What we learned – Tuesday 26 July
That’s it for the blog today, thanks for reading.
Here are the main stories from today:
- Labor accused the Coalition of a $1bn cost blowout on a business register reform, as the 47th parliament opened.
- Scott Morrison ditched parliament’s return to speak at an event in Japan that’s not starting until Thursday.
- Milton Dick was elected speaker of the house of representatives.
- The Albanese government bolstered its climate bill to woo teal independents, but Greens leader Adam Bandt said its target was still weak.
- The nation recorded at least 100 Covid deaths and more than 45,000 cases.
- The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, came under fire over new documents revealed during the inquiry into John Barilaro’s New York trade role.
- No foreign interference was detected in the 2022 federal election.
- Aukus will remain central to Labor defence policy, the governor general, David Hurley, said.
- A newly preselected Victorian Liberal candidate claimed schools were actively trying to change children’s gender and sexual identity, while encouraging gay and transgender students to be “really narcissistic”.
We will see you all here again tomorrow for another news-filled day!
Updated
Zaneta Mascarenhas says her story would not be possible without Labor, in maiden speech
The Labor MP for Swan, Zaneta Mascarenhas, has given her first speech on the first day of parliament, which is also her 42nd birthday. Mascarenhas spoke about the legacy of the White Australia Policy and the need for more climate action.
Building cubby houses in the bush and chasing lizards in the red dirt – that’s how I grew up. I was born in Kalgoorlie and grew up in Kambalda, a nickel mining town in WA. My dad was a metal worker and my mum a lollypop lady and kindergarten cleaner.
She noted her “Australian story would not be possible” if not for a Labor government:
When my parents went to the embassy in Kenya they said to my dad – you have the right skills but you’re the wrong colour. This is because the White Australia policy was still in place. My parents came to Australia after Gough Whitlam dismantled the last parts of the White Australia policy. This story taught me two things – politics is personal … and that politics can transform lives.
Mascarenhas spoke about her career as an engineer (in “steel-capped boots on a mine site”) and her work on climate change, helping ASX200 companies decarbonise.
While I am proud of what some parts of the resource sector has done, I must stress that this is not uniform. Smart companies are looking at their climate risks and opportunities over the next three decades. This includes looking at value chains and scope 3 emissions. For us to achieve our goal of well below two degrees of warming, we need all sectors of the economy to pull their weight.
Mascarenhas noted the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters, which she labels “unnatural disasters” because they are partly caused by human-induced climate change.
It’s clear that we’re at a stage where both climate adaptation and mitigation are required. But the less we mitigate, the more costly it will be for us to adapt. I know that Australian people in disasters step up, support each other and show resilience – but just like an elastic band, there is a breaking point. We need proactive action.
Updated
Ferguson: “Tomorrow, we have new inflation figures out. They’re expected to be bad. Are you worried that you’re going to have to spend your first-term digging Australia out of this quagmire?”
Albanese:
Well, we’ll be giving an economic statement on Thursday through the Treasurer. We face economic headwinds. We face rising inflation. We face rising interest rates. There are real challenges there, but I’m comfortable that my government has a plan to deal with those challenges.
Ferguson: “Is that going to end up being your priority keeping the economy out of recession?”
It is a priority. For a Labor government, it is an economy in terms of the impact that it has on living standards and one of the things that we know is that working people in particular are under real ... pressures. We said that during the election campaign. Working people know that. They’re going to the supermarket and they get hit with a bill that’s higher than what they got hit with a year ago.
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Ferguson asks:
Do you have a responsibility to the Australian people to lay out the risks that this could end in war?
Albanese says:
We have a responsibility to put out the facts without raising fear that mightn’t eventuate. We need to have a sober response to the circumstances that we face. That’s what my government is committed to doing.
Updated
PM says he is ‘very vigilant’ about Chinese military buildup
Anthony Albanese has been on the ABC’s 7:30 report, where Sarah Ferguson asked him if China’s military buildup kept him awake at night – after deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said it did.
The PM said:
Well, people will use their own definition. It certainly is one of concern and something that we’re very vigilant about. We’ve had regular national security committee meetings. I attended the Nato summit in Madrid. I attended the Quad leaders meeting because of the priority that’s on the changed security environment, not just in our region, but in the world.
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Independent MP Zoe Daniel calls for climate action in first speech
The independent MP for Goldstein, Zoe Daniel, has used her first speech to call for “climate action ... greater integrity, safety and empowerment for women and girls”.
Daniel, who defeated the Coalition’s assistant climate change minister Tim Wilson at the 2021 election, said her job will be to “hold the government to account for dramatically improved climate policy and targets, backed by the best science we have”.
The government’s carbon emission target – 43% by 2030 – must be enshrined in law as a floor, not a ceiling. We must have clear mechanisms to keep all of us – each of us – accountable to achieving net zero by 2050, if not before. 2040 is not a moment too soon.
Daniel spoke about her personal experience of “climate-related disasters” including “the scenes in Tacloban [in the Philippines], flattened by a storm surge that destroyed 90% of the city … bodies in the streets, cars in trees, giant boats atop buildings … and, amid the rubble, the shattered lives of residents”, which she described as “a turning point for me, a realisation of the impact climate change and its increasingly unmanageable weather events would have on communities”.
I have waded through floods in Northern New South Wales, Thailand and elsewhere in south-east Asia … seen the melting permafrost in the Arctic and the animals and people scrabbling for survival as the environment morphs under their feet..reported on the aftermath of cyclones in the Pacific, hurricanes in the US, bushfires in Australia and California …
In late 2019 I met former Australian fire chief Greg Mullins on the fireground amid bushfires in California. He and others had spent months making calls and writing letters trying to get a meeting with the former government to warn them to prepare for a Black Summer ahead. They were ignored. And during that summer of 2019-2020 like all Australians, I watched as those predicted fires came … changing communities forever, killing and displacing billions of animals, and burning through our precious landscape.
Daniel also warned about the “fragmentation of truth and trust and the danger that poses to our democracy – and the future of our communities and our children”. She said:
Authoritarianism, populism, disinformation and vast conspiracy theories have flourished in recent years in a volatile world. Social media has been used by Donald Trump, and others like him, to sow doubt on the integrity of elections.
Daniel said it was the parliament’s responsibility to “rebuild trust” but also warned her former colleagues in the press to “reflect on their own behaviour”.
Daniel did some brand differentiation from the teal independents, choosing to wear purple and white – the colours of suffragists like Vida Goldstein, after whom Goldstein is named.
Vida Goldstein also rejected party politics.
‘I ask you to vote for me because I am not a member of a political party,’ Vida told voters early last century. ‘Study has convinced me that party government is a system hat is entirely out of date ... It is a cumbersome, unbusinesslike method of running the country.’
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Liberal MP Aaron Violi gives first speech
Liberal MP for Casey, Aaron Violi, is the first member of the opposition to give his first speech. Violi spoke about the fundamental importance of education, called for a no-holds-barred review of tax, and spoke about his near-miss in the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009.
On education, Violi said Australia needs:
A system focused on delivering tangible education outcomes for students to set them up for long-term success and provides parents with choice in their children’s education.
Governments over the last 20 years have invested billions in education, while results have been going backwards. This is unacceptable not only on the societal level but most importantly at the individual level. A robust education system focused on educational outcomes and opportunities is the foundation of our society and the individual. It needs to be the priority of government policy on education.
Violi said to sustainably deliver government programs we need “to acknowledge that the economy faces significant structural fiscal challenges that we as leaders cannot pass on to future generations”.
Violi said:
We need to undertake genuine, comprehensive and systemic reviews of both our tax system and our federation. These reviews need to ensure that we are driving efficiency in our spending and government responsibilities, while minimising the tax burden on Australians. These reviews cannot rule anything out before they start. They will need to form the basis of a national conversation on our direction as a country and how we will tackle the challenges we face.
On Black Saturday, Violi said:
There are moments in your life that define the person you become; for me that moment was February 7th 2009, Black Saturday. It was the moment I went from a carefree young man, living like I would live forever, to understanding that the most precious gifts we have are life and time. The difference between [my wife] Rachel and I being here today and being victims 174 and 175 was a matter of seconds and metres.
Violi didn’t elaborate on the incident, but later said that a “working phone line can be the difference between life and death”.
Updated
Queensland premier reveals Bluey animators’ Olympics mascot offer
Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, revealed the animators had offered their services in her opening remarks at Tuesday’s state budget estimates.
Updated
In a September 2020 interview, Moira Deeming describes those behind Victoria’s Safe Schools program – introduced in 2010 to provide training for teachers to support LGBTQ+ students – as “pedophilia apologists” and said she “would rather lose [her] job than teach” the resources.
Updated
The excellent Cait Kelly is going to take you through for the last bit of the night, go well all!
First speeches start in the 47th parliament
The Labor MP for Reid, Sally Sitou, is giving her first speech, about the need for a more representative parliament and for more “audacious dreamers” on climate change.
Sitou introduced herself as “the daughter of migrants, a proud Chinese-Lao-Australian” who grew up in Cabramatta in southwest Sydney and is “the product of good public education”.
Sitou said the White Australia Policy and the alienation of First Nations people from their identity were “decisions based on fear and a failure of imagination”, but in the past 50 years Australia has become a majority migrant nation.
She said:
As I look around our House of Representatives today, it feels like finally it is starting to live up to its name. A house made up of people who truly represent and reflect their communities. I believe it was important I put my hand up to stand for Reid, a thriving multicultural and multi-faith community. Because as audacious as this dream was – to run for our federal parliament – it has never been more important for someone like me to dream it. I grew up watching Home and Away and Neighbours. But I also grew up with a slight unease, not sure if I’d gone to the right schools, acutely aware of the postcode I grew up in, not sure of my place in this country. That’s why I think it’s important to have someone like me in our parliament, not for diversity sake. But because representatives that embody all of the Australian story make our parliament better and our democracy stronger ...
This is a message I want to share with all young Australians. You are not defined by your postcode, the school you went to, or where your parents came from. In this country, you are defined by the content of your character and what you want to do for others – where the potential and promise of our nation is only limited by our imagination.
Sitou argued that at the 2021 election Australia again chose “care for country and future generations over fear” – this time in the context of climate change.
In the six years my son has been alive, he has already experienced the consequences of climate change. Events described as once-in-a-generation, experienced in just a few short years. He has now lived through the 2019 - 2020 NSW bushfire season - a “once in a generation event”. This year, he lived through a “once in a generation” rain and flooding event. And now heatwaves, breaking records across Europe - all “once in a generation events”. Surely we can no longer look at the situation before us and believe this is okay. Surely we can not say to my son and his generation that what we are doing to address climate change is enough. Surely it is time to be audacious dreamers and imagine a better way.
Updated
Airport baggage handlers threaten to strike
Australians flying internationally from east coast airports could see more delays as baggage handlers are threatening to go on strike due to proposed pay cuts and concerns about conditions.
Ground crew from the Emirates-owned group Dnata (the Dubai National Air Travel Agency) are taking their first step towards industrial action on Tuesday, applying to the Fair Work Commission to hold a vote on strike action.
The airport services provider supplies handling for up to 20 airlines including Qantas, Emirates, Etihad and Singapore Airlines. The federal court previously found Qantas’s outsourcing of 1,700 ground handler jobs in 2020 was unlawful. Qantas is currently seeking to appeal the ruling in the high court.
The full story is here:
Updated
Anthony Albanese moves to acknowledge Shinzo Abe in parliament
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has moved that the House of Representatives place on record its regret over the death of Shinzo Abe, and acknowledge the significant contribution the former prime minister of Japan made to regional and global affairs and to the Australia-Japan partnership. He moved that the house should “tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement”.
Updated
‘Thirsty’ crops bounce back but environment still missing out on water
About 800% more water was used to irrigate rice last year than the year before, and about 250% more was used for cotton, a report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has shown.
The increase in crop irrigation came after higher rainfall in 2020-2021 drew an end to three “exceptionally warm and dry years”, the ABS reported on Tuesday.
From the drier environment of 2019-20, water for cotton went from about 380,000 megalitres up to more than 1.3m megalitres last financial year. Rice went from 61,000 megalitres to more than 538,000.
That short-term gain in water for irrigation comes as the federal government prepares to hand down the latest audit of environmental water for the Murray Darling Basin, which is expected to show that only a fraction of the promised 450 gigalitres is likely to be delivered.
While the wet conditions of La Niña saw an increase in water storage last year, “in many parts of the country, groundwater levels remained below average”, according to the ABS.
