Put the Greens last because they’re extremists, John Howard says
Cait Kelly
Former prime minister John Howard has labelled the Greens extremist and said the “mob” of voters can see through the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, trying to distance himself from the RBA.
Speaking at a Liberal party fundraiser, in part for the federal seat of Sturt in South Australia, where Liberal moderate James Stevens faces a strong Greens challenge, Howard called on the major parties to put them last. He told the Australian:
Both the major parties should put the Greens last because they’re extremists. They have got extreme positions on foreign policy, extreme positions on economic policy, extreme positions on social policy. Who knows what some of their social views are. They’re so extreme.
Not only do I call on Labor to put the Greens last but I will really dump on any Liberal division that tries to do some preference deal in an individual seat with the Greens. You have got to put them last. We have to make sure it’s a majority government.
In the speech he gave beforehand, Howard attacked the Albanese government, saying the PM and Chalmers were “completely out of their depth” running the economy.
He said “mass public expenditure has kept inflation high” and he attacked the government’s criticisms about the rate cuts:
It’s pathetic. It looks so transparently political. The mob, the public, see through those games.
Key events
Dutton says Shorten ‘last adult in room of Albanese cabinet’
Peter Dutton has given some high praise to Bill Shorten following his retirement announcement yesterday, telling the Today Show:
I know that he contributed significantly, particularly when he was opposition leader, to national security debates, which are ultimately the most important thing that we can do for our country. And he’s been somebody that who when you shake his hand or you have a conversation – you do a deal, he honours it…
He’s given an enormous amount to the union movement, and he is as big a figure as Bob Hawke was in the union movement.
And he’s done a lot for his party, I think he’s grown a part of the party. The party’s sort of grown apart from Bill a bit, which he won’t comment on. I think he’s sort of the last adult in the room of that Albanese cabinet, and I think they will they will dearly miss him when he goes, but his family will get him back. And I think … we don’t agree on politics, but I respect Bill very much.
Shorten thanked Dutton for the “generous” words but said he didn’t agree with the last bit of “politicking” and that the Albanese cabinet is “full of people who just want the best interests of Australia”.
Shorten looking forward to ‘less travel and less trolling’
Bill Shorten also made his regular appearance on the Today Show, alongside the opposition leader, Peter Dutton.
Shorten said that, in retiring from politics, he is looking forward to “a little less travel and … perhaps a little less trolling.”
I keep a bit of a rough count of the nights away when you’re a politician at a senior level. It’s been about 130 days each year where I’ve just been away at night. So that’s longer than six years away, that’s longer than World War II.
And the other thing I’m not going to miss … [is] all those cowardly keyboard warriors who write crap about you. I can read it, it doesn’t change my mind at all, but when your family’s got to read stuff, at least, maybe, you know, that’ll give my family at least a little bit of relief from having to put up with the slings and arrows because your family are conscripts to your career and your aspirations. So I’m looking forward to a little less travel and, you know, perhaps a little less trolling.
Shorten says ‘there was a lot of disunity’ when Rudd and Gillard were toppled
Bill Shorten was asked a question he was asked at yesterday’s press conference – whether he had any regrets in his role of toppling Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.
He repeated yesterday’s answer by quoting Frank Sinatra – “regrets, I’ve got a few” – but added:
I think that political parties need unity. You’re describing a time where there was a lot of disunity. One of the things that I’m proudest of – which doesn’t necessarily get put up in lights – is that, after 2013, we united the Labor party. And sure, we came close in 2016, we came close again in 2019, Anthony [Albanese] finally sealed the deal with the electorate in 2022. But none of that can happen unless the party is united. And I – yeah, I think that that is a good thing.
No regrets at all? Shorten said “I might have a few” but to list them would “make it all about me”.
At the end of the day, it’s never about the politician. It’s about what you can do with the opportunities that you get. And I never lose sight that we’re only here because people vote for us.
Bill Shorten says he is ‘at peace’ with two unsuccessful tilts for PM
The NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, who announced his retirement from politics yesterday, spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning.
Shorten is set to retire from politics in February and take up the position of vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra.
Shorten was asked whether he is “at peace” with the fact he was unsuccessful on two occasions to become prime minister. He responded:
Not winning the election was incredibly disappointing. But what’s ironic is not many people get a chance to try for their dream, and I now see a government in place, I’m really happy with that. And you learn from defeat as well as victory, so I am at peace with it. I understand the mistakes I made. I also understand some of the external factors I couldn’t control.
eSafety commissioner advised against travel to US following X backlash
The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, was advised against travel to the United States amid threats she received for doing her job.
