‘Some communication’ about electoral reform
Labor is keen to revive it’s electoral reforms after the Coalition walked away from a deal last year that would have legislated spending and donation caps.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says there has been “some conversation” between Special Minister of State Don Farrell and the minor party’s spokesperson Larissa Waters.
“But frankly … this is another issue where the government just isn’t prepared to work with the numbers they’ve got in the Senate,” she says.
“We’ve urged the government to do the things that there is support for. That is the transparency measures, the real time disclosure, making sure we work on those areas, but we don’t just want to see the two major parties cuddle up together in a stitch up that suits them.”
So could that lead to the bill being split? Only time will tell!
Meanwhile, Hanson-Young says talks are continuing about the government’s production tax credits (a 10 per cent tax credit on the cost of critical mineral processing and refining).
Are the Greens offering to compromise just for optics?
A series of pushbacks over Labor’s housing policy last year saw the Greens accused of being obstructionist. So, is this latest gambling advertising compromise an attempt to clean up the topics?
Sarah Hanson-Young tells ABC Radio National Breakfast that’s not the case.
“What we do is … push for better reform, negotiate where we can and compromise to get a good outcome. We’ve don’t that all the way down the line,” she says, listing housing and water regulation as examples.
She says that it is all about keeping the government “accountable”.
Greens offer an olive branch on gambling advertising
The Greens are offering to compromise and support a partial ban on gambling ads in a bid to force the federal government to act on the issue before the election is called.
Moving away from a total ban would stop short of what a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling, led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, had recommended.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young told ABC’s Radio National Breakfast she wrote to the Communications Minister Michelle Rowland offering the olive branch last week.
“It’s been increasingly clear that neither the Labor Party of the Liberal Party will now accept a total ban. They’ve been crab walking away from this for the last 18 months, and the community is becoming increasingly desperate for something to be done.
“So in the spirit of pragmatism, and I might say, frustration, I’ve put to the government … and said ‘look, how about we start with a partial ban, banning gambling ads an hour before and an hour after when [sport’s] broadcast, and limiting the number of ads on any other time on television,” she says.
She says the Greens also want a total ban online for advertising because that is where the young people are the most.
“The Albanese government has dropped the ball on this. They have not followed through with the Murphy recommendations. I know there’s lots of good people within the Labor Party who are frustrated as well, let me say, and want to see that legacy realised.”
“What I’ve put to the government today is at least let’s get something done.”
👋 Good morning
Hi friends!
Welcome back to our first parliament live blog of the year. Courtney Gould from the ABC’s Parliament House team here to guide you through the day.
The pollies are back in town for another sitting fortnight. If you’re thinking to yourself, ‘hey wasn’t the chaos of the final sitting week last year supposed to be the end of this term’, to that I say ‘lol they tricked us’.
So what’s on the agenda this week? For the government, it’s all about wedging the Coalition on as many issues as possible. From child care to critical minerals, Labor will be putting up legislation to dare the opposition to vote against it. If they do, add it to the election bingo card of topics Labor will try and hold over the Coalition.
For the opposition, expect them to ramp up the pressure over the rise in antisemitism.
It’s going to be a busy day so let’s just jump right into it!
