Liberals need ‘divine intervention’ as MPs attend church service
Josh Butler
Liberal politicians have joked they need “divine intervention” at a church service before parliament resumes today.
Federal parliamentarians are attending the ecumenical service, before sitting begins later. Media doorstopped most of the MPs on their way in, with reporters asking what they were praying for, whether they needed “forgiveness”, and whether they prayed for a Coalition reunion.
Liberal MP and shadow minister Scott Buchholz, pointing at the church, joked: “that’s where we need divine intervention”.
Other Coalition MPs laughed and shrugged off similar questions when asked. Nationals MP Anne Webster, asked if she’d pray for the Coalition reuniting, said “absolutely”.
Liberal MP and shadow minister Andrew Wallace, asked about leadership issues, said: “Sussan Ley has the support of the party room, and she absolutely has my support.”
Journalists also fired questions at Ley on her way in but she replied “can’t be late for church”.
We’ll expect to hear from Ley and Anthony Albanese on their way out of the church later.
Key events
Benita Kolovos
Immunotherapy is a “wild ride” says retiring Greens MP
Victorian Greens MP, Tim Read, who last week has announced will retire from politics at the November election after being diagnosed with metastatic cancer, has told reporters his immunotherapy is a “wild ride”.
He says:
I’m actually feeling much better. Immunotherapy is a wild ride. It seems to be working … I’ve got widespread cancer but I’ve got about half what I had. So I’m actually feeling increasingly hopeful. I will be missing lots of parliament for appointments and things like that but I’m really optimistic and hoping that I’ll get to the end of the year.
Read ended his doorstop by telling reports “I’m not dead yet”.
His seat of Brunswick is a safe Greens street – held on a 13.5% margin over Labor.
Josh Butler
David Littleproud says there will be ‘no unilateral decisions’ on Coalition
Going back to the church service this morning, the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, was giving little away on negotiations to reunite the Coalition.
He remained coy on talks with Sussan Ley, saying there would be “no unilateral decisions”, and he’d keep talking to his team, but was standing by the Nationals’ original decision to vote against the hate speech laws which led to the Coalition splitting.
“We couldn’t stand by and be sacked for voting against hate speech laws that would take away freedom of speech for Australians,” he said.
The National party did what they believed was the right thing to do.
Asked if the Coalition would be back together this week, Littleproud said he would not “pre-empt” discussions with Ley but said talks had been “constructive” already.
We’ve heard the church bells this morning, but we’re still waiting for those chamber bells to ring – which will happen at midday today.
The late start is normal for a Tuesday and allows all the party rooms to meet to give each other a gee up and discuss what party positions they’ll be taking over the week (which they’re doing right now).
But in the meantime, we have some more pictures from the ecumenical service in Canberra this morning.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian premier accuses Jess Wilson of standing ‘with One Nation and Barnaby Joyce’
The premier, Jacinta Allan, has responded to the opposition leader, Jess Wilson, pulling out of an event headlined by One Nation recruit Barnaby Joyce.
As we reported yesterday, Wilson’s office confirmed she would no longer be speaking at the Across Victoria Alliance conference in Horsham on 9 February due to an “unavoidable scheduling conflict”.
Wilson had been under pressure from Allan to withdraw from the event after Joyce’s appearance was announced in January, weeks after he defected from the Nationals to join One Nation. His speech on Sunday will push back against the state government’s removal of third-party objection rights for renewable energy projects and expanded powers for VicGrid to access private land without consent.
Allan says:
The Liberal leader has made it clear that it’s a scheduling conflict. Clearly, she still wants to go to the misinformation convention, if time allowed her to. This is the instinct of the Liberal leader and the Liberal party – not look at what needs to be done to get more renewable energy on board. First instinct is to rush to the extremes, to stand with One Nation and Barnaby Joyce at this misinformation convention, it tells Victorians everything you need to know about this Liberal leader and this Liberal outfit. You cannot take them seriously and they’re being pushed further and further to the extremes.
Victorian government to announce plan to allow GPs to diagnose ADHD and prescribe medication
Benita Kolovos
As we flagged earlier this morning, the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, is holding a press conference at parliament this morning to announce a plan to allow GPs to diagnose and prescribe medication for ADHD.
