Lambie successful, Hanson misses out, as federal election Senate results finalised
On Tuesday, preferences were automatically distributed for the two tightly contested seats.
Richard Colbeck and Jacqui Lambie have secured another term.
They'll join Labor's Carol Brown and Richard Dowling, Liberal Claire Chandler and Greens Nick McKim in the Senate.
In a statement, Senator Lambie thanked "all of my supporters, everyone who put up signs, stood at pre-poll and gave me donations".
"I am very grateful that the Tasmanian people have given me the chance to fight for them for another six years.
One Nation candidate Lee Hanson — daughter of party founder Pauline — was unsuccessful in securing a Senate spot after a close battle earlier in the race.
Union organiser Josh Dolega has been officially confirmed at a joint sitting of Tasmania's parliament.
He will fill the casual vacancy left by Anne Urquhart, the new federal member for the lower house seat of Braddon.
In a statement, Mr Dolega said he wanted to "thank members of the ALP who have reached out for their kind words of support and their faith in me undertaking this important role".
Richard Colbeck has both been contacted for comment.
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ABC News
16 minutes ago
- ABC News
Focus narrows on reducing regulation to boost productivity ahead of round table
Australia's productivity chief will assert that growth has not been a priority in policy making for years, citing the nation's growing tangle of regulation as evidence, in a speech ahead of Labor's economic reform round table this week. The warning coincides with a separate call from Australia's peak business bodies for red tape to be slashed by a quarter by the end of the decade, as Treasurer Jim Chalmers declared the government does "not want to settle for less" when it comes to productivity. Danielle Wood, chair of the Productivity Commission, will address the National Press Club on Monday, where she will argue there has been "less policy emphasis on growth and a declining reform appetite" across many wealthy nations in recent decades. "This manifests not just in less economic reform but in decisions by governments — federal, state and local — to pay less attention to growth trade-offs in pursuing other policy goals," she will say. "Nowhere is this more evident than in the growth of regulatory burden." Pointing to a significant increase in the number of words and conditional terms in acts and legislative instruments over the first two decades of the century, she will argue this "regulatory creep" is a symptom of the increasing demand for governments "to 'do something' every time an issue emerges". "When combined with Australians' tendency to look to government for answers — our 'Canberra fix' — we have ended up with a system that dampens growth." Business leaders, economists, unions and shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien will descend on Parliament House on Tuesday for a three-day meeting Mr Chalmers has billed as an opportunity to grapple with the big challenges facing the economy. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will address the attendees at the beginning of proceedings on Tuesday, and later on Wednesday, he will host the attendees at the Lodge. But expectations that the forum will lead to significant reform in the short term have been tempered by the prime minister, who earlier this month talked down the prospect of tax changes emerging from the talks. The commission has released five reports in the lead up to the round table, culminating in what Ms Wood called a "to-do list" of recommendations that could "shift the dial" on growth. Among them are many aimed at improving government regulation, including things like employing digital tools to streamline approval processes. A leaked Treasury document prepared for cabinet, first reported by the ABC this week, featured a list of possible outcomes from the round table, including a pause to changes for the National Construction Code, measures to speed up housing approvals, and a national artificial intelligence plan to cut environmental red tape. It led the opposition to label the talks a "stitch up", a claim the government has dismissed, arguing it's not unusual that the department would have provided advice on some of the already received ideas ahead of time. Mr Chalmers and Mr Albanese both once again vowed they would not pre-empt any outcomes on Sunday, with the leader telling reporters in Perth that "the agenda is whatever people want to raise". He said ideas put forward will feed into the government's decision-making, including some that can be done immediately if adopted, others that will be implemented through federal budget processes, and some that tackle "the long-term challenges in the global economy, the impact on Australia, and how we deal with those issues". Ahead of the round table, 29 groups representing small, medium and large Australian businesses have launched a concerted campaign to cull red tape, warning that it needs to be easier to do business in Australia to attract investment. The alliance will also use the forum to call for reform of the approval process for planning and major projects, boosts for investment and innovation, and a process for "productive" tax reform that doesn't raise costs for consumers or businesses. Council of Small Business Organisations Australia chair Matthew Addison said the round table was an "opportunity to reset the economy in a way that supports business, not stifles it". "Our small businesses are buckling under the weight of excessive red tape, with regulatory burden and a patchwork of complex compliance obligations slowing growth," he said. Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black echoed that changes were needed to make it easier for businesses to operate, "so a cafe owner in Melbourne doesn't face 36 licences before they can pour a cup of coffee". He also pointed specifically to the need to cut red tape to make it faster to approve and build new homes, something the government has identified needs to happen to solve the housing crisis. Ms Wood will reference Productivity Commission research that found the time it takes to build houses and apartments has ballooned by 50 per cent over the past three decades. "It's not the time laying bricks that's blown out. It's the approvals processes: from planning, to heritage, to building approvals, environmental and traffic impact statements," she will say. "And these regulatory hairballs have found their way into almost every corner of our economy." According to Ms Wood, prioritising growth means there will be uncomfortable trade-offs, for example, heritage and density restrictions coming at the expense of more and cheaper housing, but that a "growth mindset means elevating growth and its benefits across all policy decisions". "It does not mean government should never intervene or pursue other conflicting goals, but the benefits of growth should not be traded away quietly or lightly," she will say. In an interview ahead of the round table, Mr Chalmers told the ABC that there was a lot of appetite in cabinet for cutting red tape and improving regulation where possible, and it would be a "really, really big focus" of the talks. "There are a number of reasons for our productivity challenge and we're going to chip away at trying to address it over time," he said. "We don't want to waste the next decade on productivity, the way our predecessors wasted the last, and that's what drives us." Andrew Bragg, the Coalition's shadow minister for productivity and deregulation, will also lay out the opposition's plan to increase productivity on Monday, arguing Australia has become "inefficient, bureaucratic and unproductive". "Many regulations are well intentioned, but we must now confront their cumulative effect," he will say, arguing it is costing the economy billions each year. Like Ms Wood, he will warn against the impulse of solving issues by simply announcing new laws or regulations. "More rules is always seen as good. The minister can announce the problem is solved. The caravan moves on. The dog barks," he will argue. "There is limited interest in how the new rules are enforced — unless there is a scandal." The Coalition's answer is deregulation, with a focus on "genuine enterprise with limited, rather than repressive, controls".
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Hunger for growth ‘missing' from economic policy, productivity tsar says
Decision makers must adopt a 'growth mindset' to fix the productivity problem plaguing the economy, according to Australia's productivity tsar. Labor's highly anticipated Economic Reform Roundtable will kick off on Tuesday, bringing together 'a range of people with a range of views', as described by Anthony Albanese. The point of getting unions, business leaders, and policy experts in the same room as politicians is building consensus on how to boost productivity, or how efficiently an economy produces goods and services. Productivity Commission (PC) chair Danielle Wood will use a major speech on Monday to call on fellow roundtable attendees to be bold as they 'thrash out potential reforms to kickstart Australia's flagging productivity growth', warning that failure could bust the 'generational bargain' of handing over a better country to the future. 'I'm thrilled by the new appetite for economic reform that the roundtable has created over the past two months,' Ms Wood will tell the National Press Club, according to a copy of her speech seen by NewsWire. 'Ultimately the government will be judged on its actions and the outcomes they achieve. 'But it has taken an important step by recognising and pursuing economic growth, and the productivity that drives it, as a prime goal of policy. 'This 'growth mindset' – an elevation of growth and the benefits it brings – has been missing from Australian policy for far too long.' Faced with challenges posed by geopolitical turmoil, climate change and an ageing population, she will point out that young Australians do not believe they will have 'better lives than their parents'. 'The expectation that life will get better for each successive generation is Australia's generational bargain,' Ms Wood said. 'For many generations we have fulfilled its promise. Until, perhaps, this one. 'Overwhelmingly, young people today believe they won't live better lives than their parents did. 'As chair of the Productivity Commission, I'm worried too.' She will note that the PC has already given the Albanese government some options. Her agency released five reports over the past month zooming in on key areas, ranging from increasing economic agility and workforce training to harnessing artificial intelligence and the net zero transition. On economic dynamism, the PC proposed reforming Australia's corporate tax system to encourage business investment, which has declined since the Global Financial Crisis. It would cut the corporate tax rate for most businesses to 20 per cent and introduce a 5 per cent cashflow tax on all businesses, with a view to creating friendlier conditions for investors. The result, according to Ms Wood, 'would increase investment by $7.4bn and GDP by $14.6bn'. 