Month: March 2025

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Here we are, back again on Ngunnawal land, gathering at the kind invitation of Maurice and the Board, sponsors and members of the National Press Club.

But since last time, not just one new President but 2: Trump; and Connell.

Congratulations Tom on your election, and thanks for your introduction –

And to everyone here, including the pundits and, on recent form, maybe a couple of protesters again too.

Last night marked the first time since Ben Chifley was PM and Treasurer, more than 3 quarters of a century ago, that there’ve been 4 budgets in a single term.

And of the 11 times I’ve spoken here, I think it’s the 4 post‑Budget opportunities I’ve cherished the most.

Partly because Laura Chalmers comes along, and is here again, she brought Leo last night, and that means a lot to me.

And also, because they offer us the chance to go behind the Budget a bit, to provide some more of the colour and context.

Today I want to talk about how our economy is turning a corner, even as global conditions take a turn for the worse.

Explain how seismic changes in the world validate and vindicate our strategy, rather than undermine it.

And lay out our government’s economic case for re‑election –

Based on our progress to here, our plans from here, and the risks posed by our opponents.

The fourth shock

First let me sketch the backdrop.

Twenty years ago, I fronted up for my first of 19 Budget lockups.

Costello was Treasurer, and the global economy was a very different place.

In the 2 decades since, half a dozen subsequent Treasurers presided over 3 big economic shocks.

The first, a financial crisis that became a demand shock.

The second, a pandemic that became a supply shock.

The third, an inflationary shock that lingers around the world longer than anyone hoped.

Escalating trade tensions now risk, if not represent, the fourth big economic shock in just 17 years.

Now, if you think about the big post‑war global economic story.

From Bretton Woods in 1945, to the high inflation of the 70s.

The Washington Consensus that held from the end of the Cold War until the start of the GFC.

There’s a tendency to talk about economic shocks as punctuation. A break in the flow.

But the last 20 years prove that global shocks – in one form or another – are chapters in their own right.

They no longer interrupt the story – they are the story.

Acknowledgements

Governing a country like ours in uncertain times like these is a responsibility we accept and an opportunity we cherish.

Led by the Prime Minister – who is here today.

His collaborative style of leadership is appreciated by all of us in his team.

Katy and I told the Cabinet yesterday that we consider ourselves very fortunate to have been so well‑supported by so many ministers, a number of them here today and I thank and acknowledge them again.

And no Treasurer has ever been more fortunate than me when it comes to the Finance Minister.

The best colleague I’ve ever had.

Nothing we’ve done over the course of 4 Budgets would be possible without her calm and composure, her empathy and judgement.

Katy came to the Treasury thank you dinner on Thursday night.

I’m told that’s unprecedented – but for us it’s not unusual.

I’m sure Katy would agree it’s not the most glamorous ritual.

The pile of pide boxes and a sea of tired eyes sums up the week, and weeks, before.

But it gives us a chance to say thanks to Steven, Jenny, Glyn and all the officials involved in putting this Budget together.

That evening, I was reflecting with officials on the time I spent as a public servant, working for Glyn in Queensland.

He was the first to tell me what it looked like inside the Cabinet Room here in Parliament House.

Right down to the framed paintings of Australian lorikeets on the walls.

Those birds have seen and heard a lot!

I’m told I’ve spent 664 hours in that room this term – which is about 27 days.

Whenever I’m in there, I try to remember that’s it’s not the birds in the frame or the galahs in the pet shop that really matter.

We try to ensure those conversations around the cabinet table are shaped by the conversations Australians are having around the kitchen table.

We know cost of living is front of mind for most Australians and that’s why it’s been front and centre in all 4 budgets.

No matter how difficult or long the deliberations might be in that room I’m always aware how lucky we are to be in there.

Treasurers stand there on Budget night on behalf of all who do so much to put our plans into Budgets, and into action.

ERC ministers who undertake the essential deliberations – 233 of those 664 cabinet room hours were with them.

Every member of our caucus who all do so much to advocate for the people they represent.

The staff from our offices and all the public servants.

Please join me in thanking them.

Turning a corner

This Budget makes it clear that the Australian economy is emerging from a global cost‑of‑living crisis in better shape than anywhere else.

Inflation is down, living standards are rising, real incomes are growing, unemployment is low, interest rates are coming down, debt is down and now growth is gathering pace.

That combination is exceptional – and not accidental.

It is the product of the choices we have made.

Delivering cost‑of‑living relief for every Australian.

Strengthening Medicare and the services people count on.

And building a Future Made in Australia.

The 2 weeks leading into the Budget made clear just how important and urgent this work has been.

The human and economic costs of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

Coming so soon after widespread flooding in north and far north Queensland – with more damaging heavy rains there just last week.

And now, fresh turmoil in the world – part of this fourth shock.

All of this vindicates the course we chose 3 years ago.

And validates the choices we made together.

Economic case for re‑election

This is where I want to pay tribute to the Prime Minister.

The leader Australians see standing with emergency services in disasters brings the same decency to every challenge confronting our nation.

Anthony’s leadership is defined by his compassion, his optimism – and his determination.

And he will make our case for re‑election to the Australian people with those same qualities and commitment.

This election will be about the strong foundations we have laid, the better future we are building – and the risk of our opponents wrecking it all.

It will be a referendum on Medicare.

A simple choice between Labor cutting taxes and helping with the cost of living –

And Peter Dutton’s secret cuts which will make Australians worse off.

Because he wants to cut everything except income taxes for workers.

Above all else it will be an election about the economy.

Labor’s economic case for a second term has 3 parts:

The progress we have made together in the economy and repairing the budget.

The work we are doing and the economic plan we are implementing – to boost wages, rebuild living standards, and make our economy more resilient, more competitive and more productive.

And the deliberate threat and significant danger that the Coalition pose if they form the next government.

Reason one: progress

The economic progress documented in the Budget last night belongs to every Australian.

It’s all the more remarkable against a backdrop of extreme global uncertainty.

To give you a sense of that, take inflation.

In the most recent quarterly data, inflation sits at 2.4 per cent – and just now, today’s monthly reading came in the same.

On election night, in May of 2022, inflation was more than double that and rising.

So when I stood here after our first Budget in October that year, inflation was nearly triple what it is today.

In that first Budget, we were talking about how far we had to go together.

Today, we can point to how far we’ve come.

We have brought inflation down while encouraging a broader recovery in our economy, now well underway.

Our fiscal policy helped break the back of inflation when it was at its peak.

It adjusted to support growth and preserve employment, as inflation came down.

And we’ve delivered responsible cost‑of‑living relief that has directly taken the pressure off prices.

Because of this a soft landing is coming into view –

With growth rebounding, living standards recovering, and the private sector playing a larger role.

The last financial year saw the highest level of business investment in over a decade.

Four in every 5 of the million jobs created have been in the private sector.

25,000 new businesses created each month this term – the highest average on record.

Real wages and living standards rising again.

While the gender pay gap is at near record lows and unemployment is at around 4 per cent.

Treasury expects employment growth this year will be stronger, inflation will come down faster, and participation will stay near its record high for longer compared with the mid‑year update.

So, our economy isn’t just growing faster, it’s growing in a way which will be stronger, more sustainable and more inclusive too.

All this, while successfully steering towards a stunning improvement in our fiscal position.

We inherited a mess and we’re cleaning it up.

The budget bottom line is $207 billion better off on our watch.

This is the biggest ever nominal improvement in a single term.

Turning $135 billion of Liberal deficits into surpluses worth $38 billion – the first back‑to‑back surpluses in 2 decades.

Almost halving the deficit we inherited for this financial year.

And improving the budget position every year of the forward estimates, compared to PEFO.

All this is a deliberate result of our responsibility and restraint.

Banking the vast majority of revenue upgrades – around 7 of every 10 dollars.

Restraining spending growth to 1.7 per cent – less than half the average under our predecessors.

Finding almost $95 billion of savings – more this term than they managed over their last 2 combined, with precisely zero in their last Budget.

Making real structural reform to secure the future of aged care and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Guaranteeing the choice, dignity and security they bring to millions of Australians.

And tackling high and rising interest costs.

Just after coming to government, they were forecast to grow by 14.4 per cent per year.

After 3 years of responsibility and restraint we’ve managed to cut that to 9.5 per cent.

A big part of this story is our decision to return the vast majority of revenue upgrades to the bottom line.

Not only has this improved the budget position by around $250 billion dollars to 2028–29.

It means we will save about $112 billion in interest payments over the medium term.

Reason 2: plans

We don’t see the substantial progress we’ve made on the budget as an end in itself.

Repairing the budget and rebuilding living standards go hand in hand.

Our responsible approach has made room for the 5 main priorities of this Budget.

Helping with the cost of living.

Strengthening Medicare.

Building more homes.

Investing in every stage of education.

And making our economy stronger, more productive, and more resilient.

These are essential components of our economic plan.

To strengthen our resilience in uncertain times.

To create a more dynamic, competitive economy.

And to rebuild incomes and living standards.

Rebuilding living standards

In this Budget we’re delivering more cost‑of‑living relief for Australians when it’s needed.

Extending energy bill relief.

Funding wage increases for care workers.

Making medicines cheaper.

Relieving student debt.

And lowering taxes for every taxpayer.

The combined benefit for an average household will be more than $15,000 from our 3 rounds of tax cuts and energy bill relief alone.

Substantial relief while also building the earning capacity of Australians for the future too.

By improving access to education – so that every Australian gets the chance to work in the jobs of the future.

By investing in Medicare and expanding bulk billing – minimising out of pocket health costs and time out of work.

And by moving towards universal early childhood education – so that parents can work more, if they want to.

These parts of our plan to rebuild living standards are distinct but interlinked.

Take our tax cut top‑up – a modest but meaningful addition to the tax cuts we’re rolling out already.

The average annual tax cut, after this year’s and next year’s, is $2,548 or about $50 a week.

Our tax cuts will:

Boost incomes by 1.9 per cent within 2 years.

Support the private sector recovery.

Increase participation by more than 1.3 million hours –

With Treasury estimating that 900,000 of these hours will be taken up by women.

And give people a better start in their careers with the average young worker receiving a tax cut more than twice the size they would have under the Coalition.

So, our tax cuts provide immediate relief while also boosting participation, aspiration, and Australians’ long‑term earning potential too.

Resilience

This focus on improving living standards is a big part of this Budget because it’s the fundamental mission of our government.

Creating opportunities, and helping people seize them in a world full of churn and change.

We cannot undo or ignore the shift from globalisation to fragmentation.

We can determine how we respond.

