Politics latest: 'Margins at best': Treasurer's concession on migration

Jim Chalmers says cutting migration will only help Australia’s housing crisis 'at the margins at best', while declaring Peter Dutton’s steeper cuts will cost the economy billions. 

Jim Chalmers says cutting migration will only help Australia’s housing crisis 'at the margins at best', while declaring Peter Dutton’s steeper cuts will cost the economy billions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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4:33 pm May 19, 2024

Man 'demanded to be shot' after police stabbing

Noah Yim

Police say a 33-year-old man allegedly stabbed a male police officer directing Sydney CBD traffic in the back of the head “two or three times”. That police officer and a female colleague then chased that 33-year-old man through the city.

The man “demanded to be shot by police” before he was tasered and arrested.

“[He] approached two constables who were performing traffic duties on the corner Castlereagh and Park Street,” Detective Superintendent Martin Fileman told reporters. “That 33-year-old male has produced a kitchen-style knife about 30cm long and stabbed the male constable in the back of the head a number of times.

“The injured officer and a female officer then gave chase along Park Street up to Hyde Park near Elizabeth Street where, assisted by a number of other police officers, that offender was arrested. Whilst he was in the park, he still had the knife in his hand, and he was demanding that police shoot him.

“Without further incident, [police] arrested that male person.

“He is currently in a stable condition. His injuries are not life-threatening.”

Mr Fileman said the 33-year-old male “didn’t say anything prior to walking up to the officers”.

The man was “known to police” but did not have a “serious criminal history” nor a history of mental illness according to police records, he said.

While the alleged assailant has not been charged, Mr Fileman said the 33-year-old would likely face “very serious charges”.

Police said the incident showed “the risk that knives pose in the community” and welcomed “any further powers that give us the ability to search for knives”.

2:59 pm May 19, 2024

I'm not anti-migration, but do it in balanced way: Hanson

Staff writers

One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson said the reduction of migration numbers in Australia must be done in a “balanced way”.

Senator Hanson's call comes after Peter Dutton said he wants to reduce net overseas migration to 160,000 and the permanent migration intake to 140,000.

“I've always spoken about high immigration. I'm not against immigration, we've had some fantastic people who come here to live in the country. But you do it in a managed, balanced way,” Senator Hanson told Sky News.

“You don't overcrowd — we've had a million people come … into this country under the Labor Party.

“There are 650,000 houses that we need now at the moment but they keep bringing high immigration. Peter Dutton has tackled it and said well, we'll drop it to 140,000

“That's basically a net zero immigration policy. That was my policy.

“We've got about 200,000 Australians who are homeless or couch surfing, this is ridiculous. Yet the Labor Party … said they would reduce immigration levels and they haven't and I still don't trust them to reduce it to half of what they bring in that moment.”

— Isabella Pesch

2:47 pm May 19, 2024

Police officer stabbed in Sydney CBD

Noah Yim

A police officer has been stabbed in the head while in the Sydney CBD, police say.

Paramedics attended to the officer’s “non-life threatening head injuries” before he was taken to St Vincent’s hospital, a police statement said.

A 33-year-old man has been arrested and taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for assessment.

The incident happened shortly after 1pm on Sunday at the corner of Bathurst Street and Elizabeth Street near Hyde Park, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The police officer is believed to be in a stable condition, the report said.

Police confirmed an operation was underway on Elizabeth Street in Sydney.

12:45 pm May 19, 2024

Migration cuts 'wouldn't take students from regions'

Rosie Lewis

Nationals leader David Littleproud has declared a future Coalition government won’t “take away” international students from regional universities and will reinstate an agriculture visa, despite the opposition vowing to cut net overseas migration to 160,000.

Indicating the Coalition’s migration cuts will cause more pain for metropolitan universities than in the regions, Mr Littleproud said regional institutions would need existing international student numbers to continue because they didn’t have the “financial strength” of the sandstones.

Asked how many international students he’d like to see come into Australia, Mr Littleproud told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda program: “This is where we've also made sure there's a nuance here about supporting regional universities and regional universities rely heavily on overseas students. It's important we don't take that away from them. We continue to underpin that.”

Peter Dutton announced in his budget-in-reply speech the Coalition would reduce the permanent migration program from 185,000 to 140,000 in the first two years, before increasing it to 160,000 in the fourth year.

Net overseas migration would be slashed to 160,000 – which is 100,000 less than Labor’s forecast for 2024-25.

“What we'll be working through with the shadow immigration minister and education minister in making sure that the universities, particularly in capital cities, appreciate that but understand that the premise that we're going to support is particularly those regional universities that don't have the financial strength of the big sandstone universities that need to continue to see that overseas student migration numbers,” Mr Littleproud said.