A separate ABS report yesterday showed that as well as a “dramatic increase” in crops such as cotton and rice, there was also increased production in grapes (28%), mandarins (40%) and almonds (17%). These and other crops are at record levels, the ABS said, with nut crops flourishing thanks to “orchard expansions and extensive new plantings in recent years”.
Cotton and rice are often criticised for being “thirsty” crops, sucking up valuable water resources. As annual crops, their size can be controlled and increased or decreased each year depending on water availability.
That’s not true for crops such as almonds, which were singled out in last week’s shocking State of the Environment report. There has been a more than 900% increase in almond production in the Murray Darling Basin, that report found.
That growth has happened “despite their substantial water requirements in a geographical area with severe and catastrophic water security issues”. The almond industry says it is a high value, sustainable industry that uses only water already allocated for agriculture.
The Australia Institute’s water expert, Kate McBride, said the water use statistics show that the irrigation industry bounced back, and that it did so faster than the environment following dry conditions. She said:
That is, in part, because, in certain areas such as the Darling Baaka river system, mass extraction is allowed to occur before significant flows are delivered downstream.
McBride said the long-term health of river systems needed to be taken into account after major rain events, especially considering climate change will lead to more variable conditions and extended dry periods.
The federal government is set to table the much-delayed Water for the Environment Special Account report in this sitting period. It will give the latest update on the promised delivery of 450 gigalitres by the 2024 deadline.
Updated
Deputy speakers elected
The member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon, and the member for Moore, Ian Goodenough, have been elected deputy speaker and second deputy speaker respectively.
Updated
No foreign interference identified in 2022 federal election
No foreign interference was identified during the 2022 federal election, the Australian Electoral Commissioner has been told.
In a statement, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) said the board of the Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce had provided the formal advice to Australian Electoral Commissioner, Tom Rogers.
Rogers said taskforce agencies, which include the Australian Federal Police, Australian Signals Directorate, and Office of National Intelligence, did not identify any foreign interference, or any other interference, that “compromised the delivery of the 2022 federal election and would undermine the confidence of the Australian people in the results of the election”.
Rogers added:
The work of the taskforce plays a vital role in protecting and preserving Australia’s electoral integrity and I am pleased to be able to share this advice with all Australians.
Jolly good then.
Updated
Assistant treasurer says he warned Coalition of under-budgeting business registry program
The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, claims the former Coalition government was “fiddling the budget books” in search of a surplus when it budgeted less than $500m for a business registry program.
Further to the earlier post on the Australian Business Registry (ABR), Jones told Guardian Australia he had previously warned the Coalition it had budgeted too little for the renovation of the online system.
The changes will combine 30 distinct systems into one registry, including processes for financial advisors, corporations, the Australian Business Number (ABN) system and company directors.
Jones said that after examining spending in his own portfolio area, he’d found several other underfunded programs – which he said he would share further detail on in future. But with work on the ABR upgrade already underway, he said the Labor government was trying to find cost savings or extra funding to meet the cost blowout.
Jones said:
It’s the equivalent of getting a builder in to renovate your house, he pulls the roof off and says ‘sorry mate, this is going to cost you three times more than the original’. It’s not like you can say ‘don’t worry about it’, you’ve got the roof off your house, you’ve got to fix it.
I’d like to get the number [$1.5bn] down, but they’re saying that’s what it’s going to cost.
Jones said he had identified several similar cost blowouts, separate to a “line by line” audit that the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, are running ahead of their October budget.
Updated
New Victorian Liberal candidate previously attacked LGBTQ+ rights
Newly preselected Victorian Liberal candidate Moira Deeming once claimed schools were actively trying to change children’s gender and sexual identity, while encouraging gay and transgender students to be “really narcissistic”.
In interviews posted on YouTube, the teacher and Melton councillor described transgender laws as “my number one issue”, casts doubt on Covid-19 vaccines and claims LGBTQ+ students get “all the attention” at school.
Deeming was endorsed on Saturday to replace outspoken Victorian upper house MP Bernie Finn ahead of the November state election. Finn was recently booted from the parliamentary Liberal party after he called for abortion to be banned, even for rape survivors.
The full story is here:
Updated
The NSW treasurer, Matt Kean, has weighed in to the ongoing furore surrounding Manly players in the NRL refusing to wear a pride jersey.
Someone tell those seven Manly 🦅 players the 🌈 isn’t contagious, but wearing it might make them better for showing #pride and #respect for different people. If there’s a #nrlpride round next year, I hope the mighty dragons 🐉 go red, white and rainbow!
— Matt Kean MP (@Matt_KeanMP) July 26, 2022
An incredible feat of web logging as always, Amy Remeikis. Onwards!
Nino Bucci stands ready to take you through to the early evening.
There are first speeches and a little bit more business to get through – we will also cover off the main events early tomorrow morning when the first official sitting day gets underway.
Mike Bowers is still out and about with his cameras at the ready, and Paul Karp, Josh Butler, Katharine Murphy and Tory Shepherd are all still at their keyboards filing on the day’s events. Blake Sharp-Wiggins and Rafqa Touma, our special guests from the Guardian brains trust, are also still working away. So make sure you check back to see what they are up to.
A very big thank you to everyone who has followed along with me today – it is an absolute honour to helm Politics Blog and the best part about it is all of you. So thank you. Make sure you get a rest and some switch off time (after 7.30) and I will see you back here in just over 14 hours.
Take care of you.
Updated
Just on that, Jim Chalmers will provide an economic update to parliament on Thursday.
He has been previewing that for some time – he and Katy Gallagher have spent the time since being sworn in going through the government accounts and information from Treasury and the departments on how much has been spent and where, and what the actual state of the budget is.
Updated
Labor accuses Coalition of budget blowout on business register reform
The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, has accused the former Coalition government of presiding over a $1bn cost blowout in plans to update a key government register.
The Australian Business Register, which is meant to reduce administrative burden on business in complying with government regulation, is undergoing a reform process to update outdated technology, including combining 30 databases into one central platform. On Tuesday, Jones said the process – which had been budgeted at $500m by the former government – had blown out to $1.5bn.
Jones claimed the former government had significantly underprovisioned funds for the reform.
They had known for at least a year now there was going to be significant cost overruns.
We’ve got to get the job done, but we’re going to have to find some ways to bring the cost in.
In warning of dire economic circumstances facing Australia, the new Labor government has claimed their predecessors left behind significant budget issues, with the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, saying their departments are conducting a “line by line” audit of Coalition spending.
Updated
Anthony Albanese will be the guest on ABC’s 7.30 tonight.
Updated
Newmarch House inquest hears of lax Covid rule enforcement
Dipping outside of politics for a moment, for this update on the inquest into the Newmarch House Covid outbreak in 2020, from AAP:
Nurses were lax in enforcing isolation rules and left concerned families in the dark during a Covid-19 outbreak at Newmarch House early in the pandemic, a New South Wales coroner has heard.
Nineteen residents died at the western Sydney aged care home in April and May 2020 amid what was, at the time, one of the biggest outbreaks of the pandemic.
As an inquest into the deaths continues in Lidcombe coroners court, Mary Van Put gave evidence that her father, Barry Jehan, had been allowed out in the home’s common areas despite being in lockdown.
Jehan died on 28 April 2020 at the age of 93 soon after performing the rosary with one of the Newmarch nurses and five days after he tested positive. He was one of four residents who died that day.
On 20 April, Jehan took a call where he was spotted sitting outside his room at a time when the home was meant to be in lockdown.
“Is he allowed out of the room now?” Van Put’s sister asked. “Not really but no one’s here,” a nurse replied, the inquest heard on Tuesday.
Van Put said this call raised concerns about the risk of infection this posed to her father who, at the time, had tested negative for Covid.
She felt angry because he was not getting the best care available, she said. At that point early in the pandemic, it was not known whether the virus could have been transmitted through surfaces such as the soft furnishings her father was sitting on.
Before her father tested positive, Van Put said she had tried unsuccessfully to get him out of the facility but received conflicting information about the public health orders in place or orders that could be imposed by Newmarch itself.
During the outbreak, the Anglicare-run home implemented the “hospital in the home” program in which residents were treated onsite rather than being transferred to nearby hospitals.
The inquest continues.
Updated
The house is adjourned until 5pm when the first of the first speeches will begin.
Tomorrow we will get the first question time – and the first real test of how “respectful” this parliament will actually be.
Updated
From Mike Bowers’ lenses to your eyeballs:
Updated
I asked the question in the blog a little while ago – has anyone seen Barnaby Joyce and a reader has responded – the former deputy prime minister was spotted on a flight to Tamworth yesterday.
He has been granted leave, from what I understand.
Updated
Tomorrow Movement protesters gathered on the lawn outside Parliament House to demand the new Labor government commit to more ambitious climate action that matches the scale of the climate and jobs crisis – as well as inside the building.
This isn’t an issue which will be going away anytime soon.
And of course, there was also pomp (after the police made sure the protesters were not in the way).
Updated
David Hurley declares the parliament officially open
The guns are sounded.
And now they go have afternoon tea (I am not joking, it is part of the schedule).
Updated
David Hurley concludes the (government) speech with:
A change of government represents a chance to bring the nation together anew.
To members and senators from the government, opposition and crossbench, I congratulate you on being called to serve our country and our democracy.
I urge you to advocate thoughtfully, debate respectfully and — in everything you do — prove worthy of the Australian people.
I wish you every success in meeting this moment.
It is now my duty and my honour, to declare the 47th parliament of the commonwealth of Australia open.
Updated
David Hurley is wrapping up here with a tip of the hat to the public service:
Leading with integrity also means working in partnership with a strong, committed and empowered public service.
The removal of the Average Staffing level cap, rebalancing the use of labour hire, limiting fixed-term contracts, and undertaking a strategic reinvestment of funds will form the first phase of the government’s plan to rebuild the public service’s capacity to deliver the best outcomes for the Australian people.
The government will ensure the APS becomes a model employer and an employer of choice, including — and especially — for First Nations people, and those living with disability.
The government will seek to lead by example.
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David Hurley:
The government has great faith in our national cultural endeavour, and recognises the importance of getting Australia’s arts industry back on track, too.
The conviction is simple: that a nation that invests in art and creativity is a nation that knows itself, and invites the world to know us better.
It’s in this spirit that this parliamentary term will see the release of a national cultural policy — the first in almost a decade.
There will also be greater certainty for two other vital cultural institutions — the ABC and SBS — with new funding terms spanning five years.
Hurley on fighting corruption:
The government has an ambitious agenda for Australia.
And it recognises that so much of what it hopes to achieve depends upon the trust of the Australian people.
Trust that government and public institutions will act with integrity in the interests of the nation.
To strengthen this trust, the government will legislate to create a powerful, independent and transparent National Anti-Corruption Commission.
This will bring the commonwealth in line with the states and territories, and will enable investigations of serious and systemic corruption.
It will be an important addition to the integrity framework of this country.
And out of the same commitment to accountability and public confidence, the government will establish a royal commission into the scheme commonly known as Robodebt.
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David Hurley moves on to housing:
Alongside the government’s commitment to nation-building sits a determination to ensure more Australians can count on the safety and stability of secure housing.
We all know the difference a secure roof over your head can make to a person’s life chances.
The government will establish a Housing Australia Future Fund to build an additional 30,000 new social and affordable houses within five years.
It will create a National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, and launch a National Housing and Homelessness Plan.
The government also sees the importance of home ownership, the sense of belonging and pride and stability it can confer.
And so, it will support more Australians into their own home through the Help to Buy Scheme and the Regional First Home Buyer Support Scheme.
Education:
The government believes education is the most powerful weapon against disadvantage — and the best investment in Australia’s economic future.
Cheaper childcare means more children will get access to early years education.
And the government will co-operate with the states and territories to make sure all schools are put on a path to full and fair funding.
The government knows great teachers change lives — and will initiate policies to attract the best and brightest to the teaching profession and work with schools across jurisdictions to address teacher workforce challenges.
In addition, the government will prioritise helping kids bounce back after Covid-19, with a $200m investment in mental health and wellbeing support.
The government will boost investment in public Tafe and apprenticeships, to ensure a new generation of Australians can gain the skills and confidence for the jobs of the future.
And resetting the relationship with universities is a priority, too.
The government has pledged to develop an Australian Universities Accord, covering the accessibility, affordability, quality and sustainability of our treasured higher education institutions.
With that, comes a renewed focus on university and research excellence, including the translation and commercialisation of great Australian ingenuity.
