The Senate is pushing ahead debate on the government’s climate change bill. It won’t pass, they’ll just get through the speeches today and then presumably move onto amendments tomorrow.
The #Senate has rearranged its hours today to consider the Climate Change Bills, and will adjourn once all the second reading speeches to the bills are completed
— Australian Senate (@AuSenate) September 7, 2022
Indigenous SA senator rejects cancel culture and supports cashless debit card in first speech
A Liberal party senator has warned Australians against pigeonholing all Indigenous people, AAP reports.
The South Australian senator Kerrynne Liddle has used her first speech to call for a rejection of unanimity and cancel culture. The Indigenous senator spoke in support of the cashless debit card and warned against the government banning its use on the basis of a “philosophical objection”.
“Rather than unleashing the rivers of alcohol and drugs and with it more associated abuse and neglect, how about ridding our communities of the miscreants, pretenders, controllers and rescuers; leave them nowhere to hide or thrive,” Liddle said.
Liddle says she wants to avoid an undue amount of focus on race.
I get angry when others seek to define me firstly or only by race and I know from experience it is getting worse.
I was not an Indigenous news reporter, nor an Indigenous business woman or an Indigenous company board director. First and foremost I am just me.
So I look forward to objecting loudly to navel-gazing, paternalism, box ticking, quasi-consultation, silly reporting that returns little value and ideas that fail to provide evidence of change.
The senator also called for a more tolerant society where people aren’t afraid to admit when they’ve got it wrong.
“I want our country to think different, act different, demand different, push away from the pressure of sameness, the rejection of discourse, the perils of group think,” she said.
“Reject over-policing of language, cancel culture and aggressive social media commentary. All that does is conjure ridicule, creates fear and stifles our potential to do better.”
Liddle says she stands for smaller government, accountability, strong borders, equality and a measured approach to tackling climate change “that considers diversity and how people are affected differently and disproportionately”.
“Common sense beats the emotional, the hysterical on every issue, every time,” she said.
Updated
The day that was, Wednesday 7 September
That’s where we will wrap up the blog for today. Midwinter Ball is under way and I am sure we will see more about that tomorrow.
In the meantime, here’s what made the news today:
Amy will be back on deck tomorrow. Until then.
Updated
From what I can tell from a quick check of the socials none of the big four banks have announced they’ll pass on the interest rate hike announced by the RBA yesterday.
I assume that’ll come in the next couple of days.
A duck rescue!
Good luck for a stuck duck! Last night, #NSWRFS crews were called to assist the public with a stuck duck. After following the quacks for help, our crews located the duck inside the chimney. Luckily, we were able to safely remove it - the duck was given a clean bill of health.🦆 pic.twitter.com/uX6dbrMfAi
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) September 7, 2022
Ombudsman reports multiple issues regarding telecom interception laws
The Commonwealth Ombudsman’s annual report on how Australia’s telecommunications interception laws operate found a string of problems with some of Australia’s most prominent law enforcement agencies.
AAP reports they include agencies not record-keeping correctly and warrants being issued by ineligible authorities.
Victoria police was found to have poor record-keeping practices. It told the ombudsman that in two of its three areas that use the telecommunications data powers, it destroyed documents explaining why it had applied for intercepts after they were sent.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission was told it needs to do more to show its officers meet requirements for telecommunications data authorisations. The ombudsman said the commission had acted on requests with “insufficient information”.
The report also found carriers provided data not authorised for disclosure, with some agencies showing “poor or no data vetting” procedures to ensure it is identified. This meant some agencies received data they were not legally entitled to without realising it.
SA police attempted to redact the information it had received outside of the range of time it was supposed to, but the report found it had “used an ineffective redaction methodology”.
The ombudsman found a number of issues regarding Journalist Information Warrant controls, designed to protect journalist sources in the public interest while also being able to investigate wrongdoing.
The ombudsman suggested Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission seek legal advice when its requests potentially related to journalists.
The report said Tasmania police accessed phone data without taking sufficient steps, with the organisation unable to provide records showing it had considered warrant controls before requesting and accessing data.
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Words from the frontlines of the childcare protests around the nation
Here’s some voxpops from the childcare protest today via AAP:
In Melbourne’s Federation Square thousands of workers donned blue tops and chanted as they marched through the city on Wednesday.
Kiki Fairbrass, an educator, said she was sick of being thanked with food and cupcakes for working during breaks, leading working bees on weekends, staying back late and cleaning centres.
“We’re fighting for recognition because as educators we need qualifications to work in this industry,” Fairbrass said.
Daniel Scoullar, a parent, attended the rally with his three-year-old son Elliot as a gesture of gratitude.
“Early childhood educators are part of the glue that holds everything together, enables people to go to work, supports kids’ development and just doesn’t get that level of respect,” he said. “It’s not treated like the skilled profession that it is.”
Caterina Mamone has been an early childhood educator for 14 years and says she’s sick of being described as a babysitter. “We are basically raising other people’s children from zero to five,” she said.
“I shouldn’t have to think, ‘what happens if I leave the sector and find a job with better stability?’”
Leading operators Goodstart Early Learning and G8 Education expressed support for workers staging the shutdown. Thrive Early Learning owns eight centres around Sydney and backs the industrial action, but questioned how wages can rise without costs being passed on to families.
“I fully support educators as they use the only tactic they feel works to get governments to listen. But I wonder how the increased pay will be funded?” Thrive’s founder, Carl Elassal, said.
Goodstart Early Learning expected workers from about 200 of its centres to attend rallies.
“We know that a lot of parents have opted to pick up their children early so that more of the educators can attend their rallies. A lot of parents are very supportive,” Goodstart’s head of advocacy, John Cherry, said.
Updated
A couple of photos here from our photographer Mike Bowers from the Senate this afternoon. The first is SA Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle giving her first speech, and the second is the finance minister, Katy Gallagher in conversation with independent senator David Pocock.
Pocock has been in discussions with the government to pass the government’s landmark climate change bill.
Climate-conscious shareholders have asked a major Queensland coal mining company to reveal how it will meet net zero emissions by 2050, AAP reports.
The group of 117 New Hope investors have filed shareholder resolutions demanding the company outline how it will manage down coal assets.
The resolutions, backed by environmental finance campaigning organisation Market Forces, were listed on the Australian Stock Exchange on Wednesday.
“Shareholders request the company disclose, in subsequent annual reporting, information that demonstrates how the company’s capital expenditure and operations pertaining to coal assets will be managed in a manner consistent with a scenario in which global energy emissions reach net zero by 2050,” the resolution states.
It comes as New Hope teeters on the brink of expanding Queensland coal mining operations after mining leases were approved for stage three of the New Acland open-cut coal mine.
The controversial project is an expansion of the existing mine about 35km northwest of Toowoomba on the Darling Downs.
It will lift New Acland’s output from 4.8m tonnes to 7.8m tonnes a year, and extend the mine’s life for 12 years to 2034.
The New Hope Corporation has spent more than a decade fighting for the progression of the project, against the resistance of environmental groups and landholders. The project now has a final hurdle to clear as New Hope waits for water licence approval from the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water.
Updated
Several minor to major #FloodWarnings remain for inland parts of #NSW. A cold front in the far west moving east brings the chance of widespread showers Thursday which could lead to renewed flooding from late Thursday. A #FloodWatch is current. Monitor: https://t.co/REl2VBlGnA pic.twitter.com/kG1EHHQA5G
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) September 7, 2022
Covid statistics to be distributed weekly instead of daily
Here’s a bit more on the daily Covid case numbers becoming weekly across Australia at the end of this week, via AAP.
The federal health minister, Mark Butler, said the decision was in line with expert health advice.
“The move is supported by chief health officers and will ensure high-quality, accurate information is provided that sheds more light on Covid dynamics,” he said in a statement.
“This approach will bring national reporting in line with all the state and territories and support the analysis of Covid trends nationally and globally.”
The weekly data will include new cases and deaths, along with hospitalisations and ICU admissions.
“The national report will be expanded to include trends-based analysis and oral antiviral uptake,” Butler said.
Updated
NSW Police arrest 18-year-old driver in fatal crash south-west of Sydney
NSW police have arrested the 18-year-old ute driver in the crash that resulted in the deaths of five teenagers in Buxton south-west of Sydney on Tuesday night.
Three teenage girls and two teenage boys died at the scene, while the driver was treated by paramedics and taken to Liverpool hospital for testing. After he was released from hospital he was arrested in Bargo at 1.50pm on Wednesday and taken to Narellan police station.
Police say he is assisting with inquiries and have called on anyone with dashcam footage or information from social media to come forward.
Updated
Midwinter Ball tonight
The parliament is starting to wind down: everyone is now turning their focus to the Midwinter Ball, which is being held in spring, because the election and subsequent parliamentary break meant it couldn’t actually be held mid-winter.
Mike Bowers will be taking photos of the entrants, so we will bring you some of that. I’ll let you know how everyone is feeling tomorrow morning (I am not attending, so I will be as fresh as a tired, trampled daisy). Josh Taylor will take you through the evening, though.
Thank you so much to everyone who joined me today and for all your comments. A big thank you to the moderators who are going above and beyond keeping the blog comments open for as long as possible, and of course to the Guardian brains trust, especially Bowers, Sarah, Paul and Josh B for keeping you all informed.
I’ll be back tomorrow morning – until then, take care of you Ax
Updated
Greens say addressing poverty is a ‘moral obligation’
Here is a little bit more on the senate inquiry into poverty we told you about a little earlier:
Greens senator Janet Rice, chair of the community affairs references committee, asked for the group to investigate ‘the extent and nature of poverty in Australia’.
BREAKING: The Greens just established a Senate Committee inquiry into poverty in Australia. pic.twitter.com/wQ1RizDEPY
— Janet Rice (@janet_rice) September 7, 2022
The Albanese Labor government has hosed down prospects of any significant rise to welfare payments in the October budget. Rice called out “years of inaction by successive governments” on poverty.
When 5.1 million Australians are barely scraping by on Centrelink payment rates below the poverty line, and millions more are facing cost of living pressures and the crushing stress that goes with it - something is deeply wrong and needs to be fixed,” she said.
“This inquiry will hold wide-ranging hearings across the country, enabling people who have been forced to rely on woefully inadequate payments to have their voices heard, and take that evidence into Parliament.”
“When millions of people in this wealthy country are one car-breakdown or dental emergency away from total financial ruin, surely as elected representatives of the people, it is our moral obligation to do something about it.”
Updated
Christian church leaders appeal for food aid donations
A delegation of 40 Christian women is meeting with senior ministers, shadows, cross benchers and minor party MPs in Canberra today.
They are urging the Australian government and others to support a $150m emergency relief package for hunger hotspots in the Horn of Africa, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan. There are more than 49 million people in 45 countries at risk.
Somalia is at the forefront of the crisis, with UN aid chief Martin Griffiths overnight giving a “final warning” that we are in the “last minute of the 11th hour” to save lives. Covid, climate (devastating drought) and the war in Ukraine are behind the food crisis.
The Uniting Church’s rev Amel Manyon, who came to Australia as a refugee in 2008 and became first South Sudanese female minister in the Uniting Church, is among the delegation.
She said:
“Many children have died, women, vulnerable people - they died because they went searching for something to eat. I’m asking the government in Australia, please do something now. People are dying because of hunger and it’s not good for us to sit and listen to their stories and not do something.”
Updated
Antipoverty Centre welcomes inquiry into poverty
Spokesperson and JobSeeker recipient Jay Coonan:
We are glad to see today’s news about a new poverty inquiry, almost exactly 50 years on from the establishment of the inquiry led by Ronald Henderson that went on to produce Australia’s poverty line.
