Alex Antic (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

After that hiatus, I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to all questions without notice asked by coalition senators today.

Of course, there is plenty to talk about. We asked for answers in relation to a range of issues, all of which are central to the country today—child care, housing and the imminent unrealised capital gains tax among others. It caused me to pause and reflect upon the state of the nation as it generally stands. It seems almost inconceivable to me that a country as rich and as prosperous as Australia could be reduced to what it is today, such that we would have to sit here and ask questions in relation to those key issues, given the fact that we are talking about hundreds of thousands, now millions, of Australians who are homeless because of the reckless nature of the government's policies regarding immigration and housing.

We've got a crippled energy market, we've got a decimated manufacturing base, and we've got a developing culture of self-loathing leading to some of the most unaffordable, unachievable societal cohesion we have ever seen. It caused me this week, as we returned to parliament, to give consideration to, for the sake of people outside this building, of which there are something in the order of 27 million—half their luck!—and reflect upon how it has happened. What is it that we can reflect on in this building that shows that? I think you could mount a very strong case that this is actually happening, because this building, as we walk around and look at the inhabitants of it, is now in danger of becoming nothing more than a coffee spot for union heavies, for lobbyists and for bureaucrats, who seem to be populating the entire building. It becomes something of a kabuki theatre, in which the actors in this building simply mill around and play their part. The laws in this building, the laws that have created those crises, emanate as a result of a thought bubble that occurred somewhere in a foreign land in a conference or a think tank—the kind of meeting where you get well-dressed, well-coiffed bureaucrats talking on a panel, wearing a wireless mic, sitting around with crossed legs, answering questions and sharing ideas about what would make a great Australia and then booking meetings later on with the minister's people. Of course, the minister, when they come back and talk to them, isn't paying attention, because the ministers in this building are now preferring self-aggrandising, delivering keynotes, talking at think tanks, going to dinners and having puff pieces written about them.

This week we've seen the incredible spectacle—coming out of this side of the chamber exclusively, I would say—the invention of TikTok videos set to music, which has been an extraordinary development. There are a lot of dances coming out of your side of the chamber, Senator Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm not on TikTok, mate. I wouldn't know.

Alex Antic (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's much to your benefit! The reality here, though, is that this building is now populated by an incredible cast of characters. This building is like a great big party for the swamp, and no-one at home is invited. It's a party you're not invited to, because it's now completely, wholly owned by a different breed. You've got the career lefty politician person, who can't seem to walk around the building on his own. He's got to have two or three staff members behind him, talking about whatever busy work they're doing in the back room. This character, of course, made an impassioned speech 10 years ago about values and then forgot about them on the basis that we need to see the bigger picture.

You've got the journalists, who don't get away scott-free, congregating in groups around the building, holding microphones, asking really important beltway questions about really important beltway issues—captive to corporate interests though, mind you, and at the whim of their editors—loving to drop a yarn, but in fact they're just writing whatever is deemed suitable by their private equity ownership. They have got 'journalist' on their tag, but if you read the business card, it should probably say 'Labor media adviser in waiting'.

You've also got the lobbyists. You can see them milling around the building dominated by their orange lanyards. This is the lobbyist, sometimes known as the one-term MP, who told his family that he couldn't wait to get out of the building and now spends his days having coffees with MPs and reporting back to his board that he's influencing policy making.

The staffers don't get off scott-free. You see them walking around the building in pants exposing the ankles, with a rainbow lanyard. They can't seem to walk without a coffee in their hand, talking about whatever the minister wants or whatever Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign is looking like. And who can forget the career bureaucrats with more letters after their names than the alphabet? They went to ANU in '93 to study human rights law and ended up in the diversity, equity and inclusion department of one our intel agencies.

These are the cast of characters who are doing damage to this nation.

Lisa Darmanin (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That was a little hard to follow. I don't feel like I'm having a party when I come here. For me, it's more about doing the hard work of this government. It's no joke, actually. The Albanese Labor government's first economic term—in particular, I want to talk about tax policy, budget repair and targeted cost-of-living relief to support Australians while reducing inflation and getting wages moving again—is hardly something to joke about. I think people on this side of the chamber have not had a party when they have been working really hard over the last three years in delivering those outcomes for Australians.

The Treasurer has spoken about the decades-long productivity challenge facing this country and other developed countries around the world, and the Treasurer has also made clear that driving productivity is a key focus of the second term of the Albanese Labor government. That's why the upcoming productivity roundtable that will be happening here in August will be an important part of the next stage of reforms that need to continue in this country, and it will be a collective effort across the economy between the government, business, the community sector and workers. It is important for the government to lead this discussion and to bring all of these parties together so that we can continue on the path of productivity improvements and improving the wellbeing of all Australians.

