Latest news with #senator
Fox News
21 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
WATCH LIVE: Sen. Bernie Sanders holds 'Fighting Oligarchy' rally in West Virginia
The Vermont senator is expected to focus on economic inequality, corporate influence and threats to the nation's safety net, event organizers say.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
From high school to Parliament: Australia's youngest senator's jaw-dropping salary and perks revealed - as her yearbook photo emerges
Fresh-faced and smiling in her garishly green school uniform, Charlotte Walker looks like any other Year 12 pupil with hopes and dreams for her future. But just three short years later she has been elected as a senator to represent the good people of South Australia on a whopping base salary of $239,270. That pay cheque will likely far outstrip any of her former class mates - and is more than double what most nurses, teachers and police officers can ever hope to be paid. It also comes with a generous travel and accommodation allowance, in addition to office and electorate expenses, which can easily wrack up into the tens of thousands of dollars. Senator Walker will also be offered membership to the highly exclusive Chairman's Lounge - a private lounge for VIPs flying with Qantas in all of Australia's major airports. Her entitlements include unlimited domestic travel for official duties and access to COMCAR, a chauffeur-driven car service available in Canberra and other major cities. Senators who reside outside Canberra are eligible to claim a second residence allowance or be reimbursed for accommodation costs - up to $300 per night tax free. Many take advantage of this by purchasing property in Canberra and still claiming the allowance for staying in their own home, a practice that, while controversial, remains within the rules. She also receives a fully funded electorate office, which comes with at least four full-time staff, as well as taxpayer-covered office supplies, IT equipment, printing, and postage. In addition, she is granted a communications allowance for newsletters, advertising, and constituent surveys, which alone can total tens of thousands of dollars each year. While most 21-year-olds spend their birthdays downing shots and doing things they later regret, Senator Walker spent her May 3 birthday waiting anxiously to see if she would be elected to public office. The former president of Young Labor had been selected for the normally unwinnable third spot on the party's SA Senate ticket. But when the scale of Labor's landslide became clear, it was soon apparent that she would gain entry to the upper house. She had been working in a junior role at the Australian Services Union - a post she started after one year of study at the University of Adelaide. Another unearthed picture showed Senator Walker at her school formal in a vibrant red dress - perhaps a nod to her political leanings. She is a member of the Labor left faction. Senator Walker has wasted no time in her new job, clashing with Pauline Hanson over the One Nation leader's belief that the push for net zero carbon emissions by 2050 should be abandoned. After Senator Hanson - who is 50 years her senior - claimed it would 'destroy jobs and the Australian economy', Senator Walker hit back. 'All I can say is, are you kidding?' Senator Walker said. 'The motion put forward on net zero indicates a severe lack of knowledge and a complete disregard for the future of our generation, the future of our country. 'Without a net zero target, there will be no Australian farmers, businesses or industries to support us. 'Net zero is waking up to a reality that Senator Hanson has not been able to grasp. In fact, Senator Hanson seems to be hellbent on exacerbating all of the consequences of climate change.' In turn, Senator Hanson lashed her younger colleague, claiming it was she who failed to understand what net zero really means. 'She's no sooner out of bloody university and out of her nappies than she's telling me I don't know what the hell I'm talking about when I've been on the floor of parliament for the last nine years,' Senator Hanson told Sky News. 'I don't take any notice of her, who's just trying to make her place in this parliament - and congratulations. But don't come in thinking that you're going to tell me what I know or what I don't know when I have been dealing with this for many years.' Perhaps Senator Walker's first instance of youthful indiscretion came when she she deleted an Instagram video documenting a day in her life in parliament. The clip had been met with a wave of criticism on social media, with many users branding it 'cringe,' 'embarrassing,' and evidence of taxpayers' money being wasted.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Criminal investigation of Adam Schiff is underway: Source
Fox News host Laura Ingraham has the latest on the allegations against the senator on 'The Ingraham Angle.'
