Category: Australian News

Tonight’s Budget is a typical big-spending, big-taxing Labor Budget.

After less than a year of Labor in office, government spending will increase by $185 billion.

Labor cannot spend its way out of its cost of living crisis.

Its Budget does nothing to help you or your family get ahead.

Tonight, we needed a Budget that reduces inflation and reins in spending to combat the cost of living crisis facing all Australians.

Instead, this Budget makes life harder for Australians.

Under this Albanese Labor Government, a typical Australian family with kids will be around $25,000 worse off under Labor.

This Budget will not build a stronger economy, and it is not a budget that is fair for all Australians.

This Budget confirms:

• Your cost of living continues to go up;
• Your gas and electricity bills continue to skyrocket;
• Real wages have not grown;
• Inflation remains stubbornly high;
• Unemployment will rise; and
• Higher taxes for Australians.

Before the election, the Prime Minister promised to lower the cost of living, he promised “cheaper electricity” and he promised “cheaper mortgages.” This Budget confirms these are broken promises.

Your electricity bills continue to rise. Despite the Prime Minister promising Australians that he would reduce your power bill by $275, even after Labor’s energy relief plan, your electricity bill will still go up by almost $500.

Despite recalling Parliament last December to legislate “emergency relief,” this relief will not flow until July at the earliest – seven months after it was promised – is only temporary, and only flows to some Australians.

This Budget fails hard-working Australians right at a time when they needed a plan to address inflation and the cost of living crisis. In fact, the Government’s Economic and Fiscal Strategy removes addressing inflation as a priority.

There is no plan to address the unprecedented increase in net overseas migration that will see, under Labor, 1.5 million new migrants coming to Australia over five years. At the same time, this Budget cuts infrastructure spending, and fails to address congestion, the housing and rental crisis, and the liveability and amenity of our towns and suburbs.

Before the election, the Prime Minister promised that no one would be left behind, yet this Budget leaves the majority of Australians behind.

For every dollar of new taxes it has imposed in this budget, the Government has decided to spend two. In this Budget, it is spending twice as fast as it is taxing Australians.

The Coalition wants Australians to do well, but at the moment we are being held back by a government with no economic plan for the future.

Australians deserve better.

More than five million households and one million small businesses will be eligible for Energy Price Relief Rebates from July 1, as part of the Albanese Labor Government’s responsible and targeted plan to reduce cost-of-living pressures.

The Energy Price Relief Rebates will provide responsible and meaningful energy bill relief and help ease the pressure on families and small businesses.

These rebates, led by the Albanese Government and co-funded by the states and territories, will directly reduce electricity bills for eligible households and businesses and are expected to reduce inflation by one quarter of a percentage point in 2023-24.

When combined with the Government’s earlier market interventions to limit coal and gas price increases, they are expected to reduce inflation by three quarters of a percentage point in 2023-24.

Rising power prices are among the biggest burden on Australian families and Australian businesses.

The Energy Price Relief Rebates will take the sting out of power price rises in late 2023 and early 2024 when these increases are expected to be most acute.

As agreed by states and territories, jurisdictions facing the highest power price rises will contribute more funding to deliver slightly more generous relief to households.

Pensioners, veterans, seniors and other concession card holders, as well as recipients of the Carer Allowance, Family Tax Benefit, and anyone eligible for existing state and territory electricity concession schemes will be eligible for the rebate.

A $250 Commonwealth rebate will be available to eligible households in the following jurisdictions, delivering $500 in power bill relief in total (including state contributions):

• NSW
• Victoria
• Queensland
• South Australia
• And Tasmania

A $175 Commonwealth rebate (generally $350 in total bill relief) will be available to eligible households in:

• Western Australia
• Northern Territory
• The Australian Capital Territory

A $325 Commonwealth rebate will be available to eligible small businesses in each state, which will translate to a $650 benefit for small businesses in states that have matched the relief.

Eligible households that receive existing state and territory rebates will have this new rebate applied to their bill automatically from 1 July 2023.

Energy Price Relief Rebates will be administered by state and territory governments.

Faced with skyrocketing power prices as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine along with a decade of energy policy chaos under our predecessors, we made a decision that we weren’t going to do nothing while hardworking Australians suffered.

That’s why we recalled the Parliament in December to legislate $1.5 billion worth of power price relief – relief the Liberals and Nationals voted against.

We also acted to cap coal and gas prices, which has seen wholesale electricity prices fall by around 50 per cent since October.

We recognise that Australians are doing it tough right now.

We thank the Premiers, Chief Ministers, Treasurers and Ministers from across the nation for working collaboratively with us in the best interests of all Australians.