The need to better understand poverty in this country is clear, but the need to immediately increase Centrelink payments is clearer.
Poor people have been failed too many times by government inquiries, and there is no time to wait.
The low rate of welfare payments is killing people. Poor people are dying by suicide at extraordinary rates. People are being forced to stay in or return to violent homes. We are skipping meals and healthcare at an unprecedented rate and the cost of living crisis is only making things worse.This inquiry is no excuse for the government’s continued refusal to act urgently on the rate of income support payments. They must give up playing politics with our lives and increase all payments to at least the Henderson poverty line before more people die.
Updated
Motion for Senate inquiry into poverty accepted
The Greens senator Janet Rice’s motion for a Senate inquiry into the nature and extent of poverty in Australia has been accepted by the Senate.
The inquiry will look at:
The extent and nature of poverty in Australia with particular reference to:
The rates and drivers of poverty in Australia;
The relationship between economic conditions (including fiscal policy, rising inflation and cost of living pressures) and poverty;
The impact of poverty on individuals in relation to:
employment outcomes,
housing security,
health outcomes, and
education outcomes
The impacts of poverty amongst different demographics and communities;
The relationship between income support payments and poverty;
Mechanisms to address and reduce poverty; and
any related matters
Updated
The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, visited the high school of the young Buxton car crash victims on Wednesday afternoon.
He spoke with teachers at Picton High and expressed his condolences at the private meeting.
He also placed flowers inside at the school.
So you know, things seem to be going great for some
50 years of Australia's economy in one chart pic.twitter.com/8Rc4qZvKLg
— Greg Jericho (@GrogsGamut) September 7, 2022
Ban on personal meat imports from 70 countries
As of midnight, meat imports from 70 countries were banned by the Australian government as part of the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease response.
Murray Watt tells the ABC:
What we have introduced from midnight was a complete ban on the personal importation of meat products from the 70 countries that currently have foot-and-mouth disease. There has obviously been some calls that we should be banning meat products brought in from Indonesia, but this ban goes wider than that and picks up every country that currently has foot-and-mouth disease.
BANNED: Today, we’ve banned imports of meat products for personal use from ALL countries with foot & mouth disease. An unprecedented action to keep us FMD-free.
— Senator Murray Watt (@MurrayWatt) September 7, 2022
This includes highly processed meat products for personal use – products like pâté, pork crackling or meat floss. pic.twitter.com/lSrQOnReU8
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Security committee appointments announced
The Parliament of Australia has appointed members to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) in the 47th Parliament.
This is one of the most coveted committees in the parliament:
The PJCIS has elected Peter Khalil as its Chair.
The members are:
· Peter Khalil MP [Chair]
· Andrew Wallace MP [Deputy Chair]
· Karen Andrews MP
· Senator Simon Birmingham
· Senator Raff Ciccone
· Andrew Hastie MP
· Julian Hill MP
· Senator James Paterson
· Senator Marielle Smith
· Senator Jess Walsh
· Josh Wilson MP
Updated
Jane Hume questions cost of living
You can add Jane Hume to the list of Coalition MPs wondering how and why the Labor government hasn’t fixed everything from the last 9 years of Coalition government in the three months since it took power.
Hume adds:
They have crab-walked away from their signature policy to reduce the cost of living which was a $275 reduction in energy prices. Minister Bowen has come out and said that he stands by the modelling but that’s weasel words, if you can’t commit to the promise to reduce energy prices by 2025
I mean…
Updated
Government Covid reports to become weekly
This was a national cabinet decision – daily covid reporting will move to weekly from Friday. NSW Health announced:
Routine reporting of Covid-19 information, including case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths, will happen on a weekly basis from Friday 9 September.
The move from daily reporting to weekly reporting was agreed to by all state and territory health ministers and will begin to be applied from this week.
In addition to its weekly reporting of Covid-19 information through the NSW Health website and social media accounts, NSW Health will continue to provide comprehensive, detailed reporting and analysis of the latest Covid-19 data and developments in its weekly respiratory surveillance reports.
A wide range of Covid-19 information and advice is also available on the NSW government website.
Updated
The Senate is once again being … the Senate
Lidia Thorpe was asked to withdraw comments she said was calling out racism in response to one of SA Liberal senator Alex Antic’s speeches, which was bemoaning the “threat” of critical race theory (another culture war import from the US) and “victimhood”.
Thorpe wants to know why calling out racism has consequences but saying things like Antic did, does not.
Thorpe released a statement:
This parliament punishes Blak women for calling out racism, yet there are no consequences for being racist in the Senate chamber. I am not safe in this workplace.
The Jenkins report talks about the ‘intersection of multiple forms of discrimination and harassment (...) on the basis of gender, age, race, disability and sexual orientation’ as well as the importance of everyone feeling ‘safe and welcome to contribute.’
If I didn’t withdraw, I could have been kicked out of the Chamber for a day and The Greens would be down a vote. They cut off my microphone and told me to withdraw my comment. How is that creating a workplace where everyone is ‘safe and welcome to contribute’?!
It’s ‘unparliamentary’ to call out racism, but not unparliamentary to be racist. Racism is a disease in this country. It’s violent and literally makes people sick. We need an anti-racist code of conduct for MPs to be accelerated and implemented to stop this from happening in the first place.
Updated
Breaking into politics for my South Australian peeps (hi QuietHillbilly) – there is a weather warning you should know about:
.@BOM_SA have issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for DAMAGING WINDS, LARGE HAILSTONES & HEAVY RAINFALL 🌧️
— SASES (@SA_SES) September 7, 2022
For The West Coast, Lower Eyre Peninsula & Eastern Eyre Peninsula & NW Pastoral districts.
Issued 1:25pm Wed 7 Sept 22https://t.co/CbbJmOU1LZ pic.twitter.com/DUM94LsPkd
Images from question time
Mike Bowers was in the chamber for QT (again, brave man) and here is what he saw:
Everyone in this photo seems happy with the extra questions the crossbench are getting.
And then the photo of Anthony Albanese turns into Kermit the Froganese, see? (Either that or Keith Pitt doesn’t know how to open the PDF)
The hook crew being as inspiring as ever
Peter Dutton may have just realised who his shadow treasurer was:
Kristy McBain explaining her share divestment for the fifth time.
Updated
Question time ends
And not a moment too soon, because that was getting dire.
Updated
Question on interest rates and mortgage repayments
I miss who asks this question (sometimes I look in the chamber and see people I swear I have never seen before in my life) but someone from the opposition asks:
According to the latest data, the average Australian mortgage is just over $600,000. $760 more a month is paid by the ordinary Australian. The impact of interest rate rises was just $95, was the prime minister misleading the house?
Anthony Albanese:
The average mortgage is ... $330,000 and a 50-basis-point increase adds up to $409 [a month]
Updated
Richard Marles answers a dixer on Aukus
The defence minister gives an update on his recent trip to the UK and how everyone is on board with progressing the deal.
Andrew Hastie then gets up to associate the opposition with Marles’s comments, but forgets you can’t do the political attack when you are speaking on indulgence.
It was the former Coalition government who struck Aukus in September of last year, the biggest defence and foreign policy since Anzus and we want to see Aukus realised as quickly as possible. In fact, strategic circumstances demand exceptional leadership from the minister and we will be [holding] them to account…
Milton Dick gives him the big Nooope
Updated
Ted O’Brien to Chris Bowen:
My question goes to the minister for climate change and energy. Does a departure of the former chief executive of Snowy Hydro indicate that the minister is unwilling to accept frank and fearless technical advice as to the viability of the Kurri Kurri plant operating with hydrogen from day one?
Bowen:
No.
Updated
Anti-corruption commission legislation to be introduced next week
Helen Haines to Mark Dreyfus:
Ahead of the anticorruption legislation being introduced next week, will the government also establish an independent whistleblower protection Commissioner as a one-stop shop to support and protect the brave people who will report corruption to the anti-corruption commission and across the entire public sector?
Dreyfus:
I thank the honourable member for the question. And say that I am looking forward to introducing to the parliament next week the legislation to establish an anti-corruption commission, fulfilling a commitment that our government made at the last election and, indeed, at the election before that and just to remind those opposite, a commitment those opposite made at the last election and at the election before that and it is long past time that this parliament moved to establish a national anti-corruption commission.
Going to the question, the government is of course committed to ensuring that Australia has an effective framework to protect whistleblowers, frameworks to protect whistleblowers are critical to supporting integrity, the rule of law.
I am very proud that when we were last in government, we brought to this parliament the public interest disclosure act 2013 and equally I am able to say I was very disappointed to say the statutory inquiry which we legislated when passing that, to place and was carried out by an eminent Australian, Philip Moss, who reported to the former government at the end of 2016 and there the report sat.
Mr Moss made a number of very sensible suggestions for the amendment to the act and regrettably the government simply sat on those recommendations by Philip Moss. I have said, since coming to office, that we have picked up Mr Moss’s report and looking hard at the recommendations that he has made and I am hopeful to bring the parliament in coming months amendment that the public interest disclosure act will pick up and almost certainly will need to update the recommendations that Mr Moss made back in 2016, whether or not it goes to a whistleblower protection commissioner is something that the government is still considering.
I know the member for Indi has an interest in this and in her anti-corruption commission bill she had in the last parliament, she had provided for a whistleblower protection commissioner and that is why we are taking that particular idea very seriously indeed.
Updated
Kate Chaney to Chris Bowen:
The government recently approved the release of 10 new fossil fuel exploration sites, demonstrating that it is willing to continue developing fossil fuel projects into the future. This is incompatible with Australia breaching its 43% emissions reduction target and incompatible with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. If new oil and gas projects are to be developed, which sectors are to be expected to cut their emissions more deeply to make room in our current budget for these projects?
Bowen:
Thank you, Mr Speaker and the honourable member for her question. And thank you for your engagement on this issue in a constructive way. Our Climate Change Bill should come if all goes well, capacity set and become the Climate Change Act of Australia and will in trying 43% emissions reduction into the law of land which sensible honourable members of the crossbench group agreed with.
As the member knows, 42% is to be achieved by the whole country but we have policies that achieve that on a sector-by-sector basis. Safeguarding mechanisms when it comes to bigger matters, particularly oil and gas for the separate mechanisms are an important way for oil and gas emissions to be produced and we have a discussion paper out there and all honourable members are encouraged to make a constructive suggestion.
If you have any. I know until members of the crossbench will do that because it is a sensible project and process to go through including how new proposals are dealt with the second mechanisms and we are open to constructive advice. The minister for resources did release for actuation and invitation to explore those areas. An annual process that occurs every year. The minister resources had done that in an appropriate way.
Updated
Jim Chalmers follows that up with this conclusion to his dixer on the electric vehicle legislation:
It says something about the bubble of bumbling incompetence that the shadow Treasurer floats around in. He has the nerve to ask a question of the prime minister and immediately after the minister explained that we are trying to get a tax cut through this parliament.
This is the captain blunt approach, to pretend they love lower taxes until they are asked to vote for it.
They pretend they like lower taxes until it interferes and collided with their outdated obsolete out-of-touch ideology.
There is no reason to oppose this legislation except that they physically cannot bring themselves to support a good idea.
This is what we see from the leader of the leftovers, a pretty clear pattern from the boycott of the jobs and skills summit and he’s now boycotting the future. They are the Liberal party, led [by someone] dead set on division, defined by his denial, his division and his destruction. Fronting the dregs of a departing government that the Australian people ditched for a reason.
Updated
It’s Angus Taylor time
This question comes after Chris Bowen takes a dixer on the opposition opposing the government’s legislation on reducing the taxes on electric vehicles as well as increasing their supply.
