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Asked about CGT backdown, Chalmers says opposition trying to distract from vote against tax cuts
“How many more humiliating backdowns will it take for the treasurer to admit his budget is a failure?,” asks Nationals MP Alison Penfold, who says the treasurer yesterday defended the inclusion of the “widow tax” in the legislation because the rule was consistent with the current CGT settings.
Jim Chalmers starts with a bit of an odd rebuke, saying “I’ll tell you what’s humiliating, Mr Speaker. The shadow treasurer’s inability to ask me a question himself”.
Chalmers says that the government took “particular care” in its response yesterday because it was still considering amendments that were being put forward in the Senate.
I think everybody here, and everybody watching at home and in the galleries as well, knows what’s really happening here. They are trying to distract from the fact that when the bills come back down from the Senate, that they will vote against tax cuts for workers.
And that’s what they’re trying to obscure, they’re desperately hoping that nobody notices that the three rightwing parties and their divisive anti-worker agenda will see them vote against tax cuts once again.
The opposition says that the question was about a “humiliating backflip” and Milton Dick agrees the treasurer should talk about the policy, not the opposition.
Chalmers ends his answer calling the legislation a “win” for first home buyers.
Key events
Andrew Messenger
Qld deputy premier won’t say if riverfront land sold for new development
Queensland’s deputy premier, Jarrod Bleijie, won’t say if publicly owned riverfront land has been sold off for a new private development.
The site is currently home to a glassworks operated by Visy. It’s less than a half-an-hour walk from the Brisbane CBD.
The state purchased the 7.1 hectare site for $165m in 2022, under a plan by the then Labor government to use it for a a broadcasting centre for the Olympics. That plan was shelved after the 2024 election of an LNP government, which wanted the site for a new residential development of about 4000 apartments.
Bleijie announced on Thursday that Lendlease had won the tender for the site, but wouldn’t say if the land had been handed over or kept or sold.
He said the land ownership was “commercial in confidence”.
“Does it matter?” he said, in response to journalists’ questions.
Bleijie said the area would be “a new South Bank”.
Cleared for the 1988 World Expo, the land was to be sold off for private development, but was instead kept in public hands after a campaign calling for it to become public parkland.
Paterson says Taylor ‘right to put Australian values at the heart’ of position on multiculturalism
Paterson was also asked about his colleague Angus Taylor’s response when asked about his position on multiculturalism this week.
The opposition leader attempted to clarify comments on multiculturalism after his five non-answers on Tuesday, which left colleagues dumbfounded and questioning the opposition leader’s approach to One Nation.
Paterson said:
I know Angus’ views on this, I’ve talked to him about this, I know where he stands and he is right to put Australian values at the heart of this.
Paterson rebuffed the suggestion that Taylor’s response had hurt his leadership.
Liberal frontbencher calls Hanson’s ‘monoculture’ vision ‘deeply weird’
Opposition frontbencher James Paterson says One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s vision for a “monocultural” Australia is “deeply weird”. He said:
For decades, if not centuries, Australians have spoken other languages at home.
I think this push to impose a government-down mandated monoculture is deeply weird.
The opposition’s defence spokesperson, James Paterson, spoke to the ABC earlier.
He was asked about the Australian woman linked to the Islamic State group given authorisation to return to Australia, after the federal government was advised it could no longer enforce a criminal exclusion order.
The Victorian Liberal senator accused the federal government of “always having an excuse” about “why they can’t protect Australians from this cohort of high-risk people.”
Patterson said the federal opposition would work with the government if keeping the woman out of Australia required legal changes:
If the government thinks there’s deficiencies in the law, they should talk to us about that.
We’ve been willing to act in the national interest to put Australia’s national security interest first…. and to remedy court findings when they occur, so we have that same offer remains on the table.
Daniels says ‘good reasons’ to form new party
Daniel said there were “good reasons” Steggall and Spender were creating a new political party in the current political landscape, particularly with the rise of One Nation:
The question is whether you can take the best of the community independence movement and inject that authenticity into a form of [a] party or a form of [an] alliance.
Zoe Daniel ‘on the fence’ over joining new centrist party
Former teal independent Zoe Daniel says she is “on the fence” about joining a new political party aimed at the political centre.
