‘Paid parental leave is not safe’ with Pauline Hanson, says Plibersek

Tanya Plibersek has refuted Pauline Hanson’s claims that her comments on paid parental leave were taken out of context (see here).

Plibersek says Hanson claimed in 2017 that women “just get pregnant to get the money” and that she’s been completely unsympathetic to the financial stress of having a baby.

The social services minister is today spruiking the extension of government paid parental leave that will give parents 26 weeks – at the minimum wage rate. Four of those weeks will have to be taken by the second partner.

(This announcement isn’t a new one but the government always likes promoting its announcements a bunch of times for maximum political attention).

Plibersek says:

A few weeks ago, she [Hanson] said, you know, “Love, if you’ve got the equipment, have the baby, take the time off work.” She’s been completely unsympathetic to the financial stress on Australian families that having a new baby brings with it. She says that at the Press Club – and obviously she’s had a negative reaction and now she’s back–pedalling. But paid parental leave is not safe with Pauline Hanson and just, by the way, it’s also not safe with the Liberals. Scott Morrison and Joe Hockey called mothers on paid parental leave rorters and double dippers.

‘Take a deep breath’ says Plibersek on house prices

There are always a few major themes to a sitting week, and one of the biggest threads this week has been concern over falling house prices, and a cooling market.

Frontbencher Tanya Plibersek says everyone needs to take a deep breath over these reports, and reiterates figures from the Treasury department that in the longer term, house prices will grow 2% slower.

On ABC’s News Breakfast, host James Glenday says people probably don’t have a lot of faith in that modelling.

But Plibersek says that most people aren’t buying today and selling tomorrow and a slow down of prices will help young people catch up.

I think people need to take a deep breath on all of this. Our Treasury estimates are that house prices will continue to grow. They’ll grow more slowly. And that gives people the chance of home ownership. If you go to week auctions at the moment, there’s still a lot of buying going on, but it’s first home–buyers who are actually having a shot at the market …

Most people don’t buy a house and sell it tomorrow either. That’s the thing that we need to keep in mind. People buy a house and stay there.

Stefanovic’s podcast with far-right activist pulled from YouTube

Karl Stefanovic appears to have taken his controversial interview with British far-right activist Tommy Robinson mostly offline overnight.

The video went up on the broadcaster’s personal YouTube channel yesterday, after an earlier teaser promo on Stefanovic’s social media. It included a line in which he praised Robinson’s “tenacity and courage”

However it was not present this morning on the YouTube channel or podcast RSS feed – nor was the promo on his Instagram.

At the time of writing, Stefanovic’s feed on Elon Musk’s X platform still featured both the promo and a clip from the interview.

Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.

After landing a deal with the Greens yesterday to pass its bill to change negative gearing and capital gains tax, Labor is still trying to sell the whole thing to the public. Expect plenty more argy bargy on the changes in Parliament today, as the Coalition tries to brand the taxes as “toxic” (among other slogans).

Speaking of the Coalition, the opposition leader landed himself in a bit of trouble yesterday over his inability to back multiculturalism in Australia (after Pauline Hanson said the policy had “failed”) so we’ll be seeing more reaction to that too.

There’s plenty going on, let’s get cracking!

Labor’s NDIS reforms ‘punching down’ on people scheme designed to protect, McKim says

The Greens have argued Labor’s proposed reforms to the national disability insurance scheme are “punching down” on the very people the scheme is designed to protect.

Greens senator Nick McKim told the ABC’s 7:30 program on Tuesday night, “we are absolutely committed to fighting this bill with every tool in our toolkit”.

The Greens secured an eight-week delay in the passage of the NDIS reforms, in exchange for their support in passing the Labor government’s key budget tax reforms to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount.

McKim said his party would continue to oppose the NDIS reforms: “we want to see this bill killed.”

“We’ve delayed it for eight weeks and achieved some amendments that will take some of the worst elements out of this bill.

“When this eight-week period is done, if we need another inquiry or more delay, that’s what we will be moving for.”

McKim said Labor’s changes would cause harm to people currently supported by the NDIS: “the withdrawal of desperately needed supports that allow disabled Australians to live a more dignified life and respite and relief for families who put so much into supporting disabled family members”.