Category Archives: Australian politics

Matt Kean exploring a move to federal politics if Coalition loses NSW election, sources say

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Figures close to Kean said the Liberal treasurer, a high-profile moderate, has floated the idea

The New South Wales treasurer, Liberal Matt Kean, is said to be considering a move to Canberra if the Perrottet government suffers a defeat on Saturday week in the state election.

Figures close to Kean told the Guardian he has floated the idea and is exploring possible avenues into federal parliament, but his decision would depend on whether the Coalition lost in NSW on 25 March and by what margin, as this would determine how long they would be out of office in NSW.

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Workers face longer hours for less pay without productivity boost, Jim Chalmers says

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Treasurer says Australia must improve service delivery in the care sector to offset ‘woeful’ economic indicators

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says Australians’ incomes will fall and the working week will get longer without major boosts to productivity, saying the nation must boost service delivery in the care sector to offset some “woeful” economic indicators.

Ahead of releasing the Productivity Commission’s five-yearly report on Friday, Chalmers again downplayed the prospect of major cost-of-living relief in the May budget, but said it would be soon become a focus for the government.

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ABC staff to walk off job next week – as it happened

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Acting prime minister and defence minister Richard Marles has spoken to ABC News Breakfast this morning after the $368bn announcement of the Aukus deal yesterday.

In response to the reaction from China accusing Australia, the US and Britain of embarking on a “path of error and danger”, Marles defends making a decision that is in Australia’s national interest:

We are seeking to acquire this capability to make our contribution to the collective security of the region and the maintenance of the global rules-based order.

And one of the issues within our region we are witnessing the largest conventional military build-up that the world has seen since the end of the second world war. And it’s not Australia who is doing that, but that shapes the world in which we live.

We’re completely confident these are in complete compliance with non proliferation.

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Most Australian states face sharp power bill rises, despite government’s intervention

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Energy regulators issue draft default market offer, which set cap for this year’s increases

Power bills for households in three states will rise as much as 23.7% from 1 July if the Australian Energy Regulator’s draft determination, announced on Wednesday, is confirmed. Prices in Victoria may rise by almost a third.

The AER chair, Clare Savage, said the increases were “significant” but they could have been as much as 40% to 50% without the federal government’s intervention in December to cap domestic gas and black coal prices.

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Liberal MP says search for Aukus submarine nuclear waste dump site in his electorate is premature

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Rowan Ramsey ‘amazed’ government starting selection process in 12 months, given 33-year life of Virginia class reactor

Rowan Ramsey, the Liberal MP who faces the prospect of a nuclear waste dump in his South Australian electorate, has said he is “amazed” the government will begin the search in just 12 months for a facility that won’t be required for decades.

The comments come as green groups rally against a key component of the Aukus nuclear submarine acquisition: that Australia is required to dispose of the waste generated by its Virginia class submarines and the new SSN-Aukus submarine.

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Could a Donald Trump-shaped torpedo sink Australia’s $368bn Aukus submarine plans?

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Technical risks abound in multi-decade plan for Australia to obtain nuclear-powered submarines. There are plenty of political ones too

On a day of hoopla surrounding the Aukus unveiling in San Diego, perhaps the most revealing moment occurred during a press conference 12,000km away in Canberra.

Given that Australia’s multi-decade plan to gain nuclear-powered submarines will require the support of successive US administrations, a reporter asked the Australian defence minister, Richard Marles, a very direct question on Tuesday: “Are you concerned that a future US president will tear it up?”

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What is the Aukus submarine deal and what does it mean? – the key facts

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The four-phase plan has made nuclear arms control experts nervous … here’s why

In a tripartite deal with the US and the UK, Australia has unveiled a plan to acquire a fleet of up to eight nuclear-powered submarines, forecast to cost up to $368bn between now and the mid-2050s. Australia will spend $9bn over the next four years.

From this year Australian military and civilian personnel will embed with US and UK navies, including within both countries’ submarine industrial bases. From 2027 the UK and the US plan to rotate their nuclear-powered submarines through HMAS Stirling near Perth as part of a push to step up training of Australians.

Embedded personnel and port visits: Australian military and civilian personnel will embed with the the allies’ navies. US nuclear-powered submarines will increase their visits to Australian ports, with Australian sailors joining US crews for training.

Submarine rotations: From 2027 the UK and the US plan to rotate one UK Astute class submarine and up to four US Virginia class submarines through HMAS Stirling.

Sale of US Virginia-class submarines: From the early 2030s – pending approval by Congress – the US intends to sell Australia three Virginia-class submarines, with a potential option for two more if required.

