Live: Govt defends signing off on health insurance premium rise for millions

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has approved Qatar Airways’ proposal to buy a 25 per cent stake in Virgin Australia on the advice of the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB)

Under the proposed deal first announced last October, Virgin Australia plans to launch flights from Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney to Doha.

The flights would be provided under a “wet lease” agreement with Qatar, which outlines when an airline loans an aircraft to another carrier to temporarily increase capacity.

In a statement, Chalmers said the deal would “deliver more flights for Australians and support secure Australian jobs.”

“On the advice of FIRB, I have approved this proposal subject to legally enforceable conditions that ensure Australian representation on Virgin’s board and protection of its customer data,” he said.

By ABC News director Justin Stevens

A federal election is the key moment for Australians to have their say on how our country is run.

In the lead-up to the poll, the ABC will be doing more than ever to hear from you and make sure your voice gets heard in the national conversation.

As part of that, today we’re launching Your Say. It’s a way for you to help inform our campaign reporting and make it relevant and valuable for you.

With reporters and radio programs based in more than 60 locations, we have journalists living and working in more communities across rural, regional and metropolitan Australia than any other media organisation.

Your Say harnesses those unparalleled resources across ABC News and the network of ABC local radio stations.

What do you need to know before you vote in the upcoming federal election? What would you ask the candidates? Have Your Say.

Whether their work serves local audiences or our national outlets, our journalists want to know what issues you care about, the questions you want us to ask, and the information you need from the politicians and parties.

What do you want the candidates to be talking about when they’re vying for your vote? What news and information do you need to help you make an informed and confident choice? What should the priorities be for the next federal government?

Our mission is to make sure we’re adding value and insight — not just covering the campaign or replaying the day’s political talking points.

Through initiatives such as Your Say and Vote Compass, as well as input from our political experts and our nationwide network of reporters, we’ll be more deeply engaged with more Australians than in any previous federal election.

We’ll explore what Australians want for the future of this country and shine a spotlight on what is really concerning our communities, conversations that could shape the outcome of the election.

As you might be aware, radio host Marty Sheargold is making headlines this morning, after he made offensive comments about The Matildas football team, likening them to Year 10 girls and saying he “would rather hammer a nail through the head of [his] penis” than watch them play in next year’s Asian Cup.

As is often the case on the big stories, politicians will get asked for their take on breakfast TV, which is what happened when Energy Minister Chris Bowen appeared on Channel Nine.

“Marty Sheargold can be very funny. I mean, he’s made me laugh over the years a lot, but this wasn’t one of his funny moments,” he said.

“This was just way out of line and it was very 1970s.

“Women’s sport is real, it’s fantastic to watch.

“He’s made a big mistake here and he’s paying the consequences, as he should.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s share trading during the global financial crisis has drawn further condemnation from Labor MP Andrew Charlton.

From December 2007 to June 2010, Charlton served as the chief economic adviser to then prime minister Kevin Rudd.

You watch the Sarah Ferguson’s interview with Charlton above. On the train and can’t listen in? Paul Johnson has a recap for you here. 

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Almost 15 million Australians covered by private health insurance will have their premiums rise by an average of 3.73 per cent from April 1, after the health minister approved the jump.

Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen was sent out to do the morning show rounds this morning to defend the above inflation increase.

“It’s much lower than the private health insurers asked for,” he says.

Bowen contrasted this to Peter Dutton, who he says as health minister approved a 6.2 per cent increase in premiums.

“Mark has worked
this issue through. He didn’t rush it out the door. He worked it through, got the increase as low as possible because we believe that cost of living and health is a key issue for the Australian people,” he says.

While the rise in premiums is below health inflation, it is above household inflation, with the additional hip-pocket pressure coming ahead of an election that will largely be fought on cost-of-living issues.

Health insurance premiums rose an average of 3.03 per cent last year, but health funds argue the costs they are paying out increased by between 8 to 10 per cent.

Health insurance premiums will rise by an average of 3.73 per cent from April after lengthy negotiations between the federal government and insurers, with the opposition describing the hike as “another hit” to Australian household budgets.

Health Minister Mark Butler had previously ordered private health insurers to go back to the drawing board on three occasions and come up with a more “reasonable” premium increase, as the government tried to fend off a political headache on the eve of a federal election.

Butler said the increase of 3.73 per cent was “justified and proportionate.”

Every year the health minister must approve the annual premium rises, which impact more than half of the Australian population who have some form of private health insurance.

Hiya friends.

Welcome to another day of fun on the politics live blog. Courtney Gould from the ABC’s Parliament House team here to guide you through the day.

No point in beating around the bush. Let’s just jump in, hey!