Tue 24 Mar
This blog is now closed.
The parliament still has a few hours in it, but it is time for us to go and stare at a wall and think about our life choices.
Thank you to everyone who keeps tuning in – you truly are the bright spots in this shit show. We will be back early tomorrow morning for a normal Wednesday proceeding (whatever that means these days) so hope to see you there?
And I hope your coffee machines give you all the crema tomorrow!
Take care of you, and those around you. Ax
Here is how Bowers saw QT:
Skye Predavec
Researcher
Independent Senator for the ACT David Pocock is moving a motion in the Senate calling on the government to work with states and territories to deliver “accessible, free or affordable nationwide public transport for the duration of the current fuel security crisis”, as well as to increase investment in walking and cycling infrastructure.
Greens leader Larissa Waters and opposition transport spokesperson Bridget McKenzie are co-sponsoring the motion, meaning it likely has the numbers to pass the Senate.
Senators David Pocock and Waters, Motion by leave—Public transport and active travel:
I move—That the Senate:
(a) notes:
(i) the ongoing fuel security crisis as a result of conflict in the Middle East and associated volatility in global energy markets,
(ii) the significant cost-of-living pressures faced by Australian households, including rising transport costs,
(iii) the importance of building national fuel resilience and reducing Australia’s dependence on imported liquid fuels, including through use of biofuels,
(iv) the need to ensure fuel is being distributed to areas of need, including to ensure that regional communities and farmers have the fuel they need to produce food and fibre, and
(v) the environmental and public health benefits of reducing private vehicle use and increasing sustainable transport options; and
(b) calls on the Government to:
(i) work with state and territory governments through National Cabinet to deliver accessible, free or affordable nationwide public transport for the duration of the current fuel security crisis, and
(ii) work with the state and territory governments to significantly increase planning and investment to integrate active transport infrastructure to support walking and cycling projects across Australia.
Tanya Plibersek got a dixer on social security payments in there so the government can say it is also acknowledging poor people and says:
The [indexation] changes that came into effect last Friday saw the full age pension now $5,500 more than when we came to government, they see job seekers who’ve got $4,300 a year more since we came to government, rent assistance has gone up. The maximum rate has gone up by about $1,900 a year since we came to government. And for the first time in 30 years, we’ve seen an increase to the threshold for the small debt waiver, making sure that our system is fairer and better value for taxpayers. The waiver is now set at $250.
So around 1.2 million small debts will not be collected this year.
A lot of those debts actually cost more to collect than they than they return when they’re collected. This builds on cheaper medicines, the maximum cost for a script for pensioners now $7.70 a bulk billing boost, 5% deposits for first home buyers, free tafe the 20% cut to student debt.
We know that those opposite, of course, would put all of that at risk, and they love voting against cost of living health for ordinary Australians.
Oh, laugh away. You did it. You voted against plenty of these measures, and we know that when they were last in government, despite promising not to touch the aged pension more than nine times, they actually tried to raise the pension age to 70 when they had the opportunity to do that, those opposite have not changed. They have not learned.
They’re the same old. Liberals focused on themselves while we’re focused on making life a little bit easier for Australians.
The seriousness of yesterday has been unable to be maintained. It is only Tuesday and government ministers are tired. Particularly Bowen, who it seems, is not able to even pretend that these questions from the Liberals are worth his time.
Melissa McIntosh asks:
Chris Minns has just said in the New South Wales parliament in relation to fuel supply. Quote, ‘that demand management procedures are required. That might be rationing, it should be a nationally consistent approach’. End quote, does the Minister agree?
Bowen (after a few attacks against the opposition and being called to be relevant)
I will simply say, Mr. Speaker, this government will continue to work constructively with state governments, and will continue to work constructively with industry and state governments like the Tasmania state government, which is working very constructively with this government across the field in this difficult environment. Mr. Speaker, because that’s what sensible adult governments do. That’s what that’s what serious people do – non serious people play politics in an international process.
So the government has found a narrative to push back against the opposition (such as it is) and it is inspired by Chris Bowen’s ‘partisanship not patriotism’ line.
Catherine King just used it too, which means that it is now going to be picked up in all the speeches, statements and interviews.
Last night, in an address to the Minerals’ Council, Anthony Albanese referred to ‘progressive patriotism’ for the first time in some time. This is what the government is shaping its new attack against the Liberals around. Will that extend to a gas tax?
After some back and forths over who is being patriotic and who is being partisan, we move on to Andrew Wilkie who asks:
Minister the minimum stockholding obligation for liquid fuels only applies to diesel, petrol and jet fuel.
It does not apply to bunker fuel, which is a specialised marine fuel oil used by the shipping industry.
So Minister, seeing as shipping is responsible for transporting almost all of our island nation’s trade, and indeed Tasmania’s trade, will you use your power under the Liquid Fuel Emergency Act to bring the same priority to bunker fuel?
Bowen thanks him for asking the question and for the “spirit” in which he asked it, both for his electorate and the national interest.
He then moves to the substance:
The Honorable Member, is right. There are a range of bumper fuels used in domestic and international shipping. Marine fuel was one of the most significant, along with marine diesel fuel, oil accounted for 1% of Australia’s refined product use in 2025 now I do know that the Minister for Transport is engaging directly with the maritime sector.
I can tell the member for Clark, that I’ve also engaged directly with the Tasmanian Minister for energy, and we are working well together.
I can also tell the Honorable Member that as part of the release of the minimum stock obligation, although the member is right, Bunk fuel is not in the minimum stock obligation, nevertheless, we were able to make a condition of the release of some of the minimum stock obligation prioritizing maritime oil supply for cargo and passenger vehicles, vessels to Tasmania ports, fishers and forestry.
So that has been done as part of the MSO release. I can also tell the member for Clark that approximately 13% of the production from Geelong is for fuel oil.
And last year, total fuel production in Australia averaged 23 million liters a month, with the production of fuel oil supported by the announcement I just referred to that we made on Friday of support for our two refineries to ensure that Australian domestic capability in relation to the honorable member’s question about the liquid fuel emergency act.
I pointed out before that the bar for the test for invoking that act is very high, quite rightly, and has never been invoked in the last 40 years, not through the two gulf crises, not through covid, not at any other time. Of course, it is there to be invoked if necessary. But I’m not envisaging at this point, requiring that, and indeed, the measures that are referred to show can be done without invoking an act of emergency.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge has asked the Foreign Minister a series of questions about whether the Government supports the war in Iran and opposes Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.
Despite multiple points of order on the relevance of Penny Wong’s answers, the Minister did not directly say whether the Government supports or opposes either. However, she did establish that the Government is “gravely concerned” and “deeply concerned”.
Shoebridge: Minister as part of this war, the Israeli government have said they want to turn southern Lebanon into another Gaza. There are hundreds of thousands of Lebanese Australians who are watching their loved ones be displaced and their country destroyed, will you oppose this latest Israeli invasion of Lebanon?
Wong:
In relation to Lebanon, I have been very clear that we are gravely concerned bout the expansion of the conflict into Lebanon. We are deeply concerned about the loss of life, the displacement of more than a million citizens, including over 200,000 children. We have announced a further five million in humanitarian assistance to support civilians in Lebanon. And we have said a major Israeli ground offensive will only exacerbate the worsening humanitarian situation in the country. … I’ve said that on multiple occasions and that is Australia’s position.
There is an official statement on that too which has just gone out (almost as if it were planned)
The Albanese Government has temporarily made a minor adjustment to diesel standards, which will help suppliers bring more fuel into the domestic market for farmers, truckers and regional communities.
This six-month adjustment will lower what’s known as the flashpoint for diesel, from 61.5 degrees Celsius, to 60.5 degrees Celsius, increasing diesel supply options from refiners and international sources.
In effect, Australian refineries will now have more flexibility for making diesel, and widen the markets from which we source diesel, including from the United States, Canada, and Europe, which allow diesel with lower flashpoints. This will give companies more flexibility and more options to adjust supply chains to manage disruption from the Middle East.
Flashpoint changes have no impact on engines or emissions. Australia typically has a slightly higher temperature flashpoint owing to our hotter climate however when the flashpoint was last lowered in 2020 we saw no adverse impact on engines or emissions.
This flashpoint change does not require any changes to storage or handling protocols.
The National Transport Commission and the Fuel Standards Consultative Committee, which includes Truck Industry Council, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and Australian Automobile Association have supported this change.
This builds on a range of work this Government has already delivered to shore up Australia’s fuel security.
Since coming to office, we have taken steps to further protect consumers and our economy from supply disruptions, including:
Because of this work Australia has entered this period of global uncertainty better prepared than ever before – significantly more energy secure than when we formed Government in 2022.