That’s what a Future Made in Australia is about.

It’s a pro‑trade agenda, that puts a premium on private sector investment.

It rejects self‑sabotaging tariffs and trade barriers, protectionism and isolationism.

It focuses on how we shore up critical supply chains and become indispensable to new ones.

This is critical to the jobs of the future.

And it’s vital to managing uncertainty now.

$30 billion of projects in sectors like green hydrogen, critical minerals and clean energy manufacturing have been proposed or are in development.

Our plan is to build on this progress – improving our resilience by unlocking our competitiveness.

In this Budget we’re facilitating more private investment in renewable energy – our fundamental comparative advantage in the new net zero economy.

We’re funding research in clean energy technology manufacturing and low carbon liquid fuels – so we can commercialise Australian innovations.

And we’re making big investments in green metals – leveraging our traditional strength in resources to build new opportunities.

Reform

A Future Made in Australia, powered by cleaner and cheaper energy, positions us as an essential part of the global net zero economy.

This will be critical to our growth prospects.

But it’s not the only part of our growth agenda.

We know the foundations of future success start with more competitiveness, and a more productive economy.

That’s why we’re reforming the payments system, our financial market infrastructure, approvals processes, our foreign investment framework and more.

It might be unusual to keep the wheels of economic reform turning in a pre‑election Budget, but that’s what we’re doing.

First, by banning non‑compete clauses for most workers.

And second, by creating a national licensing scheme for electrical occupations.

We’re proud of these changes because they show that the way to increase competition and productivity in our economy isn’t with scorched‑earth industrial relations –

Or making Australians work longer for less.

It’s with policy that boosts competition, while boosting wages and our workforce at the same time.

This is a Budget that’s pro‑worker, pro‑growth and pro‑competition.

Our reform to non‑competes will remove a handbrake on competition and a speedbump to aspiration.

Most workers will no longer need a lawyer to get a better paying job.

They won’t need permission from their old boss to become their own boss.

Instead, we’re empowering them to move jobs and earn more and start businesses if they want to.

This could add an estimated $5 billion annually to our economy.

At the same time as average wages for those freed from these restrictions could increase by up to $2,500 a year.

We’re also boosting competition and backing workers with a new occupational licensing regime for electricians.

Requiring electricians to get a new license every time they want to work inter‑state is unnecessary, costly red tape.

We’re making sure a sparky on the Tweed doesn’t need a different licence for a job in Coolangatta.

Broader licensing reform could lift GDP by up to $10 billion a year.

Which is why this change will be a template for future reform.

Reason 3: risk

Our progress to here, and our plan for what’s ahead, make up 2 parts of our economic case for re‑election.

The third is the risk that all this could be undone by a Coalition government.

Usually at this point in Budget week or the electoral cycle, you would set some basic tests for your opponent.

On this occasion they’ve already failed them.

The Coalition has put forward the ‘weakest policy offering from an opposition in living memory’, according to industry sources.

They either don’t have a clue or they won’t come clean.

But what looks like slapstick comedy masks more sinister intent.

We know this because Angus Taylor has told us, and the Coalition’s position on key issues has shown us.

Now, Angus and I don’t agree on much.

But to give credit where it’s due, he made one insightful point recently when he said ‘the best predictor of future performance is past performance’.

And – in a dramatic break from usual Coalition internals – Peter Dutton backed him in.

On this, they are absolutely right.

Their past performance is no surpluses, more waste and rorts, and more debt.

Their past performance is middle Australia missing out – with real wages in reverse and living standards falling fast.

Their past performance is much higher and rising inflation.

Their past performance is Peter Dutton’s attacks on Medicare.

But it is not just their record in government that reveals their priorities and what they would do if elected.

Their recent record in Opposition makes it very clear:

Australians would be worse off under Peter Dutton.

When he cuts, Australians will pay.

Cutting cost‑of‑living help is the only motivation that binds this Coalition clown show together.

They’ve opposed cuts to student debt and energy bill relief.

Opposed cheaper childcare and cheaper medicines.

Opposed more homes and more Urgent Care Clinics.

Today they voted for higher taxes on Australian workers.

Australians would be much worse off if Peter Dutton had his way and they’ll be worse off still if he wins.

This brain snap from Angus Taylor on tax makes that crystal clear.

It means this parliamentary term finishes like it started:

Labor helping Australians with the cost of living and Peter Dutton and the Coalition trying to prevent it.

The Liberals and Nationals have now opposed 3 tax cuts, 3 times in 3 years.

Instead of working with us to help Australians, they’ve got secret plans to harm them.

It beggars belief that Peter Dutton says he will make hundreds of billions in cuts, but won’t tell Australians where or how.

There’s only one reason for that – and people should know about it.

The Coalition can’t find the $600 billion they need for nuclear, or the billions in cuts they’ve promised, without coming after Medicare again.

The point I’m making is this.

When the Australian economy is turning a corner.

And the global economy is taking a turn for the worse.

We can’t afford to turn back.

Not when so little is known about the alternative.

Conclusion

I know this tradition is as much about your questions as it is about the Treasurer’s address.

So let me just share some final thoughts.

There are familiar rituals and rhythms to Budget week.

Even after 20 years, you can still get caught up in them.

But a budget is never about one week, or 5.

It’s overwhelmingly a program for the years ahead.

Ours also makes the economic case for re‑election.

More than that, it spells out our plan for action to build on the progress we’ve made together.

Now, it’s probably fair to say that over the years and out in the suburbs there’s been a flattening of expectations of what we can achieve through economic policymaking.

And a narrowing of our collective sense that political leadership can make a real and tangible difference in people’s lives.

Every one of us has reason to reflect on our role, but also, on whether we can turn it around.

Because Australians should be proud of all that we have achieved together.

We are on the cusp of something extraordinary in our economy.

But something prevents us from saying so.

Maybe that’s because of Australians’ natural streak of humility.

Maybe after years of crisis, we’ve trained ourselves to brace for the next one.

Maybe it’s the erosion of trust in institutions that we see around the world.

Something that Australia has so far managed to avoid the most extreme fallout from.

But a big part of it is undoubtedly due to the pressure people are under.

We get that.

Because, while we have every reason to be optimistic about the future, we understand that this can often run ahead of
how people are faring and feeling.

For many Australians, the pressures of the past few years have been substantial.

So let me say we don’t just acknowledge that – we’re doing something about it.

You saw that again in the Budget last night.

Yes, inflation is coming down, real wages are up, unemployment is low, interest rates have started coming down, the economy is bouncing back.

But for many people, the gap between working hard and getting ahead still needs eliminating.

That’s why there’s more work to do.

It’s why our focus isn’t confined to the national numbers – as important as they are.

This Budget is about more than turning the corner, it’s a plan for where we go next.

Not just putting the worst behind us –

But seizing what’s in front of us.

In this new world of uncertainty –

Creating a new generation of prosperity –

That is stronger, because it is more inclusive –

In the better future that we’re building together.

Thanks very much.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force has further charged a 72-year-old male in relation to child exploitation offences in Darwin.

Since the 72-year-old was arrested in January, three more victims have come forward. All four victims, including the original victim, were known to the male.

A total of 21 charges in relation to child abuse offences have been laid against the alleged offender.

He has been further remanded to face Darwin Local Court 7 May 2025.

Anyone affected by child abuse and exploitation or who has information that may assist police are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or https://crimestoppers.com.au/.

An online report can also be made via the Australian Centre of Counter Child Exploitation via the ‘Report Abuse’ button at www.accce.gov.au/report.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested five males in relation to a crime series across the Greater Darwin Region overnight.

Earlier in the night, a group of alleged offenders attended a residence on Westralia Street in Stuart Park, where they gained entry whilst armed via a dog door and subsequently stole two vehicles.

About 1:15am, police received reports of one of the vehicles ramming a residential gate in Moulden whilst brandishing a machete and hammer, allegedly threatening residents. A short time later the group attended a government facility where the group attempted to damage the gate and security screens.

The second stolen motor vehicle was recovered in Coconut Grove.

Around 3am, the group were observed by police CCTV operators within one of the stolen motor vehicles nearby a commercial premises in Fannie Bay. Strike Force Trident members were nearby and a pursuit was initiated after the group failed to follow police directions. The vehicle lost control a short time later and crashed into a power pole at the intersection of Nadpur Street and Dickward Drive. All of the offenders self-extracted from the vehicle and fled by foot into the mangroves whilst additional Strike Force Trident, Darwin general duties and Dog Operations Unit members set up a cordon.

Patrol Dog Fitzy tracked three of the offenders with the first located hiding up in a tree who surrendered to police without incident. The second was found lying in a pool of water in an attempt to conceal himself and again surrendered upon being discovered. The third was located hiding in thick vegetation and was apprehended by PD Fitzy.

Patrol Dog Drax deployed from the cordon in a different direction and located articles of clothing from the offenders and as Drax was indicating direction of travel the offender surrendered to a member of Strike Force Trident.

Patrol Dog Cheeko was also deployed and tracked the fifth offender into thick grassland where he was located hiding in the verge of the mangroves.

This is another great example of the effectiveness of the Dog Operations Unit in tracking and apprehending offenders involved in violent criminal offending and the close working relationship with SF Trident.

The five males arrested, aged 13, 14, 15, 16 and 19-years-old were all transported to the Royal Darwin Hospital for medical assessment.

Strike Force Trident have carriage of the investigations and charges are expected to follow.

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

PRESENTER DAVE MARCHESE: So, let’s get into this a bit more now with Anne Aly, the Youth Minister. Minister, thank you very much for joining us on Hack. The government hoping to pass its tax cuts for all Australians. The Opposition, calling them a cruel hoax, says Labor’s bribing voters. Are you bribing voters?

MINISTER ANNE ALY: No, these are tax cuts. And I think that every Australian out there who knows the value of the dollar, particularly for young people, for whom cost of living is a particularly acute issue that’s impacting on them every day, knows exactly what it means to have an extra dollar or two or three or four in your pay packet. These are pretty significant tax cuts. They build on the tax cuts that we already gave. And everyone will remember that if it was up to the Coalition, people earning under $45,000 —which is a lot of young people —would have got absolutely zero, zilch, nothing, nada in terms of tax cuts, according to their plan for tax cuts. So, they voted against the tax cuts today. Shows exactly where their heads are at when it comes to giving a little bit of cost-of-living relief.

MARCHESE: But is it fair everyone gets them? Like, do you think it’s fair that a nurse is going to be paying for a tax cut for someone like an MP, like a politician, you.

