16 News

With the Education Minister’s school funding deadline to the states expiring today, the Greens say Federal Labor must raise the federal public school contribution to at least 25% and stop standing in the way of doing the bare minimum to drag our public school system back from the brink.

Labor’s proposed deal will actually lock in another decade of underfunding for public schools, cementing Australia’s school system as one of the OECD’s most unequal and segregated.

Greens spokesperson on Primary and Secondary Education, Senator Penny Allman-Payne:

“On the same day the Government announced another surplus, Labor is turning its back on public school kids and threatening another decade of underfunding. 

“Public school parents, carers and teachers know that this is a cruel and visionless approach to public schooling.

“Federal Labor is choosing to give private schools $51 million per day, but they’re obstinately standing in the way of doing the bare minimum to bring our public school system back from the brink.

“Let me be clear: public schools deserve full ongoing funding and cannot be left to scrape by on less than the bare minimum. Labor’s deal is not a deal for full funding, and independent fact checkers have labelled Mr Clare’s claims as misleading. 

“Public schools are currently underfunded by $32 billion across the next five years and this deal will not bridge that gap.

“I am seriously concerned that the Government intends to set and forget their contribution to public schooling at 22.5% or lower – when it should be at least 25% – thereby locking in another generation of disadvantage.”

The Greens have slammed Labor’s latest approval of gas projects saying voters now see Labor as climate charlatans.

Labor’s Federal Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King has granted two production licences to Kerry Stokes’ Beach Energy over the Artisan and La Bella oil and gas fields just south of the 12 Apostles in Victoria.

Despite the warnings of the International Energy Agency that there should be no new coal, oil and gas projects to stay within safe climate levels, yet Labor has now approved 28 coal and gas projects since coming to office.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt:

“Labor are climate charlatans, adopting the ‘drill baby drill’ policies of Donald Trump. From the Browse project on Scott Reef, the Beetaloo carbon bomb in NT and now drilling off the Victorian coast, our environment and climate is under threat from Labor.

“Emissions are higher under Anthony Albanese than Scott Morrison, and Labor keeps backing new coal and gas projects. Labor has lost all climate credibility.

“It’s 2024, the climate crisis is already smashing Australia and even worse is to come for our children, but Labor has approved 28 new coal and gas projects. Labor approving 28 coal and gas projects is intergenerational climate crime.

“You can’t put the fire out while you’re pouring petrol on it, and Labor approving new coal and gas is making the climate crisis worse.

“Gas is as dirty as coal, and scientists have clearly said there can be no new coal and gas projects if we are to have any chance at a safer climate.”

Greens portfolio holder for Resources, Trade and Tourism, First Nations, and Northern Australia, and Yamatji Noongar woman, Senator Dorinda Cox:

“This decision is not about gas shortages. It’s about profits and keeping the gas cartel happy. If we wanted to drive down gas costs and look after Australians, we would address the huge profits made and the export of gas abroad at the cost of Australians struggling in a cost of living crisis.

“Minister King’s approval is reckless and continues to threaten our climate goals. By approving these offshore fields, she continues to pander to the gas cartel and is locking us into decades of fossil fuel reliance, at a time when Labor claims to want to invest in renewables for a sustainable future.

“The environmental risks of offshore drilling are well known, from oil spills to the extinction of fragile marine ecosystems and then there is the destruction of intangible heritage—risks that Madeleine King seems all too willing to ignore for her gas buddies and short-term corporate profits.

“First Nations communities and environmental advocates are being ignored in these decisions. Our lands, waters and ecosystems are being sacrificed for the benefit of big corporations, and once again, the government fails to listen to those most affected.

“Instead of expanding fossil fuel projects, Madeleine King should be investing in clean energy solutions that protect our country and respect the rights of First Nations people.

Labor’s secret plans to increase the costs of owning or leasing a home are proof that Labor is at war with homeowners and renters.

Media reports today that Labor is modelling changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing concessions prove that Labor is at war with the dream of home ownership.

This is a betrayal from a Prime Minister who has broken every promise on tax he made at the last election.

Australians are already paying a high price for Labor’s economic mismanagement. Mortgage holders are already up to $35,000 worse off under Labor.

Now 2.4 million Australians claiming rental deductions are next in Labor’s tax hit list.

A housing tax will only increase the price of housing and reduce supply, at a time when it is unaffordable and out of reach for too many Australians.