She says the announcement forms part of her determination to find “new ways to support families”.
It follows a speech to Labor MPs yesterday, in which Allan tested out a new pre-election slogan around “new solutions” to the pressures of modern family life.
The premier told reporters this morning:
This will save families time and money – and, in today’s world, time and money is precious for families, particularly when the cost-of-living pressures that are really real. We’re always looking at ways to support families.
She is joined by Aadhil Aziz, the co-deputy chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, who welcomes the move. As does Simon Stafrace from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists:
We know that there is such a thing as over-diagnosis, there are risks associated with medication, but we also believe that’s not a reason to withhold services and so we have to find the right balance. That’s what we’re trying to do here. This is a correction that needs to take place and we believe that in working together and collaborating, both at the training level but also at the service delivery level, ensuring patients get access to specialist care when they need it.
Reunification the ‘objective’ of talks between Liberals and Nationals: Wilson
Liberal MP Tim Wilson says the objective of talks between the two ex-Coalition parties is to reunite because they and the Australian public want “to make sure that we are fighting for them, not each other”.
Wilson tells Sky News the two parties should be focused on inflation and bringing government debt down. Does he want that focus to be “under the umbrella of a Coalition” asks host Peter Stefanovic? Wilson says:
Well, I’m going to be doing it regardless of whether a Liberal party or part of a Coalition.
It’s not a ringing endorsement for a reunification of the Coalition. Wilson earlier told RN Breakfast that, if there was to be a reformed Coalition, the Nationals would have to obey shadow cabinet solidarity.
Australia’s Stem sector ‘under unsustainable strain’, peak body warns
Donna Lu
Australia’s Stem sector is facing a severe funding crisis and is “under unsustainable strain”, a peak body has warned the federal government in a pre-budget submission. It comes amid new survey data suggesting one in three scientists are planning to leave the sector entirely.
New analysis conducted by Science and Technology Australia, which represents more than 235,000 scientists and technologists, and Professionals Australia, has found that 47% of Stem professionals are considering leaving their current roles, amid workforce instability and low grant funding success rates.
STA’s submission says commonwealth funding for Stem research has flatlined in real terms in recent years and it calls for “immediate funding stabilisation through CPI-indexed increases to research grant programs and agencies”. The STA president, Jas Chambers, said:
Stem research must stop being viewed as a cost to the public purse and instead as an investment in Australia’s future economic security and resilience. Every dollar invested in R&D returns $3-5 to the economy.
Ley and Littleproud ‘agree to keep talking’
As she speaks to the media outside the church, Ley is asked for the latest on the Coalition split.
Like everyone else, Ley says her talk with Littleproud last night was “constructive”, but she won’t say whether she will accept the National’s demand to reinstate the three senators who crossed the floor to the frontbench.
We had constructive conversations with the National party last night and I want to make the point that they were friendly. They were constructive. We agreed to keep talking because we are both parties on the non-Labor side of politics and we both have a lot in common.
While the Coalition talks continue, Ley is still facing a potential leadership challenge from Angus Taylor in coming weeks. Ley says she is confident she will remain leader until the budget.
Very confident of delivering a strong budget in reply speech in May. Lots of work between now and May, because we have a big agenda to prosecute.
PM and Ley trade criticisms after church service
Well that didn’t last long … almost as soon as the pollies left church, the politicking has quickly begun.
As the PM left, he described the service as “beautiful” and said a real highlight was the “absolutely delightful” junior choir.
Whenever I’m with young people, where it’s from an early learning situation of childcare, or in a primary school in particular, what you see is hope for Australia.
But then he quickly took a jab at the Liberals and Nationals, accusing them of continuing “to focus on each other”.
Meanwhile, Sussan Ley is trying hard this morning to not do that, and is focusing her attention on the economy, blaming the government and Jim Chalmers for rising inflation.
The Albanese government is a government that failed to keep Australians safe over summer and has failed on the economy because we heard from the prime minister that the interest rate rises of the past were all in the past … But that is not the case. Unfortunately, right now, Australians are struggling even more with the cost of living crisis. This is Labor’s cost of living crisis.