“What we'll also be announcing with respect to the numbers is the return of the ag visa. And that's a dedicated visa towards agriculture. And this makes sure we're getting the balance right also in regional Australia, not just for agriculture, understanding that we've got many pubs out in my part of the world and outback Queensland that do rely on backpackers to be able to continue to be able to keep the doors open. They simply don't have the labour force without them.”

Mr Littleproud insisted it wouldn’t be hard to reach the Coalition’s net overseas migration target while maintaining international student numbers in the regions, re-establishing the agriculture visa and extending the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme.

“This is about making the tough decisions … that prioritise where the economy needs the support to continue to grow, and particularly in the regions,” he said.

“We don't want to see the regions suffer because of an exacerbated problem in capital cities because we just continue to pour now 1.67 million people – a city that is bigger than the size of Adelaide – over the next five years into our capital cities. It just won’t work.”

11:58 am May 19, 2024

Angry ALP members yell 'shame' at minister

Rachel Baxendale

Angry ALP members have yelled "shame" at Victorian Transport Infrastructure Minister Danny Pearson, in protest at the government's indefinite postponement of the Melbourne Airport rail link.

As he gave his minister's statement to the state Labor conference on Sunday, Mr Pearson was also howled down for stating: "The Allan Labor government will always put workplace safety first," amid union anger over recent changes to WorkCover legislation which have removed provisions covering mental health.

Immediately after Mr Pearson finished speaking, Transport Workers' Union secretary Mem Suleyman moved a motion, condemning the airport for opposing the current rail link proposal on the basis that they want an underground line, calling upon the state government to "get serious" about the development of the airport rail link, and calling upon all parties to "roll up their sleeves and get this project done."

Amid record state debt, the government earlier this month claimed cost savings in its budget from not building the Airport Rail Link, blaming the impasse with Melbourne Airport for the project being at least four years away from commencing.

11:51 am May 19, 2024

DFAT 'working with Australians in New Caledonia'

Staff writers

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are working very closely to examine the need to protect Australians who are in New Caledonia.

"We know there's around 300 people are registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade," Mr Albanese said.

"The Australian government is closely monitoring events in New Caledonia, and there are reports they're running out of food and commercial flights are stopped, commercial flights stopped a couple of days ago.

"We are looking into how we can provide assistance to Australians who are currently in New Caledonia."

Mr Albanese said Nationals Leader David Littleproud's belief that the energy rebate is an "admission of guilt" of failure is "all over the shop".

"They're all over the shop, aren't they? First, they voted against energy price relief that we previously put in place that's assisted people and has reduced
inflation, they said it was too much the energy price relief plan. Now they're coming up with another reason to complain about it," Mr Albanese said.

"We'll see whether they oppose it on taxpayer relief as well, on our tax cuts. They came out and said they'd reverse it.

"Then they said that we should go to an election on it before they voted against it. And again, in that area, they're saying they'll have their own tax cuts they'll restore at various times.

"They've said they would restore all the tax cuts to the high end. They need to say how they're going to pay for that when they're going to do that, and what the cost (will be).

"This is not an alternative government, this is just a relentlessly negative opposition.

"You can't actually build a nation and take it forward with just a policy of opposing any measures."

– Isabella Pesch

11:32 am May 19, 2024

PM weights in on ADF drug reports

Staff writers

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his thoughts are with special forces soldier Jack Fitzgibbon's family after it was revealed six members of a Sydney-based army unit tested positive for illicit drugs just days before Mr Fitzgibbon was killed in a fatal training jump.

Five members of the army's 176 Air Dispatch Squadron were found to have taken prohibited substances, and another soldier working in logistics who was not a parachute rigger tested positive for cocaine.

"My thoughts are very much with Jack Fitzgibbon's family on this news. The investigation is ongoing, so I can't talk in any further detail about the specifics, but my heart goes out to Joel and Diane," Mr Albanese said.

"It was an enormous tragedy. I visited the ADF personnel there in Richmond in the days after. The tragedy and my heart goes out to them at this time.

"This will be a difficult day for them, on top of the difficult days and weeks that they've gone through."

Mr Albanese said it is a concern that the soldiers tested positive for illicit drugs.

"I can't comment on the detail because clearly the ADF's investigations are ongoing, and that's why my thoughts will be with the family and friends of Jack Fitzgibbon," Mr Albanese said.

I attended his memorial service there in Cessnock for Jack. I knew Jack personally. I'd met him because of my friendship with his family and he was much loved by his co-members and by his local community.