Coming more specifically to tax policy, we haven't changed our tax policies, and our economic plans are centred on Australians earning more and keeping more of what they earn. We delivered three rounds of income tax cuts in our first term in parliament and we have made lots of progress in getting the budget in a much better position, but we need it to be even more sustainable at a time when global conditions are uncertain and when our economy needs to continue to be resilient.

While we showed in the first term that we could deliver budget surpluses despite all of these challenges, that we could engineer the biggest nominal turnaround in the budget in a single term in our history and that we could get Liberal debt down, there is obviously more that we need to do. We are very focused on doing that and on building a big agenda through the productivity roundtable and other economic and tax policy work to determine what our next steps will be.

Specifically, on the matter of the unrealised gains on superannuation balances—I could talk about this for a lot longer than the two minutes I have left. Labor are the party of superannuation, and this month we celebrated another milestone: 12 per cent compulsory superannuation paid to all workers' balances. This is the kind of thing we are focused on. We are focused on delivering secure, dignified retirement savings for the average worker in our economy. The increases delivered through the 12 per cent guarantee will mean that a worker aged 30 right now who is earning an average full-time income will have an extra $98,000 in retirement. That is significant. These are the kinds of reforms that we are delivering for real working people.

The fact is that our changes to better target superannuation concessions are modest, and they are being introduced in a methodical way that won't affect the vast majority of Australians—Australians like the worker who's aged 30 and earning an average income who will receive an extra $98,000 at retirement, thanks to our increase of the guarantee to 12 per cent. These changes will apply to only about half a per cent of people, those with more than $3 million in their superannuation balances. I don't actually know many people, if any at all, who have $3 million or more in their superannuation accounts. And they will still get generous tax concessions—just slightly less generous than the ones they get now.

Respected financial commentator Noel Whittaker has pointed out that, despite all the panic that's been peddled in some of the conservative newspapers around this taxing of unrealised gains, the reality is that super will still be a very attractive and concessional place to save for retirement, even when this modest measure is in place.

Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also stand to take note of answers to all coalition questions. I'm going to start with the questions that my colleague Senator Duniam asked in relation to child care. This has been a very disturbing series of allegations over the recent period. As soon as they came to pass, our leader, Sussan Ley, came out and said that we would immediately work with the government and that we stood ready to work with the government on any changes required to strengthen protections for our children. In addition, our leader, Sussan Ley, wrote to the Prime Minister to reiterate that to which she had spoken, and that is really important. We are here to work with the government to ensure that we can protect our children in any way that we can. We are grateful to the government for the work that they have already done in this space.

The bill that was referenced relates to funding arrangements being able to be withdrawn from operators that do not do the right thing. That is a good thing, but it doesn't go far enough. Our questions related to timelines for what states and territories needed to do in order to ensure that protections were strengthened for children. We didn't receive an answer in relation to those timelines. As I said, we are supportive of the laws in relation to funding, but that is only a part of the issue that needs to be addressed. We need to look at the work that the states and territories will be doing, because they are the regulators. The balance of that work needs to be done without delay, and we need to understand when that will happen.

The government is the leader in relation to driving these reforms. They are the ones that can make this happen. They are the ones that can set the deadlines and ensure that states and territories meet those deadlines. Parents expect them to do that. Parents expect them to do that expeditiously, and they expect them to do it now—not in a few weeks or months. That is a fair and reasonable expectation, given the nature and depravity of the allegations that we have heard.

We have such a breakdown between the individual states and territories when it comes to information sharing. We should ensure that no individual who has been sacked from any childcare centre, or from any environment where they are working with children, should ever be able to get any kind of employment in another childcare centre or another environment where they are accessing or working with children. That should never be allowed. If somebody has been terminated on the basis of their conduct, then why should we expose other children and other families to them?

We need to act on this very quickly, and we need the government to explain why there hasn't been a deadline set for this. That is a very fair and reasonable expectation from us as an opposition not only in dealing with this matter constructively but also in highlighting a criticism of a delay that perhaps shouldn't be there. We have breakdowns between government departments at the state and territory level. That also needs to be dealt with. It needs to be addressed urgently. There is bipartisan support to get these things done. We are here to help you do that. We just need you to show the leadership that is needed in order to get this done expeditiously, because our children deserve that.

