Taylor takes aim at Chalmers over PC report
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor says an inquiry should have assessed the impact of the government’s tax settings on business dynamism.
Tax settings and industrial relations laws were ruled by Treasurer Jim Chalmers out of the scope of a Productivity Commission inquiryinto how to make the business sector more dynamic.
But Taylor thinks the changes to the capital gains tax discount, negative gearing and discretionary trusts should’ve been looked at, arguing they are a “big drain on productivity”.
“If you want an economy to be productive and to grow then you don’t punish growth. But that is exactly what this government has done,” he says.
Canavan hits out at gov’s ‘trainwreck’ plan for data centres
Nationals leader Matt Canavan says the federal government’s plan for new data centres is a “train wreck waiting to happen” for Australia’s energy system.
Legislation for mandatory standards for large AI data centres is expected to be introduced to parliament early next year.
Under the proposed standards, the facilities would be required to pursue renewable power to fully offset their energy demand, with appropriate firming technology such as gas, batteries and hydro.
“The idea they can be powered by power sources that switch on and off all the time is absolutely absurd,” Canavan tells reporters at a dairy farm in the town of Kyabram, in north-central Victoria.
“The current approach to data centres is a train wreck waiting to happen for our energy system, and the victims of that will be in the regions, our dairy farmers who will see their energy prices go up.”
Shoebridge ‘heartened’ by US midterm results
Greens leader David Shoebridge has been out and about this morning in Hobart.
He’s quick to draw a line from the US midterms and the opposition to data centres to what’s going on in Australia.
Shoebridge points to Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed and the successful candidates in Texas.
“They were saying no to the billionaire class. They were saying that they wanted to oppose the rollout of AI data centres,” he says.
“I mean, their platform and the Greens platform have so much common ground. And we also heard these candidates say no to war, opposing this reckless war that Trump has started on Iran. And we’re all feeling the pressure of that.”
Asked if he was surprised by the results, Shoebridge said he wasn’t an analyst in US politics, but he was “heartened by it”.
“I know our movement is heartened by it. I don’t think we’re alone in this.”
McCarthy urges states, territories to allow UN inspectors to visit facilities
The Indigenous Australians minister has urged states and territories to welcome the UN special rapporteur tasked with investigating human rights issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Australia.
The United Nations has been denied access to two youth detention centres during an Australian visit, saying the Queensland and Northern Territory governments will not comply with their mandate.
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy says she thinks it is important the UN is able to visit facilities.
She says she met with the special rapporteur earlier this week to explain what the government is doing to close the gap.
“I’ve certainly spoken with all Indigenous Affairs ministers prior to joint council today in urging ministers to welcome the special rapporteur from the United Nations,” McCarthy says.
“It is important, in my view, that the special rapporteur does get to visit those facilities, but also has the conversation.”
Commonwealth ‘seriously’ looking at Closing the Gap funding agreements: McCarthy
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy says the Commonwealth government is “seriously” looking at federal funding agreements with states and territories to meet closing the gap targets.
The minister has previously flagged financial penalties were on the table for jurisdictions not meeting Closing the Gap commitments.
She has previously called out the Northern Territory and Queensland for their “alarming” incarceration rates of First Nations people.
“We’ve already seen in the Northern Territory direct funding to First Nations organisations as a result of the Northern Territory remote area investment, because we want to see results and that is significant funding that’s going directly to First Nations organisations,” McCarthy says.
“We are very serious about wanting to close the gap. We are very serious about wanting to work with First Nations people in this country.”
Leigh says govt has outlined data centre principles
This morning, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told ABC News Breakfast that suburbs are not the right place to build data centres.
Anthony Albanese mapped out a national framework for artificial intelligence standards earlier this year to address the technology’s impacts.
Asked whether the government would like to see a ban on data centres in suburbs, Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh says the government has principles around electricity and water use.
“The basic principle of the Albanese government is ensuring that Australians get the benefits of data centres located in their communities,” Leigh says.
Relationships with allies remain strong despite elections, Leigh says
Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh says the government remains close friends with its allies despite the results of elections.
Democrats seized control of the US Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, and New Zealand is going to the polls this weekend.
Leigh says Australia’s relationships with those countries remain strong despite election results.
“We take lessons from those elections as a political party, but we also have extremely strong relationships with those countries, regardless of who’s in power,” Leigh says.
Assistant minister defends scope of Productivity Commission inquiry
The assistant minister has been asked about reports the treasurer blocked the Productivity Commission from examining industrial relations and tax settings in an inquiry into business dynamism.
Andrew Leigh says there hasn’t been a shortage of reports into industrial relations and tax over the past few year.
He says the Productivity Commission conducted a review into workplace arrangements in 2022, and other independent reviews.
“What this report is about is trying to shine a spotlight on a set of issues that have not been extensively canvassed before, issues around the insolvency processes, and around management quality, around the uptake of technology,” Leigh says.
