Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Opinion Piece – Community Directors Intelligence – Coalition pledges stronger voice for charities and not-for-profits

Opinion

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA OPINION PIECE – COMMUNITY DIRECTORS INTELLIGENCE 4 March 2025 COALITION PLEDGES STRONGER VOICE FOR CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS The role of Australian not-for-profits in supporting Australians is vital – and probably never more so than in the last year. Amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, communities have relied heavily on you, your volunteers and the many services you provide. On behalf of those Australians, and the Coalition, I thank you for your incredible efforts. What you continue to deliver is particularly impressive given you face many operational headwinds of your own. The cost-of-living crisis has run in tandem with a cost-of-doing-business crisis, which has seen a challenging combination of increased demand for your services and skyrocketing overheads. NFPs that tackle food insecurity, for example, will know that 34% of Australians faced food insecurity last year, with 74% of them at risk of going hungry for the first time. Given all this, the sector requires the greatest possible support to continue its work, not increased red tape, insufficient consultation, or other factors that make what you do harder rather than easier. As I travel around Australia, in city and regional communities, red tape is always flagged as a major concern, and it was raised as a top issue on the episode of the Not-for-profit Agenda that I joined late last year. Despite this, the Albanese government has repeatedly ignored or deliberately disadvantaged the interests of the sector since it came to power. It embarked on changes to the Fair Work legislation that affected the ability to hire staff on short-term contracts, which, as you know, is common practice in charities and not-for-profits due to funding arrangements. Working alongside sector representatives who had found the relevant minister’s door closed, I gathered support in the Senate for an order that would have required the Albanese government to make public how it had arrived at its decision – including a failure to consult with not-for-profit organisations. I only withdrew this threat after then Minister Tony Burke gave a written undertaking to hear the sector’s concerns. Since then, a temporary exemption has been granted while an acceptable longer-term solution is found. Unfortunately, it was a similar story with the bungled roll-out of the changes to not-for-profits’ tax reporting requirements – and it required a similar approach. That roll-out was marred by a lack of clear communication and the careful implementation necessary to make it work, leaving volunteer-run organisations overwhelmed, confused and short-changed. This was something the Albanese government and the ATO (Australian Taxation Office), in particular, refused to admit. The ATO maintained that its efforts to engage with and support not-for-profits were progressing well. The experiences of affected organisations painted a very different picture – once again, they were frustrated and ignored. I established a Senate Economics References Committee inquiry in the later part of last year to give these not-for-profits and associated stakeholders a voice. Many were confused, being forced to pay for expensive professional advice they could not afford, or in some instances deciding it was easier to wind up their much-needed operations. Improved communications, an extended reporting deadline and revisiting some of the thresholds involved were among our recommendations to deliver this policy in a way that not-for-profits can understand and operate under. Once again, it was disappointing that the Albanese government let it get to this point – rather than proactively backing the Australians doing so much for other Australians. We enter the new year with optimism, but many more challenges lie ahead in 2025. It is essential we prepare for the rapidly evolving digital landscape, including the impact of AI, digital infrastructure, and the ever-rising need for strong cybersecurity measures. Much more must be done to pave the way to doubling philanthropic giving by 2030, a goal supported by the Albanese government and the Coalition alike. This includes delivering on the election commitments made to the sector, which under this government have arrived frustratingly late, or not at all. It is regrettable that the Albanese government and Minister Andrew Leigh have failed to act with the urgency needed to meaningfully reform and better support the sector, both now and into the future. Through all this your resilience has shone through, and your persistence in providing the services you do with such dedication is an inspiration to all. After two and a half years in my role as the Shadow Assistant Minster for Charities, it has become clear to me that the charities and not-for-profits sector needs a voice in a government that takes the work they do, and the challenges they face, seriously.

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Opinion Piece – The West Australian – PM out of touch and time

