Australia news live: Matthew Guy ‘probably wouldn’t’ support families from Syrian camps resettling in Victoria

Key events

Filters BETA

Key events (17)Australia (11)Victorian Coalition‘s “ (10)NSW (10)Labor (7)Sydney (7)

Albanese focusing on budget polices rather than climate summit

The prime minister has defended his decision not to attend a major global climate conference which starts this weekend.

Anthony Albanese said he would focus on passing his government’s policies during the final three parliament sitting weeks.

Preparations are also underway for an upcoming trip to G20, Apec and the East Asia Summit.

He will travel to Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia for nine days after the sitting week before returning for the last sitting fortnight of the year.

He said:

So I have a very busy schedule of parliament, international conferences and then back to parliament, making sure our agenda gets through.

I can’t be in all places at once. I’m sure if I was going people would be saying why wasn’t I attending parliament.

The government will instead be represented by the climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, and the assistant minister, Jenny McAllister.

The environment minister Tanya Plibersek will then travel to the COP biodiversity conference in Montreal in December after parliament wraps up for the year.

Albanese said the COP27 summit in Egypt would be focused on the implementation of current commitments, not the establishment of new ones. He told reporters today:

We’ve already advanced our changed policy.

Albanese said this stood in stark contrast to the former Morrison government, which was represented at the previous COP summit in Glasgow and didn’t offer anything new. He said:

The Glasgow conference was about increased contributions for 2030.

The former government failed to do that and it probably would’ve been better off if they didn’t go at all.

– from AAP

Updated at 22.23 EDT

Department drew up brief for robodebt scheme in 2015 despite legal advice

Former prime minister Scott Morrison wanted the Department of Human Services (DHS) to bring forward proposals to “strengthen the integrity” of the welfare system, including a plan for what became the robodebt scheme, a royal commission has heard.

Despite damning legal and policy’ advice from within the Department of Social Services (DSS) in late 2014, the Department of Human Services drew up a brief for what became the scheme, as well as other compliance measures, in early 2015.

The inquiry was told on Wednesday that DHS had indicated Morrison, who was then the social services minister, wanted the proposals worked up for the 2015 budget process.

Senior counsel assisting, Justin Greggery, said that by late 2014 the compliance proposal had “become part of the budget”. Referring to documents seen by the commission, Greggery said that was because the DHS had said “minister Morrison indicated he wants a number of the potential proposals” brought forward for the budget process.

The royal commission has not heard any evidence the legal or policy advice warning against the scheme reached Morrison, who has been granted leave to appear at the royal commission if he wishes.

Under questioning, Anne Pulford, a lawyer at the DSS who had warned against the plan in late 2014, agreed Morrison’s support for the proposal had limited the opportunity for “considered legal advice”.

That was because it had been swept up in the budget process and there was a tight timeline for the plans to be sent to the Department of Finance, the inquiry was told.

Greggery asked:

It appeared that the very tight timeframe and the pressure was coming from a clearance by minister Morrison to have a new policy proposal developed to the point that it might be submitted to the Department of Finance?

Pulford replied:

Correct.

The inquiry heard that while an initial draft proposal noted that what became the robodebt scheme needed “legislative change” to be administered, a later version said this was not needed.

Officials within the department of social services raised internal concerns about this significant change in position.

The inquiry heard that DSS officials noted “urgent advice” was needed as to the “strategies … cleared by minister Morrison for DHS to take forward as a [new policy proposal]”.

Greggery said:

And what we know now from the benefit of hindsight is that this particular proposal did become including in the 2015-16 budget … as the strengthening welfare integrity system.

While the DSS officials noted some of the assumptions used to form Pulford’s advice had “changed”, the royal commission heard that officials only two days to review their advice.

The overall strengthening welfare integrity system plan was expected to save $1.2bn. The inquiry heard that one of the measures was “broadly consistent” with the proposal that Pulford provided damning legal advice only a few months earlier.

Pulford’s evidence continues.

Updated at 22.13 EDT

World Ballet Day gives behind the scene look at Australian Ballet

If you’ve ever wondered how the Australian Ballet manage their gravity defying feats of athleticism, you can get a sneak peak at what goes on behind the curtain today.

To mark World Ballet Day, the Australian Ballet is live-streaming rehearsals as well as other behind the scenes content from Melbourne.