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'Aukus will remain central' to Labor defence policy: governor general
David Hurley:
Turning to defence policy and national security, the government will spend 2% of Australia’s GDP on defence, including enhancing the Australian Defence Force with capabilities outlined in the 2020 Defence Strategic Update.
Aukus will remain central, not only in delivering nuclear-powered submarines but also in guiding accelerated development of advanced defence capabilities where they have the most impact.
A defence force posture review will similarly ensure the capability is there to meet Australia’s growing strategic challenges.
In 2022, national security also takes in everything from cyber security to bio-security.
The government will seek to bolster Australian cybersecurity expertise – and has already acted to boost Australia’s biosecurity system against the threat foot-and-mouth disease poses to our farmers.
Operation Sovereign Borders will be maintained, to ensure people smugglers in the region cannot restart a business model built on human suffering.
And the government will support a strong humanitarian migration program that can respond to humanitarian crises as they arise.
Keeping the nation safe is the solemn duty of every government.
And the government believes that the Australians who fulfil that responsibility and risk their lives in the service of our nation are owed not just respect and remembrance but ongoing support.
This is the moral obligation we owe ADF personnel, veterans and their families, including those affected by our longest and most recent war in Afghanistan.
Priorities include speeding up DVA claims and payments processing times and expanding the network of veterans and families hubs across Australia.
The government has also listened to the families of defence personnel and veterans and supported their calls for the royal commission into defence and veteran suicide, and will look forward to the royal commission’s interim report next month.
Updated
Hurley continued:
We will deepen cooperation through ASEAN, strengthen our bilateral relationships, and further our shared goals through the Quad.
Australia will bring new energy and resources to the Pacific, respecting Pacific institutions and listening to Pacific priorities, the most pressing of which is the climate crisis.
Ultimately, the government’s foreign policy is an expression of our national values, national interests and national identity.
An important part of that equation is trade.
The government’s objective will be to advance Australia’s interests, bolster the rules-based multilateral trading system, and deliver business opportunities for Australian producers and suppliers.
The government sees great gains for us in a future powered by cleaner and cheaper energy.
So, as the world demands change, we need to not just diversify the markets we export to, but what we export as well.
This one is interesting – David Hurley moves on to “Australia’s place in the world”.
It is a long section, so I will break it up.
Hurley:
This 47th Parliament of Australia meets in an international environment far less certain than any other time in recent memory.
The prime minister earlier this month witnessed first-hand the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As that unprovoked, illegal, and immoral war continues to rage, the rules-based global order comes under increasing strain.
The government will continue to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
And seek to manage the ripple effect of uncertainty in our own region.
At this time, Australia needs to deploy all aspects of our power — military, diplomatic, economic and social.
The government believes the Australian people must be the heart of our engagement, because what we project to the world starts with who we are.
Our multicultural society makes us a more diverse, more prosperous and more vibrant nation.
But multiculturalism is also a diplomatic asset — as the home of over 300 ancestries, Australia can reach into every corner of the world and say, “we share common ground.”
We can work together, with our partners, to secure a region that is stable, prosperous and respectful of sovereignty.
Updated
And of course, you can’t talk about the climate, without talking about disaster readiness:
The government recognises the economic opportunity and the environmental necessity that acting on climate change presents for Australia.
It also understands that the consequences of climate change are already being visited upon our communities with greater frequency and ferocity.
The government will oversee an ongoing process of review to ensure Australia’s national disaster recovery support arrangements are streamlined, fair and equitable.
It will work with states, territories and local governments to continue to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.
And it will build our national resilience, ensuring we have the capacity to predict, prevent, absorb, adapt to and evolve from national emergencies and disasters in the future, including through the Disaster Ready Fund.
David Hurley on environment and water:
The government believes that acting on climate change is a chance to grow the economy and protect the environment.
The Great Barrier Reef is a Unesco World Heritage site and one of the seven wonders of the natural world.
Protecting its future is an important responsibility.
The government will invest in reef preservation and restoration, ensuring that the reef can be enjoyed for generations to come.
The government will partner with local communities to clean up urban rivers and catchments, to improve water quality and amenity, and help protect threatened species.
The government will double the number of rangers in the Indigenous Rangers Program, bringing the total number of rangers to 3,800 by 2030.
And boost funding for the management of Indigenous Protected Areas — critical for maintaining cultural sites, biodiversity conservation and restoration.
Furthermore, the government has committed to a full response to the Samuel Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act; and ongoing consultation to make environmental laws work better for everyone.
Water management is a priority too.
The government will establish a National Water Commission to drive ongoing water reform, and future-proof Australia’s water supply.
The government will also deliver on water commitments under the Murray Darling Basin Plan, including 450 gigalitres for South Australia.
Updated
Continuing on climate change, Hurley says:
The government will also support manufacturing of renewables and low-emission technologies and invest in community batteries and solar banks.
Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy will be established, too.
Investment in vehicle charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure will double.
The government will establish a New Energy Skills Program, and train 10,000 new energy apprentices.
The role of the Climate Change Authority will be restored.
And, to show the seriousness with which Australia approaches the climate challenge, Australia will seek our Pacific partners’ views on co-hosting a future UN Climate Conference of the Parties.
Updated
From aged care to climate change, David Hurley moves on again (these speeches are the definition of wide-ranging).
Acting on climate change is a priority for the government — and an opportunity for Australia. Embracing the transition to clean energy will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
Under their Powering Australia plan, the government expects to create more than 600,000 job opportunities, with five out of every six in regional Australia.
The plan will also spur $76bn worth of investment, and will help save families and businesses hundreds of dollars a year off their electricity bills.
Powering Australia will create clean energy jobs and cut power costs.
But it is also a plan to bring people together and move the country forward around a collective desire to take far stronger action on climate change, and accelerate our efforts towards net zero emissions by 2050.
Already, the government has formally updated Australia’s Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement — a 43% reduction on 2005 levels by 2030.
The government intends to go a step further, enshrining this new commitment in legislation.
Sending industry and investors a clear message: certainty.
The government believes that with the right policies and investments, Australia can become a clean energy superpower.
That’s why the government will invest in accelerating the decarbonisation of Australia’s electricity grid.
Updated
After re-announcing the extension of the Covid leave payments, David Hurley moves on to aged care:
Covid-19 took a devastating toll on Australians in aged care.
But the government recognises aged care was in crisis well before the pandemic struck.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has challenged Australia to do better. Far better.
The government will legislate changes to deliver quality, security and dignity in care for every older Australian across our aged care system.
This will mean a registered nurse on site in every aged care facility, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It will mandate for every Australian in aged care to receive 215 minutes of care per day, ensuring more care for every resident.
It will deliver better food, an increase in transparency and accountability, and a cap on the fees people can be charged for administration and management of their home care package.
The government will back calls for a real pay rise for aged care workers at the Fair Work Commission, recognising that higher standards of care must be supported by higher wages.
The government sees a moral duty in caring for our elders, and treating our older Australians with the respect, humanity and dignity they deserve.
Updated
Still on health, David Hurley says:
The government will deliver a $750m strengthening Medicare fund with investment priorities guided by the strengthening Medicare Task Force.
The government will also cut the cost of medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from $42.50 to $30. Saving Australians $12.50 For every medication.
The 50% loading with telehealth psychiatric consultations under the Medicare benefits schedule will be reinstated, allowing easier access to bulk billed service for Australians who live in regional and rural areas.
There will also be wider access to the commonwealth seniors health card, having access to cheaper medicines and bulkbill doctor visits for an extra 50,000. Older [surgeries] will be able to access grants to modernise their practices. And the government will invest in initiatives to bring more doctors to regional and rural Australia.
The government is committed to strengthening Medicare and is determined to fulfil the promise of the National Disability Insurance Scheme to empower Australians with disability, their families and carers.
The wisdom, diverse experience and perspective of people with disability will be at the centre of the government’s efforts to improve the design, delivery, accountability and sustainability of the NDIS.
The government will also develop a National Autism strategy and oversee the National Disability data asset so we can better understand the life experiences of people with disability in Australia.
Updated
David Hurley moves on to investing in infrastructure.
The government believes revitalising Australian manufacturing is an investment in a national national resilience and national security. And the same is true or renewing and improving our national infrastructure.
Infrastructure Investment enables people and goods to move around faster, reducing the cost of doing business, growing the economy and better connecting our communities. Improving Australians quality of life the government is resolved to restore confidence in Australia’s Infrastructure and Regional Development pipelines.
At the centre of this effort will be reforming Infrastructure Australia as our nation’s foremost infrastructure advisory body the Commonwealth. In cooperation with state and territory governments will focus on quality investments, including to improve safety, reduce congestion, and boost productivity.
The government will also begin work on nation building projects like high speed rail and the Australian flag strategic fleet will also ensure the Inland Rail Project gets back on track.
And as part of a new national push to improve road safety and lower the road toll. The government will work with truck drivers and the wider industry to upgrade rest areas on national roads, Medicare and the NDIS.
The government believes every Australian has the right to access universal, affordable medical care. It is one of the things that underpins our unity as a nation, but for too many Australians. Geography, income and background still pose barriers to care.
The government is committed to making it easier for Australians to see a doctor and afford treatment to serve this priority. At least 50 Medicare urgent care clinics or the established services will be bulk billed.
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David Hurley speaks on the jobs summit, and the floated national reconstruction fund Labor has announced.
David Hurley:
One of those common central aims is building an economy that works for people not the other way around.
An economy where working hard means Australians can pay their bills, support their families and save for the future.
Today, more than 1.3 million Australians are either unemployed or looking for more hours, and many more struggle on low wages and with poor working conditions. The government knows Australia can do better than this.
The nature of work has changed enormously. With an increase in new work arrangements and the gig economy.
The government will seek to ensure that Australia’s laws catch up with this reality and protect people from exploitation and unsafe working conditions.
The government will make secure and objective in the Fair Work Act and it will legislate to make wage theft across skills for the government and for the business community of Australia. Skills are high on the national agenda.
In the coming period the government will legislate to establish jobs and skills in Australia to drive vocational education and training and strengthen workforce planning.
The new body will bring employers trade unions and the training and education sector around the same table to achieve common objectives.
The Commonwealth will help train 1000s of new workers mind shoring that one in 10 workers on major government projects is an apprentice trainee or cadet.
Public pay will be returned to the centre of Australia’s training system and the government will support the BRI take places for Australian students focus on those studying and industries with a skill shortage.
There will also be up to 20,000 more University places with priority going to universities offering places in priority areas like clean energy, advanced manufacturing, health and education.
Action will also be taken to reduce the number of hand on hand visa applications to address skill shortages in the short term.
In the same way, the government will work with Australia’s agricultural sector to ensure farmers and producers can access workers at the right time, while ensuring those workers say their rights are upheld.
David Hurley:
Childcare.
The government recognizes that the rising costs of childcare pressure point for family budgets, and a continuing drag on the economic participation and productivity.
...The government will reduce childcare costs for more than a million families.
The government will also instruct the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to design a price regulation mechanism to drive down out of pocket costs.
The Productivity Commission will undertake a comprehensive review of the childcare sector with the aim of implementing a universal subsidy for all families.
This will be accompanied by a whole of government early years strategy. Focus on the well being education and development of Australia’s children.
The ultimate goal is to add affordable childcare to the list of universal services alongside Medicare, the NDIS and superannuation that Australians cherish.
Investing in cheaper childcare reflects the government’s belief that one of the most powerful initiatives that can be shoe or stronger economic growth and greater productivity is more equal opportunity for women.
This is why the government has set itself a goal to re establish Australia as a global leader in gender equality.
A new national strategy to achieve gender equality will be developed in closing the gender pay gap and improving women’s economic equality, health and well being an independent women’s economic security task force will also come into force to deliver gender responsive budgeting, and embed gender analysis in the policy development process.
The government will seek to strengthen the ability of the Fair Work Commission to support wage growth in female dominated industries such as aged care.
The recommendations of the Human Rights Commission’s landmark respected work report or the implemented including crucially, a positive duty on employers to create safe workplaces for women free from harassment.
The government has plans to help end violence against women and children, including finalizing the next national action plan to end violence against women and children 2022 to 32.
The government will establish 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave increased the supply of emergency housing for women and children playing family violence. And invest in more caseworkers to assist women leaving violent situations a fair go at work.
David Hurley:
Helping all Australians
Helping all Australians achieve their aspirations in life is central to the government’s values of opportunity, fairness, and record prohibit government’s policies to promote economic growth that create opportunities for Australians.