ALY: Well, we all pay tax according to what we earn. One of the important things to note is bringing the lower tax bracket down to 14,000. And I think, you know, I think most Australians understand the more you earn, the more tax you pay. So, if you’re going to get a tax cut, of course it’s going to be a bigger tax cut.

MARCHESE: But I guess people are asking, why not give more relief to those who need it, those who below the poverty line? Because there are some people out there saying, we don’t need this.

ALY: Whether it’s like the largest, you know, increase in rent assistance, 45 per cent increase in rent assistance. Whether it’s increasing JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, ABSTUDY, Austudy. You know. The increases that we’ve made to the minimum wage, the increases that we’ve made in industrial relations to allow wages to increase. Whether it’s energy bill, rebates, medicines, cost of medicines, bringing the cost of medicines down, particularly also for young people, the HECS debt, saving them an average of $5,500. So, it’s not just the tax cuts in isolation. And I don’t think you could ever just give cost of living relief through one mechanism.

MARCHESE: You mentioned HECS, which is obviously something a lot of our listeners are really keen to hear reform on. You’re promising to cut a further 20 per cent off all student loan debts, but only if you’re re-elected. Why do people have to wait for this? Why do students have to wait? Because the government’s had three years.

ALY: I think it’s got to do with like setting everything up and everything like that. To be honest, you know, that’s more of a question for the Minister for Education around the timing of it as well…

MARCHESE: It does affect young people though, and you’re the Youth Minister.

ALY: It does, but the thing is. Yeah, yeah, you’re right there, Dave, I’ll give you that one. But look, I think the thing is that we’ve been doing a whole lot of reform across the whole education sector. Now when you get into government, there’s a whole lot of stuff that you have to do and you do them – you know, sometimes it’s incremental, sometimes you can do things straight away, sometimes you can’t do things straight away. I tell you what, if I had a magic wand or some kind of superpower, I would have loved to have done everything straight away.

MARCHESE: But do you understand why some voters might think, well, it is a bribe. It’s only if I vote that I get this relief that I’ve needed not just this year but for years.

ALY: I guess that is kind of reflective of also a more broader cynicism towards politics where every measure that we do is, you know, put into the basket of, oh, well that’s just a bribe or that’s just a bribe…

MARCHESE: Or is it people just saying you’ve had three years and why can’t we see these changes in your term of government? Is it time to give someone else a go?

ALY: Well, if they give someone else a go, that someone else is Peter Dutton. I can guarantee you he’s not going to give you any cuts off your HECS debt. I can guarantee you he’s not going to give you any cost-of-living relief. I can guarantee you he’s not going to fix the indexation or give you a fee-free TAFE. In fact, they voted against all of those things.

MARCHESE: Alright, this is Hack. I’m Dave Marchese getting into the details of the budget with Youth Minister Anne Aly. Hearing from you on the text line. Someone says doing better than the coalition is not a flex. Someone else ‘This is so disappointing and disgusting, never ever voting Labor or Liberal again. And I know a lot of young people doing the same.’ Minister hearing loud and clear from the Hack audience, a lot of them asking about the long term because it is deficits as far as the eye can see. Young Australians are going to be the ones dealing with all this. Is there any plan for how we’re going to pay all of this off in the years ahead?

ALY: Yeah, you know, I hear the term deficit and surplus. I’ll remind everyone that we did deliver two surpluses in a row and that there are a lot of global headwinds that contribute to the deficits and that the Treasurer has been very upfront in saying that we will be looking at deficits largely due to a lot of global kind of economic trends and activities. I’m not, you know, for the young people that I speak to, Dave, and I do speak to a lot of young people, not just in this portfolio. The starkest and most acute issue is what is impacting on their life currently and that is cost-of-living and that is being able to have the kind of life that they see that their parents had.

MARCHESE: But that won’t be possible if there’s all this debt that has to be paid off later. Like Australia is spending $50 billion more per year than we’re collecting in tax. Shouldn’t we be seeing some sort of structural changes in the budget that will paint a picture of how this is all going to be dealt with in the future, how young Australians are going to deal with this.

ALY: Well, the Treasurer has talked about how we’ve made some structural reform and structural repair of the budget too in terms of banking revenue back into the budget and continuing to bank revenue into the budget as well. What I think I would say is that, you know, in some senses deficit is, as the Treasurer said, unavoidable when there are global kind of economic headwinds at play that we have little control over. The role of a government, a responsible government, particularly at a time where there is high inflation and where people are facing real cost of living pressures, is to really ensure that we give that cost of living, ease those cost-of-living pressures without putting upward pressure on inflation. And we’ve managed to bring inflation down. I think one of the things that you’re talking about here is, you know, long term vision. I would say to you, and I would probably agree with the point that it’s when you have three year terms in government which actually effectively work out to about two and a half years of actually being able to work in your role as a Minister or as a representative in Parliament, it’s very difficult to instigate and put into place really long term reform.

MARCHESE: But that is the system that we have, and we’ve had for a long time. And I mean, some of the concern here that we’re hearing from listeners. You’ve got someone on Hack’s Instagram now, Danny, that says, you know, ‘This isn’t a budget, it’s a slap in the face’, is that people think that they’ve been promised something that hasn’t been delivered. That when Anthony Albanese was pitching to be in government at the last election, he was saying nobody would be left behind. But the reality is now we’ve had the biggest fall in disposable income in the OECD over the past two years, that people are feeling worse off than they were a few years ago at that last election. How do you convince young Australians to vote for you with all of that in mind?

ALY: Oh, we’re not sugarcoating anything here, Dave. We know that people are doing it tough. We know that. But I would say to young people and indeed, you know, all Australians, have a look at what we have done. Have a look at what we have managed to achieve in a situation where many, many other countries have been unable to achieve what we have. And, you know, it was, Peter Dutton said it the other day, he said judge people by their actions. And I would say if you were to judge the Labor government over the last two and a half years by the actions that we have taken to stave off for Australians some of the most egregious and worst impacts that we could have had, with global inflation being what it is, with the global economic headwinds being what they are, I think that if you looked at what we’ve done I think we have a good story to tell. By no means does that mean everything is hunky dory and everyone’s doing, you know, ‘beauty one mate’. But it does mean that we are conscious of people doing it tough. There’s more work to do.

MARCHESE: I didn’t expect you to quote Peter Dutton in your pitch to voters, Anne Aly. But look, thank you very much for joining us. Youth Minister Anne Aly appreciate you coming on Hack.

ALY: Thaks so much Dave. Appreciate you having me on.

Source: New South Wales – News

About 10am on Wednesday 26 March, police and paramedics were called to a unit at Rufus Crescent, Christie Downs after a woman was found collapsed at the property.

Police and paramedics located the woman at one of the units.   Sadly, the 43-year-old Christie Downs woman was pronounced deceased at the scene.

A 54-year-old Christie Downs man at the scene was arrested after allegedly assaulting officers. He is currently in hospital undergoing treatment and will appear in court at a later date.

Southern District CIB detectives and forensic officers attended and examined the scene and are conducting further investigations.

Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death are ongoing.

Anyone who saw or heard any suspicious activity or has any information, dashcam or CCTV footage that may assist the investigation into the woman’s death is asked to speak to police at the scene or contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

Further information will be provided when known.

Source: Workplace Gender Equality Agency

On behalf of the Albanese Labor Government, I’m proud to deliver our fourth Regional Ministerial Budget Statement.

I’d like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of where we are today, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Mr Speaker, across our first term in Government, our message to regional Australians has been loud and clear – your postcode shouldn’t be a barrier.

Just because you grow up in Bega on the NSW Far South Coast, or in Gladstone in Central Queensland, and just because you live at Mount Gambier in regional South Australia, or in the Pilbara Region in outback WA – doesn’t mean that the services, and the opportunities available to you should be second best.

I say this as a proud regional Member of this place, and on behalf of my fantastic regional colleagues here with me today. 

I say this as someone that’s always lived in our regions – from Traralgon in regional Victoria, to Merimbula on the NSW Far South Coast – where I watched my parents work hard every day to build a small business, and to provide our family with a better life.

A regional community where I myself now run a small business with my husband, and where we’re raising our kids.

And I say this as someone that’s had the privilege of spending a lot of time talking to regional people across Australia – both as the Member for the Mighty Eden-Monaro, and as Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories.

From the Hunter region in NSW, Caboolture in regional Queensland, Devonport in Tasmania – to communities across the 42,000 square kilometres in my electorate.

Regional Australia is a great place to live, work, study, visit and invest – and I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

Our regions generate a third of the nation’s economic output, and there’s so many opportunities that our Government wants to take advantage of.

But you’d be living under a rock if you said life outside of our big cities doesn’t come without its unique challenges – it absolutely does. 

Unlike those opposite though, on this side of the House we’re not shying away from that.

I’m proud to be part of a Government that across its first term, has delivered record investments to improve the reliability and the accessibility of critical services that regional people rely on.

To support more regional people to work and train closer to home – because you shouldn’t have to pack your bags to build your career. 

To build more things in our own backyard, investing in the hard-work and know-how of regional people.

To give regional Australians more support to buy or rent a home.

To support local businesses and local economies to grow – with small businesses in particular the backbone of our regions.

To ensure the local roads we drive every day to drop the kids off at school and to get to work, are safe, and keep pace with growing communities.

To improve our major highways linking our cities to our regions, so more visitors support our local businesses, and experience everything we have to offer.

To keep our regions connected and better prepared for natural disasters – something many regional communities, including across Eden-Monaro, have needed to rebuild from.

And most importantly, to relieve immediate pressures on regional families and businesses.

Which let’s not forget, those opposite talk a big game on – despite opposing every single cost of living measure to date, and committing to tearing apart every measure that’ll support regional Australians into the future.

Because while we’re delivering record investments to Build Regional Australia’s Future, the wreckers opposite are determined to leave regional communities which aren’t the right colour on their spreadsheets behind.

The Albanese Government is delivering better outcomes for every regional community – because we’re addressing the challenges, harnessing the opportunities, and taking the needs of our regions seriously. 

Through our Regional Investment Framework, we’re ensuring targeted investments support regional people, the places they live, the services they need, and the industries that stimulate local economies.

With investments through the 2025-26 Budget building on everything we’ve delivered across our first term. 

Our number one priority has been easing pressures faced by regional families and businesses today, while supporting more work, training and economic opportunities outside of our big cites. 

We’ve delivered tax cuts for every regional taxpayer – a huge impact for taxpayers in my own electorate of Eden-Monaro, putting an average of $1,633 back into their pockets, with another two tax cuts on the way – something those opposite just voted against.

