Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Premier of Victoria

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

TOM LOWREY, HOST: Now, while the government wants to run on its support for Medicare, some in the Opposition have criticised the way the government is selling its pledge as a rerun of Medi-scare. To discuss this and more, let’s bring in the Youth Minister, Anne Aly. Minister, thanks for joining Afternoon Briefing and thanks for bearing through some technical difficulties too.

MINISTER ANNE ALY: That’s ok. It’s just another day.

LOWREY: And we’re already hearing GPs saying this is welcome, this Medicare pledge, but it doesn’t mean they’re about to start bulk billing. Their costs are simply too high. What would you say to them?

ALY: Look, I think that the overwhelming evidence that we’ve seen, and I know that the Health Minister, Mark Butler, has done extensive consultations on this, is that this is good policy, it’s welcome policy, and first and foremost it’s about ensuring that all Australians have access to the healthcare they need and they don’t put off seeing a doctor because of the cost of seeing a doctor. And secondly, it’s about getting Medicare back on track to what its original purpose is, is that you should have access to the services you need, the health services you need, not based on your credit card. So, all the information that we’ve got is that this is good policy and that we’re confident that it will be taken up by the majority of bulk billing clinics or of practitioners, sorry, practitioner clinics by 2030.

LOWREY: Yeah, we’ve been told to expect 90 per cent bulk billing by 2030. Is that figure a commitment from Labor or is it a hope?

ALY: I think it’s based on projections of and – projections of what the uptake would be. These are really good incentives for practitioners and practices to bulk bill beyond what they already bulk bill, which is people on a concession card, for children and for pensioners and low-income families. This is to ensure that every Australian, regardless of what their bank balance is, has access to the medical services that they need. So, those projections are based on a level of confidence that this is the kind of incentive that will make a difference to practitioners and practices.

LOWREY: Anne Aly, your home state of WA is in the midst of a state election campaign. We saw both campaigns launch their campaigns over the weekend. Are you worried that voters in WA might be happy to back Roger Cook, who seems like a reasonably popular Premier, but willing to back Peter Dutton when the federal election rolls around?

ALY: Well, there’s always this kind of talk, and there’s two schools of thought. One is that the state election impacts on the federal election, and the other one is that, you know, Australians are discerning enough voters to make a difference between the two. And, you know, both are true to some extent and in their own ways. Look, I think that West Australians know that Labor, both federally and state, is good for them. We’ve got a strong economy here in WA, we’ve got low unemployment, we’ve got a state government that has really managed the budget well. We’ve got really strong infrastructure. And you know, we’ve got a Federal Government in Labor that has worked closely with the WA Government in the interests of Western Australia and a Prime Minister in Anthony Albanese who has made WA a focus. He’s been to Australia more times than I can, to Western Australia more times than I can count. I think it’s about 30 times or getting up to 30 times now, and has demonstrated to West Australians that he’s not just eastern states focused.

LOWREY: Labor in WA at a state level. Is it something of a high watermark? Of course, the Former Premier Mark McGowan knocked the Liberals down. So, I think, is it six lower house seats in that state? Are you concerned the Liberals might take some momentum federally, even out of a close defeat in WA? They don’t necessarily need to win this election; they just need to come somewhat close.

ALY: Well, the Liberals have a long way to go to, to take, take government here in Western Australia. I think they have to win something like 20 seats. So, it’s impossible to see them doing that, to be quite frank. You know, I think the extent to which they will claw back some of the seats that they lost at the last election will be seen over as the WA election continues. But I think also the West Australian Liberals have shown that they’re just really not ready to govern to be honest. They’ve had a whole lot of different scandals with one of the, with some of the, the people that they’ve pre-selected. They’ve had a challenge from Basil Zempilas against Libby Mettam, and I don’t think they’ve demonstrated to the West Australian people that they are in a position to govern and that they’re ready to govern.

LOWREY: I just want to touch on your portfolio area of child care quickly and early childhood education. Is there more to come from Labor on child care ahead of the election or the Activity Test changes we saw past Parliament in the past few weeks it for Labor ahead of that poll?

ALY: Well, I’ll just say it wasn’t just the Activity Test. The Activity Test, yes, did pass Parliament and for your viewers, the Activity Test was introduced by the Liberal Government in 2018. And the purpose of it, the stated purpose of it, was to incentivise women, in particular, to return to work. We know that that didn’t happen, and rather, what the Activity Test did was lock out children, and particularly children who would benefit the most from early childhood education and care, lock them out of the system. The Liberal and Coalition voted against our changes to the Activity Test, which demonstrates where they sit in terms of those transformational benefits of early childhood education and care, but also in terms of cost-of-living relief, because removing the Activity Test would benefit around 70,000 families with real cost-of-living relief. But that’s not the only thing that we’re doing. We’ve also got a building education fund, Building Early Education Fund. That’s a billion dollars that we’re putting towards building the services that families and children need, particularly in areas where there are no services. So, outer suburban, rural and regional and in vulnerable communities. This is all part of the big package, of course, starting with bringing down the cost of early childhood education, raising the wages of early childhood educators and getting more early childhood educators in to ensure kind of a stable workforce as a foundation and all working towards our vision of an early childhood education and care sector that is universal, and that recognises that this is an essential service that families and parents rely on.

LOWREY: And before I let you go, I just want to touch on some of what we’ve seen in the Middle East over the past few days. Israel has been heavily critical of a ceremony Hamas put on as it returned the bodies of four Israeli hostages late last week. What did you make of those images, and how concerned are you about the ceasefire holding?

ALY: I’m really concerned. I think what this demonstrates, what we know, is that it is particularly fragile. The ceasefire is particularly fragile. Peace is over there is particularly fragile. What we want to see is this first phase of the ceasefire to run smoothly and continue and then transition into the second phase of the ceasefire with a goal towards everlasting peace through a two-state solution. That’s Australia’s position. We’ve always supported a ceasefire, so of course, we are keen to see that the conditions of the ceasefire continue to be met and that that ceasefire can transition to the second phase. So, it is concerning. It is concerning that there are, I guess, challenges to the ceasefire continuing, but again, underscoring the fragility of it.

LOWREY: Anne Aly, thanks so much for joining the Afternoon Briefing.

ALY: Thank you.
 

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

PATRICIA KARVELAS: To discuss this, and there’s a whole lot more, let’s bring in our panel, Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly and Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan. Welcome to both of you.

MINISTER ANNE ALY: Thank you.

DAN TEHAN: Thanks, Patricia.

KARVELAS: We’re going to start on that. Dan, was that just a thought bubble? Because it’s unconstitutional, it’s been tested in the High Court.

TEHAN: No, it wasn’t. I think there is a real frustration with how the system is currently working at the moment and how the courts are clogged up, how appeal after appeal is used. And I think what the Leader of the Opposition was expressing was that frustration that at some stage we are going to have a look at this.

Now, the High Court obviously made a decision last year. So, you know, there does need to be a discussion around these issues because it would be good if we had clear rules and clear guidelines and clear laws as to how we can make sure that those people who do come to Australia do and know and understand our values and especially our laws.

KARVELAS: But after you become a citizen shouldn’t you be dealt with by the law, and the law should deal with if you have a particular view, which, you know, is hate speech, isn’t that the law that should be dealing with it rather than just kicking people out?

TEHAN: Well, I think what – you know, what we do need to look at is that a lot of these people have dual citizenship. And so we need to look and see, okay, if you’ve got dual citizenship and you breach your trust that the Australian people have given in you with regards to your Australian citizenship, well, if you’re a dual citizen, do you have the right to keep your Australian citizenship?

KARVELAS: The High Court thinks yes.

TEHAN: Well, the High Court made a decision last year. Now, obviously we can have a look at the way that they made that and the laws around that and see whether we do need to have a conversation around whether we need to change some of the laws around this and see whether if people do come here – and especially if they are dual citizens – whether we can act.

KARVELAS: Anne Aly?

ALY: I’m a bit – I’m a bit angry that this conversation about antisemitism has been conveniently turned into a conversation about immigration as if somehow the two are connected. I think that’s a very deliberate political ploy by Peter Dutton, who, I might add, has said that he wants to re-introduce the “golden ticket” visa, which can be bought by people with money and that we know brought in people from organised crime gangs and people of, frankly, unworthy character into Australia.

So I would like to see us talking about the substantive issue here about hatred and the growth of hatred and the spread of hatred in our society. And when we have those conversations, not have those conversations hijacked by another conversation about immigration as if it’s only immigrants that are responsible for spreading hatred in this country. That’s what really disturbs me here, Patricia.

KARVELAS: Anne Aly makes a point about the fact antisemitism is a lot wider than anyone who may have come to this country more recently. It is clearly a big problem. Isn’t that what you really want to deal with?

TEHAN: Well, we have been dealing with that, and we have been appealing to the government now for a very long period of time to deal with that and deal with it right across this nation. So I don’t think you can say that all of a sudden we’ve just made this about immigration. This is an issue which the Leader of the Opposition has led the nation on in trying to rid this country of antisemitism. And it is about ridding it right across our nation, whether it be Australian citizens, whether it be dual citizens, whether it be those who are here as guests of our nation. And I don’t think that we can say all of a sudden that this has just had a narrow focus to it, because his leadership on this issue has been inspiring and outstanding. And so to just try and narrow cast it like that is completely and utterly wrong.