And the government’s policies will create opportunities for more Australians to drive economic growth.
... rising interest rates are increasing pressure on mortgages, and a decade of low wages has put an handbrake on competence.
We are, in the words of the treasurer ‘in choppy waters’, but the government is determined to steer Australia safely through. The government and will make targeted investments that expand the capacity of the economy, reduce it as a share of GDP over time, and improve quality of life for Australians.
Prioritising spending that achieves the greatest economic benefit is the most efficient way.
Spending creates jobs, boosts participation. This productivity increases wages and grows incomes.
The government will invest in cleaner and cheaper energy, better training of our workforce, childcare and an upgraded NBN.
Importantly, the government will focus on the quality of spending, not just the quantity.
This includes ensuring multinational companies pay their fair share of tax.
Updated
David Hurley, as governors general before him, reads the speech as it is set out.
That includes sub-headings:
The Uluru Statement from the Heart
The government takes office with a renewed ambition for Australia to reconcile with our past, to tell and know the truth about history and to place our First Nations voice at the heart of our democratic process.
The Statement from the Heart was an act of generosity by First Nations people having had a path forward for us as a nation.
It is the government’s intention to take up this generous offer and to seek to incite a voice to Parliament in the Constitution by a national referendum in this term.
The government views the implementation of the entirety of the statement, there’s an opportunity for healing and for learning from the truth of our history.
And just as importantly, the Voice is a chance to build a better future for First Nations people.
A future where a Voice department helps drive and deliver better health outcomes and longer lives, new education and employment opportunities, safer communities with decent housing, and an end to the cycle of injustice, incarceration, and deaths in custody.
All of this Voice truth treaty and closing the gap depends on genuine partnerships.
The government committed to engage closely and respectfully with First Nations people and the Australian community more broadly ahead of the referendum.
Honourable senators and members of First Nations Voice promised to be like the 67 referendum, like Mabo, like the National apology, defining moment for our nation and a historic opportunity to move on from the safety of words to the bravery of action.
At the centre of the government’s determination to close the gap is the belief that First Nations people, like every other Australian, should be made to feel empowered ...
In the same spirit, the government will invest in First Nations management of lands and waters humbly recognising the skills and knowledge gained over 10s of 1000s of years.
The government will expand the community led model of justice reinvestment, turn the tide on incarceration, and act on the national shame of First Nations deaths in custody.
It will partner with communities peak bodies and elders to improve health and life expectancy.
And the government will commit to new Indigenous employment targets for the public service and for Australia’s 200 largest companies.
I congratulate the honorable Linda Burney MP ... a proud Wiradjuri woman ... on her appointment as the minister for Indigenous Australians.
I also congratulate Senator Malarndirri McCarthy a proud Yanyuwa woman ... on on her appointment as assistant minister for Indigenous Australians and indigenous health Senator Pat Dodson a proud Yawuru elder ... on his appointment as Special Envoy for reconciliation and implementation of others Statement from the Heart.
I wish them all the best as they [begin this] urgent and historic work, work which will promote unity and healing and a stronger economy.
Updated
Apologies – Tveeder is down and I am transcribing as fast as I can.
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Governor general addresses parliament
The governor general, David Hurley, is speaking in the Senate (it is in the Senate, because the House of Representatives is the people’s house – see Oliver Cromwell).
Hurley:
The government knows this country faces serious and pressing challenges.
The rising cost of living, low wages, growth, climate change and its devastating impact.
Pressures in the regions, and certainly in the world, pressure in healthcare and an economy in need of cheaper energy.
[The government] is determined to tackle these challenges in a spirit of unity and togetherness.
The government’s commitment to hit the ground running with the five leaders meeting in Tokyo and the prime minister’s [trip] to Indonesia.
The government’s latest revision to the Fair Work Commission to prevent ... its lowest paid workers from going backwards, resulting in a high point 2% wage increase.
The government also submitted a new ambitious 2030 nationally determined contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, committed to reduce emissions to 43% below 2005 levels by 2030, putting Australia on track to achieve net zero by 2050.
Beyond that, the government has already taken measures to [address] Australia’s energy market, protect aged care residents and provide assistance to Australian’s affected by the recent floods.
Updated
David Hurley, the governor general, will read a speech setting out the government’s agenda.
This is written by the government. The GG in effect acts as a proxy of the government in laying out the agenda.
So it will be Hurley’s voice, but the government’s words (as is usual).
Updated
The Usher of the Black Rod is once again knocking on the house of representatives, letting them know that the governor general is in the Senate and would like to see them.
So back over to the Senate the house of reps go.
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Speaker and president in place, Parliament open
Now that the speaker and senate president are in place, and the parliament is open (the governor-general has done his inspection and will then formalise the opening) attention is turning to first speeches.
They’ll be going through to the evening, so we will bring you highlights tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, here is Dugald [Milton] Dick being ‘dragged’ to the chair by Lisa Chesters and Susan Templeman
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Your questions answered
Why are prayers read before parliament, in a secular nation?
Good question! It’s one which is often asked, given how often the prayers are shown – and there are also people asking why the politicians attend a church service ahead of parliament.
Each sitting of the parliament has begun with a prayer in both chambers since federation (1901) and it is mostly because of tradition – the UK and other common law parliaments, like Canada, also begin parliamentary sittings with this tradition.
In Australia, the prayers are part of the standing orders. So in order to be changed, there would have to be an amendment to the standing orders. Attempts to do this in the past (and replace prayers with a moment of prayer or reflection) have failed. Despite being a secular nation, and the most recent census showing Australia’s population is increasingly non-religious, religious bodies are still very powerful in Australia and as a general rule, politicians don’t want to cause waves. Parliamentarians do not have to attend the prayers.
Prayers are not read in the federation chamber (the second chamber of the house of representatives).
In 2010, the standing orders were changed to add an acknowledgement of country before the reading of prayers.
As to why do the politicians attend an ecumenical church service before the opening of parliament? It is much the same reason. The service rotates through different churches of different faiths, but it is a practice which dates back to when Westminster members attended church before parliament.
Church and state may be separate, but they tend to be bedfellows in Westminster tradition – mostly because of royal decree – and those traditions continue today.
There are many things we do in the Australian parliament because that is the way they have always been done, with members importing the traditions from the UK as part of federation. And no one seems willing to try to buck that tradition.
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Scott Morrison breaks his evening fast with Japan's PM
He missed the formal beginning of the 47th parliament, but Scott Morrison did get to meet a prime minister this week after all, tucking into breakfast with Japan’s leader Fumio Kishida in Tokyo today.
The former PM has come under criticism for skipping the opening week of the new parliament, after he guided the Coalition to an election loss in May, instead choosing to stick to a commitment to address a conservative leadership event in Japan. Yesterday Morrison said he was “unable to attend” parliament because of his attendance at the Global Opinion Leaders Summit - even though the main event doesn’t start until Thursday.
Labor has questioned whether Morrison is being paid for the event.
In a Facebook post, Morrison said he’d been invited for breakfast with Kishida and his wife at their residence in Tokyo - which he called “an honour”.
We were able to convey our sincere condolences and extend our sympathies for the terrible loss of PM Abe. It was also an opportunity to reflect on the strong and close personal relationship we had shared, in particular concluding Japan’s first ever Reciprocal Access Defence agreement, PM Kishida’s strong support for AUKUS and the work we did together In the Quad,” Morrison said.
Morrison wrote that he also visited the Meiji shrine to pray for former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, who was killed by a gunman earlier this month.
Prayer for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Gratitude for the life and service of PM Shinzo Abe,” he wrote in a message left at the shrine.
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Your questions answered
If passed in the Senate, it arrives at the governor general’s desk for its Royal Assent.
This begs the questions of:
“What happens if it is not passed by the Senate?”
“Can it be re-introduced at a later date?”
“What happens if it is amended by the Senate?”
I think I know the answers, but I’d like to be sure.
For a bill to be passed in the parliament, it has to pass both chambers.
So usually it goes from the house to the Senate (a bill can start life in the senate and then go to the house, but this is rarer, just because of the numbers).
Usually, governments who know a piece of legislation won’t pass the senate, don’t introduce it there. It stays in bill purgatory until the government thinks it has the numbers, or it is quietly dropped.
Governments set the order of the day (unless there is a change of standing orders) so it can introduce bills to a chamber and then pull it without notice, depending on how things are going with the negotiations with crossbenchers.
If a bill is amended by the senate, it has to go back to the house for another vote. If a bill which started in the senate goes to the house and is amended, it has to go back to the senate for another vote as well (because the bill which the chamber sent was not the bill which was approved)
The house can vote down the amendments from the senate (and vice versa), in which case, the bill often goes back to legislation purgatory.
So in short, if the bill the house sends to the senate isn’t approved, it has not passed the parliament. If the bill is amended by the senate and the house doesn’t approve those amendments, and the senate won’t budge, the legislation does not pass the parliament.
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Greens say Labor willingness to negotiate on climate bill ‘may well be enough’
Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has held a press conference with new Greens MPs and senators, in which he welcomed progress on the climate bill but said the minor party is still negotiating with Labor.
In particular, Bandt described Chris Bowen’s apparent openness to including a ratchet that is consistent with Australia’s nationally defined contributions under Paris as a “good step”.
He said this “may well be enough” to address “fixable problems” - that the 43% has to be a genuine floor, and not a ceiling - ie a future government has to be able to lift ambitions “without parliamentary obstacles”. This is a signal the Greens are looking for a deal - but also that it’s early days, and they haven’t seen the detail of what Bowen was referring to.
Bandt said the Greens’ preference remains to “improve and pass climate legislation” but the party wants “real action”.
Asked if a promise to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act could address the concerns about no new coal and gas, Bandt acknowledged that that was one of a “variety of ways” to deal with the problem, along with improving the safeguards mechanism.
Bandt said the issue with using the safeguards mechanism is it isn’t clear “what obligations ... that imposes” - he cited the WA government giving an exemption for new gas projects, so that carbon offsets weren’t required.
On process, Bandt said the Greens “traditionally, usually support Senate inquiries”, so the bill could go to an inquiry between now and September, when it will come to the Senate.
Updated
Your questions answered
There have been a few variations of this question appearing in the comment threads (thanks to our tireless moderators for pulling them out to me)
Just how long can an MP absent themselves from Parliamentary sittings before some disciplinary action can be taken against them - by either their own party or the Parliament?
That is obviously in relation to Scott Morrison, and his absence from parliament this week. (Side note – has anyone seen Barnaby Joyce?)
The answer, in short, is no. There is no limit to the amount of leave a MP can take.
There has only been one federal MP booted from the parliament for taking leave – John Ferguson, who wanted to seperate central Queensland from Brisbane, was mostly against the White Australia policy (of 1901) and against bills which sought to deport Pacific labourers. He was also very ill and only attended 128 days of the 222 days parliament sat and then was on leave without absence for two months. And that is what got him kicked out – he triggered a constitutional amendment. That was in 1903 and was the first and only time it has happened.
This was the section:
38. Vacancy by absence
The place of a member shall become vacant if for two consecutive months of any session of the Parliament he, without the permission of the House, fails to attend the House.
But the key point there is ‘without permission’.
These days, MPs get permission fairly easily. And they can take as much leave as they like. It is up to their electorates whether or not that is good enough, come election time.
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National Covid summary: 100 deaths reported
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 100 deaths from Covid-19:
ACT
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 949
- In hospital: 151 (with 1 person in ICU)
NSW
- Deaths: 30
- Cases: 14,067
- In hospital: 2,344 (with 66 people in ICU)
Northern Territory
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 530
- In hospital: 71 (with 1 person in ICU)
Queensland
- Deaths: 21
- Cases: 8,612
- In hospital: 1,123 (with 31 people in ICU)
South Australia
- Deaths: 3
- Cases: 3,773
- In hospital: 379 (with 7 people in ICU)
Tasmania
- Deaths: 2
- Cases: 1,328
- In hospital: 177 (with 3 people in ICU)
Victoria
- Deaths: 40
- Cases: 12,339
- In hospital: 869 (with 39 people in ICU)
Western Australia
- Deaths: 4
- Cases: 4,409
- In hospital: 457 (with 17 people in ICU)
Greens ‘open to discussion’ on climate safeguard mechanism
Adam Bandt wants to know what any safeguard mechanism would look like – and whether it could just be overruled if it was politically expedient.
The base proposition is this: we cannot keep opening up new coal and gas projects and tackle climate change. If we open up new coal and gas projects, we will not only blow the domestic targets but put the global task of combating climate change potentially beyond reach.