This year’s celebration is particularly special for the Australian Ballet because it marks 60 years ago to the day that the company gave their first ever performance.

If you’re still hungry for more ballet content, you can also check out this fascinating interview with one of the ballet’s newest principal artists Callum Linnane.

Linane opens up about not only the technical demands of being a dancer, but also his conception of himself as an artists and the importance of being open to the influence of other art forms on his dancing.

Updated at 22.22 EDT

Labor budget not addressing the source of inflation: Angus Taylor

The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, is giving the national press club address today. It is all about the cost of living.

The former energy minister has been working on laying the ground work to blame the Labor government (which has only been in power since May) for economic struggles people are feeling at the moment.

His speech is another brick in that wall:

The economy is, at a macro level, in a very strong position. The Australian economy is fundamentally resilient. Just two years ago, we were staring down the prospect of permanent business closures, tens of thousands of deaths and an unemployment rate of 15%.

Today, we have more businesses, strong terms of trade, record commodity prices, economic growth over 3% and record low unemployment.

Not every decision during Covid was perfect. But Australia’s economic recovery is a testament to the Coalition’s economic management. The Coalition left Labor with a strong economy – a rapidly improving budget position in far better shape than most thought possible, even a short time ago.

Taylor says the budget Labor handed down is not addressing the source of inflation, which he says is now eating away at Australia’s gains.

Updated at 21.49 EDT

‘Ditch Danmobile’ aims to highlight 4,000 ICU beds not delivered: Victorian Coalition

Speaking of the Victorian Liberals’ “Ditch Danmobile” as they call it, this is what the opposition have to say about the vehicle’s purpose:

The Liberal party’s Ditch Danmobile has today embarked on a month-long mission in search of the missing 4,000 ICU beds.

On 1 April 2020, Daniel Andrews promised an extra 4,000 ICU beds for Victoria.

Over two years later, not a single one of these promised new beds has been delivered.

The statement from the Victorian campaign headquarters went on to outline broader problems with the state’s health system including ballooning surgery waiting lists, an overloaded triple-zero service and tents being set up outside major hospitals for patients.

The Liberals say that by contrast they have prioritised health over infrastructure in their election promises.

The statement also pointed readers to follow “the adventures of the Ditch Danmobile” via a dedicated twitter page.

Updated at 21.48 EDT

Victorian Coalition says it will not be lectured by Labor on political advertising

Victoria’s opposition have used the first day of the state’s election campaign to announce a water bill.

Cost of living will be a major issue at this month’s election.

The opposition said the five-year freeze on water bill service charges would save Victorian households $100 a year.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy said the measure was “modest” but “realistic”:

It can be achieved and we can help average Victorian families.

Guy was also questioned about the opposition’s “Ditch Dan” vintage ambulance to be driven around the state during the campaign to highlight pressures in the health sector.

During a heated press conference, Guy said he would not be lectured by Labor or the union movement on political advertising.

But Guy would not reveal if the opposition had sought permission from the Department of Health to use the fake vehicle – as required under the state’s ambulance legislation.

Updated at 21.31 EDT

Victoria’s opposition leader, Matthew Guy, says he would not support the families of Islamic State fighters being repatriated to Victoria if he was elected premier next month.

On Saturday, four women and their 13 children – relatives of IS fighters – arrived in Sydney under a commonwealth scheme. They are expected to be among 60 women and children repatriated from northern Syria. Nine newspapers have reported a separate contingent is expected to arrive in Victoria, but not until after the state election on 26 November.

The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, has sought to distance himself from the federal program while Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has stressed that only those of the lowest risk category are brought to Australia.

Speaking to reporters on day one of the Victorian election campaign, Guy said he did not support similar cohorts travelling to the state:

I probably wouldn’t now that we’ve seen a little bit more detail of what’s coming into Victoria.

Anthony Albanese has denied that sending families to NSW before Victoria – where the state will head to the polls later this month – is politically motivated.

Updated at 21.29 EDT

Opposition calls on defence to remove bureaucratic hurdles to reach recruitment targets

Andrew Hastie, the opposition’s defence spokesperson, has called on the Australian defence force to remove bureaucratic hurdles “imposed by risk-averse gatekeepers” in order to meet ambitious recruitment targets.

There is a bipartisan goal of increasing the size of the ADF by 18,500 people by 2040, or net growth of 1,000 people a year. But Hastie said the job market was “tough” at present and Defence in recent years had only managed net growth of 300 people.