KARVELAS: But Peter Dutton even questioned why a male nurse – this male nurse got citizenship. I understand that actually happened when the Morrison government was in power.

TEHAN: Well, what Peter Dutton has said is that we do need to look as to how this has happened. And there will be –

KARVELAS: But it did happen under –

TEHAN: Yeah, yeah. There are incidences where this will have happened under Labor, under Liberal. But what we do need to do is look at it and say, okay, where is the system failing? How are we getting people coming into our country with these views when they’re required to take a citizenship pledge, we should be looking, okay, what do we do to try and fix this system. And that’s the point that he’s trying to make, because there is a frustration.

KARVELAS: Anne Aly?

ALY: I want – I just want to make this point. When you say, Dan, people coming into this country with these views, what if people are coming into this country as children – and I’m the Minister for Early Childhood, I see a lot of children, and let me tell you, they don’t – they’re not born with hate. They’re not born hating, right? People who are coming to this country may not be necessarily coming with those views. They may form those views because of this country, right?

So what are we doing more broadly in this country to ensure that we have a society that is cohesive and that is harmonious and that we don’t tolerate hatred? When we talk about that, we talk about the concrete steps that our government has done to ensure that – the doxing laws, the hate speech laws, standing up against racism in all its forms and expressing our contempt for hatred.

You know, I think it’s a very simplistic view to say that migrants come into Australia with a particular view and therefore that the whole situation that we’re talking about here around the increase of hatred is somehow linked to immigration.

TEHAN: But that’s not what we’re saying. We’re saying –

ALY: But it’s exactly what you just said.

TEHAN: We’re saying that is one component of it. We’ve also called for a proper National Cabinet meeting to address this issue, so it can be –

KARVELAS: Well, there was. There was one.

TEHAN: Yes, but it was one which wasn’t done with all the chief ministers, all the leaders there, you know, everyone coming to Canberra – a proper serious discussion as to how we address this.

KARVELAS: I have to bring our viewers on Afternoon Briefing here on the ABC News channel some breaking news: a Chinese fighter aircraft has released flares in front of an Australian military plane during what Defence describes as an unsafe and unprofessional interaction in the South China Sea this week. Officials have revealed the encounter occurred on Tuesday during daylight hours with the Peoples Liberation Army J-16 coming within 30 metres of the RAAF P-8 Poseidon. Defence says no personnel were injured and there was no damage to the P-8, but it has lodged formal objections with the PLA, both in Canberra and Beijing. So that’s just breaking news.

I am aware – and I always think, to be fair, you would just be hearing perhaps that news too. But just quick thoughts from you both. Obviously Defence has sent a pretty strong signal here that this is unacceptable.

TEHAN: And let’s see what sort of signal now the Prime Minister sends, because that’s what I think the Australian people will be waiting for and wanting to hear, what sort of strong signal and strong message now the Prime Minister sends. So, as we’ve seen, this is not the first time that this has occurred. So I think we will all watch with great interest to see how the Prime Minister responds to this, this act by the Chinese military.

KARVELAS: Anne Aly?

ALY: My first thought, of course, is relief that nobody was hurt and nobody was injured, Patricia. That’s my first – my first reaction to this news.

KARVELAS: Do you expect the Prime Minister will have strong words?

ALY: Absolutely. Absolutely. This is a pretty serious issue, and I absolutely expect that the Prime Minister will stand up for the Australian people, as he always has done.

KARVELAS: Now, there is another piece of breaking news, which is that your child care bill has just passed.

ALY: Yes.

KARVELAS: You know this?

ALY: Yes.

KARVELAS: Okay, what can you tell us?

ALY: So this is a great bill. It is good policy –

KARVELAS: This is the three day –

ALY: This is the Three Day Guarantee, 72 hours a fortnight for every child. What it basically does, Patricia, is it replaces the activity test, and parents out there who have tried to access subsidised care will know that they have to pass an activity test in order to be eligible to subsidise that care. It means that every child in Australia can now access those really transformative benefits of early childhood education and care. And it is good policy. It was recommended by the PC Review, a number of reviews, and has strong, strong support from across the sector. It’s a good day today for Australian children.

KARVELAS: It didn’t have to pass now, though, did it? I mean, it really could have happened after the election. Was it a political – is it a political play –

ALY: Well, no.

KARVELAS: – so you can talk about this at the election and say, “We got this through,” because it doesn’t start till next year, right?

ALY: That’s right. But, you know, it’s something that had strong support from the sector and it was a recommendation by the PC Review. You know, this is us taking action on things that we know are good policy, part of our reform package in early childhood education and care, getting to that place of a universal system that benefits every child.

KARVELAS: Dan Tehan, you are actually a former Education Minister so you are across these portfolios. I understand at the end the Liberals were not in favour of this change. But actually it is true that there has been a lot of research to say that this change should happen to get children to have the right to have these three days compulsory. Why didn’t you see it that way?

TEHAN: So just a question before, Patricia, I answer that question. So, are we talking about it just passing the House? Or –

KARVELAS: I think it just passed the House –

ALY: It passed the Senate – it’s in the Senate at the moment. So, I know – but it did pass the House earlier.

KARVELAS: It’s going back to – yeah.

TEHAN: Yeah, so it’s – just so your viewers are clear of where we’re at, it’s passed the House. It hasn’t passed the Senate, and it’s actually going to a Senate review which, as I understand it, will report in March. So this legislation –

ALY: I think they’re actually voting on it in the Senate.

KARVELAS: Yeah, my understanding is it’s passed the Parliament. But either way –

TEHAN: Right, okay.

KARVELAS: – I’ll let you continue with the broad political point.

ALY: Last I saw was they were voting on it.

TEHAN: So they are going to now go ahead? So this is sort of –

KARVELAS: So, you can still apparently do the inquiry even if the Bill’s passed.

TEHAN: Right, okay. All right. Well, there’s obviously been a change in the approach that the government’s taking as we’re speaking.

KARVELAS: Let me take you to first principles.

TEHAN: Yes, let’s go back to the Bill itself. We obviously wanted it to go to an inquiry. And the main concerns that we have with this Bill is that the actions that it’s taking, especially with regards to the activity test, without expanding the number of places, and especially the number of places in regional and rural areas, will basically mean for those people who are working or wanting to work, trying to get access to child care will become harder. And so that is one of the concerns that we have.

The second concern is that what we’ve seen with regards to costs under this government when it comes to child care is we’ve seen the costs go up by over 20 per cent. We’ve seen out-of-pocket expenses go up by over 10 per cent and nothing around this is addressing that issue, which obviously, with cost of living the number one issue, is of deep concern to us. So for those reasons and others is why we think that this Bill should have gone to a committee.

KARVELAS: Anne Aly?

ALY: Well, those figures are just wrong, Dan. The cost has come down. Out-of-pocket costs for families across Australia have come down. And in terms of access, yes, we know that access is one of those key areas of reform. That’s why we have a $1 billion Building Early Education Fund targeting those seats, those areas where there is no child – early childhood education or where there is little access to early childhood education and care.

So, you know, you’re talking to a government that’s able to chew gum and walk at the same time. We’re very well aware of all the key pieces of reform that are necessary in early childhood education and care, and only our government has that vision to ensure that every child has access and every child has access to quality, affordable early learning.

KARVELAS: I have to ask –

TEHAN: Anne, I was just going to say, your track record, sadly, doesn’t show that to be the case. So – and the problem here is that what we’re going to see is basically working people having to compete with new entrants now, and that’s going to cause even more trouble for you.

KARVELAS: Now, Dan Tehan, I just have to ask you, just to you before we say goodbye – we’ve had a great conversation; it might be the last day of the Parliament of this term. We don’t know. But it’s –

ALY: Don’t know.

KARVELAS: Well, you don’t know. We don’t know. So, it’s rather – we’re all on the edge of our seats. But I do have to ask you about – you’re a former Trade Minister as well. You’ve had a few hats, so you’re very helpful here. Was Australia so desperate to hang on to our tariff exemption with the US that we agreed to unofficial quotas?

TEHAN: No. No.

KARVELAS: Well, hang on a minute. That’s been reported that that’s what we agreed to. That’s what the US Government thinks.

TEHAN: So the arrangement was very clear. We were given an exemption, and obviously the US said to us that we wouldn’t want to see you exploit that exemption. And we had no intention of trying to exploit that exemption. The majority of our aluminium exports actually go into Asia, and that’s been a longstanding market for us.

KARVELAS: But did we agree to these, essentially, quotas that we didn’t publicise?

TEHAN: No, there was no – no, there was no quotas that weren’t publicised. So –

KARVELAS: But it was agreed to then?

TEHAN: Well, the idea – well, after the exemption, what the US wanted to make sure was all of a sudden our exports didn’t go from 10 per cent to 90 per cent. And obviously given that we were given an exemption we said that of course we’re going to make sure that that isn’t exploited, and it was never going to be exploited because the majority of our aluminium goes into our markets in the – in Asia.

