Labor must pass a bill a day to clear legislative agenda as Greens Senate deal clinched

Labor will have to pass at least one bill a day through parliament if it wants to clear its legislative agenda before the election, after clinching a mega deal with the Greens.

Anthony Albanese in question time on Thursday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Labor will have to pass at least one bill a day through the parliament if it wants to clear its legislative agenda before the election, after clinching a mega deal with the Greens and several crossbenchers to push three major reforms through the Senate on the final ­sitting day of the fortnight.

Legislation to establish the Net Zero Economy Authority – a top priority for the government – as well as new mandatory requirements for large companies to disclose climate risks and bolstered powers for the Australian Public Service Commission to investigate current and past senior ­bureaucrats passed the upper house in quick succession on Thursday afternoon.

The Coalition seized on the Labor-Greens deal to ram through the climate reporting scheme, saying activists would use it to target farmers and the Net Zero Economy Authority was a “long-held union wishlist” that should scare workers.

The government still has 47 bills before the parliament and at least 12 key promises it hasn’t introduced legislation for in this term or has shelved altogether.

There are six sitting weeks left this year. Assuming Anthony ­Albanese calls a May election in April and there are five sitting weeks scheduled next year, there will be around 44 sitting days left before the country goes to the polls.

Even in the highly unlikely event no other government bills are brought before parliament, at least one of its bills must pass each sitting day for the list to clear.

Of a dozen signature Labor bills tested with the Coalition and the Greens this week, there was Greens support for just two – super on Paid Parental Leave and the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.

The party was undecided on or opposed to the remaining 10.

They include two Future made in Australia bills, legislation to set up the Environment Protection Australia “green cop”, Build to Rent and Help to Buy housing bills, a higher tax rate on wealthy superannuation balances, international student caps, “emergency powers” to deport non-citizens, and Reserve Bank of Australia ­reforms.

The Coalition did not endorse any of the bills, though The Australian has revealed Jim Chalmers has paved the way for a historic deal on the government’s proposed RBA changes.

The Net Zero Economy Authority – which is central to the government’s Future Made in Australia plan – will try to ensure coal workers, industries and communities aren’t left behind as the country transitions to net zero by 2050 while also putting together a pipeline of green projects for ­investment.

“The authority will have the job of looking after the workers in regions like the Hunter, central Queensland, Gippsland in Victoria and Collie in Western Australia who are at the core of this transformation,” Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said.

“It will be a one-stop shop for new industries coming to regional Australia to create jobs and investment and for the workers already there to prepare for the jobs for the future.”

Labor’s legislation for mandatory climate reporting captures all businesses with a turnover of $50m or more.

Farmers, who supply big supermarkets and other large companies that will have to make climate disclosures under the program, say their exports will become less competitive because they will be affected by scope 3 reporting requirements. Scope 3 includes emissions along the supply chain, which are not generated directly by a company within its fence line or through its electricity consumption.

Opposition Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor said the new requirements, which he labelled a “green tape bomb”, would put Australia out of line with inter­national peers, noting that the US, Canada, Japan and “most of Australia’s trading partners” didn’t require the reporting of scope 3 emissions.

“Activists may tell banks to stop lending to farmers who don’t do as they’re told,” Mr Taylor said.

“And a tradie doing office fit-outs may have to work out the emissions from their ute and report it to the company they’re doing the fit out for.”

Jim Chalmers said the laws would modernise Australia’s fin­ancial system, provide greater information and clarity to investors and incentivise investment in the net zero transformation.

“After a decade of delay and denial under the Coalition, we’re taking action on climate reporting to support more investment in cheaper and cleaner energy and help companies and investors manage climate risks,” the federal Treasurer said.

The final bill that passed the Senate will grant Australian Public Service Commission head Gordon de Brouwer bolstered and retrospective powers to investigate top ranking bureaucrats for alleged breaches of the APS code of conduct.

The bills to establish the Net Zero Economy Authority and introduce mandatory climate reporting have been sent back to the house but the government ran out of time to deal with them on Thursday.

Additional reporting: Jack Quail