In pictures: politicians attend parliamentary church service
Before the politicians get ready for some parliamentary sparring, they attend a church service in Canberra together on the first scheduled sitting day of the year.
Lidia Thorpe to move motion condemning alleged Invasion Day bombing attempt
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe will introduce a motion into the Senate to condemn the alleged attempted bombing of an Invasion Day rally in Perth last month.
Thorpe tells RN Breakfast there have been “double standards” in the response to the alleged attempt, and that her motion will try to “achieve some solidarity” in the parliament and recognise some of the trauma caused.
Thorpe says the response from the government has been “very poor” and accuses the prime minister of not coming out “on his own” to condemn the act.
To have a homemade fragmentation bomb packed with screws and ball bearings [allegedly] thrown into a crowd of families and the nation falls silent, I think, is an absolute double standard and disrespectful to all of those families that are still traumatised and reeling in the hurt that this one lone man [allegedly] created for many people.
It also highlights racism and hate directed at First Peoples in this country, that it’s real and that it’s rising. I’ve never seen it so bad in my 52 years. So we’re under attack all the time. It seems to be normalised.
It wasn’t until the prime minister was asked at a press conference about this act of violence that he responded. He did not come out on his own to condemn the violence. And it’s all kind of been watered down compared to, as I said earlier, other acts of violence.
While the Coalition’s (sorry, ex-coalition’s) infighting has been something of a gift to Labor and the prime minister, the government is still under pressure to deliver a legislative agenda. That, and cost of living relief.
There are 10 key challenges the government needs to address before the next election in 2028 – which might feel like a while away but, as they say, time flies.
My excellent colleague Tom McIlroy breaks down those 10 challenges here:
Jonathan Barrett
ASX to rebound despite cash rate jitters
Australian shares are set to rally when markets open today after fears of a global equity sell-off eased on Wall Street overnight.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is expected to open up about 1% to the 8,870 mark, according to futures pricing, recovering losses suffered on Monday.
Global stock markets have endured a volatile period marked by a sharp correction in precious metal prices, halting their strong run. Part of the recent volatility is linked to investors assessing how Donald Trump’s new nominee to chair the Federal Reserve might affect markets.
The US equity benchmark index, the S&P 500, was up more than 0.5% overnight.
Australian shares have been weighed down by expectations of an interest rate rise, which would increase borrowing costs for households and businesses.
Traders are pricing in more than a 70% chance of a rate increase today, according to the ASX’s rate indicator which tracks the pricing of cash rate contracts.
Penry Buckley
Teachers in NSW could be more easily sacked under hate speech changes
Teachers in NSW could be more easily sacked if they engage in hate speech under changes to school codes of conduct, the state government says.
The Minns government has moved to amend codes of conduct to explicitly prohibit hate speech in all school sectors, covering more than 3,000 government, independent and Catholic schools, effective from today. The change affects all school staff members, including principals.
The government says the changes will align with hate speech legislation passed by the state and commonwealth governments, although it is unclear what the threshold would be for a teacher to be dismissed.
The premier, Chris Minns, has told 2GB the changes respond to cases where the government has “felt it has been unable to take action” after teachers have been accused of hate speech.
If you participate in hate speech, even if it’s not on the school grounds, then you’re not the kind of person that we want shaping young minds.
As NSW parliament resumes today, the focus is expected to be on the response to the Bondi massacre. The NSW opposition is moving legislation for universities and government agencies to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.
Benita Kolovos
GPs to diagnose ADHD and prescribe drugs for children and adults in Victoria
GPs in Victoria will soon be able to diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and prescribe drugs for children and adults, in a move that brings the state into line with New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, will this morning announce a $750,000 plan to equip an initial 150 GPs with training to be able to diagnose, treat and prescribe medication for ADHD by September.
The GPs will also consider non-medication care options – such as lifestyle changes, behavioural therapy and education to manage symptoms – where possible, in line with best practice ADHD treatment models.
