Green light for ‘biggest ever renewable project’
Adam Morton
The Albanese government has given the green light to the first stages of “Australia’s biggest renewable energy project ever” – Sun Cable’s Australia-Asia Power Link in the Northern Territory outback.
Announced more than six years ago, Sun Cable’s $30bn-plus development is one of the world’s most ambitious renewable energy proposals. The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, said the government had approved the construction of 4-gigawatts of solar farm on a former pastoral station between Elliot and Tennant Creek, an 800km transmission line to Darwin and an underwater cable to the edge of Australia’s commonwealth waters.
She said the approved project would enable a green manufacturing sector, produce electricity for the NT capital and allow potential export to Singapore via what the company says would be 4,300km of subsea cables.
In a statement late on Tuesday, Plibersek said the approval comes with strict conditions to protect nature, including avoiding the greater bilby and critical habitat for wildlife.
This massive project is a generation-defining piece of infrastructure. It will be the largest solar precinct in the world, and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy.
Sun Cable Australia’s managing director, Cameron Garnsworthy, said it was a “landmark moment in the project’s journey”. He said the company aimed to make a final investment decision by 2027.
SunCable went into voluntary administration in early 2023 after the billionaire investors Mike Cannon-Brookes and Andrew Forrest fell out over its direction. A consortium led by Cannon-Brookes’ Grok Ventures and including Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners eventually took on the company’s assets.
Key events
Justine Elliot continues:
I’ve heard of the countless ways in which perpetrators inflict their violence on women they say they love.
With many perpetrators, their violence may not be physical, but it is planned, orchestrated and in every sense, malicious.
The problem of violence against women and children is complex.
And in a year where too many women have been killed by violent men, it’s difficult to reconcile that there has been progress towards ending this national crisis.
…But when we look at the long-term picture, we can see significant improvements in community attitudes that reject and challenge this violence. More men and women stand with us today than ever before.
I am proud to be part of a government that is taking action on this issue.
The Albanese Labor Government is absolutely committed to achieving our shared vision of ending violence against women and children in one generation
We’re taking action today, here and now.
All of us have to do more – all of us must do better.
Together we can, we must and we will.
The time is now.
The Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Justine Elliot is making a ‘statement on a significant matter’ in the house.
It is on gender based violence.
Elliot:
Growing up, so many young girls and women have always had to think and act differently.
It may mean walking on the other side of the street, so you avoid walking past someone bigger than you.
If you’re on the bus, it may mean turning the volume down on your music so you can hear behind you.
You may decide to leave work before it gets dark or catch a taxi or ride-share– making sure you let someone know – just in case.
And when you get home, you look behind you before opening the door, which you then promptly lock.
For some women, Mr Speaker, once they get home and lock the door, they still aren’t safe.
For too many women, home is the most dangerous place.
You see Mr Speaker; the life of a woman is different.
We’ve had to see, think and act differently throughout our entire lives – out of fear of violence.
Fear of violence should not be a normal nor accepted part of womanhood.
The parliament will sit from 9am this morning.
We’ll take you into the house shortly after the prayers for the opening gambit.
When will the Coalition reveal cost of nuclear plan? ‘In good time’
Late yesterday, shadow treasurer Angus Taylor spoke to 2GB, where he was asked about the Coalition’s nuclear plan (remember that?).
Q: So when will we know how much your plan will cost?
Taylor:
Well, I’ve already answered that question – in good time.
Q: In good time’s not an answer though, Angus!
Taylor:
Well, it is. It’ll be before the election, I can assure you of that.
Labor says 150 ‘ghost’ training providers shut down
The minister for skills and training, Andrew Giles says 150 “ghost” colleges have been shut down.
A ghost college is a registered training provider who has failed to show proof of delivering training for at least a year.
An additional 140 vocational training providers have been given warnings – they must resume “quality training” by the end of the year or will face de-registration.
Giles:
We’ve weeded out and shut down over 150 dormant operators, and 140 more have been given a yellow card.
Under our government, there is no place for anyone who seeks to undermine the sector and exploit students.
National Farmers’ Federation says farmer confidence has fallen in ‘concerning’ survey
The National Farmers’ Federation is holding its leaders’ summit in Canberra today, where it will release the findings from a survey of 1,000 farmers across the nation. The survey looks at confidence, mood – basically the vibe around issues and policies over the last year.
In some forward sizzle, the NFF says this year’s results are “concerning” with farmer confidence in the Albanese government’s falling 39% compared to the same time last year.
Coalition to introduce bill to ban Cbus Super from receiving money from housing fund
The Coalition will be introducing a private members’ bill today to ban the union-linked Cbus Super Fund from receiving any funds from the housing Australia future fund (Haff).
The Liberal senator Andrew Bragg said the bill would stop the Haff from “making any payments to Cbus or housing related entities financed by Cbus” for the time the CFMEU remains under administration.
The Coalition reaffirms our strong opposition to Labor’s Haff. However, we believe taxpayer funds should not be exposed to criminal elements.
If Labor is serious about stamping out corruption and protecting taxpayer funds, they will support our Bill.
A little later this morning, the independent MP Kylea Tink will host a press conference with Zoe Daniel, Zali Steggall and Sophie Scamps to talk about the “increasingly condescending, aggressive, and often misogynistic conduct by Coalition members during parliamentary sittings”.