Taylor”
Yesterday the prime minister refused to rule out increasing taxes on Australian families. With Australian facing five consecutive increases in interest rates, will the prime minister rule out any new or higher taxes on Australian families, businesses or retirees by Christmas?
Anthony Albanese:
Well, it pays to pay attention to what happens in Question Time, because, I thank the member for Hume for his question. I sat to the member for Hume that at half past two, you shouldn’t necessarily ask the question that was decided upon whenever tactics met this morning, because we just had in this chamber an answer about taxation.
And when we on this side of the House have legislation before the Parliament right now to lower taxation, and those opposite in their party room yesterday imagine the discussion, some of them would have said, followed the deputy leader of the Liberal party and said well, it’s not really relevant because they don’t exist, these electric vehicles, electric utes, they don’t exist, but others had said no, we have to hold the line, we had to try, we have blown out $1tn of debt, why would we worry about these issues? And then they came down to, no, remember if we vote for...
Milton Dick:
Relevance, will he rule out taxes on Australian families, businesses and retirees. That is not an indication or invitation to speculate about what occurred in the Opposition party room.
Albanese:
I am completely addressing taxes, Mr Speaker. What we have done is we have legislation to lower taxes, to lower taxes for individuals but to lower taxes as well for businesses by changing the FBT positions. Those opposite have made a decision to support high taxes, to support high taxes. It is not surprising they were all over the shop, the end, the end key killer point raised by one of those opposite, perhaps the member for Hume, was we can’t do this because if more people have electric vehicles, it will end the weekend. No one wants to do that.No-one wants to do that. That is the former government’s position and quite clearly with the current opposition’s position is as well. What they need to do is recognise the fact that there has been a change. This is a government that is about efficiency, about delivering for Australian families, about delivering for Australian workers, about shaping the future, not being shaped by it.
Updated
I don’t know who is on the opposition’s tactics team, but they might need to have a bit of a rethink
Sussan Ley to Anthony Albanese:
The government has renounced changes to medicines cheaper that the Coalition actually promised in April, celebrated a pension increase that occurred automatically due to skyrocketing inflation and released a half-baked version of the Coalition’s plan to allow pensioners to work more days, which expires in just nine month’s time. With Australians facing a cost of living crisis now, why doesn’t the prime minister have any new initiatives to provide cost of living relief before Christmas?
Albanese:
Well, I do thank the deputy leader of the Liberal party for that question, and I note the number of interviews that have been by the deputy leader of the Liberal party where she has said in response to the number of initiatives that the new government has taken, why didn’t they do it 100 days ago?
Why didn’t they do it 100 days ago? Why didn’t they do it 100 days ago?
(Ley seems to be saying she’s flattered Albanese is watching her interviews)
We’ve got to have something to amuse ourselves when Parliament is sitting .
If only the deputy leader of the opposition had been in a position to do something at one stage. If only! If only in April that the deputy leader of the opposition refers to, she was in a position to do something. Or maybe in 2021, or 2000, or 2019, or 2018 or any of the other times that the member was sitting in the cabinet, in between of course that sabbatical that she took from being in the cabinet.
But what we have done, what we did of course in the election campaign is go to Perth in our election campaign and we are now a decrease from $42.50 to $30 for pharmaceuticals on the PBS and what we did was we didn’t just announce it, we did it. We did it.
And we’ve introduced the legislation here today. We promised cheaper childcare and that legislation will be here of course next week. Of course the policy that they announce during the election campaign was less than what we announced and was about nine years too late.
But I’d just find it beyond belief that there is no self reflection at all in saying why didn’t you do things earlier when you sat on these benches for nine years and watched cost of living pressures rise at the same time as you were putting downward pressure on wages, at the same time as low wages were a key feature of the economic architecture.
So the truth is that those on the side of the chamber now, the new government is acting based upon the commitments that we made. Those opposite our lamenting the fact that they didn’t do anything to alleviate cost of living pressures in their nine long years in office.
Updated
Tony Burke takes a dixer on multi-employer bargaining
This part of Burke’s answer passes the dixer report test:
I had only today land on my desk, and this is how much red tape is in the system at the moment where businesses want to bargain together – today, [papers] land on my desk from 22 different employers employing dental hygienists, dental therapists and health therapists, needing my permission to be allowed to bargain together.
So the workers want to bargain with these employers, the 22 employers want to bargain together, and yet we have a redtape system where it has to go all the way to the minister, where I have to take into account six different conditions and there is actually a seventh condition which is anything else you want to consider, and after I’d give permission for it, which I did today, it then has to go to the Fair Work Commission for them to give permission as well.
Those opposite will publicly rail against redtape, unless it is red tape that holds wages back. In Victoria, we had early education centres, Victorian, we had 17 not-for-profit early childhood centres that wanted to be able to bargain together but the current system didn’t allow them.
These are all workplaces with about 20-30 staff, overwhelmingly female workplaces and not one of them with its own HR department. Like those opposite who wanted to do the bullying of different small business organisations recently saying how dare you try to get rid of redtape and try to be able to together, might take notice that small businesses don’t have their own HR department.
If they want to be able to have an agreement that is tailor-made for their style of business, multi-employer bargaining is the only way they are going to have that sort of opportunity and yet in that case, everyone of those centres, all 70 of them, had to individually go through the process of registering an agreement, making their own applications, but what was the outcome? You were able to get 16% above the award for those workers and for the employers to be able to get these sorts of agreements they want. If we can get those sorts of outcomes without the red tape that gets wages moving and it is good for business.
Updated
PM criticises opposition over nuclear push
This QT is all over the place.
Peter Dutton:
My question is to the prime minister … looked the Australian public in the eye and promised on 97 occasions that you would reduce their power bills by $275. Yesterday the minister for climate change and energy said the statement of $275 by 2025. We stand by our commitment. Can the prime minister confirm that the Labor party has now recommended without qualification to a $275 power bill price?
Anthony Albanese:
I thank the leader of the opposition for his question. I have said absolutely consistently on every single day they have it here that we stand by the modelling that we did, the reputed modelling.
And the modelling, what it showed, was that our plan that includes rewiring the nation, making sure that if you make the grid 21st century-ready, if you actually enable renewables to fit into the energy grid through the integrated systems plan that has been developed by the Australian energy market operator then what you will do is promote investment in renewables which is the cheapest form of energy.
And am modelling showed very clear what the impact of that would be both on households but it also showed about the modelling of what it would do for businesses as well. This is not a complex question.
That is why the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Council of Commerce and Industry, the Australian Industry Group, the National Farmers Federation, the Clean Energy Council, the Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace, the Investors Group – when it comes to energy, all of these disparate groups have all been united in supporting the position that we took to the election and the reason why our plan is because it will result in lower prices, because if you have a shift in the energy mix towards cheaper energy as opposed to more expensive energy then you lower energy prices.
But what those opposite want to do is say after 22 failed plans, they want to go towards nuclear energy. That’s what they want to do. And they can say, if you like, where the plants are going to be. I’ll look forward to their review, letting us know...
And we know they have to be near urban areas and water.
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Simon Birmingham questions Penny Wong on Solomon Islands election funding
The shadow foreign affairs minister, Simon Birmingham, has asked a trio of questions to Penny Wong about Australia’s offer of assistance for Solomon Islands’ election, and its criticism of the public disclosure of the offer as an assault on its democracy and sovereignty.
Wong replied:
Our support for an election held when the Solomon Islands determines that election will be is an offer that is respectful of sovereignty.”
Birmingham noted his question “didn’t query the merits of financing the election” but was specifically about the “the public disclosure of offer of assistance, and whether it was conveyed to Solomon Islands”.
Wong said the government had sought to “transparently answer questions from journalists”.
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Mark Butler was giving a dixer on the government’s PBS announcement when he said:
As the prime minister said, this morning we met Greg, a terrific fellow who told us about his family experiences. Down at Capital Pharmacy in Kingston. A terrific pharmacy run by Sandra, and the prime minister and I were able to stock up on some of the items and [things] that middle-aged men like us need to get going every day. Greg told us...
The Coalition begins giggling like private school boys who just heard the word “vagina”, and Milton Dick has to call for order
Peter Dutton:
I want to give our support to hear more detail about what the minister is speaking about, what colour the tablets are. The frequency in which you take them. Happy to hear the details.
Lols :\
Butler:
Happy to have a private meeting with the leader of the opposition.
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Question time begins
Both of the opposition’s questions have been on … Kristy McBain and her shares:
It’s the same questions and the same answers.
McBain:
I refer to my previous answer and … yesterday and the day before. As soon as I became aware … I took steps to transfer those shares. At no point was that a conflict of interest. At no point have I presided over anything that required further displacements than I have already made. Now that the shares are close, I can consider the matter closed and so does the prime minister.
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New Labor senator points to first 100 days in government
Fatima Payman, who delivered her first speech in the senate last night, is asked how Labor can convince people they were right to vote for them, on the ABC:
We have proven, in the last 100 days, we have taken action. We’re actually doing something about the issues that have been - you know, accruing over the last decade. It’s not something that is going to be fixed overnight. And I think Australians are sensible enough to know that it isn’t - there isn’t any quick fixes. We need a government that has the transparency and integrity to have the open communication and say: “This is what we’re doing and we’re going to make responsible decisions on behalf of the Australian people.”
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Ramos-Horta on Australia offering to help fund elections:
Well, many countries have done that to support local institutions. We in the past, we got a lot of support from the UN and of course the UN money comes from where? Comes from Australia, the US, that goes to the UNDP, the UN electoral experts, to set up the system.
The voter registration, all of that. If it’s Australia supporting the Solomon Islands or Papua New Guinea, yeah, that’s very legitimate.
And I would welcome Australia, even though we’re a bit more financially secure, I would ask Australia to buy us some more modern technology for our election in Timor-Leste. Nothing wrong with it.
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José Ramos-Horta on Indo-Pacific geopolitics
There were a few more topics covered off in that national press club address, including the responsibility of neighbours in the Pacific.
The question was on Solomon Islands, but José Ramos-Horta spoke more widely:
Timor-Leste is absolutely very sensitive strategic location. We are 30 minutes, 45 minute jet fighter flight from Darwin. Next door is Indonesia. Not too far away is Singapore. Any leader that is serious about being a leader, you have to be sensitive to your neighbours. Don’t bring in extra territorial, regional interests, powers, that might not be welcomed by our neighbours. I give you one example:
In 2006 we have a security crisis in Timor-Leste. I was the foreign minister at the time. We collectively decided to invite Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Malaysia to deploy peace enforcers to Timor-Leste. Before the UN resolution.
I called president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia to explain to him the situation in Timor-Leste, that we need to invite foreign forces to come to Timor-Leste. I inform him in advance. He appreciated and he even called the Malaysia to say go ahead, help the Timorese.
So … we would never do anything, any rational Timorese leader would never do anything without taking into consideration the sensitivities of your neighbours. So, that would be my message to my brothers and sisters in Pacific islands.
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Peter Dutton 'claims Voice could 'usurp elders' and veto 'mining agreements'
Peter Dutton accused the government of asking Australians to sign up to an Indigenous Voice to parliament “sight unseen”.
He said:
We have no idea what it means for the mining sector. We don’t know whether a voice that doesn’t represent the elders that you negotiate with or that your agreement is with in a particular location, now, they might be usurped and [the voice will] exercise a veto, right? That would damage your employees, that would damage your business.”
Dutton said the Liberals are in favour of reconciliation and “sensible reforms” and would “stand shoulder to shoulder with the government to do that”. But he said corporate Australia felt pressure to “sign up to please others”, which he described as a “disease”.
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Peter Dutton told the Minerals Council that Australia needs a “frank debate” about nuclear energy.
