It was a busy week for Prime Minister Albanese, who hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his first visit to Australia in nearly a decade, as Parliament sat in Canberra for the first time post-Budget week.
It followed the last-minute cancellation of the Quad meeting, which was to be held in Sydney, by US President Joe Biden. The PM instead met his US, Indian and Japanese counterparts on the side lines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan over the weekend.
Albanese joined Modi at a jam-packed Olympic Park rally in Sydney on Tuesday night, before a bi-lateral meeting on Wednesday morning to discuss strengthened diplomatic, economic and defence ties between the two nations.
Back in Canberra, Senate Estimates were underway for it’s first week of hearings and the opposition continued to grill the government over the economic impact of it’s second budget.
MPs have their say on Voice proposition
The constitution alteration bill proposing the terms of the referendum was debated in the lower House this week, with many MPs across the chamber having their say on the proposal to be put to Australians later this year.
All Labor MPs, bound by party rules, spoke in support of the referendum question, as did all crossbench members who spoke – including every Teal independent. Liberal and National MPs overwhelmingly spoke against the proposal, citing concerns over lack of detail, rushed consultation, practical outcomes and unintended consequences on the functioning of executive government.
Bridget Archer and Julian Leeser were the only Liberal MPs to speak in support of the Voice.
Debate is ongoing and will resume next week, when it is expected the bill will pass the House, before being debated in the Senate when it resumes. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has said the Coalition will support the passage of the legislation through the Parliament so that Australians can have their say.
Government ministers defend budget
The opposition doubled down on it’s criticism of the government’s second budget, seizing on figures released by the Australian Energy Regulator that showed power prices were set to rise by up to 25 per cent from 1 July.
The cost of living crisis was again front and centre of the Coalition’s attacks, highlighting in Parliament the Prime Minister’s failure to deliver a promised energy bill reduction and attributing the spiralling crisis to the government’s mismanagement of the economy.
Coalition backbenchers used speeches in the House this week to defend the nation’s community pharmacies, claiming the government’s 60-day dispensing policy will result in closures and loss of access to community pharmacy services in small, regional communities.
Meanwhile in Senate Estimates…
The Senate didn’t sit this week, as senators were busy grilling senior public servants and government ministers about budget and department expenditure and programs.
It wasn’t a great week for big consulting firm PwC, as their work across multiple government departments was analysed and criticised in the wake of the tax leaks scandal (where the firm was sprung passing along confidential government intel to it’s clients).
The Department of Infrastructure faced intense questioning over it’s infrastructure pipeline and the government’s infrastructure audit, while the Environment and Communications committee probed the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water about the government’s energy transition plans.
The ABC came under expected scrutiny over it’s handling of racism claims and Home Affairs faced questions on cyber security, migration and the cost of Australia’s offshore processing program. The Finance and Administration committee made enquiries on the cost and logistics of the Voice referendum, parliamentary staffing costs and policies, and the function and makeup of National Cabinet.
Estimates resumes next week with the portfolios of health, defence, foreign affairs, education, treasury and social services among those under scrutiny.
Fadden by-election confirmed
With the official resignation of long-term MP and cabinet minister Stuart Robert triggering a by-election in his Gold Coast seat of Fadden, Speaker Milton Dick confirmed the poll would be held on Saturday, 15 July.
Seen as a safe seat for Queensland’s Liberal National Party, preselection contenders are jostling for position ahead of an internal ballot to select the LNP replacement.
Labor has yet to confirm they will run a candidate, but it is likely they will, or face backlash from local Labor branch members on the Coast.