KARVELAS: So that agreement, shouldn’t we know – shouldn’t we have known about it? Shouldn’t you have told the public? Because we didn’t know about it till now.

TEHAN: Well, it’s – there was no official agreement to tell the public about. I mean, the key thing here and the key thing that I would say to the Albanese Labor government is we worked very hard to be able to put an exemption in place which meant that our aluminium smelters here continued to be profitable and continued to be able to export aluminium into Asia, into the US.

KARVELAS: Okay.

TEHAN: My hope is that this government will be able to do exactly the same thing.

KARVELAS: Anne Aly?

ALY: Well, I think we’ve already proven as a government that we have the capacity, and we do the necessary actions to rebuild our international standing and rebuild our standing in terms of trade as well as diplomatic efforts, and I think the Australian people can be confident that this is a government that can, you know, deal with these issues. And in a transparent way.

TEHAN: And we hope so, yes.

KARVELAS: Well, the country hopes so. Thank you to both of you.

TEHAN: Pleasure.

KARVELAS: It’s been a good discussion.

ALY: Thanks, Patricia.

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Ready to rock and roll? Okay, thanks for coming along to Auburn. Some good news, it’s been a year now since we banned phones in schools across the country and we’re seeing the results. Kids are more focused in the classroom and they’re having more fun in the playground. What a lot of teachers have told me is the playgrounds are a lot noisier now than they used to be. Kids are doing what we used to do when we were kids and that’s playing with their mates in the playground rather than looking down at their phone. That’s a really good thing. A survey of principals has shown that 80 per cent of principals are telling us that we’re seeing better behaviour and better learners as a result of banning phones in our schools. So, that’s the first thing.

The second thing is, last year we made some major changes to ban vapes. We know that vapes are a major issue for our kids, that nine out of ten vape stores are within walking distance of our schools. And we’ve now got new data that’s shown that in South Australia there’s been a 50 per cent reduction in suspensions from school resulting from vapes. Now that’s a good sign. A 50 per cent reduction in suspensions because of vapes. Suspensions cut in half because of the action that we’re taking to ban vapes.

Now, as we know, when school finishes, kids get their phones back and if you drive past a bus stop at 3:30 in the afternoon, you’ll see a lot of young people with their heads back down, scrolling through their phones back into that cesspit of social media. And that’s why the next important step is the action that we’ve taken to ban social media for young people under the age of 16. And that comes into effect at the end of this year. Ask any mum and dad and they’ll tell you how important this is. They’ll tell you the impact that social media has had on their children. And to be frank, if you ask a lot of young people about this, they’ll probably tell you the same thing. In my job, I get to speak to a lot of young adults, at high schools I’ll talk to people that are 16 or 17. They often tell me that this is a bloody good thing that we’re doing, that it’ll help the mental health of a lot of young people. It’s often been pointed out to me that social media is different today than it was even two or three years ago, that the algorithm is smarter than it ever used to be and that it can force people to go down this tunnel that they can never get out of. So, that’s a big and important change that’s going to happen this year. Social media, apart from everything else that it does, is a place that can lead to a lot of bullying and belittling of young Australians, and we’ll have more to say about bullying very, very soon. So, over to you.

JOURNALIST: What do you say to parents who are still concerned that they’re not able to get in touch with kids if there’s an emergency during the day?

CLARE: There’s still plenty of ways to do that. The best thing to do is to pick up the phone and ring the school. And schools have different ways of managing phones at the moment. Either the phone gets put in one of those locked up magnetic pockets or students get asked to put the phone in their bag. There’s usually special conditions for children that have special needs as well. So, schools are adopting a really commonsense approach here to make sure that kids are focused in the classroom but mums and dads can get in contact with their kids if they need to.

JOURNALIST: Minister, can we just get an update on your investigation? You asked the ARC board to investigate the grants given to Randa Abdel-Fattah. Has there been any updates on that investigation?

CLARE: The point I would make on that is that it’s very, very important that where there is a grant using taxpayers’ money for things like research at the ARC that we comply with the rules of that grant. And that’s what I’ve asked the ARC to investigate.

JOURNALIST: Do you think anything more needs to be done to make sure that grants are complying with their rules?

CLARE: That’s a matter for the ARC. The ARC makes those decisions, not me as the Minister. It’s important that whether it’s the decision on a grant for an ARC research project or the revocation of that grant that that is done by the ARC, not by politicians.

JOURNALIST: Does the RBA have a good reason to cut rates on Tuesday?

CLARE: I’m not going to enter into that debate. The RBA acts independently of government. Our job is to make sure that we get inflation down to make the job of the RBA easier to cut rates. The RBA have got a band of between two and three per cent. We’ve got inflation down now into that band. That’s the job of government to get inflation down into that band to make it easier for the RBA to cut rates.

JOURNALIST: Do you think those efforts would be validated in voters’ minds if we did see a rate cut? Especially with Labor’s success in the upcoming election?

CLARE: I’m not going to pre-empt what the RBA might do. Our job is to make sure that we’re cutting inflation and we’re doing that. We’ve cut inflation in half in just over two years. We know that a lot of Australians are doing it really, really tough and that’s why tax cuts and pay rises are really important. That’s what we’ve done as a government as well as getting inflation down. You know, the whole world has been hit by this tsunami of inflation over the last two years or so and it’s hit people hard right across the world. What Anthony Albanese has done is reached out and helped people with tax cuts and with pay rises and we’re getting inflation down. If Peter Dutton had been the Prime Minister of Australia, Aussies would be worse off because his whole approach is sink or swim. He opposed the tax cuts for all Australians. He’s opposed the legislation that we’ve passed to lift wages for all Australians. And not only that, I don’t know if you’ve seen the papers today. Peter Dutton’s acting like he’s already won the election. He’s already drawing up the curtains at the lodge. He just hasn’t drawn up any policies to help Australians out. The only policy that he’s got at the moment is to use taxpayers’ dollars to pay for free lunches for their bosses. Now I can’t think of anything guaranteed to make Australians more angry than a policy that says we’re going to use your money to pay for your boss’s lunch.

JOURNALIST: Speaking of the election, any indication on when your boss might be calling that? Do we expect it this Sunday?

CLARE: No idea. That’s a decision that Anthony Albanese will make.

JOURNALIST: Minister, it’s Claudia Vrdoljak from Nine News. Cost of living is still the top concern for voters. How concerned are you that next week’s interest rate decision could make or break Labor in the minds of voters? And secondly, on Labor siding with the coalition on donation laws earlier this week, it’s been seen as an attempt to block the Independents. How concerned are you about another rise in the independent movement?

CLARE: Look, on the second question, I think Australia is the best country in the world. One of the things that makes us such a great country is that anybody can put their hand up to run for Parliament and to participate in our democracy. What we don’t want is a situation that you find in other countries where billionaires can buy seats in Parliament. And the legislation that we’ve now passed through the Parliament is about making sure that we keep our democracy as strong as it is and don’t let people buy seats in Parliament. So, that’s the first thing.

In terms of the cost of living. We know that Aussies are doing it tough. I just made that point a moment ago that Australians are doing it tough right across the country. That’s why the actions that we are taking as a Labor government are so important, through tax cuts and pay rises, through creating more than a million jobs in the last two years. No government has ever done that before. Think about what would happen if Peter Dutton had been the Prime Minister over the last two years. The answer to that is Aussies would be worse off. Aussies would be worse off because he was against tax cuts for everyone. He’s been against pay rises for Australians. He’s been against cheaper childcare laws and cutting the cost of medicine. All of those things add up to thousands and thousands of dollars. It would have meant that a lot of Australians would be worse off. And not just that. If he wins the election, he’s promising to build nuclear reactors that won’t start for 20 years, but will cost Australians an extra thousand bucks a year from now. So that would make Australians worse off. You know, he’s only got three policies as far as I can tell. Number one is to use Australia’s taxpayer dollars to pay for lunch for bosses. Number two is this golden ticket visa that’s going to let criminals and shonks and Liberal Party donors get into the country. And number three is to build these nuclear reactors that are going to cost $600 billion and cost Australians an extra thousand bucks a year to pay for them. Now, that’s a pretty toxic bunch of election policies that I think Australians will look at and say, no, thank you.

JOURNALIST: Minister, Isobel Roe from the ABC. Just a follow-up on that question about the independents. Have you taken a bit of a risk by working together with the Coalition? Should you be in minority government you’re going to need the independence on your side but they’re pretty angry about those electoral reforms.

CLARE: We want to form a majority Labor government because by forming a majority government, we can continue to implement the big reforms that are going to help to build a better future for all Australians, to build Australia’s future. And when Albo talks about building Australia’s future, he’s not just talking about building roads and building broadband, he’s talking about Medicare and he’s talking about education. You know, this card here, the Medicare card, I can’t think of anything more Australian than this. This is the thing in your pocket, on your phone, in your wallet, in your purse that makes sure that if you get sick, you don’t go broke. And we want to make sure that Medicare is stronger for all Australians, to look after Australians when they’re crook. Peter Dutton, his view on this is that there’s too much free Medicare, that people should have to pay more when they get sick. You know, if you ever want to upset Peter Dutton, wave this in his face. It’s like garlic at a vampire. Because he hates Medicare, he thinks that people should pay more to go to the doctor. I think most Australians disagree with that. Most Australians think this is about as Aussie as it gets. And part of building Australia’s future is making sure that when Australians get crook that they’ve got this card to help them out.

