Latest news with #DanTehan
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Energy Minister Chris Bowen doesn't rule out carbon tariff on high emissions producing imports
Chris Bowen has been accused of following 'Donald Trump's lead' over comments suggesting Australia could force carbon tariffs on emission-heavy imports. Mr Bowen didn't rule out enacting a carbon tariff on carbon-heavy sectors like cement and lime, stating that 'we'll have more to say during the course of this term'. He said decisions would be made to 'ensure Australian industry is best placed to complete in a decarbonising world'. 'I'd urge against sweeping generalisations about policy settings,' he told the ABC on Sunday. 'What could be the case is obviously we look at particular sectors first, around cement and lime are places that we've looked at in particular, but again, I'm not going to get in front of the process.' Mr Bowen also referred to the Carbon Leakage Review which was conducted by Professor Frank Jotzo. Initial findings backed a border carbon adjustment mechanism that would make importers pay for the carbon created during production, identifying at-risk commodities like cement, lime and clinker, and moderate risk products like steel, glass and ammonia. 'We asked Professor Jotzo to look at this, he's been doing excellent work consulting Australian industry very heavily,' he said. 'I've had lots of meetings with steel makers and cement makers about these things over the past 12 months, for example, getting their feedback, and we'll have more to say during the course of this term.' Newly installed Coalition energy and emissions reduction spokesman Dan Tehan seized on Mr Bowen's comments. 'Now before the election, Chris Bowen, this arrogant minister, said nothing about carbon tariffs, and yet, here he is immediately after the election, talking about putting them in place,' he said in a video shared on social media. 'Now let's have a look at what this minister has presided over. He's put our energy security at risk. He's put electricity prices up, he's put gas prices up, and he's put emissions up, and now he wants to follow Donald Trump's lead and put in place tariffs. What a mess.' Appearing on Insiders, Mr Bowen also maintained that Australia is 'by and large on track' to meet our 43 per cent 2030 emission reduction targets, despite figures released on Friday revealing that emissions had increased year-on-year by 0.05 per cent. While Mr Bowen conceded Australia needed to 'do more' to reach net zero by 2050, he said output from renewables were 'very encouraging,' while transport remained an issue. 'Now our new vehicle efficiency standards only came into force on 1 January, for example. I wouldn't pretend that they've yet had an impact,' he said. 'These are the sorts of things that we need to keep going on to ensure that we can achieve and will achieve a 43 per cent emissions reduction, which I'm very confident we can and will.'
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Senior Liberals and Nationals push to stall on shadow ministry in bid to repair Coalition
Senior figures in both the Liberal and National parties are locked in last-minute negotiations to bring the Coalition back together before the two party leaders unveil their shadow ministries and portfolio spokespeople. Liberal MP and former trade minister Dan Tehan — who played a pivotal role in negotiations over Indian and UK free trade deals — is understood to be involved in the back-channel talks along with Nationals such as Darren Chester and Barnaby Joyce. There is a view emerging within both parties that as soon as Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud allocate and announce their respective frontbench positions, "the door will effectively close" on any reconciliation in the short term. "Before anyone moves to put shadow ministers in place, spokespeople — now is the time to try and settle this," one MP told the ABC. "The problem is, once you put people in place, it becomes a lot harder to take those positions away." The starting point for negotiations, according to one source, would be clearing up confusion about what the Nationals want and figuring out exactly why the party decided to walk away from the Coalition. "I would hate for this to be falling over because it's not clear exactly what everyone is seeking to achieve," the source said. The partyroom decision was not unanimous and Nationals MPs, including Mr Chester, have urged Mr Littleproud to reconcile with Ms Ley before parliament resumes in late July. Former Liberal prime minister John Howard described the break-up as "stupid" while Tony Abbott said he deeply regretted the move: "History shows that the Liberals and the Nationals win together and fail separately." Mr Littleproud dropped the bombshell after on Tuesday after talks broke down with Ms Ley over the secret Coalition agreement. The Nationals leader demanded Ms Ley enshrine four policies in the pact, including nuclear power and a $20 billion regional future fund, but the Liberal leader was unable to give an iron-clad commitment until a post-election policy review was completed. Ms Ley said the major sticking point was Mr Littleproud's desire to junk the convention of shadow cabinet solidarity, and allow members of the frontbench to vote against Coalition policies. In a sign of the deepening animosity between the two sides, Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie disputed Ms Ley's version of events, telling the ABC: "The Liberal leader can talk about what she thinks went wrong." Ms Ley has made it clear the Liberals are now the official opposition party, will hold all the shadow ministerial positions and they want the staff and entitlements that come with that. It is understood she has started allocating roles and is preparing to announce her shadow frontbench today. However, MPs on both sides are working to delay that.
