Two Nationals and a Liberal cross floor to support immigration inquiry proposal
Tom McIlroy
The Nationals shadow ministers Bridget McKenzie and Ross Cadell and the Liberal backbencher Sarah Henderson crossed the floor on a Senate vote about immigration levels last night.
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party attempted to establish a parliamentary inquiry into “the impact of high immigration on the Australian economy”.
The Coalition opposed the motion but McKenzie and Cadell, both members of the opposition frontbench, and Henderson, voted with conservative Coalition senators Alex Antic and Matt Canavan in favour of the inquiry.
Liberal frontbencher, Anne Ruston, was heard appealing across the chamber to McKenzie to vote with the rest of the Coalition against the motion.
The motion was ultimately defeated 37 votes to 9.
The vote came in a week when large public rallies about immigration featured speeches by right-wing activists and neo-Nazis.
Key events
David Pocock to make public a voluntary lobbying register
The independent senator for the ACT, David Pocock, will renew calls for reform to the political influence of lobbying today.
Fronting the media alongside other crossbench parliamentarians this morning, Pocock will announce a voluntary register for politicians to publish information about lobbyists with privileged access-all-areas passes to Parliament House.
Pocock is proposing to maintain the voluntary register on a central, publicly accessible website.
He said lobbying had a “legitimate role to play” in the political system but it needed to be transparent and well regulated.
“People with sponsored passes enjoy enormous privilege and access to our most senior decision makers. It is not unreasonable for the Australians those parliamentarians have been elected to represent to know who enjoys that access, and who gave it to them, and I hope my parliamentary colleagues will participate.
Last year’s senate inquiry into lobbying highlighted just how broken our current system is and also demonstrated that many lobbyists also support a stronger one.
The register will be made public next month.
Attack on Indigenous Camp Sovereignty ‘reprehensible’: Malarndirri McCarthy
Australia’s minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, says her phone “went crazy” on Sunday night after the attack.
Speaking to the Today show earlier, she said the attack on Camp Sovereignty in Melbourne was “absolutely appalling”.
That attack that occurred was reprehensible, it was absolutely appalling. First Nations people were looking after, and are looking after the sacred bones of ancestors at that particular site. It is a sacred ground and it was reprehensible what took place there.
My phone just went crazy on Sunday night, this week my office has been inundated by Australians who are fearful of what they saw, who are angry.
Carr says he pulled out of Chinese military parade invite after ‘nature’ of event became clear
Former foreign minister Bob Carr says he pulled out of attending yesterday’s Chinese military parade after he learned about the “nature” of the event.
Carr and Daniel Andrews were scheduled to attend the event, Andrews did – and was filmed shaking hands with Chinese president Xi Jinping and in a group photograph with president Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un.
Carr tells ABC RN Breakfast he was invited by the consul general of China in April to attend the commemorations and “didn’t hesitate for a moment” in accepting.
The consul general back in April might have mentioned in passing that there’s going to be a parade, but the nature of the parade didn’t become clear. When it did, I let the Chinese ambassador know that I would not be attending it.
I’m not interested in a Soviet-era-style military parade, although China has them, I understand, every five years. I came here to talk to Chinese scholars, Chinese diplomats, and to meet, it was very important, to meet the big concentration of Australian friends and like-minded [people] from south-east Asia.
Asked if Andrews had “poor judgement” attending the event, Carr says he’s “not going to be drawn into criticising a colleague”.
I can talk for myself, and that is I didn’t see any value in watching a display of hardware.
Tom McIlroy
Shadow attorney general distances himself from Price’s comments on immigration
The shadow attorney general, Julian Leeser, says it is appropriate Australia maintains a non-discriminatory immigration policy, distancing himself from comments by Liberal Jacinta Nampijinpa Price on Wednesday.
She walked back inflammatory claims she made on ABC TV that federal Labor was promoting migration by specific ethnic groups, including Indians, to grow its electoral support.
Singling out Indians coming to Australia, the outspoken Northern Territory senator said sections of the community were concerned at “the core number, or the type of migrants that are coming in”.
I think Labor like to be able to ensure that they’re going to allow those in that would ultimately support their policies, their views, and vote for them as well.
This is Labor. Basically, it’s power at any cost. And we see that occur all over the place in terms of the way they conduct themselves.
Speaking on RN this morning, Leeser said Price had “walked back the comments.
We believe in a race-blind migration policy. It has been our policy for 40 years or more.
