Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has crammed in a lot of work for himself and his government in the final two sitting weeks of the year.
The Senate has agreed to sit for two extra days — this Friday and next — which means there are eight days left to pass all the proposed new laws. They include some fairly big undertakings, such as establishing an anti-corruption watchdog and reforming industrial bargaining rules.
Also likely to take up some of the Senate’s time is a private member’s bill to restore territory rights, which would allow the ACT and the Northern Territory to begin looking at introducing voluntary assisted dying laws.
The government’s must-dos
There are a few bills the government considers must-dos before the end of the year:
- Industrial relations reforms, which would change the rules around employee bargaining with the goal of boosting wages. The government has yet to convince key senate crossbenchers to support the reforms
- National anti-corruption commission legislation, which would set up an integrity watchdog. The government promised during the election campaign it would do so before the end of the year, and it appears likely to succeed. The attorney-general introduced amendments to the bill on Tuesday that were recommended by an inquiry
- Bring on debate on territory rights. Albanese vowed to allow a conscience vote on the matter and would fulfil that promise whether the Senate agrees to pass the change or not.
Other legislation the government wants to pass
There are other bills Albanese is keen to see passed before the Christmas break. Government spokespeople have mentioned the following priorities:
- Expanding a “disaster ready” fund to deal with preparations for natural disasters. The bill passed the Senate with amendments, which the House of Representatives will need to deal with
- Legislating tax discounts for users of electric cars. The Greens, independent Senator David Pocock, and Labor struck a deal on Tuesday that means the bill is likely to pass
- Changes to the Privacy Act, including boosting fines for companies failing to protect customer data
- Anti-discrimination measures, known as Respect at Work, that aim to put a positive duty on employers to prohibit gender discrimination.
Bills that have already passed
- Two separate trade deals with India and the UK, which were signed by the previous government and needed approval by the Parliament
- A change in the law so that pensioners will have their entitlement payments suspended, rather than cancelled, if they work and earn too much to qualify for assistance
- Changes that will make childcare cheaper, part of a $4.5 billion election commitment that was included in the October budget.