Speaking to ABC RN earlier, Inman Grant detailed how she was targeted and trolled after using her powers as eSafety commissioner to take action against the social media platform X.
Inman Grant described her experience as “harrowing”, and described a “playbook that has been used to try and silence me as a public official with very gendered abuse”.
I mean, you don’t see men getting rape threats or comments about their appearance, their age, their traditional goals in the same sort of weaponisation of their children, family against them.
A subset of the “tens of thousands” of tweets Inman Grant received in the aftermath of Elon Must tweeting about her were examined, and 83% of them were either negative, hateful or threatening in some way.
Inman Grant said there were some “credible death threats” and said she was advised against travel to the US:
I had a trip that I was meant to do to the United States, where a lot of the vitriol stemmed from, and, you know, I was advised by security that I shouldn’t go on that trip because I couldn’t be protected, just because of the way that people could use guns.
Michele O’Neil said this isn’t about “expecting everyone to have the same opinion all of the time” but continued:
We’re a diverse movement, and people have strong opinions, but it is at its core about who we are and what we stand for. And we don’t walk away when things get tough, we face up to them. And angry individuals lashing out and blaming everyone except themselves doesn’t get us through this.
We need to stay steady on what is in the interest of working people and what’s in the interest of working people is good, clean, strong, effective unions with leaders who see their job as representing workers and their members, not acting in their own self-interest.
ACTU president fields questions after CEPU votes to break from it
The president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Michele O’Neil, was speaking with ABC RN earlier, after the Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union voted to break from it over its support for forcing the CFMEU into administration.
The CEPU has also said it wants to establish a blue-collar rival to the ACTU. Asked if she tried to talk the CEPU out of this, O’Neil responded:
No … I think that it’s important that we realise that the union movement – the vast bulk of unions – want to stay part of the united union movement, and have made that really clear.
Is she in talks with other unions who are threatening to do the same, host Patricia Karvelas asked? O’Neil said:
What I’m saying, Patricia, is we’re talking to all of our unions all of the time … I haven’t had any other unions threaten to quit.
Damaging winds forecast for large parts of Victoria as front crosses state
A severe weather warning is in place for damaging winds across large swathes of Victoria today.
The strong winds are increasing ahead of a cold front, which is expected to cross the state from the west today, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
For the central and Gippsland districts, including the outer suburbs of Melbourne, strong winds averaging 50-60km/h with damaging gusts around 90-100km/h are possible this morning over inland parts, possibly extending to parts of the Gippsland coast and Strzelecki ranges after sunrise.
High based shower activity may produce sudden damaging wind gusts at any time, the bureau said.
Winds should ease from the west from late morning with the passage of the front, which will move into NSW from the evening.
A 100km/h wind gust was recorded at Mount Hotham at 1.46am, and a 98km/h gust at Mount Buller at 3.32am.
Severe Weather Warning for damaging winds, expanding and increasing from this morning.
For people in East Gippsland, West and South Gippsland and parts of Central, South West, North Central, North East and Wimmera Forecast Districts.
Stay informed: https://t.co/T05ONtx8bB pic.twitter.com/2W1uzC8c2N
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) September 5, 2024
Good morning
Emily Wind
And happy Friday. I’m Emily Wind, here to take you through our rolling coverage today. Thanks to Martin for kicking things off!
As always, you can get in touch with any questions or tips via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: [email protected].
Let’s get started.
More on Bill Shorten as attention turns to who will succeed him in the seat of Maribyrnong.
Guardian Australia understands that Jo Briskey, the UWU’s national political coordinator, is likely to be the left faction candidate for the north-west Melbourne seat to be vacated when Shorten retires in February.
Shorten’s replacement as Labor candidate will be chosen by the national executive next week, along with a candidate for Gorton, to be vacated by former skills minister Brendan O’Connor.
“His work has made our government better and our nation stronger,” Anthony Albanese said of Bill Shorten as the former Labor leader announced he was quitting politics yesterday.
They were generous words for someone who was never a close ally, writes our political editor, but summed up a man who pioneered the NDIS but fell short in his biggest fight: trying to become prime minister.
Read Karen Middleton’s full piece here:
Plus, Amy Remeikis talks to those who knew him best and worked with him to judge his legacy for Australian politics.
