Frydenberg reportedly considering run for Kooyong after electoral redistribution
Josh Butler
The Victorian Liberal party has not ruled out reopening preselections for some federal seats following a proposed redistribution of Melbourne electorates, which could pave the way for Josh Frydenberg to make another run for Kooyong.
It was reported on Sunday that Frydenberg, who didn’t stand for preselection, was reconsidering his options after the Australian Electoral Commission announced draft plans for new boundaries. Frydenberg would need the Liberal party to reopen preselections in order for him to have another crack at the seat he lost in 2022, with finance professional Amelia Hamer having been successful in winning endorsement in March.
Hamer is unlikely to stand down, and several Liberal sources spoken to on Sunday said it would be unfair to ask her to stand aside. However, other Liberals said they would welcome Frydenberg back to the party room.
It is unclear whether the party will reopen preselections. But a Victorian Liberal party spokesperson said they were still considering options, and didn’t rule out running another round.
“Like all parties, we will be considering the detail of the proposed draft boundaries in coming days. There are still two more rounds of public consultation, and previous drafts have been heavily amended in the past,” they said in a statement.
“The Party will advocate for the best interests of affected communities and the people of Victoria, and will carefully consider what this means for affected candidates at the relevant time.”
Key events
Cait Kelly
Chief Executive Officer of Services Australia, David Hazelhurst has been addressing senate estimates.
He started talking about the backlog of Centrelink payment claims and the number of callers who can get onto an operator.
He says they’ve cleared the Centrelink claims backlog from 1.35m in February to 607,000, at the beginning of this week.
We’ve also been able to improve the experience of people calling us. Overall call wait times for social security and welfare have reduced from an average speed of answer, which peaked at around 33 minutes in February, to around 25 minutes in May, depending on daily demand.
Importantly, our use of congestion messaging has halved since January.
Daniel Hurst
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has blasted Peter Dutton’s “reckless” threat to pull out of the international criminal court, saying it undermines Australia’s attempt to promote a rule-based order.
In an opening statement to a Senate estimates hearing, Wong said when disputes arise, the Australian government wants them to be managed according to the rules by talking “not by force, or threat of force, or raw power”. In a clear message to the opposition leader, Wong said upholding international humanitarian law – including in the Israel-Gaza war – is important:
Of course this does not happen on its own. We have to help make it happen, including by upholding international law, whether it be the law of the sea or humanitarian law.
We do nothing to help make it happen by recklessly threatening to pull out of the bodies that uphold international law – that kind of talk may seem tough to some, but it undermines Australia’s core security interests.
For example we cannot insist that China abide by international legal decisions in the South China Sea, but threaten to pull out of the International Criminal Court.
We do nothing to shape the kind of region Australia needs by picking fights, blowing up relationships or beating the drums of war.
Assistant health minister unveils plan to raise awareness of organ donation in Cald communities
The assistant health minister, Ged Kearney, has announced a new “grassroots engagement” plan with culturally and linguistically diverse (Cald) communities to increase organ donation awareness.
Eleven organisations will share in almost $400,000 in grants to “deliver digital resources, content, and host DonateLife Week events for Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities, multicultural and faith groups”.
Four out of five Australians say they support organ donation, but only one in three have registered to donate their organs.
The grants aim to increase awareness of the donor programs within migrant communities, with Kearney saying it’s all about starting the conversation.
Australia is a diverse and multicultural country. These grants will help encourage conversations around organ and tissue donation with Cald communities in their own voices.
Regardless of where you were born, what language you speak at home, and what religion you practice, you can register to be an organ and tissue donor and save lives.
You can register on the Medicare app or at donatelife.gov.au.
Today’s estimates hearings are under way, but the house won’t sit until 10am.
If you want to tune in on any of the hearings, you can find them here, but we will also keep you updated with what you need to know.
Brisbane now second most expensive capital city for housing prices
AAP has taken a look at the latest CoreLogic report into Australia’s housing prices and Brisbane house prices have rocketed up the rankings:
Brisbane is now the second-most expensive capital city in Australia behind Sydney for home values, data from CoreLogic shows.
