What happened Thursday 8 February, 2024
With that, we’ll wrap up our live coverage of the day’s news.
Here’s a summary of the main developments:
Australia’s climate has officially warmed by 1.5C since 1910, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s long-term record of temperatures.
The eldest daughter of Queensland stabbing victim Vyleen White has joined local African community leaders to call for unity amid rising tensions and reports of racist attacks.
The Labor MP Josh Wilson has broken ranks with the government, condemning Israel’s bombardment of Gaza as “unconscionable”.
The New South Wales agriculture minister has opened the door to increasing the production of medicinal cannabis and reforming the state’s drug laws as the government prepares for a major expansion of the hemp industry.
Electricity and gas company AGL Energy has posted a return to profit but rejected accusations the sector is price gouging cash-strapped households.
Australia’s highest court has rejected the Catholic church’s bid to avoid paying damages to the father of a choirboy allegedly sexually abused by Cardinal George Pell.
Have a pleasant evening.
Israel ambassador invites Greens politicians to view 7 October footage
Israel’s ambassador to Australia has invited federal Greens MPs and senators to view footage of Hamas’ attacks from 7 October, after the party’s push for Australia to remove support for what it called Israel’s “slaughter” in Gaza.
On Thursday afternoon, the embassy posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that ambassador Amir Maimon was inviting the MPs when they’re in Canberra next week to view the 42-minute compilation which has been shown to politicians and journalists.
Maimon said he was inviting the politicians to view the footage due to the “amount of time the Greens have devoted to attacking Israel in parliament this week”.
Following their comments in parliament this week, Ambassador @MaimonAmir invites the @Greens to view the raw footage of Hamas' October 7 terrorist attacks. pic.twitter.com/9gWvH4z1aG
— Israel in Australia (@IsraelinOZ) February 8, 2024
On Wednesday, the Greens failed in an attempt to suspend standing orders so they could propose a motion stating that parliament “does not support the State of Israel’s continued invasion of Gaza and calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire”.
The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, said Israel’s actions had “moved beyond self-defence – this is now a slaughter”.
The Greens were contacted for comment.
Updated
‘Please come home soon’: family of missing Ballarat woman make emotional plea
The family of Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy have made an emotional plea for her to come home, five days since she disappeared after heading out for a run.
Murphy’s eldest daughter, Jess, broke down in tears as she spoke directly to her mum at a press conference at Ballarat West police station on Thursday.
“Mum, we love you so much, and we miss you, and we need you at home with us,” she said.
“Please come home soon. I can’t wait to see you and to give you the biggest hug when I do, and to tell you off for giving us so much stress. I love you.”
Jess said her mother was “a really strong woman, and she’s far too determined to give up this fight”.
Read more:
Updated
CFMEU boss John Setka to retire later this year
Longtime Construction, Forestry, Maritime and Energy Union boss John Setka has announced his retirement.
Setka told delegates on Thursday he would not nominate to run in elections later this year, a union spokesman confirmed.
The CFMEU Victoria and Tasmania secretary has been at the helm for more than a decade, during which time he has been involved in multiple workplace controversies and a bitter and public breakdown of his marriage.
– AAP
Updated
Authorities warn Perth residents of sewage wastewater dropped on homes ‘accidentally’ during bushfires
Residents near a bushfire in Perth’s north-east have had sewage wastewater dropped on their properties by firefighting aircraft as the blaze threatened lives and homes.
Authorities warned people in part of Bullsbrook in the City of Swan, about 35km from the Western Australia capital, that they could be at risk and issued a hazardous and toxic materials alert.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said on Thursday:
During bushfire suppression operations to protect the Bullsbrook College and surrounding properties (on Wednesday, helicopters) drew from water sources that have been identified as sewage wastewater holding ponds.
Premier Roger Cook said an investigation would be launched into the incident. He said:
On this particular instance (the helitankers) accidentally drew water from a holding pond in a wastewater treatment facility.
Authorities urged residents not to be alarmed and said the forecast high temperatures in the area into the weekend would help neutralise any residual bacteria contained in the effluent.
The temperature in Perth on Thursday is forecast to reach 39C followed by 41C on Friday and Saturday, and 38C expected on Sunday.
AAP
Updated
Elias Visontay is going to take you through what is left of the day. You’ll have a normal news blog tomorrow, but Politics Live will be back with you on Monday (with me and Mike Bowers) so you don’t have too long to wait until you next get your fix of the insanity that is the Australian parliament.
As an added bonus – we have estimates! Can’t wait for that. But please, until then, stare at a wall, touch some grass, pat a cat. And as always – take care of you. Ax
Updated
In 2023 more than 30% of NSW prisoners were Indigenous
The year 2023 saw New South Wales hit a new threshold – for the first time, more than 30% of its prisoners were Aboriginal, despite an overall decline in the state’s prison population.
The latest NSW Bureau of Statistics Crime and Research figures, released today, show that as of December 2023, there were 3,674 Aboriginal adults in prison, making up 30.4% of the prison population. In December 2022, the figure was 29.6%.
61.5% of the state’s youth detention population is Aboriginal, setting a new record.
The figures are set against a general downward trend in both overall prisoner numbers and youth detention, with fewer adults in custody than there have been in eight years and 35.6% fewer young people in custody in December 2023 compared to December 2019.
Updated
Right to disconnect laws pass Senate
The Albanese government’s closing loopholes bill has passed the Senate 32 votes to 29. Labor passed the bill with support from the Greens, Lidia Thorpe and David Pocock. It was opposed by the Coalition, United Australia Party, Jacqui Lambie Network, David Van, and Malcolm Roberts.
The bill makes changes to the definition of casual employment, and gives power to the Fair Work Commission to create minimum conditions in the gig economy and the road transport industry.
As part of a deal with the Greens, Labor agreed to add a new right to disconnect, meaning employees will not have to answer unreasonable work calls or emails in their unpaid personal time.
For a full explainer of what the changes mean:
The bill will have to go back to the House of Representatives to approve amendments, including changes to the gig economy and causal provisions negotiated by David Pocock.
Updated
Because so many people were asking for it, here is Tony Burke giving his Nemesis speech:
Four bureaucrats breached public service code over robodebt, review finds
Four bureaucrats being investigated for their role in the unlawful robodebt scheme have been handed preliminary determinations that they’ve breached the Australian public service’s code of conduct.
The Australian public service commission delivered the update on the 16 investigations underway following royal commissioner Catherine Holmes’s report on Thursday afternoon.
The landmark report in July last year described robodebt as a “crude and cruel” scheme and a massive failure of public administration.
At least seven public servants, including the former Department of Human Services secretary Kathryn Campbell, were the subject of adverse findings. Campbell quit her $900,000 a year Department of Defence job weeks after the report was handed down.
Thursday’s update said 15 of those being investigated had been given notice of the “grounds and categories” for their potential breach or breaches of the code of conduct.
One of the investigations was dropped as the individual’s actions “did not meet the threshold” of a suspected breach.
Final determinations about the sanctions against individuals found to have breached the code of conduct will be delivered “once preliminary determinations are finalised”.
A timeframe for the conclusion of the 15 investigations depended on “various factors”, the update said, including the “complexity of each matter, the number of submissions and any extensions that may be requested by respondents”.
Updated
It was a QT of chats and passing moments, as seen by Mike Bowers:
Question time officially ends.
Tony Burke jokes about Dutton’s ABC Nemesis appearance
Tony Burke now gets to give his speech on Nemesis.
He is very pleased with himself.
I know there’s three episodes but I think we’re hoping for a fourth. I think we’re hoping for a fourth because I know Star Wars episode IV was a New Hope. This could be Episode Four: Thug. Thug.
We get to see the reality of what’s said versus what happens because last night the leader of the opposition said we’re never we are more united than ever in the Liberal party.
Nobody is looking backwards.
And he’s right.
Because except for the deputy leader of the Opposition [Sussan Ley], the member for Riverina [Michael McCormack] that the member for New England [Barnaby Joyce], the member for Hume [Angus Taylor], the Member for Petrie [Luke Howarth],the member for Leichardt [Warren Entsch], the member for Deakin [Michael Sukkar], Senator Cash, Senator Reynolds, Senator Birmingh and Senator McGrath, except for them, no one’s looking backwards. No one. Absolutely none of them.
Updated
Labor once called for the Abbott-era defence minister David Johnston to be sacked after he criticised the government owned ship builder:
David Johnston told parliament on Tuesday the government-owned shipbuilder ASC was $350m over budget on a project to construct three air warfare destroyers for the navy.
“You wonder why I wouldn’t trust them to build a canoe,” he told the upper house.
So you know, there is precedent.
Updated
Marles makes ‘no apologies for demanding excellence’ from the ADF
While the house divides on another pointless motion, let’s revisit Richard Marles’ answer to Andrew Hastie about whether he is at war with his department.
The crux of the AFR story that kicked this all off was that defence keep asking for equipment that the defence strategic review Labor ordered said was unnecessary and that defence should be focused on new generation technology. Hence; a, shall we call “disagreement” between the department and the minister’s office.
So this is what Richard Marles said:
The Department of Defence, the Australian Defence Force, is on a journey, and we are working very cooperatively with the senior leadership of the Department of Defence and the ADF in relation to that journey.
But I make no excuses or apologies for demanding excellence and a culture of excellence in the Department of Defence and in the Australian Defence Force.
And there is a way to go before we have that culture of excellence in the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force.
That sound you hear is the newest culture war whirring up, with about T-minus two seconds until this is blown up as ‘defence minister criticises ADF’ complete with photos of troops serving saying ‘how dare you say these people are not excellent’.
Marles finished up with:
But having said that, I have some sympathy for where Defence is at. Because the issues around culture in Defence today are a result of the 10-year tenure from those opposite. Because when you have six, really seven, different defence ministers over the course of nine years, that is demoralising to Defence, and it has been.
When you leave the oldest surface fleet in our country since the Second World War, that is demoralising, and it has been.
And when you make $45 billion worth of announcements and you do not put a cent behind it, that is demoralising and it has been. So, there is a lot of mess to clean up, which this Government is committed to doing. We are giving the Defence Force a strategic purpose, we are giving it direction, we are working closely with the Defence Force and cooperatively and well to improve the culture, but there is a way to go because of the mess that was left by those opposite.
Updated
Tony Burke barely gets his introduction out, before Sussan Ley moves he no longer be heard, “on the basis this is rubbish”.
The chamber divides. But Labor will, of course win this.
No! There is another question.
Oh god.
Oh no.
The last dixer:
My question is to be minister for the Arts. Why is documentary an important method of revealing the true nature of Australian stories? And what happens if the stories are not told?
Tony Burke gets up with the world’s biggest sh*t eating grin.