And the other thing is education. You know, if we’re going to build Australia’s future, we’ve got to make sure that we build the skills that we need for the future. Make sure that more children don’t start school behind. That’s what the legislation we passed through the Parliament this week is all about. Making sure that all kids, whether they come from a wealthy family or a poor family, can get into early education and care when they’re young so that they start school ready to learn. Fixing the funding of our schools so more kids finish school and then making sure that more kids can go to TAFE or go to uni and get the skills that they need. That’s what free TAFE’s about and that’s what cutting the cost of HECS debt by 20 per cent is about. That’ll make a massive difference for 3 million Aussies right across the country cutting their HECS debt by 20 per cent. The average HECS debt today is 27 grand. If we win the election, that means that we’ll cut that average HECS debt by five grand. So, there’s the choice. If Labor wins, we’ll cut your student debt. If Peter Dutton wins, he’ll make you pay for your boss’s lunch.

JOURNALIST: Ok, but just back to the question. The Teals. You may need to do a deal with the Teals. What would you negotiate on electoral reforms if they are able to relook at them in the next Parliament?

CLARE: I’m not going to go into that. That’s not my portfolio. I just say that we work constructively with all members of Parliament. We work constructively with the independent members of Parliament. I think Helen Haines made the point at the press club yesterday that one of the things that we do to make sure that we treat all members of Parliament with respect is we brief them on legislation before it’s introduced into the Parliament. I have responsibility for chairing that meeting and making sure that members of Parliament are properly briefed on all legislation that we bring forward before the Parliament. I’ve got a very good, strong, productive relationship with members of the crossbench on the reforms that I implement as Education Minister, and I thank them for their support for the legislation we passed through the Parliament this week to make sure that all kids get a great start in life and that more kids are ready to start school, ready to learn.

JOURNALIST: Minister, it’s Josh Martin from Seven News. A rate cut on Tuesday would take a while to flow through to households, in terms of banks passing that on and repayments. How important is it that Labor rolls out more cost-of-living help, and will we expect to hear those announcements on the campaign trail or in a budget in March?

CLARE: Josh, I’d make the point I made a moment ago, which is that we know Australians are doing it tough. That’s why the tax cuts we’ve provided for all Aussies are so important. That’s why the pay rises that the legislation we’ve passed has enabled is so important. That’s why all of the cost-of-living measures that we’ve implemented are so important. You know, whether it’s cheaper childcare or cheaper medicines, it all adds up to help Aussies doing it tough. You know, you’ve got a choice as a government about whether you reach out your hand and help people or whether you turn your back on them. And Anthony Albanese’s reached out his hand and helped people with tax cuts and with real pay rises. Peter Dutton’s view is sink or swim; it always has been. He wants to make you pay to go to the doctor and he voted, he basically said no tax cuts for people on lower incomes. As I said a moment ago, the whole world’s been hit by this tsunami of inflation. We’ve reached out to help people. Peter Dutton’s view is sink or swim. Now, Australians are going to have a choice. Do you want a Prime Minister like Anthony Albanese who reaches out his hand to help people with tax cuts and pay rises, or somebody like Peter Dutton who says, you’re on your own and turns his back on you.

JOURNALIST: There are some cost-of-living measures that Australians aren’t tapping into, like unpaid Medicare benefits. How much would you encourage people to utilise those things?

CLARE: Absolutely. I encourage all Aussies who haven’t done that to make sure that they get in touch with Services Australia and take advantage of that. As I said a moment ago, what makes Australia different from almost any other country in the world is that green card in your pocket that makes sure that when you’re sick you don’t go broke. You know, in Australia if you get crook, it’s the Medicare card that helps you, not your credit card.

JOURNALIST: Minister, can I just ask what your reaction is to claims that Australia’s largest taxi company has ripped off dozens of clients in the NDIS hospital and aged care sectors?

CLARE: Yeah, if this is true, this is absolutely rotten. You know when you get into a taxi you expect to go from A to B. You don’t expect to be taken for a ride. And if this has happened then this is absolutely rotten.

Thanks guys.

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thanks to the mighty Western Sydney University. When I was a little kid growing up in Cabramatta, just down the road from here, decades ago, I remember lots of KFC logos, lots of Macca’s logos, Westfield logos, but not a lot of university logos. Lots of Big W shops but not enough of that big W. And I want to see more of it. I want more young people to think in Western Sydney, that, “Hey, uni can be for me too.” I want more young people to be on Smart Street in Fairfield. And that’s what this is all about.

As a kid growing up in Western Sydney – and you guys know this too – for a lot of our mates, university just seemed like it was too far away and that it was somewhere else for someone else. This is about bringing university closer to us, to our communities, to where people live in the western suburbs of Sydney. But not just that. Also the western suburbs of Brisbane and Melbourne as well. Bringing university closer so more people get that life-changing chance that education can provide.

Alphia, you mentioned this to me when we came in a little bit ago – it was about a year ago that we were here and that we cut the ribbon and opened this launchpad. And it really is a launchpad. And it reminded me that, all those years ago, I got my first job working right here. It wasn’t a university launchpad then, it wasn’t a Study Hub, it was the Woolies car park. I was collecting shopping trolleys for Woolies. And it’s not lost on me that now this is a Study Hub for our local community, where young people out of school can get a chance to do a law degree, or a business degree, or an engineering degree, or maybe medical science. A place that can change your life and a place that can change our community.

About one in two people in their 30s today have a university degree, but not everywhere. Not in the outer suburbs of our big cities, not in the regions and not in the bush. You know, in a place like Fairfield, it’s only 12 per cent of the community that has a uni degree today. Mount Druitt, it’s about 19 per cent. In Inala, in the western suburbs of Brissie, it’s about 12 per cent as well. In Beenleigh, it’s about 9 per cent. That’s why what we’re doing here is important because when you bring university closer to where people live, it makes it a little bit easier to make that decision that, “Hey, I can do this too.”

I used to get on the train at Cabramatta and catch it all the way to the city and then get on a bus from Central out to Randwick, it took an hour and a half each way. It was only about 10 minutes to get to Fairfield. As I went past here, I still had another hour and 15 minutes to go. Now, if we can bring university closer to our local communities, then we can change lives and we can change communities. We can help build communities where more people have the qualifications they need to get the jobs that they dream of and build the lives that they want. So, that’s what this is about – life-changing stuff.

So, this funding helps to expand this centre, turn a launchpad into a real University Hub. But not just that. As you can see, funding to set up a hub like this in Liverpool as well. We announced one for Macquarie Fields just late last year and then a hub at Mount Druitt and Everton as well. And as I mentioned, Inala and Beenleigh in Queensland. All up, what we’re now doing is funding more than 70 of these hubs across the country. About 56 in the regions and the bush, and now, for the first time, 15 in the outer suburbs of our big cities.

But it’s not just about the buildings, it’s about the lives that we will build and the lives that will change because of this. And I’ve got to say, the reason this launchpad exists, a big part of the credit goes to Western Sydney University. But, Maryanne, as you pointed out before, it also, a lot of the credit goes to the local representation in this community who fought for it for a very, very long time. And at the head of that is one of my best mates, we’ve known each other since before we ever had wrinkles or grey hair and we’ll be mates forever. He fought for it, he helped make it happen, and I’m so glad that we’re able to expand this centre today and turn it into a real University Hub. Can I introduce my friend Chris Bowen.

CHRIS BOWEN, MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY: Thanks very much, Jason. Well, when Jason and David and I were here launching Fairfield Connect almost exactly a year ago, since then 7,000 young people have used this facility. Uni students, Western Sydney Uni students, other universities, school students dreaming, wondering whether they could go to university have come through here. And I’ve got absolutely no doubt, as a result, have thought, “Yes, I can. Yes, I can. I can do this.”

And today, Jason has locked in the future of this – I like to call it a campus – this campus of Western Sydney University, made sure it’s going to be permanent with this funding and made sure that we can increase the services available here. Mentoring, wrap-around services, wonderful fellow university students, academics talking to young people about how they’re going at university or at school, what more they can do, what help, and assistance is there, so they know that on that journey they are not alone. Their family is with them, but their community is with them too, their village is with them. And that’s so important. There’s always been a gap, in my view, in that wonderful institution of Western Sydney University. Great presences in Parramatta and Campbelltown and elsewhere. Always been a gap at Fairfield, a home to 200,000 people, didn’t have a Western Sydney University presence. I decided a little while ago that if we ever got the chance and got back to government, we’d fix that. And with the support of David as the state MP, we made complete pains of ourselves. And I was helped by the fact that Jason and I are Canberra flatmates. So, when he’d finish a hard day in Parliament and he’d get home to our place, he’d open the door and there’s me – perhaps with a glass of whisky – saying, “How’s that Fairfield Western Sydney Hub going, Jason?” And the last thing he needed after a busy day was hearing from me, so eventually we got there, with Jason’s leadership and passion as a fellow Western Sydney kid who got to university and then got to Parliament and then got to Cabinet. That makes a difference.

