The Point Live: Aukus in trouble with Sth Korea deal, environmental laws bring less transparency. As it happened.

Mike Bowers has decided to punish himself today and head into the senate for QT. Here is a series on Bridget McKenzie, being Bridget McKenzie.

Michael McCormack is allowed to ask a question. It’s been a while since we have seen Tip Top in QT – welcome back Tip Top! In very McCormack areas, the question is from something that happened almost six years ago.

My question is for the Minister for Energy and climate change. Labor promised Australians their power bills would fall by $275 in 2025. Is the minister aware that it is now 2025 and that electricity bills are up by nearly 40%? Why did the minister mislead Australians?

Chris Bowen:

I am aware it’s 2025. Not sure the National Party is.

He waits for the laughter to die down.

I am also aware there are pressures in our energy system as around the world. I’m aware the AEMO quarterly energy dynamics report released today which is a welcome progress report, which shows wholesale down, and 27% year on year and 38% quarter on quarter. I see this as good progress w much more to do. And there is no coincidence that the quarterly report which showed a 38% reduction in wholesale prices also shows the highest renewable penetration for that quarter in Australian history. This is the sign of progress. We have never said that there isn’t a lot more to do. We haven’t said there aren’t pressures in the system.

We have announced energy relief which were opposed by those opposite. That’s the difference between the two parties in this House – the Government and the Opposition – we recognise the need to ensure we have more, most reliable and cheapest form of energy which is renewables and those opposite are opposed to it.

Jim Chalmers gets paid to answer Super Ted, so here is what he said:

For those of you wondering why the Shadow Treasurer cuts such a come comical almost cartoonish figure in this place that’s your answer.

We are working through serious economic challenges and that is the best way in the considered, methodical, consultative way that defines this government. If the Shadow Treasurer wants to ask me about unemployment, he needs to acknowledge the average rate under this government is the lowest of any government in half a century.

Half a century.

Under those opposite, unemployment averaged 5.6%, under this government, 3.9%. I find it odd that the Shadow Treasurer would want to highlight that in Question Time in the House of Representatives.

Similarly on inflation.I take advice in the course of job as Treasurer but I won’t take advice on inflation from those who left us with inflation that was 6.1% and rising fast.

Inflation on their watch was twice what it is now and it was rising fast. One of the reasons for that that we now know, whether it is from the COVID review or other places, is that when inflation was absolutely galloping in our economy, in 2022, 6.1 and rising fast, they were pouring more and more fuel on the flames.

We know that now. That is an economic fact and that is their legacy. This is why they have no economic credibility, especially with inflation, especially with employment and also when it comes to real wages. I’m asked about government spending. Those opposite promised a surplus every year in office. They delivered nine consecutive deficits.

This side of the House, weave been here for three full years. We have delivered two surpluses and one smaller deficit than we inherited from those opposite. They had spending as almost a third of the economy. We got it closer to a quarter.

They had real spending growth growing 4.1%. We’ve got it growing at 1.7%. This is why the questions from those opposite lack any credibility whatsoever, because we remember your record. We remember your record. We know that when we came to office, inflation was roaring, interest rates were rising, real wages were falling, living standards were plummeting, you’d only delivered deficits.

There was $1 trillion in Liberal debt. We spent every day or our three and a bit years cleaning up the mess they left us.

Backk to the house of reps and Ted O’Brien inflicts himself on all of us, which honestly – haven’t we been punished enough this week?

We learned yesterday that inflation has smashed through the top of the RBA target band. This is a direct consequence of the Treasurer’s spending spree. Labor spending is growing four times faster than the economy and reached a 40-year high outside recession. What is the Treasurer’s explanation for unemployment and inflation being well above the RBA forecast, not unlike the stagflation from the 70s which people nowadays refer to as the “Jimflation Effect”.

I am begging all of the Gods – could someone with an actual sense of humour, or at least a tiny bit of wit write these questions? Because for Dolly’s sake it is so pedestrian if I wasn’t been forced to watch this, I would be stabbing myself in the face with a fork because it would be less painful.

Senator McKenzie is up next to ask why the government has been sitting on the report for two years.

Senator Farrell says that Katy Gallagher has said it will be released at the appropriate time and that this government doesn’t want to rush things and make a wrong decision.

He then says that the government is a government of action.

Senator McKenzie made use of some pretty subtle mime work to express her disagreement

Sophie Scamps gets the first crossbench question and it is on the Briggs report into ‘jobs for mates’ that David Pocock has spent the past two years trying to get the government to release.

In February 2023, the minister for public service announced an inquiry into public board appointments to end the jobs for mates culture of the previous coalition government. The minister stated, “In line with the government’s commitment to transparency, a report will be published after the review is finalised in mid-2023”. The government has had over two years to consider its findings, and has repeatedly refused to make the report public. When will the government release the Briggs report and legislate a transparent, merit-based appointment process across the public sector?