Dutton said:
The imperative on all of us to create affordable and reliable and where possible emissions reduced energy necessitates that we at least have a conversation about nuclear. How that technology can play into the energy mix in the future? I think especially since Australia is home to one third of the world’s deposits of uranium. We have a wonderful opportunity to add value to that resource.”
Dutton noted that in the last parliament Liberal Ted O’Brien had written a report in favour of nuclear energy, and that was one of the reasons he was appointed to the shadow energy portfolio.
The Liberals have announced a review of their climate policies and nuclear, but Dutton already weighs in heavily in favour of nuclear.
He noted:
Bob Hawke was strongly in favour of nuclear energy and couldn’t get it through the left of his party. John Howard to this day is very strongly in favour of nuclear energy as an option … that crazy right-winger in Canada, Justin Trudeau, is embracing small modular reactors …
If you don’t like coal and you don’t like gas, unless you believe clean hydrogen is about to be a reality, then what else firms up renewables? And I don’t know the answer to that question beyond nuclear.”
Dutton then flirted with full Bradfield-scheme areas by suggesting nuclear could “power up irrigation”
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National Covid summary: 62 deaths reported
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 62 deaths from Covid-19:
ACT
Deaths: 0
Cases: 138
In hospital: 89 (with 1 person in ICU)
NSW
Deaths: 21
Cases: 3,666
In hospital: 1,581 (with 37 people in ICU)
Northern Territory
Deaths: 0
Cases: 87
In hospital: 15 (with no people in ICU)
Queensland
Deaths: 24
Cases: 1,776
In hospital: 240 (with 8 people in ICU)
South Australia
Deaths: 4
Cases: 646
In hospital: 90 (with 8 people in ICU)
Tasmania
Deaths: 0
Cases: 166
In hospital: 24 (with 1 people in ICU)
Victoria
Deaths: 11
Cases: 2,237
In hospital: 222 (with 18 people in ICU)
Western Australia
Deaths: 2
Cases: 1,335
In hospital: 199 (with 7 people in ICU)
At the press club, Jose Ramos-Horta was asked to reflect on the actions of China in the region. Timor-Leste’s president said he did not believe China would invade anyone, though he said it would need to be careful in its handling of the issues around Taiwan and South China Sea. He said China would have watched the situation in Ukraine closely and the consequences for Russia.
To feed itself, it depends on the stability in the seas, freedom of navigation. It depends on the stability in the world. China, with thousands of years of wisdom and observing what’s happening in Ukraine, probably would weigh on the Chinese to continue the policies of the past of prudence in dealing with international differences with their differences. That’s how I... I don’t think that China intends to invade anyone. And in fact, you know, in fairness to them, God, they hardly ever invaded anyone. It was every European country that invaded them. You know, the British twice. Two wars. And the French and everybody them.
He also renewed his calls for Woodside and the Australian government to help it ensure the pipeline from the lucrative Greater Sunrise gas fields in the Timor Sea goes to his nation, rather than Darwin, as is currently proposed. He suggested investment from Indonesia could help this take place. The Greater Sunrise fields - worth an estimated $50bn - are critical to the nation’s future.
I’m confident the development of Greater Sunrise will happen. The pipeline will come to Timor-Leste. With Timor-Leste’s own investment, which will be small, anyway, but even with Indonesian partners, and there are - Indonesia today is the fourth fastest growing economy, fourth best performing economy in the world, despite a global recession and all of that. And president Widodo and everyone else in Indonesia are very determined to incrementally increase the economic partnership with Timor-Leste. That can include the development of Greater Sunrise together with a body in the same area. So, I’m confident this will happen.
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Ramos-Horta continues:
But as I said, Timor-Leste, we are even more peaceful than the Gulf countries. You know, whether you’re talking about Qatar or Saudi Arabia or the Emirates.
Who thought years ago that out of the Yemen conflict, missiles would be fired into Saudi oilfields, as it happened a year or so ago. Who would have thought that the Emirates would go into war in Yemen in response and the rebels in Yemen fire a missile into Abu Dhabi?
And who thought that it would be possible that some of the Gulf corporation council members would impose sanctions on Qatar? So Timor-Leste, we are totally innocent. We have a great relationship with everybody. With Australia, with Indonesia, countries in region, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, North Korea! Oh, sorry! I meant to say, north-east Asia. I’m actually blacklisted in North Korea!
So zero sovereign risk. And you know, we are not Venezuela with nationalised companies and whatever. We don’t have ... We haven’t done in 20 years nothing. And we are so inefficient that we probably wouldn’t know how to nationalise a company. So no need to fear.
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Ramos-Horta quizzed on Woodside
What would he like the Australian government to do about Woodside? (Who wants to develop the Greater Sunrise gas field)
Ramos-Horta:
I understand that an oil company like Woodside or any company or any other major business in democracies know pressure.
They do what they think is the best economic financial interest. I understand that completely. And I don’t think that it would be proper for me to subject putting pressure on Woodside.
But, I suspect that if Woodside ... I suspect that Woodside would prefer to lose at least 30% of other revenues, let’s say, if it were to go to Timor-Leste to get $50bn in revenues for its shareholders over the lifetime.
If it goes to Darwin, it would probably generate only $30bn.
It still would prefer to go to Darwin, because it is home. You know, so that’s how Woodside would react. Partly, I think, maybe uncertainty. You know, so-called sovereign risk, etc. Totally understandable.
continued in the next post…
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'Please don't lecture me'
Asked about how the Greater Sunrise gas project can be defended given the effects of the climate crisis on the Pacific, the Timor-Leste president says:
Greater Sunrise is gas, so cleaner energy. But non-renewable.
But at the same time, I have to be very frank - the Americans, the US, the Europeans, and, of course, then Japan and, of course, China, and India. But first the Europeans, you were the ones who polluted the whole world with coal, with oil and everything that you can imagine.
And we, unfortunately, discover oil and gas only now.
And the Europeans are lecturing us - we have to move to fossil fuel. Away from fossil fuel.
I have no authority to make any proposal, but I can make one of the top of my head.
The Europeans, Australia, the US, give us $100bn and will give up on the Greater Sunrise development.
As simple as that. Because the revenues from Greater Sun radical At Greater Sunrise is estimated at about $50bn.
Plus, if you develop it, to generate, at least an additional $50bn or more. So give us $100bn and forget about the dispute of the pipeline, and we don’t develop Greater Sunrise.
Other than that, please don’t lecture me!
Updated
The Liberal leader, Peter Dutton, is speaking at the Minerals Council about Australia’s economic and emissions reduction trajectory.
On today’s growth figures, Dutton said there was “quiet and cautious optimism” about the state of the economy, but warned we are “not out of the woods”, citing “supply chain disruptions, inflation, interest rates, insurance premiums, and the rising cost of living and operating a business”.
Dutton noted that demand for critical minerals is “soaring” because of their role in renewable energy, batteries and electric vehicles.
He said:
EVs take six times the amount of minerals than a petrol car ... The inconvenient truth for activists is that decarbonisation will require more mining. I take some delight knowing it must keep them up at night.”
Dutton said the Liberals “don’t support locking in” the 43% emissions reduction target because “some nations will not honour their targets, including some competitor nations”. The target “will put us in an inflexible position” and make it “harder if not impossible” for EFIC, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility and CSIRO to support resource projects.
Dutton labelled the safeguard mechanism - which the Coalition legislated under PM Tony Abbott and environment minister Greg Hunt - as a “battering ram” and a “tax by stealth”.
He said that infrastructure projects, mining and construction “will increasingly become prey to green activism and warfare”. He cited 2,000 climate court cases around the world “many related to national targets” which he said “ceded control to climate advocates”.
Dr José Ramos-Horta takes question on China
Here is part of his answer:
China has an unfortunate geography, unlike the US, where to the north you have Canada, to the south Mexico, to the east and west the vast oceans unimpeded. And China has too many neighbours. Too many choke points. And to feed itself, it depends on the stability in the seas, freedom of navigation.
It depends on the stability in the world. And China, with thousands of years of wisdom and observing what’s happening in Ukraine, probably would weigh on the Chinese to continue the policies of the past of prudence in dealing with international differences with their differences.
That’s how I ... I don’t think that China intends to invade anyone. And in fact, you know, in fairness to them, God, they hardly ever invaded anyone. It was every European country that invaded them.
You know, the British twice. Two wars. And the French and everybody then. Even ... Well, the Portuguese didn’t invade them. The Portuguese helped them actually. The Portuguese helped the Chinese fighting the pirates, hence the South China Sea.
And in recognition, the Portuguese gave them Macau. It was a gift from China in recognition for Portuguese support with the China fighting of pirates in the South China Sea.
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Jim Chalmers shoots down questions about stage-three tax cuts
Back to treasurer Jim Chalmers’ press conference: he shot down questions about whether he personally believed the stage-three tax cuts should go ahead.
Those tax cuts, due to commence in 2024, are geared massively toward high-income earners and have been criticised for making Australia’s tax system far less progressive.
Chalmers was asked about the economic benefit of the tax cuts by the Greens in question time yesterday, and he did not exactly mount a stirring defence – leading to further questions over whether the changes may be amended before they come in. But at his press conference today, when asked by Guardian Australia if he personally wanted to see them go ahead, he gave no nod either way.
I’ve made it really clear that our position on the stage three tax cuts hasn’t changed,” he said.
However, he didn’t rule out looking at the tax cuts when they came closer.
When pressed over whether he actually believed in them, Chalmers went back to his standard lines that the government had more “near-term priorities” on cost of living relief, childcare and cheaper medicines.
When you consider that those tax cuts don’t come in for a couple of years, the right and responsible thing is to focus on some of the issues that I’ve talked about today, like labour shortages, skills shortages, cost of living, getting wages moving again,” he said.
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Lower house debates Labor’s aged care promises
The government’s election commitments on aged care (including the mandated 24/7 nurses on duty in facilities) are being debated in the lower house now.
The government has the numbers to pass the bill but the Coalition opposition is concerned that it “lacks any detail” about exemptions that will be available to homes that can’t find enough nurses to fulfil that requirement, with shadow health minister Anne Ruston raising worries that the mandate may see some centres close.
The opposition is moving amendments asking the government to more explicitly lay out the exemptions in the legislation, detail which is currently not in the bill. Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley moved amendments noting that 86% of providers that don’t have 24/7 nurses now are small providers and 53% in regional and remote areas.
Ruston told Guardian Australia that she feared homes in rural, regional and remote areas may be affected by the new mandate, and wanted to see more info on the exemptions available:
The opposition is seriously concerned that this bill is little more than a legislative framework that lacks any detail about how the provisions of the legislation will impact on the aged care sector and older Australians.
It is concerning that the government has not been transparent on any of the details of their proposed exemption clause for their requirement for 24/7 registered nurses, which will be contained in unsighted delegated legislation.
We are urging the government to outline the scope of the exemption clause to the 24/7 registered nurses requirement and the eligibility criteria for that exemption before a vote is sought on this legislation.
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Experts hail defence agreement between Timor-Leste and Australia
Just a bit more on that new defence agreement between Timor-Leste and Australia, announced this morning.
Experts say the agreement is significant and will substantially upgrade the bilateral defence relationship between the two countries. Swinburne University of Technology professor Michael Leach, an expert on Timor-Leste, said:
This agreement represents a significant upgrade in the bilateral defence relationship. In the context of recent tensions in the region, it’s an affirmation of close security cooperation, including around the shared maritime boundary
This agreement will be celebrated in Canberra, and observers will be watching to see if other announcements follow in relation to downstream oil and gas processing in the Greater Sunrise field, which is a central preoccupation of the Timorese government.
