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What you need to know tonight
By Angus Dalton
Thanks for reading our live coverage of a jam-packed day. That’s where we’ll leave our rolling updates – we’ll be back on deck with you early tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, here’s what you need to know tonight.
- New Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson has vowed to restore trust in the embattled airline after a horror month and the early departure of longstanding boss Alan Joyce.
- A senate inquiry will investigate the government’s decision to block extra Qatar Airways flights into Australia as the Coalition accuses Labor of protecting Qantas from greater competition at the cost of higher ticket prices.
- The Reserve Bank held interest rates at 4.1 per cent in Philip Lowe’s last board meeting as governor.
- The Greens won a vote in the Senate to order the release of documents about Defence Minister Richard Marles’ $3.6 million spend on flights.
- The NSW government has thrown Australia’s largest coal-fired power plant a lifeline beyond its planned closure in 2025, but can’t say how long it will stay open or how much it’ll cost to keep running.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has flown to Indonesia this evening for the first in a series of summits aimed at boosting economic ties with Southeast Asia.
- Thousands of people stranded at the Burning Man festival in Nevada have begun trying to leave as the return of clear skies provided an opening to flee.
- The brothers who own New Zealand’s Whakaari White Island, where 22 people died in a volcanic eruption in 2019, have had charges against them dismissed.
Renters, shoppers targeted in fresh industry ad blitz against IR laws
By Angus Thompson
Renters, grocery shoppers and homeowners are being targeted by the business lobby in a fresh round of television, radio and print ads campaigning against the government’s industrial relations reforms.
As Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke warned the Coalition that attempts to delay the passage of the government’s Closing Loopholes Bill could end up harming employers needing to adjust to the changes in it, employer groups opposing the new laws readied the next part of their campaign to stop the bill succeeding.
The ads warn that the bill, which aims to give gig economy workers and truckies minimum pay standards, casuals easier paths to permanent conversion, and labour-hire workers the same pay as their employed colleagues, “will decrease productivity and increase the cost of everything, including your household bills and groceries at the checkout”.
A radio ad alleges the new laws will make subcontracting work in home building more expensive and less flexible, “and when it’s more expensive for builders, new homes and renting become more expensive too”.
Burke accused the opposition of delay tactics after the Coalition sought to have the bill go to a joint parliamentary committee that would report on its findings early next year, saying “as long as people are being underpaid, they [the opposition] are happy”.
Greens win bid to release documents about Marles’ $3.6 million flights
By David Crowe
In another flight-related Senate vote, the Greens have gained a victory this afternoon in the dispute over the use of VIP aircraft by ministers and the outcry over the $3.6 million cost of flights for Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.
While the government is refusing to release the details of the flights, Greens NSW Senator David Shoebridge gained the numbers in the upper house to order the government to release documents that explain the flights and their costs.
Defence Minister Richard Marles enters parliament today for question time.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Shoebridge won by 42 to 19 votes, putting Labor senators in the minority when they voted against the disclosure. The Greens, Coalition and crossbenchers were united in wanting to find out more about how the money was being spent.
There is a catch, however, because Labor successfully amended the Greens’ motion to say the release of information should be “consistent with advice from security agencies” – a phrase that could be used to justify keeping details secret.
At issue is the cost revealed in a freedom of information disclosure obtained by NSW Greens senator David Shoebridge on August 17, which revealed a summary of the expenses incurred by the Albanese and Morrison governments since January 2021.
The documents show Marles, during certain periods of time, incurred more domestic travel costs than the prime minister, though his overall spend was less.
While the government is arguing that it cannot release the details of the flights for security reasons, previous governments have disclosed full flight manifests, costs and destinations under prime ministers Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull.
The disclosure ended when Peter Dutton was Defence Minister under Scott Morrison as prime minister, with no public statement at the time to explain why the information was kept confidential.
So far, Marles is taking the same approach as Dutton in withholding the details.