Currently, most people seeking a diagnosis, management and ongoing prescription medication for ADHD must see a specialist – often a paediatrician for children or a psychiatrist for adults. The government said this can leave many people facing high out-of-pocket costs and wait times of up to six to 12 months.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners have been advocating for the change and estimate up to163,000 Victorian children and 320,00 adults may be living with ADHD.
Allan said:
Labor is making health care work better for busy families by making ADHD care easier and cheaper to access. No child or family should be left behind because the system is too complex, too hard or too expensive.
Liberals want ‘shadow cabinet solidarity’, Tim Wilson says
Following Nationals MP Darren Chester on RN Breakfast is the Liberal MP Tim Wilson, who says the Nationals must obey shadow cabinet solidarity if they are to return to the Coalition.
A very quick recap here – shadow cabinet solidarity comes with a set of rules for the frontbench which means that a shadow cabinet minister cannot cross the floor against a position made by the party, which is what the three Nationals senators did.
Wilson is asked if he’s “angry” at what the senators did. He says:
I’m disappointed, of course, and I think that’s a universal view … The one thing I would stress is there’s a very strong view from shadow cabinet and Liberal party MPs that we need to have shadow cabinet solidarity. That when we decide something as a shadow cabinet, that it’s honoured.
Asked if he’s confident that Sussan Ley will remain leader at the end of the week (with a showdown against conservative MP Angus Taylor looming), Wilson says, “I’m confident of that.”
Littleproud says Nationals will be ‘adults’ as they consider possible return to coalition
David Littleproud has been slowly tempering his language around a possible return to the Coalition, after he first said that his party would not serve under Sussan Ley.
Speaking to the Today show this morning, he says he and his party will be “adults” and consider whether there is a pathway to return.
No, I said we couldn’t work with Sussan unless our three [senators] were reinstated.
We’re going to be adults, we’re going to be considered and deliberations as a room, and we’ll hopefully get to a juncture where we can get back.
Littleproud is also not a fan of the comparison between the Liberals and Nationals fight to the reality TV show Married at First Sight (MAFS), which the prime minister made yesterday. The Nationals leader says:
Anthony Albanese can make those jibes. The reality is this is serious business. We didn’t do it lightly. Our party room [took a] principled position.
What’s the latest in the Coalition split?
So we know that Sussan Ley and David Littleproud met last night, which everyone has called “constructive” but didn’t lead to a “breakthrough”.
The Nationals want the three frontbenchers who handed their resignations to Ley for crossing the floor on the hate speech bill – Bridget McKenzie, Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald – to be reinstated to the frontbench, despite them breaking cabinet solidarity.
The Liberals aren’t so keen on that.
Speaking to RN Breakfast, Nationals senator Darren Chester, who is pushing for the two parties to reunite, says it wouldn’t be “realistic” for the Liberal party to dictate who the Nationals pick for the frontbench if they were able to come back together.
Because we’re now not in coalition, so we’re two separate parties. If, in fact, the parties can reunite, it wouldn’t be realistic for the leader of the National party to say to the Liberal party you can’t have certain characters in your team. So it probably won’t be realistic for the Liberal party to say anything about the National party’s team.
But Chester also says it wasn’t necessary for the Coalition to split in the first place,
I thought there were stages along the process where things escalated, where I would have liked to have seen things de-escalate.
Labor announces cheaper loans for electric vehicles
The government has announced cheaper loans for some Hyundai and Kia EVs this morning, to incentivise the vehicles and help drive down emissions (pun intended).
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has committed $60m to partner with the two vehicle brands that would give eligible customers between 0.5% and 1% on their finance rate. The government says it could save an EV user with a $70,000 loan, $1900 in interest costs over five years.
The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, said eligible cars include fully electric vehicles under the luxury car tax threshold:
Transport is one of our biggest sources of emissions, and electric vehicles are a key way we cut pollution while saving people money.
Meanwhile, the government is reviewing its current EV tax incentive policy, which exempts EV drivers from paying fringe benefits tax, through a novated lease under certain conditions. The fringe benefits tax break can save EV users tens of thousands of dollars over several years but costs the budget billions – leading the productivity commission to recommend scrapping it.