That’s how big some of these projects are. As for the mechanism ... whether in this particular regulation or another different rule on another act, we are open to discussion on all that. But what matters is at the end of the day whether or not the government is going to start opening up new coal and gas projects.
Updated
New coal and or gas projects remain the sticking point on the climate bill, Adam Bandt says:
Our preference as I said before is to improve and pass climate legislation in this parliament. [Prior to the election], both Labor and the Coalition have supported more coal and gas projects.
You can’t put the fire out while you’re pouring petrol on it. That remains a point of difference between us and the government. The government has said publicly that it’s OK to keep opening projects below.
We will continue those negotiations in good faith to see if we can reach a position where we can pass legislation that allows us to start taking climate action because that’s what people want. People want the government to do more than a promise. People want the coal and gas to stay in the ground.
We can have a debate including potentially over the remaining three years of this parliamentary term about how quickly we should get out [of] gas and what we do to support gas workers in the change.
But I think everyone across the country would be in agreement that while we negotiate climate legislation, we shouldn’t be making the problem worse by opening up new coal and gas mines.
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Adam Bandt welcomes climate bill progress but says Labor’s target still ‘weak’
The Greens are holding a press conference after all being sworn in.
Adam Bandt is talking about the Greens position on the climate bill:
On the climate legislation ... we have been very concerned [that] Labor’s 42% target is not compliant with the Paris agreement. It’s not a science-based target, it’s based on Australia and the world exceeding two degrees of warming.
We’ve been concerned that the bill may put that weak target in to war that will put a handbrake on future governments [being] willing to act according to the science.
It’s not possible to go below even this weak target without concerns that the bill doesn’t have any teeth and doesn’t oblige the government to do anything and also coal and gas remain ... and the government may in fact go and open new coal and gas projects.
I welcome the announcement from the minister today that there will be changes to the previous version of the bill that will circulate. That’s a good step and we are having negotiations in good faith discussions with the government about those areas that I’ve raised publicly.
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Young people protest over climate and housing in parliament foyer
There is a protest inside the parliament’s public foyer, where young people from the Tomorrow Movement have gathered to call for more climate action and better social housing and public services.
BREAKING: Police have stopped young people who have traveled to Canberra from sharing their stories in Parliament. Labor needs to listen to the community and deliver real solutions to climate, jobs and housing crisis. #ClimateJobsForAll pic.twitter.com/KJf4zFUbAb
— Tomorrow Movement (@tomorrowmvmt) July 26, 2022
It looks like the police are stepping in to shut that protest down.
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It’s good to be back
The guns (cannons) are outside parliament ready for the salute.
Protesters are on the lawn.
Police and politicians are everywhere.
Parliament is back, baby!
(Yes, I know there was a typo – apologies, I have been up since 5am. I shall have another coffee.)
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Some members seemed to enjoy voting for the new Speaker:
Warm Congratulations to Milton Dick MP on election as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Milton is widely respected & committed to improving Parliament. 👏🏾 #auspol pic.twitter.com/BueDs1FIwr
— Julian Hill MP (@JulianHillMP) July 26, 2022
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Thanks for your questions, readers
I am just putting together some more answers to the questions you have sent through – stay tuned for those.
I’ll headline them as a key event so you know where they are – and thank you for sending so many in.
Updated
Government seeks to ban ‘unfair’ contracts in bid to protect small businesses
There is not a lot of parliamentary legislative business going on as yet, but Julie Collins and Andrew Leigh have announced the government will introduce legislation to ban “unfair” contracts to protect small businesses and consumers:
Small businesses and consumers often lack the resources and bargaining power to effectively review and negotiate terms in standard form contracts. Existing laws haven’t stopped the use of unfair terms, which remain prevalent in standard form contracts.
The government will introduce legislation in the upcoming sitting period to strengthen unfair contract terms protections for small businesses and consumers.
The amendments will introduce civil penalty provisions outlawing the use of, and reliance on, unfair terms in standard form contracts. This will enable a regulator to seek a civil penalty from a court.
Additionally, a larger number of small business contracts will be afforded protection. This will occur by increasing the small business eligibility threshold for the protections from less than 20 employees to less than 100 employees, and introducing an annual turnover threshold of less than $10 million as an alternative threshold for determining eligibility.
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Milton Dick elected Speaker of the House of Representatives
For those who missed it, Milton Dick has been elected Speaker. As per tradition, he was dragged to the Speaker’s chair after winning the vote.
The Member for Oxley, Mr Milton Dick MP, has been elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. The result of the ballot: Mr Dick: 92; Mr Wallace: 56. pic.twitter.com/65e9O3QYST
— Australian House of Representatives (@AboutTheHouse) July 26, 2022
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Behind the lens at parliament
A little more from Mike Bowers and Blake Sharp-Wiggins
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On the new Speaker:
Our new speaker of the House of Representatives Dugald “Milton” Dick once featured on a subreddit for “absolute units” pic.twitter.com/MoHFKzFLT3
— Kishor (@kishor_nr) July 26, 2022
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Chris Bowen tight-lipped on climate discussions with Greens
Chris Bowen’s office has released the transcript from his earlier press conference.
Here is how he addressed questions on the climate negotiations with the Greens:
Q: So the Greens want to hold future parliament’s to account with the legislated target ... but you say you don’t need legislation to be able to proceed with the target. So are those some powers that you’re willing to give up in the process to hold future governments and future ministers accountable? And during negotiations with the Greens what’s your message to them about the future of gas and coal projects?
Bowen:
Well, in relation to your the first part of your question, no parliament can bind a future parliament is my first point. My second point is no Dutton government will be good for climate. Regardless of what any piece of legislation says, if you want a government that’s good for climate keep re-electing the Albanese government. That’s the message. Mr Dutton has made it crystal clear he’s not got the memo from the Australian people. He’s continuing on like the same old Liberal party, hasn’t learnt a thing ...
In relation to discussions with the Greens ..., those discussions have occurred and no doubt there’ll be some further discussions, but they have occurred along the basis of our public position and to be fair the Greens’ public position as well. I’m not going to go in the details, but they would reflect the positions we’ve reflected publicly.
Q: With regard to the Greens demand on coal and gas, new coal and gas developments, you suggested last week about the safeguard mechanism being adequate to keep those under control. But would coal and gas developments be exempt under the safeguards mechanism because they are emissions intensive?
Bowen:
The position on safeguards mechanism is crystal clear. We’re not changing the threshold of firms or facilities that get impacted, but any new facility which goes over 100,000 tonnes would be impacted. I’ll be having more to say about the design of the safeguard mechanism in coming weeks, and be consulting about some particular elements about the design of our reforms to the safeguard mechanism, as you’d expect, because it’s a complicated undertaking ... it will play an important role in emissions reduction. It currently covers the 215 biggest emitters. That’s why we took to the election a policy to deal with it and reform it and improve it, sort a mandate and received it.
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For those who missed it, here is part of Anthony Albanese’s emotional speech from earlier today:
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Speaker ballot continues
The secret ballot is continuing in the House of Representatives.
Milton Dick will be the successful candidate.
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Labor nominates Sue Lines for Senate president
Apologies for the delay in posts – my computer always seems to know when I need it to be quick, and chooses to take that moment to give me the wheel of death.
As Paul Karp reports, Sue Lines is Labor’s nomination for the president of the Senate. That was of course, after a little bit of a kerfuffle, when Pauline Hanson tried to nominate someone who wasn’t present.
Pauline Hanson has attempted to nominate Labor's Glenn Sterle as Senate president but can't because he's absent. #auspol
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) July 26, 2022
Labor has nominated Sue Lines.
Greens nominate first nations woman Dorinda Cox.
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Coalition puts forward Andrew Wallace for Speaker
The Coalition has nominated the previous speaker, Andrew Wallace, for the Speaker’s role.
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Dugald [Milton] Dick is Labor’s nomination for the Speaker.
The Queensland MP is in a fun family battle with his brother, the Queensland treasurer, Cameron Dick, over who is the more successful politician. Speaker of the House will be a nice little feather in his cap for the next family lunch.
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Mask reporting in the House and Senate
In the House, Coalition members Darren Chester, Andrew Gee, Sussan Ley and Karen Andrews have joined Rowan Ramsey and Andrew Wallace in putting a mask on.
Paul Karp tells me in the senate, Jim Molan and Paul Scarr are the only Coalition members who are wearing a mask.
All of Labor, and the Greens are masked (Penny Wong, Katy Gallagher and Don Farrell are the exemptions at the box) and the crossbenchers are not masked but socially distanced.
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The 47th parliament is the most diverse in the nation’s history.
For First Nations representation, the 47th parliament represents something truly special.
Here, Sarah Collard, Lorena Allam and Mike Bowers capture a moment in Australian political history
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Coalition mostly not wearing masks, despite recommendations
There is a stark difference in the chambers today: with very few exceptions, the Coalition is not wearing masks.
Labor, the Greens and the crossbench are – but I only see Andrew Wallace and Rowan Ramsey wearing masks in the Coalition.
There is no mask mandate, obviously – but it has been recommended parliament house attendees wear a mask.
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Australia condemns Myanmar executions and calls for release of those ‘unjustly detained’
Australia is “appalled” by the execution of pro-democracy activists in Myanmar, and calls on the regime to release all those unjustly detained.
The ruling military has arrested and sentenced dozens of people in the south east Asian country, where no executions have taken place for decades - until now.
Phyo Zeya Thaw, who spent time in Australia on a political advisers’ course, was one of those executed.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says the government “strongly condemns the actions of the Myanmar military regime” and “opposes the death penalty in all circumstances for all people”. She says:
We call on the regime in Myanmar to cease violence, release all those unjustly detained, and fulfil its commitments under the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus.
Australia is clear and consistent in our support of human rights around the world. Sanctions against members of Myanmar’s military regime are under active consideration.
We extend sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives since the coup.
Australia has also signed up to a joint statement on the execution of pro-democracy and execution leaders in Myanmar, alongside countries including Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. The statement condemns the “reprehensible acts of violence” and urges the release of any unjustly detained prisoners.
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Chair of banking, insurance and superannuation fund regulator to leave job today
The chair of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (Apra), which oversees banks, insurers and super funds, will leave the job 18 months early after announcing his resignation today.
People within Apra say Wayne Byers, who was originally appointed by the Coalition in 2014, wasn’t pushed out by the new government and made the decision to leave early off his own bat.
But it saves the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, from having to make a call on Byers’ fate amid an ongoing clear-out by Labor of agency boards and executives.
The chief executive of the National Disability Insurance Agency, Martin Hoffman, resigned last month and was last week followed out the door by the chair, Denis Napthine, a former Liberal premier of Victoria who had been in the job for just three months.
On Friday, the infrastructure minister, Catherine King, also announced that members of the Infrastructure Australia board had agreed to leave early amid a review of the body, which she said “has been allowed to drift with partisan board appointments and a lack of clear direction”.
Sources say the government is also looking closely at the make-up of the boards of the Future Fund, which is chaired by the former Liberal treasurer Peter Costello, and Australia Post, which is heavy with Coalition appointments.
Byers was reappointed for another five years by the then treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, in 2018, effective once his current term ran out in July 2019, meaning his tenure was due to expire in 2024.
The reappointment was controversial because it came even as Apra was copping a public dressing-down from the banking royal commission, which exposed the regulator as an organisation shy of taking action against financial institutions that did the wrong thing.
He is likely to finish up in October, giving the government time to find a replacement for one of the most specialised regulatory roles in the country.
Of internal possibilities, the deputy chair, Helen Rowell, can probably be ruled out - she is poorly regarded by the union-and-employer-controlled industry super sector, which is powerful within Labor and feels her campaign on lifting governance standards at funds has unfairly targeted it, when the banking royal commission revealed that most problems were at the funds run for-profit by banks and other financial institutions.
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47th parliament opens
The chief justice, Susan Kiefel, will swear in the senators.
Justice Stephen Gageler will swear in the House of Representatives.
But the 47th parliament is open for business.
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The chief justice, Susan Kiefel, has opened the parliament with a few short words. And now the House of Represenatives members are on their way back to their chamber.
The senators and members of parliament will now all be sworn in. Then the speaker will be elected – most likely to be Milton Dick.
At the same time, the president of the Senate will be elected. That’s most likely to be Sue Lines.