Caitlin Cassidy
Jason Clare urges states to sign up to next National School Reform Agreement
The education minister has warned there is “a lot at stake” in the coming months as time dwindles for a number of states to sign up to his proposed funding deal.
This week, the Western Australian government signed up to the next National School Reform Agreement, following the Northern Territory. The proposal increases the commonwealth funding share to public schools from 20% to 22.5%, and double for the NT due to additional need.
Speaking to the NSW Secondary Deputy Principals’ Association’s state conference in Sydney, Jason Clare will say he wants to do the “same sort of deal” with the rest of the country as WA.
And I’ve got $16bn dollars to do it … It’s also not a blank cheque. This funding is going to be tied to the sort of things to help turn around the current decline in students finishing high school. And it won’t happen unless state governments chip in money too.
We can do a deal this year that can lock in extra funding for our public schools and protect it from a future Liberal government ripping it out. If we don’t, and there is a change of government next year, the states that don’t sign up will have to fill the gap themselves. Peter Dutton’s team have made this clear … so there is a lot at stake.
Remaining governments have until the end of September to take up the commonwealth’s proposal, or roll over the current agreement for another year. As the weeks tick over, Clare has showed little indication he will cave in to their demand for the commonwealth to ramp up their contribution to 25%.
Report reveals private school funding advantage
Caitlin Cassidy
The majority of private schools receive more school funding than their counterparts in the public sector, a new report reveals, as pressure builds on the federal government to ramp up its economic contribution.
The Australian Education Union (Aeu) report, released today, comes on the same day commonwealth, state and territory leaders gather for national cabinet. On the agenda are stalled negotiations on public school funding, with states including Victoria and New South Wales lobbying the commonwealth to lift its overall contribution to 25%, representing a 5% jump.
The report shows more than half of Australian private schools are receiving more combined government funding per student than public schools of a similar size, location, and with similar student needs. In 2022, 56% of private schools received more funding than their counterparts, compared with just 45% in 2013.
The Australian Education Union federal president, Correna Haythorpe, said funding gaps were as large as $7,282 per student.
This unfair private school funding advantage translates into a school resourcing and staffing advantage and has fuelled a private school capital works boom, while at the same time denying public schools the recurrent funding needed to attract and retain teachers and to address the high level of student needs in the classroom.
Put the Greens last because they’re extremists, John Howard says
Cait Kelly
Former prime minister John Howard has labelled the Greens extremist and said the “mob” of voters can see through the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, trying to distance himself from the RBA.
Speaking at a Liberal party fundraiser, in part for the federal seat of Sturt in South Australia, where Liberal moderate James Stevens faces a strong Greens challenge, Howard called on the major parties to put them last. He told the Australian:
Both the major parties should put the Greens last because they’re extremists. They have got extreme positions on foreign policy, extreme positions on economic policy, extreme positions on social policy. Who knows what some of their social views are. They’re so extreme.
Not only do I call on Labor to put the Greens last but I will really dump on any Liberal division that tries to do some preference deal in an individual seat with the Greens. You have got to put them last. We have to make sure it’s a majority government.
In the speech he gave beforehand, Howard attacked the Albanese government, saying the PM and Chalmers were “completely out of their depth” running the economy.
He said “mass public expenditure has kept inflation high” and he attacked the government’s criticisms about the rate cuts:
It’s pathetic. It looks so transparently political. The mob, the public, see through those games.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top overnight stories before Emily Wind takes you through your Friday.
Anthony Albanese is taking a multimillion-dollar package of measures to national cabinet today to address the domestic violence crisis. The package responds to recommendations of the rapid review of prevention approaches, which called for a “significant funding uplift” in certain frontline areas. We also have news of how the criminal justice system in one state appears to punish victims of DV.
Bill Shorten’s resignation has sparked a fierce battle to replace him in the seat of Maribyrnong. It is likely to pit the United Workers Union’s Jo Briskey against a right-faction candidate, with the Australian Workers’ Union insisting the electorate is an AWU seat. Guardian Australia understands that Briskey, the UWU’s national political coordinator, is likely to be the left faction candidate.
Shorten never quite made it to the top of the tree but one man who did, John Howard, has some harsh words for the Greens, labelling them extremist in an interview with the Australian. The former Liberal prime minister says the other parties should preference them last. More coming up.
And, as Jason Clare pushes for more states to sign up to his proposed school funding deal, a new report reveals the gap in funding between the public and private sectors. More on that, too, soon.
