Australia news: Politicians return to Canberra ahead of parliament’s return; farmers back calls to keep Indonesia border open amid foot and mouth disease outbreak

Thanks for joining us for our live coverage today. Here are the top headlines from this afternoon:

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed Labor caucus ahead of the 47th parliament sitting for the first time tomorrow. He outlined plans for at least 18 pieces of legislation, including formalising a climate change target, implementing changes to child care and establishing an anti-corruption commission.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese outlined his government’s plans in an address to Labor caucus today.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

• National COVID-19 hospitalisations today topped their previous peak that occurred in January, as the highly infectious BA4 and BA5 variants cause a spike in daily cases.
• Workers at the country’s biggest baggage handling and ground crew operator, which provides staff for 20 airlines, including Qantas, are threatening to go on strike to fight a wage deal they say will cut their pay.

Qantas is facing severe criticism.Credit: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg

• Bunnings and Kmart have paused their plans to launch facial recognition technology at their stores after a complaint triggered an investigation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

We’ll be back tomorrow with the latest.

Major Aussie retailers Bunnings and Kmart have paused the use of facial recognition technology following public outcry.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner launched an investigation into the personal handling practices of the chains to focus on the companies use of facial recognition technology.

Bunnings and Kmart have paused the use of facial recognition technology following public outcry.

The move came after a complaint from consumer advocacy group Choice who contacted 25 retailers about the use of the controversial technology.

On Monday the advocacy group confirmed both Kmart and Bunnings made a decision to pause the use of facial recognition at check-outs.

Bunnings managing director Mike Schneider said the technology was to give the company the ability to identify when a banned person entered the store.

“For absolute clarity, an individual’s image is only retained by the system if they are already enrolled in the database of individuals who are banned or associated with crime in our stores,” he said in a statement.

The managing director said Bunnings staff members faced an increase in threatening incidents including having weapons pulled or being spat at.

He said the technology is not used for marketing or customer behaviour tracking.

“We certainly don’t use it to identify regular customers who enter our stores as Choice has suggested,” Mr Schneider said.

The technology was temporarily switched off and given an OAIC investigation is underway will not be using it for the time being, he said.

The Bunnings boss said they were “extremely disappointed” Choice mischaracterised the issue, given the “extensive explanations” provided.

A Kmart spokesperson confirmed the facial technology was used for the “limited purpose” of preventing criminal activity such as refund fraud.

The company said it was “appropriate and its use is subject to strict controls”.

They also stopped the use of the technology pending the investigation, the spokesperson said.

Australia’s air travel chaos could be about to get worse. Workers at the country’s biggest baggage handling and ground crew operator are threatening to go on strike to fight a wage deal they say will cut their pay.

The Transport Workers Union said it will apply to the Fair Work Commission tomorrow to hold a members vote on strike action as it negotiates with Dnata over a new enterprise agreement. The application is the first step towards receiving legal protection to go on strike or take other industrial action, but does not mean they will necessarily take that action.

Workers at the country’s biggest baggage handling and ground crew operator are threatening to go on strike.Credit: Brendon Thorne

Dnata supplies baggage handlers and other ground workers for around 20 airlines at seven major Australian airports. That includes Qantas’ international flights in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, after the carrier illegally outsourced 2000 ground workers in 2020.

Industrial action could compound the woes being experienced by travellers in Australia and around the world as airlines and airports struggle to handle rebounding passenger numbers after they went into hibernation and sacked swathes of workers during the pandemic.

TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said industrial action was a “last resort” but workers couldn’t let their pay and conditions deteriorate.

“After standing by the company through the hardest times… the most experienced workers are facing pay cuts while conditions are below award minimums,” he said.

Dnata, which is owned by the Dubai-based carrier Emirates, was contacted for comment.

A Qantas spokesman said the strike threat was “appalling behaviour by the TWU” and could “disrupt thousands of people wanting to go on holidays and visit family and friends”.

“We will work with Dnata to minimise disruptions to our customers,” he said.

The number of people being hospitalised for COVID-19 today topped the previous peak that occurred in early January.

There are currently 5,439 people in hospital with the virus across the country, compared to the previous peak of 5,390 on January 25.

There were a total of 36,507 new cases reported nationally today.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly warned last week that two new highly infectious variants of the virus, BA4 and BA5, are causing a new COVID wave that is putting pressure on hospitals.

“We cannot stop this wave of infections, but we can slow the spread and protect the vulnerable. We have done this before and we can do it again,” Kelly said.

“The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee has reiterated its advice on reinfection periods, testing and isolation, mask wearing, vaccine boosters and treatments and called on employers to allow work from home if feasible.”

Scott Morrison will miss the first week of the new parliament to attend an international event in Tokyo as Liberal MPs prepare to occupy the opposition benches for the first time in nine years.

