Tensions were high in the nation’s capital this week, with the Prime Minister and several government ministers caught off guard by a High Court ruling on indefinite detention that freed more than 80 high-risk offenders into the Australian community.
Along with rising concerns about anti-Semitism, it fuelled a fierce debate on Wednesday about the government’s national security priorities.
Meanwhile, the Infrastructure Minister was taking friendly fire from Labor Premiers over the axing of key infrastructure projects and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke refused to put the crossbench’s IR bill to a vote in the House.
We take you behind the headlines in this week’s Parliament Wrap.
Visa overhaul after High Court frees violent offenders
Last Wednesday, the High Court overturned a 20-year precedent that allowed the Australian Government to indefinitely detain non-citizens without a valid visa, even where a path to deportation was unclear, on the basis they were a community safety risk. The decision was in response to an appeal by a particular individual but the case clearly had ramifications for others detained under similar conditions.
The government on Friday said they were ‘considering the implications’ of the ruling and confirmed ‘other impacted individuals’ would be released.
Over the weekend, as more details became apparent about the number of immigrants to be released and their crimes, the government scrambled to assure Australians community safety had not been compromised.
But by Wednesday, with the opposition prosecuting an attack in Parliament about the government’s failure to prevent murderers, rapists and other violent offenders being released into the community with apparently few conditions, they were in full-scale damage control.
The Coalition, whose electoral strength is usually seen to be national security, ran a damaging case against the Immigration Minister, Andrew Giles, and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil – both of whom claimed the government was responding appropriately and there was little more they could do.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton launched a blistering attack on the Prime Minister in Question Time, saying he had dropped the ball on national security and community safety was threatened not only by the release of the offenders but by escalating anti-Semitic vilification in the wake of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Prime Minister responded furiously, accusing Dutton of politicising anti-Semitism and said the government’s hands were tied in relation to the High Court’s decision. He took particular offence to Dutton’s suggestion he should skip this week’s APEC summit in the US to deal with the domestic issues at hand.
But the government later caved to the opposition’s demands, confirming that night they would be rushing through urgent legislation to impose stricter conditions on the released detainees, although the opposition claimed that legislation was sub-standard when it was presented Thursday morning.
The government, sensibly led by Deputy PM Richard Marles in Albanese’s absence, agreed to negotiate with the opposition and made a suite of amendments at the request of Dutton, including changes that would mean freed detainees would be subject to curfews and ankle bracelets.
The laws passed the Parliament last night but it was an immensely damaging saga for the government, and particularly the Prime Minister, who had no choice but to cop the terrible optics of leaving the country in the middle of it all (more on that later).
Infrastructure blow up
The Albanese Government has been used to a relatively smooth ride when it comes to negotiations with states over key funding agreements, given the wall-to-wall Labor governments in power on the mainland.
But the long-awaited release of the government’s response to its infrastructure pipeline review had nearly all states crying foul, as it revealed plans to cut 50 major infrastructure projects Australia-wide and divert $7 billion to cover cost blow-outs.
The review recommended the government slash 82 projects, but the 32 projects on the chopping block that the government saved haven’t been made public.
The response from Labor Treasurers across the country was swift and harsh. The condemnation was particularly sharp from Queensland’s Palaszczuk Government, the only state government to face the polls within a year. Infrastructure projects and promises are big business at elections.
Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick declared, “Our message to Catherine King: Treat Queensland more like Qantas and less like Qatar.”, in reference to the Minister’s long-running Qatar debacle.
The government is placing blame for the cuts squarely on the Coalition, saying the former government had completely mishandled the nation’s Infrastructure Investment Program. The International Monetary Fund warned federal and state governments earlier this month that the huge infrastructure pipeline risked entrenching inflation, hence increasing the risk of more rate rises.
Polls have consistently showed Australians are in favour of reducing government spending to ease inflation and cost of living pressures, so the Albanese Government probably wagers the economic gain is worth the political pain. But they’ll face a barrage of hostility from Labor Premiers and Treasurers keen to show voters they’re standing up for their state.
Jobless rate lifts slightly but labour market still tight
Yesterday’s monthly ABS Labour Force Figures showed the unemployment rate ticking up ever so slightly to 3.7 per cent, but remains at historically low levels.
Employment increased by 55,000, more than doubling market expectations and showing the labour market was holding out despite a strong period of rate rises from the Central Bank.
And data released on Wednesday showed wages growth last quarter was the fastest on record, rising 1.3 per cent to be 4 per cent higher through the year. The boost was due to the Fair Work Commission’s wage review decision for low-paid workers and the government’s aged care workforce increase.
The government, which pitched its election campaign on higher wages, was thrilled with the news wage growth had never been higher in the 26-year history of the Wage Price Index. Real wages are still down compared to inflation, but the government said they expect annual real wage growth from next year.
PM heads back to US for APEC
As mentioned earlier, the Prime Minister’s many international commitments are coming under fire from the opposition, with Peter Dutton this week calling on Albanese to skip the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco to deal with issues such as the immigration crisis.
Realistically, this was a call they knew the Prime Minister would never agree to, for reasons the Coalition is fully aware.
Every Prime Minister since APEC’s creation 30 years ago has represented Australia at the leaders’ summit, with the exception of Julia Gillard who was forced to return home when her father passed suddenly.
It’s a crucially important summit for Australia, and with the attendance of Chinese President Xi Jingping (despite their recent meeting in China), it was essential for the Prime Minister to be there.
It was an unfortunate scheduling challenge for the PM’s team, with the Prime Minister having no choice but to accept President Joe Biden’s invitation for a state visit earlier this month.
The optics aren’t great, but it’s cheap politics from the Coalition, especially in light of the undisputed advancements the Prime Minister has made in our relationship with China.
Government refuses crossbench, Coalition IR push
As we brought you last week, the crossbench and Coalition successfully passed elements of the government’s controversial Closing Loopholes IR bill in the Senate, in a bid to pass the less-controversial pieces this year to see them take effect on 1 January.
These include measures to support first responders with PTSD in claiming compensation, and to protect victims of domestic violence from discrimination.
The new bills came before the House on Monday, with the government blocking debate and claiming the move was a ploy by the Coalition to delay the broader bill currently before the Senate.
It was entirely expected and had been foreshadowed by the government, but it’s likely the fight will drag into Parliament’s last sitting fortnight kicking off on 27 November.
And in news from outside the bubble…
Back at the APEC summit, the headline was undoubtedly the one-on-one meeting between President Biden and President Xi. It was the first time the Chinese leader had travelled to the United States in six years, and the first time the two leaders had spoken face-to-face in more than a year. The pair have agreed to reopen military communications cut off last year by China in retaliation to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan and Biden recommitted the United States to its one China policy.
In sports news, Formula One debuts this weekend in Las Vegas in what is the third US Grand Prix this year after Miami and Austin. Preparations for the race have angered locals and tourists alike, after trees were removed from the Strip and grandstands erected in the middle of the Bellagio Fountains. The late start time also has many wondering how the cold desert temperatures will affect the race, in what is tipped to be one of the coldest ever at around 9c, after F1 boss Ross Brawn admitted the sport neglected to think about that when scheduling the race. The 10pm start will be the latest race start ever in F1, meaning it won’t wrap up until around midnight, in a bid to appease the large European viewership. Works brilliantly for Australian F1 fans though, lights out at 5pm (AEDT) Sunday!