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Youngest Australian senator, 21, deletes 'cringe' video
Australia's youngest-ever senator has deleted a 'cringeworthy' video documenting a day in her life at Parliament, which was posted just a day after she outlined her bold agenda for the country's future. Charlotte Walker, 21, who made headlines last week after trading barbs with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, shared a reel on Instagram documenting the final day of her first week in Parliament on July 24. The video, which was set to the Black Eyed Peas song 'Imma Be', featured time-stamped clips of the Senator for South Australia as her day unfolded. These included a clip under her duvet after waking up at 5.27am, various interviews with multiple broadcasters throughout the morning, footage of her running through the halls of Parliament to vote at 4pm, and flying home to SA at 6pm. 'Day in my life, first week done,' the senator, who earns $233,660 a year captioned the 16-second clip. But it was met with a chorus of ridicule and anger on social media, with many users branding it 'cringe,' 'embarrassing,' and evidence of taxpayers' money being wasted. 'An inexperienced young woman who's never held a real job as an adult is now a federal government Senator with the responsibilities of lawmaking in the federal Parliament,' one said. 'Why do Aussies keep electing unelectable people to Parliament? You won't trust a 21-year-old to a company's board of directors or to a Supreme Court justice bench as they don't have the capabilities, experience, and depth to handle it, but they can be elected to Parliament? This is so wrong. Parliament isn't some instagram hangout place, it's where the laws of the nation are discussed and legislated impacting an entire country's citizenry.' The criticism seems to have stung as the short clip has now vanished from Senator Walker's Instagram profile. The Daily Mail approached Senator Walker for comment over its removal. The clip was originally posted the day after Senator Walker's maiden speech in parliament where she pitched herself as a voice for the younger generations. The Senator for South Australia said that Labor's landslide election win in May was the expression of 'the core Australian value of a fair go'. She said that Labor would deliver a 'fair go' for Australians in the areas of housing, education and climate change - underlining the government's commitment to net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 as a key pledge. It was on this issue that Senator Walker clashed with Pauline Hanson (pictured), who had tabled a motion in the upper house to abandon the target altogether, claiming it will 'destroy jobs and the Australian economy.' 'Power bills are out of control. Manufacturing is being wiped out. And ordinary Australians are paying the price, while out-of-touch politicians and inner-city idealists push fantasy policies they'll never have to live under,' Hanson said. But Senator Walker slammed the move, accusing the One Nation founder - who is 50 years her senior - of lacking knowledge of the subject. 'All I can say is, are you kidding?' Senator Walker said. 'The motion put forward on net zero indicates a severe lack of knowledge and a complete disregard for the future of our generation, the future of our country. 'Without a net zero target, there will be no Australian farmers, businesses or industries to support us. Net zero is waking up to a reality that Senator Hanson has not been able to grasp. In fact, Senator Hanson seems to be hellbent on exacerbating all of the consequences of climate change.' In turn, Senator Hanson lashed her younger colleague, claiming it was she who failed to understand what net zero really means. 'She's no sooner out of bloody university and out of her nappies than she's telling me I don't know what the hell I'm talking about when I've been on the floor of parliament for the last nine years,' Senator Hanson told Sky News. 'I don't take any notice of her, who's just trying to make her place in this parliament - and congratulations. But don't come in thinking that you're going to tell me what I know or what I don't know when I have been dealing with this for many years.' Senator Walker underlined her unwavering commitment to tackling climate change in her maiden speech, claiming that she spoke for the younger generation who would be most affected by a heating planet. 'The vast majority of young Australians do not talk about climate sceptics versus climate believers,' she said. 'To us, climate change is not a matter of faith or belief; it is purely a matter of hard fact, and this government is determined to do everything we can to meet our goals of the Paris Agreement, including holding the increase in average temperatures to well below two degrees Celsius of warming. This government's net zero plan is delivering on the legislated target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.' She also outlined how Labor planned to tackle the 'cost-of-living monster that everyone my age talks about housing' by allowing people to buy a home with just a five per cent deposit. 'Saving a 20 per cent deposit to get into homeownership whilst paying rent is an unscalable mountain for most of us,' she said. 'The median home price in Australia today is $820,000. Five per cent of that is $41,000. The last time $41,000 covered the 20 per cent deposit for a median home was in 2002. I wasn't even born in 2002.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The social media post Australia's youngest Senator did not want you to see - as her bold plan for the country's future is revealed