We’ve delivered $300 in Energy Bill Relief to millions of households and $325 to small businesses, along with cheaper childcare and cheaper medicines.

We’ve cut $3 billion in student debt, with a further 20 per cent to be cut if we’re re-elected.

And we’ve supported over 127,000 free TAFE places in our regions – from construction courses to childcare.

We’re getting more people into industries screaming out for workers, after those opposite gutted the vocational education system during their failed decade.

We’ve introduced legislation to make free TAFE permanent – something those opposite have said they’ll repeal, because as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said in this very chamber – “if you don’t pay for it, you don’t value it.”

But I want my kids and every regional person to know – your postcode and your bank balance shouldn’t limit your potential.

Through this Budget we’ll provide additional cost-of-living relief, along with increased investments to remove study barriers.

$1.8 billion to provide all households, and around one million small businesses, with an additional $150 in Energy Bill Relief.

$800 million to expand our Help to Buy scheme to support more people get into their own home – including in our regions.

This builds on the 32,000 regional Australians we’ve already helped into home ownership, through the Regional Home Guarantee.

$626.9 million to support $10,000 incentive payments for construction sector apprentices – with $7.0 million to increase the Living Away from Home Allowance for apprentices.

As an operator of a small plumbing business that hires apprentices, and having recently spent time with bricklaying apprentices at Queanbeyan – I know that every cent counts when you’re starting out, especially when you’re living away from home.

That’s why we’re boosting apprentice wages and easing cost-of-living pressures – because we value their hard work, and we know that building this workforce is essential to delivering more regional homes.

My mum, dad, brother, sister and husband all went to TAFE, which is why I’m incredibly proud to be part of a Government that’s strengthening the sector – and ensuring more regional people can build a better future. 

Through this Budget, we’re delivering $407.5 million to states and territories, as part of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement.

Record funding to give our teachers, including in our regional schools, more support – to lift education standards, and to better support students from kindergarten through to year 12. 

And if you want to go onto further study, existing investments like the 56 Regional University Study Hubs we’re delivering – from Port Augusta in South Australia, to Goulburn in my own electorate – will mean you don’t have to leave the region you love.

A further $33.6 million will also flow to the Clontarf Foundation to support up to 12,500 First Nations boys and young men access better education support.

We’re delivering record investments to continue improving the affordability and accessibility of regional healthcare – because when you need to see the doctor, and when you need to buy your script, your street address and wallet shouldn’t stop you. 

We’ve already delivered $3.5 billion to triple the bulk billing incentive, supporting over 2.4 million additional claims across regional Australia.

Through this Budget, we’re investing an additional $7.9 billion to deliver more bulk billing to all Australians, including in our regions.

Having delivered the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, we’re now making cheaper medicines even cheaper.

$689 million to bring a PBS script down to $25, keeping more money in the hip pockets of regional Australians – with our pensioners and concession cardholders to continue paying $7.70 for PBS medicines until 2030.

$792.9 million to deliver more choice, lower costs and better health care for women – including the first PBS listing for new oral contraceptive pills in more than 30 years.

Along with more bulk billing for long-term contraceptives, more endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics to treat more conditions, and more Medicare support for women experiencing menopause. 

Regional health and aged care were left in crisis under those opposite – a mess the Albanese Government has been cleaning up from day one.

We’ve delivered $17.7 billion to fund increases to the minimum award wage for aged care workers – to not only support and retain these critical workers – but to ensure that our loved ones get the care they need, as they get older.

We’re delivering an additional $1.8 billion to strengthen our public hospitals and to reduce waiting times across Australia, bringing our hospital funding to a record $33.9 billion in 2025-26.

We’ve also increased the number of regional GP training places, along with waiving HECS for doctors and nurses that work in our regions – getting more skilled workers where we need them most.

Through this Budget, we’re investing $662.6 million to grow our health workforce.

There will be hundreds more GP and rural generalist training places to grow the pipeline of future GPs – with fairer salary incentives for junior doctors who choose general practice as their specialty.

100 more Commonwealth Supported Places for medical students a year from 2026, increasing to 150 more a year by 2028 – with a focus on encouraging students to pursue general practice in our regions.

And hundreds of scholarships for nurses and midwives, to help meet our current and future demands.

A re-elected Albanese Government will deliver another 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across Australia, from Burnie in Tasmania, to Bega in my own electorate – with our $644.3 million investment.

This builds on the 87 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics we’ve already delivered, which are making a huge difference.

With 48 of these 137 clinics to be in our regions– from Broome in Western Australia, Townsville in Queensland, to Tamworth in New South Wales.

The Urgent Care Clinic we delivered in Queanbeyan has already supported over 7,000 fully bulk billed presentations.

Rusty, a local constituent of mine told me about the huge difference it made for him, when he had an infection.

He walked right into the clinic and received the help he needed, for free – a service that’s also supported his children and grandchildren.

As Rusty said, this type of clinic is critical to taking pressure off our hospitals – as we continue to rebuild the health sector.

But regional services like this will cease to exist under those opposite, because you only have to look at the billions cut from Medicare by the Leader of the Opposition when he was Health Minister, to know their only plan for Medicare is cuts.

No government has done more for regional services than the Albanese Government – but healthcare wasn’t the only service completely abandoned during the wasted decade by those opposite.

We’re already investing $2.2 billion to strengthen regional communications, particularly in disaster-prone areas – after programs like the Mobile Black Spot Program were pork-barrelled by those opposite.

Through our record investments in the NBN, we’ve fixed half of some streets being stuck on the unreliable copper network they rolled out, including just 15 minutes down the road at Jerrabomberra.

Because it actually takes a little bit more than a string and a can to run a small business, and to work and study from home.

In this Budget, we’re providing an additional $3.0 billion in equity funding to NBN Co to complete upgrades for all remaining Fibre to the Node premises, including connecting an additional 334,000 regional premises to high speed internet.

A service that we can’t forget, would be sold off to the highest bidder under those opposite.

We’re also introducing a Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation – requiring telcos to provide access to mobile voice and SMS almost everywhere across Australia – which will have huge benefits for regional and remote communities, particularly during emergencies and disasters. 

Natural disasters are something my own electorate of Eden-Monaro has felt deeply, which is why I’m proud the National Emergency Management Agency that we launched continues to support regional communities – most recently in Queensland and NSW during Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

That’s on top of our $1 billion Disaster Ready Fund continuing to support regional communities to be better prepared.

And our additional $35 million investment to boost our national aerial fleet – giving regional communities more emergency support when they need it most.

But it’s not just during disasters when our regions need reliable aviation.

Despite the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate telling Sky News just last week that the Opposition had been fighting for a more competitive aviation sector – the reality is they’ve sat idle at the departure gate. 

Those opposite did nothing with the Sydney Airports Slot Review handed to them in 2021 – something we’ve responded to with our Aviation White Paper.

And they’ve said that keeping Rex Airlines’ regional routes operating during the voluntary administration process is sabotaging the sale process.

I’m proud the Albanese Government has kept Rex’s regional flights in the air, with an $80 million loan facility to Rex Administrators, and additional support to reduce the debt Rex owes.

Because for regional communities like mine, these flights are critical to our local economy, accessing important health services, and for getting around.

The reality of living in our regions is we need to travel longer for some services, which is why we’ll continue standing up for a strong regional aviation sector.

But travelling by car is generally how we get around, which is why we’ve already increased local road funding for every council.

Roads to Recovery funding is going up from $500 million to $1 billion per year, road Black Spot funding increasing to $150 million per year, we’ve launched our $200 million per year Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program – and we’ve continued investing in major transport projects.

Because every local community should have confidence in the roads they’re driving on.

In his Budget reply last year, the Leader of the Nationals said those opposite would deliver the strong infrastructure funding pipeline that our regional communities need. 

But let’s not forget, they were responsible for an infrastructure pipeline that below out from 150 projects to 800 projects, without a single dollar extra being added to the Budget, and without the delivery. 

Regional communities deserve better than promises in press release with no follow through, which is why we continue to deliver critical projects to Build Regional Australia’s Future.

Funding through this Budget includes $7.2 billion for Bruce Highway safety upgrades in Queensland, $200 million towards duplicating the Stuart Highway from Darwin to Katherine.

$40 million for the Main South Road Upgrade in South Australia, and $1.1 billion towards upgrades along the Western Freeway in Victoria.

After colour-coded spreadsheets from those opposite, we’ve delivered on our commitment to establish transparent grant programs that every postcode can apply for.

Our $600 million Growing Regions Program is already supporting 112 projects, with 29 projects supported under our $400 million Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program so far. 

I had the pleasure of visiting Wagga’s Lake Albert – one of this region’s most popular recreational sites, which will be completely transformed thanks to $4.4 million in Growing Regions Funding.

Projects like this are making our regions better places to live, to work and to invest – but having more housing to attract and retain workers is something every community tells me they need.

We’ve already committed $32 billion in housing measures, including over 13,000 homes nationally under the first round of our Housing Australia Future Fund – many of these in our regions.

That’s more than those opposite delivered in an entire decade – when they had no plan for building, and their only idea for turning more keys was letting people raid their super for a deposit. 

To their credit, they’ve now said they’ll fund enabling infrastructure – labelling this a fantastic idea.

So fantastic, we’re already doing it – through our $1.5 billion Housing Support Program.

Including $27.2 million to support upgrading Marulan’s sewage treatment in the Mighty Eden-Monaro – laying the foundations for more housing.

Through this Budget, we’re delivering $54 million to turbocharge advanced manufacturing of prefabricated and modular homes, getting more homes into our regions where we need them most – lifting our total housing commitments to $33 billion. 

More housing is a key part of how we’re Building Regional Australia’s Future, as is supporting our regional businesses and regional economies to grow.

Under those opposite, car manufacturers left our shores, leaving our regional people behind. 

But Labor has always had the back of regional manufacturing, and we’ve shown that again with our new investment of $2.4 billion with the South Australian Government to save the Whyalla Steelworks.

Supporting 1,100 direct workers, and encouraging more investment into Australian made steel. 

This builds on our existing $22.7 billion Future Made in Australia agenda, ensuring we build more in our own backyard – which includes over $500 million to boost Australia’s battery manufacturing capabilities, and $1 billion to supercharge the production of solar panels in our regions.

Our investments are putting regional communities at the centre of industries of the future – unlocking more secure and well-paid regional jobs, and ensuring that we train and retrain regional workforces.

This includes $38.2 million to boost the diversity of our STEM workforce, with a focus on supporting more women secure jobs in these critical industries.