The agreement will allow greater military cooperation, including maritime patrols in the Timor Sea, by clarifying the protections that both militaries will be afforded while in each other’s territory.
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ACTU react after workers’ share of GDP shrinks to record low
Remember that sense of calm over Parliament House last week during the Jobs and Skills Summit? Well, there’s been some interference in the harmony vibe.
Well, the ACTU has noted that workers’ share of GDP has sunk to a record low 44.1% while profits have kept rising.
Labour productivity growth, meanwhile, quickened to 2.1%, or the fastest in a decade.
Workers have the lowest share of GDP on record because productivity growth continues to outpace workers’ wages while businesses are raking in billion-dollar profits,” said Sally McManus, ACTU’s Secretary.
If we want to stop living standards going backwards in this country, then we need to give power back to workers and reform the bargaining system.
Women continue to be paid substantially less than men and industries dominated by women remain undervalued and underpaid,” McManus said. “To get gender equity, women need the power to bargain, and multi-employer bargaining is how it’s done.”
That’s a bit of warning...
Economists, though, also pointed out that business activity – outside of mining – was among the disappointing elements in the GDP data dump. Building construction, for instance, fell 5%.
“The latest capital expenditure survey suggests spending will lift in the current financial year and the continuation of the Instant Asset Tax Write-off will help drive this,” Sarah Hunter, a KPMG senior economist, said. “[B]ut the turn in the economic cycle coupled with the challenges in the building sector will become increasing drags over time.
“Overall, momentum is set to ease from now on, as the headwinds that have built up over the last six months flow into actual spending,” Hunter said.
Where will the tailwinds come from if governments are forced to curb spending (or spend more on debt repayments) and consumers slow their consumption of their own savings – and those RBA rate rises start to bite?
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Dr José Ramos-Horta says:
I ask the Australian leaders – when you look at Timor-Leste, and open the map of the area, put on a big table – don’t forget about the median line. It is there. Australia accepted a permanent maritime boundary between us and Australia based on the median line, as against past positions where Australia claimed that the maritime boundary extended beyond the median line all the way to almost the shores of Timor-Leste based on the ancient law of the sea that accepted the continental shelf.
I remember a few years ago, I think Prime Minister Albanese was there when I spoke in Balmain. And I said, based on Australia’s claim of shelf, I would say the following: A) there are no two continental shelfs between Timor-Leste and Australia. There’s only one continental shelf.
And based on that, Timor-Leste could claim also the whole of Australia! The only country I wouldn’t claim would be Tasmania! Because they are such nice people. I would leave them alone!
And since then, Australia slept in fear and agreed to the middle line maritime boundary, thanks to Xanana Gusmāo’s brilliance and audacity. And the sense of, I call it, a sense of state on the part of Australia, particularly Julie Bishop who, together with Xanana, negotiated or agreed the median line, elevating Australian stand in the world.
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Timor-Leste to join Asean
Dr José Ramos-Horta says Timor-Leste is doing well and is “an oasis of tranquility”.
But he says there world isn’t in the same place:
We are doing pretty well. But the challenge of next five to 10 years is enormous. Who would have thought or think that after Bosnia, after World War II, after the Balkans, the genocide in Bosnia and that Europe would confront with one of the most dangerous times with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. With no end in sight.
And who knows what’s going to happen in Ukraine. And who would have thought that the regime in Myanmar would launch a coup following the landslide election by Aung San Suu Kyi.
Being a member of Asean in the heart of Asia. So, nothing can be discarded as risks and dangers. South China Sea, Taiwan, all of this as we see the militarisation of the South China Sea.
We see incredible tensions over Taiwan. And, of course, not to discard North Korea.
But, Timor-Leste remains an oasis of tranquillity.
And then he says:
And the good news – after more than 10 years of effort on our part, on the part of our government, starting with the first government led by Mr Xanana Gusmāo in 2007. In 2011, we applied to join Asean. Well, news that we probably will be joining next year in 2023... Completing the south-east Asian family of nations.
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First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria backs Melbourne City Council move to advocate to change the date of Australia Day
The co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Marcus Stewart, has backed Melbourne City Council’s decision to advocate for the Albanese government to change the date of Australia Day from 26 January.
At a council meeting on Tuesday, councillors voted to campaign for the Albanese government to change the date – a decision that can only be made at a federal level. The lord mayor of Melbourne, Sally Capp, said the decision was about advancing reconciliation and unity with First Nations Victorians, and described it as “local government leadership”. But the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said there are no plans to shift the national celebration.
Stewart on Wednesday said the council had made a decision to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with First Nations people to reconsider a date that could bring all Australians together to celebrate.
This is not a new ask. Our communities have been protesting since 1938 so that’s 84 years ... It’s an important step forward and it’s an important contribution to a broader dialogue. Dialogue is critical in circumstances such as this and I think what we need is to have a mature conversation with everyone.
The council decision makes clear it will continue to host citizenship ceremonies on 26 January – as well as issue permits for the Victorian government’s parade on that day – if the commonwealth does not change the date.
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José Ramos-Horta addresses National Press Club
Dr José Ramos-Horta is at the press club. National Press Club president Laura Tingle introduces him, and tells this story:
A few years ago, a bureaucrat from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet rang me asking for contact details for my dad, John, who for many years was a journalist and broadcaster.
The guy from PM and C said José Ramos-Horta was visiting Australia and had particularly asked if they could arrange a meeting with Mr Tingle who he remembered fondly from dealings in the past when dad was good to him.
Let’s be honest – I thought it was a crank call. I rang Dad and he said, “Oh, yes, I interviewed him. He’s got into a bit of a tight spot and I smuggled him out of a building in the boot of my car!”
I mentioned the story because, well, it’s a good story. And I am just a little bit impressed with what you learn about your parents getting up to when you’re not looking! Go dad!
But also because it goes to an underlying theme of Australia’s relationships with Timor-Leste. That is, unfortunately, about skulduggery, quite often. People sometimes doing the right thing by a near neighbour, but unfortunately, too often in Australia’s case, of not doing the right thing. I acknowledge and welcome Bernard Collaery, who is in the room today.
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Some analysis of GDP data
Economists combing through the fine hairs of the GDP data rug are finding a few snags but also the silky bits.
Westpac had been among the more bullish, predicting last week that June quarter GDP would be a big 4.5% higher than a year ago. Then they saw more figures earlier this week that brought their prediction close to the 3.6% pace that the ABS reported today.
The bank’s Andrew Hanlan, an economist, singled out consumer spending and exports as the bright spots, as we did in this running wrap:
Consumer spending rose 2.2% for the quarter (although Westpac had tipped 2.8%) but was still a “key upside surprise”.
Hanlan noted that 2.2% gain matches that the March quarter, which had been revised higher from a 1.5% growth pace reported by the ABS previously. That period – though it seems an age ago now – had been disrupted by big floods in parts of eastern Australia and the Omicron Covid wave.
Elsewhere, though, “conditions were mixed – construction work was down, public demand was flat (representing a consolidation) and inventories were a sizeable drag”, he said.
That governments might have started to tighten their belts might not be a bad thing given the yawning deficits facing most state and federal governments.
Among the states, NSW led the way with final demand growing 1.9%, with Victoria and Queensland expanding 1%. Resource rich WA managed only 0.1% growth – perhaps reflecting the drop in iron ore prices in that state.
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Cost of childcare, Tafe and medicines key to easing cost-of-living pressures, treasurer says
So what about household spending? Is Jim Chalmers worried about the money going into the economy?
Chalmers:
When it comes to the behaviour of households, you know, it’s not for me to tell people how to manage their own household budgets. The independent Reserve Bank has made it clear that they see a role for themselves in managing that demand in the economy, and our job is not to second-guess that and nor is it to make the job of the independent Reserve Bank harder. And so what we are trying to do is provide cost-of-living relief in the most responsible way that we can, and in a way that delivers another economic dividend, making childcare cheaper delivers a massive economic dividend and making medicines cheaper delivers a massive dividend when it comes to health cost. Easing the cost of Tafe in some areas is obviously a cost-of-living measure. Making electric vehicles cheaper with the tax cut that we hope to pass through the parliament. Getting wages moving again. These are the things we can responsibly do to help Australians through a very tough period without interfering with the work that the Reserve Bank does independently.
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These figures are for the June quarter, so don’t take into account all the interest rate rises since May – so you can guarantee those household savings are even lower now
Chalmers says government has to ‘deal with the legacy of rorts and waste’ to balance budget
So savings are depleting, the bumps in commodity prices are temporary and won’t last, and cost-of-living pressures are biting.
What else?
Jim Chalmers:
These numbers today are new numbers but they’re telling a story which is now pretty familiar to us – a growing economy, but we want to see more Australians benefit from that growth. Different pressures are hitting the economy, but our future is still packed with potential. We’ve got an economy which has been made vulnerable by a wasted decade and the task of the budget, the task of the government is to make our economy and our budget more resilient into the future as well.
... We are obviously meeting the expenditure review committee for some hours, including late into last night, and that’s important because budgets at their core are about weighing up competing priorities.
The prime minister has been upfront with people about the challenges we face in the budget. We will do the right and responsible thing and that means doing what we can to responsibly ease people’s cost-of-living pressures. It means dealing with the issues in supply chains, which are holding our economy back, and it means beginning to deal with the legacy of rorts and waste which has been a feature of our budgets for too long.
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Australia’s economy ‘being held back by capacity constraints’, treasurer says
Jim Chalmers is not celebrating the national accounts figures.
He says it’s good, but there is a story behind it:
Today’s national accounts reflect an economy which is rebounding from the disruptions of the pandemic, but it’s still being held back by capacity constraints, skills short ages and declining real wages. This is an economy which is growing, but the challenges are growing as well. It’s a solid outcome, but it doesn’t tell the full story about our economy.
So what exactly?
Chalmers:
The headline figures in today’s national accounts are encouraging, but the details do confirm the pressures that are being felt by Australians and in our supply chains in particular. Real GDP increased by 0.9% for the June quarter and was 3.6% higher over the year to June.
This solid growth is welcome and it’s broadly in line with our expectations but the drivers of this growth were still narrow little based.
It was supported by some temporary factors and a lot has happened since the end of June.
The big contributors to growth were household spending and exports. Consumption increased by 2.2%, contributing 1.1 percentage points to real GDP growth and a big part of this story is the fact that people felt increasingly willing to spend on discretionary services in particular as we came out of that phase of the pandemic.
At the same time, as we’ve seen that growth in consumption, we’ve seen a pretty sharp decline in the household savings ratio, which fell from just over 11% in March to 8.7% in the June quarter. What this shows is that while households on average are still saving, they’re saving less and we also know that they’re impacted by the rising cost of living and the fact that their real wages are falling as a consequence of that.
Updated
British woman’s Twitter account confused for new UK PM Liz Truss
In a little bit of fun my colleague and all-round legend Laura Murphy-Oates just alerted me to British woman Liz Trussell, who has the Twitter handle @LizTruss, has been responding to world leaders who have been using the wrong handle to congratulate Liz Truss, the new UK PM (who tweets as @TrussLiz).
British woman Liz Trussell, who tweets as @LizTruss, has been spending the morning replying to world leaders and it's possibly the best thing in the history of the internet. pic.twitter.com/hGGbc7FPMm
— Pádraig Belton (@PadraigBelton) September 6, 2022
Australia’s prime minister has his own Twitter issues – the @Albo handle is NOT SAFE FOR WORK people.
Updated
Defence agreement signed with Timor-Leste
A new defence cooperation agreement has been signed between Australia and Timor-Leste.
The government statement describes it as:
The DCA is a status of forces agreement that sets out the reciprocal protections, responsibilities and privileges each country will grant the military personnel of the other in its territory.
