Senate

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister noted that John Setka had been expelled from the Australian Labor Party years ago, a process not subject to the five-year rule. She affirmed the government's zero tolerance for corruption, criminality, and violence in the construction industry, stating that the administrator had achieved significant progress in cleaning up the union. The minister indicated that the government would carefully consider any advice from the administrator regarding necessary changes to disciplinary powers, emphasizing that the current administration had taken stronger action than previous governments.

Answer from Katy Gallagher

The minister stated that 18 million Australians have superannuation accounts, with the pool valued at approximately $412 trillion, making it the fourth largest globally. She outlined government reforms including legislating the objective of super, increasing the superannuation guarantee to 12 per cent, and introducing payday super, which adds around $6,000 to the retirement savings of an average 25-year-old. To address the 26 per cent gender gap, the government pays super on paid parental leave, with over 200,000 parents benefiting and $285 million paid into accounts. Additionally, reforms to the low-income super tax offset will benefit over 1.3 million Australians, of whom 750,000 are women.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister rejected the premise that policies were failing, stating the housing package would boost supply by at least 30,000 homes and help 75,000 young people buy homes. She noted that over 660,000 homes had been built since Labor was elected and approvals were up for three consecutive years. The minister highlighted that nearly 75,000 people in New South Wales had bought homes with a five per cent deposit and that 9,400 social and affordable homes were being delivered in the state. She argued that tax changes tilted the scales in favor of first-home buyers, redistributing ownership from investors to owner-occupiers, which she described as leveling the playing field.

Answer from Murray Watt

The minister emphasized the government's support for mutual obligation, stating that those out of work have an obligation to seek employment. He noted that a review of the Targeted Compliance Framework had been initiated by Deloitte during his previous tenure as minister, and the department was implementing those recommendations. He stated that the government did not support unlawful deprivation of social security payments and that the department had undertaken significant work to address findings from the Ombudsman. The minister confirmed that funding had been provided to introduce additional safeguards to ensure individual circumstances are considered before compliance decisions are applied.

Answer from Jenny McAllister

The minister stated that the government established the Fraud Fusion Taskforce and invested in the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to combat fraud. She reported that the commission issued 111 banning orders in the last quarter, the highest ever recorded. Since the taskforce's establishment, more than 2,600 providers submitting incorrect claims have been disrupted, over 600 investigations launched, 27 individuals convicted, and $50 million in assets seized. The minister noted that $1.35 billion had been invested to stamp down on fraud, citing previous government failures where basic prevention controls were lacking, such as the inability to review claims submitted outside standard business hours.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister acknowledged productivity as a longstanding challenge and highlighted the budget's 15 reforms aimed at increasing productivity, including the incentivising investment and innovation package with $312 billion in new measures. She noted that productivity had declined multiple times under the previous Morrison government. The minister argued that the opposition voted against key productivity measures such as EPBC reforms and regulatory reform. She stated that the government was cutting red tape by roughly $10 billion annually and focusing on a multifactor approach to attract investment and lower compliance costs.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister affirmed the government's support for the Royal Commission's independence and its wide powers. Regarding the visa denial, she stated that the government acts on advice from security agencies and respects the statutory framework, implying that national interest considerations guided the decision. On the gun buyback, she expressed pleasure that New South Wales was cooperating with the Commonwealth and urged all other states to engage with the reform in a similar manner to ensure national consistency.

Answer from Murray Watt

The minister stated that migration policies are based on security agency advice and involve strong vetting processes. He criticized One Nation for selectively applying restrictions and copying policies from other parts of the world, suggesting their approach was divisive rather than protective. He noted that the previous restriction on Iranian visas was an immediate response to specific events, not a blanket ban. The minister affirmed that the Labor government would not take policy advice from One Nation, contrasting their approach with the government's focus on protecting Australians while encouraging beneficial migration.

Answer from Malarndirri McCarthy

The minister stated that APVMA is an independent regulator that sets maximum residue levels far below health limits to ensure no risk to human health. She acknowledged that the government recognizes issues raised in reviews and is taking action to ensure APVMA remains a strong independent regulator. The minister indicated that the responsible minister was vigilant on the issue and that the senator would be meeting with her to discuss specific concerns. She affirmed that APVMA would continue to use its regulatory powers to finalize chemical reviews during the reform process.

Answer from Katy Gallagher

The minister stated that the Minister for Infrastructure was the responsible minister for infrastructure agreements and that the Attorney-General typically responds to royal commission requests. She confirmed that the federal financial agreement with states sought transparency and accountability, requiring delivery milestones and reporting of suspected criminal behavior. The minister highlighted that the government had appointed an administrator for the CFMEU and taken concrete action to clean up the industry, contrasting this with the previous government's inaction. She noted that the infrastructure minister had written to state ministers reinforcing their obligations to report corruption.

Answer from Murray Watt

The minister stated that gig economy workers, such as food delivery drivers, would now receive a guaranteed minimum wage of $32 an hour, as determined by the Fair Work Commission. He highlighted that these world-leading laws closed loopholes that previously left workers without fair pay or sick leave. The minister emphasized that the government was pro-worker and pro-superannuation, contrasting this with the opposition's stance. He listed other protections including enshrining penalty rates in law, closing the gender pay gap, and ensuring equal pay for equal work, arguing that the opposition and One Nation posed a threat to these gains.