'Big enough to get out of bed for, I would think,' she will say. On AI, the PC warned against a new overarching regulatory framework for AI and instead update existing regulations to address risks like fraud and discrimination. 'This would translate to an additional $116bn in economic activity – equivalent to boosting incomes for each Australian by $4300 a year over that period,' Ms Wood will say. 'A growth mindset means that we must not regulate our way out of this opportunity.' Less regulation was an overarching theme in all the PC's reports. Using those the reports as guides, Ms Wood will put forward three 'lessons about what a growth mindset looks like'. 'Regulate with growth in mind,' she will say, calling for 'leadership from the top when the policy sausage is being made'. In a nod to AI, she will say, 'Real growth comes from new ideas and technology,' arguing that productivity growth comes from new ideas, products, processes, and ways of managing people. While physical inputs have limits, human ingenuity does not, Ms Wood will say. Therefore, a growth mindset should focus on fostering innovation and enabling Australia to benefit from its own inventions and those of others. Her final lesson is that productivity 'is a game of inches'. 'There is simply no single policy reform that can bring productivity growth back to its long-term average of 1.6 per cent,' Ms Wood will say. 'To shift the dial, governments will have to make a lot of pro-productivity decisions.' Though, acknowledging the mammoth task, she will say she is 'optimistic that there is a package here that can make a difference to Australia's prosperity'. 'Governments must embed the importance of growth in every decision they make,' Ms Wood will say. 'This means engaging with trade-offs, better program delivery and design, and the 'boring but important work' of reducing administrative burden. 'We must ensure that governments pursue a growth agenda, for the benefit of businesses and workers today and, more importantly, for the generations to come. 'And that's worth a few days locked in a room.'
ABC News
8 hours ago
- ABC News
Renewable energy expert accuses Victorian government of concealing true cost of transition plan
Energy experts have accused the Victorian government of concealing the true cost of its plan to transition the state to renewable power. The government has released its final Victorian Transmission Plan (VTP), which outlines the investment and development needed for the state to achieve its goal to reach its targets of 65 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030 and 95 per cent by 2035. The plan divides the state into six onshore energy zones and a Gippsland offshore zone. It names seven priority projects to expand renewable power generation and infrastructure, including offshore wind in Gippsland and new transmission lines between Sydenham and Tarrone, Truganina and Deer Park, and Hazelwood and Yallourn. It was compiled by government body VicGrid, which has costed the shift to renewable generation at $7.9 billion dollars. It said the seven new projects were needed in addition to existing transmission projects, such as Marinus Link, Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West and Western Renewables Link. In announcing the plan, Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said Victoria had the most ambitious renewable energy targets in Australia. "Coal generators are getting older, they're getting less reliable and they're closing," Ms D'Ambrosio said. "Our government has been very clear in our ambition to grow the necessary replacement electricity that we need to sustain our way of life." VicGrid suggested the VTP would lead to cheaper wholesale power prices. "Overall VicGrid's modelling suggests that Victorian energy bills could be $20 lower per household and $50 lower per small business each year (real $2025)," the report stated. Those figures have been described as "nonsense" by the director of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre at Victoria University, Bruce Mountain. "I don't think this is a plausible plan," Professor Mountain said. Mr Mountain estimated the plan could cost up to $28 billion over the next decade. He said there was no doubt that Victoria needed to expand its clean energy production, but he accused the government of using "sleight of hand" tactics to disguise the true cost. "They are only including a very small subset of the transmission expansion plan that they have set out and they've done that by simply relegating the vast bulk of the expenditure into what they call the base case. "I think the government is petrified of the actual outlays that their plan entail." He said households and businesses would face substantially higher bills over the next decade. "It might well be that if the government proceeds with this plan, customers will simply find it unaffordable and so then taxpayers will be forced to bear some large part of it. "I estimate small household bills will increase by about half. "Large bills paid by large industry, for whom the electricity transmission