Category Archives: Australian politics

Albanese government seeks to cap new international student enrolments at 270,000

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Labor will also dump a controversial ministerial direction that gave priority to students applying to low-risk institutions

The Albanese government aims to cap new international student enrolments in Australia to 270,000 in 2025 and dump a controversial ministerial direction that gave priority to students applying to low-risk institutions.

In a statement released on Tuesday the education minister, Jason Clare, revealed the details of the proposed national planning level, which would pare university enrolments back to 145,000, or around their 2023 levels.

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Jim Chalmers calls Peter Dutton ‘most divisive leader’ in modern Australian history

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Treasurer uses John Curtin Oration to accuse opposition leader of deliberately stoking culture wars and division

The treasurer has unleashed a stinging attack on the opposition leader, calling Peter Dutton “the most divisive leader of a major political party in Australia’s modern history”, as he defended the Labor government’s economic performance since coming to office.

Delivering the annual John Curtin Oration in Melbourne, which marks the anniversary of Curtin’s Labor government’s 1943 landslide election victory, Jim Chalmers accused the opposition leader of starting culture wars, dog whistling and dividing Australians “deliberately, almost pathologically”.

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Albanese government rejects Setka’s claim Labor double-crossed him over CFMEU administration as ‘ridiculous’

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Construction Forestry Maritime Employees Union members to protest administration in capital city rallies on Tuesday

Labor has emphatically rejected claims by former construction union official John Setka that the Albanese government agreed to let him stand down in return for not putting his union into administration.

The workplace relations minister, Murray Watt, said this was a “ridiculous claim” and rejected as “absolutely fanciful” suggestions Labor had double-crossed him by proceeding to put the union into administration over accusations of criminal misconduct and bikie links against the body.

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Australia urged to show ‘true climate leadership’ as Pacific Islands Forum begins – as it happened

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Investigations under way after alleged theft of non-fuctional guns from museum

An investigation is under way after a museum in Lithgow, in the NSW Central Tablelands, was allegedly broken into overnight.

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Bill Shorten accuses Greens of NDIS misinformation as he tries to reassure participants over new laws

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NDIS minister says participants will still be able to request funding for support that is not on approved list if it is genuinely needed

The national disability insurance scheme minister, Bill Shorten, has assured participants that under Labor’s changes, support not on a list of approved items could still be accessed if it is genuinely needed.

The comments come as the Greens and disability advocacy groups warn a draft list outlining which supports and services can be funded, and which ones cannot, will leave some participants worse off.

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How do you best choose an Australian aged care facility and what do the star ratings mean?

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Experts have questioned why so few homes are rated substandard, given the commission found one in three residents experience neglect, abuse or poor care

The star rating system of aged care homes was introduced in December 2022 to help older people and their families compare the quality and safety of services and providers.

Developed as a recommendation of the royal commission, the system has repeatedly come under scrutiny. Experts and unions have questioned why so few homes are rated substandard, given the commission found one in three residents experience neglect, abuse or poor care; and how homes on the non-compliance register manage ratings of three stars and above.

If you are having issues or concerns with your aged care, call OPAN on 1800 700 600. The National Dementia Helpline is also available on 1800 100 500.

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Government gives itself power to pay any non-citizen to leave Australia

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Exclusive: Greens decry expansion of scheme to ‘all non-citizens’ – including those whose asylum claims were rejected after arriving by air – as a ‘bribe’

The federal government has quietly given itself the power to pay any unlawful non-citizen to leave Australia or for foreign countries to resettle them, in what the Greens have labelled an attempt to “bribe” asylum seekers.

New regulations made on 15 August expanded the return and reintegration assistance program (RRAP), which currently pays up to $7,500 cash plus expenses to people on bridging visas, or those who arrived by boat, to leave Australia.

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NSW Liberal Andrew Bragg claims some party colleagues may be ‘playing footsies with nimbys’

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Moderate senator says the idea of new developments in established suburbs does not sit well with some Liberals

New South Wales Liberal frontbench senator Andrew Bragg has accused some of his party colleagues of “playing footsies with nimbys” for blocking real estate developments in Sydney’s suburbs that he says would help ease the housing crisis.”

The shadow assistant minister for home ownership told Guardian Australia that some Liberals were encouraging a not-in-my-back yard attitude to expanding housing stock in some metropolitan areas and obstructing measures that could help increase supply.

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Australia news live: winter heat record set in South Australia; NZ suspends import of all Australian tomatoes

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South Australia has notched up its hottest winter day on record. Follow the day’s news live

David Anderson says it was ‘the right time for me’ to resign from ABC

The ABC managing director, David Anderson, is speaking with ABC RN after yesterday’s announcement of his resignation.

And I think the right time for the ABC. It is something I had thought about now for months, and went away on leave, spoke to [ABC chair] Kim [Williams] a lot. Kim tried to get me to change my mind. [I] came back from leave with it, certain in my mind that I was making the right decision.

We’ve got a long lead time for the board to find a new managing director, and I’ve been asked to and I agreed to stay on until that person starts, which could very well be April next year.

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Labor quietly extends work and Medicare rights to some visa-holders from Gaza and Israel

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Rights granted to two subclasses of bridging visa E as part of ‘additional assistance’ to those affected by conflict

The federal government has extended work rights and Medicare access to some visa-holders from Gaza and Israel as it prepares to shift those who arrived on visitor visas since the 7 October attacks on to bridging visas.

