3 hours Ago By Dana Daniel
The Albanese government has used Parliament's final scheduled sitting day to ram dozens of bills through the Senate, clearing the way for the Prime Minister to potentially call an early election. Login or signup to continue reading After months of legislation being stalled in the Senate, the government looked on track to pass 31 through the upper house on Thursday night after securing crossbench support for its guillotine motion to force debate on dozens of bills. This included its $22 billion Future Made in Australia package, which was a centrepiece of its May budget and will invest in renewable energy.
The government needs the support of either the Coalition or the Greens plus two independents to pass legislation in the Senate. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the Parliament his government had used the final sitting fortnight of the year to concentrate on "major reforms that will make a real difference for people". "Helping 40,000 Australians buy a home, free TAFE, fixing student loan indexation, increasing wages for early childhood workers," he said.
"We are getting things done ...
What those opposite have done consistently is just seek to oppose." Mr Albanese shelved a government bill to create a national Environmental Protection Agency amid concerns Opposition Leader Peter Dutton would use it to attack the government if it progressed a deal with the Greens, along with the electoral donations bill, which was abandoned after the Coalition refused support. The "extraordinary list" of bills to be guillotined prompted Coalition frontbencher James Paterson to declare the Prime Minister "has no plans for the Parliament to return in February next year".
"He clearly plans to go to an election before then," Senator Paterson told Sky. "There'll be no questions put, there'll be no debate about them, they will just be rammed through by the government." The Prime Minister has told MPs and senators to focus on campaigning over the summer break, amid speculation the election - due by May - could be called early for a March poll.
Mr Albanese secured the Greens' support for dozens of bills after meeting with the minor party's leader, Adam Bandt, on Thursday morning, striking a deal that no coal, oil or gas would be part of the Future Made in Australia bill. Independent ACT senator David Pocock said he supported the guillotine motion - which enables bills to be voted on with minimal or no debate - after securing "significant amendments" to the government's build-to-rent legislation, including five-year leases for tenants and a ban on no-fault evictions for properties under the scheme. At a press conference with Senator Pocock and lower house independent Allegra Spencer, Housing Minister Clare O'Neil said the amendments would mean "real strength and security for people who are going to live in these future developments".
The deal included a requirement that 10 per cent of homes built under the scheme will be affordable, under a "tightly defined" definition of the lower of 74.9 per cent of market rents or 30 per cent of income, Ms O'Neil told reporters. The Senate allocated an hour to debate a controversial bill to implement the government's social media ban, which was not covered by the guillotine, on Thursday evening.
Senators prepared to sit late into the night, with the House of Representatives to return at 7am to deal with amendments. Senator Pocock also negotiated the bringing forward of the government's new mandatory food and grocery code and $10 million in federal funding for gene drive technology research and development to address invasive species. He said the government and Greens disappointingly refused his proposal to progress the environment legislation.
"Alongside environment and health, housing and cost-of-living are the top two issues Canberrans constantly raise with me," Senator Pocock said. The final sitting fortnight of the year saw the government pass other key legislation, including its 15 per cent wage boost for childcare workers, Help to Buy housing bill, legislation to wipe $3 billion of HECS debt for three million Australians and overhaul the aged care system. The government also passed legislation making it easier to deport non-citizens with criminal records, as part of a deal with the Coalition.
Dana Daniel is Senior Political Reporter for The Canberra Times. She investigates and writes about federal politics and government from the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery. Dana was previously a Federal Health Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and has also been a Media Reporter at The Australian and Finance Editor at news.
com.au. Contact her on dana.
[email protected] Dana Daniel is Senior Political Reporter for The Canberra Times.
She investigates and writes about federal politics and government from the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery. Dana was previously a Federal Health Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and has also been a Media Reporter at The Australian and Finance Editor at news.com.
au. Contact her on dana.daniel@canberratimes.
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