Updated
Anthony Albanese is treating the last question from the opposition as a dixer to go through all the cost-of-living things he says the government has done, in the voice that says question time is about to end.
Updated
Liberal MP asks yet another question about stage-three tax cuts
The Liberal MP for Flinders Zoe McKenzie, another MP held up as the future of the party, asks Jim Chalmers:
Were there any discussions held by the treasurer or a direction given by him or his office expressly or implicitly to the secretary or any other official of the treasury to provide advice on stage-three tax cuts before 11 December 2023?
Chalmers says:
One hour and 20 minutes into question time on the Thursday in the absence of the shadow treasurer, that is the best they can come up with.
I answered this early in the week, answered it accurately, the department answered it and we know what is happening here.
Tony Pasin is booted. Milton Dick kicks him out with a “some things never change”.
Chalmers:
I think the whole house knows what is happening. They cannot defend their position on the tax cuts so they are asking questions about all of the atmospherics and everything that goes around it because the whole country now knows that they argued against the tax cuts. The member for Farrah says they will unwind it, the Opposition leader cannot sustain his position for longer than 30 seconds on national television.
There is another point of order, but Chalmers says he has completed his answer.
Updated
Albanese takes a jab at Dutton, saying ‘you’ve almost worn out Gina Rinehart’s [plane]’
Anthony Albanese continues:
This policy, let’s be very clear here, this policy says that Australia will have the same standards that the United States has by 2028.
Now I don’t know of anyone over there [who] has watched TV in the US but one of the things I noticed ...
Yes, apparently that is bad. Apparently that is bad as well, mr speaker. Again, bipartisanship.
Peter Dutton interjects with “you’re wearing the plane out” (going to the US)
And Albanese responds with:
You have almost worn out Gina Rinehart’s [plane]
That makes Michael Sukkar SUPER mad. He takes another dose of copium and says:
We know the prime minister is a liar.
Milton Dick tells him to come back to the despatch box and withdraw and then march on out of the chamber. He has to tell him twice because Sukkar is still Sukkar mad. He sulks back to the despatch box and says “withdraw” and then sends Albanese what I am sure he thinks is a withering look, but he’s never snuck the last of his Lithuanian grandmother’s cigarettes and been caught, so it’s like watching a Neighbour’s extra attempt to look mad.
Albanese has 25 seconds left now and he says:
Apparently now the offer of bipartisanship does not extend to support for the US alliance. Everything is an opportunity to try to divide.
(There is another point of order which is not a point of order and Albanese finishes with)
Having such a thin skin makes it easier to see the glass door.
Updated
Peter Dutton asks another question about Mazdas
Peter Dutton asks another question about the Mazda all Australian families are apparently obsessed with and whether the government’s vehicle tax changes will add an average $19,000 to the family car.
The leader of the Opposition’s whole premise is completely wrong and he should talk to the manager of opposition business about why it is wrong. Because the difference is, as the manager of opposition business that, if Australia had fuel efficiency standards in line with comparable nations, estimates of the fuel saving passenger vehicle could be above $500 a year or nearly $28bn in total by 2040.
He said that in 2017 and the member for Bradfield I’m sure can confirm that when he came up with this policy proposal, I, as shadow minister, sat down with him and said there needs to be bipartisan work on this to get it done.
That was my approach and I know the leader of the Opposition in a press conference in order to say, look over there while they were reversing their position on tax cuts said that he was up for reform. And he said, ‘just come to us’ and ‘I want to be constructive, like the Howard years’.
What nonsense!
And here we have a policy, one of the architects of which is setting over there as his key tactician, but he asks stupid questions like that based upon nothing, absolutely nothing.
Updated
Dreyfus calls out Greens for backing Liberal's ‘disgraceful attempts to delay vital reform’
Dreyfus continues:
The legislation that I introduced last year would abolish the AAT and replace it with a new administrative review body that is user-focused, efficient, accessible, independent and fair, and the legislation would require, by law - as you mentioned in your question, member for Mackellar - that members of the tribunal be appointed through a competitive, publicly advertised, merit-based process supported by regulations that set out detailed procedural requirements and selection criteria.
We are committed to ending the stack.
And I would welcome engagement with the member for Mackellar and other members of this House who are interested about what those detailed regulations should look like, and about other aspects of the legislation. Before concluding, it is deeply disappointing to see that the Greens party teamed up with the Liberal party in the Senate today to disrupt and delay these generational reforms, by delaying the committee inquiry process.
We know why the Liberal party wants to delay these reforms as long as possible - it’s about protecting their stack. What I can’t understand is why the Greens party are prepared to back the Liberal party’s disgraceful attempts to delay a vital reform that will have a real and lasting benefit for the lives of thousands of Australians.
Updated
Dreyfus backs government’s 115 new appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
The independent MP for Mackellar, Sophie Scamps asks:
In 2022, the minister announced the abolition of the AAT, stating that it had been fatally compromised by the stacking with Liberal cronies. But the new tribunal being proposed by the minister, while requiring merit-based selection of new members, will not require any independence in that selection process. Merit and independence are not the same thing. The minister will still have the power to hand-pick mates for these plumb jobs. Why is the attorney general going to the great effort of creating a new tribunal if it is to suffer the same fatal flaw that saw its predecessor abolished?
Mark Dreyfus says:
It is important to see the context that the member gave to her question. She is right to be concerned about the appointments process for the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and for the process for the new tribunal that we hope will replace it. This Liberal party stacked the AAT with at least 85 former Liberal MPs, failed Liberal candidates, former Liberal staffers, and another close Liberal associates without any merit-based selection process.
This Liberal party cared so little about preserving the actual, or perceived, independence of the AAT that they even appointed active Liberal-aligned lobbyists as members. The AAT’s public standing was irreversibly damaged as a result of the actions of the previous government, and it’s another mess that the Albanese government has to clean up.
Since the 2022 federal election, this government has made approximately 115 new appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, including the new president.
Each of these members was appointed pursuant to a merit-based selection process. Each of those members applied for the job in response to a public advertisement and was assessed by an independent panel.
And each of this government’s new appointments to the AAT was endorsed by the panel as being suitable for appointment. There is no law that required our government to follow that or any other process in appointing AAT members, but that is what our government has done.
Updated
Jason Clare positions teachers to benefit from Labor’s tax cuts, while joking about what the Liberal party has been up to
It has become mandatory that there is at least three “jokes” about the ABC’s Nemesis in every question time.
Jason Clare gives it a go:
Mr speaker, there is no more important job in this country than a schoolteacher. Everything they do helps our kids to aim higher, to work harder, to be braver, to believe in themselves. And I hope - I’m sure all of us in this chamber, in the public gallery, in the press gallery can think of that one teacher who changed their life. We wouldn’t be here as politicians or journos or ABC TV stars - like the member for Canning! [Andrew Hastie] - if it wasn’t for our teachers. Who else would have taught him how to use that overhead projector?
… We’ve also got to make sure that we give a tax cut to every teacher in this country, and that new teacher on 80 grand a year - that gets a tax cut of $1,679 - that’s double what they would have got under the Liberal party.
It’s only happening because of this Labor government. And while we were working on that, what were they working on? They’re working on their cameos for that true-crime series on the ABC.
What’s it called? Nemesis? It’s pretty wild, mr speaker. I thought David Attenborough should have been narrating it!
Unfortunately for all of us, there is one more episode next week, which means there is at least another week of these “jokes”, which would be fine if any of them were actually funny. One of the greatest sins of student politics is convincing unfunny people they have a sense of humour. Because they carry that unearned confidence into the parliament and they they inflict it on all of us.
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Bowen points out Liberals tried to deliver Labor’s new tax on car and utes back in 2016
Chris Bowen relishes the opportunity to answer another question from Ted O’Brien and starts talking about what Paul Fletcher and Josh Frydenberg used to believe the government should do (which is what the government is doing now) and then Peter Dutton raises a point of order about what Mazda O’Brien had asked about.
On relevance, telling me the minister makes no reference to the fact that the Mazda in the UK is $19,000 more expensive, he hasn’t gone to that point - that is the crux of the question. Why is he applying a new tax to cars and utes in this country?
Bowen finishes with:
I was making the point that there are several Mazdas and other models that are more efficient overseas than they are in Australia. And we believe Australians have a right to access to those better, cheaper-to-run cars.
And we believe that Australians deserve the right for lower emissions, cheaper run cars, and those opposite apparently don’t. That’s a matter for them. They have a choice. They can stand against choice or they can stand for it.
The member for Bradfield and the former member for Kooyong, tried it for five minutes in 2016 before they got vetoed by the hard right of the Liberal Party. Well, this government actually will deliver better choice, with or without the help of those opposite.
Updated
LNP MP Ted O’Brien alleges Labor’s fuel efficiency tax falls short of 25% claims
You can always tell when the LNP MP for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien has a question on the list because you don’t hear him yell out inane interjections like he usually does.
My question goes to the minister for climate change and energy: can the minister confirm that the British version of the Mazda CX-30 is $19,000 more expensive than similar models in Australia? Is this an indicator of the likely impact of Labor’s new car and ute tax? And will he admit that that vehicle’s improved fuel efficiency falls well short of the 25% that he has been claiming?
I regret to tell you that we are once again back in the land of the “war on the weekend”.
I went to the museum of modern democracy recently (which is a wonderful free resource which if you are in Canberra, you should check out) and there was a hall of Australian prime ministers. And you look at someone like John Curtin who said: “The pursuit of knowledge is far more important than even knowledge itself. It involves discipline and training, which, in turn are moulders of character.” And then you get to Scott Morrison “if you have a go, you’ll get a go” and you just have to wonder – how on earth did we get here?
Question time answers this for me every single sitting.
Updated
Albanese addresses housing, putting blame on opposition for delays
Anthony Albanese goes through what the government is doing on housing and then Max Chandler-Mather raises a point of order on relevance. Milton Dick tells him to make the questions tighter if he doesn’t want the PM going on about every policy under the sun.
“He’s trying,” Albanese says. Which sounds like he is now trying the paternalistic attack move, where you treat people who annoy you like they are too young to know better. My cat uses it on me all the time.
Albanese finishes with:
We have then the Housing Australia Future Fund - something that those opposite delayed for month after months … and therefore delayed the building of housing for poor people and working-class people in our suburbs and in our regional towns. In addition to that, of course, we have our Build-to-Rent program. That’s a tax incentive, a tax change that we put in the last budget to encourage more investment in build-to-rent developments. Because we understand that it can’t be just the public sector, we need to encourage that private sector investment. We understand across all of this that the key is supply. And that’s why we will, of course, continue to negotiate with the states and territories. At the moment, we’re working through a National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. The major funding body over a period of time, we extended it by $1.7bn for the additional year.
