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| Government touts budget surplus as Labor draws climate lines – politics live | Government touts budget surplus as Labor draws climate lines – politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Doesn’t this just sound like an absolute par-tay! | |
| Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals’ Leader Michael McCormack and Minister for Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge will discuss the Liberal and Nationals’ Government’s investment in infrastructure. | |
| That’ll be happening at 10.30am | |
| I am just not sure we can handle that much charisma this early on a Monday morning. | |
| We also have Mathias Cormann once again uttering the words “carbon tax”, this time to ABC radio: | |
| “Labor talks a lot, but what they have put out, would harm the economy, would harm families, would cost jobs, would drive up unemployment, and indeed, Labor would bring back a carbon tax, they would force people across Australia, to pay tens of billions of dollars in higher taxes, only for them to send that money overseas to pay for international carbon credits. | |
| “...You seem to be deliberately ignoring the fact that Labor have confirmed that they want to send money overseas to buy international carbon permits. That means that they will be imposing tens of billions of dollars in higher taxes on Australians, which should remain either in Australian’s pockets, so they can spend it here on Australia...or should be available to government to invest on essential services here in Australia. | |
| “If Labor wants to buy international carbon permits as they have said they would, they will have to increase the tax burden on Australians...and that clearly is going back to the carbon tax, the discredited carbon tax arrangements of past Labor governments.” | |
| He of course, was attacking Labor’s climate policy. | |
| But, this time round, we have the admission from Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff, Peta Credlin, who in early 2017 told Sky News this about the last time the Coalition used the carbon tax attack line: | |
| Along comes a carbon tax. It wasn’t a carbon tax, as you know. It was many other things in nomenclature terms but we made it a carbon tax. We made it a fight about the hip pocket and not about the environment. That was brutal retail politics and it took Abbott about six months to cut through and when he cut through, Gillard was gone.” | |
| Mark Butler, also speaking to Fran Kelly responded just a few minutes later: | |
| “What rubbish. Maybe he should go and talk to every single big business, including all of the businesses in his own state of Western Australia that cannot understand why a supposedly pro-market party has an objection to businesses trading in international carbon markets. | |
| “We allow business to trade in every other robust international market, why on earth would we not allow them to trade in international carbon markets? Provided of course that they are robust and they are credible, which is Labor’s position and it is also the position of the Australian business community.” | |
| On why Labor won’t be using the Kyoto carbon credits as part of its own 45% emission reduction plan, Mark Butler told the ABC this morning: | |
| The first point to make is that we’re not going to meet the Kyoto commitment in 2020 – certainly not going to beat it. | |
| The bipartisan commitment was to reduce pollution by 14% by 2020. But because pollution has been rising under this government, the government’s own data released several weeks ago says we’ll only have cut pollution by 11%. | |
| So let’s dispel the myth that somehow we’re beating the Kyoto commitment. Ironically, what Scott Morrison is trying to do is take credit for the fact that in the early part of this decade, under Labor, we were overperforming on emissions cuts because of policies that Scott Morrison opposed tooth and nail. | |
| So we’re not going to have Australia join a club that only currently has Ukraine as a member. | |
| We’re taking a position consistent with UK, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden and other countries, to which we usually compare ourselves. As I said, we need real cuts in emissions – not dodgy accounting tricks. | |
| I’m not sure that Josh Frydenberg has approved this. | I’m not sure that Josh Frydenberg has approved this. |
| Or that, you know, this is how governments work. | |
| The Bendigo Advertiser reports the Liberal Bendigo candidate, Sam Gayed, plans on beating Labor with the “anything you can do, I can do 10% better” strategy. | |
| From the report: | From the report: |
| [Sam] Gayed planned on asking the Liberals to match and add 10% more funds to any pledge for community projects or initiatives within the Bendigo electorate. | |
| “I believe the Liberals are best at managing the economy, producing a budget surplus. That’s why we can spend more on schools, hospitals and community projects,” he said. | “I believe the Liberals are best at managing the economy, producing a budget surplus. That’s why we can spend more on schools, hospitals and community projects,” he said. |
| The Labor member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters, said the idea sounded like a “catchy marketing campaign”, rather than listening to the people of Bendigo. | |
| “Is this federal politics or is this Bunnings Warehouse?” she asked. | “Is this federal politics or is this Bunnings Warehouse?” she asked. |
| We are just being visited by a group of 12 students from Rotary who are here at Parliament House – and awkwardly watching me type this. | We are just being visited by a group of 12 students from Rotary who are here at Parliament House – and awkwardly watching me type this. |
