The Australian government passed dozens of bills on the last day of the parliamentary year after a deal with the Greens and Senator David Pocock. This clears most of the government’s agenda, giving Anthony Albanese the option to call an early election.
Key Points
- The Australian government has passed dozens of bills on the last day of the parliamentary year after a deal with the Greens and Senator David Pocock.
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The government has cleared most of its agenda, giving Anthony Albanese the option of an early election.
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Labor offered the Greens $500 million for social housing electrification and a ban on fossil fuel subsidies under its cornerstone Future Made in Australia scheme.
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The Australian government has passed dozens of bills on the last day of the parliamentary year after a deal with the Greens and Senator David Pocock.
Key Points:
Opposition’s Reaction:
The Coalition has sought to frame the last-minute legislation as rushed and chaotic. “I don’t know anyone who would think slamming 27 bills through the parliament on the very last day, perhaps of this entire parliamentary sitting… is actually representing doing the job well,” Liberal deputy Sussan Ley said.
Next Steps:
By clearing much of the rest of the government’s policy agenda, Mr Albanese now has free rein to call an election early in the new year. “This is what it looks like to have a government that is prepared to work across the parliament to turn promises into progress,” the PM said in Question Time on Thursday.
Deal Reached:
After a day of high drama and intense last-minute negotiations, Labor offered the Greens $500 million for social housing electrification and a ban on fossil fuel subsidies under its cornerstone Future Made in Australia scheme. In exchange, the Greens voted for more than two dozen bills, including Reserve Bank governance reforms, a tax credit to boost rental supply, and a supermarket code of conduct.
Government’s Position:
The government views the concessions it has made to the Greens as relatively minor. The Reserve Bank amendment simply retains an existing power for the treasurer to override interest rate decisions, which has never been used and which the Coalition also wanted to keep.
