Latest news with #parliament
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Ruling and opposition parties agree to scrap provisional gas tax by year-end
The ruling and opposition parties agreed Wednesday to abolish the provisional gasoline tax as early as possible this year. The agreement was reached at a meeting of parliamentary affairs chiefs of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), its coalition partner Komeito, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, as well as Nippon Ishin no Kai, the Democratic Party for the People and the Japanese Communist Party in the opposition bloc. The parties aim to enact a bill to scrap the provisional gas tax at an extraordinary session of parliament expected to be convened in autumn. Based on the agreement, the ruling and opposition parties will set up a related forum of dialogue among their working-level officials during a separate extraordinary Diet, or parliament, session set to start Friday. The parties will continue talks after the end of the session, focusing on issues such as finding an alternative source of revenue. After Wednesday's meeting, LDP Diet affairs chief Tetsushi Sakamoto told reporters that the parties hope to discuss and enact the legislation to scrap the add-on tax at the extra parliamentary session that is likely to be convened in autumn. "The will of the people was clearly shown" in the July 20 election for the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of parliament, Sakamoto said, adding, "We'll formulate policies according to the will of the people." Following the six-party agreement, the steering committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, decided at a meeting of senior members that the extra parliamentary session starting Friday will run for five days until Tuesday next week.
The Australian
a day ago
- Business
- The Australian
Labor's Amanda Rishworth set to secure penalty rate protections as Greens signal support
Labor's penalty-rate protections are set to sail through the parliament after the Greens flagged their likely support for the proposal, as the Albanese government moves to capitalise on a left-leaning Senate crossbench. Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth on Thursday introduced legislation that removes the Fair Work Commission's power to strip penalty rates from awards, usurping recent attempts by employer groups to remove the entitlement in exchange for higher pay. The penalty-rate policy was unveiled by Labor during the federal election campaign, but was opposed by then-opposition leader Peter Dutton who described the change as a 'stunt' and accused the government of interfering with the decision-making of the industrial umpire. On Thursday, Tim Wilson, the opposition's freshly minted industrial relations spokesman, jettisoned that previous position, claiming the Coalition was yet to form a view on the legislation. Still, he argued the change would exacerbate the 'very serious problem' of rising unemployment, insisting the change 'isn't going to help'. Australia's key jobless measure climbed to 4.3 per cent in June – its highest level in more than three years – but still remains low by historical standards. Even without Coalition support, the legislation is expected to pass the Senate comfortably, with the Greens likely to back the measure. Together, Labor and the Greens hold 39 of the chamber's 76 seats. While noting that the changes were yet to be fully scrutinised by the Greens, the party's workplace relations spokeswoman Barbara Pocock flagged she was supportive of the reforms. 'We know these workers need protection, and they need more,' she said in Canberra, indicating the minor party would also pursue extra employee entitlements, including the right to work from home. The Greens have previously agitated for stronger protections to penalty rates, with the party's former leader Adam Bandt in 2017 introducing similar legislation to Labor that prevented the Fair Work Commission from cutting penalty rates. Ms Rishworth seized on the Coalition's indecision during question time on Thursday, asserting it was 'disappointing' the Coalition had not made its position clear on the matter. 'They seem to be having a bob each way, on one hand supporting Australian workers, on the other hand talking Australian workers down,' she said. Earlier on Thursday, she said the change would not apply retrospectively, meaning workers who have already lost the entitlement won't have it restored. Read related topics: Greens Jack Quail Political reporter Jack Quail is a political reporter in The Australian's Canberra press gallery bureau. He previously covered economics for the NewsCorp wire. Commentary Chalmers is perfectly entitled to make political comments. But it's another thing to claim to have delivered 'a better living standard' when per capita GDP has declined in seven of the past nine quarters. Mining & Energy Environmental regulators have ordered NSW coal mines to dramatically cut emissions or face penalties, with fears the state will miss its climate targets.