Opinion

SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA OPINION PIECE – THE WEST AUSTRALIAN 9 December 2024 PM OUT OF TOUCH AND TIME When Anthony Albanese launched his 2022 election campaign here in Perth, he asked Australians to “vote for hope” and trust that his government would deliver us a brighter future. 30 months later, he returned amid a cost-of-living crisis of Labor’s own making that has hit WA harder than anywhere in the nation. The Parliamentary Library recently completed an analysis of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for my office. It paints the starkest picture yet of the rising cost of living in Western Australia, revealing the extent to which households and businesses are struggling to keep their heads above water. Over the past two years, Perth has experienced price increases on more than 40 everyday goods and services—many of them essential—and at rates exceeding those seen across the rest of the country. Housing costs have surged by 35.1 percent, compared to 24.2 percent nationally, while rents have climbed an alarming 36.9 percent. With construction costs soaring by nearly 60 percent since 2022, home ownership has become little more than a dream for many. And it’s not just the financial toll. The psychological strain of navigating such volatile conditions can be overwhelming, with people trapped by the relentless cycle of rising costs. There have been steep hikes in insurance premiums, for example, now up by almost 50 percent compared to 38.9 percent nationally. The impact on young families is particularly acute. Childcare costs have risen nearly 10 percent—more than three times the national average—leaving some with no choice but to cut back or pull their children out of daycare entirely to make ends meet. It doesn’t end there. Preschool and primary school fees in Perth have jumped by 11.9 percent, compared to 7.6 percent across the country. Health costs are climbing too. Since Labor took power, medical products have risen by 3.9 percent, while pharmaceutical products have increased by 4.2 percent. The reality is undeniable: Australians are doing it tough, but Western Australians are doing it even tougher. With Anthony Albanese back here in an attempt to champion his government’s record, locals should be demanding to know why his promises of economic security have failed to materialise. After all, the Prime Minister’s 2022 campaign was built on bold commitments. He promised an economy where people could comfortably meet their needs, where housing would be within reach, and where no Australian would be left behind. Instead, households have seen their budgets decimated by relentless price hikes and stagnating wages. That ABS data I referred to earlier reveals that Perth’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) has risen by 19.5 percent over the last two years, far outpacing WA’s modest full-time wage growth. Basic staples like bread and milk—whose prices have jumped more than 25 percent—are emblematic of the crisis. These increases outstrip wage growth by nearly double, leaving residents with a grim realisation of how disconnected Labor’s rhetoric is from reality. It’s no surprise people have cut back on non-essentials. Subscription services are canceled, celebrations scaled back, and holidays are postponed. But, for others, the sacrifices are far more significant. These Western Australians are skipping meals, delaying vital medical treatments and not paying their rent and other major bills with significant implications for their futures. While some of these challenges can be attributed to global factors—and this was the case for a period of time—the real blame now lies with Canberra. Labor’s unchecked spending has fueled domestic inflation, forcing the Reserve Bank to keep interest rates high because of the Albanese Government’s mismanagement. Core inflation now sits at 3.5 percent, higher than in most advanced economies. Services inflation, a key concern for the Reserve Bank, is running at 4.8 percent, more than five times the rate of imported inflation. These are not just economic metrics—they’re playing out in the daily struggles of people and businesses across WA. They expose a government that is failing to respond to its citizens’ most pressing needs. Small businesses in Western Australia face their own battles, because, as well as wrapping them in red and green tape, Labor has also created a cost of doing business crisis. Fuel costs, essential for transportation and logistics, have climbed 37.8 percent, eating into already slim profit margins. Farmers have seen fertiliser and feed prices rise significantly, pushing some to scale back operations. As WA contributes significantly to the nation’s agricultural output, the long-term implications of this must not be understated. For farmers, for small businesses, these increases are not just a matter of tightening budgets—record insolvency figures confirm many cannot survive under these conditions. The Prime Minister should be asking himself if he has delivered the “better future” he promised. Looking at the data, looking at the experiences of households and businesses, the answer is clearly no. The photo opportunities and spin of Anthony Albanese’s visit will have demonstrated for many in WA how out of touch he and his government have become. They are also out of time. The next election is fast approaching and, even if it wanted to, it is doubtful Labor could now make a meaningful change to the mess it has created. Western Australians deserve a government that follows through on its commitments, that really does improve lives and futures. And only the Coalition can deliver that.

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Opinion Piece – The West Australian – Easy Solution to Food Crisis

