Albanese trashes Taylor’s Midwinter Ball speech, saying ‘I wouldn’t mention last night’
The Liberal MP Ben Small is next and asks the most broad question he possibly can, about “Aussie legend” Joseph Dowd, who has spent more than $17,000 on billboards critical of the tax changes, and is spending another $16,000 to play the prime minister in a tennis match (an auction item from last night’s midwinter ball).
Small asks:
So when Joseph gets to the lodge, will the prime minister tell him why his word on negative gearing and capital gains taxes was broken, or will Joseph be served up, another Labor tax hike?
Anthony Albanese laughs as Milton Dick calls it a “very, very, very broad question” which is going to get a very broad answer. And a broad answer we get indeed.
The PM takes a stab at Angus Taylor’s speech from last night, which was meant to be off the record, but was reported – by others – to have not received many laughs.
If I was someone on that side, led by this leader of the opposition, I wouldn’t be mentioning last night. I would pretend it was all a bad dream!
I’m sure you were there, and many were, and we’re not supposed to talk about it, in spite of the fact he just came in and asked a question about it!
“You’re a bad dream mate,” quips Taylor in response.
The PM continues:
The leader of the opposition mentioned him in his speech, and he’s obviously a mate, and they think it’s very clever to do all this … But let me make this point as well – if it’s a choice between someone who’s in the sector somewhere and who’s got enough money to buy billboards and spend all this, or first–home buyers struggling to get into a home, I’m for the first–home buyers!
And let me tell you this – the more they go down this road, the more aces we will serve up.
“Game, set, match!” shouts a Labor MP.
Key events
Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time
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There was a wider array of questions from the opposition today, starting with the government’s controversial aged care algorithm tool, to border control, to private health insurance.
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The final question from the opposition brought out a prime ministerial slap down of Angus Taylor’s midwinter ball speech, which was reported to be not very good (I couldn’t possibly comment).
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Liberal MP Simon Kennedy was kicked out of the chamber for asking the PM whether he cares about the “suicide victims of problem gambling” in the middle of a dixer.
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Speaking of gambling, independent MP Sophie Scamps asked the PM why he wasn’t going further on gambling reforms, accusing him of protecting gambling company profits.
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And independent MP, Monique Ryan, asked the education minister if he would do something to fix Job-ready Graduates before 2028 – he called the scheme a “failure” but didn’t make any commitments for immediate action.
Sarah Basford Canales
APS pay bargaining period begins
Bargaining for common pay and conditions across the federal public service begins today more than three years after bureaucrats achieved an 11.2% pay rise offer over three years.
In a briefing earlier today, the government’s chief negotiator, Alison Stott, said she and her team expected a “large bargaining room, lots of unions, lots of employees, and lots of claims to consider” but did not yet reveal any starting position or offer.
Last time around, sector-wide bargaining was split into two broad categories to deal with the varying arrangements and roles across nearly 200,000 public servants over more than 100 departments and agencies. Part A of bargaining rounds deals with the common pay and conditions while part B deals with agency-specific offers.
The existing agreements are set to expire by the end of next February.
The public service minister, Katy Gallagher, said the process was about “delivering fair, consistent conditions for public servants while supporting a strong, capable and modern public service”.
This next round of bargaining is another opportunity to build on the progress already made, continue improving commonality in pay and conditions, and support the APS to be the model employer it should be.
Public servants do important work every day for the Australian community. The Albanese government will continue to engage constructively to support fair, practical and sustainable outcomes across the APS.
After a final dixer to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese calls time on the last QT of the fortnight.
Keogh asked about allied health cap for veterans
The One Nation MP David Farley is next and asks the veterans’ affairs minister about the $5,000 cap on allied health services for veterans.
The minister, Matt Keogh, said on Tuesday that one in 10 veterans may go over the cap, which Farley says is actually 30,000 people, and asks why the government won’t carve out that cohort from the cap immediately.
Keogh says the cap replaces the existing system that requires veterans to go back to GP every 12 referrals, to get access to allied health services – which will help nine in 10 veterans.
He says for the one in 10 – or 30,000 veterans – the government is engaging with them “to make sure that they’re getting the right level of healthcare to meet their allied health needs”
“But also where there are other needs that they may need to provide them with the best overall wellbeing outcome, whilst maintaining the integrity in the system.”
