Australia news live: ACCC plan to tackle supermarket gouging; Greens call for workplace racial equality agency
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Greens urging Albanese government to lift income supports above poverty line
The Greens are urging the Albanese government to lift income support payments in next week's federal budget, adding it is the last opportunity before Australians go to the polls to 'to turn [Labor's] platitudes into meaningful action'.
The minor party's social services spokesperson, Penny Allman-Payne, wrote to the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, yesterday in a last-minute bid to raise rates above the poverty line.
The government's own Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee released its 2025 report earlier this month recommending the jobseeker rate be increased to 90% of the aged pension.
As Guardian columnist, Greg Jericho, outlined on Thursday, the current base rate of the age pension is $1,047.10 or $1,144.40 with supplements. If jobseeker was raised to 90% of the base rate, it would cost the government $3.5bn and to raise it to 90% of the total including supplements would cost $5.2bn.
Welfare support payments received a minor boost on Thursday after indexation came into effect. Those receiving jobseeker payments over 22 and without children received a $3.10 fortnightly increase to $789.90 while couples on jobseeker will now get $1,149 after a $4.60 increase. Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
The jobseeker base rate was raised by $40 a fortnight in Labor's 2023 federal budget, coming into effect in September that year. Allman-Payne wrote:
This budget is your government's last opportunity before the federal election to turn platitudes into meaningful action, by raising the rate of all Centrelink payments to above the poverty line. On behalf of the millions of people in this country who continue to struggle on poverty payments, we implore you to do so. Share Krishani Dhanji
The Greens have called to establish a workplace racial equality agency to document experiences of racism in workplaces and improve racial equity.
The agency would collect data and public information on indicators such as representation in the workforce and in governing bodies, record instances of racism, and would try to improve equality in hiring practices, pay and workplace training.
The minor party says they would put forward almost $100m to support the agency in the medium term and it comes on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The deputy Greens leader, Mehreen Faruqi, says the agency will help 'provide the proactive focus needed to eliminate racism in workplaces':
Systemic and entrenched racism in workplaces is not going to go away by itself, it needs concerted effort.
As Dutton and the Liberals mirror Trump to ramp up their attacks on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, we must double down on strong action for racial equity to address deep-seated racism. Share
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I'm Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then my colleague Emily Wind will take you through the day.
Australia's rapidly changing relationship with the United States is the subject of two of our top stories this morning. First, former chief of the defence force Chris Barrie has warned that 'the vandals in the White House' are no longer reliable allies and urged the Albanese government to reassess its strategic partnership with the US.
At the same time, some of America's biggest tech companies such as Apple, Meta, Google, Amazon and Elon Musk's X have lodged a formal complaint urging the Trump administration to target 'coercive and discriminatory' Australian media laws.
Closer to home, meanwhile, the long-awaited competition watchdog's report into the big supermarkets says the retailers raised prices in the cost-of-living crisis to help them become among the most profitable in the world. In a 441-page report released last night, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission made 20 reform recommendations to the federal government, including forcing Coles, Woolworths and Aldi to publish all prices on their websites, and notify shoppers when package size changes in a bid for transparency around 'shrinkflation'. Reaction coming up. Share
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The National
9 hours ago
- The National
Greens Holyrood candidate confirms late bid for party leadership
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The Herald Scotland
10 hours ago
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Late bid for Scottish Greens leadership contest announced
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The Guardian
11 hours ago
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Senate passes Labor motion sanctioning Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi for Gaza sign protest
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