So, today is a very special day for our community. As has been said, you can’t be what you can’t see. And it’s not just the 7,000 people who have been through. It’s the many thousands more who will walk past, maybe six years old, first they’ve heard of a university, out shopping with Mum and Dad, who think, “Oh, maybe that’s for me one day.” That’s what we’re doing here today.

So, I’m just absolutely delighted. Obviously, I welcome as well the Mount Druitt and Liverpool Hubs because Western Sydney is one community. But this Fairfield Hub is the one in Smart Street, which has driven us for a long time and will drive us for a long time to come as we make it bigger and better and it continues to expand and grow. It’s become, I think, now an essential part of our community and will continue to be and will grow even more.

So, I want to thank Jason for your leadership and commitment in delivering this $3 million for our community and the money for the other communities as well – $3.5 million, I think – which will see us grow, thrive, and continue to educate and make sure that every Australian child – whether the son of a brain surgeon on Sydney’s North Shore or the daughter of a single parent in Cabramatta or Fairfield – can grow to their full potential for themselves and for their country. And that’s what we’re doing today. So, thank you everyone who works here who has made it a reality. Thank you to everyone who’s going to make it a bigger reality. And thank you to Jason and the university for making this a special day for Fairfield. I’m going to hand over to Senator Sheldon, then I think we’re going to take a few questions.

TONY SHELDON, SENATOR FOR NSW: Thank you, Chris. And I think that glass of whisky is now two glasses of whisky waiting for him. So, thank you for that announcement for Western Sydney. My previous life to being in the Senate was representing truck drivers and I did that for over 30 years. And most of that work took me throughout Western Sydney, many days and long hours because that’s what truck drivers do. They do 12- and 14-hour days. Many of them own their own trucks. And why are they doing that? Because they want to make sure there’s something for their kids, for their families, and they’re earning an income that will give an opportunity for their families to do good as well and to work hard as they have. But the big disadvantage for anyone in Western Sydney was that there was a lack of university connect. And congratulations to Western Sydney University and to Chris and to Jason.

And Tu Le, for the years I’ve known Tu Le, is also our candidate for Fowler. Tu has been saying to me as well that we need to make sure that those communities we represent, we work with, have an opportunity for their kids, but also for them, for themselves. Now, for all those truck drivers out there and all those kids of truck drivers, and all those mums and dads out there that have stood by whilst those long hours have been worked, this is what pays off. This is what pays off when community comes together. When governments make decisions and make a real difference for people in a local community. And I can see Barry and [indistinct] and a whole series of people I’ve worked with for many, many years in my previous life, and I work with now, that are so privileged and so happy to see that Western Sydney is again on the map because of the hard work you’ve all been doing to deliver this. And for all those families that now have those opportunities, congratulations. And a significant, a significant opportunity for everybody here in the West. So, thanks, Chris. Thanks, Jason. And thanks to Western Sydney University. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: I just wanted to start with education, Jason, if that’s alright. When it comes to the final two states, there’s hope that a deal would be reached. Well, I guess that’s hoped to be done imminently. Are you much closer and is there any chance that they’ll be done before the election, whenever that may be?

CLARE: I’m not going to negotiate through the media. But already we’ve formed agreements, we’ve signed agreements with Western Australia, with South Australia, with Victoria, with the ACT, with Tasmania and the Northern Territory to fix the funding of public schools. And just as importantly, to tie that funding to real and practical reforms to help kids who fall behind at school, to catch up and to keep up and finish school.

You know, if you don’t know already what drives me – and I think you got an idea of it from my comments a moment ago about helping more young people from communities like ours to get to university – it’s this. The number of kids finishing high school at the moment is going backwards. And it’s not happening everywhere, it’s not happening in private schools, it’s happening in public schools. It’s dropped from 83 per cent to 73 per cent in the last 10 years. And you can draw a connection between that and the billions of dollars that were ripped out of public schools by the last Liberal government.

I want to fix the funding of our schools and I want to tie it to the sort of reforms that are going to help children who fall behind when they’re little to catch up and to keep up and to finish high school, and so they get a crack at a place like this, they get a chance to go to TAFE or to go to university. That’s what those reforms are about. That’s what the reforms that we passed through the Parliament yesterday are also about. That’s about making sure that disadvantaged kids who are currently missing out on going to child care, to early education and care, don’t miss out.

At the moment, some of the most disadvantaged kids in this country aren’t just not finishing school, they’re not getting a chance to go to child care. Because of what the Liberal Party put in place when they were in power – something called the Activity Test – it meant that their mum and dads couldn’t get access to government-supported child care for their kids. These are the sort of kids who maybe don’t see a book until they start kindergarten, all because of changes the Liberal Party made.

Well, we swept that away through the Parliament yesterday. It’s designed to make sure that more kids – as Chris said, whether they come from Mosman or whether they come from Fairfield – get the early education they need to start school ready to learn. The funding agreements that we want to strike with the states are about making sure that the same kids finish school. And hubs like this are about making sure that that same young person gets a chance to go to university closer to where they live.

JOURNALIST: Can I just clarify, sorry, on that Activity Test, I heard two conflicting things. Is the entire test scrapped, like, across the board, or is it just those kind of three days?

CLARE: The test as it stands at the moment means that, for some of the most disadvantaged kids in this country, they were only entitled, their parents were only entitled to one day a week of government-supported care. The legislation that passed through the Parliament yesterday strikes that out and provides a three-day guarantee a week for their parents in early education and care. Why three days? Because the Productivity Commission report that we got in the middle of last year, that provides us with a blueprint for how do we build a universal early education and care system for this country, says that’s the amount that kids need. Three days a week, or 30 hours a week, of early education and care. That’s what’s needed to help make sure that all Australia’s children get the early education they need to start school ready to learn, to make sure that they all get off to a great start in life.

JOURNALIST: And then the final topic for me was just going back to deepfakes at school. So, we’ve seen some examples when it comes to – what’s it called? – in terms of, like, sexualising classmates with deepfakes. I’m just wondering if there’s been any development in that area? I know it’s also a state issue, to an extent, but is there anything you’re working on through that consent course that you’ve set up or in terms of Commonwealth legislation that might further capture this? We kind of have patchy legislation in the Commonwealth level and state levels.

CLARE: This is terrifying. I can’t think of anything worse for a young student, in particular young Australian women, than if AI was used to do this to you. It’s just simply terrifying. There are three things that we’re doing, Dom. First is the legislation that passed through the Parliament in August last year that criminalises this, that sets serious criminal penalties for this sort of behaviour. Up to seven years in jail.

The second is the extra funding that we’re providing to the eSafety Commissioner to make sure that she has the resources that she needs to crack down and stamp this out. And then the third is education, what we do in our schools and making sure that we provide the resources to the states and to schools to educate young people, in particular boys and young men, to make it very clear to them what this is and the fact that this is not on.

We’ve provided about $70-odd million to the states. That consent and respectful relationships education funding is now there and those programs are rolling out in schools right across the country. And one part of that is exactly this.

JOURNALIST: Thanks for that, mate. That’s all from me.

CLARE: No worries. I think that might be it. Great. Thanks, guys.

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

PATRICIA KARVELAS, HOST: To discuss this and more, let’s bring in one of our regulars, Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly, who’s also been promoted in the latest reshuffle. Welcome.

MINISTER ANNE ALY: Thank you so much, Patricia. Great to be with you.

KARVELAS: We’re going to start there because that’s the big talking point around the world. A bit of clarification from Marco Rubio. Does that sound like a better plan that the US would redevelop Gaza?

ALY: Well, look, I want to start by first of all, Patricia, if I may, acknowledging the significant pain and distress that this caused to Palestinians across the world, particularly as they’re preparing to return to their homeland. You know, certainly I think there is, there needs to be a concerted effort across the world to rebuild Gaza. And in fact, when I was at the conference in Jordan last year, that was on the table already, the countries that were represented there were talking about psychosocial recovery and rebuilding Gaza – what happens in rebuilding Gaza. So, I think, you know, it will take significant effort from right around the world for rebuilding Gaza. But in terms of, you know, the position that this government has around a two-state solution, inherent in that two-state solution is a self-determination for Palestinian people and the right of return.

KARVELAS: So, that means that you would never accept Gazans being pushed off or Palestinians being pushed off that land in Gaza.

ALY: I think the response that we’ve had from across the world to President Trump’s statement yesterday makes it very clear that it is widely accepted that Palestinians have a right of return to their homeland.

KARVELAS: But you mentioned, which I thought was really interesting. You often say interesting things, Minister —

ALY: I do, do I?

KARVELAS: You do, that you want to acknowledge the hurt and the concern because there was.

ALY: There was right, it was, yeah.

KARVELAS: Just talk to me about that concern.