Albanese trashes Taylor’s Midwinter Ball speech, saying ‘I wouldn’t mention last night’
The Liberal MP Ben Small is next and asks the most broad question he possibly can, about “Aussie legend” Joseph Dowd, who has spent more than $17,000 on billboards critical of the tax changes, and is spending another $16,000 to play the prime minister in a tennis match (an auction item from last night’s midwinter ball).
Small asks:
So when Joseph gets to the lodge, will the prime minister tell him why his word on negative gearing and capital gains taxes was broken, or will Joseph be served up, another Labor tax hike?
Anthony Albanese laughs as Milton Dick calls it a “very, very, very broad question” which is going to get a very broad answer. And a broad answer we get indeed.
The PM takes a stab at Angus Taylor’s speech from last night, which was meant to be off the record, but was reported – by others – to have not received many laughs.
If I was someone on that side, led by this leader of the opposition, I wouldn’t be mentioning last night. I would pretend it was all a bad dream!
I’m sure you were there, and many were, and we’re not supposed to talk about it, in spite of the fact he just came in and asked a question about it!
“You’re a bad dream mate,” quips Taylor in response.
The PM continues:
The leader of the opposition mentioned him in his speech, and he’s obviously a mate, and they think it’s very clever to do all this … But let me make this point as well – if it’s a choice between someone who’s in the sector somewhere and who’s got enough money to buy billboards and spend all this, or first–home buyers struggling to get into a home, I’m for the first–home buyers!
And let me tell you this – the more they go down this road, the more aces we will serve up.
“Game, set, match!” shouts a Labor MP.
Independent MP accuses Albanese government of protecting gambling company profits over saving lives
Back to the crossbench, Sophie Scamps asks the prime minister why the government has chosen “to protect the profits of gambling, media and sporting companies, instead of implementing all of the inquiry’s recommendations in order to save the lives of Australians?”
The inquiry she’s referring to is the late Labor MP Peta Murphy’s landmark You win some, you lose more report, which made more than 30 recommendations, including a full ban on online gambling advertisements and a ban on inducements.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese says, “this legislation will make an enormous difference”.
“No it won’t”, shout several Coalition MPs.
The PM says the legislation goes further in some ways than the recommendations in the report, by banning gambling ads on stadiums – including the one in fellow independent, Zali Steggal’s electorate of Warringah.
This is good reform. This is a major step forward. And the Parliament should vote for it. If they don’t, if they don’t, then you do have the option of the status quo.
“No it’s not,” shout more Coalition MPs.
Nationals MP asks PM about ‘mean’ cut to health insurance rebate for older people
The Nationals MP Pat Conaghan asks the prime minister about a “mean-spirited act” to cut the private health insurance rebate for over 65s, and how many older Australians will be worse off?
The health minister, Mark Butler, takes the question and says it’s one he’s answered before.
He says the reason for the policy is because under the previous system, households next to each other “on the same income, on exactly the same income, have been receiving a different level of support for their private health insurance based solely on their age”.
Our modelling indicates that this will lead to a change of about 44,000 people in the health insurance system, or about, I think, 0.4% of the health insurance membership. Set that against the fact that health insurance membership has been climbing by 2% per year on a very consistent basis over the last several years, health insurance will continue to grow.
Albanese quizzed on whether house prices will sink
The Nationals MP Jamie Chaffey is up next and says the PM has twice been asked in parliament this fortnight to guarantee that housing prices won’t tank. So he now asks the PM to tell the House whether the number of first home buyers has increased since the budget, and by how many.
Anthony Albanese immediately ignores the question and brings up some quotes from shadow housing minister Andrew Bragg (which we know won’t go down well with the opposition).
Albanese says:
When it comes to house prices, the shadow minister for housing has made some comments about this. He has said this on just 1 July, “I think these will blips and bumps”. He went on the day before, in case you think it was an accident, “in other markets”, speaking about Sydney and Melbourne, “there may be price growth. There may be short–term hiccups.”
Dan Tehan gives the PM one minute and 11 seconds before standing up, and says Albanese has spent the entire time just talking about the opposition.
There’s a bunch of back and forth here which ultimately ends with Milton Dick ruling that the PM can use quotes but they should be directly relevant.
Albanese continues with a jab at the opposition, and then cites a few young people who have just bought their first home – which somewhat addresses the question, but he doesn’t give us a number.
I do find it astonishing the question about housing when quoting what the shadow minister for housing has said, yesterday, the day before, and the month before, that they object to that. But that says it all about the chaotic rabble that are opposite.