Through this Budget, we’re delivering further investments to Build Regional Australia’s Future – by leveraging the competitive advantages that come with our vast energy resources, world-leading agricultural sector, and regional innovation.

$250.0 million to accelerate the pace of Australia’s growing domestic Low Carbon Liquid Fuels industry – helping to drive economic growth and jobs in regional areas.

$1.0 billion under our Green Iron Investment Fund to boost green iron manufacturing in our regions.

This builds on our existing commitment of $2.0 billion to support aluminium smelters transition to renewables – in places like Portland in Victoria, Tomago in NSW, and in Queensland’s Gladstone region.

From our factories to our fields, we’re backing our regions – with $11.0 million to tackle established pests and weeds in our agriculture and forestry sectors – keeping them productive

An additional $20 million for a new round of the On Farm Connectivity Program so farmers can use the latest technology to make their work more efficient.  

And $20.0 million to encourage more Australians to buy Australian-made products, which will have huge benefits for regional economies – because so much of what we love and rely on comes from our regions.

In his Budget reply last year, the Leader of the Nationals said the Opposition will take decisive action to give regional Australians a fair go.

But all we’ve seen since then is those opposite continue to vote against every single cost of living measure, while petrifying regional communities with their Nuclear thought bubble.

An idea that was announced with zero consultation, and most importantly – one that will deliver zero savings for regional Australians and their power bills. 

Since my last Regional Budget Statement, the Albanese Government has continued to relieve pressures on regional families and businesses, while improving access to the services and support regional people rely on – regardless of their postcode.

Through our 2025-26 Budget we’re delivering more energy bill relief, making cheaper medicines even cheaper, and providing extra support to get more regional Australians into their own home.

We’re strengthening Medicare and expanding regional health services, delivering further investments to boost regional connectivity, and investing in more support to help build workforces in our in-demand sectors.

That’s because only the Albanese Government is serious about Building Regional Australia’s Future.

 

 

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Katy Gallagher:

It’s great to be here the day after the Budget to talk about all of the important investments made in the Budget, the announcements made and their impact here in the ACT. And I’m so pleased to be joined by all of the Labor Members of Parliament for Canberra here with Andrew, Alicia and Dave. They’ll all go through some specific initiatives as it relates to their areas.

At a high level, for the ACT, obviously, the approach with this Budget in pretty uncertain times was to look at how we could provide some relief to households. We’re doing that with our tax cuts, but also with those important investments in Medicare, in cheaper medicines, in HECS debt relief, all of those areas which are so important to households as they’re going through pretty difficult times.

The Budget shows that the economy is at a turning point, that there’s a lot of optimism in this Budget in terms of the forecast and the way forward, and we tried to build on that with the investments that we help households through some of these costs‑of‑living pressures.

Now there’s a range of areas where we have made specific investments in Canberra, but I would draw on 2, and I know my colleagues will have something else to say. Obviously, the public service is a big driver of economic activity in the territory. Rebalancing and resourcing the public service has been a key feature of the Albanese government for this entire term, making sure the APS is fit for service and fit for purpose, and we have done that, and you’ll see that continue in this Budget.

We’re not going to be intimidated by the opposition’s reckless attacks on the public service or their threats of cuts, our view is you have to have a well‑resourced public service in order to deliver the outcomes that the Australian people expect, and you see that in this Budget. On the other the other point I’d raise is I’ve heard some criticism about lack of infrastructure spending.

The single biggest project in the territory right now is federally government funded. It’s the National Security Office precinct. It is a multi‑year billion‑dollar investment, plus into the act to make sure that we have the facilities we need in national security and to keep Australians safe, but also that we are investing in our local economy.

We also have the AIS rebuild underway, and we’ve got our investments in light rail as well, and this Budget contains funding in all of those areas. I’ll hand to my colleagues now I’ll hand to Andrew, and then you’ll hear from all of them, and then happy to take questions.

Andrew Leigh:

Thanks, Katy. I think what this Budget illustrates is that when you’ve got a remarkable Finance Minister like Katy Gallagher, who hails from the territory, then Canberra gets a fair deal. People remember the Liberals last Budget, where the ACT got just a fifth of our fair share of infrastructure spending. Now that’s changed with projects like the National Security Precinct and other important projects my colleagues will talk about there’s some exciting competition reforms in the Budget, but I’ll leave that to questions if you have them.

What I want to focus on today is what we’re doing on the public service. When Labor came to office, there was a backlog of 42,000 veterans claims waiting to be processed. Some of them hadn’t been looked at for more than 2 years. Labor set about changing that. We reduced the wait times for the things like Centrelink and Medicare for applying for parental leave. All of these delivered better services to Australians, replacing a shadow public service workforce of 50,000 consultants and contractors with an appropriate level of public servants, taking the number of public servants per head of population still to a level that was below where it was when John Howard left office.

What we’ve seen from the Liberals is a pledge to cut back on the public service with a madcap, ideologically‑inspired, imported approach of scrapping 36,000 public servants, or one in 5, that would devastate front line services and lead us back to the bad old days of Robodebt and blown out wait times. But they’re now saying, well, the axe will only fall on Canberra. What that would mean is that half the public servants in Canberra would lose their jobs.

What are public servants in Canberra working on? Well, among many other things, they’re working on national security, on dealing with terrorist threats. They’re dealing with tackling the next pandemic. They’re working on keeping our borders safe and secure. If Peter Dutton’s axe was to fall solely on Canberra, the policy making capacity of the federal Public Service would be gutted, and it would leave Australia deeply exposed to future crises, whether they’re economic health or national security. So, Peter Dutton needs to come clear as to the devastating effect his cuts will have on front line services and on Canberra. I’m never really pleased to hand over to Alicia Payne.

Alicia Payne:

Thanks, Andrew. Well, our Albanese Labor government values our city, and this is so refreshing after nearly a decade under the previous government who did not, and as you can see, Peter Dutton would be no different. I’m proud that this, our fourth Budget, continues to invest in our city and our community, and builds on the previous investments that we’ve made in the previous 3 Budgets.

Something I’m particularly proud of is our Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, which this week was signed by Queensland as well, and means that every public school in Australia will be fully funded to 100 per cent of the resource standard. This has been 15 years in the making, going back to the Gonski review, and it is an incredible achievement. Here in the ACT, and thanks to our ACT Labor government, we were already at 100 per cent of the resource standard. But we, this federal government, is investing an extra $331 million into our ACT public schools with a focus on ensuring that no student falls behind.

We’re also investing an extra $50 million in our public hospitals here in the ACT. That’s a 16 per cent increase in Commonwealth funding to the Territory, and it is clear that our government is supporting the services that Canberrans need.

Another excellent thing in this Budget is that our federal government is again working with the ACT Government to invest in helping public housing tenants to become more energy efficient. Stage 1 of this project focused on electrifying homes, and this stage 2, that we recently announced at a public house here in Canberra, with Minister Bowen, actually invests in solar panels and batteries, so that’s ensuring that everyone can lower their power bills and also be part of the transition to renewable energy. There are lots of things in this Budget for Canberra and really important things. Don’t believe anyone that says different. I’m now pleased to hand over now to David Smith, Member for Bean.

David Smith:

Thanks, Alicia. As Member for Bean I’m pretty conscious of what a Dutton government will mean for constituents in the south of Canberra, the cuts to departments like the Services Australia, DSS, Health and Aging that are headquartered in the different parts of Bean it will be absolutely devastating. But our government is actually focused on rebuilding services and actually making delivering better services for Australians and in Bean a great example.

That is, we have a government that promised 50 Urgent Care Clinics has delivered 87 and there’s more on the way, including an Urgent Care Clinic that’s going to be delivered in Woden, that’s on top of already a Medicare Mental Health Clinic that’s about to open it in the Tuggeranong Valley.

And of course, we’re seeing $8 billion reinvested into Medicare. The biggest investment into Medicare since it was established, and that will do so much to deal with one of our biggest challenges here in the ACT which is around bulk, bulk billing rates right across the territory.

So, I’m proud to be part of a government that focuses on actually delivering better services, rather than cutting the jobs of people who make services possible right around the country. And look in terms of other infrastructure, we’re seeing more funding going into the Monaro Highway upgrades as well too and certainly, constituents have been happy to see that. We know this is a government that has not just all Australians interests at heart, but particularly those in Canberra as well.

Journalist:

Alicia, are you disappointed that we didn’t see more funding to get the recommendation from your inquiry implemented?

Payne:

I’ve been an advocate for federal funding of the new Convention Centre, and that was one of the key recommendations of the inquiry I handed down last year, and I’ll continue to advocate for that. This is something we continue to work with the ACT Government on.

Journalist:

Why didn’t you see any funding for those things? Why? didn’t we need funding for our Convention Centre our stadium, those major of infrastructure projects in Canberra?

Gallagher:

Well, as I said there’s a lot of infrastructure investment in the ACT I think if you probably looked at it on a per capita basis, it would be probably more than anywhere else, considering the size of the National Security Office Precinct. We’ve also got the AIS redevelopment underway, and the big investments going into light rail.

The ACT Government and the 4 of us have been working really closely about the next stage, what are those key projects. Some of those need to get to business case ready, which would allow for further discussions about what future funding might look like. There’s an element of timing here, but I know that certainly the 3 people standing behind me are into me every day about how to prioritise future projects in the ACT, and we continue to work with the Chief Minister on those.

Journalist:

Senator Gallagher, there was also no mention of the CSIRO‑Ginninderra land release?

Gallagher:

So that’s between Minister Ed Husic and myself and the ACT Government. We’re just working through some of the final details on that, but it has progressed pretty considerably in the last month or so. I’ll see if there’s more I can provide you on that, Dana.

Journalist:

And the waiving of the housing debts is another one that’s been flagged?

Gallagher:

I know that’s that has been flagged routinely by others. Our focus in housing has been to invest and to partner with the ACT Government on housing investments. It’s really about generating supply, and we’re doing that through a range of different programs. There’s $33 billion in this Budget for housing, and the ACT is getting its fair share of that.

We’re working closely with Yvette Berry and her team on how that rolls out, but we’re already seeing investments in improving, energy efficiency in social and public housing. And there’s more work to do there. You know, budgets are a series of decisions layered upon each other, and I know there’s always more work to be done, but we think we’ve got the balance right in housing about how we’re approaching it.

Journalist:

Does leaving some of these big‑ticket items out of the Budget leave it open to you in the next couple of weeks during the campaign to announce something? Is that something that you’re sort of leaving the door open to?