Today’s announcement builds on these plans and ensures our nation’s energy resilience during this period of increased uncertainty overseas.
Chris Bowen is asked a dixer on what is the government doing to increase fuel supply and announces changes to the diesel standards:
Despite the fact our national stocks are strong and imports continue to arrive, we continue to see shortages around the country, as honorable members have said, and so we should do everything sensible to increase supply.
So I can announce today that I have changed the diesel standards when it comes to the combustion temperature and allowed a slightly lower combustion temperature of 60.5 degrees, which is called the flash point, Mr. Speaker, which provides a little more flexibility to importers as to what diesel we can import into Australia, and a little more flexibility for refiners to switch between fuels as well.
These are practical measures. Mr. Speaker, not suggested by the opposition, not suggested at any point by any member opposite, but taken by us, Mr. Speaker, to get the job done, because these are the sorts of practical things which add to what we’ve already done, increasing the or releasing 20% of the minimum stock obligation, not an easy decision, not a decision lightly taken, but 100% the right decision in the circumstances.
And not just released carte blanche, but released on the condition from those entities that they will see the stock market, the spot market, and the regional areas, supply that is having an effect now the increase in software rules which could not apply to diesel, despite some members opposite saying it should simply could not be allowed to be applied to diesel, and today this place Point decision which will see additional diesel supply into Australia, which will see increased supply from our refiners, as well increased flexibility for our refiners.
These are practical measures taken by government taking action in the face of international uncertainty, when all we have seen from the opposition is partisanship, not patriotism.
Angus Taylor allows himself a question and asks WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING TO GET THOSE SERVOS FUEL (as if he didn’t have the opportunity to actually get us a fuel reservation and instead chose to store it in AMERICA)
Chris Bowen is not in the mood to put up with this nonsense today and after saying that the Liberals have not offered any practical solutions, adds: “the leadership of the Liberal Party has chosen partisan, not patriotism, and they should hang their heads in shame”
Milton Dick boots out Tony Pasin, who ignores the tone and keeps talking. Dick then extends his penalty to a three hour ban. He is NOT the one today!
The LNP’s Rick Wilson wants an update on how many service stations are out of fuel – this is after the expected dixer on how much we love the EU on trade.
Bowen:
In New South Wales, the figure is 164 without diesel and 51, out of 2,417 service stations were out of fuel.
In Queensland, there is 55 stations with no diesel and 35 with no regular unleaded, out of 1800 service stations.
In Victoria, there are 162 servos with one or more fuels unavailable, out of 1,627 servos.
In South Australia, it is 46 out of 700 stations
In WA, it is 6 out of 771 and in Tasmania it is one with no diesel and six with no unleaded (out of 250 service stations)
The NT has no shortages because of fuel shortages, but is having trouble with the flood and road closures.
There are no ACT outages.
We then get the expected dixer on how much we love the EU when it comes to defence.
Then independent MP Rebekha Sharkie asks if the government will consider dropping the fuel excise for 60 days to address the fuel affordability crisis.
Jim Chalmers:
I thank the member for Mayo for her question, which I think does reflect a level of concern in the Australian community about cost of living, pressures, and particularly pressures which are being felt at the petrol bowser, and unlike the Shadow Treasurer, the member for Mayo, has appropriately represented how the fuel excise works. It’s applied per liter of fuel. It doesn’t go up when the price of fuel goes up and the per liter the amount that the member amount that the member for Mayo mentioned is the accurate one.
When it comes to the proposal that Mayo has, it’s something that we should we have been working very hard to provide cost of living relief in the most responsible way that we can.
The tax cuts which are coming rounds two and three are an important part of that cheap medicines, floor bulk billing, student debt relief and the like, is all about recognising these pressures and to try and provide that cost of living relief in a different way than the way proposed by the member for mayor, and in fuel markets.
More broadly, we’re working very closely and as a team, sure that there is supply that people need, particularly in regional areas, and also make sure the ACCC is empowered to go after any suppliers or retailers who do the work I do, acknowledge that there are a range of views about it. The member for Mayo’s question, I think, accurately placed some of the suggestions which are out there. For our part, we’re providing cost of living relief. We’re working as hard as we can in fuel markets to recognise and respond to the pressures that Australians are under.
After the expected dixer on how much we love the EU, Dan Tehan asks Chris Bowen:
More than two weeks ago, the minister told the House, quote ‘today, the Treasurer and I have worked very closely together with the ACCC to ensure that the ACCC penalties are increased, with fuel prices having doubled in three weeks’. Has the minister been advised as to when the legislation will actually be introduced?
Bowen:
I have.
And then he sits down.
The later question time begins and you can expect more on fuel prices and also a lot of dixers on the EU deal and agreements.
Darren Chester opens it up today – because farmers are not happy with the EU deal.
At a time of a national fuel crisis which is hurting our farmers, the National Farmers Federation is extremely disappointed with the free trade agreement announced with European Union today, and said Australian farmers, and I quote, will now pay the price for this sub part EU deal for decades to come.
Minister, do you really believe this is a good deal for Australian farmers?
Julie Collins does think it is a good deal for farmers.
What I’d say to the member opposite is we’re strong advocates on this side of the house of farmers and producers, and that’s what you’ve seen from us.
That’s what you’ve seen for us in terms of getting our world class products right across the globe.
The Albanese Labor Government has worked day and night to rebuild our relation, trading relations that we inherited from those opposite when they left office. Let’s be honest about it, they left us with trade impediments of billions and billions of dollars, and indeed, today’s Australia, EU, free trade agreement represents an opportunity for Australian farmers, fishers and our agricultural producers. It’s not only an important outcome at a time of global trade uncertainty, it further supports the diversification of our agricultural products and our agricultural exports. The EU is the world’s second largest economy in Australia’s third largest two way trading partner with our agricultural exports to the EU value at $4 billion in 2025. This figure is set to grow under the Free Trade Agreement, which will ensure more EU consumers can continue to access Australia’s high quality food and farming.
The agreement eliminates the vast majority of EU tariffs on agricultural products. It will support around $17 million in tariff savings for wine based on CO trade, along with a reduction in testing requirements, removing red tape and reducing export overheads.
Chester wants a point of order, but Milton Dick cuts him off and says that the answer is relevant. Collins then reads out those lobby groups who are happy with the free trade agreement.
David Littleproud is booted out for interjecting. He doesn’t seem too sad about it.
The AFR is reporting on the industry reaction to the Albanese Government’s new expectations on the building of data centres.
Just to be clear these are expectations, not laws or rules. Despite this, data centre operators are saying they put at risk investment in Australia.
What are these terrible expectations? That the new projects add electricity supply to offset all or part of their usage.
You know, like what Trump is demanding they do in the US.
Data centres use large amounts of electricity and if they don’t add new electricity supply, there is a real possibility that they will push up electricity prices. Especially if they start building them in the numbers the industry is suggesting they will.
This is likely to be an even larger problem in Australia, as the problem we are facing at the moment is a slow roll out of new renewable generation. There is no shortage of renewable projects that are seeking approval. Rather, they are struggling to get enough projects approved before old, clapped-out fossil fuel generators are no longer able to produce electricity
This means new data centres can’t speed up the pipeline of new generation. What could happen instead is data centres enter power purchase agreements with those renewable projects that get through the process, taking electricity from other users.
While the industry might be complaining, there is a good chance data centres are going to push up electricity prices.
Skye Predavec
Researcher
Last night, the Sydney Morning Herald revealed a senior NSW Liberal MP had revealed her party’s U-turn on gun control – before hastily attempting to cover it up.
Former frontbencher Wendy Tuckerman accidentally emailed all electorate offices on Monday, saying concerns raised by a constituent “well and truly indicates why we should stop the buyback and fix the [gun] registry”.
The Liberal Party supported NSW’s gun law changes when they passed in December, in the aftermath of the Bondi Massacre. This is the latest sign that, perhaps in fear of a regional One Nation surge, they may be reversing their position and calling for the legislation to be repealed.
But while the state may well need to consider further changes to its gun laws, not in the way the Liberals are saying.
Recent Australia Institute research revealed that, of the 250,000 people in NSW claiming to need a firearm for sports shooting or hunting, fewer than 36,000 participate in either activity per year.
That’s because the requirements to “prove” that someone needs a firearm licence for either of those reasons are incredibly loose: a person can easily list either one as their genuine reason while having no intention of using their guns for those purposes.
The system needs urgent reform. Perhaps the NSW Liberals could rediscover the bravery former Prime Minister John Howard showed in implementing gun control laws and campaign for just that, rather than trying to wind back the state’s recent gun control progress.