That follows this story from Sarah Basford Canales:
‘I want to look at it closely’: Sussan Ley on MP code of conduct legislation
The Liberal party’s deputy leader Sussan Ley was asked about the new IPSC legislation this morning and said she was yet to see it:
I’ve been part of the parliamentary leadership taskforce that has been tasked with implementing recommendations from the Jenkins Review. It’s been important work.
We’ve established the parliamentary workplace support scheme. I want to give a shout out to that scheme. It’s operating in the building right now for everyone in the building 24/7, and it’s a place you can go for help now. That’s incredibly important, and it’s been incredibly well done as a result of cross-party work.
I haven’t seen this legislation. I want to look at it closely. I know that my party room will do the same thing. So we will examine it, and we will see what our response is at that time.
Sarah Basford Canales
Larissa Waters welcomes MP standards commission
The Greens’ spokesperson for women, Larissa Waters, has welcomed the introduction of a long-awaited workplace behaviour enforcement body.
This morning, Katy Gallagher unveiled the proposed model for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.
Waters said it had been “a long time coming” to stop Parliament House from being a “national shame”.
She continued:
Both houses of parliament have now endorsed codes of conduct for behaviour, but without an independent body to investigate breaches, those codes have been unenforceable.
I am pleased there will now finally be a process to hold MPs accountable for bad behaviour, who have been unsanctionable for far too long.
This workplace needs to set the standard rather than be a national shame. We hope that having the codes of conduct enforceable through the IPSC will discourage misconduct, and keep staff and everyone in parliamentary workplaces safe.
On the issue of the government’s proposed gambling ads cap (rather than a blanket ban), Katy Gallagher says:
Michelle Rowland’s leading that work, working with stakeholders. She’s done a huge amount of work to already impose new rules and regulations around gambling and advertising, and support for gamblers, I should say, through BetStop. So there’s more work to be done. We’re mindful of everyone’s views as we undertake the final decisions around this.
There’s no shortage of opinions on right across the board, and we’ll make the decision based on the work that Michelle Rowland has done, and also evidence based and how to protect children. That’s front of our minds as we’re finalising our decisions.
Gallagher said Labor has its processes for considering conscience votes.
Labor hopes to have MP standards commission up and running in October
Katy Gallagher says there is no deal done to pass the legislation as yet, but she does not anticipate too much trouble, given the process to get to this point:
We’ve worked very closely with the opposition, as we have with other members of parliament.
We’ve addressed concerns where they have arisen, and we’ve been, you know, obviously the shaping of the legislation has been informed by those consultations, but they need to take it through their processes.
We’re introducing it today, and then we’ll have some time when the parliament’s not sitting to continue to talk with people, but hopefully we’ll be able to pass this legislation in September, and have it operational in October.
Katy Gallagher said she believes the privileges committees (each chamber has its own) is the right place for the reports from the standards commission:
These committees are often members of very senior members of respected political parties. They deal with difficult matters all the time, and they haven’t traditionally operated in a partisan way at all.
So we believe the privileges committee is the right place for such a senior body to consider a report from the IPSC, and then they will have to make a decision on that and report to the parliament.
Misbehaving MPs face fines under new standards commission, Gallagher says
The minister for women, Katy Gallagher is speaking to ABC radio RN Breakfast about the IPSC (the Independent Parliamentary Standards Committee). The legislation for the new body will be introduced today.
Gallagher says:
The way it would work is that we have a body called the parliamentary workplace support service. If someone has a complaint, they work in this building, they can or or in other commonwealth parliamentary workplaces, I should say, because they are around the country, they can make a complaint.
If that goes to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission, they can review that complaint, investigate that complaint, if it’s about a member of parliament and it’s a serious complaint that would warrant sanctions of that order … like suspension or a fine or losing your spot on a committee [it would report to the privileges committee] and they would be the ones that would consider appropriate sanctions.
Thorpe, Pocock and Daniel back funding campaign for community legal centres
Independent senators Lidia Thorpe, David Pocock and the independent MP Zoe Daniel are supporting the campaign that community legal centres have launched for adequate funding.
Representatives from more than 160 community legal centres are launching the national campaign, calling for their services to be funded. At the moment, about 1,000 people a day are turned away.
The three demands are:
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Immediate funding injection of $35m to address the workforce crisis, as recommended by the Independent Review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership
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Additional $135m each year to sustainably address overall community demand
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Additional $95m each year to fully meet domestic and family violence demand
Sharkie on code of conduct for MPs: ‘We need to be our best selves’
But Rebekha Sharkie does think that a code of conduct for MPs is long overdue.
The government will introduce legislation today which includes penalties for MPs and parliament house staff who have been found to have committed wrong doing (just like any other workplace).
Sharkie:
It absolutely is. Many would remember Cathy McGowan taking a code of conduct to the parliament and I supported her many years ago when she was the member for Indi with this. And she said at the time we need to be our best selves.
Look, I think it’s a great idea. Obviously I want to see the legislation and make sure that it’s not going to be used politicised and used as a weapon but I think most places of work have a code of conduct that all employees adhere to. I don’t think the parliament should be any different.
The ABC raises this story from Sarah Basford Canales and asks Rebekha Sharkie whether she has experienced anything like what some of her crossbench colleagues have described.
Sharkie says no:
I don’t feel that I’m affected by that at all. I have a good relationship with, I think, most members across the parliament and when I ask a question it’s pretty quiet in the chamber. I wouldn’t say it always is. But it’s not always quiet in the chamber for any person asking a question.