But first there is the secret ballot. Then the successful nominees will be “dragged” to the chair (a nod to British history when the speakers’ life was often in danger, or taken, when the king was annoyed at the parliament’s decision) but now just comes with an extra $159,000 or so, a fancy office, and quite a bit of prestige.
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Former prime minister Morrison absent in first week of new parliament
Scott Morrison is of course, absent.
The former prime minister is on his way to Tokyo for a conservative conference featuring former conservative prime ministers. The opposition has not asked for a pair for Morrison this week. We don’t know if he is getting paid as part of this event (it is his second since his election loss) and probably won’t know until he updates his register of interests (if he remains in the parliament, that is – there is a lot of talk he is looking for his way out and the Cook branch is preparing for it).
There have been a lot of questions about whether there are any ramifications for someone who misses parliament for something like this. I’ll do up a proper question and answer for it in just a bit, but the short answer is: no.
If you meet the constitutional requirements, then you can sit in the parliament and no one can do anything about it. Political parties have the power to kick MPs out of the party, but not the parliament. Only the people can do that.
There was one case, I believe (this is from memory) very early on in the Australian parliament, where someone was elected and never showed up.
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Now because the House of Representatives and the Senate are supposed to be seperate, and this whole procedure is based on British Westminster tradition, there is a whole thing about keeping the Queen out of the lower house.
Which is why it all happens in the Senate.
It is one of the only times House of Representatives members are allowed in the Senate, but they don’t sit on the benches – there are special chairs on the outside of the Senate benches where the MPs sit.
The chief justice, as the deputy of the governor general, will then open the parliament.
The governor general, David Hurley, will turn up this afternoon and finish the opening, which concludes with a 19-gun salute (21-gun salutes are reserved for royalty and heads of state).
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The Usher of the Black Rod (quick explanation here) is walking across to the House of Representatives to invite the members over to the Senate for the official parliament opening.
The deputy governor general (the High Court chief justice, Susan Kiefel) will open the parliament. But first the House of Reps MPs have to file over to the Senate.
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Here is some of how Mike Bowers and Blake Sharp-Wiggins have seen the morning:
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Consumer confidence rises before CPI figures release
Ahead of tomorrow’s release of consumer price inflation figures for the June quarter, the ANZ/Roy Morgan weekly survey of consumer confidence has registered another modest increase.
Sentiment nudged up 0.7%, following the previous week’s 0.2% gain.
Another uptick in consumer confidence, according to the @ANZ_Research and Roy Morgan's latest weekly survey. The level, though, remains not far off historic lows. pic.twitter.com/waf6VSiSUR
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) July 25, 2022
Among the mainland states, confidence improved in NSW, Victoria, SA and WA, while it dropped in Queensland.
The sentiment sub indices were also mixed.
Increases in the expected “financial situation compared to a year ago” and whether it is a “good time to buy a major household item” were the main drivers of sentiment, ANZ’s head of Australian economics, David Plank, said.
“Confidence, however, remained very weak and at levels last seen during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
One other interesting result was the uptick in household inflation expectations by 0.2 percentage points to 6%.
Inflation expectations, a particular focus of the RBA, have also ticked higher in the weekly survey, according to @ANZ_Research and Roy Morgan. pic.twitter.com/1uK1Q87vVJ
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) July 25, 2022
The rise in consumer sentiment, though, could be temporary, with more “downward pressure” likely if the June CPI figures reveal another surge of inflation, Plank said.
Market economists are tipping the “headline” CPI numbers will come in at about 6.2%, up from the annual rate of 5.1% reported for the March quarter.
While on the high side, that number is well short of the bold 8% prediction by one political commentator in the “national broadsheet” this morning. Shoppers everywhere will hope that he’s well off the mark.
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Supporters of tax whistleblower Richard Boyle rally in Adelaide
In Adelaide, a protest has been held in support of tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle.
Boyle, a former tax office official, blew the whistle on what he alleged was the misuse of extraordinary powers by the Australian Taxation Office to claw back debts owed by families and small businesses. His disclosures, made well after he first raised concerns internally, formed the basis of an ABC Four Corners investigation.
He was then hit with a series of criminal charges and is now facing potential imprisonment, if found guilty at trial.
Boyle was due to face the district court this morning for what is a hugely important pre-trial hearing. He is attempting to use whistleblower protections to have criminal charges against him thrown out.
It is the first major test of Australia’s Public Interest Disclosure Act, the laws that are designed to shield whistleblowers from reprisals. The hearing was delayed until next week due to Covid. But a group of protesters has shown their solidarity with Boyle regardless, turning up outside the court in support.
The Alliance Against Political Prosecutions, the Human Rights Law Centre, and the former senator Rex Patrick were all in attendance.
Great turnout at a rally in solidarity for tax office whistleblower @Richard_D_Boyle in Adelaide. While Boyle’s trial today has been postponed, the message here is clear: Attorney-General @markdreyfusQCMP must drop this prosecution and urgently fix Australian whistleblowing laws. pic.twitter.com/NDBqPz11WR
— Kieran Pender (@KieranHRLC) July 25, 2022
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Australian airport ground crews threatening strikes over unfair enterprise agreement
Dipping away from politics for a moment:
Travellers at Australian airports could see big delays as ground crews are threatening to go on strike. Baggage handlers from the Emirates-owned group dnata (the Dubai National Air Travel Agency) are today applying to the Fair Work Commission for strike action over a new enterprise agreement they say is unfair. The airport services provider supplies handling for up to 20 airlines including Qantas and Emirates.
Andrew David, the CEO of Qantas Domestic and International appeared on the Today Show earlier this morning and said that it will impact the national carrier’s international flights but not domestic services.
If the union is going to take the action it will impact those airlines and will impact everybody in our international airports. It won’t affect our domestic business. We don’t use dnata in our domestic airports.
David denied the situation was reflective of the broader problem of airlines outsourcing activities like bag handling to other businesses.
It’s ludicrous to suggest that corners are being cut and the union’s got to take action. They are trying to link Qantas to virtually everything. Yesterday we had fog in Sydney and Virgin had a problem with its IT systems. Somehow the trade workers union connected that with Qantas outsourcing.
David is asked about a leaked memo from dnata, in which staff have been warned to politely but firmly dismiss any pressure from airlines to work faster which has previously resulted in “quite a few incidents in the space of a fortnight.”
David denies that the staff shortage is “dangerous” and says he has read the memo and “thought it was good”.
It was a reminder to everybody in dnata, in the same way we want our ground handlers to remember, safety always comes first. I didn’t see anything with that message. Unfortunately some people choose to take phrases in that and in other contexts out of context and then spread misinformation. So, certainly it is not dangerous in the industry. We always take safety as our first priority.
The potential strike comes as Sydney Airport has been named among the world’s worst airports for flight cancellations and delays in the past two months:
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Murph has covered climate politics for more than two decades – there is almost no one in the building who knows as much as her about where we have been, where we are going, and what needs to happen. We are lucky to have her.
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Bowen: Ratchet mechanism ‘explicit in the legislation’, no further changes from Labor likely
Katharine Murphy asks:
You said obviously you’ve made the Paris process more explicit in this bill so that targets can only go in one direction. Is that as far as you intent to go on the so-called ratchet mechanism that the Greens and others have been looking for?
Also you said a minute ago you’re not budging from Labor’s electoral mandate. Labor made no comments or promises ahead of the last federal election in relation to a climate trigger [or] another environmental laws. That’s something that David Pocock thinks should happen. It’s something the Greens think should happen and it might go some way to bridging some ... gaps between the Labor Party and the Greens on a moratorium on oil and gas. What’s your position in relation to that?
Chris Bowen:
Thank you. In relation to the first question, you’re right. The Paris mechanism is very clear. The term ratchet mechanism gets used and that’s as good a term as any, that all future targets must be better than previous targets so the UNFCCC [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] wouldn’t accept a target which is backsliding.
We’ve made that explicit in the legislation. I think that is very clear. Certainly I don’t envisage the need to change that any further.
In relation to the other question you raised, of course that’s a matter which the minister has addressed in relation to the Saville review and that’s our position and I believe that position continues.
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Bowen: the opposition has made itself irrelevant to the climate bill process
Chris Bowen says the Paris mechanism will be part of the bill, and the Opposition is making itself irrelevant:
There are things that we’ve made more explicit in the bill, that we’ll be introducing into the Parliament, including how the Paris mechanism works to require future targets to or higher than previous targets.
That’s appropriate. That’s what a sensible government of grown-ups does.
As I said, we have been and will continue to talk to people of goodwill. People who aren’t constructive, like the opposition, have made themselves irrelevant to the process.
The Liberal Party – at least the leader of the Liberal Party – seems to have not received the memo from the Australian people on May 21 that it’s time to end the climate wars.
They think they know more about business than the Business Council of Australia. They think they know more about the industry, Australian industry, than the Australian Industry Group, who have all called for our targets and for them to be legislated.
Mr Dutton is unfortunately making a decision to continue the climate wars. That a matter for him but he’ll be held accountable for it.
He’s making his party irrelevant and many of his members and even frontbenchers know it and you know that he’s made a captain’s call to stand aside from constructive engagement with the government.
The government will get on with the job, regardless of whether this legislation passes. We’ll get on with the job, regardless of the approach of the opposition of the day.
But the Australian people sent the parliament a message, elected in a government with a mandate, and we’re getting on with it in a way consistent with that mandate and I call on people across the Parliament regardless of their party, regardless of their historical position, to recognise the sea change in the views of the Australian people and support this legislation.
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Climate bill update
Chris Bowen is giving an update on Labor’s climate legislation – they’re having the Climate Change Authority advise on how the government should approach its emissions reduction targets:
The Climate Change Authority to advise government in an open and transparent way on future targets. The Climate Change Authority was set up by previous Labor governments to do so.
The Climate Change Authority should be a trusted voice to government in an open and transparent policymaking sense in the future.
It’ll also advise government again on progress, on complying with our targets and will do so in an open and transparent way and, of course, the legislation will require me and future ministers of the day to report transparently to parliament on progress in targets and actions and policies adopted to meet them and what actions the government is taking.
And finally, the bill will also put the nation’s targets in to the objects and functions of a range of government organisations, including Arena and CFC in my portfolio and the Northern Australian Infrastructure Fund, Infrastructure Australia and others.
This is an important opportunity, as I said, for the country. It’s also an important opportunity for the parliament. This legislation has been informed and assisted by consultations across the parliament with people of goodwill.
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There was a very large crowd in the Great Hall, with the public galleries filled. For the smoking ceremony, it starts with special guests and their invited guests, before being opened up more widely for those who would like to pay their respects.
Procession to the forecourt begins for the Indigenous smoking ceremony
It really wasn’t that long ago (2008) that the smoking ceremony was thought controversial. It was not part of the official opening until the Rudd government made it part of its opening.
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While those speeches of unity and needing to do better were being given, Angus Taylor was on Sky News, talking politics.
Peter Dutton finishes with this:
This, the 47th Parliament of Australia, will be an important one for Indigenous Australians, indeed for all Australians. It’s a parliament with record levels of Indigenous representation, as the prime minister rightly pointed out. We’re incredibly proud of the fact that we have eight senators, three members of the House of Representatives, as part of this 47th Parliament.
I acknowledge my colleagues today, Liberal senators Jacinta Price and senator Kerrynne Liddle. It’s a great honour to share this stage with you.
As we know, there’s an incredible of work in front of us to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians, to do what past governments, both Liberal and Labor, and leaders in our communities, have strived to do but fallen short in their endeavours.
That is to lift standards of living, to generate better educational outcomes, to address domestic violence and crime and to reduce mortality rates. So together, colleagues, let this 47th Parliament of Australia bring us together to implement practical changes which will improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. Thank you.
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Dutton: ‘we will recognise the scale of our story when we recognise each other’
Peter Dutton:
Ladies and gentlemen, members of Parliament, senators, colleagues, friends and fellow Australians, as is tradition, we open Parliament with the Welcome to Country. The words we heard this morning carried a strong message of unity. A Welcome to Country made in the spirit of peace and a desire for harmony with all peoples of modern Australia.
It reminded me how lucky we are to live in a peaceful and harmonious society, particularly compared to other parts of the world this very day.
I recall the words of Noel Pearson who said our nation is in three parts. There is an ancient heritage, written in the continent and the original culture painted on its land and seascapes. There’s our British inheritance, the structures of government and society transported from the United Kingdom fixing its foundation in the ancient soil. There is our multicultural achievement, a triumph of immigration that brought together the gifts of peoples and cultures from all over the globe, forming one Commonwealth.