ALY: So, I think, you know, like just even talking to Palestinians in the community and to the community more broadly here in Australia, there was a real sense of shock and a real sense of, yeah, real concern that, you know, this could mean that there would basically an eradication of a Palestinian state when we’ve long held the principle of a two-state solution with a right of return and self-determination for Palestinian people. And I think, you know, if I were a Palestinian person preparing to return to my homeland, one of the things that we want to make sure of in Australia and you know, this government has done that consistently in the votes that we’ve done in the UN and the actions that we’ve taken is to ensure that this current ceasefire is sustainable and long-lasting and that there is an enduring peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.

KARVELAS: So, given how strong your comments have been about the Palestinians right to return, there has been a criticism that the Prime Minister could have used stronger words. Other foreign leaders who are also allies of the United States have used stronger words. Do you understand that frustration?

ALY: Look, I listened to the Prime Minister yesterday and I think he was quite correct in reiterating that we have a long-standing position that we’re not changing, which is a two-state solution. And I think, you know, anybody could listen to that and recognise what the Prime Minister is saying is that we believe in the right and we support the right of Palestine and Palestinians and Gazans to exist in their homeland.

KARVELAS: And now you’re kind of, you know, being pretty empathetic about how people heard that and their ongoing concerns. Is it important that the government makes that clear? Because I saw all those concerns too.

ALY: Yeah. And I think, I think, you know, we have made it clear, I think —

KARVELAS: I feel like you’re making it clearer.

ALY: Well, I think the actions that we’ve taken that the Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, has taken, the votes that we’ve had in the United Nations, have sent a very clear message that we stand for human rights and that we stand for justice and that we stand for a two-state solution and an everlasting peace.

KARVELAS: I just want to move to some other issues because there are lots of issues in our country.

ALY: So many.

KARVELAS: There are. The Australian Federal Police has just spoken in a committee hearing. They have not given any detail as to, basically there’s no answers on when they briefed the Prime Minister on this caravan attack. Shouldn’t the Prime Minister just say it, or the Opposition says, call an inquiry?

ALY: Well, I think what we need to do here is take the lead from the law enforcement agencies because in an investigation, it’s the law enforcement agencies that take the lead. And we have to, we absolutely have to respect the integrity of the law enforcement agencies and support them to do their work. As you know, Patricia, I’ve got a husband in law enforcement. I know exactly what he can and can’t tell me. Most of the time he can’t tell me anything. Like we do not talk about the investigations that he is undertaking in any capacity. So, when the law enforcement agencies say that we did not want this information out there because it is an ongoing investigation and could compromise the investigation, we need to respect that.

KARVELAS: But telling the Prime Minister is a different thing.

ALY: Well, I think, you know, I don’t think it’s here nor there. I’ve not had a single person say to me, hey, I want to know when the Prime Minister found out. So, I think it’s a little bit of a Canberra bubble —

KARVELAS: Oh, a Canberra story.

ALY: Yeah.

KARVELAS: Ok. I don’t want to just labour on that because there are other things Labor did break with your policy, which is a national platform to oppose mandatory sentencing. Former Labor Senator Kim Carr has criticised the party and said, this is profoundly disappointing. What’s your response to that?

ALY: Okay, so I’ve got a bit of a different response, Patricia, because I know the impact of hate crimes personally and as a member of a community that has been the target of hate crimes. That to me, hate crimes are some of the most heinous crimes. When you target an individual or a group because of who they are, because of their identity, whether it’s religious, racial, gender, sexual, whatever, to me, that’s one of the most heinous and cowardly crimes that you can commit. So, I want to see, I want to see us get tough on hate crimes. I support being tough on hate crimes and I think what we’ve seen recently, the escalation in the kinds of hate crimes that we’ve seen, warrants this kind of action by the Government.

KARVELAS: So, you want. Instead of – because I know some people in the party are concerned, you want the mandatory sentences.

ALY: I want to see us to be tough on hate crimes. And you know, I’ve been there. I know, I know the impact that it has. So, I want us to get tough on hate crimes and I know that right now Jewish Australians are the victims of a lot of hate crimes as well. And I want —

KARVELAS: The Law Council says it’s bad policy.

ALY: Well, people will have their different opinions. I will also say, though, that, you know, we know laws don’t change behaviour. The prevention of hate crimes and vilification in all its forms is a responsibility for every single person. It’s about societal change as well.

KARVELAS: Okay, let’s get to some of your issues before we say goodbye. Child care is obviously one of the areas that you focus on. The government has decided to put this bill, which would mean three days of care without activity testing, where you get the rebate, essentially, through the Parliament. Do you expect it to pass in the next fortnight?

ALY: I do. I hope it will pass [the House]. I know that there is widespread support for this from the sector. It is a recommendation of the PC Review. And you know what? It’s just good policy. It’s good policy that when you have people in a partnership, one works full time, one might work two days a week in casual, and they’re not eligible for subsidised care. It has locked out children from early childhood education and care and locked out families from being able to access the childcare subsidy. It’s good policy. It has good support, and I do, and I look forward to seeing it pass.

KARVELAS: But it doesn’t have to pass. It doesn’t even start till next year. So, is it a wedge to try and get the Coalition to actively vote against it?

ALY: Well, I don’t know what the Coalition’s position is —

KARVELAS: They think that you should have to be earning or, you know, working or studying to get the activity test.

ALY: Well, the thing is, you can be working or studying to get the activity test but still might not meet the activity test. And the other thing is the activity test, when it was introduced in 2018 by the Liberals, it was supposed to be to increase workforce participation. It did none of that. Instead, it locked out some of the most vulnerable children from early childhood education and care. We’re fixing that. We’re making sure that every child has access to opportunity because there should be no barriers to opportunity.

KARVELAS: Anne Aly, always a pleasure to speak to you. Thanks for joining us.

ALY: You too. Thanks so much, Patricia.
 

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia

REOS Spotlight: Trends and change in recruitment difficulty

Michelle Looi

Thu, 2024-12-05 11:18

Source: Australia’s climate in 2024: 2nd warmest and 8th wettest year on record

Acknowledgements omitted

I always enjoy the perspective of Western Australia and Perth which reflect your economic position and your geographic position, so close to Southeast Asia and so engaged with the regional economies.

I know the business community thinks deeply about what it means to protect and promote Australia’s interests in an increasingly uncertain world.

I know you think deeply about how we shore up Australia’s prosperity despite that uncertainty. I don,t need to tell this room, Western Australia is vital to that prosperity: when you succeed, the whole country prospers.

That success includes WA resources, metals, critical minerals and rare earths but it also includes WA manufacturers and workers, your universities, research and technology, which are all globally prized.

So what’s my role as Foreign Minister? Amongst other things and importantly, it is to help create opportunities, and promote and protect Australia’s interests as a reliable exporter of choice in an increasingly competitive international environment.

Our foreign policy helps build and maintain the strategic conditions that enable our stability and prosperity.

And you have to say that is a task that is not getting any easier.

Each day, our assumptions are being tested.

We live in a world of increasing strategic surprise. We live in a world that is ever more uncertain and unpredictable.

We see the devastating human toll of conflicts including in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan.

Malign actors continue to engage in sabotage and terrorism.

Bullies threaten to use nuclear weapons, and authoritarianism is spreading.

Some countries are shifting alignment, high global inflation continues to put pressure on working people.

And institutions that we helped build are being eroded and rules that we helped write are being challenged.

These factors compound threats and risks in our own region from a changing climate, military buildup without transparency, and disruption of trade – as well as the risks inherent in great power competition.

I recently released the 2025 Snapshot of Australia in the World, a summary of our foreign policy strategy, priorities and policy achievements.

What it clearly shows is that even though we face a time of growing uncertainty, Australia is well-placed to protect our security, our stability and our prosperity.

But that is only if we continue to build our disciplined focus on our region, because it is here where our interests are most at stake; if we invest not only in traditional but also in more diverse relationships; and if we work with partners to uphold international rules that protect us all.

We have to apply ourselves to these tasks with ambition and calm, consistent and disciplined engagement.

This is the approach the Albanese Government is taking with the United States.

President Trump’s America First agenda envisages a very different role for America in the world, and that is what the American people have chosen.

President Trump campaigned on change and none of us should try to minimise the implications of this change.

And over the first seven weeks of the Trump Administration we have seen how broad those implications are around the world.

Mindful of the scale of this change involving our most important strategic partner, there has been extensive engagement across senior levels of the Albanese Government.

In addition to our relentless Ambassador in Washington, the Prime Minister has had two productive phone calls with the President.

I had the honour of being the first Australian Foreign Minister ever to be invited to attend a Presidential Inauguration, and I was able to put the case for Australia to the Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his first day in office.

The Deputy Prime Minister was Secretary Hegseth’s first international counterpart to meet with him following his confirmation.

The Treasurer has made an early connection with his counterpart, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.

And our Trade and Tourism Minister has also been engaging with his counterparts.

In those interactions we make the point that the US enjoys a two-to-one trade surplus with Australia and has since the Truman Presidency.

We make the point that US exports to Australia face no tariffs.

And that our trade and investment relationship is important for US industry and jobs. Half of Australia’s exports are inputs into US manufacturing and construction. And of course, we are a top 10 investor in the United States.