It means Richard Marles is back:

I thank the member for her question on this important matter. As the member referred to, we commissioned Briggs to undertake a report to Cabinet that would look at what were the appropriate standards in terms of appointing people to public sector boards. Ms Briggs has undertake than work. The matter is in front of Cabinet. It is there to be considered. The Cabinet is working through the process of considering the report and we will respond and when we do, we will release the report as the Minister for the Public Service has repeatedly said, and so we will release this report. We will do so after Cabinet appropriately considered it given it is a report to Cabinet. That is the appropriately, that’s the normal and appropriate way to go about this. We listen for the interjections from the other side.

The hypocrisy in those is breathtaking, given that when it comes to the question of appointing people to government positions they industrialise it in terms of who they are reporting from their ranks.

The Briggs report, that saids an important piece of work and we are considering it at Cabinet and when we respond we will make it public. On but on the question of transparency the member raises.

It was the former Rudd Labor government which introduced the Ministerial Code of Conduct and that government introduced the Lobbying Code of Conduct and the Lobbying Register which provided transparency. It is the Albanese Labor government which has established the National Anti-Corruption Commission which increased funding for the ANAO, strengthening whistleblower protections. When you look at which party is on the side of government transparency, and government accountability, it is the party currently running the government.

Amy Remeikis​

In the Senate the Liberal Party Senate Leader Anne Rushton asked if the govt was going to retaliate against the Libs for it and crossbench (led by Senator Pocock) forcing the govt to have Question Time go for 30 more minutes in order to get the govt to table a report on Jobs for Mates. The news reports are that the govt will strip the Libs of their Deputy Chair spots on committees (and thus lose a chunk of income).

Don Farrell says, oh no, heaven forbid!!! He also says he is not aware of these reports, which, yeah nah.  

It all gets a bit heated and Bridget McKenzie is asked to withdraw a statement.

Sen. Ashton then asks about the Centre for Public Integrity report saying the government is shonky on transparency.

Sen. Farrell then brags about the government’s changes to electoral reforms which we pointed out last year, basically work to secure the duopoly of the Alp and LNP.

Farrell’s time quickly runs out saving that skerrick of life force I still have after having listened to him for these past couple minutes.

Union giant Tony Maher has announced he is retiring after almost three decades at the helm of the Mining and Energy Union.

Grahame Kelly, currently the MEU general secretary will assume the role from January 2026.

Maher said that leading the MEU had been the honour of his life:

I’m proud that we have reshaped the Mining and Energy Union into a strong,
independent union with growing membership and a dedicated leadership team.

Today’s MEU traces its history back to the first trade unions in Australia formed
in coal regions 170 years ago. We’ve always had tough employers with deep pockets; and our members have organised and fought for their rights, safety and living standards. I’ve done my best to continue our union’s long tradition of honest, militant and democratic trade unionism.

Double jail and the Judas Cradle for his Uber driver – David Smith, the Member for Norfolk Island (which includes part of Canberra in the electorate of Bean) asks a dixer to Richard Marles.

NEXT!

We are straight into it today.

Sussan Ley starts on…the national audit office looking at the Australia Housing Future Fund, which happened YESTERDAY if you wanted to know just how off the pace the opposition is.

Ley:

The dream of homeownership has become a nightmare for millennials and Gen Z who have no hope of ever owning under Labor. The Auditor-General has launched an investigation into Labor’s failed housing fund. The Chair of Housing Australia resigned. The failed Minister for Housing is building bureaucracies instead of building homes. Why is it when Labor fails, Australians always pay the price?

That tag line at the end is what the Coalition are currently trying to get off the ground. Not sure it is working for them.

This question also inflicts Richard Marles on all of us, which is maybe the more unforgivable crime.

Marles:

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. The first point to make is that if the Liberals are so concerned about the Housing Australia Future Fund and its contribution to providing more houses in this country, it should have supported the Housing Australia Future Fund much earlier than it did.

The Housing Australia Future Fund is now making an important contribution to the building of houses in this country, indeed, in the Leader of the Opposition’s own electorate, there are 54 homes in one area which are currently part of the first tranche of the Housing Australia Future Fund’s project. In the member for Lindsay, there are 135 homes in Penrith being pursued, in the member for Moncrieff’s electorate, 213 homes are pursued.

Since we came to government… half a million houses have been built. That includes 5,000 social and affordable houses. In the nine years that those opposite were in government, the number of social and affordable houses they constructed was 313. 313 in nine years. What we have done is the biggest investment in housing we have seen from a Federal Government. The Housing Australia Future Fund is a critical part because we care about providing affordable housing in this country and what we have over this side is enormous hypocrisy and a massive gap between what they say and do but the Australian people saw through it.