Speaking to ABC, Daniel was asked about her former colleagues – independent MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender – launching a new political party called Community Strong Australia. The stated aim is providing a centrist alternative for voters amid the rise of One Nation and turmoil inside the Coalition.
Asked if she would join the party Daniel said she was “completely on the fence at this point”.
I’ve been involved in all of the discussions so I’m very aware of structure and how it came together and what its pillars are, and they’re very aligned to my principles, but there are risks, and I do want to talk to my community about it.
Daniel said she also needed to decide if she would run at the next federal election.
Butler says Labor will keep campaigning for tax reform and NDIS changes
The federal health minister, Mark Butler, was speaking to the ABC earlier after the government’s budget bill passed parliament. Butler acknowledged the federal government would need to continue spruiking its tax reform:
Of course, we’re going to campaign on making sure young Australians … [are] getting the opportunity to own around [their] own home, like previous generations of Australia.
Asked if the government was open to making amendments to its proposed NDIS overhaul, Butler said:
We’ve demonstrated over the last 24 hours a willingness to do things at the edges, but the basic direction… I outlined several weeks ago at the [National] Press Club, I’m very confident, is the right thing for the NDIS.
Independent Kate Chaney says no ‘immediate benefit’ to her community from joining Community Strong Australia
Independent MP Kate Chaney says she opted not to join a new political party aimed at the political centre because she didn’t see any “immediate benefit” for her community.
Appearing on Sky News, Chaney was asked about her fellow teal independent MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender launching a a new political party called Community Strong Australia, with the stated aim of providing a centrist alternative for voters amid the rise of One Nation and turmoil inside the Coalition.
Chaney said:
I still think that I can deliver a lot of value to my community as an independent and I’ll continue to do that and I couldn’t see any immediate benefit for my community or progressing the agenda to form to be part of a political party.
She added that she wouldn’t rule out joining a party in the future:
It’s true that the electoral reform package that the major parties pushed through will make it harder for independents to be elected… but at the moment it just doesn’t seem like a priority for me. I want to focus on the policy issues rather than thinking about political parties.
Krishani Dhanji
Thank you all so much for joining me on the blog this sitting week – it’s been an eventful one, to say the least!
There’s plenty more news to come this afternoon, and I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Adeshola Ore.
Tl;dr: here’s what happened in question time
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The Coalition tried to pin down the government on exactly when it knew about the impacts the CGT legislation would have on widows and divorcees. The housing minister avoided providing a timeline, and gave increasingly short answers.
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Angus Taylor also accused the government of rolling out a welcome mat for a woman linked to Isis. The PM accused Taylor of using language that spy boss Mike Burgess had warned against.
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The prime minister refused a call by the Greens to back a plebiscite for a 25% tax on gas exports.
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The prime minister was also challenged on forcing social media companies to allow users to opt out of algorithms – we didn’t get a straight answer on whether the government would take that action.
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And three MPs left the chamber today, two officially got the boot (including one within the first minute), and one left before Milton Dick could formally make him.
Question time ends
After a final dixer to education minister, Jason Clare, the PM calls time on QT for the week.
Before we get out of the chamber, I’ll leave you with this sledge from Clare to the opposition:
You’ve got the Liberal party, you’ve got the National party and you’ve got One Nation all competing against each other to see who can be the most extreme.
Whether it is on education or multiculturalism or anything else. They’re like the Neapolitan ice-cream of Australian politics, Mr Speaker. The problem is they all want to be vanilla!
Allegra Spender asks if Labor will force social media companies to allow users to opt out of algorithms
Allegra Spender, now of the Community Strong party, asks the prime minister if the government will force social media companies to allow users to opt out of algorithms as part of its digital duty-of-care legislation. She says “social media algorithms feed extremism and polarisation”.
Anthony Albanese says the government needs to do more to protect people and children from harm online.
He says the government will continue to consult on its digital duty-of-care legislation to figure out how best to do that.
We know that, as the member has said, algorithms drive people towards more and more extreme positions, so they start off in a mainstream position, talking about ethnicity, perhaps, or faith, and they end up over a period of time receiving in their inbox, not just children, adults as well, of course, can be impacted by this with Nazi-level propaganda, with calls for violence.