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Opposition to back Labor's student debt bill, Sussan Ley says
Sussan Ley has confirmed the opposition will back the Albanese government's signature student debt-slashing bill. It comes after Education Minister Jason Clare told Labor colleagues he was hopeful the HECS reforms would pass parliament on Tuesday. Fronting media, the Opposition Leader said she still had concerns over the Albanese government's broader response to the cost-of-living crisis, but that 'we will not oppose the government's proposal'. 'And I want to say this to students today – remember this moment,' Ms Ley told reporters. 'Because Anthony Albanese says life will be easier under him, costs will come down, everything will get cheaper. 'Remember this moment because, when I have spoken to young people across the country, they have talked about escalating costs, in rent, electricity, any groceries, in everything a student needs to spend money on. 'It has been really tough.' She said added that 'underpinning this student debt relief bill has been a massive cost of living crisis for Australia's students' and vowed to hold the government to account. 'But today, we agreed to not oppose the bill as it makes its way through the parliament,' Ms Ley said. 'We do care about students who are struggling with the cost of living and said we would be positive where we can be and critical where we need to be.' Labor's bill was central to its youth-focused re-election pitch. It would cut student debts by 20 per cent for some 3 million graduates, or wipe off about $5500 from the average debt. The changes would also raise the repayment threshold for student loans from $54,000 to $67,000.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Victorian Government under pressure to reform childcare sector
The Victorian Government is under pressure to take immediate action on the state's childcare sector as parliament returns - with the Opposition and Greens both wanting a stronger response in the wake of a story which has shocked the nation.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Migration program numbers yet to be announced
JACOB GREBER, POLITICAL EDITOR: It's just a week into the new parliament but every sitting day it becomes more apparent how much has changed. The government struggling to keep a lid on its hubris - at times failing. JASON CLARE, EDUCATION MINISTER: Thank you for your focus on education and your focus on fairness and also thank-you for your support for the legislation to cut student debt by 20 per cent. 20 per cent is a big cut. It's not as big as 33 per cent, that's how much the Australian people cut the number of Liberal MPs in the chamber at the election. JACOB GREBER: And the opposition is still stuck in the last war. With old stagers like Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack attempting to seize the limelight - leading the Coalition onto slippery ground with demands to end net zero. MICHAEL MCCORMACK, NATIONALS MP: I know we're not in government. Chris Bowen might have a mandate to govern Australia along with Labor, but they don't have a mandate to ruin regional Australia. MATT KEAN, CHAIR, CLIMATE CHANGE AUTHORITY: Political stunts are no substitute for real policies and what you are seeing today is a political stunt. JACOB GREBER: The former NSW treasurer and Liberal Matt Kean voicing the views of moderate Coalition MPs unwilling to give up on strong climate policy. MATT KEAN: Those arguing against this transition are actually arguing for higher electricity prices for the mums and dads and businesses of Australia. They're arguing for less investment in this country, they're arguing for less jobs and a less prosperous future. JACOB GREBER: Labor is having no end of fun over the Coalition's troubled union. CHRIS BOWEN, CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY MINISTER: Appointing Senator Canavan to review net zero is a bit like putting Coldplay in control of kiss cam. It doesn't necessarily lead to a happy marriage. JACOB GREBER: Bad gags aside, the Coalition's impotence is a double-edged sword giving the government enormous latitude but it also risks triggering over-confidence. Such as in immigration, which was one of the biggest fights of the election. PATRICIA KARVELAS: Do you concede they got a bit too high? ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: I'll make this point, there were only two times that more than nine million visas were issued in any one year in Australia. Both times Peter Dutton was the minister. JACOB GREBER: Largely lost in that political debate is the fact that the government still hasn't announced a skilled migration quota for this financial year. ABUL RIZVI, FMR DEPUTY SECRETARY, DEPT OF IMMIGRATION: The migration program numbers are usually announced with the budget, because the immigration program affects both the revenue side of the budget, as well as the expenses side of the budget. This year, in the March budget, they weren't announced. JACOB GREBER: While the budget was early this year, the lack of detail since from the government is highly unusual. ABUL RIZVI: I cannot remember a year when the government did not announce the migration program before the migration program year started. JACOB GREBER: Abul Rizvi is a former senior immigration department official. He says the wave of students and working holidaymakers that have flooded in after the pandemic are now applying for permanent migration leaving Labor with difficult choices between raising overall immigration or capping partner visa numbers, including for Australian citizens who marry foreigners. ABUL RIZVI: If they did manage the partner visas on a demand driven basis and left the skill stream more or less as it is at the moment, they would be looking at a migration program over around 230,000, 240,000 for the next couple of years. That would be the highest migration program in our history, by a long, long way. JACOB GREBER: Another option is to cannibalise the skilled migration program to make way for the backlog which business fears would worsen workforce shortages across government priorities like housing, healthcare and clean energy. INNES WILLOX, AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP: If the government were to do that, it would be a disaster. It would be a disaster for the economy as a whole. It would be a disaster for business. JACOB GREBER: A spokesman for Immigration Minister Tony Burke told 7:30 the government is 'managing applications in line with the level from the previous year and will have more to announce'. INNES WILLOX: We would hope that the government is able to provide some clarity sooner rather than later around how the program will work this year. JACOB GREBER: Labor's obfuscation has consequences for states as well who are still awaiting their annual migration quotas. Next month the Productivity Commission will release a report on workforce skills in time for Jim Chalmers' reform roundtable including questions about how employers access talent overseas. INNES WILLOX: You'd have to expect that we will need to bring in some labour if we're to achieve the targets of the government set of building 1.2 million houses. We're not on track to do that. JACOB GREBER: Whether it's on challenging issues of housing, immigration or the budget, Labor is benefiting from a lack of heavy scrutiny. With a few notable exceptions such as the government's campaign claim that visits to GPs will be free for most people by the end of the decade. MELISSA MCINTOSH, LIBERAL MP: Isn't it the case that Australians both need both their Medicare card and their credit card to get the healthcare they need under Labor JACOB GREBER: The fact is, the toughest political pressure is not coming from the opposition but from within Labor and the crossbench particularly on Gaza. SOPHIE SCAMPS, INDEPENDENT MP: When will Australia be prepared to recognise Palestine as a state? ANTHONY ALBANESE: I share the distress that people around the world would feel when they look at young Mohammed, one-year old. He is not a threat to the state of Israel nor is he someone who can be seen to be a fighter for Hamas. JACOB GREBER: Despite increasing pressure, the Prime Minister is not yet willing to recognise Palestine. ANTHONY ALBANESE: The timing of a decision to recognise the state of Palestine will be determined by whether that decision advances the realisation of that objective. It must be more than a gesture. JACOB GREBER: With France moving towards recognition and other leaders like Keir Starmer in the UK facing internal pressure to act, the Prime Minister may just be waiting for the right time. With an opposition struggling to put the political heat on the government, the only real political pressure the Prime Minister is facing is from the crossbench and within his own side especially on Gaza. Political editor Jacob Greber with more.