Senate inquiry to scrutinise Qatar Airways decision
By Angus Dalton
The Senate has voted to hold an inquiry into the government’s decision to block more Qatar Airways flights in and out of Australia. The inquiry will also scrutinise how the call could affect ticket prices and the aviation sector.
The vote, brought by Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, initially failed in a 30-30 deadlock, but the motion passed after the vote was held again.
McKenzie also secured enough votes to order the production of documents about the federal government’s decision to ban extra Qatar flights, giving the government until next week to table them or explain why they’re being withheld.
The senator accused the government of running a “protection racket” for Qantas after the transport minister refused to elaborate on why her decision was made in the “national interest”.
“Who is the government really protecting when it says this decision was in the national interest?” McKenzie said on Tuesday.
with AAP
How the sharemarket responded to the RBA’s call and Joyce’s departure
By Millie Muroi
The Australian sharemarket was bolstered by the Reserve Bank’s interest rate pause this afternoon, but closed slightly lower as energy and utilities companies slipped. Qantas Airways bounced after announcing chief executive Alan Joyce was stepping down from tomorrow.
The S&P/ASX 200 was down 4.5 points, or 0.06 per cent, to 7314.3 at the close as consumer staples, healthcare and industrials traded firmly in the green.
The local bourse lacked direction overnight from Wall Street, which was closed for America’s Labor Day holiday.
Qantas shares rose in early trade on the news Joyce stepped down from his post after 15 years, two months earlier than originally scheduled, but ended the session 0.2 per cent lower as investors and shareholder advisers said this early exit may not be enough to quell the disquiet around the company.
Meanwhile, the market was reassured by the RBA’s decision to keep interest rates on hold, with the sharemarket paring back its early losses after the announcement at 2.30pm AEST.
WA’s gas supply takes a 13 per cent hit due to faulty pump
By Hamish Hastie
The nation’s west is getting in on today’s major energy infrastructure drama, with a faulty pump at Chevron’s Wheatstone domestic gas plant knocking out about 13 per cent of Western Australia’s gas supply.
The shutdown adds to the US LNG giant’s headaches in WA as it prepares for union-led work stoppages this week.
Chevron confirmed the facility, which normally sends about 251 terajoules of gas into the state’s gas pipeline network every day, has been offline since Monday.
Chevron’s Wheatstone LNG plant could be subject to major strike action.
“Chevron Australia is working to recommence domestic gas supply from the Wheatstone Domestic Gas Facility near Onslow, Western Australia, following a production outage,” a Chevron spokesman said.
“The cause of the outage has been identified and restart activities have commenced.”
The state’s Gas Energy Bulletin Board predicted the facility wouldn’t be operational until Friday but WA Energy Minister Bill Johnston was confident energy supply would not be impacted.
“The state government is closely monitoring the situation,” a spokeswoman said.
Transport minister says more Qatar flights would not cut ticket prices
By David Crowe
Criticism of the government’s decision to block Qatar Airways from increasing its flights has continued today, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton warning that Australians will pay more for their holidays and Greens leader Adam Bandt calling for the release of documents that explain the impact of its move on customers.
The Greens are seeking support in the Senate for a formal motion that would ask the government to release the documents, while the Coalition wants a Senate inquiry into the handling of Qantas and Qatar.
Transport Minister Catherine King in parliament today.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
But Transport Minister Catherine King claimed a decision to allow more flights by Qatar would not have cut the cost of flights.
Here’s what she said:
I’ve not based this decision on any one company or any one person’s commercial interest, but on the national interest.
This week alone, we are allowing almost 500 flights into Asia and into international hubs where travellers can access the rest of the world, including into Europe.
I know that Australians are paying too much for their domestic tickets. More international flights from Qatar would not have helped that.
Tabcorp cops record $1 million fine for holding up outage probe
Betting giant Tabcorp has been fined $1 million for “frustrating” an investigation by the gambling regulator.
Its wagering and betting system suffered a major outage during the 2020 spring racing carnival for about 36 hours, breaking the terms of its licence that requires the platform to be available at all times.
