minister, Mark Butler, is defending the incoming changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme announced yesterday amid backlash from pharmacists.
The Pharmacy Guild’s national president Trent Twomey has been particularly outspoken with criticism and emotional about the pressure that pharmacists are under.
Asked about those criticisms from the guild, Butler is defending the measure on the Today Show as an important measure for six million patients living with chronic disease.
For five years now the independent authority, the experts who run our medicines system, has said that is ridiculous and people should only go to a pharmacy once every two months and get two months supply of medicines.
It happens in UK and New Zealand and Canada and Europe and most of the US. We decided to effect that advice. The former government didn’t. It would have saved patients hundreds of millions of dollars.
We decided to accept the advice and convinced it is the right thing to do.
It is good for health and the hip pocket.
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‘You just knew something was wrong’: cruise passenger speaks after man goes overboard
Quantum of the Seas passenger Georgina Thompson said she and her husband were in bed when they heard “Oscar, Oscar, Oscar” – the Royal Carribbean’s code for man overboard.
Thompson told the Today show:
We were in bed and we heard come over the PA system someone singing out “Oscar, Oscar, Oscar” and then that’s when everything started to happen.
My husband got out of bed and he went outside on to our deck and started looking around. There were lights and, you know, the big lights shining on the ocean. And also there were a couple of boats out there in the water.
And then I got up and I went out to see what was happening. We didn’t know at that time what was going on. The light started searching along the outside of the ship, you know, shining along the outside right down the bottom. We were watching it. It lit up the whole ocean ... well, most of the ocean. But it was very dark.
You just knew that something was wrong. First of all, my husband thought we might have hit something or something like that, the way the ship stopped, but then we realised that there was someone overboard. No one said anything at that time.
Thompson said the mood on board the ship has been “very sombre.”
They’re very sombre. Very sombre. We went to breakfast this morning and everyone was very sombre.
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Clock ticking as US coast guard must suspend search for Australian within hours
The US coast guard says that the search for the overboard man will have to conclude for the day at 3pm local time – less than three hours away.
Fisher said:
The HC130 [Hercules airplane] that was deployed for the search arrived on scene at nine o’clock. They have a fuel endurance of about six hours. So they will have to depart the scene at 3pm. So that will have to conclude the search from coast guard for the day.
But if they don’t end up finding him between now and 3pm, and they will continue to search tomorrow probably around the same timeframe. The plan is to continue the search if he’s not found today – we will continue to search tomorrow.
Fisher said no other aircraft would be available to continue the search after 3pm:
We’ve reached out to our Pac (Pacific) fleet Navy partners and they don’t have any assets available, so at this time no.
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US coast guard confirms Australian overboard on cruise and search plane on scene
The US coast guard has confirmed that an Australian man fell overboard on the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship, which was travelling from Brisbane to Hawaii.
The coast guard said the passenger went overboard 500 nautical miles (926 kilometres) from Hawaii’s Big Island.
Ryan Fisher, a petty officer second class and spokesperson for the 14th district coast guard, told Guardian Australia they received the report at 1am Hawaii time.
500 nautical miles south of Hawaii’s Big Island a man fell overboard on Quantum of the Seas cruise ship. He is an Australian national.
A Hercules airplane is on scene conducting a search. At the moment it is the only asset that’s on scene searching.
The cruise ship did a search for two hours and then they had to continue making way to the big island.
Fisher says the coast guard’s main focus is trying to locate the man “as quickly as possible”.
We’ve been on scene since 9am. And with the crew’s endurance and the fuel constraints of the vessel they should be there for about six hours since arriving on scene.
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Katy Gallagher deflects question on jobseeker
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, is still not confirming whether or not the government has ruled out raising jobseeker.
There are rising calls for the Albanese government to prioritise the most vulnerable in the upcoming budget, even from its own backbench.
