PM says opposition ‘tying themselves in knots’ as parliament resumes. Follow the day’s news live
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Continue reading...Category Archives: National party
Climate groups welcome fuel efficiency standards – as it happened
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Labor tried to amend stage-three tax cuts, Albanese says
Anthony Albanese says Labor attempted to amend the stage-three tax cuts but its proposal failed by a single vote:
What we did in the parliament in 2019 is two things. One, we tried to amend our the stage-three tax cuts. We weren’t successful. We failed by just one vote. When that occurred, we thought that we weren’t prepared to stand in the way of all of the government to say they knew what the economy would look like in five years’ time.
One of the things, David, I have done is go to the National Press Club – and say we have changed our position. Why? We listened to people and particularly low- and middle-income Australians are under financial pressure.
What I can’t do as prime minister of Australia is to wring my hands and say, “If only there was something I co-do about it” What we needed to do was to look at what is the best way we can take pressure off cost of living without putting pressure on inflation.
We want it to be passed as soon as possible. Certainly, it needs to be passed during this existing session, so as to provide that easy transition for employers, the tax office, for others as well.
Circumstances have changed. We’ve responded.
Continue reading...Fuel efficiency standards: Labor unveils proposal, highlighting petrol savings of $1,000 a year for motorists
Coalition-led scare campaign predicted for plan to place yearly cap on emissions for new cars sold in Australia
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The Albanese government has unveiled its long-awaited plan for fuel efficiency standards for new cars while highlighting potential savings of $1,000 a year and predicting a Coalition-led scare campaign.
The proposed model, announced on Sunday, would place a yearly cap on the emissions output for new cars sold in Australia to incentivise carmakers to supply low- and zero-emissions vehicles and penalise companies that do not.
Continue reading...Victorian opposition drops support for treaty, citing ‘issues around cultural heritage’
The Coalition backed a bill in 2022 to start the treaty process but spokesman Peter Walsh says ‘things have changed’
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The Victorian opposition has dropped its support for a treaty with the state’s Indigenous people, citing concerns about cultural heritage laws.
The move was described by the state’s First People’s Assembly as “disappointing but not surprising”.
Continue reading...Coalition to have sizeable contingent at Cop28 despite Peter Dutton jibe at climate change minister’s attendance
Frontbenchers Paul Fletcher and Bridget McKenzie part of group of nine MPs who will be in Dubai funded by Coalition for Conservation and Environmental Leadership Australia
A significant contingent of Coalition MPs – including federal opposition frontbenchers Paul Fletcher and Bridget McKenzie – will fly out to the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai funded by two ginger groups.
Despite Peter Dutton last week making fun of the climate change minister, Chris Bowen, during an interview on 2GB for travelling to the United Nations-led international climate change conference and “incurring all those emissions” – a significant delegation of Coalition MPs will also attend the summit and associated events.
Continue reading...‘Urgent’ calls for biosecurity funding after fire ants cross Queensland border into NSW
Authorities working to chemically eradicate three nests after ‘one of world’s worst super pests’ found in South Murwillumbah
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Authorities are rushing to contain the spread of fire ants after the invasive species crossed the Queensland border into New South Wales for the first time since the infestation began in 2001.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries confirmed on Saturday that three red imported fire ant nests had been found in South Murwillumbah, 13km from the Queensland border in the state’s north-east.
Continue reading...New Zealand gets two deputy PMs after marathon coalition talks
After weeks of negotiations, incoming PM Christopher Luxon announces populist Winston Peters and libertarian David Seymour will alternate as deputy
Nearly six weeks after New Zealand’s general election, the incoming prime minister, National’s Christopher Luxon, has announced the shape of the governing coalition with the libertarian Act and populist New Zealand First parties.
Luxon told a media conference in Wellington on Friday that the three parties had agreed on a “common sense” plan that reflected their values and policies.
Continue reading...Former Australian deputy PM Barnaby Joyce says official JFK assassination findings didn’t ‘stack up’
Coalition MP says he has spent ‘an awful lot of time’ researching topic, and official theory that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone is ‘implausible’
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- ‘Conspiracies are just theories … not fact’: the Secret Service agent haunted by JFK’s shooting
The former deputy prime minister and Coalition frontbencher Barnaby Joyce claims the official narrative of the assassination of US president John F Kennedy 60 years ago “doesn’t stack up”, saying he didn’t believe the findings of the Warren commission that only one shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, was involved and acted alone.
The member for New England said he had devoted “an awful lot of time” to researching the incident, saying his own experience using firearms led him to believe that a rifle shot from the book depository – the official conclusion of the 1964 report into Kennedy’s death – was “implausible”.
Continue reading...Final New Zealand election results show National party will need populist NZ First to govern
Centre-right party loses two seats in final tally and will need to rely on traditional partner Act as well as NZ First to form coalition
After weeks of political limbo, the final results of New Zealand’s election have been released showing the centre-right National party will need the support of the libertarian Act party and populist party New Zealand First to form a coalition government.
The governing Labour party was ejected from office after six years in the October election, with preliminary results handing a slim majority to National and its traditional coalition partner Act.
Reuters contributed to this report
Barnaby Joyce-backed push to strike net zero emissions target from Nationals policy fails
Amended motion calls on party to ‘take a practical approach to lowering carbon emissions as a substantive move to nuclear power is made’
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A Barnaby Joyce-backed push to strip net zero from the Nationals’ policy platform has effectively been defeated as the former leader’s shadow cabinet position is brought into question.
Joyce backed a motion to strip net zero emissions by 2050 from the party platform at its national conference in Canberra on Saturday.