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Max Chandler-Mather asks whether Albanese will phase out tax concessions for property investors
Max Chandler-Mather is back to haunt Anthony Albanese.
The break though appears to have tempered Albanese’s fire when it comes to MCM, who many in the Labor party have said is like watching Albanese’s young self come back to torment him. Kinda like a ghost of Albo past.
This year, property investors like you will receive billions in tax handouts from this Labor government, including from negative gearing, driving up property prices. Prime minister, you talk about supply, new housing construction has reached a 10-year low under your government. You talk about help to buy - but will only help 0.2% of the 5m renters. Will your government phase out tax concessions for property investors like negative gearing so everybody can afford a good home?
Albanese ignores the reference to “you” which is not allowed under the parliamentary rules, but ignores it by telling everyone he is ignoring it, which is straight out of the land of Passia Aggressia.
The member, of course, made a suggestion about you, mr speaker, in the language in that question, but we’ll ignore that.
Updated
Wilcox takes a jab at Labor’s new tax on utes and cars, as King quotes LNP agreeing with them in 2018
The LNP MP for Dawson, Andrew Wilcox (yes, I still have to look it up) asks Catherine King:
Based on the government’s secret modelling, can the minister guarantee that Labor’s new tax on utes and cars will not increase the purchasing of a new SUV, people mover, or ute in Australia?
Labor’s Graham Perrett gets thrown out on 94A. Just a bit of neighbour on neighbour friendly fire there from the speaker to his neighbouring MP.
King:
I’d like to start my answer with a quote. ‘When fuel efficiency standards were introduced in the US, the most popular models before introduction stayed the most popular models after introduction. What we call utes. There wasn’t a material change in price and we don’t expect there would be a material change in price here.’
Now, who said that? You’d think it would be me, because in terms of the new vehicle efficiency standard, the impact analysis we’ve put out, what is in there, it could be the minister, Minister Bowen as well, also, but who was that? It was, in fact, the member for Bradfield (Liberal MP Paul Fletcher), when he released the draft regulatory impact statement for the fuel efficiency standards that you were gonna introduce back in 2018.
There are a bunch of interjections because someone flashed the interject sign but that is the crux of it.
Updated
Andrew Hastie asks about this report in the AFR and whether Richard Marles is at war with his own department.
Marles says defence is “on a journey”.
Paul Karp hears Peter Dutton answer “downhill”.
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Canavan asks whether Labor will bring in mining tax since changes were made to stage-three tax cuts
Speaking of Twilight zones, finance minister Katy Gallagher says she does not want to play the “rule in, rule out” game in Senate question time.
Unfortunately for her, that’s all she’s going to get from the opposition today it seems. Next up is Nationals senator Matt Canavan, who wants to know whether the changes to stage-three tax cuts are a slippery slope for other broken promises.
In particular, Canavan asks whether the Labor government will bring in another mining tax as it did under the Gillard government.
Canavan says:
Will you repeat your promise not to introduce a mining tax and rule out any change to the fuel tax credit scheme?
Gallagher says the government’s tax agenda is what’s already on the public record.
That is a very clear answer for all of you that cannot quite seem to grapple with it. Our tax reforms in the parliament include income tax, PRRT, high balance super accounts and multinational tax reform. It’s all there for people to see. We’ve been upfront, explained the position ... [interjections] yes we have, you might not understand or not want to understand it.
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Opposition are ‘trying to bail’ Dutton out, Albanese says
Anthony Albanese continues:
Well, he might have been on the early flight on a Thursday, but I don’t think that was the motive.
I think the motive is he is so embarrassed … by his own position on taxation that he can’t even bear to sit in the chamber. So embarrassed that, as shadow treasurer, we have a tax cut plan before this parliament that is worth $107bn over the forward estimates, and the shadow treasurer can’t ask a question about it.
Michael Sukkar is up and Milton Dick tells him that there has already been a point of order on relevance so he shouldn’t test him, because he is not the one and today is not the day. Sukkar gets all ‘“I have a right to approach the despatch box” with the huff of someone who has just swallowed a massive dose of copium to get through the hour.
His point of order is that Albanese is flaunting the speaker’s point of order. Dick says he didn’t get to make one, because it was 42 seconds into a preamble when Taylor made his stunt. Dick then uses speaker language to tell everyone to just calm their farms and Albanese continues:
I reckon they probably saw the leader of the Opposition on 7.30 last night, so they’re all trying to bail him out.
The shadow treasurer has me asked a question about tax and he was asked a question about tax on the Sunrise program. It sums up exactly what their position is.
So, ‘Do you want more support for people in the lower end’. The shadow Treasurer, ‘No. No’.
They don’t.
They oppose what we’re doing. They won’t ask any questions about what’s before the parliament. All they’re asking about is what’s going on inside their own little head and inside their own discussions, inside the twilight zone in which they exist.
Updated
Angus Taylor gets booted out of question time
Angus Taylor gets booted under 94A just 42 seconds into Anthony Albanese’s answer to his question.
Taylor:
I refer to the prime minister and treasurer’s repeated refusals to rule out changes to negative gearing. Will the PM give a commitment to the Australian people that Labor’s changes will include grandfathering of pre-existing negative gearing arrangements?
Albanese:
Well, we’ve entered the twilight zone officially now. What we have before us is real legislation about tax changes. Before the parliament.
That’s what we have before us.
And what we have now is the shadow treasurer asking for details about things that are only happening in his head, Mr Speaker. They’re only happening ... in his own conversations.
With himself.
Taylor:
Well, the prime minister has lied to the Australian people over a hundred times, Mr Speaker. Why would anyone believe him on this?
Milton Dick sighs like my Lithuanian grandma used to after discovering I turned the potatoes into chips and not latkes and boots Taylor out.
Updated
Intergenerational inequality gap is a big motivator behind stage-three tax changes, Chalmers says
Jim Chalmers says:
I think it’s fair to say there is always more work to do to make sure that we are delivering the kind of intergenerational fairness which is at the very core of the government’s view of the world.
Our mission, as a government, is to try and modernise the economy and maximise our advantages so that we can position our people as the major beneficiaries of change rather than victims of change in our economy, in our society. And that’s really the motivation behind a whole raft of policies in the various portfolios represented along the frontbench here, Mr Speaker.
He goes through some of the measures and then says:
Now, the intergenerational issues are also a big motivating force behind our tax reform agenda. Whether it’s the superannuation tax concessions changes that we are proposing, whether it’s getting a fairer return via the PRRT for our resources, whether it’s multinational tax reform, tax breaks for energy efficiency, tax breaks for EVs, tax breaks for more build-to-rent properties, there is an intergenerational element to this which I think is really important. And to finish with where I think the honourable member’s question comes from, it’s a big motivation behind the tax changes that we proposed this week and seek to legislate.
And I do understand that, even after these important changes, it will always require the ongoing interest and effort from governments like ours to deal with some of these intergenerational challenges. But I also wanted to point out that our tax changes are much better for young people than the old stage-three tax cuts that they replace. 90% of people under 35, 98% of the younger cohort, as the PM reminds me, better for bracket creep, better for workforce incentives and better for our economy.
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MP Allegra Spender voices concerns about the rising inequality gap
Independent Wentworth MP Allegra Spender, who has been hosting a series of tax summits where experts give their opinions on what needs to happen in regards to tax reform, asks about the rising inequality gap.
Inheritance taxes and the like are some of the solutions experts have raised during the informal summits, which are mostly heard behind closed doors, so people can speak frankly.
Spender asks:
Young people in Australia are going backwards. In the last decade or so, a family headed by somebody over 65 saw their wealth increase by 50%, but those under 35 have barely moved. This can’t have been the intention of government policy and it’s not the fault of older Australians. But it has created an intergenerational tragedy. Whilst I acknowledge the positive steps the government has taken to support young people, I don’t think they’re sufficient to close the wealth gap between younger and older Australians now or into the future. Does the treasurer share my concerns?
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Paul Karp also notes that Scott Morrison is not in the chamber for QT. Now that his days in the chamber are numbered, you would think he would want to soak up every single moment, especially when it comes to what was once his favourite time of the parliamentary day, QT. But no.
*plays Carole King So Far Away*
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Opposition again targets stage-three tax cuts in Senate question time
Over in Senate question time, it’s groundhog day.
The opposition is again targeting the Albanese government’s tweaks stage-three tax cuts. It wants to know whether there will be other hidden broken promises.
To recap, Anthony Albanese announced the change to planned cuts, which will come into effect from 1 July, redistributing more of the savings to low- and middle-income earners. Earlier this week, the Coalition said it will attempt to amend the changes but won’t vote against them.
Liberal senator Jane Hume asks:
Minister, can you categorically rule out that treasury has provided you with options to change Australia’s negative gearing framework or capital gains framework after the call from your legislative partners, the Greens?
Finance minister Katy Gallagher responds, though she doesn’t entirely address the question:
What I can confirm for Senator Hume is that this government remains completely focused on looking at ways to alleviate cost-of-living pressures on Australians. Which is why we have brought the income tax changes to this parliament ... I told you that the government has sought advice and support from our departments around cost-of-living relief and that’s what you’ve seen flow through our budget.
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Albanese continues:
That was the matter that I understand was moved before this chamber - a suspension of standing orders from a member of a minor political party. I’ve gotta say that, when a suspension of standing orders is moved by the Greens political party, what I don’t do is elevate it.
Paul Karp hears Peter Dutton say “you walk both sides of the street, is what you do”.
He is called to order.
Albanese continues:
What I don’t do also is come into the chamber when there are micky votes that aren’t counted. I don’t do it … for obvious reasons, I have other things to do, other priorities.
He runs out of time, but the interjections continue. Dan Tehan demands Tanya Plibersek withdraw a comment she made that I didn’t hear.
Anthony Albanese gets back on his feet:
The context of the interjections that are going across this chamber, I would have thought - the idea that there’s anyone, anyone on that side - I don’t accuse them and they shouldn’t accuse anyone in my party of being anything other than totally opposed to racism in all its forms.
In all its forms … including, of course, the rise of antisemitism.
Plibersek withdraws and says she wants to see order restored to the chamber. Everyone gets a shut it warning. The chamber moves on.
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Albanese condemns antisemitism comments made by his local member
Paul Fletcher:
My question is to the prime minister: yesterday, the member for Melbourne moved a shameful motion that attacked Israel and gave Hamas terrorists a free pass. Will the government today join the Opposition in standing with Australia’s Jewish community and condemn the Greens for their blatantly antisemitic behaviour? Or is the prime minister too dependent on Greens preferences and Greens support in the Senate to have the courage to do so?
The chamber is ready to erupt.
