Federal politics live: Eleventh-hour rush to ram childcare changes through Senate

1m agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 6:01am

Watch: On the question of dual citizenship

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Earlier today, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton lamented the limited provisions to cancel citizenship, after video emerged of two NSW Health nurses bragging about harming Israelis.

One of the two nurses, is a dual citizen of Australia and Afghanistan.

But Minister Anne Aly argued on Afternoon Briefing that the issue of antisemitism is far broader than an immigration issue.

16m agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 5:45am

ADF monitoring Chinese warships in Coral Sea

Our defence correspondent Andrew Greene is following the military incident in the South China Sea.  

He’s just reported that separate to this interaction, the Australian Defence Force has been monitoring three Chinese warships operating in the Coral Sea. 

You can read more here.

23m agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 5:39am

Returning to the matter of electoral reforms

Up next on Afternoon Briefing, we’re returning to the matter of electoral reforms.

If you weren’t following along this morning, the TL;DR is the government drew fresh fury from the crossbench after making a deal with the Coalition to push electoral reforms through overnight.

You can read more about what the changes are here.

Independent MPs Kate Chaney and Zali Steggall tell Patricia Karvelas they think there “probably will be a High Court challenge”.

“They cannot win people
back on the merits of instead they change the rules,” Chaney says of the major parties.

32m agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 5:30am

Aly pressed on possible ‘political play’ with childcare bill

It’s been a busy half-hour in federal politics, and Early Education Minister Anne Aly is being quizzed on another spot of breaking news: the newly-passed childcare bill.

Patricia Karvelas asks whether it was a “political play” to rush it through today, even though it doesn’t start until next year.

“It is something that had strong support from the sector and it was a
recommendation by the PC review,” Aly says.

“This is us taking action on things we know are good policy; part of our reform package in early childhood education and care, getting to that place of a universal system that benefits every child.”

Dan Tehan, who is a former education minister, outlines his concerns with the bill (predominantly the cost of childcare), but he and Aly end up butting heads over general cost of living numbers.

44m agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 5:18am

Tehan: ‘We’ll all watch with great interest to see how the PM responds’ to defence incident

Over on Afternoon Briefing, Liberal MP Dan Tehan has just been asked for his reaction on the defence incident in the South China Sea.

“Let’s see what kind of signal now the Prime Minister sends because this is what I think the Australian people will be waiting for and wanting to hear,” he tells Patricia Karvelas. 

“As we have seen this is not the first time this has occurred.

“I think we’ll all watch with great interest to see how the Prime Minister responds to this, this act by the Chinese military.”

Minister Anne Aly, who is also on the panel, says her first thought is relief nobody was injured.

“This is a pretty serious issue and I absolutely expect the Prime Minister will stand up for the Australian people, as he has always done.”

55m agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 5:06am

Childcare activity test abolished

The Senate has passed the government’s bill to guarantee parents a minimum three days of subsidised childcare regardless of how much they work or study.

Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers David Pocock, Tammy Tyrrell and Fatima Payman voted in favour, with the Coalition and a handful of crossbenchers against.

The bill was rushed through the Senate with no debate today, meaning the step towards universal childcare will pass into law before the federal election, not after it as Labor had first intended.

59m agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 5:03am

Breaking: Australia protests unsafe incident involving Chinese fighter aircraft

We’ve just received details out of a defence briefing of a military incident in the South China Sea.

A Chinese fighter aircraft has released flares in front of an Australian military plane during what defence describes as an “unsafe and unprofessional” interaction in the South China Sea this week.

Officials have revealed the encounter occurred on Tuesday during daylight hours, with the People’s Liberation Army J-16 coming within 30 metres of the RAAF P-8 Poseidon.

Defence says no personnel were injured and there was no damage to the P-8, but it has lodged formal objections with the PLA both in Canberra and Beijing.

Separately the ADF has revealed that it’s monitoring three Chinese warships operating in the Coral Sea northeast of Australia and is not believed to be related to the incident in the South China Sea.

We’ll have more details for you soon.

1h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 4:37am

A look at the chamber

Question Time may be over, but we’re still pondering that end-of-school vibe.

Here’s how it looked inside the chamber.

(ABC News: Matt Roberts)(ABC News: Matt Roberts)(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

1h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 4:32am

Exclusive: Bill Shorten’s $300k speechwriter follows him to University of Canberra

The speechwriter hired for $300,000 a year to assist former government minister Bill Shorten has followed him to his new role as vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra (UC).

Mr Shorten, the once Labor leader and unsuccessful candidate for prime minister, left politics last month.

In the final year of his political career, Shorten was grilled about the $600,000 two-year contract given to Julianne Stewart to prepare speeches for him and Services Australia.

Her salary was significantly higher than other senior speechwriters in the department, who earn about $140,000 a year.

Shorten denied any involvement in Stewart’s hiring at Services Australia.

In a statement, the vice-chancellor said Stewart’s employment at the university had followed all UC processes and guidelines.

“Ms Stewart is a highly experienced strategic communications professional who brings with her extensive experience working across government, the private sector and having spent several years working for the Vice-Chancellor of UNSW,” Mr Shorten said.

1h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 4:19am

We’ve got you sorted!

There’s lots of chat about the next parliament. Have the ABC team got any predictions as to when we’ll go to the polls?

– Craig

Hey Craig, thanks for your comment

Funny you should ask! Friend of the blog Maani Truu has this cracker of a piece that charts out all of the possible dates it could be!

1h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 4:16am

Did we just witness our last QT before the election?