| Always great to welcome visitors – particularly future leaders. | Always great to welcome visitors – particularly future leaders. |
| The PEO is pleased to be hosting the Rotary Adventure in Citizenship students in Budget Week once again. This program has been going for almost 30 years and gives students an insight into the workings of the Parliament. Including the Press Gallery. @Aust_Parliament @AmyRemeikis pic.twitter.com/ikvpipPauK | |
| Is anyone even pretending we haven’t been in an election campaign since December any more? | Is anyone even pretending we haven’t been in an election campaign since December any more? |
| Scott Morrison and Greg Hunt will make a health announcement at 9.45. | Scott Morrison and Greg Hunt will make a health announcement at 9.45. |
| Back to domestic politics and for Labor, at least today, it is all about climate policy. As Katharine Murphy reports: | Back to domestic politics and for Labor, at least today, it is all about climate policy. As Katharine Murphy reports: |
| Labor will set a national electric vehicles target of 50% new car sales by 2030, and 50% for the government fleet by 2025, as well as allowing business to deduct a 20% depreciation for private fleet EVs valued at more than $20,000, as part of its climate change policy to be unveiled on Monday. | Labor will set a national electric vehicles target of 50% new car sales by 2030, and 50% for the government fleet by 2025, as well as allowing business to deduct a 20% depreciation for private fleet EVs valued at more than $20,000, as part of its climate change policy to be unveiled on Monday. |
| Bill Shorten will also flag a new pollution regulation on car retailers “in line with” 105g CO2/km for light vehicles, which is consistent with American emissions standards, but will consult on coverage and the timeline to phase in the change rather than impose it immediately. | Bill Shorten will also flag a new pollution regulation on car retailers “in line with” 105g CO2/km for light vehicles, which is consistent with American emissions standards, but will consult on coverage and the timeline to phase in the change rather than impose it immediately. |
| That caveat notwithstanding, the signal is likely to trigger pushback. Efforts to impose pollution standards for vehicles have been derailed during the Coalition’s period in office, in part by internal opposition from Nationals, and by strenuous lobbying from influential stakeholders including motoring associations, driver groups and the Australian Institute of Petroleum. | That caveat notwithstanding, the signal is likely to trigger pushback. Efforts to impose pollution standards for vehicles have been derailed during the Coalition’s period in office, in part by internal opposition from Nationals, and by strenuous lobbying from influential stakeholders including motoring associations, driver groups and the Australian Institute of Petroleum. |
| As Guardian Australia revealed on Saturday, Labor will, if it wins the coming election, beef up the Morrison government’s heavily criticised safeguard mechanism. | As Guardian Australia revealed on Saturday, Labor will, if it wins the coming election, beef up the Morrison government’s heavily criticised safeguard mechanism. |
| It will use the existing architecture, but create new pollution reduction requirements for the aviation sector, cement, steel and aluminium, mining and gas, direct combustion and the non-electricity energy sectors. | It will use the existing architecture, but create new pollution reduction requirements for the aviation sector, cement, steel and aluminium, mining and gas, direct combustion and the non-electricity energy sectors. |
| You can read the whole report here | You can read the whole report here |
| Things may be absolutely shizen at the moment. | Things may be absolutely shizen at the moment. |
| But at least we’ll always have Kylie. Even Ireland wants to claim her. Or at least their prime minister does. | But at least we’ll always have Kylie. Even Ireland wants to claim her. Or at least their prime minister does. |
| From the Irish Times: | From the Irish Times: |
| Taoiseach Leo Varadkar asked pop star Kylie Minogue if he could welcome her to Ireland personally when she came to Dublin for a concert last year. | Taoiseach Leo Varadkar asked pop star Kylie Minogue if he could welcome her to Ireland personally when she came to Dublin for a concert last year. |
| Mr Varadkar wrote a note to the Australian singer and actress on official headed notepaper from the Office of the Taoiseach, which was released following a freedom of information request. | Mr Varadkar wrote a note to the Australian singer and actress on official headed notepaper from the Office of the Taoiseach, which was released following a freedom of information request. |
| The letter, which was signed “Leo V Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister)” was sent before Ms Minogue’s planned concert at Dublin’s 3Arena on October 7th, which she had to reschedule due to a throat infection. | The letter, which was signed “Leo V Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister)” was sent before Ms Minogue’s planned concert at Dublin’s 3Arena on October 7th, which she had to reschedule due to a throat infection. |
