Opposition Attorney-General spokesperson Michaelia Cash has appeared at a forum convened by a contentious religious advocacy group to decry the Albanese government’s Religious Discrimination proposal.
Organised by the Australian Jewish Association and Christian Voice Australia, the video call conference was titled “Unpacking Labor’s proposed Religious Discrimination Act: Why you should be concerned about Albanese government’s plans”.
Senator Cash was a guest speaker at the event. Event coordinators did not clear the recording of her speech due to its briefing of legislation still under proposal.
AJA has been accused of “incitement of violence” in the past by the Lebanese Muslim Association. One of the most prominent Australian Jewish groups, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry disavowed itself from AJA in November.
“The Australian Jewish Association has no representative status and in no way speaks for or reflects the views of Australian Jews,” said ECAJ co-CEO Alex Ryvchin.
“We urge media, government and other stakeholders to be aware of who this group is before engaging with them.”
In May, Liberal senator Dave Sharma was criticised for hosting AJA at Parliament.
Politics Now: Big names gather for Midwinter Ball
Politicians, business leaders and media figures have gathered in Canberra for the social event of the parliamentary year.
Welcome to The Australian's rolling coverage of news from Canberra and around the country.
Updates
Cash appears at AJA forum
Politicians shine at Midwinter Ball
Australian politicians, members of the media and other influential guests have arrived at the annual Midwinter Ball, held in the Great Hall at Canberra’s Parliament House.
Among the first to appear was Labor MP Josh Burns, who entered the Parliamentary foyer with Victorian Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell who dazzled in a black sleeveless gown.
Jim Chalmers and his wife, Laura, along with Barnaby Joyce, Greens MPs Larissa Waters and Dorinda Cox entered the foyer next.
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe walked down the stairs wearing a dress emblazoned with the catchphrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
Meanwhile, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Bob Katter were spotted chatting outside the great hall as Labor MPs Anika Wells, Andrew Charlton and Anne Aly made their entry. Teal MPs Allegra Spender, Zoe Daniels, Sophie Scamps were among the next guests to arrive.
Soon after, prominent friend of Brittany Higgins and PR professional Emma Webster walked into the foyer at Parliament House, closely followed by Liberal MPs Jane Hume, Sussan Ley, Susan McDonald, Melissa Price, Jenny Ware and Bridget Archer for a joint grand entrance.
Anthony Albanese and Jodie were the next to walk in, just moments after Peter and Kirilly Dutton arrived. Jodie worked with Melbourne based designer Lucy Laurita to restyle her original black, sequined Midwinter Ball 2022 dress to extend the life of the garment. Lucy Laurita proudly designs and manufactures in Australia.
Katter celebrates portrait in Parliament House
Independent MP Bob Katter will be the subject of the latest addition to Parliament House’s extensive portrait collection, a Parliamentary committee has decided.
The portrait will be commissioned for Parliament’s Historical Memorial Collection and celebrates Katter’s long career as ‘Father of the House’. He will be the 32-year incumbent in the seat of Kennedy by the 2025 election, and has a fifty year career in politics.
"So much has changed over the decades in this parliament — one of the rare constants has been Bob Katter's presence," Anthony Albanese said yesterday.
"In this great democratic institution, Bob is an institution in his own right.
"It's hard to imagine this place without him and commissioning his portrait is a way to ensure he will always be a visible and colourful part of Australia's parliament.
"Bob inspires great affection but commissioning this portrait is, above all, an act of respect."
Mr Katter celebrated the announcement earlier today, meeting with Speaker Milton Dick.
“I was so pleased that the Historical Memorial Committee approved to commission a portrait of (Mr Katter),” Mr Dick said on Twitter/X.
“The portrait will be in honour of his extensive period of public service.”
Thorpe leads funding push for 'lifesaving' public services
A mix of crossbench senators and MPs have aligned to push for community legal centre funding, after the service was found to be lagging behind national demand.
The group of 28 Parliamentarians, led by senator Lidia Thorpe, made the appeal to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, as reported by the ABC.
The Independent Review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership released its findings in May. It contained 39 recommendations and identified the funding and staffing gaps nationwide.
"Labor, if you are fair dinkum about preventing violence against women in this country, then stop sitting on your hands and fund these underfunded services that will actually save people's lives," Senator Thorpe said in Parliament today.
Also among the crossbench coalition is Senator David Pocock, MP Andrew Wilkie and the full range of federal Greens and teals.
Mr Dreyfus has since said the review’s recommendations are under consideration.
Goldsmith MP Zoe Daniel also led a roundtable today that spruiked higher funding for women’s legal services and frontline support for domestic abuse and sexual assault survivors.
'Get it passed': Hanson backs NDIS reform bill
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has backed the Albanese government’s NDIS reform bill, which is struggling to get passed in the Senate after the Greens and Coalition held it back, amendments pending.
Speaking on Sky News today, Senator Hanson said the loss of taxpayer funds due to the bill's delay was an indictment on Peter Dutton and criticised the Coalition's former NDIS ministers.
“The Coalition has got to come on board with this because they need it. The Greens are not going to support this," Senator Hanson said.
“I’m calling on Peter Dutton to actually put your amendments forward, speak to the government about this. Get it passed as soon as possible.”
It comes after NDIS Minister Bill Shorten unveiled a tracker for the cost of NDIS “waste” brought on by delays in the Senate. Senator Hanson appeared alongside Mr Shorten later in the day.
“I worked with the prior two (NDIS) ministers (Stuart Roberts and Linda Reynolds) who I think were absolutely hopeless,” Senator Hanson said.
“Bill Shorten, I’ve been on his back about this, now today he’s included me.