Australia's youngest-ever senator has deleted a 'cringeworthy' video documenting a day in her life at parliament, which was posted just a day after she outlined her bold agenda for the country's future. Charlotte Walker, 21, who made headlines last week after trading barbs with One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson, shared a reel on Instagram documenting the final day of her first week in parliament on July 24. The video, which was set to the Black Eyed Peas song 'Imma Be', featured time-stamped clips of the Senator for South Australia as her day unfolded. These included a clip under her duvet after waking up at 5.27am, various interviews with multiple broadcasters through the morning, footage of her running through the halls of parliament to vote at 4pm and flying home to SA at 6pm. 'Day in my life, first week done,' she captioned the 16-second clip. But it was met with a chorus of ridicule and anger on social media, with many users branding it 'cringe', 'embarrassing' and evidence of taxpayers' money being wasted. 'An inexperienced young women who's never held a real down job as an adult is now a federal government Senator with the responsibilities of lawmaking in the federal Parliament,' one sawid. 'Why do Aussies keep electing unelectable people to parliament? You won't trust a 21-year old to a Company's Board of Director or to a Supreme Court's Justice Bench as they don't have the capabilities, experience and depth to handle it but they can be elected to Parliament?' 'This is so wrong. Parliament isn't some instagram hangout place, it's where the laws of the nation are discussed and legislated impacting an entire country's citizenry.' The criticism seems to have stung as the short clip has now vanished from Senator Walker's Instagram profile. The Daily Mail approached Senator Walker for comment over its removal. The clip was originally posted the day after Senator Walker's maiden speech in parliament where she pitched herself as a voice for the younger generations. The Senator for South Australia said that Labor's landslide election win in May was the expression of 'the core Australian value of a fair go'. She said that Labor would deliver a 'fair go' for Australians in the areas of housing, education and climate change - underlining the government's commitment to net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 as a key pledge. It was on this issue that Senator Walker clashed with Pauline Hanson, who had tabled a motion in the upper house to abandon the target altogether, claiming it will 'destroy jobs and the Australian economy.' 'Power bills are out of control. Manufacturing is being wiped out. And ordinary Australians are paying the price, while out-of-touch politicians and inner-city idealists push fantasy policies they'll never have to live under,' Hanson said. 'We are being led by fools. Shame on every politician who continues to push this madness. I will not stand by while Australia is driven into the ground.' But Senator Walker slammed the move, accusing the One Nation founder - who is 50 years her senior - of lacking knowledge of the subject. 'All I can say is, are you kidding?' Senator Walker said. 'The motion put forward on net zero indicates a severe lack of knowledge and a complete disregard for the future of our generation, the future of our country. 'Without a net zero target, there will be no Australian farmers, businesses or industries to support us. 'Net zero is waking up to a reality that Senator Hanson has not been able to grasp. In fact, Senator Hanson seems to be hellbent on exacerbating all of the consequences of climate change.' In turn, Senator Hanson lashed her younger colleague, claiming it was she who failed to understand what net zero really means. 'She's no sooner out of bloody university and out of her nappies than she's telling me I don't know what the hell I'm talking about when I've been on the floor of parliament for the last nine years,' Senator Hanson told SKy News. 'I don't take any notice of her, who's just trying to make her place in this parliament - and congratulations. But don't come in thinking that you're going to tell me what I know or what I don't know when I have been dealing with this for many years.' Senator Walker underlined her unwavering commitment to tackling climate change in her maiden speech, claiming that she spoke for the younger generation who would be most affected by a heating planet. 'The vast majority of young Australians do not talk about climate sceptics versus climate believers,' she said. 'To us, climate change is not a matter of faith or belief; it is purely a matter of hard fact, and this government is determined to do everything we can to meet our goals of the Paris Agreement, including holding the increase in average temperatures to well below two degrees Celsius of warming. 'This government's net zero plan is delivering on the legislated target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.' She also outlined how Labor planned to tackle the 'cost-of-living monster that everyone my age talks about housing' by allowing people to buy a home with just a five per cent deposit. 'Saving a 20 per cent deposit to get into homeownership whilst paying rent is an unscalable mountain for most of us,' she said. 'The median home price in Australia today is $820,000. Five per cent of that is $41,000. The last time $41,000 covered the 20 per cent deposit for a median home was in 2002. I wasn't even born in 2002. 'The day this policy was announced, before the election, my partner and I looked at each other and said: "We might have a chance now".'