Victoria’s regulator launched a probe into what happened, but Tabcorp is accused of repeatedly failing to comply with the investigation.
Tabcorp was fined $1 million.Credit: Getty
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission says the betting company initially did not answer requests for information and eventually did so four months after the deadline. The regulator says the conduct impacted its ability to understand the cause of the outage and to make sure it did not happen again.
“It is Tabcorp’s failure to comply with these directions that has led to the fine,” Commission Chair Fran Thorn said. “All entities we regulate, no matter how big or small, have an obligation to be open and honest with the commission and responsive to its lawfully issued directions.
“We will not tolerate attempts to frustrate our investigations.”
The $1 million fine is the largest penalty the regulator has issued to the betting giant.
Tabcorp says the outage was caused by a fire in a third-party supplier and accepts the fine.
AAP
Join the conversation
Our story on Qantas boss Alan Joyce stepping down early, after 15 years in the post, is sparking plenty of discussion with our subscribers.
@matt says: “Alan Joyce’s priorities are profit and getting Qantas through Covid. He achieved both admirably but the cost is still being counted. I for one could never see the attraction of flying Qantas in recent decades – higher airfares for inferior service. We should have nationalised the damn thing during Covid.”
@Stanley writes: “Do people really think his departure will change anything? I don’t think the company will change until the government gets rid of their protectionist policies. It’s outrageous that Labor blocked Qatar from flying more and putting pressure on the prices.”
@Richebourg says: “As a Qantas shareholder and FF, it’s pretty obvious that something needs to change. Staff have been so poorly treated, lobbying for Qatar to be blocked from extra flights hurt so many small businesses, selling seats on planes that were cancelled, paying next to no tax but taking billions in Government handouts. Your points are pretty much useless unless you have millions of them.”
But @Joel Joslin has a different view: “Thank you for your service Alan. You’ve led the airline exceptionally well, and the general public understandably don’t consider the counter-factual: where we’d be with a less efficiently run and less ambitious Qantas. The board of any other major carrier would have given anything to lure you away; plenty admitted as much. That’s all that really needs to be said.”
What do you think? Let us know via the link above.
“The best thing I can do under these circumstances is to bring forward my retirement and hand over to Vanessa and the new management team now, knowing they will do an excellent job”: Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
Speaker issues ‘final warning’ over rowdy pharmacist protest
By Natassia Chrysanthos
Milton Dick, the speaker of the House of Representatives, has described the behaviour of visiting pharmacists in parliament yesterday as “very serious and concerning” and issued a warning to MPs who might have invited them to the building.
As we reported yesterday, a contingent of about 200 pharmacists protesting the government’s 60-day dispensing rules shouted obscenities at the government and heckled Prime Minister Anthony Albanese before storming out of the House of Representatives during question time.
Several hundred pharmacists protest outside Parliament House on Monday.Credit: AAP/Mick Tsikas
“Groups of visitors disrupted proceedings early in question time [yesterday], which concerned me enough to issue a warning at the time. Just before 3 o’clock, those same visitors again disrupted proceedings as they left the galleries – shouting, jeering, and gesturing to members. They continued their loud and disruptive behaviour as they moved through the public areas of the building,” Dick said this afternoon.
He said the behaviour was unacceptable and presented “significant risks to the working environment for parliamentary staff” as well as other visitors and MPs.
In a pointed comment, Dick said he considered the behaviour of guests in the public gallery to be a reflection of the MPs who invited them.
“I want to be clear, if this behaviour continues, that privilege may be revoked. Visitors in the public galleries are here as observers, not participants,” he said.
“This is the final warning. There will be no tolerance for any attempts to disrupt or interfere with proceedings of the house again.”
Coalition MPs pointed towards the pharmacists in the gallery during question time yesterday, while deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley, health spokeswoman Anne Ruston and Nationals leader David Littleproud attended their rally outside parliament earlier in the day.
Members of the opposition shouted and pointed to the pharmacists in the public gallery during question time.Credit: AAP
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2023-09-05 08:29:15Z
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