Hastie said the ADF needed a message that appealed to “young hearts and minds searching for purpose, emphasising the service ethos” including “duty, honour and country”. He said the government must also speed up the process of entering the ADF:

Last year, as assistant minister for Defence, I discovered that it took 292 days* from first contact to recruit training. The Australian Public Service was achieving the same milestone in less than half the time, at around 140 days – which is still a long time. Far too much time is wasted; we need to accelerate the process or good people will be lost to other sectors of the economy.

Hastie said it was important to “remove barriers to service – often bureaucratic ones imposed by risk-averse gatekeepers”:

I’ve met and heard from too many kids who get turned away because they’ve had a shoulder injury from footy, a food allergy or were medicated for ADHD in their childhood. All talented kids, motivated and open to grow – yet turned away because of risk culture. Not every job of the future requires the fitness of a fighter pilot or the endurance of an infantry soldier.

We need to move beyond the one-size-fits-all model and select kids who might not tick all the boxes but who can get the job done, and then some.

*Figure corrected from 300 days in final version of speech.

Updated at 21.59 EDT

‘The spectre of nuclear attack looms over Europe like a dark cloud’: Hastie

Here’s what the Coalition’s defence spokesperson, Andrew Hastie, said today about the strategic circumstances – including some very pointed language about the security pact between Solomon Islands and China that was reached prior to the Australian election:

Abroad, the war in Ukraine burns away, no closer to the end than when it started, and now the spectre of nuclear attack looms over Europe like a dark cloud.

Closer to home, the People’s Republic of China concluded its 20th Communist party congress last month, with President Xi consolidating his absolute power and control over the party and the people.

It caps a turbulent year thus far – if not a successful one, for authoritarian regimes – where Xi and Putin remain committed to their no-limits partnership; Russia brutally seized parts of Ukraine; Chinese rockets streaked across the skies of Taiwan; and Chinese influence has projected deep into the Pacific Island chain, ensnaring the heart of at least one national leader.

The Sogavare-Beijing security pact is a startling reminder that there is a growing geopolitical contest taking place on our front doorstep.

And, if you’re an observer of Western democracies, we don’t seem to be faring all that well—with the United Kingdom now onto their third prime minister in four months. You’d be right to wonder about the resilience of our democratic institutions in these times.

Updated at 21.22 EDT

Australia must build strike capabilities before nuclear subs are ready: Hastie

The Australian government must prepare for the risk that China may attempt to take Taiwan by force sooner than the nuclear-powered submarines are ready, the Coalition’s defence spokesperson, Andrew Hastie, has said.

The Aukus partnership with the US and the UK was reached under the former Coalition government and heavily promoted by Scott Morrison in the lead up to the election – but Hastie said in a speech today that Australia needed to boost its military capability sooner.

Hastie, one of the Coalition’s more hawkish members, said the former US Commander of the Indo-Pacific, Admiral Phil Davidson, had “sounded the ship’s klaxon 18 months ago when he warned that China may attempt to take Taiwan by force within six years, by 2027”. Hastie also pointed to recent comments by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, that “Beijing was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline.”

Hastie told a Business News politics and policy breakfast in Perth:

Only in the last fortnight, Chief of US Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday said China could move on Taiwan as early as this year, or next.

The window is closing fast. These are considered words. We must take them seriously. We won’t have nuclear submarines in the water by 2027. So how are we hedging against the risk of conflict arriving sooner rather than later? That’s what Stephen Smith and Sir Angus Houston are now considering in the Defence Strategic Review.

I don’t want to discuss particulars here today except to make clear that we need to build strike capabilities that can hold an adversary at risk beyond the archipelago to our north. Strike bombers; precision guided missiles; and, unmanned autonomous vehicles—in the skies and in the seas below.

Hastie said the final report would be completed in March, but he understood an interim version would be provided to the government this week. He said he was “hopeful for good outcomes” but argued that last week’s budget “does not inspire confidence” because inflation was depleting Defence’s purchasing power. While Labor has committed to annual defence spending of 2% of economic output, Hastie said it “must be well above” that benchmark.

Hastie said the Australian government had “a moral obligation to the Australian people to build and maintain a strong deterrent to any regional aggressor, to show that there is a great cost for any unilateral military adventurism”.