Leeser spoke about the outsized contribution of the Indian community in his electorate of Berowra in Sydney.
They are involved in every imaginable community activity in my electorate, from PNCs to sporting clubs. They’re involved in every level of society, from CEOs of top companies to people employed as cleaners in buildings and so on.
Ley repeats PM’s lines that anti-immigration demonstrations had people with ‘goodwill’
Migration is the other big issue that’s dominated parliament this week, after the anti-immigration protests over the weekend, and the government released its latest immigration numbers, with the permanent intake to remain at 185,000 for this financial year.
Sussan Ley says the government needs to explain how those migrant numbers will be balanced with having enough housing and infrastructure.
The government, however, does have to address issues such as bringing a million migrants into Australia in their first two years without a plan to house them…
It’s government policy that is failing here, not migrants themselves that are failing.
Ley, like the PM, says there were people with “goodwill” at Sunday’s protests, but that they were “hijacked” by extremists.
Asked about the attack on Sunday on an Aboriginal gathering site in Melbourne, Ley says it was “absolutely hideous” and “sickening”.
Labor MP Ed Husic was far more critical of those who attended the protests, when speaking to ABC TV yesterday, and said, “Those rallies were whipped up by far-right extremists and neo-Nazis. A lot of people were warned about that.”
Coalition contests ‘bipartisan’ framing on aged care package releases
While the government has tried to frame the aged care deal as a “bipartisanship” agreement, the opposition and crossbench have said it was their pressure that got Labor to move.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, popped up on ABC News Breakfast a little earlier and said it was not a deal but a “defeat” for Labor – it’s the same line that she said yesterday. She also promised to continue pushing the government on the delivery of those home care packages.
The opposition had piled pressure on the aged care minister, Sam Rae, this week, directing every single question to him at question time on Monday and Tuesday. This morning, Ley says it’s a win for elderly Australians.
Most importantly, for elderly Australians, they are going to start to get more help. Because if you’re 97 years old and you’re worried and unsafe and living at home, but only barely managing, to be told that it is OK to wait several months, if not over a year for your package is not good enough.
To be told that it is okay to wait several months, if not over a year for your package is not good enough, so we’re going to continue with this issue. We’re going to continue to push and make sure that the government does what it promises.
Rae avoids answering question on ‘factional priorities’
Around 2,700 home care packages are being rolled out each week, says Rae, but won’t clarify how many of those are new packages and how many are from vacancies.
In question time this week, the opposition said no new packages had been released. Rae says:
Some of them have been new packages and then some of them have been ones that have come about because people have been moving into residential aged care or as we’ve discussed in the parliament, sadly, some people have passed away that have been receiving care as well. So there’s a mix of packages, but on average, we’ve been rolling out 2,700 packages a week.
Sally Sara then sticks the knife in and asks Rae:
How do you feel about your position in the ministry knowing that people with far more experience than you have been demoted to make way for factional priorities?
Rae is in the Victorian right faction, led by the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles. He was one of a handful of new entrants into the ministry which saw Ed Husic and the former attorney general Mark Dreyfus booted out.
Rae says he’s “very proud” to serve in the ministry.
This is a fantastic government. It’s one that I’m very proud to be a part of. We are very fortunate in that we have a huge rank of swelling talent and I’m really pleased to get to serve in the position that I do get to serve.
Aged care legislation heads to House of Representatives for final vote
After passing the Senate yesterday – with a deal struck between the government and Coalition to immediately release 20,000 home care packages – the aged care legislation will go back to the House of Representatives for a final vote today.
The government set to lose a vote in the Senate, with the Coalition, Greens and crossbench teaming up to force Labor’s hand to release more packages
The aged care minister, Sam Rae, is on RN Breakfast this morning and is being asked why it took Labor’s hand being forced to release these packages – why didn’t they just agree to release the packages sooner?
Rae won’t interact with the question (and Sally Sara asks it several times) and won’t say why it took the government so long to move.
He concedes the government didn’t need parliamentary approval to roll out extra packages but says Labor has been trying to achieve the reforms with bipartisanship.
We needed to reach a bipartisan agreement about how this was going to be done. That was a key principle that we have pursued all the way through. As of yesterday, we have reached a bipartisan agreement about how that rollout occurs.
The other part is that we’ve had evolving advice from the sector about their ability to actually respond to these increased packages that we’re going to put into the system.