This goes to show what we can achieve when both levels of government – regardless of politics – working together in good faith.

The Energy Price Relief Rebates are part of the Albanese Government’s plan to provide responsible and targeted cost-of-living relief to Australians.

For more information, visit Energy Bill Relief Fund.

Labor’s second Budget is a betrayal of people who were promised that no one would be left behind.

This Budget was an opportunity to lift people out of poverty and Labor didn’t take it. 

Budgets are about choices. During a worsening cost of living crisis, the government is choosing to continue with Stage 3 Tax Cuts, nuclear submarines, and handouts for wealthy property investors and fossil fuel corporations while leaving people below the poverty line, cutting the NDIS and increasing student debt by $6 billion dollars over the next two years. 

A fundamental job of government is to make sure people have the basics they need to live life with dignity. 

With rents soaring and everyday costs rising, tonight Labor’s Budget has just a $1.12 a day increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance and $2.85 a day extra for income support recipients. Labor is leaving people in poverty. 

We need a freeze on rent increases now, we need to wipe student debt and to lift income support above the poverty line. Watch our full take on tonight’s Budget here. 

Labor has the power to lift people out of poverty, they’ve just chosen not to use it. 

Labor told us tonight they had to make ‘hard choices’ to balance the budget. But they’re just pushing the hard choices onto people doing it tough. Forcing millions of people to choose between paying the rent, having food in the fridge or accessing medical treatment. 

At the last election, voters wanted a government that would tackle the inequality crisis. They’re still waiting.

Labor’s surplus of $4.2 billion dollars will be no comfort for those who are trying to keep their head above water. You can’t pay rent with a surplus. Every dollar of surplus is a dollar not spent lifting people out of poverty.

Meanwhile, gas corporations making obscene profits while cooking the planet pay next to nothing. Labor is raising more from lifting student debt than they are from their changes to the gas tax.

There’s simply no excuse not to deliver the housing, health and income support people are crying out for – especially when they’re spending four times more on stage 3 tax cuts for the wealthy than they are on cost of living relief. 

This parliament was elected to take action on climate and the cost of living. If Labor worked together with the Greens we could immediately lift people out of poverty, freeze rent increases and wipe student debt.

Labor may have given up on ‘no one left behind’, but we haven’t. 

We will fight to make sure this budget does what every government should: give people what they need to live with dignity.

Greens Spokesperson for Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young responds to reports the Coalition is backing Labor’s Nature Repair Market Bill:

“Australia’s environment needs protection, not a ‘Green Wall Street’ propped up by bogus offsets.

“Peter Dutton and Barnaby Joyce are backing this policy, that says everything about how bad it is. It won’t save the koalas and it won’t protect our native forests.

“It is unsurprising the Coalition is supporting the Nature Repair Market Bill because it is former Agriculture Minister David Littleproud’s bill 2.0.

“It is incredible the Albanese Government couldn’t come up with a plan better than that of the environment-wrecking Coalition who allowed the plunder and destruction of nature for a decade.

“Minister Plibersek has put forward this bill before establishing an Environment Protection Agency, legislating environmental standards and fixing our broken environmental laws.

“The inclusion of offsets as part of a market intended to repair nature was a red flag. There is nothing to stop this market from becoming a free pass for industry to continue destroying the environment.

“The Albanese Government has well and truly put the cart before the horse and the environment will suffer as a result.

“The Greens will be opposing this bill when it comes before the House on Thursday.”

The Greens are calling on the Albanese Government to reiterate their commitment to legislating local content quotas for video streaming services.

Responding to the television networks’ opposition to local content quotas, Greens Spokesperson for Media and Communications Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“In response to pressure from the broadcast TV networks to scrap the proposal to introduce local content quotas for online streaming services, the Albanese Government must reiterate their commitment to finally introduce this long overdue legislation.

“I understand that there is another round of consultations underway but I urge the government to provide some certainty to the screen production industry and confirm that legislation is on its way for these quotas.

“Over the past few years, there has been huge growth in the online streaming sector, both in services available and the number of people subscribing to them but regulation is lagging behind.

“Today we have seen the TV networks oppose this important reform. While the networks may oppose the introduction of quotas, ultimately this is a matter for the Parliament to decide.

“With the Coalition opposing strong local content quotas while in government, it is likely the Greens will be in balance of power and crucial to passing this reform in the Senate.

“We are calling for streaming giants like Netflix, Disney, Amazon and Stan to reinvest 20 per cent of their Australian earnings in local content, with a sub-quota of 20 per cent for children’s television. It is vital that all Australians see themselves and their communities reflected on their screens, but it is especially so for children.

