Australian Politics – Inside Canberra Newsletter Volume 70, Number 7

Published on 17 February, 2017 by Keating Media.

Inside Canberra is the oldest newsletter covering Australian Federal Politics. This year it celebrates 70 years since the first newsletter was published. Keating Media own Inside Canberra, which is published out of the Federal Parliament Press Gallery in Canberra. The main newsletter is published most Friday’s, and there is a shorter version published on Monday. The Monday publication gives a summary of what is to be expected in Parliament that week.

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Below is the summary edition for the newsletter published today.

Here is a summary of some of the content from the latest Inside Canberra, published on February 17. If you want the full publication then visit our subscription page and select an option that suits you. You can even check us out for 14 days, for just one dollar. 

Contents

• From the Gallery
• The Week in Parliament
• The Week in Politics
• GEOCON Sky High Tea at the Wayfarer
• National Party Director Farewelled
• The 75th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore and Bombing of Darwin
• 70 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Australia and Sri Lanka
• The EU-Australia Leadership Forum
• The Society of Modest Members
• A Way through the Energy Impasse
• Going head to head again
• The Senate Programme
• The Legislative Agenda
• The Pathology of Welfare
• Closing the Indigenous Policy Gap
• Lord Sebastian Coe addresses the National Press Club of Australia
• Rare Birds sighted in Parliament House

From the Gallery

February 17, 2017

• Going head to head again: The annual politicians v press gallery sporting contests have been a big feature of this week. The absence of former Senator Glenn Lazarus, from the pollies’ football squad made an obvious difference to them this year, going down 5 – 3. If memory serves, they won the fixture for several previous years due in large measure to the aforementioned Senator Lazarus and the undoubted prowess of the now retired Stephen Conroy. On the upside for the politicians, the gallery suffered a sad loss of face in the cricket, losing, for the first time in ages, by an embarrassing 190 – 152. However the gallery’s honour was restored with what was, according to the ABC’s Matthew Doran, a “dominant” victory in the swimming. Inside Canberra’s intrepid photographer, Rob Keating (a former pro beach volleyball player), contributed to this triumph. Rob also participated in the basketball match, which was another dominant win to the press gallery.

Kate Critchley

The Week in Parliament

This week the issue of energy and electricity was overshadowed by debate on the government’s omnibus savings bill. The Treasurer, Scott Morrison, kicked the week off on Monday with a press conference at which he indicated that the savings were essential in order to cover an impending shortfall in funding for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. This was immediately characterised as “blackmail” and “dumb policy” by Labor and crossbencher Nick Xenophon.

Foolishly Nick Xenophon felt a need to make suggestions about where savings could be found. Initially, he suggested that there could be cuts to the defence budget but when it dawned on him that this had one or two implications for the defence industry in South Australia he decided that a 1% increase to the Medicare levy might be a better solution.

Kate Critchley

The Week in Politics

The most interesting development this week was the release of the report of the Senate Committee enquiring into the legislation attached to the bill for a plebiscite into same-sex marriage. The committee, which comprised nine Senators with very diverse views on the matter, delivered a consensus view on the legislation which goes to show that debate on same-sex marriage can be conducted without the dire consequences predicted by the marriage equality lobby.

Closing the Indigenous Policy Gap

This week indigenous policy reached a turning point. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced a new indigenous advisory council which appears to have met with widespread approval from the indigenous leadership. The Prime Minister also announced that the government would appoint an indigenous commissioner to the Productivity Commission. And last week the government announced the appointment of the highly respected Kimberley woman, June Oscar, as the replacement for Mick Gooda as the Social Justice Commissioner.

Perhaps the most significant development was the agreement of both the government and the opposition to engage with the issues raised in the ‘Redfern Statement’, a policy manifesto put together by 55 leading aboriginal organisations. The principle behind the Redfern Statement is that the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) will engage with the indigenous community as an equal partner in the development of economic and social policy insofar as it applies to aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders.

John McDonnell

The Pathology of Welfare

Until recently it was believed that the Universal Declaration on Human Rights’ strictures on welfare meant that people were entitled to enough support to satisfy their basic human needs; now it is argued by groups such as the British Labour Party that citizens have an inalienable human right to any welfare they receive, even when this exceeds the earnings of working families. This issue seems to have caught on in Australia.

George Walker

A Way through the Energy Impasse

The energy debate is at an impasse: the government wants the status quo when it comes to emissions reductions and greater grid stability coupled with lower prices while Labor wants to accelerate the pace of emissions reductions through a 50% renewable energy target and an emissions intensity scheme. It has no policy on grid stability and electricity prices. However, all is not lost: the Energy Policy Institute of Australia (EPIA) has proposed a politically neutral solution that doesn’t require anyone to climb down and should be impervious to the interests of rent seekers.

John McDonnell

GEOCON Sky High Tea at the Wayfarer

 

GEOCON hosted a Sky High Tea at the Wayfarer Apartments to launch their latest development in Belconnen which, at 27 stories, is Canberra’s tallest apartment building. Nick Georgalis, Managing Director of GEOCON, and the Independent Property Group’s Executive Director of Project Marketing, Wayne Harriden, both talked about the Wayfarer’s significance to the Canberra skyline. Visit http://insidecanberra.com/content/ to listen to an interview with Mr Georgalis.

The 75th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore and Bombing of Darwin

The Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, marked the 75th Anniversary of the fall of Singapore on Wednesday at the country’s only memorial to former prisoners of war in the Victorian city of Ballarat. The event was also attended by Veterans’ Affairs Minister Dan Tehan and Mr Michael Teo, Singapore’s High Commissioner to Australia, among others. (subscribe to read more)

Lord Sebastian Coe addresses the National Press Club of Australia

Seb Coe, who won gold in the 1500m athletics at both the Moscow and Los Angeles Olympics, visited the National Press Club of Australia to address the members. (subscribe to read more)