Hanson-Young on PM’s double-dissolution threat: ‘Why be so bullish?’
On the double-dissolution threat floated by Anthony Albanese yesterday, Sarah Hanson-Young says:
Again, why, why be so bullish about this? The Australian people don’t need a panicked prime minister who wants to press the exit button because he can’t get his own way.
They want a government that’s willing to work across the parliament. Now, a third of Australians voted for parties other than Labor or Liberal at the last election. And they did that because they want a parliament that works for them.
That requires negotiation, that requires compromise.
And it requires more than just bulldozing your way through.
Key events
The Productivity Commission is making a few things very clear in its early childhood education report:
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To achieve the long-term goal of a universal ECEC system, the Australian Government should first act to ensure that cost is not a barrier to access for children from low-income families. The report recommends abolishing the activity test and increasing the rate of the Child Care Subsidy for families on incomes of up to $80,000 to 100% of the hourly rate cap.
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The report finds that the activity test, which links the amount that a family works, studies or volunteers with the amount of Child Care Subsidy they receive, is a barrier to access for low-income families and does little to incentivise labour force participation and should be removed.
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The report also recommends that governments introduce new measures to support the ECEC workforce – giving those who are starting in the sector access to tailored training options and creating better mentoring, professional development and career pathways for those who already work in the sector. These measures, coupled with the recently announced improvements to pay, should alleviate some of the recruitment and retention challenges the sector has been experiencing for a long time.
The final productivity report into child care has been released. It is not that different to the interim report which was released late last year, but it does provide more detail into what the government may address in a second term.
Key among those issues is the scrapping of the activity test. Under the current system, the amount of subsidised care a child receives is linked to their parent’s activity – paid and volunteered work.
The Productivity Commission makes the point that a child’s access to early childhood education should not be determined by whether or not their parent works.
As advocates, including Georgie Dent at the Parenthood have long argued, there are a lot of reasons why a parent or carer may not work, including that they have other children or care responsibilities which make it impossible. Parents and carers of twins or other multiple births have also struggled under the rules, because finding care places for two or more children at once can be a challenge, meaning work decisions are being made around care options.
Mehreen Faruqi makes statement on Lebanon pager attacks
The Greens senator has also responded to what happened in Lebanon, with a statement on social media.
“The horrific pagers attack that killed nine people, including a young child, and left thousands wounded across Lebanon is exactly the type of sickening warfare people in Naarm Melbourne were protesting against. The perpetrators must be held to account.”
James Paterson addresses media on Lebanon pager explosions
The shadow home affairs minister is a known security hawk, so he was asked about the Lebanon pager explosions, which have killed at least nine people, including a 10-year-old girl, and injured thousands.
Paterson:
Well, this is a highly sophisticated and very patient attack. It highlights a couple of interesting things. Firstly, that supply chain security is very important. Connected devices are highly risky. And probably every intelligence agency in the world is waking up this morning and asking themselves, how do we stop this happening to us?
And if we chose to, how do we make this happen to our enemies? If it is confirmed that Israel is behind this operation, it wouldn’t surprise me and I think they’ll be well within their rights, given what Hezbollah has done to them in return.
And this is just another example of why we have a very serious situation in the Middle East. Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation, is listed in its entirety in Australia and we should stand with our friends and allies in Israel in defending themselves against this attack.
Q: Israel still hasn’t accept responsibility, but as you say, it is a likely prospect. A ten year old girl is dead though. Do you think it’s an adequate action?
Paterson:
Look, it’s not for me to pass moral judgment from 12,000km away about the choices that Israel has to make to defend itself while it’s under attack simultaneously by three terrorist organisations who deliberately target civilians.
But the truth is, in military operations it is impossible to conduct them without any civilian casualties at all. And the decision that all military commanders and governments have to make is, is it justified given the nature of the threat that they face?
The nature of the threat that Israel faces from Hezbollah is a very serious one.
We saw only a few months ago Israeli children killed on a soccer field because they were hit by strikes from Hezbollah and anything they can do to disrupt Hezbollah to make their business model more difficult, I understand why they’re doing.
James Paterson’s team stepped up their game for the second transcript of the day – the subject line in this one reads: “Labor’s secret visa changes risks community safety, AUKUS Pillar Two expands, Instagram’s belated action to protect teenagers, Hezbollah pagers, Labor’s ineffective housing bill, PM’s empty DD threat, CFMEU is unreformable”.