Here is how Bowers has seen the day.
The ABS aside from putting out rather cool (for nerds like me) data on economics, also likes doing surveys on how we all live.
Today it has put out data on physical activity and sleep.
These will very much be figures who for some of us will have us saying “Who are these aliens who get all this sleep?!”
The ABS reports that in 2023 when the data comes from, the most common time of sleep for adults was 7-8hours. 35% of Australians sleep this long
The next most common is 8-9 hours, which 28% of us apparently get each night! (Don’t these people realise there is doom scrolling to be done till midnight???)
A quarter of us sleep less than 7 hours, with 9% sleeping less than 6 hours.
One finding however that seriously does not pass my pub test is that women generally sleep longer than men
Other findings
And in the biggest, ya think, data:
Reports are in the AFR this morning that the NDIS and other public serviced areas are inline for cuts as “new Treasury research shows a doubling of workers in Labor’s prized care sectors has contributed to the nation’s productivity malaise.”
This is yet again another poor misunderstanding of productivity and how to solve it.
Productivity is in essence the amount that you produce with your time and equipment. So, digging a hole with a shovel is more productive than digging a hole with your hands, and buying a better shovel will improve your productivity, so too will being fit (ie a better worker).
On this score, digging big holes and taking out iron ore and coal is very productive. A lot of machinery does the work, and not many workers.
By contrast taking care of people with disabilities or those in aged or child care is relatively unproductive. You can’t leave it to machines, you need people there, and fewer people and more machines doesn’t generally lead to better care.
It’s always tough to measure productivity for services, because the output needs to be of the same quality, whereas for things like mining it’s easy.
If 5 people dig up 2 tonnes of iron ore 1 day, and the next day they dig up 4 tonnes, you can say they have doubled their productivity – the iron ore is the same, there’s just more of it.
But if one day a care worker looks after 10 people and then next day they are told to look after 20 people we can’t say their productivity has increased because the quality of that care might have fallen. Yes, they saw double the patients, but the quality might have halved.
But the big picture problem is that if you have more people working in care than in the past, because care work is less productive than other sectors the overall national level of productivity will have declined.
The Treasury’s solution is unfortunately in line with the Productivity Commission’s view of how to fix productivity – shift people from the care sector to other more “productive” sectors.
And sure, mathematically this will improve Australia’s productivity, but it won’t have improved the productivity of anyone in care work, or indeed any other industries.
Also, it completely overstates the importance of productivity by measuring everything as though it is tonnes of iron ore.
Yes, it would be good if it was possible to keep care the same or better by having one carer go from looking after 10 patients to 20. But that is unlikely – and would require a real investment in technology that enables better oversight, better records management etc – things that are not being proposed.
It might seem ok on the spreadsheet that pumps out productivity numbers, but does anyone really desire that outcome (other than perhaps the private sector aged care operator?).
Increasing productivity is a fine ambition but if all it is about is moving workers from vital services to other areas that are deemed good because they are “more productive” then we have truly lost sight of what an economy is for.
There are now going to be a bunch of formalities, with question time being delayed as a result of the receptions.
Angus Taylor also used his speech to continue pushing Islamophobia.
He said in his official address:
Another mutual threat is Islamic extremism. In Europe and in Australia, the generosity of liberal democracies has been exploited.
We’ve opened our doors some people who don’t want to embrace our culture, who want erase it. The doors must [be shut to those who don’t embrace our culture]
Our culture can only survive by putting our values at the very centre of our immigration policies.
Of course he doesn’t mention the mutual threat of far right extremism, which has been home grown in both Europe and Australia. What does that say about our ‘values’?
So now that we have had all the speeches, let’s take a look at some of what Angus Taylor said.
Keep in mind that it was just a couple of days ago that the Liberals leaked a story that Taylor was going to start chipping away at One Nation’s credibility and pushing back against their lines.
A threat to one democracy is a threat to every democracy.
Taylor said this about Ukraine. But he would not apply it to the US, which is rapidly sliding into autocracy under Trump.
Pauline Hanson has reportedly delivered a pro-coal, pro-nuclear “policy pitch”.
That’s a big call.
The “policies” section of the One Nation website appears to be a collection of dot points and short essays.
The “climate” section is a one-page rant questioning climate science.
There’s an “embracing nuclear and hydro” heading, with what appears to including a policy position, if not an actual policy: a proposal to repeal the ban on commercial nuclear energy.
On coal, there’s a pledge to “advocate for the construction of three new black coal ultra-supercritical (USC) power plants”. Again, no detail, costings etc
None of this stuff has footnotes, links to research, hyperlinks, budgets … nothing. Just a bunch of slogans and declarations.
The story under this headline also includes more vibes and statements than policies: claims that renewables have “destroyed the nation”; a pledge not to allow wind or solar farms “on agricultural land or any land actually”; and a declaration that a One Nation government would “get rid of the Climate Change Department” (spoiler alert – there isn’t one).
There will be a lot of talk about One Nation “policies” over the next couple of years.
There’s a fair argument to state they don’t actually have any.
But it really depends how you define “policies”. Traditionally, policies are researched, modelled, detailed, prepared by policy experts and, at the very least, include an attempt to explain what they’ll cost.
What I see and hear from One Nation is slogans, vibes, knee-jerk reactions and dot points.
To say One Nation “policies” require scrutiny is an understatement. Similarly, “news” stories about these so-called policies.
Today the ACTU has announced it will call for a 5% increase in the minimum wage to $26.19 per hour.
Given 5% is above the current level of inflation of 3.6%, the standard reaction among business groups and conservative media is that this will fuel inflation.
But all the evidence over the past 30 years shows that the increase in the minimum wage has no impact on inflation.
Last year in my briefing paper, “The Continuing Irrelevance of Minimum Wages to Future Inflation” I charted the increases in the minimum wage and inflation over the following year. Were the minimum wage to cause greater inflation you would expect higher wage rises to lead to higher inflation over the next year.
The data however showed that not to be the case – there was no link at all. Using the most recent figures we can see that since 1995 the increase in the minimum wage has nothing to do with what inflation does – indeed if anything the correlation is negative!
The reality is that the minimum wage does not cause other workers to agitate for higher wages. The biggest factor for wages rises is how much inflation has risen in the past year as workers try to catch up.
In times of rising inflation due to supply shocks it is important that Australia’s lowest paid workers are not punished with poverty due to misguided fears their wages will cause even more inflation.
The reality is that the minimum wage does not affect future inflation, and the 5% proposed increase is more than fair.
Today marks 1000 days since the Murphy Review into online gambling was given to the Albanese Government. They are yet to respond. The committee that put together the report included Labor, Liberal, National, and independent members, who all agreed that Australia needs to better regulate the gambling industry. Their recommendations included establishing Commonwealth oversight of the gambling industry (still don’t have that) and a ban on gambling ads (still have plenty of those). The report specifically recommended phasing in a total ban on gambling ads over three years, which means that if the government had acted quickly your kids would be able to watch this season’s footy without hearing about the odds on a multibet every three minutes.
Independent MP Kate Chaney – who was on the Murphy Review committee – will today introduce a bill that would ban ads for online gambling. Three in four Australians would support such a ban.
Writing in The Saturday Paper, long-time gambling advocate Tim Costello laid out the harms that gambling causes everyday Australians, including the 30 per cent of 12-17 year olds who gamble.
Every year, Australians lose a collective $31.5 billion to gambling, which is comparable to the size of the entire Northern Territory economy ($33.1 billion), and greater than the $21 billion lost to gambling in all of Las Vegas. Average individual gambling losses are almost $2,500 a year, which is more than the average home paid for a year’s worth of electricity – before the war in the Middle East.
South Korea’s main climate think tank Solutions for Our Climate, has a delegation visiting Australia at the moment. There’s a nice piece by Newcastle Herald’s Matt Kelly on their visit to the Hunter Valley.
The piece highlights the links between Korea’s energy policy and coal mines in New South Wales. The community-led opposition to Korean owned coal mines in NSW was a significant factor in Korea bringing forward its coal phase out, as we’ve written before on The Point.
Mr Speaker,
This is my second visit to Australia. Last time I was enchanted by your Kangaroos and Koalas. And I must admit, I would love to see them once again. Maybe today in the ‘Bush Capital.’ But my overriding impression of Australia was its pluckiness. You are a country that likes to give things a go. And we are watching closely your world-leading social media ban. As a mother of seven children, and grandmother of six I feel acutely the responsibility of protecting our children. It is we, parents, who must raise our children and not predatory addictive algorithms. Australia’s example is one for us all. Your social media ban was a community-led effort, bipartisan and is up and running. We wish you every success. Several of our EU Member States are looking to follow. And earlier this month I convened for the first time my panel of experts.