SSN-Aukus: A combination of UK submarine design and US defence technology will contribute to the development of the new SSN-Aukus submarine – intended as the future attack submarine for both the UK and Australia. Both Australia and the UK intend to start building SSN-Aukus submarines in their domestic shipyards before the end of this decade. The first such boat may enter into UK service in the late 2030s, but the Australian navy will receive its first Australian-built SSN-Aukus submarine in the early 2040s.

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Aukus: nuclear submarines deal will cost Australia up to $368bn

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‘Rotational forces’ of US and UK nuclear-powered submarines set to visit Australia from 2027 as part of landmark pact

Australia is to embark on one of its most significant, expensive and geopolitically consequential military tasks in a century: the push to acquire, operate – and eventually build – nuclear-powered submarines.

The program is forecast to cost $268bn to $368bn between now and the mid 2050s, most of it beyond the first four-year budget period, and will depend on help from the US and the UK.

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‘White saviours’ accused of finding flaws in voice proposal ‘to stay in spotlight’ by working group member

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Thomas Mayo says it is now ‘crunch time’ for Australian government’s relationship with advisory group

Constitutional conservatives raising doubts about the proposed wording of the referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament have been accused of acting like “white saviours”, finding flaws with the proposal “just to stay in the spotlight”, according to a member of the government’s advisory group.

Thomas Mayo, a Kaurareg and Kalkalgal Erubamle man and working group member, said it was now “crunch time” for the government’s relationship with the advisory group.

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Peter Dutton says Coalition would support NDIS cuts to pay for Aukus submarines

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Liberal leader offers bipartisan backing for ‘sustainable’ savings for the next generation defence scheme

Peter Dutton has suggested the Coalition would offer bipartisan support for cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme to keep it “sustainable” and pay for the Aukus nuclear submarine acquisition.

The former defence minister and opposition leader offered bipartisanship on budget savings ahead of Anthony Albanese announcing the submarine plan on Tuesday morning AEDT, with the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and the US president, Joe Biden.

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Marcia Langton attacks ‘relentless scare campaign’ waged by opponents of Indigenous voice

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Comments from design group co-chair come after NT’s Country Liberal president announced resignation over party’s opposition to voice

Prof Marcia Langton, one of the most experienced members of the Indigenous voice to parliament working group, has launched an attack on the “relentless scare campaign” waged by opponents and called on the government to “reassure” voters by endorsing the voice co-design report.

Langton has called on the Albanese government to endorse the report as the basis for post-referendum parliamentary processes and public consultations. The report lays out in detail how a national voice model would operate.

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Albanese meets with UK PM ahead of submarine deal unveiling – As it happened

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Severe flooding continued in Queensland; PM to meet Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak to announce Aukus terms. This blog is now closed

Circling back to the interview with Tammy Tyrrell. Tyrrell wants to see the government invest at least 4% of its multibillion-dollar social housing plan in Tasmania. She says it’s only fair, as a government survey shows 4.6% of people most in need of housing support are in Tasmania.

Tyrrell says she will be meeting next week with the housing minister, Julie Collins, about the request.

They haven’t shut me down. They haven’t said no, but they haven’t said yes.

It’s absolutely fundamental to everything that I do. My job is to represent the people of Indi in the federal parliament and in doing that, I try my darnedest to connect policy to the people to the policy, every single time.

So I go to them when I have to make a decision about a piece of legislation I may not be clear on. And I go to them and explain why I’ve made the decision I have once that legislation is through the parliament.

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Australia news live: more rain across flooded Queensland region brings ‘extended peak’

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Major flood warning issued in north-west Queensland after Burketown residents evacuated overnight. Follow the day’s news live

Control of submarines will remain with Australia: Courtney

Courtney appears confident that control of the submarines will remain with Australia, saying “no one wants to be in a situation where there is any conflict of who is in charge or who is giving orders or who is taking orders”.

We understand that that is precious for every nation, to be able to control and make their own decisions.

We have such a carve-out for Canada today. Again, the defence sectors are much more free-flowing and seamless because of the fact that we made that adjustment, and that is going to be a focus.

No one will be foisting off clunkers on good friends and allies.

We need to train up the Australian sailors and officers in terms of nuclear propulsion which is all we’re talking about here, not nuclear weapons. And when the time comes for the deeds, the title to be handed to the government of Australia of a vessel, that again is going to be totally with the full understanding that it is going to be under Australian control.

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Coalition demands government release Indigenous voice legal advice

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Julian Leeser says Australians deserve to know what the solicitor general said about the power of the voice to advise executive government

Julian Leeser has demanded the release of legal advice about the Indigenous voice’s power to advise the executive government, claiming Australians have a right to know if its top lawyer has “concerns”.