“We will not support carve-outs for streamers associated with free-to-air TV, like Stan or Paramount and we will be pushing for the inclusion of measures that allow local Australian businesses to retain significant intellectual property rights and licensing arrangements.  

“While the threat of regulation may have prompted streaming services to commission local content in the short-term, quotas are needed to ensure the long-term certainty of the local screen industry. 

“I attended the Screen Forever conference last week and the message I heard firsthand from screen producers was just how important these protections will be to future-proof the Australian screen industry and ensure we continue to have rich Australian stories told on our screens.

Greens Treasury spokesperson, Senator Nick McKim, has responded to Labor’s proposed changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT).

“Labor’s changes to the PRRT have been designed by the gas industry.”

“The government considered two models that would likely have brought in more revenue and discouraged more gas development.”

“But the gas industry didn’t like these models so the government came up with a third model which the gas cabal loves.”

“Under Labor’s proposed changes the more profits gas corporations make, the less extra tax they pay.”

“And Labor’s proposed changes are also designed to encourage more investment in gas.”

“These changes are less than the bare minimum and will continue to fuel the breakdown of the planet’s climate.”

“This is a rerun of Wayne Swan’s Mining Tax.”

“Labor has again designed tax changes in consultation with the resources sector so that the extra tax goes down if profits go up.”

The Albanese Labor Government is committed to helping single parents balance their work and family responsibilities.

The Federal Budget 2023-24 will expand access to financial support by raising the age cut-off for the Parenting Payment (Single) from 8 to 14.

Many single parents – overwhelmingly women – face difficulty balancing caring responsibilities and work.

These difficulties do not end when their child turns eight.

We also know that many single mothers have experienced violence from a previous partner and are at greater risk of financial hardship.

They need more support.

This Budget will extend the Parenting Payment (Single), so eligible carers can access that support until their youngest dependent child turns 14.

From 20 September 2023, and subject to the passage of legislation, single parents will no longer have to transfer to JobSeeker when their youngest child turns eight.

These parents will continue to receive the higher support, with a current base rate of $922.10 per fortnight (95 per cent of the Age Pension), until their youngest child turns 14.

With these changes, eligible single parents currently on JobSeeker will receive an increase to payments of $176.90 per fortnight.

By 14, children have typically settled into high school and need less parental supervision, and single parents are in a much stronger position to take on paid work.

More than 90 per cent of parents who will benefit from this change are single mothers.

Labor’s Budget changes will provide additional financial support to at least 57,000 single principal carers, including 52,000 women and around 5,700 First Nations carers.

This represents a $1.9 billion investment through to 2026-27.

Mutual obligation requirements will remain in place for recipients of Parenting Payment (Single) to encourage single parents to participate in employment, study or training, and maintain connections with the labour force so they can return to work when their children are older.

Our Budget is all about helping families deal with day-to-day financial pressures while creating more economic security for them over the long term. This change extends that support to some of the families who need it the most.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“Single parents carry the world on their backs.

“They sacrifice so much to give their children a better life.

“This is about giving them the greater security and better support they deserve.

“No one held back and no one left behind has always been the principle that guides me.

“This change to single parent payments is about making things fairer for parents who are already doing it tough.

“I know this will make a big and immediate difference for tens of thousands of mums, dads and children right across Australia.”

Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth said:

“No parent should have to choose between meeting their children’s needs and their family’s safety or economic security.

“Reduced opportunities to participate in paid work, coupled with the additional costs associated with raising children, make single parent households more vulnerable to economic insecurity.

“Labor’s changes will support more single parents and their children to ensure they have the safety net they need and that they are supported to re-enter the workforce when their children get older.

“We will always seek to do more to provide a safety net to those who need it.”

The Greens welcome the abolition of ParentsNext and congratulate all the advocates and parents who have won this hard-fought battle. 

The Greens have been calling on the federal government to abolish ParentsNext for years, and while this is a positive step, Labor has flagged a new co-designed program set to replace ParentsNext. The devil will be in the details, and the Greens call on Labor to commit to a transparent co-design process.

Senator Janet Rice, Greens spokesperson for Social Services, said: 

“The co-design process must be transparent and lead by affected parents.

“Though a welcome announcement, it’s yet another example of Labor tinkering around the edges ahead of a budget that will likely do nothing for the vast majority of people on Centrelink payments or single parents. 

“Mutual obligations are punitive and coercive for everyone on income support, not only parents with kids under 6. Jobseeker and all Centrelink payments are woefully inadequate, not just for people on Jobseeker that are over 55. 

“No one deserves poverty. That’s true whether you’re 20 or 60, a parent or childless, a renter or student or living with a disability. No one. 