They are examining how Europe can implement possible restrictions in the Union. When it comes to the safety of our children no one should be surprised that we are so like-minded. And willing to stand up for ourselves and the kind of societies that we want to live in. These things are precious. And if the volatile world shows us anything, it is that they are worth protecting, collectively.
Mr Speaker, Looking on a map, it can feel like the distance between us is enormous. But I have to say being in your country feels like being among friends, or mates. Let us take this friendship further than ever before. And turbocharge a new age in Australia-Europe relations, showing that democracy has no distance. Mr Speaker, Every one of my speeches I finish with ‘Long Live Europe’, but today I would like to add Long Live Australia.
But the war in the Middle East is not just contained to the economic costs*. Today’s world shows that security threats are no longer restrained by distance but are enabled by technology. Malicious actors are able to reach into our borders without ever leaving their own. Europe, like Australia, does not
choose how threats come to us. But we all suffer their fallout. What happens in Ukraine matters in Unley, Australians have always understood this.
Which is why you have remained steadfast in support of European security. It should not be lost on anyone that the same surveillance plane that flew over Poland to help protect Ukraine is now in the Gulf helping defend our partners under attack from Iran.
Equally, it should not be lost on anyone that Ukraine has rushed to the aid of the Gulf States to help them defend their skies against the same Iranian Shahed drones that have been killing Ukrainians from the sky for years. Their cooperation has deepened. And there is no clearer example than the unimaginable sight of North Koreans – fighting Ukrainians on European soil.
We in Europe have also been battling attempts to undermine our democratic societies. And foreign malign interference is just another example of the converging threats we face. As our adversaries adapt to cooperate together we too must respond together. Because when we stand side-by-side we are stronger. And this is why I am so pleased, you have accepted our offer of a security partnership. This is what we will sign today. Creating a new defence industrial base, so that we are ready, to keep our people safe. Because for us in this Chamber this is our number one duty.
Mr Speaker,
In the same way, Australia understands that Europe’s security is integral to its own. And Europe knows- the reverse is also true. Stability in the Indo-Pacific is our common goal. This is why when I went to India in January, we also signed a defence and security partnership. With these agreements, we can bring together our expertise to secure our maritime routes, collaborate to counter cyberwarfare, and build new defence technologies together.
Mr Speaker,
Another of the realities that this new world has shown us, is that dependencies can be weaponised. Australia knows this all too well. Europe too has been challenged by its dependencies, not just on Russian energy. But also, for our reliance on imports from a single supplier. We cannot and will not absorb China’s export-led growth model, and its industrial overcapacity. Last year, every single EU Member State ran a trade deficit with China.
Both the threat to our supply-chain security and the shock to our industrial base need urgent responses. These are responses we can only devise together. For both Europe and Australia, getting China right is a strategic imperative. This is why bringing life to our critical minerals partnership will be crucial to our success. We cannot be overdependent on any supplier for such crucial ingredients. And that is precisely why we need each other.
Our security is your security. And with our new security partnership, we have each other’s backs.
Mr Speaker,
The Europe I am representing is very different to what you have known. It has been ‘hard yakka’ but we finally got there. Today, we finally conclude our trade deal. And we mean it when we say it. This trade deal is good to go. And I am so proud that we got this done. Because it is a fair deal, and one that delivers for your businesses and one that delivers for ours. I think you call that: “hitting it for six.”
A trade deal many thought we might never land. But this reflects Europe’s changing approach. From Latin America to India, and I am so pleased to add, Australia. When it comes to trade, Europe is open for business. We are rearming. We are decarbonising. We are preparing. We are becoming an independent Europe. And this means a more outward Europe. And this is why I am here today. Because showing up matters.
*Hundreds of thousands of Arab lives have been lost. This is not what the EU president is referring to though.
Standing here in this majestic chamber – modelled after the British House of Commons but rendered in this eucalypt colour – I am reminded of how young and vibrant your democracy is, while still being linked to our enduring democracy in Europe born in Greece thousands of years ago. But your history is even more ancient.
And I acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the world’s oldest continuing culture.
Mr Speaker, Our continent owes so much to Australia. You fought for our safety, for our free Europe. As Defence Minister, I visited your War Memorial, it was a solemn reminder of how much your country gave and the everlasting obligation Europe owes to your men and women who sacrificed their lives for our common freedom. We have a duty to not just preserve their legacy but to fortify it. Today this task has a new urgency. I recently said that Europe could no longer be custodian of the old-world order, this just reflects the reality of our changing environment, but this does not mean giving up who we are or on our values.
That matters, whether you are Europe or a regional power like Australia, accepting the world as it is simply means making choices sooner and smarter. Both as governments and as institutions. But I stand here today proud to tell you that Europe is changed, you can see that with how much ambition I have for this relationship.
One of the indulgences of past decades has been to think that our world and our interests can be defined by our neighbourhood. Nowhere proves that more false than Australia. It can take us more than 24 hours to fly here, but so many of the issues that challenge you in Perth are the same as in Paris.
Take energy prices. None of us is immune to the shocks, both geopolitical and economic, that the war in Iran brings to our populations*. Pain at the pump is hard for our citizens**. And just another reminder that building our resilience is today’s job. We in Europe have been reckoning with our dependencies, particularly with Russian gas. There were warning signs, and we learnt the lesson in the hardest of ways, in February 2022.
For context, imagine, for example, if here in Australia you were forced to stop selling your iron ore overnight? In a way, this is what we have had to do in Europe. And after our societies had already withstood so much. First, with the financial crisis, then the pandemic, the beginning of the war in Ukraine and now a second energy gas and oil price shock. Diversification was and remains a necessity.
This is why I am proud that we have made decarbonisation a defining pillar of our free trade agreement. This is hard-headed commonsense. In my six years as President, I have witnessed firsthand how climate change is ravaging our continent. From floods in Valencia to the wildfires in Greece – which Australian firefighters came and helped put out. We all know what we are seeing is more severe. Doreathea Mackellar wrote of Australia’s “droughts and flooding rains” affecting your“sunburnt country.” But the point is these climatic events have become more frequent and more intense. And it is our common responsibility to find solutions to power the planet we leave our children.
This is why I am so pleased that Australia is considering entering Horizon Europe. Horizon is the world’s largest research and innovation program. So joining this will put Australian researchers alongside Europe’s to create tomorrow’s technologies. Whether in clean tech Quantum Or dual use capabilities.
With geopolitics at a boiling point we know firsthand that the more you build homegrown energy, the sooner you get independent and thus can shield yourself from energy price shocks. We are in a race to electrify our economies. This is what future generations will judge us on.
*Sparked by the US and Israel
**Losing your life to US/Israel bombs is harder
My visit to Australia this week constitutes many firsts. I am the first President of the European Commission to visit Australia in more than a decade. I am the first President of the European Commission to address a joint sitting of your parliament. And I am honoured to be the first woman leader invited to address this joint session of your parliament. It is a great privilege. And one that I hope many more women will experience far sooner than my address has taken.
Dear Prime Minister, Anthony.
Thank you for this invitation. Europe is in a dangerous moment. War has raged in Ukraine for four years. And there is little prospect of this ending anytime soon. In the Middle East, a new conflict rages*. Countries that built economic models on the very premise of the stability and safety they provide are facing a new reality. The world we live in is brutal, harsh and unforgiving. It feels upside down.
What we knew as certainties are in question. The comfort blanket of yesterday is ripped away. It is confronting.
But the world we are living in is also a more honest one. We are saying out loud what has changed and how we are changing. Against this backdrop, my visit is not a symbolic trip. What we sign today will unleash a new era of economic and security partnership. Europe is changed. And we are not just open for business, we are here to begin a new epoch in our relationship rooted in the spirit of friendship.
Mr Speaker,
It takes longer to cross Australia, than to fly anywhere within Europe. Your “far horizons” – identified so eloquently by the iconic Australian poet Dorothea Mackellar is a reminder that the distance has traditionally been a barrier to our relationship but today geography is no more our destiny. And distance is no longer a protection or a luxury. The world has changed, but we get to choose how to shape our responses. And we do this without losing sight of our culture and our connections. And they run deep – built on the foundations of the post-war surge of migration into Australia. These millions of Europeans carried the same dream, of hope, opportunity, prosperity, and a better life for their next generation.