The only way to solve Labor’s housing crisis is to build more houses and tilt the scales in favour of first home buyers, because we already know that the only policies supporting first home buyers are the ones Labor inherited from the former Coalition government.

According to modelling prepared by Cadence Economics for Master Builders Australia, Labor’s last negative gearing and capital gains attack would mean:

• Up to 42,000 less new dwellings being built across the country.
• Up to 32,000 less full time jobs.
• Up to $11.8 billion less building activity

This will lead to less supply, and more expensive housing – a fact that has been repeatedly conceded by senior Labor figures:

• Anthony Albanese has previously said changes to negative gearing “won’t mean house prices fall.” (Anthony Albanese MP, Sky Australian Agenda, 29/05/16)
• ALP President Wayne Swan has previously said that it was “economically disastrous to do anything on negative gearing … It’s not assisted by pulling further investment and new housing out of the market.” (Wayne Swan MP, ABC 774, 03/05/10)
• Labor Minister Chris Bowen said changes to negative gearing and capital gains would only have a “modest” impact on housing supply and cost and rejected that changes “would massively reduce house prices.” (Chris Bowen, ABC Weekend Breakfast, 13/04/19)

This is a tax grab from a government that has run out of money to fuel its inflationary spending.

Labor has already broken every promise it made on tax at the last election. Since the last election, Australians are paying the price for Labor’s tax policies that wage war on aspiration:

• Labor’s Retirement Wealth Tax: Labor’s broken promise to levy an unindexed wealth tax on Australians superannuation savings. Treasury analysis shows an average 21 year old will ultimately be hit by Labor’s unindexed wealth tax.
• Labor’s Bracket Creep Tax: Labor’s broken promise on the stage 3 tax cuts entrenches bracket creep and will increase income taxes on Australian families by $28 billion.
• Labor’s Franking Credits Clawback: Labor is targeting a $1.5 billion hit on franking credits through tax and regulatory changes;
• Labor’s Tax Hit On Small Business: Labor voted eight times against bigger tax cuts for small business, and have wound back tax incentives to support small businesses to innovate, grow and invest.

At a time when inflation is taxing Australians’ household budgets, Labor’s only economic plan is to add to that cost with higher taxes.

A Dutton Coalition government will deliver lower, simpler, fairer taxes that support aspiration, home ownership, and small businesses – allowing Australians to keep more of what they earn.

The Coalition will strongly oppose Labor’s latest Misinformation Bill, which is an attack on free speech.

Last year, the Government released its first Misinformation Bill. The Bill drew more than 20,000 submissions and comments in opposition to it, and was withdrawn in disgrace last November.

With its latest attempt, Labor has again demonstrated that it does not respect the fundamental right of Australians to free speech. This is a Bill which has no place in Australia.

The Bill gives digital platforms an enormous financial incentive to censor statements made by everyday Australians. If the Government decides that they have not censored enough “misinformation”, they can face large fines. Digital platforms don’t care about the free speech of Australians – but they do care about their profits. So they will censor large amounts of material in order to avoid the risk of fines. Digital platforms cannot be fined for censoring too much material – but they can be fined if they do not censor enough material.

The provisions of the Bill are extremely broad and would capture many things said by Australians every day. Under the Bill, the honestly held opinions of Australians can be deemed to be “misinformation”. Digital platforms are required to identify whether or not pieces of content are “misinformation”. The process of identifying this “misinformation” is highly subjective and will lead to the suppression of the free speech of Australians.

Everyday Australians are captured by the Bill, but some groups are excluded from its operation. For instance, any “reasonable dissemination” of material for an academic, scientific, or artistic purpose is excluded from the Bill. But if an everyday Australian disagrees with an academic, that can be “misinformation”. This is outrageous and creates two classes of speech in Australia – one for favoured groups, and one for everybody else.

The Bill gives the Communications Minister the powers to personally order Misinformation Investigations and Misinformation Hearings. This could include Investigations and Hearings into digital platforms which the Minister believes contain too much “misinformation”. This is wide open to abuse and an extraordinary power for a Minister to hold in a democracy. On the other side of the coin, the Minister can choose to exclude a favoured digital platform from the operation of the Misinformation laws entirely.

The Coalition will strongly oppose this dangerous legislation, and will always stand up to protect the free speech of Australians.