Anthony Albanese:
It’s a serious question in the context of the worst social disharmony that I have seen, not just in my time in politics but in my time that I have been alive in this country. It shouldn’t be weaponised. I condemn, totally, any form of antisemitism, including the comments by my local member, the member for Newtown, whose comments about tentacles, with regard to the Jewish community, I find offensive, I find it had its origins in antisemitism, and I condemn it unequivocally.
Just as I condemn forms of, that I have seen, Islamophobic comments and behaviour as well.
Now, Mr Speaker, no one moved a motion in this parliament yesterday.
There was an attempt to suspend standing orders yesterday - that’s what there was. And when there’s an attempt to amend standing orders, as someone who occupies the position of manager of Opposition business should know, that is the matter that is before the chair. Nothing else. Nothing else.
There are interjections here.
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There is a dixer where Anthony Albanese gets to talk about Nemesis again.
LNP MP calls for reversal to raising the age of criminal responsibility after Queensland crime
LNP MP Michelle Landry opened the questions today:
My home state of Queensland has faced a devastating wave of youth crime. Given the very strong concern in my home state and around Australia about youth crime, will the attorney general now reverse the Albanese government’s commitment to raising the age of criminal responsibility at a commonwealth level and encourage state governments to do the same?
For some context on that, here is Ben Smee
Mark Dreyfus (after a few interjections)
The question of raising the age of criminal responsibility has been a matter of serious discussion - not a matter of serious discussion for many of those opposite, but a matter of serious discussion in the criminal justice system. All attorneys general are concerned with this, and that’s why the matter of raising the age of criminal responsibility was placed on the agenda of the Standing Council of Attorneys-General.
When I recreated the Standing Council of Attorneys-General, which had been abolished by the former government, upon us coming to government in May last year. We will continue to discuss the question of raising the age of criminal responsibility. I note that some state and territory governments have already legislated to raise the age of criminal responsibility.
Other state or territory governments have announced their intention to raise the age of criminal responsibility. Overwhelmingly, this is a matter that concerns state and territory governments because, overwhelmingly, it is not...[a matter for the commonwealth]
There is a back and forth after this, but this was the crux of it.
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And question time is underway.
Less than 10 minutes in and it is all a rowdy mess.
Sigh. Let us take a look shall we?
‘Gaza is being bombed into rubble’: Labor MP Josh Wilson
Labor MP Josh Wilson went on to say that Australia “expects Israel to act in accordance with the ruling” of the International Court of Justice. He added:
The truth is that Gaza is being bombed into rubble, with 70% of buildings damaged and the entire population being squeezed further and further south, in starvation conditions without basic medical services.
Wilson said two-thirds of the deaths in Gaza were women and children:
It is wrong, and it has to stop. I will always be an advocate of peace and non-violence. I’ll always be rigorously critical of military action, because history tells us that violence almost never solves anything and state sponsored violence almost always causes enormous, disproportionate harm to innocent people.
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Labor MP Josh Wilson decries lack of ceasefire in Gaza amid 'unconscionable suffering'
The Labor MP Josh Wilson described Israel’s bombardment of Gaza as “unconscionable” in a speech shortly before question time.
Wilson, a backbencher, said it was “heartbreaking to learn this morning that the prospect of a ceasefire in the awful war in Gaza will not proceed at this time”, referring to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of the terms of a potential deal proposed by Hamas.
Wilson said this “means more than 100 Israeli hostages remain in captivity”. He said it was “abhorrent that they were ever taken” and said these hostages “should have been freed unconditionally on every day since the Hamas terrorist attacks on 7 October”.
Wilson told the house:
It means the unconscionable bombardment and suffering of the people with Gaza will continue. That’s unacceptable. Australia has joined other nations in calling on all sides to deliver a ceasefire.
Every country has the right and obligation to defend its citizens but not every military action constitutes self-defence. The wholesale destruction of Gaza is not self-defence.
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Jacqui Lambie slams Labor and Greens for not allowing textile workers to demerge from CFMEU
A furious senator Jacqui Lambie has accused the Greens and Labor of being unduly influenced by Victorian construction secretary, John Setka.
Lambie has taken up the cause of textile workers who are trying to demerge from the CFMEU, moving an amendment to Labor’s closing loopholes bill to allow them to do so with a secret ballot. Labor and the Greens are not playing ball.
Lambie told reporters in Canberra:
If this isn’t a true day to show John Setka isn’t running the Labor party or the government of the day, I don’t know what else is. But don’t you stand up and talk about women’s rights in that chamber. Because as of today in my eyes your credibility has gone down the gurgler. You are shameful. Absolutely shameful. You have about two hours to get your crap together and do what is the right thing ... for women in this country.
Lambie suggested that Setka had “infiltrated” Adam Bandt’s office, and said that the Greens leader should take “mumblings” about his leadership seriously.
Jenny Kruschel from the textile union asked Adam Bandt not to forget women that he used to represent (as a lawyer).
She said:
We don’t share the same culture and values as construction. And we want to work and represent our members into the future and ... have our vote to leave.
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The Labor MP Josh Wilson has spoken out about Israel’s war in Gaza, saying the territory is “being bombed into rubble”.
Using the opportunity of 90-second statements prior to question time in the House of Representatives, Wilson said:
The wholesale destruction of Gaza is not self-defence.
The truth is that Gaza is being bombed into rubble.
More details soon
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Australians paying more for passports ‘just to wait longer’ to get them, Birmingham says
The increase in passport costs were announced in December during the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook update, but with the national audit office finding passports are still not being processed in a timely enough way, Simon Birmingham wants to know what Australians are paying for.
Since being elected, Labor has hiked up the price for Australians with an adult passport of 10 years going up $38 and plans of a second increase this year of $52 from 1 July.
So if you want to renew your passport, you’ll be looking at $398 for ten years from 1 July 2024.
Birmingham said:
In a desperate cash grab the Albanese Government has twice hiked the price of passports with a third to come, yet this report reveals Australians are forking out more just to wait longer for their passports.
Australians already pay more for their holiday thanks to Labor blocking airline competition, now they’re paying more just to be allowed to leave the country.
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‘Nationally consistent definition’ needed for affordable housing
There are so many gaps in housing policy. Including, what the definition of “affordable housing” is as AAP reports:
Australia needs a clear definition for affordable housing that takes into consideration factors like income and market rent, the NSW community housing sector says.
Despite a national rush to build thousands of social and affordable homes, state and territory definitions for the sector vary widely.
Victoria includes homes bought and rented below market prices in its affordable housing stock, while South Australia caps sale prices based on location and NSW guidelines consider only rentals.
“We don’t think that’s very helpful,” Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) NSW chief executive Mark Degotardi told AAP.
It’s a good time to have a nationally consistent definition.
The call follows a report by Everybody’s Home that found affordable housing had moved beyond many Australians’ reach because governments were subsidising the private market instead of building social housing.
The current mix of definitions allows private providers in some, but not all, markets and makes a tenant’s income a critical factor in some but not all cases.
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The parliament is heading towards its last question time of the week.
You have been warned. Grab what you need now to help you get through it.
Greens push for increase to Commonwealth public school funding to 25% fails
A Greens bid to increase the Commonwealth share of public school funding to 25% has failed to get off the ground after Labor and the Coalition prevented a vote on the bill in the Senate.
It comes on the same day the Australian Education Union and the principal association are in parliament, urging the federal government to fully fund public schools.
The Greens education amendment would replace the 20% cap on the Commonwealth contribution to public schools, introduced by the former Coalition government, and replace it with a 25% floor.
Greens spokesperson for education Senator Penny Allman-Payne said the school funding model was “fundamentally broken”.
With Labor governments in every mainland state and territory, federal Labor has an unprecedented opportunity to finally deliver on the promise of Gonski.
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A Tasmanian election could be called as early as tomorrow (it is not due until 2025) after Liberal defectors to the crossbench cause their former leader more than one headache.
China is the elephant in the room throughout Albanese and Marape’s joint statement
It’s worth remembering that China is the elephant in the room when the joint statement from Anthony Albanese and the PNG prime minister, James Marape, says the pair “reaffirmed their commitment to the region’s existing security architecture as a key driver of security cooperation”.
For context, China in 2022 was rebuffed when it proposed a sweeping security and economic agreement with 10 Pacific countries at once. Australian government has repeatedly called for the Pacific Islands Forum - of which Australia is a member - to be respected and not bypassed.
Today’s joint statement from Albanese and Marape says:
The Prime Ministers renewed their commitment to working together with the Pacific family and strengthening regional unity. They reaffirmed the importance of working through Pacific-led and owned regional architecture, and the critical role of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in driving the regional agenda, guided by the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and its Implementation Plan. They agreed to promote transparent, inclusive decision making with regional partners through PIF processes while respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of members, and committed to shaping a fit-for-purpose regional architecture to deliver on the ambitions of the 2050 Strategy.
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Greg Jericho has looked at RBA 2.0 and found its a lot like RBA 1.0
PNG prime minister meets with Albanese about ‘bilateral security relationship’
After the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape, addressed the Australian parliament, he held annual talks with Anthony Albanese. The joint statement on that meeting has just been released and, as expected, security was one of the key themes.
The statement says the leaders “discussed progress in the bilateral security relationship” following the signing in December of the security agreement between Australia and PNG, which covers traditional security cooperation, as well as non-traditional security cooperation on climate change, cyber security, gender-based violence and critical infrastructure:
Following recent meetings between the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary and Australian agencies on infrastructure needs, the Prime Ministers agreed to prioritise planning for a Police Recruit and Investigations Training Facility at Bomana, in addition to construction and refurbishing of police barracks across Papua New Guinea. Prime Minister Marape reiterated Papua New Guinea’s commitment to make the Training Facility available to other Pacific police forces.
The statement mentions “activities to grow interoperability and deepen links between Australia’s and Papua New Guinea’s military forces” and says the leaders “agreed closer cooperation on peacekeeping, including through joint training at the ADF Peace Operations Training Centre”.
The leaders also “welcomed enhanced cooperation on cyber security, including the ability to deploy Pacific Cyber Rapid Assistance for Pacific Incidents and Disasters (RAPID) teams in the event of a cyber security incident at the request of Papua New Guinea”.
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Government needs to ‘stand up’ and be ‘courageous’ in post-voice policy agenda: Thomas Mayo
Josh Butler has spoken to Thomas Mayo about the Albanese government’s lack of action on Indigenous issues following the failure of the voice referendum:
The voice referendum advocate Thomas Mayo has warned Labor risks repeating the same failures as the Coalition unless it steps up its post-voice referendum policy agenda and has urged the government to be “courageous” in addressing Indigenous disadvantage.
He has also urged the government to legislate a version of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to parliament, honour its commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and continue work on truth and treaty reforms through the Makarrata commission.