… The DCA will allow Australia and Timor-Leste to increase defence and security cooperation, especially in the maritime domain, given our shared border and adjacent maritime zones.
It will enhance our ability to operate together as required, conduct exercises and training, and cooperate on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The agreement means Timorese military members operating, exercising or training in Australia will receive the same protections, responsibilities and privileges as Australian personnel will receive in Timor-Leste.
Also discussed were common security, economic cooperation, labour mobility and skills, the green economy and Australia’s support for Timor-Leste’s Asean membership bid.
Updated
Rundown of GDP figures
GDP figures out today from the ABS showed the economy had decent momentum in the June quarter – much to the chagrin, perhaps, of the Morrison government that was bundled out by voters before the quarter ended.
The overall numbers were much in line with forecasts – somewhere just below 1% for the quarter and around 3.5% had been the expectation.
We knew exports would provide ballast for the economy, since many commodities remain at elevated levels (and compared with import prices have never been this high). That’s a fat 1 percentage point of the quarter’s growth just there.
We also knew that inventories – all those things businesses hold in store for shoppers – had dropped too. That lopped 1.2 percentage points from growth and presumably will bounce back in coming quarters, serving to boost GDP figures when they do.
What looks a standout, though, was domestic demand, particularly households. The latter lifted spending by a solid 2.2%, adding 1.1 percentage points to growth (even as shrinking government outlays trimmed 0.2 percentage points).
That spending as we know wasn’t backed by big wage increases (they rose just 2.6% from a year early) so it was households dipping into their savings that paid for it.
Spending on transport services (up 37.3%) and hotels, cafes and restaurants (up 8.8%), while spending on food fell 1.2%, the ABS said.
The household saving to income ratio fell for the third consecutive quarter, from 11.1% to 8.7%, but remains above pre-Covid levels – for now at least.
Updated
‘Better times lie ahead,’ treasurer says
So what is the main takeaway from the national accounts latest?
Jim Chalmers says:
While there are signs that wages are starting to pick up, the national accounts measure of average earnings increased by less than the consumer price index over the year to June, indicating falling real wages.
Real household disposable income fell for the third consecutive quarter, by 0.5% in the June quarter.
While our economy is being buffeted by global pressures and domestic constraints right now, Australians can be confident that better times lie ahead.
Our economic plan is focused on steering the economy through these difficult economic circumstances, by delivering responsible cost of living relief and building a stronger, more resilient economy.
We are working hard to deliver on our commitments to boost the capacity of our economy through more investments in skills and education, cleaner and cheaper energy, and advanced manufacturing and to ease cost-of-living pressures through cheaper childcare and medicines.
Ten years of wasted opportunities have made our economy more vulnerable to global and domestic shocks and the task of the budget is to start making our economy more resilient.
Updated
We ‘desperately’ need a living wage, says early childcare education director
Laura, an early childcare education director based in Canberra and United Workers Union member is at a press conference on the national day of action with her young daughter.
Laura says:
We are a struggling workforce that has supported frontline and essential workers for the last 2.5 years through a pandemic and we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We are overworked, undervalued and incredibly underpaid. We know that the workforce needs fixing, we know that there is an entire workforce out there that’s walked away from the sector because we don’t have a living wage. That’s one of the things we desperately need is a wage that we can survive on, a wage that we – that will help us with the rising cost of living and that’s one of the biggest things our teachers need.
Her daughter agrees.
Updated
Jim Chalmers will hold a press conference on the national accounts very soon, but here is the first quick take from his office:
In the two months since the end of the June quarter, we’ve seen a deteriorating global growth outlook, continuing labour shortages, and rising interest rates which are straining businesses and households and creating headwinds for our economy over the year ahead.
Real GDP increased by 0.9 per cent for the June quarter and was 3.6 per cent higher over the year to June.
This result is due to solid growth in household spending and exports.
Consumption increased by 2.2 per cent contributing 1.1 percentage points to real GDP growth, as spending on services continued to rebound following the disruption of the pandemic.
Exports recovered and imports slowed, resulting in a solid contribution of 1.0 percentage point to real GDP growth from net exports.
Mining and agriculture picked up as severe weather conditions passed, and energy exporters responded to the strong global demand for energy in the wake of disruptions to Russian gas supplies to Europe.
Services exports also grew on the back of more tourists and students arriving back in Australia, but tourism and in-person education exports remain low, at around one quarter and one-half their pre-pandemic levels.
While commodity prices strengthened in response to strong global demand for energy and pushed our terms of trade to a record high, we don’t expect this strength to continue.
This temporary boost saw nominal GDP increase by 4.3 per cent over the quarter to be 12.1 per cent higher over the year.
Updated
GDP up 3.6% on last year
Australia’s economy growth in the second quarter has just come in, via the ABS.
GDP in the June quarter was 0.9% compared with the previous three months, in line with the market’s expectation.
From a year ago, the economy expanded 3.6%, while economists had pencilled in a pace of about 3.5%.
Updated
Daily accounts released
The economy grew by 0.9% in the last quarter, but household savings are down
The ABS says:
The Australian economy rose 0.9% in seasonally adjusted chain volume measures
GDP rose 3.9% in 2021-22
The terms of trade rose 4.6%
Household saving ratio decreased to 8.7% from 11.1%
Queensland records 24 more Covid deaths
Queensland is reporting 24 more lives lost to Covid, with 240 cases being treated in hospital for the virus.
Today we have recorded 1,776 new COVID-19 cases.
— Queensland Health (@qldhealth) September 7, 2022
Sadly, we have reported 24 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Full details➡️ https://t.co/rKHIwrH8sQ pic.twitter.com/RFiPmWiQTB
Back to politics, it’s national accounts day.
Peter Hannam will bring you the GDP numbers, and Jim Chalmers will hold a press conference at 12.15pm.
Updated
Our thoughts are with the families and entire community.
I was a police reporter for years and covered a similar tragedy on the Sunshine Coast. The wounds never truly heal.
Updated
Murat Dizdar continued:
An overnight tragedy has resulted in us losing five of our young learners. The student body is deeply impacted. It’s not just Year 9 and Year 11 where these deceased young people were in these year groups. The playground, recess, lunch, siblings, peers, interactions outside of school impact on all of our students. It’s deeply distressing news. I can’t imagine what that or those five families are going through today but I know as a school community having spoken to our principal just a short time ago in Warren Parkes, the entire school community is feeling it. The entire staff body, the entire student body are deeply impacted by this tragic news and the department will put all of its endeavour by way of expert support into our Picton high school community for as long as it’s needed.
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Students and staff at Picton high school receiving counselling after Buxton crash
Staff and students at Picton high school are being offered counselling and support.
Murat Dizdar from the NSW Department of Education says the entire school community is in shock:
As the community in New South Wales would appreciate, it’s a deeply distressing phone call to get from New South Wales police, where we find out overnight that we’ve lost five young learners … we have two separate counselling teams that are onsite at the school as we speak. One of those teams is a dedicated expert unit to support staff that are impacted and feeling the stress of this news … We have a separate team of counselling experts at the school to support a student body of close to 1,100 students. We have offered our principal and staff at the school as well as Year 9 and Year 11 and each of the year groups at the school separately to talk to them about what we’ve been informed from New South Wales police and the supports that are available to them.
Updated
NSW police’s Jason Hogan said all drivers should confront the crash footage:
Not just young drivers but all drivers should have a look at the footage, have a look at what investigations have happened, have a look at court outcomes and really take stock of their driving to get home safely, to reach their destinations, look after themselves, their passengers and other road users.
Updated
On the scene emergency responders faced, Jason Hogan said:
It would have been extremely confronting. They would have had a little bit of warning in relation to the police radio messages but upon arriving at the scene, it’s not something that anyone wants to do but you slip into your police mode and carry the business out that needs to be done to ensure that if we can save lives, that that is undertaken first and then, unfortunately, we slip into investigation mode, as we did in these circumstances.
NSW police reveal details of horror crash that killed five teenagers
We are just jumping out of politics for a moment to bring you an update from NSW police on the horror car crash.
Five teenagers were killed in a single-vehicle road crash near Buxton, about 100km south-west of Sydney. Only the driver survived.
Acting inspector Jason Hogan says investigations are ongoing:
The driver was subjected to a breath test at the scene, which was negative, and he was arrested and taken to hospital for mandatory blood and alcohol testing, and we will be awaiting the test results for that test.
All were students or ex-students Picton high school. There were six people in the four-seater car.
Updated
Here is Penny Wong meeting with Dr José Ramos-Horta.
The Timor-Leste president will address the National Press Club a little later today.
Updated
Birmingham questions how Solomon Islands offer was made public
Now, the Solomon Islands opposition though, believe that the government is attempting to delay the election to stay in power.
Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare has blasted Canberra's offer to help fund his nation's elections, labelling it foreign interference and an assault on democracy.
— RN Breakfast (@RNBreakfast) September 6, 2022
Solomons Opposition MP Peter Kenilorea Jnr (@kenilorea) joined @RNBreakfast to discusshttps://t.co/wsiAFajY96
So, is it possible the Solomon Islands government response to the Australian offer being made public is about something else?
Simon Birmingham is not giving any leeway (and neither would have Labor if it was in opposition).
This is quite an extraordinary statement and the accusations made in the statement in relation to the way in which this issue has been handled do point to issues on the side of the Albanese government.
The Solomon Islands are clearly aggrieved at the fact that this was made public; in the way it was made public; when it was made public. And that’s why there are answers to be had from the Albanese government about whether they informed the Solomon Islands in advance that they would be making the offer public in this way and, if not, why not?
Updated
Government ‘mishandled’ funding offer to Solomon Islands, Birmingham says
Simon Birmingham swung by doors this morning to make a statement:
Late yesterday, we saw a most extraordinary statement issued by the government of the Solomon Islands that accuses the Albanese government and foreign minister Penny Wong of engaging in ways that interfere in the domestic affairs of the Solomon Islands and interfere in relation to their national interests and democracy.
Now, the Albanese government was entirely right to offer to provide assistance for the conduct of Solomon Islands elections. However, the execution of that offer appears to have been woefully undertaken, given the response it has elicited from the Solomon Islands government.
There are many questions that the Albanese government is going to have to answer in relation to this offer; around when it was made; what discussions occurred prior to the making of this offer; whether the Solomon Islands government was aware the offer was going to be made public; if they weren’t then why the government chose to make it public, when they made it public?
This is a very significant statement issued by the Solomon Islands and clearly the Albanese government has mishandled this very sensitive matter and needs to provide answers and explanations in relation to it.
Updated
The president of Timor-Leste, Dr José Ramos-Horta, is visiting Australia today and will meet with Anthony Albanese.
There is of course, a picfac (pictures only, no questions) and Mike Bowers will be there.
Updated
Submissions open for feedback on superannuation laws
The government is releasing a consultation paper on superannuation.
The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, explained what it is:
The consultation paper seeks feedback on any unintended consequences and implementation issues arising from the Your Future, Your Super laws which were introduced in 2021.
This follows the outcomes of the second annual performance test for MySuper products which revealed that 96% of MySuper members are in a well-performing fund.
The government encourages interested stakeholders to engage with the consultation process. Submissions can be made online.
Updated
My Tasmanian friends would like everyone to know that a “shack” is a beach property, usually shared by families and bought when these things were very cheap.
Sounds just lovely.
Nick McKim has listed the purpose of one of his properties as "shack" pic.twitter.com/VSI7POYkKx
— cammyboo AO (@cameronwilson) September 6, 2022
Updated
Opposition criticise government for not fixing childcare yet
The opposition is very focused on Labor having been in power “for more than 100 days”.
Which is just over three months. But the Coalition wants to know why absolutely everything isn’t fixed yet.
