With only 11 joint sitting days before the end of the year and a Budget to deliver, the Albanese Government is rushing to legislate it’s major election commitments before Parliament rises in early December.
After sitting was suspended during the period of official mourning following the Queen’s passing, this week was hastily added to the sitting calendar to make up for days lost.
Having convened for a day last week to observe condolence motions, the shorter sitting week was jam-packed full of significant pieces of legislation the government is hoping to pass through Parliament this year.
With the formalities and niceties of the mourning period over, the opposition once again took the government to task over rising cost of living pressures, while the Treasurer laid down the groundwork for his first budget, to be delivered in less than four weeks.
Federal ICAC legislation tabled
Labor put government integrity front and centre of their election campaign and committed to legislating a national anti-corruption commission (NACC) this year. The Attorney-General has consulted widely on the proposed terms of the body, including most notably the ‘teal’ independents, many of whom were elected on their own platforms of integrity.
While the Leader of the Opposition had said soon after the election that it was his intention to work with the government on the legislation of a Federal ICAC, the Coalition didn’t offer it’s in-principle support for the bill until they had confirmed that public hearings would be the exception – not the rule.
The independents and the Greens are now crying foul over the government’s apparent collusion with the Coalition – giving the bill free passage in both the House and Senate without the need to secure crossbench support.
Crossbenchers have made it clear to the government they see it as essential all hearings conducted by the NACC are public. The government has appointed a new joint committee to report on the legislation, due back to the Parliament by 10 November.
Child care, welfare reforms progress
The cashless debit card will be revoked, after the legislation passed Parliament this week. It comes as the Government offered an extra $50 million for drug and alcohol treatment services in affected communities, after concerns were raised by community leaders and the Coalition about fallout of the card’s repeal.
Ticking off election commitments, the government also introduced legislation to enact it’s cheaper child care plan – announcing the massive $5.4bn cost had been revised down nearly a billion dollars to $4.5bn.
Both the Greens and the Coalition have signalled their concerns with the bill, with the impact of workforce shortages the primary complaint from both. The Greens argue it doesn’t go far enough towards universal childcare and will be demanding changes in exchange for their support in the Senate.
Coalition seeks confirmation of funding commitments
The opposition used Question Time this week to pressure the government over it’s intention to honour funding commitments made in the Morrison Government’s final budget in March. This included infrastructure funding commitments, grant programs and health services.
As the government sought explanations from Optus in the wake of last week’s cyber security breach, the Coalition questioned the government over it’s handling of the saga.
Cost of living and taxation also featured prominently this week, with the opposition forcing the Treasurer in the House and Finance Minister in the Senate to rule out any new taxes in their upcoming budget.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday released the Final Budget Outcome for 2021-22, revealing a $50bn improvement to the budget’s bottom line, but talked down expectations that would ease spending pressures caused by rising inflation and a deteriorating global economy.
Parliament returns on Tuesday, 25 October for the Albanese Government’s first budget.