The former prime minister-turned-backbencher said the trip had been planned before the parliamentary sitting schedule had been finalised. He will return in time for the second week of sittings on August 1.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison will miss the first week of the new parliament to attend an international event in Tokyo.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“Prior to the new government advising the sitting schedule for the remainder of 2022, I had already accepted an invitation to join other former prime ministers from Canada, the UK and New Zealand to address an international event to be held in Tokyo this week,” Morrison said in a statement on Monday.

“As a consequence, I will be unable to attend the first three sitting days of the new parliament this week.”

Read more here.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government will “hit the ground running” when parliament resumes sitting tomorrow, in an address to the Labor caucus this afternoon.

He said the government will introduce “at least 18 pieces of legislation”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed Labor caucus this afternoon.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

This will include “legislation for our climate change target, legislation for 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave – something we’ve spoken about for a long period of time – legislation to respond to the aged care royal commission … and legislation to create Jobs and Skills Australia”, Albanese said.

“In addition to that, in coming weeks, we will have child care legislation. We will be acting on our urgent care clinics, putting them in place. We will, by the end of the year, have legislation on the anti-corruption commission. We will, as well, be advancing the Voice to Parliament enshrined in our Constitution,” he said.

Albanese said his government will also aim to address “$1 trillion of debt”, cost of living pressures and the previous government’s unprecedented publicity of an asylum seeker boat being intercepted on election day in May.

He also discussed the challenges of developing an energy policy and dealing with a new COVID-19 wave and natural disasters.

He outlined his government’s achievements in its first two months, including raising the minimum wage by $1 an hour, taking its climate change targets to the international stage and reopening discussions on a European trade agreement.

The meeting took place ahead of the first sitting of the 47th parliament tomorrow.

Here’s what else he had to say:

I think we have a great team and I welcome all of you here the day before Parliament begins. It will be a big deal tomorrow, particularly. There are many people who have been here for a while without having sat on a different side of the chamber. And, believe me, as somebody who has done both, one is much better than the other.

But it is also an enormous privilege and one that we should never take for granted and we should cherish each and every day.

We have an incredible responsibility is the political party in Australia that seeks positive change in the interest of working people, that seeks to change existing power relationships in society in favour of more equality and in favour of fairness, to make a difference in the way that we legislate on the way that the government acts each and every day.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a caucus meeting in Canberra this afternoon ahead of the 47th parliament’s first official sitting day tomorrow.

Watch it below:

Good afternoon, and thanks for reading our live coverage today.

If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know:

• Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said the Coalition is whipping up “hysteria” over foot and mouth disease. “It’s a bit ironic, people like [Nationals leader] David Littleproud lecturing me about what to do, when we’re doing a range of things he never bothered doing when the outbreak got to Indonesia,” he told ABC radio. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said he would back Australia closing its borders to Indonesia if that is the advice the government has received. That’s despite farming and business groups wanting the border to stay open.
• The Coalition said it will bring back the controversial Australian Building and Construction Commission if it wins the 2025 federal election. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the industry watchdog will be stripped of its current powers this week because it is “very politically driven”.
• Meanwhile, the government extended defence force support for COVID-affected aged care homes. Marles, who is also defence minister, said: “This is not a long-term solution ... but at this moment, it’s really important that we do everything we can to provide all the assistance necessary.” Up to 15 per cent of aged care staff are currently isolating due to testing positive to COVID-19.
• And NSW deputy Labor leader Prue Car has been diagnosed with cancer and will take leave for several weeks as she seeks treatment.

I’m signing off the blog now. Pallavi Singhal will be with you for the rest of the afternoon.

I’ll be back bright and early tomorrow morning.

Earlier this morning, we told you that Defence Minister Richard Marles has extended Australian Defence Force support for aged care homes until September.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells has also been doing the media rounds today. She has revealed that there are 983 outbreaks in residential facilities nationwide.

Minister for Aged Care and Sport Anika Wells.Credit: James Brickwood

Meanwhile, 24 defence personnel are currently assisting a “surge workforce” formulated to cope with the winter wave.

“We simply cannot find the [aged care] staff,” Wells told ABC radio.

“People are doing double shifts. People are working every single day without breaks. It’s an incredibly stressful environment.”

Aged and Community Care Providers Association interim chief executive Paul Sadler has said up to 15 per cent of staff are isolating or quarantining at home.

He adds that the coming weeks are set to put intense pressure on residents and workers.

“The reality is we can’t leave older people without adequate levels of care for too long,” he said over the weekend.

Around 2301 aged care residents have died in 2022 so far, according to Sadler, including 114 in the past week.

With AAP

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro has been offered the chance to make a submission to the inquiry investigating his controversial appointment to a plum trade job.

The chair of the committee, Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, has written to the former politician after he broke his silence and told Labor to call him as a witness.

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

In the letter, Faehrmann also confirmed “the committee’s intention to invite you as a witness to a future hearing for the inquiry”.

“However, the committee is currently waiting for the government to comply with a Standing Order 52 return of documents to the House, and will consider a date for a hearing once these documents have been received,” she wrote.

Further background to this story is available here.