Without public announcement, the government issued a regulation on 5 August extending Medicare access to people holding two subclasses of bridging visa E who had already been granted work rights, and also to immediate family members who are also visa-holders.

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‘End the private school boys’ club’: slashing salaries of badly behaved MPs not enough, Lidia Thorpe says

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Independent senator says Australians are sick of ‘privileged, high-paid politicians’ not taking their jobs seriously in ‘toxic and unsafe’ Parliament House

Lidia Thorpe has questioned whether docking the salaries of highly paid federal politicians will be enough to deter bad behaviour as parliamentarians contemplate the introduction of a sanctions body for MP misconduct.

The independent senator believes racism in the halls of power should also become a focus of the workplace behaviour enforcement body, describing Parliament House as a “toxic and unsafe environment”.

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NDIS deal passes both houses – as it happened

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Queensland Labor’s longest-serving state MP to retire

Queensland Labor’s longest-serving state MP has announced he will retire at October’s election.

Curtis Pitt is the last survivor of the “Tarago opposition”, the seven ALP MPs elected at the 2012 wipeout election.

The party won government back in 2015, after just one term.

In a Facebook post on Thursday morning, he announced his retirement after 15 years in politics.

It’s not a decision I’ve come to lightly. I’ve always said that the day I wake up and don’t feel I can give it 100 per cent, then it’s time for me to do something else.

When I think back, all of my kids have been born since I’ve been an MP. Having been a member of parliament for five terms, I know that I’ve missed so many important milestones and occasions.

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Super to be paid on parental leave as Labor seeks to close gender gap

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From July 2025, 180,000 families expected to benefit from 12% superannuation paid to parents using paid parental leave

New mothers and fathers are set to have their superannuation topped up by the federal government when they are taking time off to care for their newborn.

Laws paying superannuation on top of government-funded paid parental leave have been introduced to federal parliament in an attempt to lower the gender gap for retirement savings.

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Albanese given taxpayer-funded legal help after defamation threat from John Margerison

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Attorney general approves legal assistance ‘in relation to a defamation claim’ made against PM, along with approval for claims against Bill Shorten

The attorney general has approved legal assistance for Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten in relation to defamation threats by a business associate of the former Liberal minister Stuart Robert.

On 12 August Mark Dreyfus approved assistance “in relation to a defamation claim” made against the prime minister on 23 July and for defamation claims on 23 and 25 July against Shorten, the government services and national disability insurance scheme minister, according to documents tabled to parliament.

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‘Grade five instincts’: why sook is the new insult of choice in Australia’s parliament

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In the rough and tumble of the House of Representatives, this barb stands out as an oldie but a goodie

In the hardbitten bear pit of politics, any sign of weakness is pounced on.

The latest favourite barb to be hurled about the federal chamber is “sook” – an oldie but a goodie. A slightly gentler insult than “snowflake”, “bedwetter” or “old jellyback”.

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Peter Dutton’s comments on Palestinians fleeing Gaza ‘bad for cohesion and harmony’, envoy says

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De facto ambassador to Australia says opposition leader’s commentary ‘not evidence based, not verified and unacceptable’

Peter Dutton’s comments about people escaping the bloodshed in Gaza are hurtful and “very bad for cohesion and harmony”, according to Palestine’s de facto ambassador to Australia.

After a week of intense parliamentary debate about Australia’s use of visitor visas for Palestinians fleeing the conflict, Izzat Salah Abdulhadi called the opposition leader’s commentary “very political”.

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Sussan Ley defends Coalition’s question time ‘passion’ as Labor proposes penalties for politicians’ bad behaviour

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Albanese government unveils proposal which could see MP’s salary docked by more than $11,000 for misconduct

The deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley, says the Coalition makes “no apology” for its “passion”-filled performances in question time as parliamentary workplace behaviour is once again in the spotlight.

A new parliamentary workplace sanctions body is on the horizon after the Albanese government unveiled its proposed Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission (IPSC) on Wednesday.

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Social support payment systems may be reviewed as DV commissioner warns they are being ‘weaponised’ against women

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Micaela Cronin highlights concerns that payment systems are used to punish current and former intimate partners

The federal government is considering an across-the-board audit of social support payment systems to identify whether they are putting people at risk, as the commissioner monitoring its national anti-violence plan warns they are being “weaponised” against women.

The domestic, family and sexual violence commissioner, Micaela Cronin, suggested on Wednesday that the government was reviewing all of its payment systems out of concern that they were being used to punish current and former intimate partners.

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Brittany Higgins told journalist who broke alleged rape story Linda Reynolds ‘hated’ her, court hears

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Journalist Samantha Maiden was called to give evidence in the WA senator’s defamation trial against her former staffer

Brittany Higgins felt toxic and told the journalist who broke the story about her alleged rape in Parliament House that Senator Linda Reynolds hated her.

The senator is suing Higgins, her former staffer – who is defending the claim – over a series of social media posts containing alleged mistruths that she believes damaged her reputation.

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Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

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NSW Liberal council election debacle descends into accusations of factional warfare

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Broadcaster Ray Hadley challenges ‘cowardly’ conservatives to ‘have a bit of courage for the sake of NSW politics’

The New South Wales Liberals’ failure to nominate in some local council elections has spilled over into accusations of factional warfare, with moderates warning a review should not be used as a pretext to dump the president, Don Harwin, or usher in federal intervention.

Brian Loughnane, the former federal Liberal director and reviewer of the 2022 election defeat, has been called in to examine the nomination failure, for which state director Richard Shields was sacked.

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