Labor asks ACCC to draw up e-bike safety standards
Assistant Productivity Minister Andrew Leigh says the government has asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to draw up e-bike safety standards.
The assistant minister says the cost of e-bike injuries to the Australian economy could be as much as $28 million a year.
Speaking at Parliament House in Canberra, Leigh says the government is providing the ACCC $4.3 million to create a single standard.
“The number of accidents being reported to hospitals is significant. We’re seeing this in every state and territory across Australia,” Leigh says.
“Labor wants e-bikes to continue to be a part of a transport solution. But we want to ensure that Australian pedestrians and motorists aren’t imperilled by seeing unsafe e-bikes on our roads.”
Don’t sacrifice long-term AI gains over short-term pressures, warns Charlton
The assistant minister for technology and the digital economy has cautioned against shying away from investing in AI following comments by the RBA governor.
Michele Bullock pointed to the data centre construction boom as a factor in inflation.
But in a speech at Trades Hall in Melbourne yesterday, Andrew Charlton warned stopping the construction of productive infrastructure shouldn’t be seen as the solution to rising inflation.
“Productivity is not a distraction from the inflation challenge. It is central to the solution,” he told the gathering of superannuation sector members.
“We need to manage the short-term pressures of AI investment without sacrificing the long-term productivity gains that will make our economy more competitive, more resilient and less inflation-prone.”
Charlton said there was legitimate debate about the inflationary pressures associated with AI investment.
Data released this week by Deloitte Access Economics revealed a 36 per cent increase in data centre construction investment over the past year, with 37 projects around the country worth $141 billion.
Butler accuses Coalition of political point-scoring over David Jones collapse
Health Minister Mark Butler has accused the Coalition of political point-scoring over the collapse of department store David Jones.
Yesterday, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said while David Jones survived two world wars and the Great Depression, it hadn’t survived the Albanese government.
Deputy Liberal Leader Jane Hume also pinned the department store’s collapse on the federal government.
“David Jones is just one of many businesses that are struggling under Labor’s economy, with higher taxes, higher rents, higher electricity prices, higher insurance costs, more red tape,” Hume says.
But the health minister says many big retailers are facing pressure from online shopping giants, as well as reduced consumer spending.
“Trying to look through all the political point scoring that we just heard. I think all your viewers understand there’s real pressure on these big retailers. More and more people are doing online shopping. I know even I do it,” Butler says.
Marles says US midterms won’t change the way Australia deals with Trump
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says the US midterm elections won’t change the way Australia deals with President Donald Trump.
Democrats made big gains in Tuesday’s midterms, taking control of Congress and winning several traditionally Republican-held Senate seats.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, the deputy prime minister says the government will work with the US to maintain and uphold the alliance.
“We live in a world today where we face a very challenging strategic landscape and in that context our alliance with the United States is critically important. So, it’s our job to manage it,” Marles says.
Asked if the government could learn from the US elections, Marles says cost of living remains the priority.
“We’re obviously mindful of that. From our perspective, we are focused on what we can contribute to that, and that’s the management of our own budget, which we do in a very prudent way,” he says.
Canavan and Rae weigh in on Hanson, Faruqi court battle
The aged care minister and Nationals leader have weighed in on a court battle between One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi.
The High Court has agreed to hear Hanson’s appeal against a finding she racially vilified Faruqi by telling her to “piss off back to Pakistan”.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan has told Channel Nine he’d prefer discussion about those types of matters to happen in the parliament.
“I don’t like it when these types of political disputes are settled through our courts. I’d prefer that to occur through the parliament and through political debate like we’re having this morning,” Canavan says.
Aged Care Minister Sam Rae agrees and says he believes Australia has robust debate.
“None of us wants to get involved in a legal process, but I do think we’ve got a healthy, robust debate here in our country. We want to protect that,” Rae says.
Canavan criticises treasurer’s attempt to find ideas to boost productivity
Nationals senator Matt Canavan has criticised the treasurer’s move to seek ideas to boost productivity from his department.
The Australian reports Treasurer Jim Chalmers has asked Treasury to develop new productivity ideas that can be included in this year’s mid-year financial update.
Speaking to Channel Nine, the Nationals leader says the Coalition would cut taxes and scrap net zero to boost productivity.
“We have this joke of a treasurer asking for ideas about productivity. He had a productivity roundtable 18 months ago, but it didn’t tackle the real issues. That’s why productivity has continued to fall,” Canavan says.
“What we would do is scrap net zero and get energy prices down. That will increase productivity because energy is the economy. We’ll cut taxes. This government’s increased them massively.”
Good morning 👋
Hello and welcome to our federal politics live blog. It’s great to have you join us here early this Friday morning!
I’m Josh Boscaini, joining you live from Parliament House in Canberra, here and ready to bring you all of today’s federal politics news.
I’m not quite sure what today has for us, so let’s get this blog up and away and see what happens!
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Source: www.abc.net.au