Ed Husic urges Australia to prevent dual nationals joining foreign military forces in cases of ‘plausible genocide’
Labor MP Ed Husic has urged the government to prevent dual nationals joining a foreign force, in cases where “a body with the weight of the ICJ believes plausible genocide could be occurring in a part of the world where that foreign force is operating.”
Speaking to the House last night, Husic – who has been a strong advocate for Palestine and a vocal critic of Israel’s war in Gaza – said it was “not unrealistic” to expect that dual nationals in Australia may be called to serve in the Israeli defence force.
It’s understood Husic questioned whether dual Australian-Israeli citizens who were fighting in Gaza for the Israel Defence Forces could be implicated under foreign fighter laws during a party room meeting on Tuesday.
I’d urge our government to send a clear statement surrounding the risks of participating in IDF actions in Gaza.
We don’t need Australians placed in a position where they witness, abet or participate in what will likely be deemed a genocide. I’m also concerned about the impact of trauma on those returning after witnessing what they would have in Gaza.
Senator continues calls to criminalise burning Australian flag
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is tripling down on her call for the burning of the Australian flag to be criminalised, and has called for Anthony Albanese to only stand in front of the Australian flag.
Yesterday, the Senator was told to remove a flag she’d draped around herself in the chamber while pushing for the criminalisation – a proposal which was voted down by Labor and the Greens.
On Sunrise this morning, Nampijinpa Price says Australians have been “vilified” for taking pride in Australia’s flag.
I think in recent times, a lot of Australians have been vilified and the suggestion is that they’re somehow racist if they take pride in who we are as a country and in our flag that represents us as a country. I find that our prime minister standing in front of three flags divides us.
But she says she “utterly condemns” neo-Nazis who incite hate.
Nampijinpa Price made claims on ABC TV yesterday, that federal Labor was promoting migration by specific ethnic groups, including Indians, to grow its electoral support. She later walked back those comments in a statement.
Australia to provide $1m of funding to support Afghanistan after deadly quake
The government will provide $1m of funding to support Afghanistan after the country was hit wth a deadly earthquake.
In a statement, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the earthquake has exacerbated the dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The money will directed through the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, led by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Wong also welcomed the UN Central Emergency Response Fund – which Australia is a longstanding donor to – releasing US$5m to support the Afghan people.
Wong tells widow of Putin critic Alexei Navalny Australia ‘holds Putin personally responsible for his death’
Australia has promised the wife of Russia’s late opposition leader and critic of Vladimir Putin his death will not be forgotten, Australia Associated Press reports.
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexei Navalny, met the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and foreign minister, Penny Wong, yesterday at Parliament House.
Navalny, a prominent anti-corruption campaigner, died in 2024 months after being sent to a prison in Siberia.
Wong praised Navalnaya’s courage and determination in calling for democracy in Russia following her husband’s death.
You’ve had to deal with a lot of loss. Alexei was a champion of democracy and human rights and the Australian government holds [Russian president Vladimir] Putin personally responsible for his death
We stand with you when we fight for human rights and democracy.”
Navalnaya is on the board of the International Anti-Corruption Foundation, set up to tell “the truth about Russian criminal power”, and thanked Australia for its support. She told reporters in Canberra during the meeting:
Russia is not Putin. We’ll do everything so that Russia will become a free, normal democratic country.
The Russian activist also held talks with the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, during her visit to Canberra.
Josh Taylor
Reactions mixed in eSafety’s consultations with parents regarding under-16s ban
eSafety did not disclose to Guardian Australia the full list of platforms that the ban could apply to prior to the companies determining if their services would likely fall in scope of the ban.
The commissioner also published the results of consultations with children, parents and industry on the coming social media ban. The report on consultation with children suggests mixed views on the incoming ban.
While some said it might encourage young people to socialise with each other and meet in person as well as protect them from exposure to inappropriate content, grooming and bullying, others said it could cut them off from communities and would mean the loss of adults hearing kids’ voices online.
The children surveyed also reported the ban was not being talked about in school so it was likely many would be unaware the changes were coming.
Platforms told to get ready to kick Australian teens who are under 16 off social media
Josh Taylor
The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has written to a “comprehensive list” of tech companies including Google, Meta, Snap and TikTok to ask that they determine whether their platforms will need to only allow access to people 16 and over from 11 December, and outline the steps they will take now to be ready for when the ban comes into effect.
Inman Grant has told the companies that if they are covered by the ban, they will need to find and deactivate accounts held by Australians under 16. They will be expected to communicate it to those affected, including providing information on how to download their account data and where to seek support.