Mayo said:
The government promised to deliver on the Uluru statement. Not having a constitutional voice is a lost opportunity, but they need to stand up and take on [opposition leader Peter] Dutton, and have the debate.
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John Pesutto speaks at care leaver apology: ‘We failed’
The Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, is now speaking. He says:
I’m very proud and honoured to join with the government and the premier in supporting this historic motion. One that is long past time but one which is well deserved … We join this motion today because our care leavers who are with us today and those who’ve never made it to today deserve protection and they didn’t get it.
They deserved it and it is no consolation to say the people it was a different time. No, the standards applied then as much as they do today. We failed those [children in] out of home care in this state and this apology is well deserved.
The apology motion is carried unanimously by both Houses of Parliament.
The lower house will now adjourn until question time at 2pm.
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‘Shame does not belong to you’: Allan concludes apology to care leavers
Allan ends her speech by acknowledging Victorian care leavers watching from home, interstate and overseas, and those who died without recognition or justice. She said she hoped the apology could be “the start of something new for you, a start to heal to recognition”:
In listening to and reading about the stories of these children, I found one word that came up again and again: shame.
… If I can address myself very directly to everyone who feels that deeply I want to say this: the shame does not belong to you. It is ours. It was always ours. And it always will be ours.
Today is about reclaiming that shame. Lifting its weight from your shoulders and holding it up to the light in this place.
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Jacinta Allan becomes emotional recounting stories of care leavers in apology
Allan has to pause briefly to wipe away tears as she speaks about the ambitions and dreams of care leavers. She says:
Of course they had big ambitions and ideas like any child … there was Terry who was a little boy who wanted to be a plumber, Lenny who wanted to be an electrical engineer, Beth who told us she wanted to grow up and look after the babies in her own orphanage. I want to tell you about Gerald too. Gerald, aged 85, who said he got everything he dreamed of as a boy. He grew up to have a family, he learned how to love … I share his story for you because I think it’s a remarkable [story] about resistance, even within a system designed to dehumanise.
Up against the force of the state and the violence of those tasked with upholding its power, he resisted.
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Jacinta Allan is now choking up as she reads the story of Heather, a care leaver who was taken from her mum and placed in St Catherine’s Girls Home in Geelong. She says:
In 1958, Heather ran away … she was nine searching for her mother. Mum lived in West Geelong and Heather was determined to be reunited with her. The first night she slept under a bridge near a bar, eventually navigating her way back to her mum’s house. The first thing her mum did was make her something to eat, and Heather had a shower to wash off the muck of two days on the road. Then her mum picked up the phone and called a taxi to take her back to St Catherine’s because, speaker, she didn’t have a choice.
She says Heather’s mother was only referred to once in her record – as a “garrulous woman”:
The dictionary defines garrulous as being over talkative or trivial but I know what they really meant. It meant she was a woman, likely working class. It meant that when she got upset, she spoke a little bit too quickly. And that meant you didn’t have to listen to her and she didn’t count. But as Heather said, she wasn’t garrulous. She was fighting to get her children back. Her mother sent dozens and dozens of letters pleading her case, all of them ignored. Heather was never allowed to return … Her younger sister Evelyn didn’t make it home either. She died of untreated rheumatic fever when she was just eight years old.
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‘[For] the heartbreak and humiliation dealt to you, we say sorry’: Allan
Allan says:
There are countless ways to harm a child and all of them leave a mark … For the physical scars you bear to this day, we say sorry. We also recognise that many of you bear the emotional scars, the humiliation, the stigma, the neglect … So many of you were made to feel so worthless when you were and you are worth so much.
[For] the heartbreak and humiliation dealt to you, we say sorry … We apologise that the burden of your experience often carries on in your relationships with your children and grandchildren.
And we apologise to those who experienced so-called care that made having your own family an impossibility. We also acknowledge the challenges many of you faced in building healthy loving relationships. And we acknowledge your courage and the incredible support and understanding of your husbands, wives, partners and families in proving that love is always possible.
She also apologises for poor record-keeping by the government, which made it harder for care leavers to learn more about their lives:
Many of you are also denied that most basic right of knowing who you are. Instead you’re forced to piece together your identity and history from your records. Documents that were either incomplete or blacked out or littered with lies made up about you and your family. We are sorry. This made the wounds even deeper.
We also apologise for the opportunities missed, and the potential left unrealized for the way your health was neglected, often with a lifetime of consequences.
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Jacinta Allan delivers apology to people abused and neglected in institutional care
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, is on her feet to deliver an apology to people who suffered abuse and neglect in institutional care between 1928-1990.
She begins:
To those children who were abused and neglected during their time in care – we humbly, unreservedly apologise that you were needlessly separated from your brothers and sisters. Sometimes growing up in the same four walls, but never being allowed to know each other. The grief of being removed from your parents, often without explanation and the years spent fighting to find your family sometimes in vain.
To those who died without getting the respect or recognition they deserved. To the children who lost their lives while in the guardianship of the state, whose voices were silenced forever and to the families who were broken permanently.
We failed you with this. We are deeply sorry.
The apology is being live streamed via the parliament website.
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Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather will debate the chief executive of the property council about the housing crisis at the national press club on 6 March.
MCM has a habit of annoying Anthony Albanese more than any other human on earth. Let’s see if that translates to Mike Zorbas.
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AGL denies price gouging after ACTU report released
AGL is the latest company to deny price gouging, as AAP reports:
Electricity and gas giant AGL Energy has rejected accusations of price gouging cash-strapped households after posting a return to profit.
“We are acutely aware of the cost of living pressures both our customers and the broader community is under,” AGL’s chief executive, Damien Nicks, told AAP on Thursday.
“We operate in a highly regulated environment and one of the most competitive markets around.”
Former anti-monopoly tsar Prof Allan Fels on Wednesday released research that alleged Australia’s biggest energy companies, airlines and supermarkets were price gouging consumers and generating extortionate profits.
“We have a large retail footprint but we compete with the likes of Origin Energy, Alinta. We are in a very, very competitive market,” Mr Nicks said.
AGL announced on Thursday a half-year net profit of $576m compared with a loss of $1.075bn a year ago amid an energy shock and the impending closure of the coal-fired Liddell power station.
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If you wanted to hear some of James Marape’s address, you can watch this handy little clip from the video team:
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NBN Co dismisses Coalition concerns of Australians leaving network
NBN Co has rejected concerns raised by the Coalition about customers leaving the NBN, as most who are leaving are those connected on the legacy copper technology championed under the former Coalition government.
In parliament on Wednesday night, the shadow communications minister, David Coleman, said it was a “very serious situation” for NBN to have lost a net 35,000 premises from its existing footprint in 2023 and questioned what the cause was.
In half-year results announced on Thursday, NBN reported an additional 24,000 premises total across its technologies, but the company’s CEO, Stephen Rue, acknowledged some in the brownfields footprint had moved off. He said it was mainly fibre-to-the-node customers where the quality of the connection decreases with copper lines used. He said:
The main reason for that is service and a desire for faster speed … customers who are at the end of the FTTN line … they get 25 megabits a second, but they can’t experience a faster speed and obviously there are some copper lines that have unreliability.
Rue said it was a very small number of customers overall compared to the 8.6m premises on the NBN.
It was the former Coalition government’s policy to switch from a full fibre network to use the legacy copper networks that NBN is now in the process of replacing. NBN Co is upgrading approximately 7,000 premises a week to full fibre, with 200,000 upgraded as of the end of December.
Rue said this would make the NBN more green, noting that not only was fibre faster, but it was also more energy efficient and resilient to the effects of climate change.
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Experts to be recruited to avoid mistakes of last year’s VCE maths exams, minister says
The Victorian education minister, Ben Carroll, says experts will be recruited to avoid a repeat of the blunders in last year’s mathematics exams.
Carroll told reporters he met last month with the former head of the NSW Education Standards Authority, Dr John Bennett, who is writing a report into the mistakes in the Victorian Certificate of Education exams.
He said Bennett will release his report next month but he has accepted his preliminary recommendation to bring experts into the exam drafting process earlier.
Carroll said:
I sat down with him about a month ago. He talked me through some of the concerns he had. Principally, one of the major ones was making sure we do bring in the experts a lot more earlier, including mathematicians, experts from the university sector, to help with the writing of the exams. That’s something I’ve already given support to, but I do await the final recommendations in the final report to land on my desk next month. I’m also committed to releasing that report and doing everything I can to fulfil the recommendations will be contained in it.
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‘You can never be absolutely sure’: Victorian treasurer defends government investment
Victoria’s treasurer, Tim Pallas, has defended the government’s investment in a scrap metal recycler that’s gone broke.
Yesterday, we reported that the government’s investment in Pacific Metal Group will probably be lost after the company collapsed in January after a fire at its scrapyard in Laverton North.
The funds were taken from the government’s Victorian Business Growth Fund, which it established in 2020 with Aware Super and Spirit Super to help small-to-medium sized businesses grow. It is independently managed.
Pallas said the nature of investing meant sometimes you made a loss:
We’ll probably see other examples of this going forward. We had investment advice, independent and investment advice from Roc Partners who have oversight of our investment, and they said, ‘Look, this is a good investment to make.’ As it transpired, you can never be absolutely sure when you take an equity share.
In this case, the investment and the decision we made hasn’t proven to be as successful as we would like. But let me assure you, the government has got something like $2bn worth of investment through Breakthrough Victoria, they have an investment mandate to similarly take equity shares in companies right across the state … they are delivering on their investment mandate and it is appreciating above the level that we expected them to do … it’s over 8% return on investment.
True to form, Pallas wrapped up with a self-deprecating comment:
There will be examples of this and I would like to be absolutely 100% right on everything all the time. But on occasion, I’ve been known not to be perfect.
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Victorian premier says work under way on redress scheme as parliament to give apology to care leavers
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, also spoke about the formal apology she will make to Victorians who experienced historical abuse and neglect as children in institutional care in the parliament ahead, in a quick doorstop ahead of the sitting this morning.
She said these Victorians were only young children when they were placed in institutional care and experienced harm at the hands of those trusted to support them. Allan said:
For many, the trauma and neglect that they experienced in institutional care as children has led to many experiencing poverty, homelessness … lifelong mental health challenges … Today on behalf of the Victorian community, the parliament will provide an apology to those care leavers for the harm, the abuse, the neglect that they received in institutions that were meant to care for them.
She said work was under way on a co-designed redress scheme for care leavers, which will be ready by the end of 2024. In the meantime, payments of $10,000 will be made to people who are critically or terminally ill.
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Inquiry into disruption in Australian schools recommends another inquiry
Australia’s school system is set for a 26th education inquiry in five years after a probe into disruption in schools recommended another review.
The Senate inquiry handed down its final report last night, which was initially scheduled to be tabled in July last year but was extended three times for the committee to gather further evidence.