Gallagher:

Well, there will be a campaign, obviously, and we’ll have more to say about the future plans for Canberra as a team. You would expect that. That’s pretty routine for election campaigns, but we’re also very proud of the record. I was Chief Minister where Canberra was, at best, ignored at best, that was the outcome you got. At worst, you were cut. And that’s what we face.

That’s the competition between in the election campaign. It’s between people who take Canberra seriously, see our role as the nation’s capital, see value in the public service want to invest in our community and build our community. We’ve got a PM that lives here, that loves our city. He walks up Mount Ainslie all the time with Toto. He loves it. He loves being in Canberra, and that makes a difference.

I’ve been around long enough to see what happens when you have a PM that doesn’t care about Canberra, and it hurts our people. We’ve got a very strong record, our record on the public service, it is the big employer in our town. If you cut it by 50 per cent you will devastate this local economy.

And it won’t just be the public servants. It will be every private sector operator here as well, every small business operator, every family sending their child to school will be affected by that, and that’s what the contest is about in the election campaign.

Journalist:

Some of the criticism particularly from David Pocock, is that while some funding for institutions is good, there wasn’t enough for Canberra, the city itself. What is your response to that criticism?

Gallagher:

I just completely reject that. And I know and like and work with Senator Pocock, but I also see he takes credit for a lot of things that the government does. Our funding to national institutions, apparently, was delivered by Senator Pocock. The reality is we work as a team in Canberra. I accept that he advocates in Canberra’s interest, so do all of us, and we take that to the decision‑making table.

But I completely reject this view that there isn’t enough for Canberra, not only the national measures, obviously, Medicare, HECS support, Energy Bill Relief, all of those programs, but also our investments in the big employer in town, our investments in infrastructure, our fixing the national institutions, our rebuilding the AIS, our support for light rail, all of the projects that are building this city the federal government has invested in during this first term in government.

Journalist:

The National Security Office Precinct will house about 5,000 people once it’s built. Do you expect to have new jobs amongst that? Or is it more about consolidating jobs already in Canberra?

Gallagher:

Well, for those agencies, there may be some growth in those agencies that are forecast to be in there. There’s another investment, about $44 million into the national security infrastructure in this Budget in terms of people – I mean, not infrastructure capital. And so, we are investing in those agencies. But it’s largely based on a transfer of functions from other sites and being in more appropriate buildings that are more secure.

And again, I know it is on the eve of an election, so forgive me for being political, but we came to government, and this project had been sitting there. It had been clearly needed in terms of our national security agencies being able to work in a facility that actually allows them to do their job properly and nothing had been done, no funding had been done.

We’ve picked that up and done it because it’s the right thing to do keep Australians safe, but it will also show respect to our national security agencies, and it’s a big, important, multi‑year project here. And anyone who tries to say otherwise is not telling the truth. We know we need one big anchor project in this territory happening to support the private sector, and that’s what’s happening.

Journalist:

Just on your Government Services portfolio. Services Australia, staffing numbers have dropped by about 600 because of additional resourcing tapering off. How much of an impact do you think that’ll make on the agency, especially as you really play up the role of services in this fight against the Coalition on public services?

Gallagher:

So, on Services Australia, we’ve provided about just over 3,000 additional staff in the last Budget, there has been basically some work coming to conclusion that was to fix a particular backlog of certain claims. That work is now complete. And as Andrew said, with the Veterans Affairs claims, it’s the same issue we’ve allocated those claims now we’ve got the work back into better outcomes.

And now we’re doing a piece of work with Government Services, which is really, what is the most appropriate level of resourcing, now that we’ve dealt with all of the backlogs that have accumulated post COVID, what is the level of resourcing that that agency needs to deliver the outcomes. We’ve seen improvements in every single payment type since those additional staff have been put on. So, they’ve got very good results, and the permanent, ongoing workforce will depend on us finalising that work in the next 6 months or so.

Journalist:

Isn’t that the same point Jane Hume was making about Veterans’ Affairs and the backlog there?

Gallagher:

No, because we provided 3,000 additional staff, of which a very small proportion were doing a particular set of work that is now finished. On Veterans’ Affairs, there had been multi‑year build‑up of claims. Some veterans lost their lives during that time, while their claims remained unallocated. We have now got that backlog down, and now those claims are being allocated within 2 weeks.

But they need those additional 500 staff in Veterans’ Affairs to make sure we don’t build up another big backlog. In Services Australia, slightly different work, and we’re doing the resource assessment of what it is actually needed, but they still have those 3,000 additional staff that we’ve been putting in to deal with that.

Journalist:

Senator Gallagher, you’ve warned about a Peter Dutton government and the impact on Canberra. You’ve got a Climate 200‑backed candidate running in Bean who’s said that this Budget is pretty underwhelming for Canberra, and particularly mentioning like the lack of infrastructure investment, contrasting the roads that we have here and the tiny promise compared with, say, the Bruce Highway. How worried are you and David Smith about this message cutting through to voters that feel like Canberra gets a bit taken for granted?

Gallagher:

Well, I just reject it, and she obviously hasn’t read the Budget or have any understanding of all the work that’s gone in and the investments that have gone into this town in the last 3 years. Again, I just remind people, I know it’s very easy to forget what it was like under the Liberal government. At best, forgotten. That’s what happened, and we have now tried to turn that around in 3 years.

I would urge that candidate to actually read the Budget. There is investment in roads, as you just heard from Dave, and I’ll just hand to Dave to see if he’s got anything more to say. But overall, we don’t take anything for granted in this election. We don’t expect that you’re automatically elected. That’s not how the system works, and we have to go out and campaign.

And what I guess the message I’m giving today is, we’ve got a very good record of what we’ve done in 3 years, and we’ve got very good plans about what we’d like to do in the next 3 years if we’re fortunate enough to win.

Smith:

Thanks Katy. In addition to roads, for the first time in a decade, we’re starting to see investment back into the infrastructure in our schools too. So, in terms of primary public schools, one of the obvious things, not just across Bean but across Canberra, is we’re seeing $300 million more put into public education. So, the idea that the Budget’s not putting money back into Canberra is just untrue.

And as I said before, one of the most important areas in Canberra, and particularly in Bean is Services Australia, Department of Health and Aging, DSS. Ensuring that we actually have people who’ll be champions for the Public Service represent representing electric electorates in Canberra. So, this idea that there’s not support in Canberra is quite frankly, hogwash.

Journalist:

Can I ask you a question about Australian Government Consulting? There’s additional resourcing for that agency but it’s not for publication, why is that?

Gallagher:

PM&C, essentially, will set the Budget for their department, and Australian Government Consulting sits as a part of PM&C. So, we’ll leave that for the Secretary, but we’ve made it very clear that that is a function which we are providing resources to, and we want them to continue the work they’re doing.

They’ve essentially been doing a bit of pilot work to see how they can be most useful as an internal consultancy function, and we’ve got the results of that to evaluate before we make further decisions. But in the meantime, they will keep going and keep building on the work they’re doing.

Journalist:

On Medicare bulk billing, can you guarantee that 9 out of 10 GP visits will be bulk‑billed in the ACT, given the issues that we have here?

Gallagher:

The advice we have from Health is that the investments we’re making will ensure that 9 out of 10 appointments will be bulk billed. That is a national figure. Obviously, here in the ACT, we have had very low bulk‑billing rates, and it is a matter that doctors decide. The government cannot force a doctor to bulk bill. What we can do is ensure that the incentives are high enough for them to make that choice, and that’s what we’re doing.

So, it remains to be seen what happens here. We have seen a tick‑up in the bulk billing rate since we introduced the tripling of the bulk billing incentive for concession card holders. I have no doubt we will see increases with this additional investment, and we need to keep working with GPs.

The feedback I’ve had from GPs has been very positive. They have said that this would make a difference to them and how they bulk bill with their patients, but it remains to be seen.That’s why we’ve got to do things like the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic that’s going to be open in Woden, how it works with the walk‑in centres that we’re also funding, how it works with the hospital funding.

And also, there’s another thing in the Budget, which I think will make a big difference here in Canberra, which is the Medical Cost Finder Website. We’re putting more investment into that and mandating that specialists put their fees into that website. Started under the former government, it wasn’t mandatory. I think, over the last 3 years, 70 doctors across the country have put in that information. Not good enough.

The investments we’re making mean we will pull that data, it won’t require doctors to do anything, and we will be able to publish that. And in Canberra, one of the biggest pressures is what specialists cost and how much out of pocket people are. And we need to make sure that we are putting in place transparency and also a bit more competition into what they charge, and that is in this Budget as well.

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Peter Fegan:

It’s Labor’s $17 billion pledge. But is it enough to save the election? The Labor Party or the government has delivered its fourth Budget last night. Plenty of savings, but given the cost‑of‑living crisis, we’re in no position to bite the hand that could potentially feed us for the next 3 years, at least. Joining me on the line is the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers. Treasurer, it is always great to have your time on the programme.

Jim Chalmers:

Thanks for having me back on your show, Pete. Good morning.

Fegan:

$268 in tax cuts in the first year, which is 2026. That’s $538 in the second. You’ve conceded, Treasurer, that that is modest cuts. It equates to about $5 a week. You add in the Stage 3 tax cuts, that will be around $56 bucks a week. So, when you consider how much groceries, fuel, beer, health, childcare, aged care is; most Australians would say that $50 bucks doesn’t go very far at all.

Chalmers:

I understand that, Pete. I understand that there’s always an appetite to do more. My job is to make sure that we’re providing this cost‑of‑living relief in the most responsible way that we can. The tax cuts are an important part of that, that $50 a week in income taxes is all about helping people but so is strengthening Medicare because more bulk billing means less pressure on families.

So are the energy rebates, the cheaper medicines, cutting student debt. There are a number of ways that we’re providing cost‑of‑living help in the Budget, but we’ve got to do that in the most responsible way. We know that there will always be calls to do more. We’re doing the most that we can afford to do for the time being.

Fegan:

Treasurer, I would argue what is missing from this Budget are tough decisions, serious structural reforms and addressing the elephant in the room. We know what that is, Treasurer. It’s spending. Now, there’s $40 billion set aside for decisions not yet announced. That means that the Prime Minister has another $40 billion up his sleeve to throw around during the election campaign. So, let’s just call this Budget what it is. It’s a Budget to win the election. Surely.

Chalmers:

I don’t agree with you, Pete. It’s a Budget to build the future and to help people with the cost of living and strengthen Medicare. Those are the 3 primary objectives of the Budget. It’s all about making our economy more resilient in the face of all this global economic uncertainty. That’s what’s motivated us here when it comes to this Budget.