Reports that Allegra Spender and staff of Zoe Daniel sought to influence the Australian Financial Review’s Power List to help their billionaire donor, and founder of Climate 200, Simon Holmes a Court, should concern all Australians.

Reports suggest Simon Holmes a Court helped funnel $13 million to Teal campaigns at the last election through Climate 200.

Before the 2022 Federal Election, Simon Holmes a Court promised Australians at the National Press Club that his bankrolling of the Teal independents came with “no strings attached”. Should these reports prove true, that commitment is clearly now in question.

Allegra Spender and Zoe Daniel have serious questions to answer about this matter.

This is a test of their integrity.

What conversations did these members of parliament have with this billionaire? Did he ask them to seek to influence the AFR Power List? Did they instruct their staff to lobby journalists on this issue?

These Teal members of parliament were elected on a platform of independence, integrity and transparency – how does directly lobbying, or directing staff to lobby journalists, on behalf of one of their biggest donors fit in that equation?

This is not the first time the Teals have failed to meet the standards they set others:

• They said they would lift the tone of Parliament. Yet we have seen Zali Steggall launch slurs on the floor of the Parliament – calling people ‘racists’ and accusing people of threatening her.
• They said they would maintain their integrity. Yet despite at the election promising to end fossil fuel subsidies, voted for a multi-billion subsidy for the coal industry. We even saw Zoe Daniel try to mislead her own community about the issue.
• They said they want to lift the standard of democracy yet have stayed silent on Climate 200 bankrolling a person all but pretending to be a member of parliament.

There cannot be one standard for the Teals and one for everyone else.

The Teals said they would change Canberra but Canberra has changed them.

Today’s Final Budget Outcome reveals Labor’s is taxing more, and spending more, than any government in history.

Labor’s high taxing, high spending strategy is delivering no dividend to Australian families. Australian family budgets can’t win: facing higher taxes, and higher prices due to Labor’s inflationary spending.

Compared to before the election, Labor raised $104 billion in additional income in 2023-24 from higher taxes on households ($43 billion) and businesses ($54 billion). Tax receipts increased by 0.2% of GDP over the financial year, while spending grew in real terms by 2.9%.

Labor’s claims of spending less are false. Labor spent more last year than was spent at the peak of the COVID pandemic when our economy needed it most in an unprecedented global health and economic crisis.

Despite record terms of trade, low unemployment, and a recovering economy after the COVID pandemic, Labor has squandered the strong economy it inherited from the Coalition. With productivity going backwards and Australia now 18 months into a household recession, Labor is claiming credit for one of the smallest surpluses delivered as a share of the economy.

With the strong economic conditions Labor inherited, a drover’s dog could have delivered a surplus over the last two financial years.

The reality is Australians are facing a decade of deficits under Labor. Despite two surpluses, debt is higher under Labor and growing, with interest payments taking up a bigger share of the economy.

This is a consequence of a Labor Government that has abandoned strong fiscal guardrails, and waged war with anti-business policies on the very industries that drive our prosperity. Labor is out of touch and out of its depth on economic management.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Labor’s entire Budget strategy is to take from hard-working Australians to bolster its own bottom line.

“Australians can see straight through this Treasurer’s spin. This is the biggest spending, biggest taxing government in Australian history.

“Household budgets are in tatters because of Labor. Living standards have collapsed, and families are in an entrenched recession. This is a disastrous situation for them.

“Labor is relying on higher taxes from higher commodity prices and insidious bracket creep caused by Labor’s high inflation.

“All Labor has done is make the structural deficit worse. The consequence is these Budget surpluses will be short lived, with deficits as far as the eye can see.”

Shadow Finance Minister Senator Jane Hume said Labor’s failure to address structural pressures on the Budget and new baked-in spending will simply make life harder for Australians.

“The Finance Minister admitted today that Labor’s lower spending has absolutely nothing to do with their Budget management.

“Labor hasn’t done any hard work, in fact the opposite – payments are down due to lower demand in programs and Labor’s failure to manage its payments to the States.

“Hardworking Australians are suffering under Labor’s fiscal mismanagement. Labor is responsible for the inflation and higher interest rates pain continuing far longer than it needs to. Labor has no plan to end the cost of living crisis they have perpetuated.”

Only a Coalition Government can deliver strong back to basics economic management that gets Australia back on track.