Month: April 2024

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese must make a series of major changes to his Government’s proposed religious discrimination laws to address the severe concerns of Australian faith leaders that the controversial package of legislation will be a backwards step for religious schools and communities.

Shadow Attorney-General Senator Michaelia Cash said: “I have consulted widely with faith leaders across the country in the past few weeks and what is apparent from the feedback of those leaders who have been consulted by the Government is that they do not support the bills as proposed.’’

“They have raised numerous areas of concern with me and want the government to make changes,’’ Senator Cash said.

“For example, faith leaders have consistently told me that the Federal laws would be irrelevant if they do not afford protections from State and Territory laws that seek to erode religious freedoms,’’ she said.

“The Prime Minister should guarantee that religious schools are able to ensure that their staff members’ conduct and behaviour adheres to the school’s religious ethos,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Hundreds of thousands of Australian families choose to educate their children in faith-based schools, and that choice ought to be respected,’’ Senator Cash said.

“It is worrying that the Government seems inclined to adopt changes that would leave religious schools with a potentially huge and ongoing exposure to litigation risk,’’ she said.

“It is even more worrying that they seem intent on doubling down on these changes byputting forward legislation that ensures that, in almost all cases, schools will end up paying for the costs of that litigation. These costs will inevitably be passed on to parents.’’ Senator Cash said.

“Faith leaders have clearly told us how their ability to educate in accordance with their faith is being cut away, slice by slice, by state and territory governments – and that this affects not only their places of worship but their ability to build communities based on clear values in the thousands of faith-based schools across Australia,’’ she said.

“It is gravely concerning that the Government seems prepared to wash its hands of this issue. It has given no indication it will adopt any type of positive protections that might address these concerns,” Senator Cash said.

“To the contrary, the Government has indicated it will move away from the positive language that it previously supported in Parliament when it voted on the Coalition’s 2022 Bill. Instead, it appears set on dealing with religion almost as an “exception” to discrimination laws. This has been a long-term issue for faith leaders, who do not see freedom of a religion as a mere exception, but instead as a fundamental human right that is protected under international law,’’ she said.

“It is time for Mr Albanese to release his religious discrimination legislation for public scrutiny and stop trying to govern behind closed doors. Australians deserve better,’’ Senator Cash said.

Today’s increase in the unemployment rate to 3.8% is another worrying sign for Australians struggling with the cost-of-living crisis under the Albanese Government.

The March 2024 labour force figures saw nearly 7,000 jobs lost across the economy. There are 57,000 more people unemployed now than a year ago, and youth unemployment is stubbornly higher than it was when Labor came to office.

There are now more people unemployed than there were at the last election.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Australians are facing uncertain economic times, with no solutions from the Albanese Labor Government.

“Australians are paying the price for the Albanese Labor Government’s economic mismanagement.

“Household budgets being smashed by higher prices, higher mortgage repayments and higher taxes, and people are working harder for less.

“On top of that, there are now more unemployed people than at the last Federal Election, and a record number of people are working multiple jobs just to keep their heads above water.

Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Michaelia Cash said she was particularly concerned that the labour force figures showed a significant increase in the number of Australians who are unemployed.

“The March 2024 figures show an increase of 21,000 unemployed Australians in a single month. We now have 57,000 more unemployed people in this country than a year ago.” Senator Cash said.

“Instead of trying to encourage the hiring of more Australians, the Albanese Government has created extreme uncertainty for businesses through its industrial relations changes,” Senator Cash said.

“Businesses are extremely confused about new laws surrounding the employment of casual workers, and about their ability to contact employees outside work hours after Labor’s ‘right to disconnect’ changes.” she said.

“I am also concerned that the Albanese Government is focused on an internal ideological debate about our employment services system rather that actually trying to get Australians into jobs.” Senator Cash said.

“It is worth noting the warning delivered by Gary Banks, the founding chair of the Productivity Commission, about the anti-productivity policies of the Albanese Government,’’ she said.

Mr Banks wrote today that: ‘provisions locking in past agreements and unions effectively having veto power over innovations, legislative provisions to restore industry-wide bargaining and to control non-permanent (read non-unionised) work arrangements – will diminish the scope for the win-win enterprise deals that are needed and see more production decision-making influenced by the regulator’.

According to the data, 2022-23 saw the worst average emergency department wait times in a decade, while the wait times for elective surgery have almost doubled compared to 20 years ago.

Capacity has also reached critical levels, with the proportion of public hospital beds available for every Australian over 65 at an all-time low of 14.3 beds per 1000 population.