It found Australian classrooms were among the world’s most disorderly, amid stagnant and declining results across Naplan and the international Pisa rankings.
In 2022, Australia ranked 33 out of the 37 OECD countries in the Pisa index of disciplinary climate, while about 40% of Australian students reported they got distracted by using digital devices in lessons.
Senators made one recommendation: that they should hold another review into declining academic standards.
The Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne said “so-called disruption” in classrooms was the “inevitable end point” of underinvestment.
Pseudo-scientific behaviour management is no remedy for entrenched social and economic disadvantage.
The shadow minister for education, Sarah Henderson, said she was “very pleased” to back another inquiry, adding “unruly, disruptive and even violent behaviour” was a “leading cause” of teachers leaving the profession.
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Shadow defence minister says Marles should pull department officials ‘into line’
Shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie says Richard Marles needs to “pull his officials into line”, after reporting that the defence department was complaining they weren’t getting the weapons they asked for.
The Australian Financial Review reports this morning on a “war” between Marles, the defence minister, and his department – stemming from officials asking for equipment that the government’s Defence Strategic Review says they don’t need. Examples given were the army requesting new armoured vehicles and tanks while the review said the army should be reconfigured for maritime warfare, and the air force calling for more F-35 jets when they should be seeking drones.
Hastie, the shadow minister, told a press conference that there was “dysfunction” in the department, critical that defence officials were “briefing against” Marles to the media.
Asked by Guardian Australia whether it was appropriate for defence officials to be asking for (and complaining about not getting) items that the DSR said they don’t need, Hastie replied: “it’s up to the respective chiefs to make the case for what they need to defend Australia … if the chief of army thinks that we need armoured vehicles, and I happen to think he’s correct, the government should be listening to him.”
Defence officials should be using moral courage at the table and demanding more, if they don’t think they can do the job they’re required to do with what they have.
Hastie claimed Marles should “lift his game and he needs to pull his officials into line”.
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The main message from James Marape? Don’t give up on Papua New Guinea.
It has only had independence for 49 years and it is still working through the challenges which come with forming a new nation.
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James Marape finishes with:
I speak in the language which my true friends up in the gallery can understand. You have helped us save what is modern day Papua New Guinea and we are looking forward to not letting down of the aspirations of those who came before us, the fathers of our democracy in a modern, thriving Papua New Guinea economy.
Contribute where you can and leave the rest to us. We will do the rest.
May God forever bless Australia and may God forever bless Papua New Guinea.
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Marape concludes address with nod to Ngunnawal people
James Marape concludes his historic address:
[Ngunnawal-Wiradjuri elder] Sister Serena Williams I met outside. She is sitting somewhere in here. She received me into the country. I remind her of the possibility of unwinding the past but the absolute possibility of constructing the future.
I say the same reminder here in Canberra, a great meeting place of the Ngunnawal people.
We cannot change the good and the bad of the past. More good, I know, but it must [help] guide into our collective future.
The future becomes more certain and we find common ground to preserve and protect each other. I want to thank you in closing, thank you very much, every Australian, every Australia for what you have done for Papua New Guinea thus far. Today I did not come to give you more requests. Rather, I came to say thank you.
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‘We have no choice but to get along’, says Marape of PNG-Australia relationship
James Marape:
Australia has been a huge support for our country. Ours is a relationship that has shared ethnicity with Torres Strait Islander is and my people up north from you, Indigenous peoples and other nations people who have lived in this [part] of planet Earth for more than the thousands of years.
History shows we have lived over 10,000 years on this part of planet Earth. We are locked into earth’s crust together.
Look at the geology and you realise that a plate holds us together. Holds us together. We share that and so one might say, we are joined at the hip, so we are going nowhere but we must coexist. Until Jesus comes.
Our shared modern history of over a century and maybe more means we are uniquely related.
Many of us in Papua New Guinea sees Australia as a big brother or sister who took care of us when we were still a teenager, [brought] us into young adulthood and continues to support us until this day.
It was an imperial matter, this certainly holds a lot of truth. We work cut out from the same democratic cloth.
One [can have a] good friend but one is stuck with family for ever. Our two countries are stuck with each other. We have no choice but to get along. We have no choice but to get along.
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Marape says his generation of leaders aims to make PNG a $200bn economy
James Marape reminds the Australian parliament of how big Papua New Guinea is “bigger than Japan, bigger than New Zealand, bigger than the United Kingdom or England” and the huge changes its leaders have brought the country through over the last five decades:
Changes are also being made to our courts and our judiciary, the police force, and we are also strengthening our anti-corruption laws and environment. For the economy, we have made a number of progresses from the last couple years. You’ll recall my five economy starting points when I took government in 2018.
… My generation of leaders aim to move [the economy] to a $200 billion economy. If not in the next ten years, but at the very earliest. The need to move the economic pendulum is more important right now because of the highest growth of population we have in Papua New Guinea. And economists amongst us would know – population must grow lower than economic growth to sustain an economy. That is our target.
I thank all people of Australia, having said this, who have helped and shape and build my country.
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‘Our democracy in a land of 1,000 tribes remains vital’: Marape
James Marape continued:
Nearly 50 years on, our democracy remains strong as ever. Our constitution as bold as ever since it was mounted first in our assembly on August 15, 1975, under Australian administration.
We have not fallen to the barrel of the gun as many emerging nations globally have fallen to. And our democracy in a land of 1,000 tribes remains vital. Its vitality secured and intact.
Despite the huge challenges, the diversity of culture and languages and a weak economic starting point in 1975, our tribes are still keeping on as one people, one nation, one country, in local allegiance to the constitution.
Our people are resilient and continue to draw strength from the traditional social support system refined over thousands of years. Since 1975, we have run ten elections.
Many of them had their fair share of challenges. But we unfailingly have produced governments. Yes, there might have been many contests along the way, including votes of no confidence*. But we have remained one democratic nation maintaining the core of democracy in our country. We have not failed to uphold the values and principles of democracy as enshrined in our national constitution.
*There are suggestions Marape is facing a vote of no confidence when he returns to PNG over administration issues which left public servants unpaid.
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Here is what the parliamentary welcome for James Marape looked like, thanks to our very talented video team:
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PNG PM Marape praises legacy of Gough Whitlam
James Marape then speaks more about the legacy of Gough Whitlam:
I want to say thank you to all before him, but more importantly, to the memory of prime minister Whitlam, for being, perhaps, the most socially progressive leader of his time.
For his policy of self determination for Indigenous people of Australia, and for hearing the cries of the founding fathers of Papua New Guinea for our own self determination.
Last night, minister Penny Wong passed on a gem to me as we were sitting at the dinner table.
The [quote from Whitlam] goes like this: ‘If history were to obliterate the whole of my public service career, save my contribution to the independence of an independent Papua New Guinea, I should rest content!’
Mr Whitlam, we honour your memory. Your name is now etched into the history box of Papua New Guinea forever, taught in schools every year, when we raise a flag and celebrate it with our independence on September 16. Hundreds of years from now, when we come and go and pass, even when James Marape moves on from public life … the name Gough Whitlam will forever live on, because of Papua New Guinea, because of Australia and your leadership then and his generation of leaders, Papua New Guinea is independent today. Rest content at God’s bosom, Mr Whitlam.
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James Marape speaks about the influence of Australia on Papua New Guinea:
The amount of work Australia put into the administration of Papua New Guinea can never be ignored by Papua New Guineans. History holds all of the details, but the greatest and most profound Australian rule impact of the Australian administration is the democracy you left with us.
Our Constitution, our democratic system of government, our judiciary, the public service, the education system, our financial and banking system, and our Christian world view, is what you left in PNG.
You see, me standing here speaking in English.
I learnt that through the school system you set up.
I [believe in a] Christian God that your missionaries brought into Papua New Guinea.
The imprint of Australia is second to none in Papua New Guinea. Your legacies live on.
But let me say, amongst all of the legacy, and if I could be respectful - no greater legacy remains forever in the hearts and minds of Papua New Guinea than the great imprint of Gough Whitlam Labor government, agreeing to the work Menzies may have started. And the generation in the 1960s may have started.
But the final cut in the umbilical cord between Australia and PNG took place under the watch of Prime Minister Whitlam.
Among the audience for James Marape’s speech to parliament are the chief of the Australian defence force, Angus Campbell; the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Jan Adams; and the US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy.
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‘I speak to you in the language you taught me’: Marape reflects on ‘prophecy’ of PNG leader from 1950s
James Marape:
As I begin my speech, let me start with a reflection.
A leader from the highlands of Papua New Guinea where I am from came to Australia in the 1950s.
… He made a speech in his own mother tongue, because he knew no English. And it drew some laughter from the crowd and he made a statement that is quite sentimental and historic.
He said, “Today, I come to you and speak to you in my language and you’ll laugh at me. One day, my son will come to you and speak in your language, and you will certainly listen.”
Today, as I stand before you in your wonderful house, this prophecy has been fulfilled.
I speak to you in the language you taught me.
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James Marape takes the floor.
People of Australia - I want to begin by appreciating firstly and acknowledging the Ngunnawal people, the traditional custodians of the land in which we gather here today.
Yesterday, I was given an extraordinary honour and privilege to witness the welcome to country, and I want to appreciate the elders and people past, today and those who are emerging into the future. I bring to you warm greetings from my people.
People of Papua New Guinea to each and every one of you leaders in this House.
But more importantly, please, as you your constituents, convey our best wishes, our regards, but more importantly, our thankfulness to the good people who have been so kind and wonderful to my people.
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Dutton alludes to ‘precarious times’ in region as he welcomes Marape
Peter Dutton:
In your Lowy address, I was moved by your words about Papua New Guinea seizing its own destiny, and not allowing external forces to dictate the direction you take. Australia supports you and your country in that noble endeavour, in the same spirit we welcomed your independence in 1975. Of course, we find ourselves in precarious times.
We find ourselves in times of embolden autocrats who have no hesitation in using inducement, coercion and outright force against other nations to realise their zero sum ambitions.
The autocrats who use the carrot one day and the stick the next, have a complete disregard for sovereignty, for law, and liberty. Our forbears knew only too well the price paid for insecurity and aggression, which goes undeterred.
Indeed, within the … soil of your country and flowing through the blood of Papua New Guineans and Australians, is the memory of the service and sacrifice of our forebears.
May our memory of them compel us to be stronger together through our defence and security cooperation, and may we form fellowships of greater strength with our mutual partners and friends in the Pacific and wider region.
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Dutton welcomes PNG leader
Peter Dutton is now welcoming James Marape.
Two nations share a history which has brought you here today, and your presence here today carries with it the weight of that shared history.