“Labor is spending $368 billion on nuclear submarines and $254 billion on tax cuts for the rich.

“Budgets are about choices. Instead of doubling down on leaving people without heating or food or medicines as they struggle to pay the rent, Labor can choose differently.

“Labor must axe the Stage 3 tax cuts, end punitive mutual obligations, and raise all Centrelink payments above the poverty line.”

Senator Larissa Waters, Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Women, said:

“Around 95 per cent of ParentsNext participants are women, and this program has been allowed to punish and stigmatise them since its introduction in 2018 – which the Greens tried to disallow at the time.

“Rather than supporting women to get back to work, ParentsNext often meant women had to skip paid work, endure stress and stigma, and were left unable to feed their kids when their payments were cut. It should never have been approved and we’re glad to see the back of it.

“The Government must now deliver on all of the recommendations of its Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, including restoring support to single parents until their youngest turns 16.

“The upcoming budget must fully reverse the Gillard government’s shameful decision to cut off Parenting Payment Single when kids turn 8, not tinker around the edges with a lift to 13 or 14.

“Budget savings should never have been made by pushing people into poverty. If Labor are serious about taking a gendered lens to this budget, they could start by scrapping the Stage 3 tax cuts, which mostly benefit rich men, so we could fund things that will actually help the people who need it.

The Greens have responded to reports that the government’s planned changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax will increase revenue by only $3B over the next four years.

Comments from Greens Treasury spokesperson, Senator Nick McKim:

“Labor’s changes to the PRRT look like they have been designed by the gas industry.”

“Labor is still raising more from student debt increases than they are from gas giants.”

“Under Labor’s minimalist reforms, the increase in student debt will still be higher than the total PRRT.”

“The Greens have proposed a comprehensive overhaul of the PRRT that would collect almost ten times as much additional revenue than Labor’s fiddling at the margins.”

“By introducing a baseline 10% royalty, wiping out accumulated deductions and applying a conventional depreciation schedule to PRRT expenses, the Greens plans would net an additional $29B over the next four years and an additional $94B over the decade.”

Comments from Greens spokesperson for Resources and First Nations, and Yamatji Noongar woman, Senator Dorinda Cox:

“We all heard Woodside’s Meg O’Neill warn the government about tax ‘overreach’ during her Press Club address, but Jim Chalmers must have pretty short arms if this is considered overreach.”

“Australian taxpayers expect transparency and integrity in parliament not the insidiousness of state capture becoming standard practice.”

“These fossil fuel companies need to pay their fair share, so the government can properly invest in housing, healthcare, and take real action on the climate crisis that these companies are accelerating.”

“Considering there’s $284B in unclaimed tax deductions that gas giants have accumulated under the PRRT, the Treasurer prying only $3 billion from them is a pitiful drop in the ocean.”

“You know the PRRT is utterly broken when Woodside and Santos are set to record massive profits in the next financial year.” 

“How much longer will the Albanese Government continue to allow mining companies to take resources that don’t belong to them, for free, and sell them off for unimaginably large profits, when the money raised from PRRT could address the cost of living crisis impacting everyday Australians?”

The Australian Greens have announced Deputy Leader Senator Mehreen Faruqi as their new spokesperson on the Republic.

Senator Faruqi has criticised Prime Minister Albanese for his decision to attend King Charles’ coronation and pledge allegiance to the new monarch.

Senator Faruqi said:

“The only reason Prime Minister Albanese should be going to the UK to meet King Charles is to tell him that we are finally cutting the apron strings. 

“Now would be the perfect time to double down on becoming a republic, but instead the Prime Minister is swearing loyalty to an outdated institution. 

“During a brutal cost of living and housing crisis, it is disgusting that the Prime Minister has made it a priority to fly to the UK to bask in the excesses, pomp and pageantry of an institution so out of touch with everyday people. 

“The British Monarchy and their obscene wealth is a racist, colonial institution built on the blood, backs and stolen wealth of brown and black people. The violent legacies of British colonialism are felt by people and countries all over the globe, including here in Australia, a nation born of dispossession and violence.

“More and more of us are waking up to the historic crimes of the British Royal Family and wanting to cut ties with the British Monarchy. But while nations like Barbados are becoming a republic and speaking truth about empire, the Prime Minister is taking us backwards with his cringeworthy behaviour.

“Pledging allegiance to the head of another country is woeful. We should have an Australian head of state.

“Becoming a republic is an important step towards achieving racial justice on this continent. Moving to a republic has to be done hand in hand with truth-telling and Treaty for First Nations people.

“Prime Minister Albanese’s tepid commitment to the republic movement is yet another example of Labor trying to have it both ways.”