Teal MPs celebrate independents day
One of the teal independents has said the group of six MPs ‘won’t vote in a bloc’ when parliament resumes, as they push to meet with the PM.
One of the teal independents has said the group of six MPs “won’t vote in a bloc” when parliament resumes, but is seeking a meeting with Anthony Albanese when he returns from Europe to try to overturn the slashing of staff for the crossbench.
Despite the teals sharing similar policy priorities, North Sydney independent MP Kylea Tink said the Climate 200 MPs would never vote as a bloc in the new parliament. She made the remark at the induction day for new MPs at Parliament House on Tuesday where recently elected politicians were introduced to the operation of the building.
“I don’t think voting as a bloc is anything you’ll ever see us do,” Ms Tink said. “What you will see us do is collaborate when it makes sense. If there’s a legislative agenda that needs to be promoted because that’s what the people of our electorates want to see promoted, that’s what we’ll do.”
She made the comment alongside fellow teal independents including Allegra Spender who holds the seat of Wentworth in Sydney and Kate Chaney who holds the seat of Curtin in Perth.
Ms Spender, who ousted Liberal Dave Sharma at the election, said it had been “exciting” to be introduced to the new group of MPs and witness “so many women” joining the ranks.
Independent MP for Mackellar in the northern suburbs of Sydney Sophie Scamps also said she hoped the expanded crossbench would encourage more rigorous debate. “We haven’t got a party telling us what we need to speak on,” she said. “I’ll be listening directly to my community and voicing those opinions.”
The former Coalition government challenged the “independence” of the teals, given they were targeting only Liberal seats and promoted a similar agenda.
Then treasurer Josh Frydenberg was a leading critic as he unsuccessfully sought to stave off his own independent challenger, Monique Ryan, who took the seat of Kooyong in Melbourne.
All the independents want stronger climate action and have called for an increase in medium-term emission cuts of between 50 and 60 per cent, rather than Labor’s 43 per cent target.
Several crossbenchers say they will not be able to properly examine legislation because of the cut to staffing announced by the Prime Minister last Friday. Ms Tink and other independents signalled they were hopeful the allocation could be changed but ruled out voting against legislation in “protest” if the allocation were not increased.
Independent MP Dai Le, who beat Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally for the NSW seat of Fowler, said she was looking to see if there would be some kind of “compromise” with the government but Trade Minister Don Farrell said there would be no changing the government’s mind.
RBA late to start raising rates, says Bullock
Conceding that her predecessor Philip Lowe should have started raising interest rates earlier, Michele Bullock on Friday said the RBA board’s concern it could be acting too late again spurred it to cut the cash rate on Tuesday.
Sleepwalking towards minority government
Anthony Albanese may have not yet decided when formal hostilities are to begin, but expectations of an earlier than scheduled election remain high. Any plans to serve the full-term until May were dashed by the RBA’s Michele Bullock this week.