The shadow attorney general wrote to his counterpart, Mark Dreyfus, on Friday. And he reiterated his demand for any advice by the solicitor general to be released in an interview on Sunday. The referendum working group has not yet made its final recommendation.

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Attacks on Hindu temples have ‘no place in Australia’, PM says; Sydney trains hit by delays – as it happened

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Burketown flood at ‘record levels’ with helicopter evacuations to continue throughout the day. This blog is now closed

Pandemic marriage laws protected LGBTQI people, advocate says

Marriage laws intended to give couples more flexibility through the Covid-19 pandemic offer LGBTQI people critical protection from discrimination and persecution, an advocate says.

This move to enable a celebrant to witness remotely the signing of a notice of intended marriage needs to be made permanent.

It’s not just for the convenience of anyone. There’s still a lot of queer people in Australia who are not out.

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Hillsong under investigation by charities regulator over explosive allegations aired in parliament

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Documents tabled by MP Andrew Wilkie claim to show church used jobkeeper funds to help purchase Melbourne’s Festival Hall

The federal charities regulator is investigating Hillsong over explosive allegations aired under parliamentary privilege that it engaged in money laundering and tax evasion, with claims the mega-church earned $80m more than it publicly declared.

Financial documents tabled in parliament by the independent MP Andrew Wilkie, obtained from a whistleblower, claim to show Hillsong used funds from the jobkeeper wage subsidy program to help fund the purchase of Melbourne’s Festival Hall, and that its founder, Brian Houston, used tithes from parishioners to pay for upgraded hotel quarantine accommodation when returning from overseas at the height of the Covid pandemic.

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Queensland mother whose son took his life calls for change at robodebt royal commission – As it happened

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Inquiry into the unlawful scheme, which ran from 2015 to 2019, is ongoing. This blog is now closed

Final robodebt hearing shines light on people affected

A Centrelink employee and a customer impacted by the illegal robodebt scheme will be the final two witnesses appearing at the royal commission’s public hearings, AAP reports.

The international standard now in the OECD area is beyond 52 weeks. It’s great we’re moving to 26 but we are not going fast enough, doing what other countries are doing. We have slipped down the international rankings on paid parental leave.

It’s very important that we give the support to parents when a new baby arrives so they can share the leave, they can begin life with a new child, give that child the best shot and alongside that, of course, we need quality, early childhood education and care which we in the Greens think should be free, just like primary school.

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Australia politics live: NAB passes on full rate hike; pre-departure Covid testing to end for China, Hong Kong, Macau travellers

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Covid measures had been in place since 5 January, after China halted a lot of its own protocols. Follow the day’s news live

Gallagher aware of funding issue on national partnership agreements

A lot of funding in Australia is tied up in national partnership agreements. They are usually for short periods – the commonwealth works with the states to come to an agreement on funding, but it often means that agreements almost come to an end (or indeed, do end) and need emergency funding to continue while the next national partnership is worked out.

That agreement, which this money flows through is part of the national housing and homelessness agreement. And we are in active negotiations with the states. I’m aware of the funding issue. This is, you know, to give appropriate remuneration funding for or funding for payment for staff and Julie Collins is working hard on it. I can’t give you an answer today because it is right literally on our table.

We certainly were aware of the inflation problem in October. So you saw that we were we had upside, revenue coming in to the budget that we banked that – I think it was 99% in the first two years and 94% of the upside revenue over the forward estimates.

Now that was an important message, not just from the fact that we’re going to be fiscally responsible, but that where we can, you know, show restraint in spending.

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Labor meets Greens demand for ban on reconstruction fund investment in coal, gas and native logging

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Deal secures passage of NRF bill through lower house and provides likely pathway to pass it in Senate

The Albanese government has agreed to the Greens’ demands to ban the national reconstruction fund from direct investment in coal, gas and native logging projects.

The deal secured the passage of the NRF bill through the lower house on Thursday and gives Labor a likely pathway to pass it in the Senate with the support of the Greens and crossbench in late March.

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Sydney trains delayed due to ‘communication issue’ – as it happened

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Facing up to financial distress

It is not just academic though – there have been increased reports of people feeling distressed because of financial pressures.

When people are under extreme financial pressure, that has implications for their wellbeing more broadly. I mean, I think that is understood. And I’m sure that the governor in accepting that meeting understands that.

What we want to do as government is make life a little bit easier for people where we can, whether it’s with energy bills, whether it’s with cheaper early childhood education, cheaper medicines, trying to get wages moving again, financial security is a big part of what we’re focused on, particularly when these cost-of-living pressures are so acute.

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