The companies will also be expected to take reasonable steps to stop children under 16 pre-empting the ban by changing their account such as by changing the date of birth information.
The platforms have also been told that self-declaration of age will not be enough to constitute “reasonable steps” to comply with the ban, suggesting the companies will be required to use some form of age-assurance technology outlined in the report issued this week.
Two Nationals and a Liberal cross floor to support immigration inquiry proposal
Tom McIlroy
The Nationals shadow ministers Bridget McKenzie and Ross Cadell and the Liberal backbencher Sarah Henderson crossed the floor on a Senate vote about immigration levels last night.
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party attempted to establish a parliamentary inquiry into “the impact of high immigration on the Australian economy”.
The Coalition opposed the motion but McKenzie and Cadell, both members of the opposition frontbench, and Henderson, voted with conservative Coalition senators Alex Antic and Matt Canavan in favour of the inquiry.
Liberal frontbencher, Anne Ruston, was heard appealing across the chamber to McKenzie to vote with the rest of the Coalition against the motion.
The motion was ultimately defeated 37 votes to 9.
The vote came in a week when large public rallies about immigration featured speeches by right-wing activists and neo-Nazis.
Krishani Dhanji
Good morning,
Krishani Dhanji here with you, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.
There’s plenty to get to today, so let’s jump straight in!
RBA governor says growth boost could dash hopes for rate cut
Australia’s stronger-than-expected economic growth could dash hopes for further interest rate cuts, Australia Associated Press reports.
The Reserve Bank of Australia governor, Michele Bullock, insisted she does not know “at this stage” what the uplift in economic growth revealed on Wednesday could mean for interest rates.
“But it does mean that it’s possible that if it keeps going, then there may not be many interest rate declines left to come,” she said when asked after giving the 60th Shann memorial lecture at the University of Western Australia last night.
Her speech focused on technological change, including the bank’s increasing use of text analytics models providing a “third lens” to monitoring shifting business conditions.
“But we also overlay our own judgement on top of those things,” she said.“I personally don’t see a world where we place all our faith in a model.”
Traders pared back their rate cut expectations after the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed the surprise jump in the nation’s economic growth rate. Gross domestic product surged from 1.4 to 1.8% on an annual basis in June, above the Reserve Bank’s forecast of 1.6%.
Bob Carr says he ‘would have avoided’ Beijing photocall
Bob Carr, the former Labor foreign minister, has defended his attendance at Xi Jinping’s carefully staged gathering of world leaders this week, but said he “would have avoided” the controversial photocall that included Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.
Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has been heavily criticised for appearing in the lineup with the dictators and alleged war ciminals after a huge military parade in Beijing coinciding with China’s 80th anniversary commemorations of the defeat of Japan in the second world war.
Speaking on ABC’s 7.30, Carr said he was in Beijing for the commemorations rather than the military parade, and while he did not attend the parade he would have avoided the group shot.
I certainly would have avoided them, if there were the remotest possibility [of being photographed with Putin].
When I accepted the invitation to come to the commemoration of China’s enormously historically significant victory over the Japanese aggressor … the idea of the parade grew up separate from that.
I made it clear to the Chinese ambassador that I wasn’t here for the parade. I was here for the terrific meetings I’ve been able to hold with countries that are like-minded, not aggressors and oppressors.
Pressed on whether Daniel Andrews had been “naive” in allowing himself to be photographed with leaders such as Putin and Kim, Carr replied:
Dan Andrews can speak for himself. He is someone who has been battered to death by media hostility in his own state, and gone on to win big majorities … he can defend himself.
Carr said he did not watch the military parade and agreed with former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, who was also at the 80th anniversary commemorations, that “you and I wouldn’t have picked this guest list”.
Carr said his attendance meant he had been able to engage with China, he had met the Japanese prime minister about a possible peace between China and Japan, and had had his first ever meeting with the current Indonesian foreign minister.
Read more here:
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you the best breaking news this morning before I hand the news baton to Krishani Dhanji.
Bob Carr, the former Labor foreign affairs minister, has defended his attendance at Xi Jinping’s carefully staged gathering of world leaders this week, but he avoided the controversial photocall with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un in which Daniel Andrews appeared. More coming up.
The Reserve Bank of Australia governor, Michele Bullock, said last night it is possible that the uplift in economic growth revealed on Wednesday could dash hopes for another cut in interest rates. “There may not be many interest rate declines left to come,” she said. More coming up.