Continue reading...Coalition’s second referendum plan a ‘mirage’, Noel Pearson says
Indigenous leader dismisses Peter Dutton’s proposal and urges Australians to back coming vote as a chance to settle ‘unfinished business’
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Cape York leader Noel Pearson believes the Coalition would never hold another referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition if next month’s vote on the voice fails, saying plan is a “mirage” and pointing to internal opposition confusion.
Pearson has urged Australians to back the current referendum as a chance to settle “unfinished business”, expressing confidence the vote would succeed despite slipping support in opinion polls.
Continue reading...Nationals leader David Littleproud stands by net zero target amid internal push to ditch it
Comments come as party’s national conference considers Barnaby Joyce-aligned motion to abolish 2050 goal
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has said the party should not abandon a commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 despite an internal push to dump the target.
Speaking at the party’s annual conference in Canberra on Saturday, he said “the last decision that our party room made was to support net zero and proudly”.
Continue reading...Peter Dutton rejects Nationals push to overturn commitment to net zero
Liberal leader says Coalition ‘committed’ to policy after Barnaby Joyce labelled its cost ‘utterly untenable’
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Peter Dutton has rejected a push within the Nationals to overturn the commitment to net zero by 2050, warning the Coalition “won’t be departing” from the policy after Barnaby Joyce labelled the cost “utterly untenable”.
The Liberal leader told Radio National on Friday he was not concerned by Joyce’s intervention because there is “strong support for net zero” within the Coalition for the policy he had “recommitted to”.
Continue reading...Littleproud says ‘there’ll be no victory lap’ if voice fails – as it happened
Nationals leader backs Peter Dutton’s call to hold a referendum on Indigenous recognition if the voice to parliament vote fails in October. This blog is now closed
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Reforms ensure basic standards around pay and working conditions: Burke
Burke has also flagged reforms to ensure gig workers have some basic minimum standards around pay and conditions. Burke says the government reforms are not designed to “break the technology”.
There is no doubt that when people are ultimately receiving really low wages then making ends meet is tougher, and that puts extra pressure on you to take risks.
Riders have spoken to me about it and they say quite specifically that part of the desperation is you are just not earning enough to make ends meet.
We’re talking about the crime being for intentional wage theft, that’s where someone knows the rules. They know exactly what they’re doing. It is the cases where somebody knows that someone is meant to be paid more and they don’t care because they think they can get away with it, and they know that up until now the worse they will have to do is just pay the money back at a later point in time. So wage theft has nothing to do with complexity. It is about theft.
Continue reading...CPAC Australia: hardline culture warriors rail against Indigenous voice, ‘fake news’ and ‘woke corporates’
Tony Abbott, Warren Mundine and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price were among those urging attendees to oppose the voice to parliament
“We are one,” the motto above the CPAC logo proudly blared on the lanyards around the necks of attendees for the Conservative Political Action Conference in Sydney on Saturday.
It clashed somewhat incongruously with the even bigger text attached to the bright red media passes given to the few journalists who came to cover the event: “FAKE NEWS”.
Continue reading...National party refuses to back Peter Dutton on alternative Indigenous voice proposal
David Littleproud says his party has ‘real concern’ about regional advisory bodies Dutton has promised to put in legislation, but not in the constitution
The Nationals have refused to commit to legislating an Indigenous voice if the Coalition wins the next election, undercutting Peter Dutton’s attempt to win over voters with an alternative proposal.
Dutton has campaigned against enshrining a voice to parliament in the constitution, arguing it is “risky” to mention the advisory body in the nation’s founding document.
Continue reading...Don’t call me Captain Killjoy: David Littleproud opposes Matildas’ public holiday
National party leader says it’s easy for the PM to call for a national holiday if Australia win the World Cup, but business would suffer
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David Littleproud has opposed a public holiday for Australia if the Matildas win the World Cup, while insisting he does not want to be labelled “Captain Killjoy”.
A day after Australia defeated France in a thrilling penalty shootout to set up a semi-final clash against England, the National party leader said business groups were right to worry about the costs of a public holiday.
Continue reading...Barnaby Joyce and Keith Pitt oppose total ban of online gambling ads
National party MPs argue it is a ‘legitimate industry’ and that it should be ‘managed appropriately’ to avoid commercial stations suffering
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National party MPs Barnaby Joyce and Keith Pitt have warned against a total ban on online gambling ads, arguing it is a “legitimate industry” that can be managed with less extensive measures.
The pair are the first federal MPs to caution against the plan proposed by a parliamentary inquiry, which has raised concerns from television broadcasters about loss of gambling ad revenue.
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Continue reading...David Van to take leave from parliament as more former Coalition colleagues call for him to resign altogether
The senator – who denies any wrongdoing – resigned from the Liberal party on Saturday and claimed he has been denied procedural fairness
Victorian senator David Van will take leave from parliament this week as more of his former Coalition colleagues call for his resignation from parliament altogether.
Van resigned from the Liberal party on Saturday after he was dropped from the federal party room by leader Peter Dutton and stripped of organisational support in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations being raised against him.
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Continue reading...Australians’ support for Indigenous voice steady with 60% in favour, Essential poll finds
Guardian Essential poll finds high level of backing for voice to parliament, despite other polls showing support flagging
Public support for the Indigenous voice to parliament is holding steady and remains high, the latest Guardian Essential poll shows, in contrast with other recent polls suggesting that support is sliding.
The poll of 1,123 voters, published on Tuesday, found 60% of respondents were in favour of the voice, up one point on the previous survey, while 40% were opposed to it.
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