Asked if a raise to jobseeker is still a live option, Gallagher tells ABC Radio:
What I can confirm is the budget will have a cost of living package that is targeted to the most vulnerable. We’ve been clear about that. Obviously some of that is the assistance and support on energy relief. We’ve had the announcements around medicines in the last day.
We are focused on making sure we can do the right thing for those that are doing it tough, but within an environment where there are a lot of demands on the budget in a lot of areas.
The budget you’ll see is one that has a number of decisions that weigh up all of those different pressures and tries to find a way of accommodating that support for vulnerable people within the broader context and within a budget that’s, you know, really strained and has, you know, pressures that are coming faster at it than they are declining.
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Royal Caribbean confirms passenger went overboard on cruise to Hawaii
Royal Caribbean has confirmed that a passenger went overboard on the cruise to Hawaii and the crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation:
While on its trans-pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard.
The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities.
Quantum of the Seas departed Brisbane on 12th April and is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu 28th April.
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Australian man goes overboard on cruise to Hawaii - reports
There are reports that an Australian man has gone overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship from Brisbane to Hawaii.
The ABC reports that the US coast guard confirmed that an Australian is missing after going overboard from a cruise ship off Hawaii.
Two travel bloggers on board the Quantum of the Seas ship have posted this video of the search efforts to Instagram and described the situation for other passengers:
The signal went out around 11pm and shortly after, we could feel the ship slowing and turning around. There were multiple announcements going through the whole ship, including staterooms, for certain guests to contact guest services. We were all told to go back to our cabins and make sure everyone in our party was accounted for. Turn sound on for the last video to listen to one of the announcements.
Around 12.30am, a final announcement was made saying the search would be continuing but guests could leave their cabins and services across the ship would reopen.
We are back on course this morning heading for Hawaii and haven’t yet heard any further updates.
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Almost $4bn to strengthen defence bases in northern Australia
The federal government will today announce more details of its defence plans, pledging to spend almost $4bn to harden bases in northern Australia over the next four years.
But this funding will largely come from shifting money from other defence estate programs.
The defence strategic review, released on Monday, called for a stronger network of bases, ports and barracks across northern Australia.
It said it was “imperative that our network of northern bases is urgently and comprehensively remediated”, including work to make air bases harder to attack, boosting runway capacity, improving fuel storage and supply, and extra security.
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, and the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, will visit Darwin today to announce funding of $3.8bn to harden northern base infrastructure over the next four year budget period.
This funding is expected to include about $2bn for “critical air bases stretching from RAAF Base Learmonth (WA), through Cocos Islands and our airbases in the Northern Territory to RAAF Base Scherger (QLD) and RAAF Base Townsville (QLD)“.
The overall figure also includes $1bn for land and joint estate capabilities. This includes major training area upgrades in the Northern Territory and upgrades to Robertson Barracks in Darwin and Lavarack Barracks in Townsville.
The government will also pledge maritime estate investments of $600m, including for additional work at HMAS Coonawarra in the Northern Territory, upgrades to HMAS Cairns, and redevelopment of the Harold E Holt Naval Communications Station in Western Australia.
The fine print is that the $3.8bn in funding comes through a combination of $3.6bn reprioritised from other now lower priority defence estate projects and $200m from other cancelled or adjusted defence programs.
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NSW Health launches working group to boost staffing levels in hospitals
New South Wales health department officials and nursing union bosses will join forces as part of the new government’s plan to improve staffing levels in state hospitals.
The government will today announce the establishment of the safe staffing working group, which will first be tasked with boosting the number of nurses in the state’s stretched emergency departments.
The working group will meet for the first time in early May and be asked to provide advice on the reform plan that will then be rolled out across other hospital departments including intensive care units and maternity wards.
NSW premier Chris Minns said:
I’m committed to ensuring the people who looked after us during the pandemic feel looked after by their government. This is the first step to safe staffing in hospitals – ensuring there’s one nurse for every three patients in ED. It was one of the very first election commitments we made.
Health minister Ryan Park said:
It won’t be easy to undo a decade of rising wait times and understaffing, but this government is determined to begin to turn things around.