Burke mocks Taylor in response to border security question: ‘He’s the current leader of the opposition’
Why is the Albanese government so weak in protecting Australia’s borders, asks the shadow foreign minister, Ted O’Brien. He cites shots recently fired at a border force vessel, and the group of 12 individuals who arrived by boat in horth Queensland “who managed to have a frothy at the pub before authorities detained them”.
The government this morning said that operation in north Queensland had closed, and the individuals who arrived without a visa had been removed.
This gets home affairs minister Tony Burke incensed:
It has been more than a decade since there has been a successful people smuggling operation. More than a decade … But this character. This character, this leader of the opposition, the guy who wants to bring all three right wing parties together …
The manager of opposition business, Dan Tehan, stands up to get the minister to refer to Angus Taylor by his correct title under the standing orders.
Burke continues, and gets a little snarkier:
Mr Speaker, at 2.30 on 2 July, he’s the leader of the opposition, and I refer to him as the leader of the opposition.
Tehan’s then back because Burke isn’t addressing the fact that the officers had a “frothy” before making the arrests.
Burke’s not having it and starts shouting:
Instead of standing with those Australian officials, you want to mock them … what happened in Weipa – clearly a question they wrote before they realised every one of those individuals had been removed from Australia.
Job ready graduates has ‘failed’ says education minister, but won’t commit to fixing it before 2028
How can the government justify not doing anything about the controversial job ready graduates scheme, when under the current timeline, it will take at least until 2028 for arts degrees to stop costing more than $50,000, asks independent MP, Monique Ryan.
She’s referring to this story in the Guardian today:
The education minister, Jason Clare, acknowledges that the scheme has failed and that the Australian tertiary education commission – that was legislated earlier this year – is currently working on it, but won’t commit to doing anything in the interim.
I have said it’s failed. I’ve said work on fixing it is unfinished business. And I have said – and you will know – that the Australian Tertiary Education Commission has also pointed out the work they’re doing on the cost of teaching and learning, that they will finalise next year.
He plugs Labor’s 20% cut to Hecs debts that it did after the last election.
Liberal MP kicked out of question time after criticising PM on gambling reform
During a dixer to the PM on the government’s gambling reforms, the Liberal MP Simon Kennedy (a vocal anti-gambling campaigner) shouts at the PM:
What about the suicide victims of problem gambling or don’t you care about them?
The interjection gets him booted out by Milton Dick, who then offers a stern warning:
We’re not going to have that behaviour, with people just yelling out nonstop during an answer… I ask all members to just reflect on their behaviour today.
Aged care and algorithms in focus in question time
It looks like the spotlight will remain on Sam Rae today, with Angus Taylor next to the despatch box again asking whether Labor will support the bill to provide human oversight of all aged care decisions.
Anthony Albanese takes the question first and says that there is human oversight over all of these processes, and lashes the “party of robodebt to actually have the hide to come in here and talk about these issues shows extraordinary, extraordinary gumption”.
The problem here is that actually, clinicians have said there has been no ability for humans to override the system when an algorithm has made a decision that doesn’t match the reality of the situation for an older person.
Tim Wilson makes an unparliamentary remark that he’s forced to withdraw, which he does with a dismissive wave of the hand … which leads Labor MP Basem Abdo to make another remark in response to the wave, and gets him promptly kicked out by Milton Dick.
Rae then continues:
Assessments are always conducted by qualified human assessors with clinical input, documented from start to finish. And this is about delivering a system that is efficient, accurate, and fair.
Question time begins
It’s question time and there is a change of pace today, with the Liberal backbencher Cameron Caldwell asking the aged care minister about a 98-year-old constituent who died while waiting for home care, after his application was reviewed by the controversial integrated assessment tool and was assessed as “low priority”.
He asks if the government will support the bill, that passed the Senate this morning, to bring back human oversight of the tool.
The aged care minister, Sam Rae, gives his condolences to the family, and then tries to defend the government’s reforms across the sector.
He says that at the peak of the aged care crisis in 2018 more than 16,000 older Australians were dying every year while waiting for care.
Standard priority cases are waiting, on average, three months less. Medium–priority cases are waiting two months less. High–priority wait times are now just one to two months. And those assessed as urgent priority, as always, will receive their full funding within a single month.
Caldwell stands up to raise a point of order, to push Rae to say whether Labor will support that bill.
Rae then continues:
There is no artificial intelligence in our aged care assessment system. And it is dishonest for any actor to pretend otherwise. The integrated assessment tool uses qualified human assessors to complete the clinical assessments, and that is then used to apply the Aged Care Rules so that we have a system that is fair for every single Australian.