Here is the shadow early childhood education minister, Angie Bell:
Today is early childhood educators day, and as educators gather around the country to call for better pay and conditions, the Albanese government remains quiet on their promises for the sector.
Labor have been in government for more than 100 days but have provided no details on how they’ll address current issues in the sector, including worker shortages and fee hikes.
Their union talkfest has delivered nothing for the early childhood education sector – even though the minister previously claimed that it would.
Labor have also failed to provide further details on the ACCC price mechanism and productivity commission review, which they promised would help alleviate pressures at the election.
I mean, the Coalition was in government for almost a decade and didn’t manage to find solutions for some of these things they are demanding be fixed because it has been three and a bit months already, but I guess everything looks different in opposition.
Updated
To be fair to Sussan Ley, Angus Taylor made a bigger mash of it, when he spent a few minutes telling Sky’s Laura Jayes a few days ago that it was a travesty that veterans were excluded, only to be told veterans were included.
That was greeted with a beat of silence.
Government will expedite legislation on pension changes, said Albanese yesterday
For the record, this was what Anthony Albanese announced four days ago on the letting pensioners work more plan:
Age and veterans pensioners will be able to earn an additional $4,000 over this financial year without losing any of their pension due to the Albanese Labor government providing a one-off income credit designed to give older Australians the option to work and keep more of their money.
Following the successful jobs and skills summit in Canberra, an immediate $4,000 income credit will be added to the income banks of age pensioners from December to be used this financial year.
The temporary income bank top-up will increase the amount pensioners can earn from $7,800 to $11,800 this year, before their pension is reduced.
The measure is designed to enable pensioners who want to work, to immediately boost the supply of labour to help meet shortages.
Pensioners will be able to do so without losing their pension, either in short stints or over the course of a year.
The $4,000 temporary credit will be available until June 30, 2023, subject to the passage of legislation.
The government will also look to strengthen legislation to ensure pensioners who are working don’t get unnecessarily kicked out of the social security system.
The government will expedite legislation to ensure pensioners don’t have to reapply for payments for up to two years if their employment income exceeds the income limit. Currently their connection to social security is cancelled after 12 weeks of exceeding the income limit.
Updated
Ley says Albanese government should have acted on pensioner plan sooner
So what is one thing that could be done, Sussan Ley?
Ley:
Cost of living, cost of living, cost of living.
Peter Stefanovic, the host of the Sky show Ley was appearing on, tried asking again:
I mean, Chris Richardson on the program a short time ago as well he says that there’s actually not that much that can be done in the short term. We’ve got the tiger by the tail when it comes to inflation. So what’s one thing the government could do right now?
Ley:
Well, they could implement our pensioner plan [interrupted].
Stefanovic: “They’ve said they’re doing that.”
Ley:
Well, they’ve said they’re doing it, but it hasn’t happened. It’s not there in people’s workplaces now. So this is an indication of a government that talks the talk, but doesn’t walk the walk. That pensioner plan could have had people working in businesses already, it could have taken the pressure off finding someone to actually keep your doors open. Of paying someone more than you know you can afford because you can’t find the right person, of closing your doors. All of these things are pressures on inflation and pressures on the economy. That’s one good idea that the government decided to not implement but wait for its jobs and skills union talk fest in order to sort of have a big reveal at the end of it about all these things that are happening. But just like the announcement that was made this morning, that are not happening now.
I come back to my point, I’m not in the cabinet. We’re not the government, but that expenditure review committee should have proposals before it and it should be thinking about the here and now.
Updated
Sussan Ley compares Anthony Albanese to Kermit the frog
Sussan Ley really likes Kermit the Frog.
This was the deputy Liberal leader’s contribution to the debate yesterday:
It won’t be easy under Kermit the Froganese 🐸#auspol pic.twitter.com/EjjCxLMvby
— Sussan Ley (@sussanley) September 6, 2022
And she has continued in that vein today.
She told Sky News:
Everything that relates to cost of living should be a priority. Now as a cabinet, and of course, I’m not in cabinet, I’m not a member of the expenditure review committee, that committee would be receiving many proposals at this point in time, all directed, I hope to reducing the cost-of-living pressures similar to the one that we implemented almost immediately, about reducing the fuel excise halving it for six months. Where is the indication that this government is even considering measures that help with the cost of living now
This is a government that likes to take credit for so many things, but it’s just not taking action.
This week we saw them taking credit for the fact that pension payments are going up. Well pension payments are linked to inflation. Inflation is at a 30-year high. The same increase to pensions would have happened if Kermit the Frog was prime minister.
And yet we see the government taking credit. What we need to see is a government that takes real action. Your previous government speaker was sitting there almost wringing his hands on your program talking about this ‘bad situation’. That’s not giving Australians confidence that they need.
Updated
Bill to incentivise pensioners to downsize introduced to parliament
The “let us help you baby boomers sell your empty nest home” legislation, also known as the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Incentivising Pensioners to Downsize) Bill 2022 has just been introduced to the parliament.
What does it do? Here are the explanatory notes:
This Bill amends the Social Security Act 1991 and the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 to better support pensioners (or other eligible income support recipients) during the sale and purchase of a new principal home, by:
Extending the existing assets test exemption for principal home sale proceeds which a person intends to use to buy a new principal home from 12 months to 24 months.
Applying only the lower below threshold deeming rate to these asset test exempt principal home sale proceeds when calculating deemed income.
These changes reduce the impact of selling and buying a new principal home on an income support recipient’s rate of payment.
Updated
China must 'do better' on detained journalist Cheng Lei, Albanese says
The Chinese ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, spoke to ABC’s 7.30 program last night and said he has been trying to get Australian journalist Cheng Lei access to her family. Here’s some more on this from the prime minister’s press conference.
Anthony Albanese said:
Well, this is something that should happen. Cheng Lei should have access to her family. Australia continues to make representation and we have a very strong view about her treatment, and we’ll continue to make representation. There’s been no transparency in any of these processes at all. And the Chinese government needs to do better.
Q: “Prime Minister, the ambassador has also flagged diplomatic research, he suggested that he’s trying to create an atmosphere to allow a sideline discussion for you and the Chinese premier at the G20 in Indonesia, is that something you are open to?”
Albanese:
I’m open to dialogue with anyone at any time, particularly with leaders of other nations. It’s a good thing if there is dialogue, and certainly, if such a meeting took place I would welcome it as I welcome dialogue with leaders throughout the region and throughout the globe.
Q: “Do you know of any approaches between his office and the foreign ministry or your office?”
Albanese:
No.
Updated
Albanese says budget constraints mean ‘we can’t do everything’
And on those ‘difficult decisions’ in the budget?
Q: “Is it cuts or is it the end of measures like the fuel excise pause or is it something else?”
Anthony Albanese:
Well, it is what it is, I was just being straight with the partyroom as I’ve been straight with the people of Australia. We’ve inherited a trillion dollars of Liberal party debt. When interest rate rises, so do the repayment costs of that Liberal party debt. What that means is that we can’t do everything that we would like to do. We’ve already foreshadowed as well, that will be going through line by line, looking for the waste which was there from the former government, looking for their largess and these funds that were established just for political purposes, not for the national interest. So we will be doing that. I look forward to Jim Chalmers delivering the budget next month.
Q: “Should Australians be preparing for tough decisions to come up with difficult cuts like that?”
Albanese:
I’ve answered the question.
Updated
Anthony Albanese sells Canberra property
At his press conference earlier, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, revealed he had recently sold his property in Canberra.
A journalist asked: “Two questions. In relation, you’ve got a policy out today that is in relation to encouraging Baby Boomers to move out and have a better system for their pension basically in relation to deeming rates. Now you own three properties yourself, nothing wrong with that, but they’re listed as residential in Canberra, then you’ve got investments in Sydney and the family home, given the debate about housing affordability, are any of those properties empty? Are they tenanted? Are you getting rental income for those properties?”
Albanese said:
I’ve sold my Canberra property. I have a home in Sydney that I am in the process of moving things out of, I haven’t made a decision about that yet, and I have a rental property in Sydney.
It was sold at auction a couple of weeks ago, he said.
Given Canberra property prices are INSANE, chances are he received a good price too.
Updated
Victoria records 11 Covid deaths
In Victoria, 11 more people have lost their lives to Covid, and 222 people are in hospital in the state being treated for the virus. There were 2,237 cases reported yesterday.
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) September 6, 2022
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/0JtksM50jH pic.twitter.com/aWoEAqixY1
Updated
NSW records 21 Covid deaths
New South Wales has reported 21 lives lost to Covid in the last day, and 1,581 people are in hospital being treated for the virus.
COVID-19 update – Wednesday 7 September 2022
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 6, 2022
In the 24-hour reporting period to 4pm yesterday:
- 97% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine*
- 95.4% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine* pic.twitter.com/c216zOH7Mq
Updated
Pharmacy Guild welcomes changes to PBS
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia is pretty happy with the government this morning.
The government is increasing the subsidy for drugs, cutting the maximum PBS co-payment from $42.50 to $30 a prescription.
From its statement:
The national president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Prof Trent Twomey, said this was the single most significant change to the cost of and access to medicines since the PBS was introduced 75 years ago.
As primary healthcare workers, community pharmacists have increasingly been hearing patients say they simply cannot afford their medicines, often faced with deciding who in the family will go without in order to put food on the table or pay their bills.
The guild and community pharmacies have advocated strongly on behalf of patients for a reduction of the cost of medicines and today we thank the federal government for taking action.
The reduction in the co-payment is a 30% saving on the cost of each prescription. It means an individual will save $150 a year for one monthly script, or $300 to $450 a year for two to three scripts a month. This is an annual saving of almost $200m which will be put back into the pockets of Australians.
Updated
'We want good relations with our Pacific neighbours', PM says
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has declined to engage with criticisms from Solomon Islands leader, Manasseh Sogavare, who accused Australia of “an assault on our parliamentary democracy” in offering to help fund the nation’s elections.
Sogavare, who will visit Australia next month, has proposed to delay the election by several months. Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said yesterday the government had offered funding to subsidise the cost of an election.
At a press conference this morning in Canberra, Albanese was asked about the comments from Australia’s neighbour. He did not directly respond to the criticisms.
We want good relations with our Pacific neighbours and I’m very much looking forward to hosting Prime Minister Sogavare, I’ll be hosting him at the Lodge for dinner in just a few weeks time in October.
Responding to the Chinese ambassador’s interview on the ABC last night, when Xiao Qian said he was seeking to allow detained Australian journalist Cheng Lei access to her family, Albanese was more forthcoming:
This is something that should happen, Cheng Lei should have access to her family. Australia continues to make representation and we have a very strong view about her treatment.
There’s been no transparency in any of these processes at all, the Chinese government needs to do better.
Albanese said he was “open to dialogue” with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, after the ambassador suggested there could be a long-awaited meeting between the leaders – potentially at an upcoming international summit.
I’m open to dialogue with anyone at any time, particularly with leaders of other nations. It’s a good thing if there’s dialogue and if such a meeting took place I would welcome it.
Updated
Most people in parliament would recognise this pharmacy (it is one of the closest to the parliament building).
Anthony Albanese’s team chose it for an announcement on cheaper medicines – a Labor election promise, with legislation to be introduced into the house today.
Updated
Greens MP continues push for national rent freeze
Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather is trying to push the government to enact a policy to freeze public and private rents for two years, as well as putting a ban on evictions (something states did during the beginning of the pandemic).
Chandler-Mather says the Scottish government has done it – so why can’t Australia?
“Memo to Anthony Albanese, Scotland froze rents in the private rental market without ‘nationalising all property’ so maybe he can now drop the feigned ignorance act,” he said.