Now, when it comes to spending, about half of the new spending in the Budget is the tax cuts. A big proportion of the rest of it was already provisioned for in the mid‑year Budget update. We’ve been responsible, we’ve gone for what’s affordable and we’ve done that in the context where we have taken difficult decisions. There are billions of dollars in savings.

There is much less debt this year in the Budget than when we came to office 3 years ago in terms of the $177 billion less debt this year. We are making good progress in the budget. We’re making especially good progress in the economy more broadly. We know that that doesn’t always immediately translate into how people are feeling and faring in the economy. That’s why the cost‑of‑living help is so important.

Fegan:

Migration. 260,000 new migrants will flood into Australia by the end of July, the majority of which will come into Australia. Now Treasurer, historically yes, migration does help fuel economy, we know that. But unfortunately, here in Australia we have a living crisis, we have a housing crisis.

We have a major supply issue here in Queensland. You know that, you live in Logan. You know how bad supply is at the moment. Are you putting them up? Because I don’t know where 260,000 new migrants will go. I know that they’ll work. But we’re in a housing crisis. It doesn’t make sense to me.

Chalmers:

Two important things about that, Pete. Firstly, we’re investing $33 billion in building more homes.

Fegan:

But you haven’t built any yet though, Treasurer. That’s the issue. You haven’t built any new homes yet. That’s the big issue here. You can invest all your money, all the money you want. You can’t put them in camps until they’re built.

Chalmers:

We are building new homes. We’re making a very substantial investment in making sure that’s the case. Secondly, you refer to those migration numbers. Those migration numbers have actually been very substantially managed down from their peak after COVID. When Australia more or less shut down during COVID in the year or 2 after that, couple of years after that, there was a big rebound in the net overseas migration number spanning 2 governments.

We’ve been able to manage that down to more normal levels. That is what you’re seeing in the budget. That number that you refer to is right, but it is much lower, very, very substantially lower than it was a couple of years ago.

Fegan:

Okay, Treasurer, this is an interesting one and I think all eyes will be on this when it comes to the election.

Let’s talk energy.

Okay, Treasurer, the Prime Minister and yourself and all your Ministers all maintain that energy prices are lower under a Labor government. So, why has the government, if that’s the case – if we are paying less for energy, why has the government spent $6.8 billion on energy subsidies to date? Is that not an abject failure of the last 3 years? And your energy policy, why give Australians another $150 bucks if, according to Labor, energy is affordable? I don’t understand it. I mean, if it is affordable, I don’t need the $150 bucks.

Chalmers:

This is another important way that we’re helping people with the cost of living. We know that in the last year in the official inflation data, we were able to get electricity prices down. That’s a good thing. That’s been a combination of rebates, but also the efforts that we’re making to introduce more cleaner and cheaper energy into the system.

If you think about the independent experts from a body called AEMO, what they talk about is what’s pushing electricity prices up is actually the old parts of the system, the traditional parts of the system, becoming less and less reliable.

We’re providing these energy rebates in the near term to take some of the sting out of these electricity bills while people are under cost‑of‑living pressure. At the same time, we’re introducing more cleaner and cheaper, more reliable energy into the system because that’s the best way to put downward pressure on energy prices over the medium and long term.

Fegan:

Yeah, there’s no. But there’s no funding for green energy. There’s no funding for net zero.

Chalmers:

That’s not true, Pete.

Fegan:

Well, there’s no extra funding. Is there, in this Budget? Is there extra investment in –

Chalmers:

Yeah, there’s some extra investment out of an innovation.

Fegan:

How much?

Chalmers:

For about one and a half billion, I think from memory.

Fegan:

But it’s not in Budget. Is it in Budget papers released?

Chalmers:

Yeah, it’s in the Budget papers. We’ve also recapitalised the Clean Energy Finance Corporation because that’s playing an important role as well, financing cleaner and cheaper energy.

I accept your broader point. Electricity prices are a pressure on family budgets we’re seeing around the world. We’re not immune from that. The energy bill rebates are an important, responsible way that we take some of the edge off that while we introduce more cleaner and cheaper, and more reliable energy into the system.

Fegan:

Treasurer, why should Australians trust Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers for another 3 years?

Chalmers:

I think after the Coalition’s brain explosion on tax last night, the choice at the election is becoming absolutely crystal clear now. We’re helping people as a Labor government with the cost of living by cutting their taxes. Peter Dutton has an agenda of secret cuts which will make people worse off. Now, Peter Dutton wants to cut everything except people’s taxes, and that’s really the contest which was set up last night when Angus Taylor, quite bizarrely, said that he would oppose our cost‑of‑living help.

What we’ve seen over the course of the last 3 years is every time we’ve tried to help people with the cost of living, our opponents have opposed that. Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor have both said the best predictor of future performance is past performance. They have opposed cost‑of‑living help; they’re opposing these cost‑of‑living tax cuts in the Budget last night.

I think that sets up a very clear choice. If people want a Labor government helping with the cost of living, managing the budget responsibly, investing in building Australia’s future, they can choose that over Peter Dutton, who has secret cuts which will make people worse off, and that’s because he wants to cut everything except taxes.

Fegan:

Do you accept that Australians don’t trust you?

Chalmers:

I don’t necessarily accept that, Pete. I mean, that’s a judgement for people to make. I understand that, and it’s something that journalists and commentators can speculate about. What we did last night was keep faith with the Australian people and do justice to the progress and the sacrifices that they have made. Together as Australians, we’ve made a lot of progress in our economy. We’ve got –

Fegan:

But a trillion dollars in debt. A trillion dollars, though, Treasurer?

Chalmers:

It’s $177 billion this year lower than what it was when we came to office for this year. That’s a really important thing. You will read a lot of stuff in the papers about debt and deficits. Don’t forget, we delivered 2 surpluses, we shrunk the deficit, we got the debt down, we’re saving on interest costs.

Fegan:

But it’s still a trillion dollars. You grilled the former government on this. It’s still a trillion dollars. And I know it’s not all your fault, but it’s a trillion dollars. We’ve got kids that need to buy homes in 20 years’ time.

Chalmers:

That’s why we’re investing substantially in housing, $33 billion program. On the debt, don’t forget, we would have already had a trillion dollars of debt under our opponents. It’s $177 billion lower this year. I think that’s too easily dismissed and diminished the progress we’ve made in the budget. Same goes for the progress we made in the economy together as Australians.

As I was saying a moment ago, we’ve got growth rebounding solidly in our economy: inflation down, real wages up, unemployment is low, interest rates have started to be cut, we’ve got the debt down. This is good progress, and we would be crazy to interrupt that progress with Peter Dutton’s secret cuts which would make Australians worse off.

Fegan:

What’s happening with the Coalition at the moment, Treasurer? Seems to be some rumblings. I hear or see reports yesterday that Peter Dutton had to lay down the law, that David Littleproud got pretty fired up.

Chalmers:

Yeah, they got fired up because basically the Coalition members and senators are forming an orderly queue to say that Angus Taylor’s not up to the job. It’s quite bizarre that Angus Taylor’s asking Australians to take him seriously when his own colleagues don’t. He’s been found out and he’s been found wanting.

I think genuinely, it was a proper brain explosion we saw last night when he said, at a time when people are under cost‑of‑living pressures, they won’t support our tax cuts to help people meet the cost of living. I think that was a bizarre decision. I think it will come back to haunt him, and I think his colleagues will have a view about it behind the scenes.

Fegan:

Treasurer, you’re on the front page of every paper today, but can I just say congratulations to you because you are drinking out of a Brisbane Broncos mug. How good is that?

Chalmers:

I get a bit of feedback about that. Mostly from Dolphins, mostly from people –

Fegan:

Well, do you know what? You’re still a staunch. You’re still a staunch Bronco supporter. Right?

Chalmers:

Pick and stick. Absolutely.

Fegan:

Thank you.

Chalmers:

Broncos until I die, Pete.

Fegan:

Because I see that Peter Dutton has changed his tune a little bit. He’s now, well, Dolphins is in his electorate. A little bit of his electorate. Well, I don’t know.

Chalmers:

Right. I’m not sure about that. In fairness to him, I’m not sure about that. I’m certainly, I will always be a very enthusiastic supporter of the Brisbane Broncos. I still remember their first game in the comp in 1988 as a little tacker. I’m looking forward to watching the Battle of Brisbane on Friday night. Always a good contest.

Fegan:

Go the Broncos. Yeah, exactly. Go the Broncos. Good on you, Treasurer. Great to have your company this morning.

Chalmers:

Nice to talk to you again, Pete. All the best.

Fegan:

There he is, the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers.

Source: Allens Insights (legal sector)

Regulation and scrutiny set to intensify 11 min read

Whether it be consumer guarantees or vehicle emissions, the automotive sector continues to be highly regulated, and the target of scrutiny from regulators and private litigants alike. In this Insight, we reflect on some of the key issues facing the sector.

Class action risk regaining momentum

The High Court provided that guidance late last year. As reported previously, it held that reduction in value (RIV) damages are a ‘performance based remedy’, reflecting the monetary difference between the value of what the consumer bargained for and what they ultimately received. The majority found that RIV damages are to be calculated as the amount by which the value of the goods was reduced by the failure to comply with the guarantee at the time of supply, with regard to ‘all that is known at the time of trial about the “state and condition of the goods”‘. Accordingly, the assessment includes consideration of both the nature of the defect, and the likely availability, timing, effectiveness, cost and inconvenience of any repairs.

Automakers can find welcome relief in this decision because the High Court’s approach gives recognition to ‘field actions’ carried out by manufacturers in reducing their liability. However, depending on the seriousness of the defect and/or how long it takes to repair, manufacturers’ potential exposure to damages may still be considerable.

It remains early days in assessing how class action promoters may respond to the High Court’s decision. Even so, there are initial signs that automotive class action filings may be regaining momentum, with two new claims filed in the past few months.

Changes to dealership operating models

Recent years have seen a number of Australian automakers consider, and implement, changes to their distribution models—away from a traditional dealer structure and towards an agency arrangement. Under this change, instead of dealers purchasing cars from automakers and onselling them to customers at a mark-up, they act as agents and sell cars on the automaker’s behalf (generally at an agreed price and in exchange for commission).

While an agency approach gives automakers far more control over pricing and margins, the transition has been opposed by many franchisees, who fear a loss of profitability and goodwill in their business. Following Mercedes-Benz’s implementation of an agency model between 2016 to 2020, 38 of its 49 dealers commenced a class action alleging the loss of A$650 million in expropriated goodwill.