It is the first time since 1997 that Brisbane has had the second-highest median dwelling value in the country after overtaking Canberra in May.
That follows sustained growth earlier in 2024 when the Queensland capital had overtook median Melbourne house prices in January, for the first time since June 2008.
Brisbane’s median house value is now $937,479 which is $190 above Melbourne. The value of units in Brisbane is also higher at $615,429 compared with $614,299 in Victoria’s capital.
The value of Brisbane dwellings has increased at more than five times the pace of Melbourne values since the pandemic began, with 59.8% compared with 11.2% respectively.
Brisbane has also significantly outpaced growth in the ACT where values are up 31.8% since March 2020.
Still on the Lowy poll, here is what it had to say on attitudes around migration:
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Almost half the population (48%) say the total number of migrants coming to Australia each year is “too high”, while the other half (50%) either think immigration levels are “about right” (40%) or “too low” (10%). Results are steady from pre-pandemic levels.
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However, Australians are overwhelmingly positive about Australia’s cultural diversity. Nine in 10 (90%) think Australia’s culturally diverse population has been either “mostly positive” or “entirely positive” for Australia.
Six in 10 Australians support nuclear power, Lowy poll shows
The 20th edition of the Lowy Institute annual poll is out.
Between 4 and 17 March 2024, 2,028 adults across Australia were surveyed on a variety of issues, with their answers shaping the latest poll.
Some highlights:
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Almost half of Australians (48%) now say that “reducing household energy bills” should be the main priority for the government’s energy policy, a sharp 16-point rise from a similar question in 2021.
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The number of Australians who say that “reducing carbon emissions” should be the main priority has fallen 18 points to 37%.
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On renewable energy, two-thirds of Australians (66%) think the government’s target to generate 82% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 is either “about right” (41%) or “not ambitious enough” (25%).
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One-third (33%) say the renewable energy target is “too ambitious”.
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On nuclear energy, six in 10 Australians (61%) say they “somewhat” or “strongly” support Australia using nuclear power to generate electricity, while a significant minority (37%) “somewhat” or “strongly” oppose it.
Rishworth asked about ‘$50 billion lifeline bribey thing’ for East Timor to fast-track gas project
It’s always fun when things like national security and diplomatic relations are discussed on breakfast TV.
You get questions like this (this is from the Nine network, which is why there is a dig at the Seven network halfway through the question):
Well, Australia has offered the Timorese government a massive incentive to fast-track the Greater Sunrise gas project off the coast of Darwin. Not sure why they’re going with Sunrise. We’re number one in that month.
Joining us to discuss today’s headlines is minister for social services Amanda Rishworth and Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie. Ladies, good morning to you. All right, Amanda, you’re first up, a $50 billion lifeline bribey thing. You really are desperate to hold on to them. Is the deal worth it for us and will it be enough?
For the record, Amanda Rishworth answered:
Let’s be quite clear. The East Timorese are very close partners and friends. They have been for a long time. And of course, we want to see the economic security of East Timor to be developed and we want to see the Greater Sunrise project developed as quickly as possible to secure the future of East Timor. So I’m not going to go into any details of the arrangements. That’s obviously confidential. But East Timor is a country many Australians feel very close to and would like to see their success.
Q: I know, but China’s the big elephant in that room. Right?
Rishworth:
I think we’ve had a longstanding relationship with East Timor. We help secure their independence and we support them. And part of this Greater Sunrise project is something that we can, as both countries, mutually benefit from. But of course, importantly, can secure the East Timorese’s future.
Jacqui Lambie had a chat to the Nine network this morning as well, where she was asked about defence spending and what would happen with China in 10 years’ time.
Ask Jacqui Lambie a question, get a Jacqui Lambie answer:
Oh, God forbid, don’t ask, because if they come down this way, we’re gone, let’s be honest.
On her former Liberal party sparring partner Josh Frydenberg’s maybe return as a candidate, Sally McManus says:
I reckon that the people of those electorates are pretty happy actually with the new people who have been elected. I suppose Josh will want to have a go and it will be up to those people. You know, we’ll see what happens there. I’ll leave that to Josh.