There’s a reason Scotland is freezing rents, because it works and it is exactly how you protect renters from unfair and massive rent increases.
We’ve got 2.7 million people in rental stress after rents have increased seven times faster than wages and it’s only going to get worse. Now that Scotland has shown the way it is time for the federal government to finally start treating this once in a generation housing crisis seriously.”
The Victorian government has done it in the past, the Australian federal government froze rents in WWII and now Scotland is freezing rents, it’s time the Australian Government froze rents and gave renters some much needed relief.
On Tuesday the prime minister said the government’s solution to the rental crisis was building 30,000 social and affordable homes over five years, and my question is what is the government going to do about the millions of renters his government’s policy will leave behind, not to mention the half a million in need of social housing?
Updated
Shrinking childcare workforce affects all industries, advocate says
The Parenthood, an advocacy group for early childhood education, children and parental policy, are (not surprisingly) in support of the national day of action for early childhood education.
Georgie Dent said:
It’s estimated that Australia needs an additional 39,000 early educators by 2023. To realise the full increased productivity benefits of the Labor government’s planned cheaper childcare package, we will need the equivalent of 9,650 full-time educators.
But instead of growing, this workforce is shrinking. This is a problem for every other employer or organisation in the country. If a parent can’t access care, they can’t access work. We need to act now to stem the loss of early educators and do everything we can to attract Australians back into this profession. That’s why we’re supporting today’s shut-down and calls from early educators for better pay and conditions.
There is no doubt that children and parents not being able to access early learning and care will be disruptive. But if early educators don’t get the respect, support and decent pay they deserve, they’re going to continue to leave the profession and that will be far more disruptive than a day-long shut down.
The group outlines what fixing the workforce crisis in early learning will mean:
More educators can be securely employed in the sector.
More places available for children so that parents can choose to return to work and ease other workforce shortages in teaching, nursing, aged care and more.
More learning opportunities for children in the first five years.
Updated
Bargaining system key to ensuring higher pay for care workers – Gallagher
And on the national day of action for early childhood education workers, Katy Gallagher said:
This is an issue I’m looking very closely with my minister for women’s hat, predominantly overrepresented women – in the workforce and also it acts as a handbrake on women working more hours.
I think the issue in the care economy is really substantial and again I don’t have the single answer for how to fix it all, but we have got the issues with aged care workers, disability care workers, and early education and care workers, and how we manage that.
This is part of why we’re being talking about multi-employer bargaining because in the feminised sector, bargaining is broken, it doesn’t work, and they haven’t been getting the pay rises that they should be getting and so we have to look at how that system is working for female-dominated industries and the early education and care sector is a critical part of that. It’s a growing part of that as is the care economy more broadly and we have got to work out a way through it.
So we acknowledge – we want early child care educators to be well-paid and we think the answer to some degree lies with making sure the bargaining system works for women.
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Gallagher says Labor has not changed position on tax cuts
And on the stage three tax cuts, Katy Gallagher echoed the line the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, started last week and continued yesterday – which is effectively Labor playing dead on the $243bn cuts:
I have been asked this a number of times. You know, we haven’t changed our view on stage three. They don’t come in until 2024.
My sole focus at the moment is putting a budget together for October and what we can do in the short-term to relieve pressure on families. That is what I’m focused on everyday.
We haven’t changed our view on stage three, but we are looking at what we can do in the short-term to ease some of those pressures on families in this really challenging environment where we have got rising interest rates and we’re trying to deal with a high inflation environment.
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Finance minister says budget won’t be fixed in short-term
Katy Gallagher was asked this morning about Anthony Albanese’s “difficult decisions” in regards to the budget comment yesterday and told the ABC:
Well, the budget we inherited was heaving with a trillion dollars of Liberal party debt. We got deficits as far as the eye can see.
We got some programs that weren’t funded in an ongoing sense that clearly are programs that need ongoing funding.
We have got a whole range of waste and rorts focus I’m trying to look at, going through line by line. So some of those difficult decisions are how we reprioritise, how we make savings and how we make room for all of the other good ideas that people are coming forward with, including many of the good ideas that were discussed at the jobs and skills summit.
So these are some of the difficult decisions that we are balancing up in the lead-up to October.
But it won’t end there. I mean, this – again, this budget situation is not going to be fixed in the short-term. These are going to be decisions that we have to make in an ongoing sense across the forward estimates because the budget is in such a difficult position and all of the kind of challenges, aged care, increased defence spending, the NDIS, servicing the debt that we have inherited, these are all programs that are going – growing very fast and we have to make room to manage them.
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Anthony Albanese has held a press conference – Josh Butler was there – and we will bring you some of that very soon.
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Aged care minister endorses multi-employer bargaining
The aged care minister, Anika Wells, has endorsed the difference multi-employer bargaining could make in her sector.
Wells told Guardian Australia:
Aged care has a largely female workforce, and this measure could help women in care industries achieve better pay.
Our government cares about closing the gender pay gap and we will get wages moving – particularly for women – by modernising Australia’s workplace relations laws.
There is a historic undervaluation of the work done in female-dominated occupations like aged care and multi-employer bargaining could help address that undervaluation.
I have written to the Fair Work Commission asking for a pay rise for the aged care sector which will help close the gender pay gap.
We have a bargaining system designed for large male dominated workplaces, locking women in feminised industries out of the system and it must change.
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As rates continue to rise economists predict slowdown
With the Reserve Bank of Australia lifting its key interest rate on Tuesday to its highest level since early 2015, attention starts to turn now to what the bank’s board will do when it next meets on 4 October.
There’s a strong expectation that the RBA has more hiking to come, with investors still leaning towards another “super-sized” 50-basis point increase to 2.85% next month. (Economists think it’s more likely to be a “bite-sized” 25 basis points.)
After the September RBA rate rise, attention turns to what the central bank will do on Oct 4th. Investors are rating the prospect of another 50bp increase as a 60% chance. Economists reckon it's more likely to a 25bp hike. pic.twitter.com/IUoaEBtDZp
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) September 6, 2022
The RBA governor, Philip Lowe, had one stab at explaining his thinking in the statement accompanying yesterday’s board decision. He will also be giving a speech in Sydney on Thursday from just after 1pm AEST on “Inflation and the Monetary Policy”.
One issue is the timing of big Australian Bureau of Statistics data is a bit staggered. The September quarter CPI numbers won’t land until 26 October – a day after the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will release his first budget.
The quarter’s wage price index won’t arrive until 16 November so the RBA’s liaison team that gauges what companies are doing will be working overtime.
Coming out today will be the June quarter national accounts, showing us how the economy fared in that quarter.
Economists are expecting a quarterly GDP increase around the 0.8% to 1% mark and an annual rate of about 3.5% (or roughly in line with the 3.7% pace reported in the March quarter).
We preview what’s going on here, and why the June quarter might be as good as it gets for a while at least:
Of course, some things aren’t so easily measured, such as the value of wildlife. Today also happens to be national threatened species day. Unfortunately, that’s one metric that continually ticks up, as does the number of creatures great and small that are no longer with us.
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Penny Wong on funding offer to Solomon Islands yesterday
Here is what Penny Wong said about it yesterday (also on Radio National).
Patricia Karvelas: Let’s move to the Solomon Islands. Does the government’s offer to help fund the Solomon Islands election reflect concerns that prime minister Sogavare is planning to delay the poll?
Wong: It reflects our longstanding and historical commitment to supporting democracy and democratic processes in Solomon Islands, and we’ve previously offered support and we are offering support again.
PK: What exactly have we offered in terms of assistance? How much money are we talking about and has the offer been accepted?
Wong: Well, look, we have made an offer of assistance, and it’s a matter for Solomon Islands as to whether they will respond and how they wish to respond.
PK: So, they are yet to respond?
Wong: We’ve made an offer.
PK: Is this a direct response to request for funding from the Solomon Islands opposition?
Wong: No, this is because Australia has always and historically supported democracy in Solomon Islands. It’s something through the Pacific we’ve made offers previously for support for elections, just as obviously recently we were supportive of the Papua New Guinea election. So, this is a reasonably common approach that Australian governments have made over years.
PK: And do you expect it to be received positively?
Wong: Well, it’s a matter for the government of Solomon Islands. Ultimately, they are a parliamentary democracy. I understand as you said in your, I think, earlier question there’s legislation before the parliament that’s domestically controversial. That’s ultimately a matter for their parliament to resolve.
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Simon Birmingham questions Labor's communication with Solomon Islands
The shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, is speaking to ABC RN about the Solomon Islands’ government response.
He says that it was “entirely appropriate” Australia made the offer to help with election funding, but questions how it was communicated.
Speaking to Patricia Karvelas, Birmingham said:
These are quite damning statements from the Solomon Islands government and there is much now to be answered by the Albanese government in terms of the way in which this offer was communicated [and] why it was revealed in the public way it was, when it was revealed.
What are you critiquing?
— RN Breakfast (@RNBreakfast) September 6, 2022
"what has gone wrong here appears to be particularly criticism from the Solomon Islands about the making public of this offer and that they are seeing it as an attempt to influence their own nation, their own democratic processes"
- @Birmo
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Solomon Islands PM accuses Australia of interfering in its democracy
Yesterday, the Albanese government’s offer to help fund Solomon Islands’ election became public, with Penny Wong confirming the offer had been made, after the government said it could not afford to hold an election and the Pacific Games in the same year.
But the government, led by Manasseh Sogavare, has responded with a pretty strong rebuke, accusing Australia of ‘interfering’ with its democracy:
The timing of the public media announcement by the Australian government is in effect a strategy to influence how members of parliament will vote on this bill during the second reading on Thursday 8 September 2022.
This is an assault on our parliamentary democracy and is a direct interference by a foreign government into our domestic affairs.
The Solomon Islands government has conveyed to the Australian government its concern on the conduct of bilateral relations via the media through the Australian high commission office in Honiara.
The Solomon Islands opposition had accused Sogavare of attempting to hold on to power for another eight months (at least) by delaying the election, with the controversial legislation which would put off the poll until next year, due to be debated in the Solomon Islands parliament tomorrow.
But the statement has kicked off the latest diplomatic squall between Australia and one of its Pacific neighbours.
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Early childhood educators to strike across the country
If you have children in early childhood education, it’s early childhood educators day. And that means it’s also a day of action for the sector.
Early childhood educators voted a month ago to take action today, giving warning to parents and asking for support as they fight for better pay and conditions.
There is a march to parliament planned a little bit later today.
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Good morning
Happy Wednesday.
There’s no exclamation mark there because it doesn’t deserve it.
Today will be an absolute whirlwind as the government tries to get ahead of the “do something about cost of living” calls with a couple of announcements – cheaper medicines (an election promise) and support for pensioners to downsize their homes to increase housing stock.
But that won’t help with the day to day costs.
With rising inflation and rising interest rates it’s left a lot of Australians in some pretty tight corners. Anthony Albanese warned of “difficult decisions” in the upcoming budget in his speech to caucus yesterday which has people wondering whether there are more cuts planned or just not a lot of help on offer. Given inflation is expected to get worse before it gets better, and the Reserve Bank of Australia flagged more interest rate rises yesterday, there is going to be even more pressure on the government to do *something* to address it.
The prime minister will be holding a press conference very soon and no doubt he’ll be asked all about that.
You have Sarah Martin, Josh Butler and Paul Karp covering all things Canberra today. Of course Mike Bowers is already on the hunt for what’s going on. And I (Amy Remeikis) will be with you for most of the day.
It’s the Midwinter ball tonight – the first time it’s been held since the pandemic – but the work won’t stop.
It’s at least a five-coffee day. Ready? Because I’m not. But let’s get into it.
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