While we have not always maximised this potential, our kinship has always bound us. And our cultures have always understood one another. I am looking forward to drinking my first flat white on Australian soil. And I am also looking forward to sampling a pavlova – or do I have to wait to visit New Zealand to try that delicacy?
*We’re all looking for the guy who did this
EU President Ursula von der Leyen has been officially welcomed into the house of representatives.
The senators are also in the house.
She is the first woman leader to address the house and
On Monday journalists asked if a 25% export tax that help pay for cost-of-living relief would “just increase demand and worsen inflation”.
No, it will lower inflation.
A gas export tax works to reduce inflation – it would actually help reduce prices for gas and electricity in Australia.
An export tax on gas only applies to gas exports – that is gas which is not consumed by Australians. This means it cannot cause the price of gas to rise here in Australia.
But a gas export tax also makes supplying gas to Australia more attractive to gas companies – because they would avoid paying the export tax. Gas companies love to avoid paying tax!
As a result, a gas export tax would actually work to increase the supply of gas to Australians. More supply reduces the price pressures on gas and electricity in Australia.
There is only so much gas needed in Australia, so gas companies would need to compete to be the ones to supply that gas to Australian businesses and households. They would do this by offering lower prices – up to 25% below the world price (the price paid for gas exports).
We also know that gas and electricity prices more together in Australia because of the way the National Energy Market operates. As a result, lower gas prices for Australians also means likely lower electricity prices:
Cost-of living relief paid by a 25% tax on gas exports would not cause inflation In 2023-24 the government introduced an energy supplement of $175-$250 for households who held relevant state or commonwealth concessions, or received Family Tax A or B benefits, in 2024-25 this was expanded to all households for $300, and was extended for 6 months in the latter half of 2025.
This served to lower inflation because the consumer price index measures the cost of electricity paid by households.
Some economists worry however that were the government to institute a similar subsidy it would increase inflation because it would free up money for households to spend elsewhere and thus fuel demand.
We know from 2023-24 to the end of 2025 however that this did not happen – inflation fell during this period.
Also, the $300 energy supplement cost the government $3.5bn, whereas a 25% tax on gas exports would raise between $15bn and $17bn each year. This means the cost of the supplement would easily be paid for by the tax and would mean the government is reducing the amount of demand in the economy – ie reducing inflationary pressures.
Conclusion
A 25% tax on gas export would reduce inflation.
It would lead to cheaper gas and electricity prices for Australians
Electricity subsidies and other cost of living relief such as lower medicine prices, actually lowers inflation.
The $15bn-$17bn a year could be used by government to provide cost-of-living relief without adding to inflationary pressures.
Readers will no doubt have heard that Donald Trump has decided the Iran War might be over soon because the USA is engaging in talks with imaginary Iranians.
The market of course despite knowing that Trump is lying decides to treat his words as gospel and reacts accordingly.
As a result the price of oil has fallen a smidge (although it has also started to go back up again in the last few hours)
Because lower oil prices mean gas prices will likely fall as well, this is not good news for Santos And Woodside and so their share prices have fallen today, whereas the overall stock market is up because investors would like the war to be over and so they cling to any brain fart Trump says. (They also believe Trump will eventually chicken out… which, fine, but will Iran?)
So does this mean dark times for Santos and Woodside? Is the dream over?
Nope.
They’re still very happily enjoying the Iran War.
Both the EU and Australia are united in condemning *checks notes* Iran, for responding to the bombing of it’s country by the US and Israel by closing the Strait of Hormuz, which is what it said it would do if US and Israel continued to bomb it.
So despite supporting a war with no objectives, led by a nation hurtling into autocracy, at least according to the latest V-Dem report, which it never had a hope of actually winning, we are all united in condemning the inevitable response.
Good times.
Albanese:
We’ve continued to condemn regime for the actions that it’s taken in the Strait of Hormuz. This is having an impact on the economy, and the targeting of civilian ships is against the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows for freedom navigation is very important. Australia has provided is an E-7 aircraft, Wedgetail, to the region. That’s providing support, particularly for their request. And, of course, the UAE is on the northern part Strait of Hormuz. And in addition to that, we’re providing to the UAE to provide that point in time.
A few minutes ago, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations released the December quarter enterprise bargaining agreements data.
These are important because they typically apply for 3 years and thus give a good sense of long-term wage growth and also if there is likely to be stronger wage growth across the economy.
As a general rule, EBAs deliver better wage rises than other types of agreements (especially if they are negotiated by a union – so you, know, join you union!)
This all matters because the RBA has been saying that wage pressures and labour costs have been driving up inflation, and so they raised interest rates twice to stop that.
Now our earlier post noted that actually the cause of inflation in the last part of 2025 was profits not inflation, but hey, who needs evidence?
Well now we have more of it.
The private sector EBAs agreed to in the December quarter of 2025 had an average wage rise of 3.8%. This was lower than the 4.0% in the September quarter and lower than the 4.3% average in the June quarter.
Lower means less (just a hint in case anyone from the RBA is reading).
In 14 of the 21 sectors DEWR measures, wage growth of approved EBA was lower or equal to the September quarter.
So much for those increased wage pressures… ah well when you are a central bank, I guess vibes matter more than data…
The Greens want all the states and territories working together to make public transport free during the fuel affordability crisis.
They’ll be talking about that a bit later
And we have a new agreement on research:
The Australian Government is set to begin treaty negotiations on association to Horizon Europe, which will give Australian organisations access to the world’s largest pooled research fund in 2027.
Horizon Europe is the European Union’s flagship research and innovation funding program worth $155 billion (AUD).
Once associated, Australian organisations can access the current round of Horizon Europe funding to lead and participate in research projects with the brightest minds, including on critical technologies, advanced computing, climate and clean energy, health, and critical minerals.
Horizon Europe’s large pool of funding attracts talented researchers and allows research projects at a scale that would be difficult for Australia to achieve alone.
More than 20 countries have associated with Horizon Europe, including Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom, and have seen significant return on investment.
Following the conclusion of the treaty process, it is expected Australian organisations will be able to apply for Horizon Europe research calls from early 2027.
Australia’s association to Horizon Europe will be jointly supported by the Group of Eight universities.
Here is the official statement:
Australia and the European Union are strengthening cooperation through a new Security and Defence Partnership.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced the Australia‑European Union Security and Defence Partnership in Canberra today which, together with the Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement, is a key aspect of our growing strategic relationship.
The partnership was signed by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and the European Union High Representative and Vice President Kaja Kallas.
The wide-ranging partnership will boost cooperation across defence industry, cyber, economic security, counter-terrorism, combatting all forms of hatred, and countering hybrid threats.
Under the partnership, Australia and the European Union will:
Building on our already strong defence industry ties, the partnership will also create new defence procurement opportunities for Australian and European businesses.
The Security and Defence Partnership is now in effect.
Anthony Albanese is holding a press conference after the agreement between the EU and Australia.
Albanese:
This is a significant moment for our nation as we secure an agreement with the world’s second largest economy. The agreement will lower trade and investment barriers between Australia and the EU, agreement is worth $10 billion the Australian economy on an annual basis.
Our relationship grounded in our shared belief in democratic values, in human rights and in inclusive societies. However, the regions that we home – the Indo-Pacific and Europe – are less productable, but they’re more interconnected than ever before.
The best way of navigating this reality is for us to do committed to stepping up our cooperation with the EU. This is comprehensive balance of commercially meaning — balanced and commercially meaningful that will reduce costs for Australian consumers and open new markets to Australian producers. It is a win-win.
The Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reaffirmed the strength of the partnership between Australia and the European Union, underpinned by shared democratic values, respect for international law, and people to people, economic, scientific and strategic links. They emphasised that Australia and the European Union are trusted friends, working together to address economic resilience, security, climate change and environmental challenges.
Prime Minister Albanese and President von der Leyen welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on the Australia–European Union Free Trade Agreement in Canberra on 24 March 2026, and will now take forward their respective domestic processes required for signature and entry into force. This agreement will strengthen bilateral trade and investment, support economic growth, and reinforce the shared commitment of Australia and the European Union to open and rules-based trade.
Prime Minister Albanese and President von der Leyen also welcomed the conclusion of the Australia-European Union Security and Defence Partnership, providing a framework for enhanced cooperation on shared security challenges, including defence industry cooperation, cyber and economic security, and counterterrorism. The partnership will strengthen shared resilience and deepen practical collaboration, building on existing ties between Australian and European industries and institutions.
Prime Minister Albanese and President von der Leyen reaffirmed the importance of international research and innovation cooperation and welcomed Australia’s intention to commence negotiations with a view to associating from 2027 to Horizon Europe, the European Union’s flagship research and innovation programme. Cooperation under Horizon Europe would support collaboration on shared priorities, including critical and emerging technologies and climate and energy research, creating opportunities for Australian and European research and benefits for each economy.