The new Labor government has committed to hiring an extra 1200 nurses and midwives before the next election.
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Good morning! Thanks to Martin for kicking things off, I’m Natasha May and I’ll be with you until the afternoon.
Treasury needs evaluator general, says Ceda
The Committee for the Economic Development of Australia will today call for the government to establish an evaluator general, a function in treasury that checks which programs are working.
Ceda analysed 103 federal, state and territory programs. Of the 20 federal programs analysed costing more than $200bn over the decade, Ceda found 95% had not been appropriately evaluated while one quarter had no evaluation framework at all.
Programs with poor evaluations included:
The cashless debit card, which had an evaluation with a “flawed methodology and no cost-benefit analysis”;
Jobactive, which had an “evaluation framework but did not address all aspects of the program”; and
The National Rental Affordability Scheme, which had “no processes in place to evaluate whether the scheme had achieved some of the objectives identified, including whether it had any flow-on effect in the housing market”
Ceda chief executive Melinda Cilento said:
The community rightfully expects that taxpayer funds are used to effectively improve economic and social outcomes for all citizens, but too often this is not the case.The Albanese government has committed to improve practice in this area, including the likely introduction of an evaluator-general. We must take steps now to improve evaluation, starting with major community services.
Labor committed to an evaluator general before the 2019 election. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, recommitted to it in March 2022.
In November, he told the economic and social outlook conference that he was “by working with [assistant treasury minister] Andrew Leigh on putting in place an effective and rigorous evaluator-general so we have a better sense of what works, and what doesn’t”.
Leigh is speaking at Ceda on Thursday, so there’s a good bet Labor will recommit to this idea.
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‘It is a horrendously complex system’: Clare O’Neil on migration
Home affairs minister Clare O’Neil commissioned a review of the country’s migration system last year and will flesh out the government’s new policy to fill worker shortages exacerbated by the pandemic when she addresses the National Press Club on Thursday, reports Australian Associated Press.
She told ABC’s 7.30 Report on Wednesday night:
Our migration system is broken. It’s not delivering for Australians. It’s not delivering for our businesses and it’s not delivering for migrants themselves.
It is a horrendously complex system that makes it really hard to bring high-skilled workers into the country who will lift productivity.
She said for employers in tech-based industries, for example, the skills list was “archaic” and “out of date”.
O’Neil said wage exploitation of temporary migrant workers was also rife and needed to be curbed.
She warned Australia risked falling behind other developed immigrant countries such as Canada by becoming a nation of “permanently temporary” residents.
Read our full report on the review here:
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the day’s news. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you the overnight stories before my colleague takes over.
Yesterday it was a long line of Labor backbenchers, and today it is a former Reserve Bank governor telling Jim Chalmers he has to raise the jobseeker rate. Bernie Fraser says the Albanese government “needs to start using its power for the people like it promised it would”, as he added his weight to the idea. He said the unemployment payment was one of the “many areas desperately needing attention” in the coming budget.
And that pre-budget manoeuvring continues with defence minister Richard Marles due to announce today the allocation of $4bn to strengthen defence bases in northern Australia.
Today the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, will stand up at the National Press Club in Canberra and declare the migration system broken. She will release a landmark review of the system. The review claims the system encourages 1.8 million guest workers to be “permanently temporary” due to strict caps on permanent migration. And although it’s not clear how many of the review’s recommendations will be implemented, O’Neil will warn that it can’t be fixed “by further tinkering and incrementalism”.
We also have a lot of reporting around the cost-of-living crisis this morning, with research suggesting that the social divide between Sydney’s western and eastern suburbs – along the so-called “latte line” – is deepening. And with landlords ramping up their rents, one in five renters are among more than 1 million people living in poverty in the state. The data on this issue is coming in thick and fast: a study by Anglicare says less than 1% of private rental properties are affordable for full-time workers on the minimum wage. And the latest Grogonomics points out that although the cost of living crisis is easing, renters are still feeling the pain.