“I (have said in past) that the NDIS is wasting money, taxpayers’ dollars. I don’t disregard the NDIS. I think it’s a very important scheme that we have for those who are in need of it and who are disabled, not those who rip the guts out of it."
Teal MP writes to PM urging early poll
Independent Kooyong MP Monique Ryan has appealed for an early election to block the formation of a Coalition government.
Concerned about the energy and environment policy of a future Dutton government, Dr Ryan wrote an open letter to Anthony Albanese appealing for him to cut his term short and send voters to an election before the end of the year.
“I have written to the Prime Minister asking him to consider calling an early election before the Coalition's economically reckless climate policies put us at risk of losing out on billions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs,” Dr Ryan said on Twitter/X.
“I don't make this request lightly. Governments should, where possible, complete their full terms. I do not believe early elections should occur unless there are exceptional circumstances, however, these are exceptional circumstances.
“Our children and grandchildren's economic future – their jobs, wellbeing, and prosperity – will be shaped by our response to climate change.
"Waiting until May next year to address these questions will risk the Coalition's dangerous approach causing too much damage to that future.”
We are undergoing our greatest economic transformation since the industrial revolution, and at the worst possible time the Coalition has jammed a stick into the spokes of the Australian economy.
— Dr Monique Ryan MP (@Mon4Kooyong) July 3, 2024
My letter to the Prime Minister requesting he consider an early election: pic.twitter.com/ZehmYaPQSL
Dr Ryan compared the Coalition’s nuclear energy proposal to “jamming a stick into the spokes of the Australian economy”.
“Amid overwhelming calls for certainty, the Coalition has jammed a stick into the spokes of the Australian economy by refusing to reveal a 2030 emissions reduction target and confusing the country with a threadbare nuclear energy announcement,” she said in her letter.
“Our nation is becoming a bad place to do business.”
Payman pushed out under 'shield of'caucus solidarity'
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley has accused Anthony Albanese of “not supporting” suspended Labor senator Fatima Payman after she alleged she was “intimidated” and “exiled” by the Labor Party
Following her scrutiny of the Prime Minister in question time today, Ms Ley appeared on ABC News and alleged that Mr Albanese was using “the shield of caucus solidarity” to muscle Senator Payman out.
“The issues about what Senator Payman's views are – which the Prime Minister kept veering back to – are actually not the issue,” Ms Ley said.
“The issue is a new, young senator who is a Labor Party member, and what he is doing to assure himself that she hasn't been intimidated.
“He's effectively using the shield of caucus solidarity and leaving the job to other members of his caucus. Are they bullying her? Is she feeling intimidated? She is saying that she is. What is he doing as Prime Minister?”
Shorten, Hanson join forces to push NDIS reform through Senate
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson have become unlikely allies in the push to pass the Albanese government’s NDIS reform through the Senate.
“I’ve been talking with Senator Pauline Hanson, she has always been pretty firm and clear with me about how things need to be straightened up,” Mr Shorten said in a joint press conference.
“I’m really pleased today that she’s willing to add her voice about the need to move on reforming parts of the NDIS.”
It comes after Mr Shorten unveiled a counter for the cost of NDIS “waste” brought on by delays in the Senate.
“Over the years I have seen the complete waste of taxpayers dollars … (from) people who shouldn’t be on the scheme,” Senator Hanson said.
In June Senator Hanson labelled the NDIS a “scam”.
“It is such a scam … and it’s not even means tested,” Senator Hanson said on Sky News.
“You’ve got multi-millionaires that are actually on this.
“(The Albanese government is) scared to do anything about it because they will lose the voters out there.”
New paid parental leave standards modelled on JobKeeper
Labor’s expansion of government paid parental leave was modelled on the Covid-era JobKeeper payments, according to Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth.
The new standards grant the parents of children born or adopted on or after July 1 with additional leave. Eligible families will receive 110 days, with ten days reserved for either parent. This is ten days above the year prior.
“We want to make sure people stay connected to their workplace,” Ms Rishworth said on ABC Canberra.
“We saw through the Covid pandemic that JobKeeper was really important to making sure that people didn't go and just find another job.
“We know a lot of employers want to keep the connection and so that's why this leave is so important because you stay connected with your workplace, you're still getting paid by your workplace in most cases.
“So there's a smooth transition back to work and that connection with your workplace is still there.”
PM takes aim at Coalition's support for divestiture powers
Anthony Albanese has intensified his criticism, accusing the Coalition of adopting communist-inspired policy after the Opposition unveiled it would take divestiture legislation to the next federal election which could force the breakup of supermarket and hardware retailers.
“The leader of the Opposition started the year telling people to boycott Woolies, do you remember that? Now he wants to nationalise it, Mr Speaker!” the Prime Minister told question time.
Mr Albanese continued to taunt Opposition MPs over their support for divestiture powers, which have marked a further divergence between the Coalition and their traditional allies in corporate Australia.
“Menzies tried to ban the Communist Party, they want to adopt the Communist Party model,” Mr Albanese said, gesturing at the Coalition.
“They want publicly owned energy through nuclear energy and now they want, one would assume, publicly owned supermarkets. Because if Coles has to sell, guess who will buy it? Maybe Woolies.
“Nuclear reactors who will drive power prices and a supermarket shamozzle that will drive up grocery prices.”
– Jack Quail
Teen arrested after shopping centre stabbing
A teenage boy has been arrested and a crime scene declared after a woman was stabbed at a Queensland shopping centre on Monday evening.
Intimate portrait of a genius … captured in the artworks and objects he truly loved
The late satirist and comedian Barry Humphries’ private collection of art and objects will be sold in London next month. His son reflects on his father’s passion for beauty.