Sorry – I am told by a couple of senators that it was “technically” 4.13am.
So expect to see a few bleary-eyed senators in the coffee lines this morning.
This blog is now closed.
Sorry – I am told by a couple of senators that it was “technically” 4.13am.
So expect to see a few bleary-eyed senators in the coffee lines this morning.
Coalition drags out hard day’s night for Senate
We are hearing that there might be some very, very tired senators today – it seems the Senate didn’t adjourn until 4.15am.
The hours motion (which changes when the chamber adjourns, based on the business the Senate has to get through) was so the Senate could get through the second reading speeches of the safeguard mechanism legislation and it appears the Coalition fillibustered (kept speaking) meaning the chamber didn’t get through it’s business until the very early hours of this morning.
Labor will stay true to its ‘values’ on wages, says Burke
Tony Burke was pretty explicit in his advance announcement on the Fair Work Commission – he spoke about “values” and Labor’s value when it came to wages was not moving backwards.
Burke told RN Breakfast:
Our submission goes in on Friday. And I’ll be making more public comments once the submission is in on Friday. But if I put it in these terms, when our submissions in on Friday, people will see that our values haven’t changed. I think that’s probably the best way I can put it in, in advance of announcements that we’ll make on Friday.
… The thing that we have to work our way through is there are some members of the workforce who have the least room to move with what’s been happening with inflation.
And certainly the full award system goes all the way up to some people who are on significantly higher wages, the principles that we dealt with last year were to say no government ever wants anyone to go backwards that last year, we put forward the principle that the focus needed to be on the people on the lowest incomes because they had the least savings they had the least room to move.
Tony Burke is speaking to Patricia Karvelas on ABC radio RN National and he gives every hint that the government is backing a minimum wage increase in line with inflation.
The government submission to the Fair Work Commission won’t go in until Friday, and Burke is asked whether or not it would “absolutely” be in line with the cost of living increase.
That was a promise Anthony Albanese made during the election campaign when inflation was at 5%. It’s now nudging 8% and Burke is asked whether “absolutely” still stands.
You’d never photocopy a submission one year to the next and it’s never identical in every way. But as I’ve said, our values haven’t changed, and what you referred to there was a pretty strong value statement for the prime minister.
The value statement refers to the ideal that minimum wage workers shouldn’t go backwards in their wages.
Teals campaign for parenting payment extension
Zoe Daniel and Kylea Tink, two of the independents on the crossbench, are pushing for single parents to have restored access to the parenting payment until their child turns 16.
The teals are campaigning for a return to the pre-Gillard era, when single parents, overwhelmingly women, could stay on the payment until their child was almost finished school. Under the changes introduced by the Gillard government, parents are moved to Jobseeker when their child turns eight, which cuts their payment and enforces mutual obligations.
Daniel and Tink say the change is a small step towards alleviating poverty.
They’ll be holding a press conference on the campaign later today, along with experts, advocates and single parents.
Other proposed Family Law Act changes
The Family Law Act amendments also aim to give:
Clearer definitions of “family” and “relative” as it relates to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concepts of family;
Removing the restriction of independent children’s lawyers in 1980 Hague convention on civil aspects of international child abduction, ensuring children’s views are heard;
Protecting victims of family violence from systems abuse by restraining a party’s ability to file repeated and unmeritorious applications without first obtaining court approval;
Clarifying the law which prohibits the public communication of family law information so critical information can be shared and privacy protected; and
Regulating family report writers.
Attorney general pushes family law changes
Mark Dreyfus is introducing his changes to the Family Law Act a little later this morning.
What will it do? Well, it’s going to address some of the changes from the Howard era and aims to make things a little less complicated and a bit fairer:
Specifically, the bill introduces a safer and simpler framework for making parenting orders by:
Repealing the commonly misunderstood presumption of equal shared parental responsibility, making it clear the best interest of the child is paramount;
Simplifying the list of factors that are considered in determining the best interests of children in parenting arrangements;
Introducing a requirement for independent children’s lawyers (ICLs), when they are appointed, to meet directly with children;
Ensuring the court considers the right of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children to maintain their connection to their family, community, culture, country and language; and
Simplifying the enforcement of parenting orders to make the consequences of non-compliance clear.
A very big thank you to Martin for starting us off this morning, the second last day of the parliament sitting week.
With the safeguard mechanism and national reconstruction fund in the bag, the government is turning its negotiating attention to the housing fund. But that’s not shifting, at least not this week.
Tomorrow, the wording of the voice referendum will be introduced to the parliament. That will kick things off in earnest with a parliamentary committee to review the legislation and suggest any changes. It will bring the Liberal party closer to having to make a decision, but if the last few days have proved anything, it’s that the Liberals aren’t moving from “no” territory. Under the guise of “just asking questions” the opposition is sowing doubt. Albanese and supporters have their work cut out for them.
We’ll cover all the day’s events and more as it unfolds. You’ve got Amy Remeikis with you for most of the day. I’m about to hit coffee number three with no end in sight.
Ready?
Industry welcomes $15bn manufacturing fund
Australian industry leaders are heralding the passing of a $15bn manufacturing fund as an economy booster, reports Australian Associated Press.
The government managed to pass its signature investment vehicle in the Senate after securing the support of key crossbenchers.
The chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Andrew McKellar, said the fund’s investment would help businesses diversify and boost the domestic economy.
“With Australia now having the lowest manufacturing self-sufficiency in the OECD, it’s critical we redouble our efforts to encourage and stimulate new manufacturing and industrial investment in this country,” he said.
The industry minister, Ed Husic, said the fund would shore up Australian businesses by ensuring more of the manufacturing process happened domestically.
“We want Australia to be a country that makes things, a nation that has faith in its knowhow and ability to get the job done,” Husic said.
The fund aims to drive investment in seven priority areas: resources, agriculture, transport, medical sciences, renewables and low-emissions technology and defence.
The Coalition opposed the fund, saying it would have an inflationary effect and that it was poorly designed.
But the Greens backed the legislation after securing amendments to ensure the money wouldn’t be invested in coal and gas projects.
Crossbench senators secured changes to how the fund’s board would operate and commitments to boost the ability for start-ups to access investment.
Good morning and welcome to Guardian Australia’s rolling coverage of the day in politics and all that is newsy. I’m Martin Farrer bringing you the best overnight stories before Amy Remeikis comes along to take over.
With so much focus on climate and emissions in this sitting fortnight, we have a very timely exclusive today on how our love affair with SUVs is costing a fortune in extra expense at the pumps but also driving up transport emissions when other countries are seeing their head lower. Our transport writer, Elias Visontay, has the details about the consequences of Australia’s soaring use of “big, dumb cars”.
We have another exclusive this morning that 1 million people – including one in seven children – are living below the poverty line in New South Wales, according to a new report highlighting the deepening inequality across Sydney. Research from the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling and based on 2021 census data also found at least 100,000 more people had slipped into poverty since 2016. We may also find out more about NSW Labor’s hopes of majority today as the Liberals face a decision whether to go right or left.
The monthly gauge of inflation is due out today, which should give the Reserve Bank an up-to-date picture of where price are headed and therefore whether interest rates need to go up again next week. The central bank will be looking at the volatile index for further signs inflation has peaked and is tracking down. It is forecast to come in at 7.1% – down from 7.45% last month – but markets are still undecided about whether or not the RBA will go for what will be its 11th consecutive hike.
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