Epoch Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
India Soon to Surpass UK as Largest Migrant Community in Australia: ABS
Australia's population is now more multicultural than ever, with over 8.6 million residents born overseas—about 31.5 percent of the total population. The biggest surge came from India, which is expected to surpass the UK as the top country of birth for migrants later this year. The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that in 2025, there were 963,560 migrants from the UK, 916,330 from India, 700,120 from China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau), 617,960 from New Zealand, and 394,380 from the Philippines. This was followed by Vietnam (318,760), South Africa (224,160), Nepal (197,800), Malaysia (183,490), and Sri Lanka (172,800). Overall, the proportion of overseas migrants has steadily increased over recent decades from 23.8 percent in 2004 to 31.5 percent in 2024. Globally, Australia ranked eighth in terms of the number of international migrants. The United States topped the list with 52.4 million overseas-born residents. Related Stories 12/22/2024 3/20/2025 Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on the country's overseas-born population. ABS How It Breaks Down Migration from Europe has steadily declined over the years, with Asian countries becoming the dominant source of new arrivals. India migration has continued to surge with an additional 505,000 people entering Australia in the decade from 2014 to 2024, followed by China (234,000), the Philippines (164,000), and Nepal (155,000). 'India's demographics, coupled with its skilled workforce and a high demand for international education, have made Australia a preferred destination,' said Annathurai Gnanasambandam, director of Visa Help Australia, in an interview with The Epoch Times. On the flipside, the UK recorded the largest decrease in migrants, with 47,000 fewer individuals entering Australia from 2014 to 2024, followed by Italy (44,000), Greece (28,000), and Germany (18,000). The average median age of European migrants is 60 years and over, reflecting the post-World War II migration trend. Which Cities? The demographic make-up of each state and territory differs as well. In New South Wales, Chinese migrants were the largest source of overseas residents, followed by the British and Indians, according to the 2021 Census. In Victoria, Indian migration was the largest by far, outstripping Chinese migration by about 90,000 individuals. In Queensland, New Zealanders and British were the largest overseas communities, followed by Indians and Chinese. The British were the biggest contributors to Western Australia and Tasmania. Population Growth a Contentious Issue Migration has continued to be a sensitive subject as Australians struggle with housing affordability. The Coalition has accused the Albanese government of mismanaging immigration, with net overseas migration for 2023–24 forecast to reach 340,000—80,000 higher than initial estimates. Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan blamed Labor for 'consistently overshooting' forecasts and pledged to cut permanent migration from 185,000 to 140,000 if elected. But Treasurer Jim Chalmers defended the government's position, pointing out that net migration was declining. 'It's now at its lowest point since the pandemic,' he said, adding the system is being rebalanced to serve Australia's national interest.
News.com.au
05-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Warrnambool MP Dan Tehan to keep fighting against any changes to May jumps carnival
His party might have taken a belting in Saturday's Federal election, but Wannon MP Dan Tehan was keen to lead the charge against any changes to the Warrnambool May Carnival. Tehan could be among the possible candidates to become the Federal Opposition Leader after previous leader Peter Dutton lost his Queensland seat during Liberal's heavy election defeat. But Tehan, who attended multiple days of last week's carnival during campaigning in his western Victorian seat, said retaining jumps racing would always be one of his priorities. Another massive crowd watched the Grand Annual Steeplechase in perfect weather last Thursday. It was the first running of the gruelling event since Racing Victoria's latest review late last year permitted the continuance of jumps racing for another three years. Tehan said his office made a submission to the review on behalf of his electorate, which is the state's jumps racing epicentre. 'I always look on the positive (side) and we had a wonderful three days again,' Tehan said. 'You look at the crowds, about 6000 on Tuesday, seven or 8000 on Wednesday and you've probably got 15,000 for the Grand Annual. 'It's just magnificent and you look at the crowds that you'll get on a Saturday at Flemington at this time of the year, this carnival dwarfs it. 'People vote with their feet, and we've got to make sure it continues. 'We've had great jumping displays in all the three major jumps races and that's the way I think of it.' Racing Victoria established a Jumps Taskforce to oversee improvements to the sector after an unacceptable number of fatalities last year. The Jumps Taskforce will meet to review the season later this year and will report to the RV board on issues such as 'safety metrics, participation rates and economic impacts' before another review at the end of the 2027 jumps season. Tehan said shutting down jumps racing would make no sense in the current climate. 'I hope we don't have to keep fighting for it,' Tehan said. 'It's a fantastic spectacle, people love it and why would you want to shut industries down? 'I just hope jumps racing continues to thrive. 'It's what people want down here, it's why they come to Warrnambool and this state, if it starts closing industries down, there's going to be nothing left. 'We've got to be doing everything to encourage things like this. This brings people from around the world down here. 'Why wouldn't we help to support it?' Tehan held his seat after a serious challenge from independent candidate Alex Dyson.