Noel Pearson also said Australians have an epic story. It’s one of the greatest epic stories of this planet. We will recognise the scale of our story when we recognise each other.
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Dutton makes opening speech
As the opposition leader, Peter Dutton is then given the opportunity to speak:
Can I say, prime minister, thank you very much for those warm words, heartfelt words and felt by everyone here and I know that they were spoken very sincerely. So thank you very much for those fine words.
I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people. I acknowledge their leaders past, present and emerging and in particular the two wonderful leaders on the stage today.
Aunty Matilda, you’ve graced this place for many years. You bring a great sense of dignity and a great sense of humour and the way in which you’ve represented your people at many ceremonies over a long period of time, you’ve shown great distinction and honour to your people and heritage.
Paul [House], thank you for your speech today, for the very powerful words and for the way in which you’ve provided leadership and we’ve enjoyed very much the conversations and the way in which you’ve engaged with parliamentarians.
I also want to acknowledge Linda Burney and the shadow minister [for Indigenous Australians], Julian Leeser. To all of my parliamentary colleagues and everyone here today to share in this moment. I want to make sure that as a parliament, and as a former defence minister, we also pay our respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who have served our nation in the past and continue to do so today.
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Anthony Albanese finishes with:
[Aunty] Matilda [House] gave the first Welcome to Country ceremony here at this Parliament House. And she said this: “For thousands of years, our people have observed this protocol. It is a good and honest and a decent and human act to reach out and make sure everyone has a place and is welcome.”
It says a lot.
May the humility and hope infused in her remarkable words be what guides us in the 47th Parliament.
Albanese: wounds of legalised discrimination are still recent and raw
Anthony Albanese:
We’re not talking about, you know, ancient history here. How good is it that in the last Parliament we had the honourable Ken Wyatt, an Indigenous man, representing the Parliament as the minister for indigenous affairs?
And now we have, in the new government, Linda Burney being the minister for indigenous affairs.
Linda Burney’s story underlines not just how repugnant the days of legalised discrimination were, but how recent and how raw the wounds of our past still are. But her story does also remind us of the significant changes that have occurred, just in my lifetime.
In my lifetime: the 1967 referendum, the Mabo decision, the national apology, to the Welcome to Country to mark the opening of Parliament, a testament to all those who worked so hard to awaken our national conscience, a testament to the courage and perseverance of First Nations leaders and that history inspires us to further progress.
Linda is a very dear friend of mine, and there’s no one I’m closer to in this show. And, in part, her story inspires me because if my beginnings and had [I] dealt with that hardship, you’d like to think you’d respond with generosity and kindness, but, gee, you wouldn’t blame someone for not doing that. And that’s what strikes me about reconciliation and going forward.
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Prime minister to all MPs: 'make it count'
Anthony Albanese gets emotional at this point:
So I say to everyone here, all of my parliamentary colleagues, don’t miss the chance, because you’re not here for that long.
None of us will be.
And when you’re sitting on the porch, thinking about what you did, you can either have a source of pride, or a source of regret.
There’s no middle path, no middle path.
Make it a source of pride.
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Albanese: Statement from the Heart is about acknowledging reality
Anthony Albanese:
We have to seize that opportunity and we need to seize it in this term, because it’s now more than five years since Indigenous people came together with those remarkable words that say so much. It’s not easy sometimes to bring together this parliament.
It’s not easy to bring together First Nations people with a common view either. But that hard work was done.
It was done. And Voice, Truth, Treaty is ... the result. And we need to seize that opportunity, because the uncomfortable truth of our history isn’t something that, you know, is about blame. It is about ... acknowledging reality and what has occurred, and the great thing about the Uluru Statement from the Heart is that it doesn’t seem to do that. It’s not a negative statement.
It’s incredibly positive in the way that it advances. And we’ve seen that. I think it’s no accident either, that since 2008, we have seen such a record number of First Nations people represented here, six members alone in my caucus, but members of the Coalition, members of the crossbench, members of the Greens party.
There has been that change occur and that should be celebrated.
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Albanese: Uluru Statement from the Heart is an ‘opportunity that must be seized’
Anthony Albanese:
And we in this parliament and as leaders of this country have another moment before us.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a generous offer ... it’s a hand out just saying, please, hold it. Hold it.
That’s all people are asking for. When I was raised ... my Mum was very strong about manners. And the Uluru Statement from the Heart is, to my mind just should be seen as good manners.
That when you have issues that are affecting people, particularly people who have history going back 65,000 years at least, the oldest continuous civilisation on the planet, a source of great national pride here in Australia, why wouldn’t you ... grasp that generous and gracious offer, which is about reconciliation, which is about acknowledging dispossession and colonisation, and all of the tragedy and injustice that occurred to First Nations people as a result of the First Fleet arriving in 1788?
Now, I know that Australians, in the way that they deal with their lives, are generous: towards their neighbours, towards their community and towards the whole country.
We’ve seen that and we see it replicated by the fact that people are wearing masks here today – people making decisions to look after each other, to look after the community. That’s what we’ve seen.
What the Uluru Statement from the Heart represents is an opportunity that must be seized, because if it isn’t seized, it will be lost and we will be diminished.
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Anthony Albanese:
I thank you, Paul, and Aunty Matilda, for the wonderful Welcome to Country, and honouring us with your presence here.
I acknowledge Peter Dutton, the leader of the opposition. I acknowledge other members and senators who are here, but in particular I acknowledge the record number of First Nations people who have been elected to represent their local constituencies in the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is a very good thing indeed.
As Paul was re counting the heroes of reconciliation, going back since ... really, since people walked to the opening of Parliament down the road here, the old Parliament, in 1927, the temporary one – but going through the history of struggle it strikes me that, with every one of those historical events, there is no one in this room, and I doubt whether there’s anyone in Australia, who would say: “Gee, I wish that hadn’t have happened. I wish that person hadn’t have walked that journey”.
And here in today’s ceremony, I’m reminded, as I walked here, that as leader of the House of Representatives in 2008 with the incoming government, we were told that this ceremony originally couldn’t take place because there was nothing in the standing orders to provide for it.
And we went ahead and we did it, and today, you have, I’m sure, every member of the House of [Representatives] and Senate across the political spectrum who can be here, is here. We have record numbers of the public are here. And no one says that shouldn’t have happened.
When Kevin Rudd delivered the apology, some said that that also shouldn’t have happened, but there’s no one [that] today says that that did anything other than bring our nation together, that it was a unifying moment that was important: not just for the Stolen Generations, not just for First Nations people. It was important for our nation, it was a moment.
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Albanese recommits to the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart ‘in full’
Anthony Albanese then takes the podium and addresses Paul House and Aunty Matilda House for their generous welcome:
You’ve made my first task on this silting day very difficult indeed but I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet, pay my respect to their elders, past, present and emerging, and on behalf of the government of Australia, I recommit to the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.
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Peter Dutton is on the stage, wearing a mask (as was Anthony Albanese)
One of Dutton’s most infamous moments was boycotting the Apology to Indigenous Australians.
He has since said he ‘made a mistake’ in refusing the apology.
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Paul House finishes his Welcome to Country with this:
As local custodians we are aware that this 47th term of Parliament will be profoundly important for the First Peoples of Australia and for the nation. This government has committed to implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Voice, Treaty and Truth-telling. We trust this parliament will act responsibly in embracing all three key elements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
In the near future, this Parliament will consider the first element, which is legislation, for a referendum to enshrine a First Peoples Voice to Parliament.
In this nation’s founding rulebook, the constitution, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overwhelmingly seeking a voice and every member of this Parliament should respect and act now. It can’t be delayed anymore.
But let’s remember The Voice is only the start of the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which involves much more than this. Ultimately, there must be a national treaty. There must be truth-telling.
The United Nations declaration of the rights of Indigenous people should be implemented into Australian law. On behalf of our Ngambri and Ngunnawal custodians, I’d like to gift this Parliament with a freshly minted [cutting] from Kurrajong Hill to Parliament, to the 47th opening of Parliament.
So in conclusion, I’d like to say respect shapes us and lifts up the people. Welcome.
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47th parliament ceremonial opening begins
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are on the stage of the Great Hall in parliament for the Welcome to Country.
Paul House is giving the Welcome to Country:
Paul House is a Ngambri-Ngunnawal custodian with multiple local Aboriginal ancestries from the Canberra region, however he identifies as a descendant of Ngambri–Walgulu man Henry “Black Harry” Williams and Ngunnawal–Wallaballoa man “Murjinille” aka William Lane (“Billy the Bull”), including Wiradjuri ancestries.
House:
We listen to our ancestors, the old people, they show us the right path. They take care of us, they help us, they protect us. Looking to see, listening to hear, and learning to understand. Respect, be gentle, be polite, be patient, give honour, take responsibility. Respect is taking responsibility for the now, the past, the present and the future.
With this Welcome to Country, our main aim is local custodians, establish a spirit of mutual respect through the acknowledgement of our ancestors and the recognition of our rights to declare a special place in the pre and post [settlement] history of the region.
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AAP has a follow-up on this story from Caitlin Cassidy for those who have been following along:
Victoria will ban private electricity networks in new apartment blocks in a bid to drive down soaring energy costs.
Embedded networks are commonly used to supply power to multiple-customer premises such as apartment blocks, retirement villages, social housing and caravan parks, stopping consumers sourcing a potentially cheaper deal.
But they will be outlawed in new apartment buildings and existing networks will be reformed to ensure households can access more competitive deals, the Victorian government announced on Tuesday.
“All Victorians deserve to get the same competitive energy deals and have the same protections, driving down the cost of living when people need it most,” the energy minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, said in a statement.
The ban will begin in January 2023, with limited exemptions for buildings operating on 100% renewable energy.
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Earlier the shadow workplace relations minister, Michaelia Cash, gave in-principle backing to Labor’s plan for 10 days’ paid family and domestic violence leave.
Asked if the Coalition supported it, Cash told Radio National:
Yes we do. I haven’t seen the legislation yet. The devil is always in the detail. It actually was the former Coalition government that extended the 5 days unpaid FDVL [family and domestic violence leave] into the NES [national employment standards]. So we had done that.
You’d be aware the Fair Work Commission themselves actually reviewed and they, as the independent FWC, said 10 [days’ leave]. I believe the best way forward is to support the Fair Work Commission’s model. They’ve looked at it across the board, they’ve balanced the needs of employers and employees on the issue. ‘They’ve taken into consideration all of the issues put forward.
Yes certainly, our inclination is to support this, in particular based on the FWC model.
This doesn’t make a heap of sense because the Fair Work Commission model is to insert the leave in modern awards, and the government model is to include it in the National Employment Standards (so everyone gets it). In fact, the FWC is actually considering ending the review of modern awards, because once it’s legislated it’s redundant.
But still, sounds like it will pass easily.
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The new opposition seating chart is out and, well – someone has a sense of humour.
Alright who did this. Who put these together in the naughty corner ? Detention. Principals office tmw 9 am sharp. pic.twitter.com/539g1Fxw8V
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) July 25, 2022
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Morning summary on climate: Coalition party position, Bridget Archer may cross floor, Greens positive on negotiations with Labor
So that was a bit of a morning.
What did we learn?
The Coalition will not budge on supporting legislating an emissions reduction target. No, nada, not going to happen.
Liberal MP Bridget Archer is open to action and may cross the floor. She wants to end the climate wars.
The Greens are having discussions in good faith with the Labor government over the bill and so far, Adam Bandt feels positive about them. He says progress is being made, but the sticking point could be new coal or gas projects.
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So what is he thinking about?
Anthony Albanese:
I think about my mum. It would’ve been a big day for her. ... At the War Memorial last night I had an amazing moment where, as I was driving back, or being driven back, to be honest, to the Lodge, I got a text message from a very dear friend of mine, with photos from ... the event at the War Memorial.
And eight people of my friends who I grew up with, in council housing, in Camperdown, have made their way here from Melbourne, from Perth, from all over the country, without telling me, they have organised it, and that – that was a really emotional moment for me last night.
It’s a big deal for them. I said on election night that I hoped there were people watching in public housing who aspire - who it confirms that in this great country of ours you can aspire to a better life and to fulfil the opportunities that this country creates. And last night and the fact that they’ll be there today, is a big deal for me and a great moment.
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But Anthony Albanese will not engage in any questions over Scott Morrison’s absence from parliament to attend a meeting of former prime minister’s in Japan.
“It’s a matter for him,” he says.