We have now seen two distribution model changes litigated through the Australian courts—Mercedes-Benz (referred to above) and Honda Australia, which restructured its dealership network in 2020. While Mercedes-Benz emerged (relatively) unscathed, Honda had mixed success before different courts, and the two cases provide a helpful illustration of the current state of the law. Importantly, the decisions confirm that:

• automakers are generally entitled to change their business models in the interest of improving profitability (even where it causes financial loss to their dealers); and
• there is no current right under Australian franchising laws for a franchisee to be compensated for any loss of goodwill upon the non-renewal of a franchise agreement.

With that said, in implementing any changes to distribution models, automakers should be very careful to honour existing contractual relationships and avoid misrepresentations or inaccurate statements. Compensation may be available where automakers eg :

1. terminate dealership agreements early, and without a contractual right to do so;
2. inform dealers they will be no worse off under a new model without a proper basis; or
3. represent to customers that former authorised dealers can no longer service their vehicles, when this is inaccurate.

The Mercedes-Benz and Honda cases concerned restructures that occurred before 2021, when the Franchising Code was amended to codify a compensation mechanism in circumstances where a motor vehicle franchisor terminates dealership agreements early. This regime will continue to apply under the new Franchising Code (see below). It will be interesting to see—in light of these decisions and the reforms to the Code—whether other automakers decide to follow in Mercedes-Benz and Honda’s footsteps.

New Franchising Code on the way

The Federal Government has now legislated a new Franchising Code of Conduct, which will take effect on 1 April 2025 and replace the current version of the Code, which is due to ‘sunset’.

For motor vehicle franchisors, the changes in the Code will start applying on the following dates: Almost all changes apply only to conduct that occurs on or after 1 April 2025, in relation to franchise agreements entered into, transferred, renewed or extended from this date. Disclosure requirements in relation to significant capital expenditures will change, but the new requirements apply only to disclosure documents created on or after 1 November 2025. In all other respects, disclosure documents provided to franchisees in relation to franchise agreements to be entered into on or after 1 April 2025 (including disclosure documents provided before 1 April 2025 but relating to franchise agreements to be entered into after 1 April 2025) must comply with the form required by the new Code.

Automakers will need to make some changes to the standard form of their dealership agreements, and a new form of disclosure document is required to be created.

The new Code contains very few surprises for industry players who have been following its progress, as it largely aligns with the recommendations of the Independent Review released in February 2024 and the Exposure Draft released in October 2024.

For automakers, it is important to note that the new Code has retained, without substantive changes, the provisions relating to compensation where a franchisor terminates dealership agreements early (with the changes proposed in the earlier Exposure Draft not implemented). The new Code also retains the obligation on motor vehicle franchisors to ensure that dealership agreements give franchisees a reasonable opportunity to make a return on their investment.

The following reforms in the new Code are relevant to automakers who distribute through dealership or agency networks in Australia:

1. Inclusion of service and parts agreements: The new Code includes a revised definition of ‘motor vehicle dealership’, which expressly captures ‘any servicing or repairing of motor vehicles’ conducted by dealers, or associated with a dealership agreement, where the dealer buys, sells, exchanges or leases motor vehicles.

   This change aligns the statutory definition with judicial interpretation of the Code in the AHG v Mercedes-Benz case.¹ It is broadly designed to prevent franchisors from structuring contracts with dealers so as to exclude service and repair work from the Code’s application, while ensuring that pure service and repair franchise businesses are not subject to obligations specific to ‘motor vehicle dealerships’.

2. Simplification of termination rights for franchisors: In relation to a limited set of serious termination events—eg the franchisee ceasing to hold a licence it needs to carry on the business, being deregistered as a company, or being convicted of a serious offence—the franchisor will be entitled to include in its franchise agreements a right to terminate on seven days’ notice, and the franchisee will not be permitted to raise a dispute under the alternative dispute resolution mechanism for such termination.
3. Disclosure obligations: The new Code no longer requires franchisors to provide a key facts sheet to franchisees, separate from the disclosure document. Existing franchisees will be entitled to opt out of receiving disclosure documents, and also the 14-day cooling-off period, at the time of renewal or extension of the franchise agreement.
4. Civil penalties apply to all substantive obligations: Whereas in the existing Code, only a limited number of substantive obligations will attract a civil penalty if breached, under the new Code, all substantive obligations will attract civil penalties if breached.

Outside of the new Code, the Government has legislated to empower the ACCC to issue infringement notices with penalties at the upper end of what is currently available under the ACL (ie $19,800 for a body corporate).

The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard begins to bite

With the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard Act 2024 (Cth) (the NVES Act) taking effect at the start of this year, and the accumulation of the associated units and penalties commencing on 1 July 2025, the new standard is now kicking into gear.

The NVES Act forms a central part of the Government’s National Electric Vehicle Strategy, which aims to promote Australia’s transition to a decarbonised transport system by providing a national framework to enhance the supply of, and access to, electric vehicles. Under the NVES Act, suppliers are incentivised to uptake more fuel-efficient, low or zero emission vehicles (including electric vehicles) through the following mechanisms:

1. Suppliers of new light vehicles into the Australian market are required to keep CO₂ emissions below annual emissions targets calculated based on the emissions and weight of vehicles sold. Stricter emissions targets are imposed for ‘Type 1’ vehicles (eg sedans and hatchbacks) than ‘Type 2’ vehicles (eg vans and utilities, and larger SUVs). The emissions targets of both vehicle types are expected to become more stringent over time.
2. Central to the statutory regime is the concept of ‘Interim Emission Value’ (IEV), which measures the emissions performance of each supplier’s covered vehicles for a given year against the annual emissions targets set for the relevant vehicle type.
3. Suppliers whose average fleetwide emissions fall below legislative targets (and therefore generate a negative IEV) will accrue tradeable ‘units’ or credits that can be sold to or purchased by other suppliers, and will be valid for up to three years.
4. By contrast, suppliers that exceed their emissions targets (and therefore generate a positive IEV) may be liable for civil penalties, although liability will not crystallise immediately. Suppliers will have two years to bring their IEV down to zero, and can do so either by generating sufficient units themselves to meet any shortfall (ie by importing more fuel-efficient vehicles) and/or by purchasing units from other suppliers.

   If the supplier’s IEV has not been fully offset at the end of this period, the supplier will be liable for a civil penalty calculated at the scale of $100 for every gram of CO2 per kilometre of the supplier’s IEV that has not been offset. As the penalty regime applies to each covered vehicle, there is potential for significant fleetwide penalties, presenting a substantial new regulatory risk for automakers importing new vehicles into Australia.

NGOs play a growing part in the enforcement of greenwashing claims

We continue to see non-government organisations (NGOs) playing an increasingly prominent role in highlighting alleged instances of greenwashing by automakers, often with the dual aims of raising public awareness and agitating for regulatory enforcement action.

Recent examples of this phenomenon are widespread. In 2023, the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), an Australian environmental legal centre, published a report assessing climate-related claims made by the largest automotive companies in Australia. Most significantly, the report alleged that almost all automakers had made exaggerated climate-related claims, particularly by misleadingly comparing hybrid vehicles to ‘lower emitting electric vehicles’.

To similar effect, United States-based advocacy group Ekō published a report in 2024 reviewing one automaker’s online marketing of its electrified vehicle line. The report surveyed 23 jurisdictions, including Australia, and alleged (among other things) that the automaker had misled consumers by using words such as ‘electrification’ on its website to describe hybrid, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The automaker was said to have capitalised on growing electric vehicle demand to sell more of its hybrid (and allegedly polluting) vehicles.

Ekō urged regulators worldwide, including the ACCC, to investigate its findings and those contained in EDO’s 2023 report, highlighting the growing relationship between NGOs and regulators in the enforcement of greenwashing claims.

Data, privacy and cyber risk

In May 2024, it was reported the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner had commenced an inquiry aimed at ensuring that connected vehicles purchased in Australia protected sensitive personal data.

While details of the inquiry have not been released, the Privacy Commissioner, Carly Kind, has stated that ‘cars are now [a] kind of computers on wheels’ that collect a lot of personal information and there is ‘not a lot of transparency or understanding about how that data is being used’.

Whether this inquiry becomes public remains to be seen, but it contributes to growing public and media attention on the auto industry regarding privacy and data security issues, following several recent high-profile data breach incidents—as well as various studies released over the past several years that have been highly critical of the privacy compliance of connected vehicles. Privacy advocates have also raised concerns around intrusive surveillance made possible through connected services.

These trends in the auto sector reflect the broader scrutiny being placed on privacy and large-scale data use, in the context of a number of pieces of law reform in late 2024, such as:

• material changes to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including expanding enforcement options— further tranches of reform to the Privacy Act are expected this year; and
• whole-of-economy changes to cyber security laws, with the passage of the Cyber Security Act 2024 (Cth). While vehicles have been largely excluded from the new cyber standards for connected products under this Act, it will have broader ramifications, and cyber standards for manufacturers remain a key area of risk.

We anticipate that car manufacturers and auto financiers will come under increasing privacy and cyber scrutiny, given the volume and potential sensitivity of data collected at scale through connected vehicles. We will be providing an in-depth look into these issues in a future Insight.

Consumer law reforms

There is momentum building for consumer law reforms that, if introduced, could significantly affect the automotive sector. Among other things, the Government signalled its commitment late last year to a suite of reforms including to the consumer guarantees in the ACL, and the introduction of a prohibition on unfair trading practices.

The proposals to strengthen the consumer guarantees were set out in a Consultation Paper released in October 2024 for feedback. The paper cited evidence that for high-value goods, and vehicles in particular, consumers find it difficult to obtain a remedy for breaches of the consumer guarantees. The proposed reforms include:

1. clarifications to the meaning of a ‘major failure’ under the ACL;
2. introduction of a new prohibition on suppliers refusing to provide remedies to consumers for a major failure;
3. introduction of a prohibition on manufacturers failing to indemnify suppliers; and
4. civil penalties for contraventions of the above.

Treasury is expected to publish a Decision Regulation Impact Statement that will set out the Government’s preferred options in relation to these proposals.

Separately, the Government has outlined proposals for a new prohibition on unfair trading practices. This prohibition would target conduct that might not meet the ACL thresholds for misleading or unconscionable conduct, but nonetheless causes consumer detriment through the distortion or manipulation of consumer choices (eg online pressure tactics). A Consultation Paper from November 2024 set out proposed general and specific prohibitions in this regard, and a Decision Regulation Impact Statement is now also anticipated, furthering these proposals.