charge is a much bigger portion of their bill, they can expect bills to increase by between two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half times." The $7.9 billion dollar figure stated in the VTP was double the cost estimate Ms D'Ambrosio gave to a parliament estimates committee two months ago. On Saturday, she attributed the rise to updated transmission costs projections by the Australian Energy Market Operator. "That report itself has already indicated pressures on building costs right across the country," Ms D'Ambrosio said. "But can I say, unequivocally, the cost of not building the projects in the Victorian transmission plan will end up costing every Victorian far more through increased energy bills." Mr Mountain disagreed with Ms D'Ambrosio's assessment. "It's kind of a refuge of the scoundrel to say 'but for our plan, something else would happen' when of course you conjure up any other possibility." Senior fellow of the Energy Program at Grattan Institute, Tony Wood, agreed the figures given in the VTP were misleading. "When it talks about the potential for consumer bills, household bills being $20 per annum less because of this plan, that's not less where they are now, that's less than what they would have been if we had a different plan," Mr Wood said. "Does that mean that we can expect our bills to go up or down? It's not clear at all." But Mr Wood said the plan was important for Victoria's future. "For the first time really, we've got a comprehensive plan on how we're going to build renewable energy in Victoria to replace coal and connect all that renwable energy into the grid. "That's a very important step forward." Opposition leader Brad Battin said Victorian power bills were already too high. "Household energy is getting to a stage that people genuinely can't afford it. Businesses are closing because they can't afford to pay the price of energy here in our state." VicGrid had originally proposed seven onshore zones. But todays final VTP revealed VicGrid has consolidated the Wimmera Southern Mallee and Grampians zones into the single Western renewable energy zone. It said modifications were also made to the zones following feedback from regional communities and Traditional Owners about the need to protect farmland, minimise the effects on biodiversity, water systems and regional areas, and account for natural hazards such as bushfires and flooding. It also said it had expanded the total size of the energy zones after the industry said it needed larger areas to develop technically and commercially viable renewable projects. The VTP has been heavily opposed by some communities, with some farmers vowing to lock developers out of their land. The report sets out that companies proposing projects would need to negotiate with landholders for the right to use their properties, declaring owners would have the right to say no to having new renewable generation on their land. "Landholders who do agree to new renewable development will receive financial compensation that is negotiated with the developer," the report states. Western Victorian farmer Ross Johns is the president of the Wimmera Mallee Environmental and Agricultural Protection Association. He said the final VTP has not provided any certainty or reassurance for farmers. "The government just keeps changing the plans, the rules, the objectives, how it's going to occur," Mr Johns said. Mr Johns said energy projects disrupt agricultural operations and amenities for rural communities. "It looks like to me government doesn't really fully understand the issues. "The footprint of some of these transmission lines is huge, like it's 40 metres by 40 metres so that land will never be able to farmed or operated again. "If it goes angle ways across the paddock, it actually significantly impacts the commercial viability of those farming operations." He declared the government would have to build the new infrastructure 'through enemy territory'. 'What you've got is a bunch of rural people and farmers who are extremely resourceful. Farmer Ben Duxson from Marnoo, also in Victoria's Wimmera region, said his community felt like it was being railroaded by the government. "Our stance has always been that they need to stop and actually get an energy plan that's good for Australia for the next 100 to 200 years and this certainly isn't a plan that's going to do that," Mr Duxson said. "We'll stand in our gateways and we'll fight." Alex Rae is on the board for the Golden Paradise Beach Community Development Fund, which represents communities affected by the Gippsland Shoreline Renewable Energy Zone. He said the communities of Golden Beach and Paradise Beach had been sidelined. "We've put in submissions [and] raised concerns throughout the process with VicGrid, but it just feels like our voice is being dismissed because we're small communities," Mr Rae said. "The maps don't even acknowledge us as being directly in front of the offshore wind zone, where turbines will permanently industrialise the seascape." Mr Rae said projects like Navigator North already had plans to install turbines about 30 kilometres from the coast, which would affect property prices and the local tourism industry. "We're not against renewables of course, but you we are talking about potentially hundreds of these turbines all the way along the coast. "[We are] tiny coastal towns and a lot of the economy here for the small businesses rely on tourism.