PM stands by mandate for 43% emissions reduction target
Anthony Albanese is also asked about the Coalition’s refusal to budge on climate and says:
They need to basically mature a bit. Really. They had 22 policies. They didn’t land one of them. To argue there’s no mechanism that can be described in that way, where indeed using the safeguard mechanism has been established under the Abbott government.
... We have our mandate. It’s for 43% by 2030. We said of course the nature of these targets are that it’s a floor, not a ceiling.
But we actually need to have a plan to get change. You can’t just come up with a figure or come up with a sort of thought bubble.
Our policy is well thought through. It was announced, it was campaigned upon, indeed, it received a mandate. And I lead a government with a majority in the House of Representatives and I say to all those who are thinking of voting against this legislation, that’s a matter for them. We’ll get on and implement the policy which we don’t need to legislate for.
But they should have a look back at the last 10 years where there’s been a lost decade. And they should think about the fact that our policy is being supported by the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Australian industry Group, on the business side. All of the business peak organisations.
That should be something the coalition think about. But on the other side, the Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace, and mainstream people in the environmental movement are also saying vote for this bill.
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His message to people who practice a religion?
Anthony Albanese:
That all people, regardless of their faith, should be respected. That’s something I have always done. And something that my government will do as well. We will address the issues of religious discrimination and the need to legislate there. We’ll do that during the term of parliament. We’ll do it in a way which is much more consultative and brings people together in a way that I hope characterises the way my government functions.
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On climate, the prime minister says:
We have already submitted our position of our nationally determined contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. We’ve already submitted that.
We’re able to do that [emissions reduction target] of 43% by 2030. That’s a position that we announced last December that we campaigned on very transparently, with fully costed policies that will create 604,000 new jobs, that will see 82% of our energy ... in the national energy market come from renewables.
We’ll create new industries and new opportunities. We have a mandate for it. We intend to pursue it.
I say to both the coalition but also to the crossbenchers, that Australians and indeed the business community in particular wants this parliament to move on from the old days of division.
We had 22 energy policies announced by the former government and none of them implemented.
We have one policy, we’ll implement it.
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PM gives press conference
Anthony Albanese gave a short press conference following the traditional before parliament church service and he had a message on unity:
Today is a momentous day. It’s a day that confirms the change of government which the new Parliament sits for the first time.
I said on election night on May 21 that Australians voted for change and indeed they did.
And we have a mandate to implement that change.
A mandate to deal with the challenge of climate change, by taking up the opportunities that are there.
A mandate to have 10 days’ paid domestic and family violence leave. To create jobs and skills [in] Australia, to address cost of living challenges that are out there, by having cheaper childcare and through other measures as well.
I want to see a parliament that functions much better than the last one. One that where there’s genuine debate and dialogue and discussion.
I want more unity, less division. I want to bring the country together with a sense of our common purpose which is there.
We have big challenges as a nation, going forward. There’s challenges with our economy, there are challenges with inequality in our society, but there’s also international challenges as well, in defence and our national security. Challenges that have been highlighted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but challenges as well that are in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Bridget Archer remains one member of the Coalition who is prepared to have conversations on climate. She said as much to ABC radio this morning and then again, outside the studio:
Yeah, I do think it’s time to put the climate wars aside. And to accept that climate change is both a very real threat but also there are opportunities for the country to look to embrace as we move forward.
Greens: ‘You can’t put the fire out if you’re throwing petrol on it’
Adam Bandt says while the discussions are continuing in a positive way, the issue of new coal or gas projects could be the stumbling block:
We are approaching these discussions in good faith.
Because we now have a parliament where there’s more third voices than ever, in this Parliament that we’re about to start getting underway today.
And a big part of the reason that Labor’s vote went backwards, [that] the Liberal’s votes went backwards, but the Greens vote went up and independents who had climate ambition went up, was because of climate.
And we now have a situation in this parliament where, roughly speaking, one third of the country voted for the government, one third voted for the opposition and one third voted for someone else.
And that puts an obligation on all of us to work together to try and get laws that will tackle the climate crisis.
But this issue of coal and gas has the potential to be the stumbling block because we’re saying very clearly – from our Pacific Island neighbours over the last couple of weeks, from the International Energy Agency from the UN – they’re all saying you can’t put the fire out if you’re throwing petrol on it.
And this is a big question.
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Bandt: five issues the Greens have with Labor’s climate bill
Moving on from Michealia Cash and her personal attacks on interviewers, the Greens leader Adam Bandt is up next, and he outlines the five issues the Greens (who have a lot of power in the senate) have with the Labor government’s climate bill:
There is the target, which we know is weak and Labor has set that target based around keeping coal fired power stations in the system for just as long as the Liberals, they’ve been very explicit about that. And that’s how they’ve got to that weak target, which we know isn’t enough to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
There’s also some problems with the bill. We’re concerned about it being a genuine floor so that future governments can’t go below it. We don’t want it to be a ceiling. So we don’t want to give, say if there’s a change of government or change of senate and Pauline Hanson is in [the] balance of power, we don’t want to give her veto over a future government that might be a bit more climate-ambitious.
We’re concerned the bill doesn’t have teeth, doesn’t oblige the government to actually do anything.
And critically, as you mentioned, coal and gas, the big issue because we don’t want to be in a situation where we have Parliament working to pass a bill on Monday only to find on Tuesday, Labor goes and opens up the Beetaloo basin in the Northern Territory, for example. That would add up to 13% to Australia’s emissions.
And this question of opening new coal and gas, we think is something that most people would agree on.
We can have discussions and differences of opinions about what targets should be and what mechanisms should be. But I think there should be a general agreement and there would be general acceptance amongst Australian society, that you don’t make the problem worse while you’re trying to fix it.
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Cash: No way the Coalition will support a lower emissions target
The next interview on ABC radio RN is with the shadow employment minister, Michaelia Cash, who has a lot to say about the scrapping of the ABCC. Cash, you may remember, was one of its biggest supporters while in government.
In opposition, she is about as outraged at the body being being scrapped as you might expect – Cash oversaw the body, after all, and was one of its biggest defenders.
The interview then moves on to whether or not the Coalition will support legislating an emissions reduction target, and that is when things get personal.
Cash refuses to accept that the electorate sent the Coalition a message at the election and accuses Patricia Karvelas of not wanting to give the Coalition credit for what it did on climate.
Pity @SenatorCash feels the need to implicitly question the professionalism of @PatsKarvelas for asking the bleedingly obvious question: what did you learn on climate action from the 2022 election result? Beneath her, that nonsense, really #auspol @RNBreakfast
— Katharine Murphy (@murpharoo) July 25, 2022
Asked if Labor has a mandate to legislate a target, given it won the election, Cash responds with;
The Coalition won more votes than the Australian Labor party.
Cash says there is no way the Coalition will support legislating a target and says if her colleague Bridget Archer supports it, then that is a matter for her.
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And on Scott Morrison’s absence (he is in Japan at a meeting of former prime ministers) Tony Burke says if he is getting paid to speak, he should declare that.
The opposition have not requested a pair for Morrison, Burke says.
Burke:
Sometimes people have deeply personal reasons that they can’t come because of sickness or a loved one.
And those quiet conversations happened with the whip, between the whips, and so there are occasions where it’s appropriate and that that happens.
If someone’s being paid to do another job, then I’m not sure how they get away with the taxpayers paying them to do this one.
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Crossbench to get three questions in question time
On question time (the first one will be tomorrow) Tony Burke says there will be a bit of a vibe shift:
The big standing orders change effectively will be the role of the crossbench; where they used to only have one question they’ll now have three.
The thing that I’ve said is this ... to debate in the parliament, you’re still going to have the back and forth, and I think that’s healthy to have that – what you are less likely to find, though, is where 95% of an answer is about the other side of politics.
He says there will still be sledging, but just less of it.
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Burke on violence leave: ‘You shouldn’t have to choose between safety and wages’
On domestic and family violence paid leave, and why not also concentrate on sick leave, Tony Burke says:
I really want to make sure that we acknowledge that this one is different to any other entitlement.
This is something where the gravity of whether or not someone gets out of the situation– principally women but not exclusively women – there are already so many things stacked against them making it hard, worried about worried about other family members worried about children worried about what happens to a whole social network.
I just don’t want losing your job or being poor to be added to that list.
So I hear what you say about the other principles that are otherwise wrapped up in casual loading.
My starting point is I want to get more people into secure work. So the way I want to deal with those principles ... I want to get people into secure jobs where they where they want them.
But with family and domestic violence leave, I just start with this core principle – you shouldn’t have to choose between your safety and your wages.
And that means logically, we have to apply it to casuals as well.
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ABCC head to be paid salary until legislation repealed
The head of the ABCC will still be paid their $450,00 salary, though. Tony Burke says as a statutory appointment, that has to continue until the legislation is repealed.
I would have loved to abolish the organisation yesterday. But you know, in terms of legislative programme, that legislation will come probably in a couple of months time.
My first priority on legislation was family and domestic violence leave and so that’s that’s where I’ve started things.
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Australian Building and Construction Commission to be defunded regardless of legislation
Tony Burke says the move to abolish the ABCC will be one of the first acts of the new government, and regardless of what happens with the legislation, the body will be unfunded – the government will allow the funding to lapse.
Burke says the important work of the construction watchdog will be split between the Fair Work Ombudsman and the safety regulators;
The Fair Work Ombudsman has the capacity to deal with a series of right of entry and other disputes, where there was something that used to be unlawful that was at the more ridiculous end of things, like flags like stickers, or like for example, the fact that you couldn’t have on construction in an enterprise agreement a clause that encouraged people to get permanent jobs or that had...apprenticeships attached to it. Those principles are now gone.
So no one takes over the ridiculous stuff that’s gone.
But safety issues go to the normal safety regulators and the rest goes to the Fair Work Ombudsman.
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Tony Burke said the government will be able to move forward with its commitment for a 43% emissions reduction commitment without legislation.
Obviously, as we said during the election, we’ll be able to implement our commitments whether or not this legislation is passed, our preferences that it be passed, and we’re hoping that we can bring people together to do that.
So how quickly will the climate legislation get through the parliament?
Tony Burke:
I have never pretended to understand what what happens once it gets to the Senate. It is my intention, though, to get it through the House of Reps during this fortnight.
Burke says the senate does not have to wait for the legislation to arrive before it sets up a committee (if it wants to) but that what the senate does is a matter for the senate.
The employment minister, Tony Burke, is on ABC Radio RN speaking about Labor’s climate bill and the reports the government is willing to compromise with the Greens over the legislated target.
Burke:
Chris Bowen is leading those negotiations, and he’s conducting them in good faith. So we’re not going to depart from what our election commitment was, the discussions with the crossbench and the different parties have been happening in good faith.
I understand Chris is going to be standing up in a couple of hours to be able to give an update on where all that said that is and those those two principles where something’s within our election commitments, where it doesn’t involve a departure of the expectations, we go to the community, then we’re having those discussions.
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Good morning
Happy new parliament day (for those who observe).
The 47th parliament will officially open a little bit later today, after hours of pomp and ceremony and of course, the 19 gun salute.
Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton and a large swathe of the parliament are attending the traditional church service ahead of the sitting. Guardian Australia’s photographer-at-large Mike Bowers is there, of course, and will bring you all the details (and snaps).
After their “planning” day yesterday the Nationals are trying to work out where they fit in the scheme of things, while the Greens, buoyed by increased numbers, are working out how best to hold Labor to account on climate.
But before the politics comes the pomp. It’ll be some time before we get to the nitty gritty of Labor’s agenda and the 18 pieces of legislation it plans on introducing.
Of course, the issues in aged care and Covid won’t wait for the ceremony: both aged care and the health sectors are completely overwhelmed by both the pandemic and staff shortages. The ADF personnel deployment extension may fill some gaps, but not enough to ensure everyone gets the right amount of care and workers get a break.
And after Splendour in the Grass showed yet another impact of climate change – with the festival hit by huge rain squalls, cancelling the first day and bogging attendees in – and many still without a home or permanent shelter from the floods which hit the region, the Labor government can’t ignore the need for urgent climate action either.
The Liberal MP Bridget Archer says she is open to supporting Labor’s 43% emissions reduction bill, but the true test will be in the Senate.
We will bring you all the news as it happens with Katharine Murphy, Paul Karp, Tory Shepherd and Josh Butler following all of the Canberra news.
You’ve got me, Amy Remeikis, on the blog for most of the day and, of course, Mike Bowers guiding the way, as usual.
It’ll be a four coffee day.
Ready?
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