ABC News
04-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Wild ride for Liberal MP Dan Tehan from potentially losing seat to possible leader
When the polls closed on Saturday evening, many pundits and pollsters predicted senior Liberal party MP Dan Tehan might lose his 15-year hold over the south-west Victorian electorate of Wannon. Within a matter of hours and a stunning reversal of fortune, his name was in the mix to lead the Liberals. It was expected to be a nail-biting race in Wannon, with pre-election polls suggesting a few hundred votes might decide whether the incumbent Mr Tehan would serve a sixth term, or independent candidate Alex Dyson would up-end the historically safe Liberal seat. Election essentials: Counting is still underway, but the shadow minister for immigration and citizenship is projected to hold Wannon by a margin of about 3.5 per cent. As the Liberal party seeks a new leader following Peter Dutton's shock loss to Labor's Ali France in the seat of Dickson, a number of media outlets are reporting Mr Tehan is a real contender for the top Liberal job. So how did Mr Tehan go from being tipped to lose his seat to being discussed as a possible opposition leader? And is he a serious challenger for the gig, or is it simply a matter of there being so few senior Coalition MPs left after Labor's wipe-out federal election win? The campaign Wannon voter Tim Reesink volunteered for the Tehan campaign, hanging up corflutes and handing out how-to-vote cards on election day. Tim Reesink was relieved and excited the long-time MP would continue representing Wannon. ( Supplied: Tim Reesink ) Mr Reesink said he believed Mr Tehan was able to win a sixth term because his approach to politics reflected the priorities and values of Wannon voters. "I think, over the course of the campaign, people might have realised that Dan Tehan is a bit understated and likes to serve people in the background," he said. "I was overwhelmed by how many people I spoke to who had such a positive impression of Dan Tehan because he had visited their club and supported them and remembered them from previous interactions. "Often that's not public, so people don't see that he's doing these things. "But when it comes to voting they realised that actually he is a fantastic local MP." Australian National University political marketing lecturer Andrew Hughes said he believed Mr Tehan's old-fashioned campaigning, including meet-and-greets, doorknocking and attending community events, was key to his success in Wannon, in contrast to the Coalition's national defeat. "He's probably one of the hardest-working candidates this election to keep his seat — Alex Dyson threw everything at taking that seat," Mr Hughes said. Mr Tehan beat eight other candidates to keep the Wannon seat. ( ABC News: Emily Bissland ) While Mr Tehan was campaigning hard on the ground, his party also spent big to keep the seat. In the lead-up to the federal election, local media reported the Liberal party was on track to splash about $750,000 on the Wannon campaign, about five times more than the usual spend. While the independent candidate also ran a grassroots campaign, Mr Hughes said the entrenched voter support for the Liberal party in south-west Victoria was ultimately too much for an independent to overcome. Pamphlets dropped in mailboxes included AI imagery of Mr Dyson, depicting him as a closet Greens candidate. ( ABC News: Olivia Sanders ) The Liberal campaign also played into some community fears that Mr Dyson was a Greens candidate in disguise, with residents bombarded with anti-Dyson flyers even months before the election was called. Mr Hughes said the 13 per cent swing towards Mr Dyson might indicate people were embracing positive and aspirational campaigning. "People are being turned off by negative campaigning," he said. "They understand it's part and parcel of politics, but that doesn't mean we accept or like it." Rebuilding after 'earthquake' result Photo shows A composite image of Andrew Hastie, Sussan Ley, Angus Taylor and Dan Tehan The loss of Peter Dutton's seat has forced the question of his replacement. While Mr Tehan is considered a "I haven't had any time to think about the future," Mr Tehan told the ABC. " You need time to consider, time to think and get an understanding of what has occurred. " Mr Hughes said the Liberal Party needed to rethink its messaging, policy, and leadership following the opposition's poor election result. "It's earthquake stuff," he said. "It wasn't just one state or area that went hard against the Coalition — it was everywhere." Mr Hughes said he did not believe Mr Tehan was a good choice to lead the Liberals, as the party needed to distance itself from the 2025 election outcome to show voters it was listening. Peter Dutton delivers his concession speech at the 2025 election with his family by his side. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts ) "Dan Tehan might be too closely linked to Peter Dutton to be able to get that," Mr Hughes said. "But he would be a steady pair of hands if he was leader." Mr Hughes said the party should consider a younger, potentially female, leader in order to have a shot at winning government. "[Tehan] might be good as a deputy leader, but they still need to change their leadership structure and style," he said. "They have to rebuild, reconnect, and re-strategise — that's harder to do with an existing person, and easier to do with a new person." Photo shows Brett Worthington looks at the camera wearing a blue blazer and glasses Sign up to the ABC Politics newsletter with Brett Worthington Deakin University senior politics lecturer Geoff Robinson said it would be a judgement call within the Liberal party as to whether Mr Tehan would make a good leader. "People thought that Peter Dutton had leadership potential, but he failed badly at the electoral test," Mr Robinson said. He said while Mr Tehan's experience and positive performance in the Wannon electorate made him a safe choice to lead the opposition, his name had likely been thrown in the ring only because of the lack of senior MPs in the Liberal party ranks. "He's very much a generic Liberal who's been able to hold a variety of portfolios. I don't think he stands out as a tremendous talent," Mr Robinson said. "I'm not sure if he has the ability or the talent to bring the party back from the wilderness." Mr Robinson said rebuilding the party would require a total rethink of policy and approach, and the Liberals could be tempted to elect Sussan Ley as their first female leader to symbolise these changes. Having problems seeing this form? Try