These pillars of cooperation recognise the value of a strong Australia-European Union partnership in addressing shared global challenges and supporting prosperity and security and allow for deepened engagement between Australia and the European Union.
We have just published new analysis of the latest GDP figures which shows just how wrong the RBA has been on what caused inflation .
The RBA has been talking long and loud about a tight labour market, which it suggests is causing inflation pressures because we’re all out her getting big pay rises and thus having so much money to spend in the shops (seriously)
They also think these big pay rises means businesses are having to raise prices just to stay afloat (seriously)
They raised interest rates to try and make more people unemployed to reduce these apparent pressures.
Well, the funny thing is you can unpick all the numbers in the GDP figures to find out what actually is causing prices to rise, and well, it ain’t wages and labour costs, it’s profits.
In the last half of 2025 all the increase in inflation came from profits – labour costs pressures actually fell!
This is similar to what happened after the Russia invasion of Ukraine when companies took advantage of rising oil, gas, fertiliser prices to begin rising prices beyond what was needed to cover costs. This increased their profits but also increase inflation (because guess what – higher prices = higher inflation!).
Our analysis covers the last 6 months of 2025. So, I guess it’s good that nothing has happened this year that might cause oil, gas and fertiliser prices to rise and create an opportunity for businesses to increases prices…
Iran has denied that it had engaged in negotiations with the United States, after President Donald Trump postponed a threat to bomb Iran’s power grid because of what he described as productive talks with unidentified Iranian officials.
A European official said while there had been no direct negotiations between the two nations, Egypt, Pakistan and Gulf states were relaying messages.
A Pakistani official and a second source told Reuters that direct talks on ending the war could be held in Islamabad as soon as this week.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the US and Iran had held “very good and productive” conversations about a “complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East”.
As a result, he said, he was postponing for five days a plan to hit Iran’s energy grid. His announcement sent share prices higher and oil prices sharply lower to below $US100 a barrel, a sudden reversal to a market swoon caused by his weekend threats and Iran’s vows to respond.
Trump later told reporters his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who had been negotiating with Iran before the war, had held discussions with a top Iranian official into the evening on Sunday and would continue on Monday.
“We have had very, very strong talks. We’ll see where they lead. We have major points of agreement, I would say, almost all points of agreement,” he told reporters before departing Florida for Memphis.
Trump said Washington had been negotiating with Iran “for a long time, and this time they mean business,” adding: “I think it could very well end up being a good deal for everybody.”
He did not identify the Iranian official in touch with Witkoff and Kushner, but said: “We’re dealing with the man who I believe is the most respected and the leader.”
An Israeli official and two other sources familiar with the matter said the interlocutor on the Iranian side was Iran’s powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf.
Ghalibaf said on X that there had been no such talks with the United States, and ridiculed the suggestion as an attempt to rig financial markets.
“No negotiations have been held with the US, and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped,” he wrote.
“Iranian people demand complete and remorseful punishment of the aggressors. All Iranian officials stand firmly behind their supreme leader and people until this goal is achieved.”
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they were launching fresh attacks on US targets, and described Trump’s words as “psychological operations” that were “worn out” and having no impact on Tehran’s fight.
The IRGC said late on Monday it targeted several Israeli cities, including Dimona and Tel Aviv and a number of US bases. It said it was “negotiating” with the “aggressors through impact-focused operations.”
Israel’s military said it had detected missiles launched from Iran on Monday night for the first time since Trump’s earlier comments, and at least one interception blast was heard from Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that he spoke with Trump on Monday and that Israel would press on with attacks in Lebanon and Iran.
But Netanyahu said Trump believed there was a possibility of “leveraging the mighty achievements obtained by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and the US military, in order to realise the goals of the war in a deal – a deal that will preserve our vital interests.”
Although there was no immediate confirmation that talks had taken place as described by Trump, Iran’s foreign ministry described initiatives to reduce tensions.
It said Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reviewed developments related to the Strait of Hormuz with his Omani counterpart and agreed to continue consultations between the two countries.
Iran has effectively closed the key Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Trump has demanded Iran open the strait, but Tehran says it will not do so until the United States and Israel call off their attacks.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in the war the US and Israel launched on February 28.
The ACTU has announced it will put forward a 5% increase in the upcoming annual wage review, which will bring the minimum wage to $26.19 an hour, or full time, to $51,761.
That would apply for 3 million workers who have their wages set by awards, as well as setting a higher minimum wage floor.
The union says 41% of award workers are renters, compared to 31% of all adults. As many as 44% of award workers have a mortgage, compared to 35% of all Australians and argues the current minimum wage falls $262 a week short of a ‘healthy living’ (so spare a thought for those on welfare benefits who don’t come anywhere close to that).
Sally McManus says:
Everyone knows the lowest paid workers in Australia are doing it tough because they have borne the brunt of cost-of-living increases as landlords put up rent and supermarkets and fuel companies pumped up prices to inflate their profits. Working Australians need pay rises that get them ahead of inflation so they can continue to catch up.
We will not accept the lowest-paid workers in Australia going backwards because of the Reserve Bank and Donald Trump. Workers were the ones who felt it the most last time inflation spiked; we cannot let this happen again. This is why low-paid workers need and deserve a decent pay rise. Energy companies, the banks and the supermarkets continue to deliver their mega-profits. Hardworking Australians must not be left behind.
A 5% wages boost for the lower paid will add about 0.6% to the national wage bill. That’s because we are talking about a pay rise for hospo and retail workers, disability workers, health care workers and baristas – not for high earners with large numbers of investment properties.
Of course, employer groups will say that any wage rise will put pressure on inflation – like they do every year – and every time they have been wrong. And let’s get this into perspective, our entire 5% wage claim will cost less than the recent $8 billion half-yearly profits of BHP.
What has been driving inflation is the cost of housing and petrol companies’ price gouging. Working people’s pay rises played no role. Action to cut negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts for professional landlords would drive down housing inflation.
We could also put downward pressure on our power prices by putting in place a 25% levy on gas exports to replace the failed Petroleum Resource Rent Tax. This would also bring in more revenue, by ending the extreme windfall profiteering by major oil and gas companies.
A levy like this would have raised an estimated $17 billion last year – or more than twice the amount needed to fund a 5% annual wage boost for lower-paid Australian workers who need and deserve it.”
EU president Ursula von der Leyen has arrived at parliament house and the official welcome from Anthony Albanese is underway.
She will address a joint sitting of the parliament at 12.30 (after the acknowledgement of country and prayers) which means QT won’t be until 3pm today.
Ugh
This year’s family photo has just been taken in the House of Reps chamber.
Here’s the last photo, taken in the Senate chamber in 2023.
Have you ever seen more slightly overweight, prematurely ageing white guys in navy suits?
The morning is a little quiet because it is party room meeting time. And the final preparations for the joint address to parliament this afternoon from Ursula von der Leyen.
It is also the 125th anniversary of the federal press gallery, so there was a group photo to commemorate the 2026 gallery, which amused MPs like Tanya Plibersek who watched the entire press gallery leave one space (it’s usually us watching the MPs leave a room).
On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman discuss the war on Iran and how American sanctions are creating a humanitarian crisis in Cuba, before Professor James Laurenceson joins the show to talk about the impact of the conflict on China and the postponed Trump-Xi summit.
A lot was made about a comment from the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Dr Fatih Birol, following his National Press Club address yesterday.
He described energy investors as butterflies which “fly away” when they are scared.
It was interpreted as a warning against imposing a gas export tax at a time when momentum is finally shifting towards forcing multi-national gas exporters to pay a fair price for the Australian resources they sell overseas.
By the time Dr Birol appeared on the ABC’s 730program, he had changed his tone.
While unwilling to admit gas exporters had been taking the piss for years in Australia … he diplomatically said he “hoped” Australians would get a fair share of tax revenue from the sale of their gas.
As for those butterflies (the supposedly skittish energy investors) … my wise colleague, Chief Economist Greg Jericho, was pretty blunt when we were in Parliament House talking to journalists last Friday.
Where are they going to go? Qatar (Whose biggest gas plant had been hit by missiles that day)? Australia is a safe, reliable place to invest. They’ve been getting so much gas without paying a cent in royalties or PRRT for too long. If they’re finally asked to pay a fair price in return for that, they’re not going to walk away. They pay much bigger taxes in Norway and Qatar than the gas export tax proposed in Australia.
The Australian government needs to be strong here.
If gas companies threaten to walk away, call their bluff.
