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Free vote on voice would have been a ‘simple solution’ for Liberals – Zimmerman
Trent Zimmerman, a former Liberal MP for North Sydney, says the party’s decision to bind the frontbench to oppose the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum is “curious’”.
Zimmerman, who lost his seat to teal Independent Kylea Tink at the May election, and will be campaigning for a yes vote, told ABC Radio this morning:
It’s a very curious approach. I can’t remember a time where the party has decided that a subset of the party room will get a free vote and another subset won’t. Of course, in the normal course of events, every backbencher has the right to cross the floor. But to actually declare that this is the approach is very curious.
And I think it’s given rise to a lot of the problems the party’s encountered over the last seven days. If there’d been a free vote for every member of the party room, I think that that would have been a simple solution.
I would have preferred obviously the party to back the voice but short of that – allowing all its members [a free vote], particularly when we know that there are shadow ministers, as Julian Leeser was – who do strongly support the voice. And I think if you compare it to the Republic debate, which is probably most analogous, that’s exactly what happened back then. You had a prime minister and a deputy leader of the party taking different views and that was managed and it was managed well.
Key events
Shorten says the government is overhauling the whole process of issuing debt, so that the onus is not put on the person with the debt to prove the government is wrong.
The bigger piece first of all, is that when the government thinks that someone owes a debt to the government, we’ve got to have a much more methodical transparent process to establish the accuracy of the debt.
The best thing you can do is not make a mistake to begin with – and I mean the government not make a mistake.
In the event that there’s overpayment, our starting position has to be communication with the person which is not incomprehensible, not full of legal jargon, something which doesn’t immediately put the onus back on the person to prove the government’s wrong.
And that was one of the problems at the heart of Robodebt: the onus got reversed and the government in sort of absolutely scaled up venture was issuing debts against people with flimsy evidence and then said to the person you’ve got to prove us wrong.
So we are overhauling the whole process – even the government alleging there is a debt to begin with. And not assuming, not telling the person they have no rights to question out and not putting all the onus and homework back on to the individual.
Government to stop using external debt collectors
The Albanese government will be severing external contracts with debt collectors. It’s one of the lessons being learned from the unlawful robodebt program, the government services minister, Bill Shorten, says.
Robodebt unlawfully raised more than a billion dollars in debts against Australians, many of whom were chased down by debt collectors for thousands of dollars they didn’t actually owe.
Shorten has told ABC Radio this morning:
One of the problems with robodebt was that the use of external debt collectors meant that some people received very inconsistent treatment from the government.
And when I say consistent, they received a very poor treatment from the external debt collectors. So we’ve made the decision that is one of the lessons of robodebt that we will not be continuing to use external collection agents from 30 June.
We’re going to run out the contracts and in the future, to ensure a higher quality of treatment and consistency of standard Services Australia will be working through that process throughout reference of third parties.
Free vote on voice would have been a ‘simple solution’ for Liberals – Zimmerman
Trent Zimmerman, a former Liberal MP for North Sydney, says the party’s decision to bind the frontbench to oppose the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum is “curious’”.
Zimmerman, who lost his seat to teal Independent Kylea Tink at the May election, and will be campaigning for a yes vote, told ABC Radio this morning:
It’s a very curious approach. I can’t remember a time where the party has decided that a subset of the party room will get a free vote and another subset won’t. Of course, in the normal course of events, every backbencher has the right to cross the floor. But to actually declare that this is the approach is very curious.
And I think it’s given rise to a lot of the problems the party’s encountered over the last seven days. If there’d been a free vote for every member of the party room, I think that that would have been a simple solution.
I would have preferred obviously the party to back the voice but short of that – allowing all its members [a free vote], particularly when we know that there are shadow ministers, as Julian Leeser was – who do strongly support the voice. And I think if you compare it to the Republic debate, which is probably most analogous, that’s exactly what happened back then. You had a prime minister and a deputy leader of the party taking different views and that was managed and it was managed well.
Treasurer says budget will provide ‘responsible’ cost-of-living relief
The Commonwealth Bank’s chief economist, Stephen Halmarick, is predicting that household incomes will collapse because of a combination of high inflation and interest rates, coupled with growing levels of tax.
Halmarick has told the Nine newspapers this morning:
Growth in real household disposable income in Australia has collapsed and is now deeply negative.
The increase in nominal household income has been more than offset by high and rising inflation, an increase in taxes paid and higher debt interest costs.
This will only get worse through 2023 on the lagged effect of higher interest costs and as wages growth struggles to keep up with the pace of inflation.
While Chalmers says he wouldn’t use Halmarick’s language, he says:
It is obviously true that all of these pressures that are coming at us from around the world are being felt around the kitchen tables of this country. There’s no use pretending otherwise. People are under pressure.
… So, we are conscious of that. That’s why our economic plan, which you’ll see laid out in the budget next month, will provide some cost-of-living relief where it’s responsible, and lay the foundations for future growth in our economy, as we try to make our people, communities, country, more resilient to the sort of economic shocks around the world.
Good morning! Natasha May with you
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has touched down in Washington DC for meetings with fellow G20 finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund. It comes the day after the IMF’s pessimistic economic forecast hinting many countries are facing a growing risk of recession.
Speaking to ABC News, Chalmers says he’s hoping the talks will allow him “to take the temperature of the global economy” four weeks before he hands down the May budget.
