Latest news with #parliament
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Labor to introduce student debt-slashing bill into parliament
Labor will on Wednesday introduce its signature student debt-slashing legislation on the first proper sitting day of the new parliament. The proposed relief, a key election policy, would cut HECS by 20 per cent for some 3 million graduates, or take about $5500 off the average student debt. Total savings would amount to $16bn, according to Labor. It would also raise the repayment threshold for student loans from $54,000 to $67,000. While Labor commands a massive 94-seat majority in the House of Representatives, the Senate is another matter. With the Greens holding the balance of power, they can effectively pump the brakes on key legislation – something members of the minor party have already said they would do to negotiate their own agenda. 'While every bit of student debt relief is good, what the government is doing by wiping some student debt doesn't even touch the sides of the issue,' Greens education spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi said on Tuesday. 'The core of the problem is indexation. 'Unless indexation is removed, students will be in this hamster wheel always chasing their debts, which keep getting bigger and bigger.' While Senator Faruqi said her party would push for amendments, NewsWire understands the government is confident the opposition will support it. Speaking to Sky News, Coalition education spokesman Jono Duniam said he also expected his side to back the bill. 'It was an issue, one of the centrepieces of the government's agenda at the last election and obviously we had a view that was not supported by Australians, so we'll work with them,' he said. 'We have our concerns, they remain. We'll talk about those, but I expect them to pass parliament.'
LBCI
7 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Ukrainian MPs vote to end independence of anti-corruption agencies
Ukrainian MPs on Tuesday approved amendments to remove the independence of two anti-corruption bodies in the war-torn country, a day after the arrest of an official working in one of the agencies. Despite widespread criticism from NGOs and rights groups, parliament voted 263 in favour and 13 against to place the two government anti-corruption agencies under the direct authority of the prosecutor-general, who the president appoints. AFP
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Suspended Nigerian senator behind harassment claim refused entry to parliament
A Nigerian senator who was suspended after accusing the senate president of sexual harassment, which he denies, has been refused entry to the parliamentary campus. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has linked the six-month suspension to her accusation but the senate leadership said it was because of "unruly and disruptive" behaviour during a legislative session. On Tuesday, her convoy was halted at the outer gate of the National Assembly in Abuja. Continuing on foot she was stopped by security at the inner gate. Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of just four women out of 109 senators, had vowed to return to work on Tuesday following a federal high court ruling that she said ordered the Senate to recall her. But Senate President Godswill Akpabio argued that the courts cannot interfere in parliamentary business. Akpoti-Uduaghan was barred from parliament in March after submitting a petition saying she had been sexually harassed. Akpabio has gone to the court of appeal to challenge the decision that his female colleague should be reinstated, saying that parliamentary procedures are shielded from judicial interference. That court has not yet ruled. Speaking to journalists shortly after being denied entry to the National Assembly, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused the senate leadership of being in contempt of court. 'Akpabio cannot be greater than the Nigerian constitution. 'The office of the senate president does not give me legitimacy. My legitimacy comes from the people of Kogi (state) who voted me in,' she said. The lawmaker said she would consult her legal team on the next steps. According to senate rules, Akpoti-Uduaghan should not be allowed into the assembly premises until her suspension expires in September. Civil society groups in the country have expressed concerns over the lawmaker's treatment, calling for a transparent investigation into her allegations. More BBC stories on Nigeria: Buhari - the austere Nigerian military ruler who defeated a sitting president Big shake-up in Nigerian politics as heavyweights join forces Nigeria's major tax overhaul explained Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Focus on Africa This Is Africa
BBC News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan: Suspended Nigerian senator refused entry to National Assembly
A Nigerian senator who was suspended after accusing the senate president of sexual harassment, which he denies, has been refused entry to the parliamentary Akpoti-Uduaghan has linked the six-month suspension to her accusation but the senate leadership said it was because of "unruly and disruptive" behaviour during a legislative Tuesday, her convoy was halted at the outer gate of the National Assembly in Abuja. Continuing on foot she was stopped by security at the inner one of just four women out of 109 senators, had vowed to return to work on Tuesday following a federal high court ruling that she said ordered the Senate to recall her. But Senate President Godswill Akpabio argued that the courts cannot interfere in parliamentary business. Akpoti-Uduaghan was barred from parliament in March after submitting a petition saying she had been sexually has gone to the court of appeal to challenge the decision that his female colleague should be reinstated, saying that parliamentary procedures are shielded from judicial court has not yet to journalists shortly after being denied entry to the National Assembly, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused the senate leadership of being in contempt of court.'Akpabio cannot be greater than the Nigerian constitution. 'The office of the senate president does not give me legitimacy. My legitimacy comes from the people of Kogi (state) who voted me in,' she lawmaker said she would consult her legal team on the next to senate rules, Akpoti-Uduaghan should not be allowed into the assembly premises until her suspension expires in society groups in the country have expressed concerns over the lawmaker's treatment, calling for a transparent investigation into her allegations. More BBC stories on Nigeria: Buhari - the austere Nigerian military ruler who defeated a sitting presidentBig shake-up in Nigerian politics as heavyweights join forcesNigeria's major tax overhaul explained Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Wall Street Journal
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Ukraine Moves to Defang U.S.-Backed Anticorruption Agency
KYIV, Ukraine—Three years into the war with Russia, Ukraine's government has moved to hamstring the country's anticorruption agency, the most dramatic in a series of recent steps that opponents say are aimed at concentrating power around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and silencing critics of his administration. Ukraine's parliament on Tuesday approved legislation that would effectively strip independence from the National Anticorruption Bureau, known as NABU, which was established in 2015 under pressure from the U.S. and other Western countries.