They’re not going anywhere.
Australia’s red meat exports to Europe could increase ten-fold under a free trade agreement expected to be signed imminently, while local winemakers will get to keep the “prosecco” label and some luxury cars will become cheaper.
But local producers will need to phase out their use of the “prosecco” name for foreign exports over the next 10 years as a concession to European negotiators who want to protect their powerful wine industry.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, with the pair planning to sign a long-awaited free trade deal aimed at countering global chaos caused by US tariffs.
Australian farmers have been pushing to sell more red meat into Europe. Under a proposal to be discussed by the two leaders, they would be allowed to send between 30,000 and 35,000 tonnes of beef, around a 1000 per cent increase on the current quota, sources close to the negotiations told AAP.
Further discussions are focusing on ways expanded market access for all Australian agriculture products.
The Australian side has also agreed to scrap a five per cent tariff on imported cars from Europe but won’t abolish the luxury car tax as had previously been speculated, one source said.
The deal has fallen over repeatedly in the last eight years, partly because of long-running disputes over Australian producers’ rights to use product names like prosecco, feta cheese and parmesan.
Disagreements over all three products are now believed to be resolved, although the exact details of the agreement on feta and parmesan are not yet known.
Farming groups have been pushing for a minimum quota of at least 50,000 tonnes a year for red meat exports.
“With everything going on globally, there couldn’t be worse timing to lock in an agreement that sells Australian agriculture short,” National Farmers Federation president Hamish McIntyre told AAP.
“The NFF is concerned the EU will offer sub-par access for Australian producers while also deploying more billion-dollar subsidies to their producers – a double blow for Australian farmers.”
No deal would be “better than a bad deal”, the federation has declared.
Trade Minister Don Farrell held talks with his counterpart Maros Sefcovic on Monday but final details of the deal will need to be negotiated by Mr Albanese and Ms von der Leyen on Tuesday.
Former Australian trade official Prudence Gordon said the current quotas were prohibitive and not commercially meaningful for farmers.
“It’s not really worthwhile for most exporters of beef and lamb meat and other products like rice and sugar and dairy products to enter that market because the quotas are so tiny, but also the tariffs are really high,” Dr Gordon told AAP.
Ms von der Leyen will become the first female foreign leader to address federal parliament on Tuesday.
The NSW Government announced its new coal policy last week, with the news that new mines would be banned.
Preparing for this week’s Follow the Money episode with Ebony Bennett, I found this little easter egg hidden deep in the policy document:
“The Coal Innovation NSW Board, the body formerly established to advance low emissions research and development in the coal sector, will be wound up.”
This marks the end of one of NSW’s long-running fossil fuel subsidies. Coal Innovation NSW was established with $100 million in 2008. This was the good ol’ days when coal would be made “clean” within the next “few years”, “just around the corner”, “any day now”.
That never happened, obviously. There is no carbon capture on any coal fired power station in NSW, Australia and possibly the world.
There is still about $25 million down the back of the couch of Coal Innovation NSW. It will be interesting to see if they try to spend it before they get shut down.
Victorian teachers have voted to take strike action today, after pay negotiations with the state government fell over.
The teachers want parity with other states and have put forward a 35 per cent pay rise over four years deal, which the government is not budging on. It offered 17%, which was rejected.
Up to 500 schools could be closed today. It’s the first strike action in 13 years for Victorian teachers.
Independent MPs Kate Chaney and Sophie Scamps want national packaging reform to cut down on Australia’s plastic use. The MPs have joined the Boomerang Alliance call to cut down on the 1.3 million tonnes of plastic we use each year, with more than one million tonnes of that ending up in the tip.
The Alliance campaign wants federal and state governments to “adopt a strong, unified approach that shifts responsibility for plastic packaging waste from individuals to producers”.
From the statement:
In 2023, federal and state environment ministers committed to national packaging reform by 2025, including mandatory design standards and greater responsibility for producers over the lifecycle of their packaging. Three years on, key elements have not been delivered.
The Alliance and members of the crossbench are urging the Albanese Government to introduce legislation in 2026 that will:
Chaney and Scamps are now joining that fight from the parliament.
Monique Ryan, Zali Steggall, Lidia Thorpe and David Shoebridge are among the politicians fighting for Iranian refugees to be given certainty in Australia, following the government’s immediate action to grant protection visas to members of the Iranian women’s soccer team. There are refugees in Australia who have spent eight years waiting for the security of a visa, after being detained on Nauru and brought to Australia for medical treatment. They have spent the almost-decade building a life, but live in fear of being deported from Australia, as they remain on temporary visas with no pathway to permanency.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre brought some of the Iranian refugees to parliament yesterday to meet with as many MPs as possible to raise their cases. That includes Ferdos, who was forcibly detained on Nauru when she was 10 years old and spent five years there, until her brother became so sick they were transferred to Australia in 2018. She is now 23. Rahman is a single dad with two children, both born in Australia but only one is a citizen. He has been in Australia for 11 years and worries his son without citizenship could be deported at anytime.
The MPs are calling for an end to the cruelty of uncertainty of the temporary protection visa, and for some common sense to be applied to people who have built lives in Australia.
Reform advocates, medical professionals and crossbenchers are teaming up to push for action on gambling as a landmark report on its harms gathers dust 1000 days on.
Angry at inaction, proponents of gambling reform are releasing research about gambling companies trying to increase their appeal to young women to highlight the need for urgent government intervention.
Late Labor MP Peta Murphy handed down a report into gambling harms in June 2023, which recommended phasing out online gambling advertising, curbing inducements and setting up a national framework.
None of the 31 recommendations has been responded to 1000 days later.
The federal government touts its action on gambling reform, including banning credit cards, introducing new taglines after ads and a self-exclusion register when it defends its record, but it hasn’t addressed the report’s major recommendations.
Former communications minister Michelle Rowland had worked up a policy that would have partially banned gambling ads, including through hourly caps, but this was torpedoed by the prime minister’s intervention before it was made public.
Independent MP Kate Chaney will introduce a private member’s bill banning ads for online gambling services, enacting a recommendation of Ms Murphy’s report.
The ban would be phased in over three years and apply to free-to-air TV, social media, streaming services and around sporting fields.
Australian Medical Association president Danielle McMullen said gambling causes immeasurable harm to families as Australians lose $31.5 billion annually.
“The committee led by Peta Murphy was crystal clear — partial bans do not work, and it is time to recognise that ongoing industry pressure is harming Australians,” Dr McMullen said.
Social media promotions featuring celebrities and influencers were increasing gambling’s appeal to women, according to Deakin University research after a qualitative panel survey of 525 Victorian women aged between 18 and 40.
Using female celebrities and influencers and content linked to women’s interests made gambling feel more socially acceptable and relatable, according to the research.
A second study found strategies like celebrity endorsements, gambling inducements and direct-to-consumer marketing were normalising gambling, making it appear more positive and increasing wagering.
Survey participants described bonus bets – in-app currency offered by gambling companies to boost an account’s balance – making them feel like they had a greater chance of winning and that gambling was seen as a way to make money in the context of cost-of-living pressures.
Independent senator David Pocock said the government’s response was shameful.
“To see gambling companies now targeting women in the same way big tobacco did back in the day is troubling and wouldn’t have happened if the government had acted,” he said.
“There is no excuse for ongoing inaction. Australians overwhelmingly support a full ban on gambling advertising and the Albanese government needs to get on with delivering it.”
National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858
The Antipoverty Centre says the 27% increase in fuel prices and reports of petrol stations running out of fuel should mean the government stops forcing unemployed people to complete ‘mutual’ obligations in order to receive their government payment.
The system of penalties, called “mutual” obligations by the government, has continued to operate despite a December 2025 Commonwealth Ombudsman report raising concerns about unfair and unlawful penalties being applied to welfare recipients.
Antipoverty Centre spokesperson Jay Coonan said that when people were living below the poverty line, making them spend money on fuel or taxis for a five minute compliance meeting or to do unpaid Work for the Dole was unacceptable, especially given the government was urging people to work from home as much as possible.
Coonan:
Last week the Antipoverty Centre wrote to Minister Rishworth and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations urging them to stop compulsory activities for welfare recipients due to rising fuel costs resulting from war in West Asia.
There is no benefit to forcing people to do in-person appointments or other activities that they do not find useful. Appointments can easily be done over the phone or online.
We know the system of privatised welfare cops in charge of forcing poor people to do activities and stopping their Centrelink payments is full of abuse. We know these so-called job agencies routinely use their discretion to pressure people into inappropriate activities.