It is so difficult to know where Paterson stands on issues.
Defence minister Richard Marles is headed to Vanuatu
Marles will arrive in Vanuatu today and will meet:
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The prime minister of Vanuatu, Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas
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Deputy prime minister, Matai Seremaiah Nawulu
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Minister of Internal Affairs, Andrew Napuat
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Minister of Finance and Economic Management, Johnny Koanapo
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Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Marco Rick Mahe.
Marles will be opening the re-developed Cook Barracks in Port Vila with Salwai Tabimasmas, which is part of Australia’s security partnership with Vanuatu and will “enhance the capability” of the nation’s police force.
Greens announce candidate for inner-Melbourne electorate
The Greens have announced “local teacher, unionist, renter and proud trans woman” Tara Burnett will contest the Melbourne electorate of Cooper, now held by Labor’s Ged Kearney.
Kearney holds the seat with about an 8% margin. The Greens plan on targeting the electorate’s tenants – rentals make up 38% of Cooper’s households – to win the seat. Max Chandler-Mather and Elizabeth Watson-Brown both won their Brisbane electorates by overcoming higher margins.
Burnett said in a statement:
I’m thrilled to be leading my community to continue to build the green movement, and to make history as the first ever trans MP of any parliament in this country.
The climate and the marginalised communities we stand up for can’t afford for us to sit on the sidelines.
Renters in Cooper are fed up, and know they can’t keep voting the same way and expecting different results.
Lambie says report on Inspector General of ADF was quietly released – then removed from website
The independent Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has been running a campaign to have the 20-year review of the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force report released. It came up at the royal commission into veteran and defence suicides, but Lambie said she had been hitting brick walls in her attempts to have it made public.
Lambie released this statement to say the report had been released – quietly. And was then removed again.
I have been running radio ads and asking defence minister Marles to release this report for six months!
I was on my feet again today in the chamber still battling to get this report out there.
Then, Senator David Shoebridge’s office told me that the report was sitting on the royal commission’s website and there it was – just sitting there!
Lambie said she had downloaded the report and printed it, but soon after her staff contacted the royal commission to ask when the report was uploaded to the website, the report was removed.
US talking to Canada, NZ and Korea about possible collaboration on Aukus ‘pillar II’
The White House has released a joint leaders statement on the third anniversary of the signing of the Aukus agreement.
Right down the bottom is a little more information on ‘pillar II’ which is where other countries get involved:
In April 2024 our Defense Ministers announced principles for additional AUKUS Pillar II partner engagement on specific projects where new partners could contribute to, and benefit from, AUKUS.
Following initial consultations this year and leveraging Japan’s deep technical expertise, AUKUS partners and Japan are exploring opportunities to improve interoperability of their maritime autonomous systems as an initial area of cooperation.
Recognising these countries’ close bilateral defense partnerships with each member of AUKUS, we are consulting with Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea to identify possibilities for collaboration on advanced capabilities under AUKUS Pillar II.
Bandt questions whether Labor’s housing bills will push up rents and do nothing to lift supply
Told that is a “political point” and that if the situation were that bad then wouldn’t the Greens do anything to increase supply, Adam Bandt says:
Let’s look at the measures that the government is proposing.
In the middle of a housing crisis, a housing and rental crisis where people are being pushed to breaking point, the government’s got two bills before the parliament, which is the sum total of their approach to housing between now and the election.
One of them pushes up rents by giving more tax breaks to developers to build expensive apartments that’ll be unaffordable.
Host: “There is no evidence it will increase rents.”
Well, they’re giving, they’re giving tax, public money to developers to build apartments with no limit on how much they can …
Host: “To increase supply, and the experts, Adam Bandt, are saying supply is a massive problem. Why shouldn’t they be increasing supply?”
Not one expert fronted up to the government Senate inquiry to say that the government’s bill would increase supply.
Bandt on housing crisis: ‘The government is just bringing a bucket of water to a house fire’
The Greens leader Adam Bandt spoke to ABC RN Breakfast earlier this morning, where he was asked why the Greens were not passing the government’s housing legislation:
This housing and rental crisis is seeing people skip meals because they can’t afford to pay the rents, which have soared 30% under Labor people.
We’ve got people who have jobs and mortgages coming along to the Greens free community dinners, because they’re telling us that any night that they can skip paying a meal helps them with their mortgage payment.
Food bank queues are growing. It is massive, and meanwhile, the government is just bringing a bucket of water to a house fire bill.