And given the pool of funds under management in Australia’s superannuation sector that can only grow.

Nevertheless, last week we saw that the second Trump administration has hardened its position in favour of tariffs as a centrepiece of its economic policy.

And whereas the first Trump administration exempted 36 countries from steel tariffs and 32 countries from aluminium tariffs, this time not one single country has been exempted.

Not Australia. Not Japan. Not anyone.

And the degree of a country’s engagement has not changed the outcome.

Indeed, the administration has been clear that the exemptions granted in its first term were a mistake.

Our response to the Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs on Australia has been firm and it has been clear.

As the Prime Minister has said, these measures are “entirely unjustified”.

And “it is against the spirit of our two nations, enduring friendship and fundamentally at odds with the benefits our economic partnership has delivered over more than 70 years.”

Steel and aluminium exports to the US represent 0.18 per cent of Australia’s total exports in 2023.

We will continue to press the case for all Australian exporters, including steel and aluminium.

We will continue to have advocate for the existing economy-wide access commitments under the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement. They should be maintained.

And we will also keep making the case for the many opportunities Australia has to offer.

After the US announced their position, Peter Dutton said he would “do a deal” and “there’s no question about that”.

Given not one leader of the 36 countries that got a deal last time got a deal this time, Australians are right to be incredulous about that claim.

And they,re rightly concerned Peter Dutton would do a deal at any cost.

Unlike Mr Dutton, we are not going to give away the farm – and we don,t have to.

We will always put the interests of Australian industries and workers first.

Remember, these tariffs do not necessarily mean that Americans won,t keep buying Australian products.

And many nations want our exports. This state understands that possibly more than any part of Australia.

We have a strong track record of supporting our exporters diversify their export markets, and regardless of what happens with US tariffs, that is a priority we will continue to pursue.

One of the priorities I have brought to this job has been a focus on Southeast Asia, in part because of where I,m from originally, but in part because of my firm belief that ASEAN and the countries of Southeast Asia are critical to our next generation’s stability and prosperity.

So just to our north, Indonesia stands as a major and growing power in our region and beyond.

The world’s third largest democracy, projected to become the world’s fifth largest economy.

So deepening our economic engagement with Indonesia is of enormous value to Australia, and part of our broader effort to diversify our economy, especially through Southeast Asia.

Now we have our work cut out. When we came to government, Australian direct investment in Southeast Asia was lower than it was in 2014.

Over this period, while international investment in the region had grown apace, Australia’s investment in it had gone backwards, both in relative and absolute terms.

And by 2040, Southeast Asia is predicted to be the world’s fourth-largest economy after the United States, China and India.

Australia’s trade and investment has simply not kept pace – and we need to turn this around.

Australia has been central to the north Asian economic growth story, so we must be to the Southeast Asian economic growth story.

That’s why we appointed Nicholas Moore AO as Australia’s Special Envoy to Southeast Asia and charged him with developing a Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.

In the almost 18 months since its launch, we have made tangible progress.

We have now implemented a number of initiatives responding to its recommendations, including new deal teams to identify and facilitate Australian investment in the region.

New landing pads in Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to the existing hub in Singapore, to help our tech companies scale up.

Business and investment missions, including three to Singapore, one of which was our largest ever outbound investment mission by value, representing a combined $2.5 trillion of assets under management.

Improved visa access for businesspeople from the region and the establishment of the ASEAN-Australia Centre because we have to continue to build Southeast Asia literacy and enhance business and cultural ties.

It’s no accident that Austrade had their best ever client results in Southeast Asia in 2024, with over $1 billion in commercial outcomes.

We all need to play our part in diversification.

Complacency, or business as usual, risks compromising our influence today and our prosperity tomorrow.

Nobody today could claim they don,t understand the risk of putting too many eggs in one market.

As you know, China’s growth has been a crucial driver of Australia’s prosperity and the world’s prosperity – and we know this has never been straightforward for business.

Especially during the last term of government, when China’s doors were closed to many of our exports.

Since the Albanese Government was elected you have seen a concerted effort to restore dialogue and stabilise the relationship with our largest trading partner.

We pressed China to lift impediments on more than $20 billion of Australian exports – barley, wine, coal, timber logs, cotton, beef, hay and copper ores, concentrates, and lobsters.

The final impediments on lobster were lifted in late December, and we have seen in just the first month of the crayfish trade resuming into China, sales have already reached $118 million.

We know how important that is to Western Australia. In 2023-24, China received 56 per cent of exports from this state. And what we want is grow opportunities for our great exporters – both into China and elsewhere across our region.

The China relationship will continue to face challenges.

You see, the term stabilisation has never meant there would be no problems.

It has always meant we should be able to engage directly with China in order to manage differences and problems that are inevitable – without these problems derailing our ability to talk to each other – as we saw in the past.

And that is what we will keep doing – and it is what the Australian people expect of us, your government – to engage confidently, calmly and consistently, protecting our sovereignty and advancing our interests.

We have seen in recent weeks that the same people who had no regard for the consequences for Australian exporters and jobs are at it again – trying to turn China into an election issue, with inflammatory language.

This country, as you all know, built our prosperity in great part because we are a trading nation.

A great trading nation has to grapple with a world where trade can be a vulnerability as well as an opportunity.

And the whole country, all of us, government, business, the workforce – we have to manage these risks together.

We can’t imagine the challenges away nor can we put other countries, interests ahead of ours.

What we can do is recognise our challenges in the world are growing.

That our interests are most at stake in our region.

And that we must not just invest in our traditional relationships but also in diversified relationships.

And if we do these things, we can be confident that together as Australians we can meet these challenges, and keep building a better future.

Source: Australia’s climate in 2024: 2nd warmest and 8th wettest year on record

Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Thanks very much. And look, it has been great to be here in Perth and really great to do this event today. I want to say that one of the great things about coming to Western Australia is that people here understand how important the region is. You’re an economy that is so deeply engaged with your region, you understand the importance of not just the economic engagement, but also the foreign policy and diplomatic engagement. That’s something, whether it’s business people or people I’ve talked to as I’m walking around the streets of Perth, Western Australians really understand. As Foreign Minister, I’ve been very clear our priority is the region, relationships and rules, and so much of our work has been focused on that, something very much in the same vein as the way Western Australia deals with our region. Happy to take questions.

Journalist: What information can you share about the situation with Kevin Yam?

Foreign Minister: I can say to you what I said in there, that the Australian Government does not accept other governments interfering with our citizens, making anybody feel unsafe. We expect our citizens to be respected, and we stand firm against any foreign interference, and against any infringement of our sovereignty. We will make, and have been making, appropriate representations since this was alerted to us. What I would say also, is that there is a National Security Hotline, people who feel that they have been under at risk in any way or feel threatened or nervous, they can speak to someone, and the appropriate authorities can respond.

Journalist: You’ve described that letter as deeply worrying. Who has contacted the Chinese –

Foreign Minister: Sorry, same question?

Journalist: Same question, sorry. You’ve described it as deeply worrying. Who has contacted the Chinese government to register concerns?

Foreign Minister: Those representations are being made in the usual way through the diplomatic arrangements.

Journalist: Is he someone that you’re aware of in terms of his stance?

Foreign Minister: Yes I am, I’ve met with Kevin.

Journalist: Do you believe this apparent campaign of intimidation has been directed at Hong Kong?

Foreign Minister: At Hong Kong?

Journalist: From Hong Kong?

Foreign Minister: From Hong Kong. Well, I’ll await whatever investigations come to light but I have made my view about Australians being targeted by the Hong Kong authorities very clear to both Hong Kong and to China.

Journalist: There have been reports about Australian university researchers being asked to complete a questionnaire to gauge how their activities comply with the Trump administration’s domestic and foreign political agenda. How much of a concern is that for you regarding potential interference?

Foreign Minister: Well, first, I’d say Minister Clare has been engaging with the universities about these issues. Second point I’d make is that we would say to the Trump administration that there has been very beneficial and collaborative research between Australia and the United States, and we would want that to continue.

Journalist: You’ve spoken there about the need to diversify export markets. Is it something that maybe Australian universities need to consider in terms of looking elsewhere for funding? Obviously, a lot of them are quite heavily reliant on the US for funding, are we going to need to look further abroad?

Foreign Minister: Diversification is an element of resilience, and if your markets are more diversified, then you’re obviously more resilient against any changes that might arise. So of course, we would want to make sure that all markets are as diversified as they can be. I’ve said that since before we were elected, I’ve made the point that, you know, don’t put all your eggs in one market.

Journalist: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be talking about Ukraine, the Ukraine peace plan again?

Foreign Minister: We want a just peace in Ukraine that reflects Ukraine’s interests as well as the interests of peace and we’ve made that clear,

Journalist: And can I just ask, is Australia preparing that Trump might hit Australian agricultural exports?

Foreign Minister: I think I’ve responded to that already in there.

Journalist: Just one, have you spoken to Kevin Yam recently about this situation?

Foreign Minister: Not in the last 24 hours, but I certainly will be reaching out again. I’ve had quite a lot of contact. I’ve had contact with him and with others in similar situations.

Journalist: What did you make of Dutton’s referendum proposal?