"It was quite a send-off for Jack and that community will be having another tough day today, on top of the very difficult period that they have gone through."

– Isabella Pesch

11:25 am May 19, 2024

'Decent pay increase needed' for low-income workers

Rosie Lewis

Jim Chalmers says the government’s cost-of-living relief budget measures, including a $300 energy bill rebate, should be additional to a “decent pay increase” for low-income workers.

Employers seized on energy bill relief and rental assistance in the federal budget to try to limit an imminent wage rise for 2.9 million low-paid workers, arguing the support would assist those employees and justified keeping the pay rise to little more than half of the ACTU’s 5 per cent claim.

Asked if the Fair Work Commission should factor in the energy bill relief and other cost-of-living measures to its minimum wage decision, Jim Chalmers told the ABC’s Insiders program: “We want to see decent wages for people in addition to, not instead of, easing their cost-of-living pressures.

“We designed the cost-of-living package to supplement decent wages, not supplant them. We want to see a decent pay increase for minimum wage workers on top of the government's efforts to ease people's cost of living.”

11:02 am May 19, 2024

Chalmers brands Dutton's budget reply 'dark'

Staff writers

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has called the Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's budget reply "dark" and intentionally "divisive".

Dr Chalmers told ABC's Insiders that lowering migration numbers in Australia would not aid housing affordability.

"I think what we saw with Peter Dutton's budget reply was he hasn't thought through the impact of these numbers that he has plucked out of the air," he said.

"If you think about the relationship between migration and housing, for example, of the less than 5000 homes purchased by foreigners in the most recent data, around 1300 of them were established homes, and so this will make nowhere near the difference that he is claiming that it will, and that's because he hasn't thought it through.

"This is what happens when you have an Opposition Leader whose primary objective is to divide the community, and that will damage the economy as a consequence.

"His budget reply was dark, it was divisive, intentionally so, and the net effect of all of that would be that he would destroy the budget and damage the economy."

Dr Chalmers said Mr Dutton "hasn't thought through the numbers" when it comes to reducing the migration intake into Australia.

In his budget reply, Mr Dutton said he wanted to reduce the permanent migration intake from 185,000 to 140,000 and the net overseas migration number from 260,000 to 160,000.

"He hasn't thought through any of these numbers. He was scratching around for something to say in a budget reply that was completely bereft of alternatives or vision, and he's plucked numbers out of the air," Dr Chalmers said.

"He hasn't thought through the impact on the economy and the skills base of this country."

– Isabella Pesch

10:41 am May 19, 2024

ALP delegates turn up to conference in keffiyehs

Rachel Baxendale

Victoria's Labor conference is a vastly different scene on Sunday compared with the violent clashes seen on Saturday, after pro-Palestine protesters gatecrashed the event.

On Saturday morning, about 50 protesters stormed the Moonee Valley Racecourse, causing the conference room to be locked, and preventing some state ministers and other conference delegates from entering.

Premier Jacinta Allan – who addressed the conference alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday – said she was disgusted by the action, accusing the protesters of bringing "violence, homophobia and anti-Semitism to the front door of state conference", after a protester yelled a homophobic slur at state Equality, Housing and Water Minister Harriet Shing.

On Sunday there is no sign of any protesters, despite a heavy security presence, with conference attendees required to show identification at multiple checkpoints, and to submit to bag checks and metal detection scanning on their way in.

Numerous ALP delegates have turned up to the conference on Sunday wearing keffiyehs, after six controversial motions drafted by pro-Palestine supporters within Labor’s Socialist Left faction were passed on Saturday.

One senior Labor source blamed new Socialist Left-aligned ALP State Secretary Steve Staikos for Saturday's chaos, quipping that "like many colts who have come to this venue and failed to get out of the starters gates, there are already suggestions Steve Staikos's state secretaryship may quickly be headed for the knackery."

"Putting someone so inexperienced in charge of running the ALP meant that the odds of the conference turning into a farce were shorter than the last time Winx ran here. Party office knew and was underprepared, putting delegates, MPs, ministers, the Premier and PM in danger."

Mr Staikos's ascension to State Secretary further cements the Socialist Left's control of the Victorian Labor party at both state and federal levels.

In a small win for the Right of the party, he has been joined at Docklands ALP headquarters by Conroy/Marles-aligned Jett Fogarty, who takes up the role of senior Assistant State Secretary, having run a range of successful electoral campaigns, including the recent Dunkley by-election, and the 2022 state election.

Mikaela Sadkiewicz, from the Left-aligned United Workers' Union, has also been appointed as junior assistant state secretary.