We’ve increased the funding for the eSafety Commissioner by four times. We’ve introduced fines of $49.5m to be available for breaches of the social media ban aimed at young people, but clearly we are going to need to do more, and that’s what the digital duty-of-care is about.
O’Neil dodges question on CGT legislation
Liberal MP Leon Rebello wants some clarification on exactly when the government knew about issues that the CGT legislation would have on spouses affected by divorce or death.
He asks the housing minister, Clare O’Neil, if she knew before or after the budget was handed down.
O’Neil’s response is even shorter this time, but she won’t say exactly when she was made aware of the issue.
We are aware of the issues that the member is raising. We are working through them in the usual way. This will be resolved in a future piece of legislation. I look forward to engaging with the member when it comes forward.
Australia Post ‘running licensees out of business’, Andrew Wilkie says
The Independent MP from Tasmania Andrew Wilkie says he’s spoken to many post office licensees “and it’s clear that Australia Post is running them out of business as it morphs into a parcel delivery service”.
He asks the communications minister, Anika Wells, if the government will stop that from happening.
Wells says under government rules there must be a minimum of 4,000 post offices around the country.
But she adds:
Australia Post is working with its licensees to modernise the arrangements that govern those commercial relationships. The licensing model is decades old … You only need to look at the mobile phones in your pockets to understand why. There is a dramatic decline in the letter business, there is a dramatic decline in the retail foot traffic, all that must be considered.
Opposition questions Labor on CGT changes and effect after divorce or death
When did the government first realise its legislation would “impose a new death tax on widows, divorcees and victims of domestic violence?”, asks Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie.
Clare O’Neil gives her shortest answer yet, and says vaguely the government “has been aware for some time”.
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, told the Senate earlier today the government would change its legislation to protect partners affected by divorce or death from CGT changes in its subsequent tax legislation.
O’Neil says:
I think the government’s made clear in several statements that this is an issue that we’ve been aware of for some time, and the treasurer has spoken about the government’s deliberations.
‘Listen to the people’: Greens push for plebiscite on gas export tax
Over to the crossbench, Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown asks the prime minister if he’ll “listen to the people” and hold a national plebiscite for a 25% gas export tax.
It feels like it’s been a minute since the debate was catching fire in parliament.
Anthony Albanese says he disputes suggestions from the public campaign for the tax that gas companies aren’t paying levies already.
He then talks about Australia being a “reliable partner” in the region, linking gas exports (and not taxing them) to receiving petrol from our neighbouring countries when the world has been facing a shortage during the crisis in the Middle East.
Albanese says:
Some of the campaign [suggests] somehow gas companies or other companies in the resources sector do not pay tax and that there is no company tax, there is no resources tax, the PRRT does not exist, and will not grow in the future. It also ignores … the work that we’ve done on the gas reservation of 20% of exports, which is very important in Western Australia.
Asked about CGT backdown, Chalmers says opposition trying to distract from vote against tax cuts
“How many more humiliating backdowns will it take for the treasurer to admit his budget is a failure?,” asks Nationals MP Alison Penfold, who says the treasurer yesterday defended the inclusion of the “widow tax” in the legislation because the rule was consistent with the current CGT settings.
Jim Chalmers starts with a bit of an odd rebuke, saying “I’ll tell you what’s humiliating, Mr Speaker. The shadow treasurer’s inability to ask me a question himself”.
Chalmers says that the government took “particular care” in its response yesterday because it was still considering amendments that were being put forward in the Senate.
I think everybody here, and everybody watching at home and in the galleries as well, knows what’s really happening here. They are trying to distract from the fact that when the bills come back down from the Senate, that they will vote against tax cuts for workers.
And that’s what they’re trying to obscure, they’re desperately hoping that nobody notices that the three rightwing parties and their divisive anti-worker agenda will see them vote against tax cuts once again.
The opposition says that the question was about a “humiliating backflip” and Milton Dick agrees the treasurer should talk about the policy, not the opposition.
Chalmers ends his answer calling the legislation a “win” for first home buyers.