I don't think any of us in this place ever wanted to hear of the type of allegations that we have heard in the past few weeks. It has distressed all of us. And the people outside this building—the people who we represent—expect us to act in a manner that is clear-minded and efficient and that ensures that these kinds of things can never happen in our country again. We need to ensure that we deliver on that expectation.

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of the government's answers to opposition questions. The first issue I want to address—and I want to thank Senator Kovacic for her contribution just then; I think it is above politics—is the conversation around early childhood centres and education. I think Minister Walsh was very clear in trying to articulate, during the questions from Senator Duniam in question time, the process in which the government will undertake to seek that urgency to ensure that the reforms are established.

We share your concern and, as Minister Walsh said, also welcome your bipartisanship in working with the government to ensure that this important and urgent work is done. We will consider the different facets of that, and the minister already committed to a scheduled urgent meeting in her response to today's question about this.

As a working mother of two daughters who has used day care and child care for my own children, of course it was upsetting to hear the reports. Led by Jason Clare, our education minister from the other place, Labor are looking at important reforms that stretch across an important workforce, one that is particularly represented by low-paid workers and by women, and are working through what a national child safety package looks like in relation to urgent reform for our children. And I'm glad that we share, across the aisle, the concern in relation to how we will get this job done.

I can assure you that the Albanese Labor government believe that every child in Australia deserves quality, safe and affordable early education. That is at the heart of the work that our education minister and our assistant minister will undertake in order to ensure that that happens. We see the value in ensuring that women—and it is women who shoulder the burden in this—are supported in getting back into the workforce. Of course, we want to make sure that, when you drop your children off to an early childhood care provider, there are guardrails in place, essentially using the Commonwealth levers that exist to make sure there are regulations in place for quality and safety when they are the domain of states and territories. That's some important work that the Albanese Labor government will do through its childcare subsidy funding. I look forward to having conversations with the opposition and continuing that bipartisan support for that work.

I also quickly want to touch on the question asked of Minister Ayres by Senator McDonald, in relation to the closure of smelters and what the Albanese Labor government are doing in relation to our strategic and considered approach to our minerals- and metals-processing sectors—making sure that we are strengthening our economic resilience and our national security. We will build a future where Australia adds value to our resources, strengthens our supply chains and secures well-paid, stable blue-collar jobs. Each smelter obviously faces distinct changes, and I think that Minister Ayres was very clear in his response today about the way in which the Albanese Labor government will work through that. Those challenges are quite significant. Those challenges are about working with state and territory governments, industry leaders, unions and affected communities nationwide. It is our priority, in order to secure the sectors' long-term viability in the national interest, to put all of those pieces together, and it is the work that Minister Ayres, within his portfolio, will do. (Time expired)

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think all of North Queensland should be very concerned after the nonanswers we heard today from the Minister for Industry and Innovation. He was asked a very specific question by the shadow minister for resources, Senator McDonald, about the government's plan to help save the 17,000 jobs in North Queensland that rely on the Townsville copper refinery and the Mount Isa copper smelter. The minister gave no answers. The Queensland government has put forward a proposal—and I recognise that Glencore has said that the Queensland government's proposal is not adequate to save these jobs—but this should be a partnership between the state and federal governments. As we heard—or didn't hear, as it is—from the minister for industry, the federal government has proposed no plan, no tangible action whatsoever, to help save these jobs.

The questions that have to be asked are: What has the government been doing apart from congratulating itself on its election victory and saving its own jobs a few months ago? What is it doing to help save these jobs? It is also very concerning that the minister failed to outline exactly what problem is facing this industry and why these jobs are at risk. He probably doesn't want to do that, because it would be embarrassing for the government to admit their own faults. Thankfully, the Australian Workers' Union are not as shy as the minister. In a Facebook post on 8 July the Australian Workers' Union said:

Between skyrocketing energy prices, cheap dumping and tariff wars, smelters such as Nyrstar and Glencore Mt Isa are up against a wall.

It is very embarrassing for the government for one of its own unions that notionally support it to point out that skyrocketing energy prices are one of the reasons why these jobs are on the line. This government came to power promising lower energy prices. They promised that net zero would deliver a cheaper energy future. Instead, we have the circumstance three years after their initial election of thousands of jobs being put at risk in this country because the government has failed on its promises. It has failed to run a functioning energy market in this country. It used to actually pay taxes and generate profits and wealth for our country, but now it's having to come to state and federal governments with its hands out for a taxpayer bailout to keep these jobs.

The first thing we need from this government is a plan to save these jobs. The second thing we need is an admission of guilt and fault. The only way you're going to fix your problem is to first admit that you've got one, and we've got a big one with this government and the skyrocketing energy prices we are all living with.

Question agreed to.