One of the key pressures, one of the key features of the budget that we hand down next month will be this global economic uncertainty. And the best response to economic uncertainty around the world is responsible economic management at home and that’s what we’ll see in the budget again.
Housing supply is criticial issue for governments, says survey
Housing supply and affordability is the most critical issue needing to be tackled by governments, a survey of property industry organisations has found, AAP reports.
Participants in the Property Council of Australia and ANZ research have also responded to economic uncertainty with a predicted slowdown in forward work schedule expectations compared to December.
The latest survey of 771 industry experts rated housing supply and affordability the highest priority for both the Australian and state governments to address.
More than 40% of respondents selected it as a critical issue, representing a 10 per cent jump from the December quarter results and the highest level since this survey question was first asked in 2019.
The record response far overshadowed industry concerns about economic management and energy, environment and emissions.
Property Council chief Mike Zorbas said it was unsurprising housing affordability and supply was front of mind for the industry, given a predicted national deficit of 79,300 homes in the next decade.
“Governments can move the housing supply needle by twinning planning reforms with the right investment conditions to support more housing choice for Australians,” he said.
The Albanese government is trying to get a package of housing reforms through parliament which includes a $10 billion housing future fund to finance the construction of 30,000 social and affordable rental properties over five years.
But the proposal faces a challenge from the Greens and crossbenchers who want greater investment ambition to meet existing housing challenges.
WA communities make last preparations for category 4 Cyclone Ilsa
Communities are bracing for winds in excess of 250kmh as people in the path of Tropical Cyclone Ilsa are told to make final preparations and find shelter, AAP reports.
The severe storm is expected to cross the Western Australia coast as a category 4 system north-east of Port Hedland near Eighty Mile Beach early on Friday.
It was confirmed as a category 3 cyclone when it was 370km north-west of Broome, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
An alert is in place for Bidyadanga to De Grey in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions.
Abnormally high tides, destructive winds and up to 400mm of rain are forecast as Ilsa moves south-west and turns towards the Pilbara coast.
“The very destructive core of Ilsa, with extreme gusts up to 270 kmh, is expected to cross the coast between De Grey and west of Bidyadanga,” the bureau warned.
Communities from Broome to Marble Bar and Whim Creek have been warned to be ready for cyclonic weather.
Workers and tourists at Eighty Mile Beach caravan park and nearby Wallal Downs cattle station are being evacuated, along with non-critical workers at Newcrest’s Telfer mine and BHP’s sites across the region.
Extra emergency workers, essential supplies and aircraft have been sent to the area as authorities warn the North West Coastal Highway could close between Port Hedland and Broome due to flooding.
The Port Hedland port is being cleared of vessels including iron ore carriers.
Ilsa is expected to be the first category 4 system to strike the region in almost a decade.
Sydney metro cost could blow out to $20bn – government
Elias Visontay
The price tag of a new metro line being built through Sydney’s CBD and south-west has blown out to more than $20bn, about $8bn more than initially planned.
The new Minns Labor government in New South Wales has said that departmental briefings it requested since winning the election at the end of May have revealed the cost blow out.
When the Sydney Metro City and Southwest was initially announced by the former Coalition government, it was costed at between $11.5bn to $12.5bn, but this estimate was updated to $18.5bn by the former government at the 2022-23 budget.
Costs could further increase beyond the $20bn if the conversion of existing train track to metro track proves costlier than first budgeted for.
A spokesperson for the Minns government said the latest cost blow out suggested that “the former Government kept hidden the true cost of Sydney Metro City and Southwest and the potential impact on passengers”.
The spokesperson said:
Every day, we are asking more about the Sydney Metro and discovering more key details the former government did not reveal to the public.
We are being upfront and honest about the challenges we are inheriting. We’re not interested in assigning blame, we’re interested in finding solutions. The best way to do that is to be upfront and honest with the people of NSW about the true cost of these projects.
The Sydney Metro City and Southwest line will connect with the existing Northwest metro line at Chatswood, run underneath the harbour and service CBD stops including Barangaroo, Pitt Street and Central, before running to Sydenham, Marrickville and out to Bankstown. The Chatswood to Sydenham stretch is planned to open next year.
Welcome
Morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and before my colleague Natasha May gets started, I’ll update you with the top overnight stories.
We’re leading this morning with an exclusive interview with Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who quit the opposition frontbench this week in protest at the party’s decision to camapaign for a no vote in the voice to parliament referendum – and in order to campaign for yes. He explains why he thinks Peter Dutton’s alternative “symbolic recognition” policy won’t work and that the voice has important work to do.
Bill Shorten has announced that external debt collectors will no longer be used by the Albanese government as part of a pledge to ensure robodebt never happens again.
The government services minister said today:
The royal commission into robodebt has put on full display the unfettered cruelty with which debt collection agencies were unleashed against vulnerable Australians. We cannot let this happen again.
The IMF may have predicted Australia’s economy to slow later this year, but the jobs market is expected to hold in its strong position when the March labour force report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics lands at 11.30am this morning. Westpac economists forecast the unemployment rate to remain at 3.5% in March, with about 25,000 jobs added over the month. Worse news for New South Wales’s economy though with a government report pointing to the cost of the Sydney metro blowing out to $20bn.
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