In reflecting on that shared history, we reignite our appreciation for Australia and Papua New Guinea’s deep connections, and how we formed an abiding friendship.
There was, of course, our pre-historic beginnings when Australia and Papua New Guinea were a single continent.
Even after melting ice sheets and rising seas separated us some 8,000 years ago, contact was maintained via trade between our two coastal Indigenous populations who island hopped across the Torres Strait.
It was 2015 when Dutton was caught on a hot mic making the joke “time doesn’t mean anything when you’re about to have water lapping at your door” while attending PNG for a meeting with Pacific Island leaders.
How far we have come.
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‘Australia will never forget Papua New Guinea’: PM pays tribute to shared WWII history
Anthony Albanese:
Mr Prime Minister, on the other side of the world, in a quiet French village that I’ve had the privilege of visiting, called Villers-Brettoneux – when the children of the local school play in the yard each day, they look up at a big banner, and it says, “Do not forget Australia”.
A sacred command from one generation to the next, given in honour of the memory of more than 3,000 Australians who died defending the town from German attacks during the first world war.
Villers-Bretonneux is a name that lives in Anzac legend. So is Kokoda. And when Australians reflect on the heroism the people of Papua New Guinea showed in the defence of their homeland, when we remember those soldiers and coast catchers serving and sacrificing together, the families and communities who risked their own lives to feed and guide and help Australians in desperate need during our darkest hour, when we remember the care and kindness your people extended to wounded diggers in their hardest moments of pain and fear, I say to you – Australia will never forget Papua New Guinea.
And those words do not need to be displayed on a sign or engraved on a memorial. Because they were written by the courage of your people. And they are recorded in every Australian heart.
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Victorian parliament speaker seeks Greens apology for ‘unruly behaviour’
In the Victorian parliament for a moment, the speaker, Maree Edwards, made it clear she is seeking an apology from the four Greens MPs only because they breached parliament’s rules and disrupted the house - not because of their views.
She said:
The request for an apology is for the destructive behaviour that violated the rules of the house yesterday and for no other reason. I add that as this is not the first time that unruly behaviour has occurred. Therefore I will not be seeking apologies for further premeditated and deliberate abuse of the standing orders. Serious disruption will be sanctioned immediately. Particularly those who have been engaged in disruptive behaviour before.
Deputy Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, made the apology on behalf of the whole group, which Edwards accepted – not without interjections from both sides of the chamber that said it was “not good enough”.
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Daniel Hurst is in the chamber:
The deputy PM, Richard Marles, is sitting next to Anthony Albanese, but unusually, Penny Wong – who normally sits in the Senate – is next to Marles. Across the table is Peter Dutton and Sussan Ley together with the opposition’s Senate leader, Simon Birmingham.
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PNG prime minister James Marape makes history addressing Australian parliament
James Marape is about to become the first Pacific Islands leader to address the Australian parliament.
Anthony Albanese welcomes him:
It is fitting that such an honour belongs to Papua New Guinea. Australia and Papua New Guinea are close in every sense of the word. We are the nearest of neighbours; the most steadfast and trusted of partners; and the very oldest of friends.
Our connection stretches back thousands of years to Torres Strait Islanders and Indigenous traders weaving together their cultures and communities.
And while the modern relationship that we celebrate with your visit today has evolved and expanded to include every field of human endeavour – from agriculture and medicine, to education, sport and the frontline of clean energy – our bond still holds true to the spirit of those very first exchanges.
We embrace each other as equals. We learn from each other as neighbours. We are there for each other as mates, especially when times are hard.
And in everything our people do together, we nourish our common interests, our shared values and our unique connections including, of course, a great and growing passion for that mighty cultural institution, rugby league! Sport brings our people together.
It is a part of our shared bond. And prime minister, like you, I hope the day will come when the people of Papua New Guinea can cheer for a team of their own in the national rugby league.
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Mike Bowers captured the ceremonial welcome.
James Marape is about to address the parliament.
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Jacinta Allan says Greens MPs holding up ‘Stop Arming Israel’ signs in parliament were ‘childish’ and ‘disgraceful’
Back in the Victorian parliament and the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has lashed the Greens MPs who were kicked out of question time for holding up signs which read: “Vic Labor Stop Arming Israel”.
The speaker, Maree Edwards, has ordered Gabrielle de Vietri, Sam Hibbins, Tim Read and Ellen Sandell apologise to parliament for breaching rules that ban the use of props and for disrupting question time.
Arriving at parliament, Allan told reporters the behaviour was “disgraceful”. She said:
I have sat in the parliament for 24 year, and I have never, ever seen our elected officials behave in such a disgraceful manner, that is showing deep disrespect not just to the Victorian parliament, but to Victorians as a whole. Victorians deserve better than these childish stunts from people who are meant to be members of parliament doing serious business, doing serious work, passing laws debating issues and representing them. Yesterday was completely disgraceful.
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Just on the concerns David Littleproud aired on the ABC this morning about the IR bill, there are a few things worth pointing out.
In terms of the biosecurity concerns Littleproud raised over the right of entry for farms, it is probably worth noting that under the deal David Pocock struck with the government, a “guardrail” has been added – the fair work commission “must be satisfied that advance notice of entry into a workplace would hinder an effective investigation into suspected underpayments”.
That is assuming that a union official wouldn’t take a biosecurity risk seriously in the first place.
Pocock also secured the exclusion of livestock transport from the new road transport provisions in the bill (which set out more regulations) which is being seen as a very big win for farmers.
It’s almost as though having a seat at the negotiation table can mean you can influence policy you have concerns over, while just saying no means you just get to speak about it in the media (shrug emoji).
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Wong asked about suspension of Palestine agency funding after lack of evidence of links to Hamas attacks
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has been doorstopped (very quick, unscheduled press conference) ahead of James Marape’s welcome and she was asked about the UK Channel Four investigation into the dossier Israel provided to UNRWA donor countries which alleged the aid agency’s staff were involved in the 7 October Hamas attack. Channel Four said it had seen the dossier, that it was six pages long and contained no evidence to back up the claims.
Australia paused its funding to the aid agency in the wake of the allegations (the financial year core funding had already been distributed but an additional $6m announced by the government in mid-January has been delayed while an investigation into the allegations are carried out)
Q: Minister, are you aware of the reports that the dossier relied on to suspend UNRWA funding does not contain evidence to link the organisation’s staff with the October 7 attacks?
Wong:
Look, I spoke with the head of UNRWA yesterday. Obviously, we recognise the importance of that organisation which is why we doubled the core funding and … I spoke with him about the various inquiries and investigations they are doing.
And we spoke about ensuring that donors such as Australia can have the confidence to ensure that the pause is lifted because this is important for the people of Gaza and the people of the occupied Palestinian territories more broadly.
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Daniel Hurst has been reporting on why James Marape is here and what the geopolitical backdrop looks like ahead of his historic address:
Recent reports that PNG and China have entered early talks on security and policing cooperation has alarmed Australian officials, who say Beijing is learning from its mistakes, including an ill-fated attempt by China last year to strike an overarching security and trade agreement with 10 Pacific countries at once.
The PNG government has since stressed its continued appreciation for Australia as an important “traditional security partner”.
Marape’s visit comes at a time of rising pressure at home after an outbreak of deadly unrest and violence in PNG’s capital in January. That led to a string of minsters resigning and this month Marape may face a vote of no confidence as a political process allowing MPs to challenge the PM begins on Friday.
Last month, a state of emergency was declared in Port Moresby in response to rioting and other violence in which at least 16 people were killed. Shops were set on fire and citizens robbed and assaulted after police and public sector workers protested over a pay cut that officials blamed on an administrative glitch.
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The official ceremonial welcome to parliament for James Marape is under way. The forecourt has been shut down, the ADF is there waving the flags and everyone is standing about looking very ceremonial.
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NSW inquiry into Rozelle Interchange to examine traffic chaos and asbestos in mulch
Heading to the NSW parliament for a moment:
The New South Wales upper house will hold an inquiry into the issue-plagued Rozelle Interchange in the city’s inner west following months of traffic chaos since it opened in December.
The asbestos found in mulch at the adjacent parklands built as part of the project will also be probed as part of the inquiry, due to report back to parliament in June.
The inquiry chairperson and Greens transport spokesperson, Cate Faehrmann, said commuters deserved answers.
She said:
This inquiry will examine the decisions that led to this debacle that is causing so much pain for inner west residents, including design and traffic modelling. Importantly, we’ll look at solutions to this mess. Right now we have a government that is ‘tweaking’ things, when clearly much more than that is needed if impacted commuters and residents are to get any relief from the opening of the Interchange.
She said the inquiry would be a chance for residents to be heard and solutions to be discussed.
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Parliament prepares to welcome PNG leader James Marape
The parliament is almost ready for the ceremonial welcome of PNG prime minister James Marape.
A ceremonial welcome includes all the bells and whistles outside the front of the parliament, where Marape will be greeted by Anthony Albanese and senior Australian ministers. They then walk into the parliament together.
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Meanwhile, in the Senate:
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Sarah Basford Canales and Graham Readfearn have fact checked some of the claims on renewables which emerged at the anti-renewables rally held in front of parliament on Tuesday (where David Littleproud and half of the Nationals party room were speakers)
‘We believe in carbon capture and storage’: Littleproud
Australia is already behind in its energy transition. The Coalition, of which David Littleproud is a member, and a senior one at that, had been in power for almost a decade until recently and had all the same science everyone else has. But Littleproud still wants a pause to work out what all this renewables thing is about.
Littleproud:
We have time to pause and plan and get this right. I asked the prime minister for a national energy summit. I went to his jobs and skills summit. Let’s sit down and work this through so there’s no unintended consequences to the climate, the food security and prime agricultural land, and the communities are listened to and that we get this right.
We got all of the sovereignty of our energy resources. We can get this right and renewables will have a big part to play in that. The Nationals believe in that. But we also believe in nuclear. We believe in carbon capture and storage and we think if we get that mixture right, we don’t need to have the unintended consequences and don’t need to rush into it like Labor is.
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‘We’re not against renewables’, Littleproud says
On renewables, David Littleproud says he is not against them. He just wants to protect the environment.
Which is ironic for a lot of reasons, not least that the Nationals support fossil fuels, and I hate to be the one to break it to the Nats leader, but fossil fuels are, *gasp* pretty terrible for the environment. The worst, actually. But Littleproud has a newfound sense of environmentalism, now that renewables are in the picture. (It wasn’t so long ago that Littleproud said he wasn’t sure if climate change was man-made.)
We’re saying all we need to do is pause and plan. We’re not against renewables.
… We’ll have an energy policy that actually works through this in a calm, sensible way. We’ve got time. And we think that there is a way to have renewables that doesn’t destroy the very thing that they’re there to protect, which is the environment. And why wouldn’t we emphasise … energy independence to households by putting it on an environment where you can’t destroy it.