Well, it certainty had that end of school year feeling.

Between Graham Perrett being booted out (and cheered for doing so) to every question from both Coalition and Labor being put by marginal seat holders, it was giving off vibes that it’s all over red rover.

1h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 4:16am

A question on housing (and not the length of government)

The Liberals aren’t the only ones with questions about housing, but independent MP Andrew Wilkie has a better chance at getting an answer:

In 2023, National Cabinet agreed on nine reforms under a better deal for renters. Both National Shelter and the Tenants Union note that in
Tasmanian, the state government is not pursuing six of the nine reforms. 

So why is the Tasmanian government allowed to slow-walk these reforms, and will the federal government inject some urgency into nationally consistent protections for renters?

Minister for Housing Clare O’Neil says according to her last report from the Tasmanian government, it is complete on seven of nine of its requirements, and the remaining two are in progress.

She clocks Wilkie shaking his head — he disagrees with those figures — but O’Neil attests that National Shelter’s numbers are “from earlier”.

“But if the member does not mind, I would appreciate the opportunity to sit down with him and go through the report, and I am happy to sit down with him and push the [Tasmanian] government to move faster.”

1h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 4:04am

I’ve seen this film before

*DJ Khaled voice* another one!

Liberal MP Bridget Archer gets a go at asking a 1,000 days question (which also included a bit about housing in the second part of the question).

It doesn’t change the result though. Anthony Albanese spends most of the time talking about all of Labor’s achievements over the past 1,000 days.

Archer jumps up and asks Speaker Milton Dick to bring the PM back to the question. But she receives the same answer as those before her.

With just 48 seconds left in his answer, the PM finally talks about housing.

“I have opened new social housing in the member’s electorate there in Launceston along with a community housing provider that the member might have voted for but all of her
colleagues didn’t,” he says.

“So I suggest to the member that she knows the answer herself because she voted for things that the Liberal Party voted against because she is a good person, but she is in a very bad party.”

(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

2h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 4:01am

Treasurer ‘happy to’ take up petrol price gouging with ACCC

(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

Independent MP Andrew Gee uses his question to pursue action on fuel price gouging, noting the ACCC is “not acting”.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he’s “happy to take that up with the ACCC”.

With Speaker Milton Dick giving several reminders about keeping questions and answers short, this exchange would be have earned top marks for brevity.

2h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 3:52am

A lesson in tactics (part two)

Oh no. We’ve got yet another question from the Coalition (this time Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie) with a preamble that includes a reference to Labor’s almost 1,000 days in power.

Yet again, the preamble opens the PM up to yapping about whatever and not addressing the second part of the question on housing and migration.

Manager of Opposition Business Michael Sukkar tries to raise a point of order but Speaker Milton Dick is like, ‘dude chill. We went through this yesterday and like, it’s kind of on you for not wording your question correctly’ (paraphrasing), and lets the question through.

The PM, obviously, continues on his merry way trash talking the Coalition’s previous term in government.

2h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 3:46am

999 days in government. But who’s counting?

We’re now hearing from Liberal MP Simon Kennedy, who prefaces his question with a run-through of essentials price increases under the Albanese government. 

He settles on his question: “Why won’t the prime minister apologise to Australians for his weak leadership, bad decisions and wrong priorities?”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he was surprised to learn from Kennedy that tomorrow will mark 1,000 days of his government.

On the matter of the cost of living, though, Albanese spikes it back to Kennedy.

“Now, the Member for Cook
certainly was part — is now part of a show — that opposed energy bill relief because he wanted people to be worse off, I assume; opposed cheaper medicine, because the member wanted people to pay more; opposed higher wages, because the member wanted people to earn less; and
opposed tax cuts, because the member wanted people to be worse off.”

(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

2h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 3:40am

PM thinks he’s onto a winner with the ‘cost of lunching’

Liberal MP Bert van Manen is up next on the cost of living.

“Why won’t this PM apologise to Australians for his week and poor decisions and his bad priorities?”

 It seems the Coalition didn’t really learn their lesson about the drafting of their questions today because it allows the PM to really go ham about whatever he wants – specifically road testing what is sure to be a campaign line, “the cost of lunching”.

“We understand the cost-of-living pressures are real which is why we have acted on cost of living,” he says.

“Those opposite have only acted on the cost of lunch for some
of their people.”

2h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 3:34am

A fitting end to Graham Perrett’s career

(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

The chamber burst into cheers and applause as the Moreton MP was booted from the chamber during Mark Butler’s response to Brian Mitchell’s dixer.

Perrett, who delivered his valedictory speech earlier this week, is no stranger to being kicked out during QT.

And on what could be his last day in the chamber too! A fitting end.

(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

2h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 3:32am

Time for an upgrade to the universal service obligation?

Up now is Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie, who asks whether the government will expand the universal service obligation to the mobile phone network in the regions.

That question refers to a requirement of Telstra to deliver landline and basic data services that are available across the country.

Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland rises to answer.

She says it’s clear reform is overdue, and the government will “have more to say very soon”.

“No reform happened under the previous government for a decade but despite that, we have not only undertaken that, but how it should be funded and there is a variety of ways it could happen.”

2h agoThu 13 Feb 2025 at 3:31am

A little forward sizzle, perhaps?

Now, we’re not ones to blog Labor’s dixers (the questions they ask themselves), but Lyons MP Brian Mitchell’s question piqued my interest.

“My last question in this place …”

Last question, you say! Is that all but confirming it’s our last day in parliament?!

Or perhaps he’s just not on the rotation for a dixer in the next sitting week? The cynic in me says it is the former.