Bill Kelty, a Labor luminary, said earlier this week that this Labor government is mired in mediocrity, and he’s right, and nowhere do you see that more than the government’s approach to the housing crisis.
James Patterson says business community ‘finally speaking up’ about ‘costly’ policies
But even James Paterson is forced to admit that for the past couple of years, during which Labor has passed industrial relations reforms, the business sector has stayed largely quiet.
He told Sky News:
It is welcome to see the business community now finally speaking up about the ridiculous and costly policies of the Albanese government, particularly on industrial relations, but also energy and tax and other issues, which is holding Australia back.
It is only as the polls show the Albanese government dropping in popularity and proximity to the next election that the business council is now making some noise.
By the by, the ASX 200, which is the biggest 200 Australian companies listed on the stock market, posted record highs yesterday, beating the previous record set in August.
What’s in a subject line?
The Liberal senator James Paterson’s staff are taking a leaf out of Sussan Ley’s staff book and headlining their press releases with the tone they would like journalists to read the answers through.
Subjects: Albo’s war on business, Labor puts community at risk by repealing Direction 63, AUKUS pillar two expands.
Labor’s Patrick Gorman’s staff have also started to do this, but so far, none have managed to challenge Ley’s transcripts subject lines for sheer creative brilliance.
NFF president: ‘It’s time to push back against those who seek to diminish Australian agriculture’
The National Farmers’ Federation president David Jochinke has released a statement thanking members who attended last week’s farmers rally outside the parliament.
There were a variety of causes promoted at the rally, and our reporter who covered it thought there were between 500- 700 people or so. Coalition MPs addressed the rally (David Littleproud spoke over a farmer who was questioning his record as water minister), but in the wash up, and the welcoming of a new free trade deal with the UAE, the NFF seems to want to turn the temperature down a little.
Jochinke says the rally “wasn’t about politics; it was about policy”.
We want forward-thinking solutions that will allow Australian agriculture to thrive, not ideological battles driven by out-of-touch activists and detractors who would like to see less food and fibre grown in Australia. These groups often push agendas that would undermine our ability to feed and clothe the nation, without understanding the realities of farming or the vital role we play in the economy and regional communities.
We’re ready to work with all sides of politics to develop policies that support sustainable farming practices, enhance productivity, and ensure a bright future for rural communities. It’s time to push back against those who seek to diminish Australian agriculture and instead focus on solutions that will keep farmers farming.
To those who attended or supported us from afar, thank you. Your presence and solidarity sent a powerful message that cannot be ignored. This rally marks the beginning of our campaign to ensure farmers’ voices are heard and that we can continue to produce the food and fibre Australia relies on.
Watt says gender pay gap at lowest level on record
As Paul Karp reported a little earlier, workplace relations minister Murray Watt will be addressing the National Press Club later today.
He’ll be speaking about the positive changes the government says it has made to IR laws, which includes increasing early childhood educators’ pay.
Watt will say that it’s been part of a drive to lower the gender pay gap:
These pay rises are just a couple of ways that our government has deliberately prioritised economic equality for women, in addition to reviving multi-employer bargaining and lifting the minimum wage.
We also did it by making gender equality an objective of the Fair Work Act. We banned pay secrecy clauses, which disproportionately hurt women, and introduced paid family and domestic violence leave – so no one has to choose between their safety and pay.
And we strengthened the right to flexible work. And the result? The gender pay gap in Australia is now at its lowest level on record at 11.5%. Down from 14.1% when the Coalition left office.
That is making a material difference in the lives of women across the country.
If the gender pay gap stayed at the Coalition average of 15.4%, women would overall be $78.70 per week worse off than they are now.
That’s an extra $4,092 in the pockets of women every year under this government.
For this I pay particular tribute to the minister for women Katy Gallagher who has driven a lot of reform from within our government.
Sometimes, having one Gallagher in your band is more than enough.
(That final line is a reference to the band Oasis, in case you weren’t making the connection. Gen X ministers are gonna Gen X.)
A look at Hanson-Young’s choice of words
You may have noticed Sarah Hanson-Young referred to being “bullish” – that is not an accident.
Hanson-Young has begun referring to Anthony Albanese as a “bulldozer” or attempting to “bulldoze” the Senate in a deliberate reference to Scott Morrison’s self-evaluation. As we get closer to the election, you are going to see more and more attempts from all sides of politics to redefine MPs in the eyes of the electorate.