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Littleproud claims IR laws pose ‘biosecurity risk’ to farmers
David Littleproud lists off the other aspects of the IR bill he doesn’t like:
But there’s other elements to this IR laws that give us real concern as well – particularly for farmers. They’re taking away the unions having to give 24 hours notice to come on to a farm. Now, just understand that farms are not just there to produce food and fibre. They’re family homes. They’re where children live, but there’s biosecurity risks.
If they roll up there to a piggery or a henhouse and bring in a biosecurity risk because they turn up unannounced, there could be tens of thousands of animals that have to be destroyed.
A farmer’s livelihood being taken away because they want the unions to bowl up. There is a sensible solution to this.
We’re getting the balance right and I think that the balance has gone too far one way.
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No need for right to disconnect because of ‘common sense’, Littleproud says
So why is David Littleproud against the right to disconnect, which is part of the government’s IR bill, following negotiations with the Greens?
(You can learn more about the right to disconnect, here)
Because he thinks employees can already do it.
Look, it’s already happening. There’s a thing called common sense. And employers and employees have been using it for many, many years now. Where they understand – and employers want to go and spend time with their family as well. But there are times, peak periods during the year, where people do get busy. But so long as it is done in a reasonable way, which invariably it has.
(Speaking as someone who did a decade in hospitality, “common sense” really depends on the manager.)
How does Littleproud know this?
Lived experience. I was actually in the workforce for 20 years before I came into this place. But obviously, I deal with a number of employers around my own electorate and talk around the country. There is a reasonableness and understanding of making sure that once you leave work, as best you can, you leave people alone. And this is where government doesn’t need to reach into every facet of everyone’s life. We’re smart people. We should be allowed to use that common sense. And where there’s occupations where it is necessary – well then, there obviously is remuneration that needs to happen. And that’s already happening.
Littleproud was in banking and finance before he entered parliament. And employers aren’t exactly who the right to disconnect is for.
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Littleproud expresses support for Fels’ suggestion of paying whistleblowers
On Allan Fels’ suggestions that Australia should pay whistleblowers, name and shame price gougers and establishing a commission on prices, David Littleproud is all aboard:
I think that there’s real merit in that. What we found in the perishable goods inquiry – farmers feared coming forward, because they feared retribution. Because the supermarkets controlled so much market that they wouldn’t buy off them again.
So they weren’t even game to come forward, even though it was confidential, because they feared that this could get out and they could be identified.
So I think that there is real issues all the way through this that Allan Fels has identified in a very calm and methodical way.
And I think that it is a very [big signal] to legislators to do something about it. And it’s not just about now, in a cost-of-living crisis – it’s about doing the right thing for not just now, but into the future to protect supplies and to protect consumers and I think that this is an opportunities to work with this and to move in a bipartisan way, to put those regulatory guardrails around competition policy in this country.
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David Littleproud continued:
But there needs to be greater architectural reform, which is also what Professor Fels articulated, which is what the Nationals have said. When there’s too much market concentration, you have too much power.
And all we’re saying is that whether it is in the supermarket [or farm gate], we want fair prices from the farm gate to the supermarket gate.
And there’s a lot of work that we can do. I actually wrote to the competition minister over 12 months ago offering bipartisan support to bring forward all of the reviews into the architecture, and actually bring forward divestiture powers so they could be used by a court or by the ACCC.
That’s what the consumers want, what the suppliers want, and transparency and fairness. But there’s too much market power in some of the industry and we need to protect suppliers and also the consumer.
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Fels ‘nailed it’ in report on price gouging: Littleproud
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, is speaking to ABC News Breakfast about one of his favourite topics – the big supermarkets – and says former ACCC chair Prof Allan Fels has “nailed it” in his report to the ACTU about price gouging in Australia.
I think that he demonstrated the need and reinforced what the Nationals have been calling for, when there’s evidence, clear evidence around price gouging.
We saw that with meat prices where farm grade prices dropped by 60% or 70% in June. Yet, the checkout price only dropped by 18%. They put pressure all the way down through the supply chain. And what Allan Fels has said in his inquiry is that we need to have more ACCC price investigations, where there’s clear evidence. And that’s what we were calling for and the government ignored that. And I think shoppers have paid too much.
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Labor senator becomes first father to bring baby to Senate
As one of the all seeing eyes who oversee the blog pointed out, there was a new baby in the Senate yesterday.
Labor senator Raff Ciccone became the first father to bring his baby into the Senate, when he appeared with his 10-week old son.
“It’s essential that all workplaces create a family friendly and respectful environment,” he told AAP.
“Bringing your child to work should be encouraged by more workplaces wherever possible.”
Bringing your cat to work should also be encouraged, but society isn’t ready for that conversation yet.
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Good morning
Welcome to the final sitting day for this week. Thank you to Martin Farrer for kicking us off – you have Amy Remeikis with you now for most of the sitting day.
And it’s going to be a big one, with PNG prime minister James Marape to address the parliament. It’ll be the first time a Pacific leader has done that and comes just after a visit in December where Australia and PNG signed a new security pact.
There will be a ceremonial welcome outside Parliament House this morning ahead of the address (which is something for building dwellers to take into account with their own arrival).
Other than that there is the ongoing tax debate, Tony Burke looks to have IR all but wrapped up, plus the usual argy bargy.
Ready? Let’s get into it.
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‘It all boils down to tired gender essentialism’: Elle Hunt on Newington
With the co-ed issue front and centre in New South Wales today, Elle Hunt has taken a critical look at the campaign by some parents at the posh boys’ school Newington in Sydney’s inner west to stop it admitting girls.
She’s less than sympathetic with the parents, it’s fair to say, as they complain about the “woke palaver” that has brought us to this point.
She writes:
To listen to these old boys’ inarticulate defence of “traditional values”, you can’t help but think they’re really misty-eyed about a time when men’s dominance in public and political life passed without challenge. But times have changed, as Newington’s board is recognising.
Read her whole piece here:
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Dutton denies backing tax changes is a ‘humiliation’
Peter Dutton says he took a pragmatic approach in deciding to back the government’s changes to stage three tax cuts because people are hurting.
The federal opposition leader also denied it was humiliating to have to stand in favour of Labor’s changes – which will shave the tax relief offered to high income earners to the policy created by the previous Coalition government, AAP reports.
“We stood up because we want to see people given assistance,” Dutton told ABC TV last night.
“It addresses some of the damage that Labor has done to the economy and the cost-of-living pressures are really acute for families, so we listened to that and we acted.”
Dutton also rejected suggestions the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, should get credit for taking a political risk and altering the cuts.
“They did this with the Dunkley election contest in mind,” he said, referring to the upcoming byelection in the Victorian electorate which Labor faces a tough battle to retain.
This week, Albanese has taken the opposition to task for railing against the tax cut changes before eventually capitulating.
“[The opposition] have described our policy to give tax cuts to every Australian in the following terms: an egregious error, a betrayal, trickery, absolutely shameful, class warfare,” he told parliament yesterday.
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Australia must avoid 'foreign policy autopilot', thinktank report says
The climate crisis and the rise of China should spur Australia to get smarter with its statecraft, according to a report to be published today.
The paper, produced by the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue (AP4D) thinktank, will be launched by Labor’s Penny Wong and the Coalition’s Simon Birmingham in Canberra this morning.
It suggests Australia’s engagement with the world cannot be left solely to the departments of foreign affairs and defence, and the country must avoid “foreign policy autopilot”.
There is growing bipartisan support for the idea of a “whole of nation” approach to international policy.
The executive director of AP4D, Melissa Conley Tyler, told Guardian Australia that during recent consultations, some groups suggested climate change required a whole-of-nation approach because it was an existential threat and “we just can’t afford to have different parts of society doing different things”.
Another group saw a whole-of-nation approach as an opportunity for Australia: “Think about how much better our international engagement would be if you took the views of multicultural Australia into account, if you really involved First Nations peoples, if you thought about civil society and what they offer.”
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NSW single-sex high school catchments to remain unchanged amid coed shake-up
The NSW deputy premier and minister for education and early learning Prue Car said work was ongoing to ensure all parents had access to co-educational high schools by 2027.
The catchments of current single-sex high schools will remain unchanged.
Car said:
There is growing interest in co-education, and no family should have to face leaving their local area to access a co-educational high school.
Member for Summer Hill, Jo Haylen, said for years families in her constituency could only opt for the single-sex Ashfield and Canterbury high schools if they were to go public.
Life is co-ed, and parents and students should have access to a co-ed school option.
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Sydney public high schools to go co-ed in Labor shake-up as parents face tough choices
The New South Wales government is to announce a major shake-up of school intake boundaries that will grant thousands of families in Sydney access to co-educational public high schools for the first time.
Prior to the state election, Chris Minns pledged parents would have guaranteed access to co-educational public schools within Labor’s first term of government.
The changes, to roll out from next year, finalise updates to intake areas previously flagged in Sydney suburbs across parts of the inner west and south-west, where students only have a single-sex public high school option.
The final intake areas across NSW will have a co-educational option by 2027.
The NSW Department of Education confirmed the boundaries will be adjusted for 20 co-educational high schools – following feedback with more than 120 schools and their staff, parents and students.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling politics blog, in this first parliamentary sitting week of 2024. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be rounding up the best of the overnight stories before Amy joins the fray.
Today we reveal how staff at the Human Rights Commission are pushing back against what they see as the organisation’s soft line towards Israel. Staff across eight of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s teams – at least 24 of the 122 staff employed – have written to the commission’s president, Rosalind Croucher, about what they say is a “failure to fulfil its mandate as an accredited national human rights institution: in regard to Israeli war crimes”.
School principals have joined the teachers’ union in demanding that the Albanese government boost its offer to co-fund the gap in public school finances with states. The Australian Education Union, leaders of all major principals’ organisations and the Australian Council of State School Organisations have written to the prime minister demanding the federal government pay at least a quarter of the cost of fair public school funding. The issue of co-ed schools will be big news in New South Wales this morning when ministers announce a major shake-up of school intake boundaries that will grant thousands of families in Sydney access to mixed public high schools for the first time. More on that coming up.
Papua New Guinea’s prime minister, James Marape, will this morning become the first Pacific leader to address Australia’s parliament, and he is expected to talk up the relationship between the two nations. Last year Albanese became the first foreign leader to address PNG’s parliament. The pair will meet again today when Marappe receives a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House before addressing a joint sitting of senators and MPs.
It comes as a thinktank report will be launched by the foreign minister, Penny Wong, and the Coalition’s Simon Birmingham in Canberra this morning calling for Australia to get smarter with its statecraft to counter the rising power of China. More on that, too, coming up.
