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ABC News
21 minutes ago
- ABC News
Calls for Commonwealth housing fund to dedicate half to regional
The federal government is being urged to dedicate almost half its national housing target to regional Australia.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Tasmanian Liberals face challenge implementing policies with new crossbench
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff says his minority government remains "committed to working across the parliament", as it plans to make inroads on budget repair, a new state-owned insurance agency, and allowing pets in rentals early in the new term. The state's net debt, which is projected to reach $13 billion by 2027-28, was one of the key reasons the state went to the polls. The budget outlook was a key policy platform for Labor and most members of the crossbench. "It'll be a lot of work," Mr Rockliff said on Wednesday. Within the first week, the government intends to consult with Treasury and government agencies, ahead of the November budget. Mr Rockliff said using the original 2025 budget as a baseline, the party would "work across the political divide" to bring it into shape. Independent MP Peter George said the party needed to show transparency and accountability. "The big problem is going to be whether the Liberal government is prepared to share the information that's necessary for making decisions, and whether it's also prepared to take the responsibility for the state of the budget that we've got now," he said. "I don't have a lot of faith in this Liberal administration. "It takes a long, long time to build trust, confidence and faith, and it can be very easily destroyed. "We need to do this very slowly." Within the first 100 days, the government wants to introduce legislation to advance state-owned insurance agency, TasInsure, planning to have it set up in 2026. The plan was slammed by the opposition, prominent economist Saul Eslake, and the Insurance Council of Australia during the campaign, but heralded as game-changing by the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Also a priority is amending the Residential Tenancy Act, to give tenants more secure right to keep pets in rentals — a promise the Liberals took to the 2024 election. Labor campaigned this time around with TassieDoc, pledging to deliver five fully bulk-billed clinics across the state. The Liberals quickly matched it, but did not follow on when Labor bumped the number up to 10. Now, the government plans to run an expression of interest for four new bulk-billed clinics within the first 100 days, "based on evidence of need". The Liberals have also promised to release updated costings on the leasing arrangement for Spirit of Tasmania IV, which was docked in Scotland from late 2024 and is due to reach Tasmanian waters this week. Without a majority in parliament, the Liberals have made a number of policy concessions to win over crossbenchers, including phasing out greyhound racing, abandoning a plan to release more native forest for logging and, most recently, a pause on salmon farming expansions while an independent review of the industry takes place. And the Liberals will need to continue appeasing the crossbench if they want to stay in power for a full four years. "There's no time for hubris. There's no need or want for hubris," Mr Rockliff said. But they remain at an impasse when it comes to Hobart's proposed Macquarie Point stadium. Independent MP Kristie Johnston said she did not expect the premier to abandon the project, but "the reality is we are in a power-sharing parliament now". The Project of State Significance (PoSS) process for assessing the project continued throughout the election campaign, and the premier said regardless of whether the PoSS or enabling legislation came before the parliament, everyone in the chamber would have their vote. Shooters, Fishers and Farmers member Carlo di Falco, one of the most conservative crossbenchers, told ABC Mornings he planned to push back on the concessions made that he did not agree with, such as the greyhound racing ban. He said he was "blindsided" by the move. "I'm not going to give Jeremy a free ride, and I've got a better chance of getting a better outcome for my constituents being inside the tent rather than outside, so every time Jeremy gets comfortable in his sleeping bag, I'm going to be kicking it," he said. On Wednesday, Minister for Business, Industry and Resources Felix Ellis announced a $20 million bridging loan to Liberty Bell Bay owner GFG Alliance to ensure the "bright future" of hundreds of Tasmanians. "It will provide a shipment of ore so that workers on site can get on with what they do best and produce manganese through the smelter," he said. Australian Workers Union president Robert Flanagan welcomed the support, but remained disappointed by the salmon review. "What we want to see is a government that supports job opportunities in Tasmania, and we think that [with] the crossbench the government has to work with [it] will be very difficult to achieve that outcome," he said.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Productivity summit proves disappointing for unions as Labor dismisses ACTU's ideas
Sally McManus has been feeling a little lonely around the economic reform roundtable this week. "Sometimes we feel a bit outnumbered," the ACTU secretary told the ABC at the midway point of this three-day gathering. "Obviously there's a lot of business representatives there." There's still a day to go, but it's clear this roundtable is not proving as successful for the unions as the Jobs and Skills Summit held in Labor's first term. Back then, the ACTU walked away with a showbag full of goodies, including multi-employer bargaining, much to the chagrin of business groups, who have been grumbling ever since. This time McManus and ACTU president Michele O'Neil again came armed with a whole bunch of big ideas on tax, artificial intelligence, a shorter working week, and a levy on businesses to fund employee training. None have taken off. The training levy idea was described by one of the business organisation representatives as a "crock of sh*t". "I wouldn't say that it had a lot of fans amongst business," McManus conceded. The ACTU's call for a new Artificial Intelligence Act, and "mandatory enforceable agreements that would compel employers to consult with their staff" before AI is introduced to workplaces, hasn't won many fans either. While keen to strike the right balance on AI, several cabinet ministers have privately made clear a new AI Act is a non-starter. "I think it might be a bit lonely on AI," McManus predicted before heading into the roundtable session on the topic. The idea of a four-day working week met short shrift too. The prime minister was immediately dismissive. "I think a lot of people would like to have a five-day working week," he noted, insisting the government had "no plans" to pursue the ACTU's idea. So much for the union "stitch-up", predicted by the Coalition ahead of this roundtable. The ACTU is yet to score a victory. The treasurer's priority in this term has shifted from tackling cost of living to productivity. Jim Chalmers made that clear the morning after the government's emphatic election win. And Labor is not finding productivity solutions in what the union movement is pushing. In its second term, Labor is more willing to say no. All is not lost, however, for the ACTU. There's one day to go in this roundtable and the final topic is tax. It's here that McManus is holding onto hope. The government hardly rushed to embrace the ACTU's plan to wind back negative gearing and capital gains tax breaks, but McManus detects some momentum at the roundtable. "The biggest thing that people agree on is the need to address intergenerational inequality," she said. It's true there's growing support for something to be done about the heavy income tax burden being shouldered by younger working age Australians, who feel locked out of the housing market, while predominantly older property investors enjoy the bulk of tax breaks. Independent MP Allegra Spender and former treasury secretary Ken Henry (both roundtable attendees) have spoken of the need to urgently tackle this inequity. A Treasury issues paper released for the roundtable also unsubtly pointed to this problem. It highlighted how the reliance on income tax is only forecast to grow, while the highest income earners are the overwhelming beneficiaries of existing tax breaks. Two weeks ago, the prime minister shot down expectations of major tax changes any time soon when he declared: "the only tax policy we're implementing is the one we took to the election." He's not about to spring big surprises on the electorate. But it wasn't a never ever on tax. As he opened the roundtable proceedings on Tuesday, Albanese gave an insight into his cautious approach to reform. "I think that political change, whether it's in the economy, social policy or the environment, is likely to be more successful and more entrenched and more lasting when people come with us on that journey," he said. The roundtable could be the start of a journey on tax that leads to the next election. Further steps might involve a more focused tax review, a Treasury options paper, and a greater effort to build public consensus around the problems that need fixing and possible solutions. That won't satisfy those who want more urgent action and for Albanese to spend his political capital now. Nor will it please the opposition, which reckons all the "hoo-ha" around this roundtable is so far producing a ho-hum result on cutting red tape. But if this three-day event at least gets the ball rolling on more substantial tax reform, Sally McManus won't be feeling so lonely. David Speers is national political lead and host of Insiders, which airs on ABC TV at 9am on Sunday or on iview.