This comes as the Coalition has been calling on the Government to take urgent action to fix the primary healthcare crisis, which we know is only adding further pressure to our already strained hospital systems.

Last year, we saw more than 1.2 million Australians avoid going to a GP due to concern over cost, as bulk bulling rates collapsed to decade lows.

Since then, we know that out-of-pocket costs have continued to rise to the highest level on record, which means it has literally never been more expensive to see a GP.

It has also never been harder, with the serious impact of the current workforce crisis being felt in GP practices and aged care facilities across the country.

Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Anne Ruston said that the data released today is extremely concerning, but she has been warning the Government that this serious situation is pushing more and more people towards hospitals and blowing out wait times.

“Our primary care system is key in preventing Australians from needing emergency hospital support, but we know Australians are not only having trouble accessing a GP, but they’re also struggling to afford one.

“At the same time, critical workforce shortages are putting significant strain on our aged care facilities as they struggle to meet the Government’s new rigid staffing requirements.

“Aged care providers are also integral in freeing up hospital beds, but the Government has abandoned them amongst these challenges,” Senator Ruston said.

The Coalition continues to call on the Government to implement a national and comprehensive workforce strategy for the entire care sector, as the only way to adequately deal with these pressures.

The Albanese Labor Government must also take decisive action to address the primary care crisis, including by standing up to state premiers on GP payroll taxes.

Shadow Minister for Education, Sarah Henderson, says the Albanese Government is reaping dividends from the misery of escalating student debt, with ATO data revealing Australians paid a record $2.9 billion in voluntary HELP debt repayments in 2022-23, up from $780 million in the previous year.

As a result of Labor’s sky high inflation, the 2022-23 HELP indexation rate was 7.1 per cent, triggering a 272 per cent increase in voluntary repayments.

“Hit by a crippling 7.1 per cent increase in their student debts, 164,000 Australians made voluntary repayments averaging $17,636 in an attempt to pay down or pay off their debt,” Senator Henderson said.

“Despite this surge in repayments to the Commonwealth, Education Minister Jason Clare has sat on his hands taking no action on crippling increases in student debt caused by Labor’s economic mismanagement.

“After an indexation rise of 3.9 per cent in June 2022 and 7.1 per cent in June 2023, HELP loans are forecast to rise by at least 4 per cent this June. This is in stark contrast to annual indexation under the former Coalition government which averaged just 1.7 per cent.

“Since Labor was elected, 3 million Australians with an average HELP liability of $26,494 are facing a total increase in their student debt of at least 15 per cent – an increase of around $4,000,” Senator Henderson said.

There are also growing numbers of very high student loans with the latest data showing 335,293 Australians owe more than $50,000 and 47,847 Australians owe more than $100,000.

“Minister Clare’s lack of action on student debt is abysmal. He has even failed to fix the inequitable ATO HELP payments system which doesn’t account for debt repayments in real time. This is so inequitable that Australians are being indexed on debts they have already repaid.

“While more and more Australians are caught in a student debt trap, Labor has been tone deaf to the cost of living crisis so many young people are facing. It is no wonder domestic university enrolments have fallen by five per cent, compounded by the housing crisis which is putting tertiary study out of reach for so many young Australians,” Senator Henderson said.

Reports today that the Treasurer asked his department for advice on changes to the stage three tax cuts as early as June 2022 raises serious questions about the Albanese Labor Government’s integrity and credibility.

The Prime Minister and Treasurer said on at least 100 occasions they had no plans for changes since the May 2022 election.

The Prime Minister repeatedly claimed earlier this year that his government only sought advice over the summer break.

But FOI documents revealed today suggest the Treasurer sought advice just a couple of weeks after the Albanese Labor Government was sworn in.

It is abundantly clear that Labor says one thing to Australians, while doing the complete opposite behind the scenes.

Voters have a right to ask what else the government has been lying about.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Australians deserve better.

“This is an egregious breach of trust.

“The Coalition’s stage three tax cuts were part of a broader tax reform package designed to tackle bracket creep. The policy went to two Federal Elections.

“Labor’s changes are literally banking on bracket creep, with Treasury’s own forecasts showing it will cost Australians an extra $28 billion in taxes over the next 10 years.

“To add insult to injury, the government is spending $40 million of taxpayers’ money on a spin unit to sell its broken promise. It also appears from reports that the government has spent significant taxpayer funds to block FOI requests.

“The Coalition is the party of lower, simpler, fairer taxes and we will never stand in the way of tax cuts.

“But the way Labor has gone about this – by robbing Peter to pay Paul – and lying to Australians about it is unacceptable.”