Foreign Minister: I’ve responded to that in there, but what I would say is a referendum is what you propose when you’ve had no costed, coherent, credible economic policies for three years.

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Sally Sara:

Well modelling from the federal Treasury suggests new US tariffs on steel and aluminium will only have a modest impact on the Australian economy. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers will use a speech today to argue that the tariffs are both senseless and wrong.

It comes as he prepares for his fourth Budget with the OECD revising down forecasts for global growth overnight. The federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers joins me now. Treasurer, welcome back to Breakfast.

Jim Chalmers:

Thanks very much, Sally.

Sara:

Before we get to the Budget, so there were shocking revelations about the childcare sector aired on Four Corners last night, allegations of child sexual abuse not being addressed by regulators and profit being put above the care of children, along with regulations not being enforced. This is all happening in a sector that’s heavily subsidised by taxpayers. What’s the government’s response?

Chalmers:

Some of those details in the Four Corners story were distressing, deeply concerning.

Most operators and services in the sector do the right thing. They’ve got our kids’ and their kids’ safety as their top priority, and we take that very seriously. But what we saw on Four Corners was incredibly distressing.

We work closely with state and territory governments. They’re responsible for the approval of providers and services and to make sure that those services comply with the National Quality Framework, and so we’ll keep working with them to make sure that our kids are safe in early childhood education.

It’s such an important part of our community, and we want to make sure that it’s up to scratch. Most services are up to scratch, but clearly from that Four Corners story there are some that are falling way, way short of any reasonable expectation, and that’s very distressing.

Sara:

The Four Corners report showed us that up to 47,000 children are currently in for‑profit facilities that don’t meet National Quality Standards. Rather than working with the states, does there need to be a reworking of the regulations, and more importantly, the way in which they are enforced?

Chalmers:

Clearly we need to do this better. The National Quality Framework is the overarching standard that applies to all of these services in all of the states and territories, and clearly that hasn’t been adhered to in these instances, and these services have fallen way, way short in very dangerous and distressing ways. So we will do more work with the states and territories to make sure that the National Quality Framework is adhered to.

Sara:

The federal government has looked to make the industry sustainable through subsidies. In your view, has that come at the expense of child safety?

Chalmers:

Again, it’s important to remember, and this is a message for thousands and thousands of wonderful educators in the early childhood system, overwhelmingly the providers in that sector are doing the right thing by our kids, some wonderful people work in the sector, we can’t lose sight of that.

Where services are falling short, of course we need to do more work with the states and territories to make sure that they’re up to scratch. In 2023, as I recall, the Early Childhood Education Minister, Anne Aly, working with Jason Clare commissioned the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority to review the National Quality Framework, and these revelations from Four Corners will obviously feed in to the implementation of the recommendations from that work.

Sara:

Treasurer, let’s move on to the Budget. In your speech today you’re highlighting Treasury estimates that the indirect impact of US steel and aluminium tariffs will be 0.1 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade. But how much worse could it be if the US imposes its next round of tariffs?

Chalmers:

It’s the right way to think about it, Sally, this is how the Treasury have modelled the impacts of these changes from the US Administration. The direct impacts are concerning but manageable. It’s the broader, indirect impacts that come from this serious escalation of trade tensions around the world, which is much more concerning to us.

This is a new world of uncertainty, and the pace of change in the world when it comes to rewriting the rules of global economic engagement has quickened since the new administration took office in the US.

Some of these developments, they’re not surprising, but they are seismic, and for Australia, we have a lot at stake as a trading country, and so what we need to do is, first of all, understand the impacts, direct and indirect, the indirect impacts are far more concerning. Our strategy in the Budget and in our economic plan is not to go for retaliation but to go for resilience, to make our economy more resilient at a time of very serious global economic uncertainty.

Sara:

Treasurer, the next round of tariffs could possibly hit Australia’s beef and pharmaceutical exports. What conversations are you having with your US counterpart, Scott Bessent, about that issue?

Chalmers:

As you know, I went to DC to speak directly to the new Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, also Kevin Hassett and others in the US about these tariffs being imposed and discussed in the US.

We’re engaging across a number of ministers in our government, the Ambassador, Kevin Rudd’s doing a good job engaging with American counterparts as well.

Obviously, the imposition of any additional tariffs would be very concerning. We’re not unique here, we’re not uniquely disadvantaged by the sorts of tariffs coming out of DC, but we deserve better as a long term partner and ally.

These sorts of tariffs are self‑defeating, they’ve self‑sabotaging, they’re a recipe for less growth and higher inflation, not just in the US but around the world.

That’s one of the reasons why the OECD overnight downgraded their expectations for growth, because of these trade barriers and this escalation of trade tensions.

It’s very concerning to us as a trade exposed country, and that’s why we engage where we can in the most meaningful way we can to put Australia’s case.

Sara:

The Financial Review is reporting that the tariffs could potentially be between 2 and 8 per cent for Australia rather than 25 per cent. Is that your expectation also?

Chalmers:

It remains to be seen. I’ve seen that story in the Financial Review, and obviously there’s a lot of discussion in both countries and around the world about what the next steps may look like in terms of trade policy out of the US.

The point that I’m trying to make today in this speech, when I talk about the major influences on the Budget, particularly these global influences, is what’s happening over in the US is obviously very important, but also what’s happening right around the world is introducing a new level of uncertainty, and in that context, despite all of that global economic uncertainty, the Australian economy is performing quite well, the Australian economy’s turned a corner.

We’ve got growth up now, inflation down, real wages growing, unemployment low, interest rates have started to come down, and that puts us in a better, more resilient position to deal with everything that’s coming at us from around the world.

Sara:

These OECD forecasts, it’s maintaining the forecast of 1.9 per cent GDP growth for this year, but for 2026 it’s revised down those forecasts from 2.5 to 1.8 per cent, and it’s giving some indications that while inflation will come down slightly next year, there may be a chance that it lingers for longer than expected. What do you think of those forecasts?

Chalmers:

Obviously the OECD is a very respected institution. We’ll provide our own forecasts in the Budget this time next week for growth and for inflation.

We’ve had some very heartening news on both of those fronts in recent times. Growth has rebounded solidly in the Australian economy, the private sector has started to take its rightful place as the key driver of growth in our economy, at the same time as we’ve got inflation down from higher than 6 per cent and rising when we came to office to now in the bottom half of the Reserve Bank’s target band.

We’ve made a lot of progress together as Australians. We don’t want to put that progress at risk. There’s a lot of global economic uncertainty right around the world, and that’s why this will be a responsible Budget. It will be all about making our economy more resilient in uncertain times. It will be about cost‑of‑living help and building Australia’s future and continuing to clean up the mess that we inherited a few years ago.

Sara:

Treasurer, on the CFMEU, the Opposition says Australia needs laws to tackle organised crime in the construction industry, and they say they’ll bring in legislation to parliament for such powers next week. What’s your response to that? Is it needed?

Chalmers:

We’ve got zero tolerance for criminal behaviour in the workplace, and that’s why we’ve referred these matters, as I understand it, to the Australian Federal Police. It’s why we appointed an Administrator of the CFMEU, because this criminal behaviour is completely and absolutely unacceptable to us.

We’ve taken these decisive steps because these are very serious allegations. There’s an important role for the police and there’s an important role for the Administrator in cleaning up this union.

Sara:

Is Labor too afraid of the CFMEU to put proper oversight in place, because clearly what’s there now and what’s been there in the past hasn’t stopped these practices?

Chalmers:

First of all, we’ve taken the most decisive action by putting the Administrator in charge. The alternative, which is to deregister the union, would just hand the union back to the worst criminal elements that used to run the show. That’s why the employers don’t want to see that happening. That’s why they support the decisive steps that we’ve taken to appoint the Administrator.

So the Administrator is cleaning up the union, the old arrangements which are in place under the former government obviously weren’t working to crack down on this kind of unacceptable criminal behaviour in the union. So we’ve taken the decisive steps, whether it’s at the law enforcement level or in terms of appointing the Administrator.

The Administrator is cleaning up the union, it’s a difficult job, because some of these issues are entrenched, but the Administrator’s doing their job, and they should be allowed to get on with it.

Sara:

Just finally, Treasurer, Peter Dutton is considering proposing a referendum to change the Constitution to allow the government to deport dual citizens convicted of serious crimes. What do you make of that idea?

Chalmers:

A couple of things about that. First of all, these are important issues, but he will do absolutely anything to avoid coming clean on his cuts or on any economic policies, and that’s what we see on an almost daily basis.

Last time he tried to impose these laws the High Court threw them out, and now he wants a referendum to fix his mistakes.

We’ve taken a different approach. We rewrote his broken laws to create a more robust system to keep our community safe. We’ve worked through it in a methodical, in a considered way. He, quite bizarrely, wants another referendum.

I don’t think this idea will last long, just like a lot of the other things that he said in an effort to try to avoid talking about the economy and his cuts.

Sara:

Treasurer, we’ll need to leave it there. Thank you for your time this morning.

Chalmers:

Appreciate it, Sally. All the best.

Sara:

That’s the federal Treasurer there, Jim Chalmers.