| “Dear Kylie,” the Taoiseach wrote. “Just wanted to drop you a short note in advance of the concert in Dublin. I am really looking forward to it. Am a huge fan! I understand you are staying in the Merrion Hotel which is just across the street from my office in Government Buildings. If you like, I’d love to welcome you to Ireland personally.” | “Dear Kylie,” the Taoiseach wrote. “Just wanted to drop you a short note in advance of the concert in Dublin. I am really looking forward to it. Am a huge fan! I understand you are staying in the Merrion Hotel which is just across the street from my office in Government Buildings. If you like, I’d love to welcome you to Ireland personally.” |
| Mathias Cormann was sent out this morning to talk budget: | Mathias Cormann was sent out this morning to talk budget: |
| The budget tomorrow will show that the Coalition has been successful for the last 5.5 years in making the economy stronger, creating more jobs, driving the unemployment rate down and, indeed, putting the budget on a stronger and improving trajectory [for] the future … all essential things that Australians rely on funding can be guaranteed in the budget,” he told ABC radio this morning. | The budget tomorrow will show that the Coalition has been successful for the last 5.5 years in making the economy stronger, creating more jobs, driving the unemployment rate down and, indeed, putting the budget on a stronger and improving trajectory [for] the future … all essential things that Australians rely on funding can be guaranteed in the budget,” he told ABC radio this morning. |
| People will remember when Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen were last in government they left behind a weakening economy, rising unemployment and rapidly deteriorating budget situation. We have been able to turn this around. This is not the time to take risks with high-taxing, central command agenda. It would make the economy weaker and all Australians poorer. | People will remember when Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen were last in government they left behind a weakening economy, rising unemployment and rapidly deteriorating budget situation. We have been able to turn this around. This is not the time to take risks with high-taxing, central command agenda. It would make the economy weaker and all Australians poorer. |
| That line – that Labor left the budget in a terrible condition last time it was in power – has been popping up from government MPs quite frequently lately. They all just seem to miss out the part about the GFC having occurred at the same time and the whole developed world saw their budgets tank at the same time. | That line – that Labor left the budget in a terrible condition last time it was in power – has been popping up from government MPs quite frequently lately. They all just seem to miss out the part about the GFC having occurred at the same time and the whole developed world saw their budgets tank at the same time. |
| Speaking of April Fools’ and electioneering – Ed Husic has a new Facebook profile pic | Speaking of April Fools’ and electioneering – Ed Husic has a new Facebook profile pic |
| Happy April Fools’ Day. | Happy April Fools’ Day. |
| More importantly, happy budget 2019 eve. | More importantly, happy budget 2019 eve. |
| There is no budget tree in Canberra this year, because, well, it’s not the second Tuesday in May. But winter has arrived in the capital. So have the politicians. I am not saying our honourable representatives are the reason for the sudden chill, but I am not not saying that either. | There is no budget tree in Canberra this year, because, well, it’s not the second Tuesday in May. But winter has arrived in the capital. So have the politicians. I am not saying our honourable representatives are the reason for the sudden chill, but I am not not saying that either. |
| Given how batshit crazy the last few weeks have been, and given how much we have to get through this week – censures, new senators, the last of the unofficial election campaigning, the budget, the budget reply, the upcoming trip to the governor general to launch the insanity officially – we have decided to run the blog a day early. | Given how batshit crazy the last few weeks have been, and given how much we have to get through this week – censures, new senators, the last of the unofficial election campaigning, the budget, the budget reply, the upcoming trip to the governor general to launch the insanity officially – we have decided to run the blog a day early. |
| Parliament doesn’t officially sit until tomorrow. But Labor has announced its climate policy, just as the government is revving up its budget surplus preview, so there is plenty for us to chew over for the next few hours. | Parliament doesn’t officially sit until tomorrow. But Labor has announced its climate policy, just as the government is revving up its budget surplus preview, so there is plenty for us to chew over for the next few hours. |
| Mike Bowers is on deck, as is Katharine Murphy and Paul Karp and the rest of the Guardian brains trust. You also have 100% of my presence and the last 27% of my brain, so it should be a good brain. | Mike Bowers is on deck, as is Katharine Murphy and Paul Karp and the rest of the Guardian brains trust. You also have 100% of my presence and the last 27% of my brain, so it should be a good brain. |
| While I hunt down a coffee to try to round my brain power up to 30%, remember you can find us in the comments, or social media – and I’m interested to know – when do you think Scott Morrison will head to Yarralumla? What day? What will be in the budget? | While I hunt down a coffee to try to round my brain power up to 30%, remember you can find us in the comments, or social media – and I’m interested to know – when do you think Scott Morrison will head to Yarralumla? What day? What will be in the budget? |
| Ready? | Ready? |
| Let’s get into it. | Let’s get into it. |