When the Commonwealth Ombudsman found that the employment department was administering compulsory activities unlawfully and without proper oversight Minister Rishworth chose to keep operating the system. We have seen the same patterns of harm continue.
Privatised welfare compliance should not have the power or discretion to force people to travel. Minister Rishworth must step in and stop all penalties to ensure the abuse is not compounded by fuel costs that are increasingly unbearable for people in poverty.
Readers might have seen on the news (does anyone still watch those) or read online that yesterday was not a great day on the share market.
The ASX200, which is the index of the top 200 companies on the Australian share market was down 0.7% and is now down 8.8% since Donald Trump went off on his illegal jaunt with Israel into Iran.
But never fear, our old friends Woodside and Santos are still doing ok. Woodside is up a rather jaw dropping 24.5% since 26 February, while Santos is dragging along only up a mere 19.1%:
Can I get a “tax these buggers” chant going?
Bill Browne
Director, Democracy & Accountability Program
In Australia, there’s no such thing as a safe seat any more. As community independents proved in the 2022 federal election, to the right candidate with the right campaign, even a blue-ribbon seat can fall.
The South Australian election this weekend is the latest reminder. As Premier Peter Malinauskas said following Labor’s landslide:
“There are no such things as safe seats. If you think there is still such a thing as a safe seat, you’re deluding yourself.”
He’s right. SA Labor has taken a swathe of seats that have been in Liberal hands for decades.
But One Nation is in the hunt for several seats too, including the Labor seat of Light. At the last election in 2022, Labor won 58% of the primary vote in Light, and 70% of the two-party preferred.
To go from an ultra-safe 70% to being in real danger of losing the seat in just four years, in an election where Labor has otherwise romped it home, goes to show just how perilous those “safe” seats really are.
The statewide swing to Labor made not a jot of difference to how the people of Light voted.
It’s only a few elections ago that the ABC explained “Why only a few seats really matter in an election”. That was the conventional wisdom as recently as 2019.
But since Richard Denniss wrote “Why the days of safe Liberal seats are almost over” ahead of the 2022 election, we increasingly hear from politicians that there are “no safe seats”:
Labor MP Jerome Laxale, former Liberal MP Keith Wolahan, Liberal Senator Anne Ruston, Resources Minister Madeleine King, independent MP Nicolette Boele and even Paul Erickson, the architect of Labor’s victory at the 2025 federal election, have all repeated some variation of the phrase.
In a July 2024 paper Power sharing in Australian parliaments, the Australia Institute provided the data to back up the claim: safe seats fell to independent and minor party candidates more often than supposedly marginal seats did.
In the wake of a remarkable state election, Premier Malinauskas is unequivocal.
Safe seats? There’s no such thing.
Hello and welcome back to another day of parliament.
EU president Ursula von der Leyen will address the parliament around lunchtime today – the parliament doesn’t sit until midday on Tuesdays, so it will be one of the first taxis off the ramp after welcomes and prayers.
This means that question time will be pushed back until 3pm. Yay.
Von der Leyen is expected to talk about the importance of countries banding together to uphold democratic ideals, which is a bit rich given her unwavering support of Israel’s assault on Gaza and Palestine.
Trump’s decision to agree with Israel on bombing Iran though has changed the game and suddenly, those lines that seemed so clear even just a couple of months ago are being redrawn for politicians like von der Leyen. Even Australia is backing away from the full throttle support we were offering just a couple of weeks ago. The US has now changed its winning goal posts to trying to force a return to business before it bombed Iran, which is a pretty good indication of how this ‘war’ is going. It’s almost like you can’t just do what you want and not have consequences. Even if you’re the United States.
Australia will also be signing that free trade deal with the EU which has been a pesky annoyance for the government over the last couple of years, with neither side able to agree on geographical indicators (can you call feta made in Australia, feta for example)
But that has all been ironed out, so we are all besties now. In the shadow of world war three, we all fam in da club.
Meanwhile the Liberals still don’t know how to get through any of this *gestures to everything* and are still flailing around looking for answers.
Oh, and the ABC still looks like going on strike on Wednesday.
So strap in – I am two coffees deep already – and have the third on the stove. Come with me?
Comments (10)
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Cath
Tue, 24.03.26
16.55 AEDT
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Michael Cowan
Tue, 24.03.26
15.21 AEDT
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chris g
Tue, 24.03.26
14.46 AEDT
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Rod
Tue, 24.03.26
14.34 AEDT
A quarter of Australians get less than 7 hours sleep a night Greg Jericho Chief economist The ABS aside from putting out rather cool (for nerds like me) data on economics, also likes doing surveys on how... The Point Live
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Richard
Tue, 24.03.26
12.55 AEDT
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Dale S
Tue, 24.03.26
12.00 AEDT
Time to organise a Telethon for the Gas Companies? Greg JerichoChief Economist Readers will no doubt have heard that Donald Trump has decided the Iran War might be over soon because the USA is... The Point Live
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Nick
Tue, 24.03.26
11.59 AEDT
The cause of the increase in inflation is profits not wages Greg JerichoChief Economist David RichardsonSenior Research Fellow We have just published new analysis of the latest GDP figures which shows just how wrong the RBA has been... The Point Live
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Cath
Tue, 24.03.26
09.07 AEDT
Good morning Hello and welcome back to another day of parliament. EU president Ursula von der Leyen will address the parliament around lunchtime today - the parliament... The Point Live
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Gregory Shearman
Tue, 24.03.26
07.42 AEDT
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Fiona
Tue, 24.03.26
07.42 AEDT
Fuel crisis means government must urgently stop penalties for welfare recipients: Antipoverty Centre The Antipoverty Centre says the 27% increase in fuel prices and reports of petrol stations running out of fuel should mean the government stops forcing... The Point Live
Join the conversation
Thank you Amy! You and the team are creating a special space here, making it easy to stay informed on what is (or is not) happening.
Would you consider adding reaction options to posts and comments in future updates? I often want to react to a post or comment but don't always have anything to say.
Dugald’s had enough today - Member for Barker copping a 3 hour suspension from the House.
Out of interest I ventured onto PHON web page in search of her policies as she said they were there in full for everyone to see. Other than a whole lot of word salads and weird and wonderful statements I could see nothing that would ensure that ny of us would feel safer, richer, would be helped if we suffered a disability, although it did state medicinal marijuana would be available. The whole website is just one bug slogan an ego trip for Pauline.
I use a sleep app and recently bought a watch (wearable) so I am fairly confident it is accurate and it has an AI (tut tut) assistant that judges my sleep. Apparently most of the time I am a very good boy with 'excellent' scores. Although I don't record snoring which is one variable.
Very informative in how alcohol affects my sleep. I always assumed it did but to see the data is interesting. Less deep sleep, less sleep and a higher resting heart rate.
Albanese and von der Leyen claim 'respect for international law'... WTF? Is this a remake of Dumb and Dumber? Neither Australia nor the EU has actually done an effing thing to try to bring any restraint on Israeli/USA genocide in Gaza and now aggressive war in neighbouring areas.
Albanese, in a staggeringly tin-eared and monstrously ill-calculated move bought the odious Israeli President Herzog (he of the signing a bomb intended to murder more Palestinians; he who claimed 'All Palestinians are terrorists') in what may at some future time be adjudged as 'supporting genocide' (though don't hold your breath there). The EU has danced nimbly through the minefield of failing to support international law by its non-objection to Israeli+USA genocide.
Next up: a state visit by Caligula, who will no doubt be hailed by Albanese as a champion of democracy.
I’m completely ignorant on contract law but could Australia “force majeure” the gas contracts and get them renegotiated at a higher price? Then a gas tax on their higher profits might save a forest of tissues for their crocodile tears.
https://live.thepoint.com.au/?post=7592de9176
"Our analysis covers the last 6 months of 202054"
If this is the future, then truly this is the worst timeline.
(Yes, I'm aware it's a typo)
Good morning all.
Are there prayers before every sitting of parliament? Do they vary the faith each day to encourage 'social cohesion'?
Why are they occurring in 2026 (is there a reason other than tradition)?
Our beautiful Jura coffee machine (a perfect cup every time at the push of a button) died on the weekend and had to be sent to the doctors. It still hasn't returned and we've been reduced to using our backup stove top moka pot. It makes an excellent cup, but no crema.... boo hoo!
Someone should go looking for Penny Wong's brain. I think that on her last trip to the USA they scooped it out and put a MAGA hat in its place.
They're useless. i was going to take my stepson to his appointment on Thursday and the petrol in that town we going up as I watched - one jumped 15c that morning!. They ended up cancelling 10 mins before we left - he would have already been there too if he's been using public transport.