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA OPINION PIECE – THE WEST AUSTRALIAN 2 December 2024 EASY SOLUTION TO FOOD CRISIS Across the country, household budgets are at breaking point. Persistent inflation and stagnant wages have plagued the Australian economy for two years under Labor. The effects of this cost-of-living crisis are being felt far and wide. For many, it has meant cancelling a gym membership or skipping a haircut to help keep up with rent or mortgage repayments. But for thousands of Australians, no number of sacrifices — big or small — is putting food on the table. If you’re in any doubt about the magnitude of food insecurity in our community, call into your local food relief charity. When I last visited Foodbank at Perth Airport, I saw a line of people waiting to access support that stretched out the door. The demographics of those seeking this assistance might surprise you. Foodbank’s 2024 Hunger Report found that 32 per cent of Australian households — or 3.4 million — experienced food insecurity in the year to October. Thirty per cent of them own their own home with a mortgage. Many also have two incomes. They are also going to confronting lengths to manage this growing hunger. Sixty-three per cent of respondents to a survey linked to the Salvation Army Australia’s Red Shield Report had skipped meals. Twenty-seven per cent had consumed expired or spoiled food. These figures are not just statistics, they are a stark reminder of the human cost of this crisis. The recently released final report of the Senate Cost of Living Committee, leaves the reader — and the Federal Parliament — in no doubt about the urgency of the situation. It reveals that not only is Australia in a per capita recession for the sixth consecutive quarter, but also that Australian households have experienced the largest fall in disposable incomes across OECD nations over the past two years. The committee, of which I was a member, found that the temporary economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine have largely subsided. It is now the Albanese Government’s fiscal choices that are driving inflation. These homegrown inflationary pressures have forced the Reserve Bank to keep interest rates higher for longer, compounding financial pain for households. Yet, despite the evidence and repeated warnings from experts, Labor has turned its back on struggling Australians. It is also overlooking our hardworking charities sector, which is literally keeping people alive. These charities and not for profits are experiencing unprecedented demand in an environment of rapidly rising overheads and falling donations — fighting, in many cases, for their own survival. That brings me to the Tax Laws Amendment (Incentivising Food Donations to Charitable Organisations) Bill 2024, which I introduced as a Private Senator’s Bill earlier this year. It provides a tax offset to companies donating surplus food and associated activities, including transport, to charities. This is a common sense, targeted and time limited policy designed to tackle two issues: food insecurity and food wastage. Sadly, while so many Australians are going hungry, the nation is dumping more than 7.6 million tonnes of food annually — most of it edible. This is because it is often cheaper for food to be ploughed back into the ground or thrown into landfill than to be donated. We recently held a Senate inquiry into my Bill, including a public hearing held in Canberra. Witnesses described the tax incentive’s potential as “game-changing” and recommended Parliament “have a good, hard look at itself” for failing to adopt this tax incentive sooner. Representatives of food relief charities and primary producers noted that the Bill would ease pressure on households and support overstretched charities. It would also reduce costs for farmers facing another Labor-created problem — the cost of doing business crisis. The Bill builds on a concept originally developed by Foodbank Australia and its partners, and economically modelled for them by KPMG. The tax incentive itself is supported by more than 60 food industry organisations and other businesses, who wrote to the Treasurer more than a year ago asking him to support it. He still has not answered. That is not all Labor has ignored — the House Standing Committee on Agriculture, which is dominated by Albanese Government MPs, backed the tax incentive in a report in November 2023. A year on, despite overwhelming support that includes its own members, Labor has once again dismissed this important initiative and signalled that it will not support my Bill. It claimed there were several risks, including the possibility the tax incentive might be taken up by major supermarkets. For the record, both Coles and Woolworths have confirmed in writing they would not utilise it, but I will also make amendments to the Bill specifically blocking them. The real reason is politics. What makes this particularly unacceptable is that it is politics at the expense of people in desperate need. It is also a refusal by the Albanese Government to acknowledge the dire situation it has put so many Australians and the charities supporting them in. As we approach another Christmas, both deserve better. They deserve a government that listens to experts, prioritises practical solutions, and takes proactive steps to ease the burden. That is why Labor must either reconsider its position on my Bill or finally introduce its own policy to incentivise food donations and reduce waste. In the meantime, I encourage Federal Labor parliamentarians — including those from WA — to visit a food relief charity. They should witness what is happening there for themselves and start acting in the best interests of those they were elected to serve.

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Opinion Piece – The West Australian – Our Democracy Is In Decline

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA OPINION PIECE – THE WEST AUSTRALIAN 22 October 2024 OUR DEMOCRACY IS IN DECLINE Former US president Ronald Reagan once commented that “freedom is a fragile thing … it is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation”. True words remind us that our way of life is never guaranteed. Democracy, both in Australia and elsewhere, is not a finished product. It is vulnerable by nature, and that means we have an ongoing responsibility to ensure that Australian democracy is as robust as possible. The former Coalition government met this standard — during almost a decade of Liberal-National administrations, Australia was consistently ranked in the top 10 most democratic nations in the world by The Economist Democracy Index. Labor has single-handedly undone this record. Australia ranked equal ninth in 2021, but after one year of the Albanese Government, we plummeted six places to 15th and sit at equal 14th in the most recent rankings. Given our neighbours in New Zealand are ranked second in the world, Australians have a right to wonder what is going wrong here. Exploring the metrics used by The Economist provides a fuller picture. While Australia has maintained perfect scores for some categories, such as our electoral process, we have been marked down significantly in others. On the metric of “political participation” we have fallen from 7.78 to 7.22, and on “political culture” dropped from 8.75 to 7.50. Thankfully, our voting system and our democratic institutions are doing fine. What is under strain is our democratic culture, the extent to which Australians are encouraged to participate in the political system and the openness of our public debate. This decline in our democratic health is deeply concerning. But this isn’t the fault of the Australian people, nor is it the result of manipulation from a bad faith actor overseas. It is the direct result of the way Labor governs. And it isn’t new: imposing an oversized, cumbersome and overreaching government on the Australian people is part of their DNA. Labor’s tendency to push bad laws that undermine freedom is confirmed by the historical record. In 2012, the last it was in power, Labor introduced new “self-regulation” media laws that would have left the Australian press vulnerable to interference from the Government. Then News Limited chief Kim Williams called the proposed legislation “Soviet-style” because of the dramatic changes they would have made to freedom of the press. Mr Williams went on to say that the way Labor tried to rush it through Parliament, in just one sitting week, with limited public consultation, was like putting “a gun to the head of the Parliament, our industry, and the Australian public”. Fortunately, that Bill failed. But many are now feeling a sense of déjà vu. The Albanese Government is steaming ahead with its own controversial “misinformation and disinformation” legislation. And, rather than trusting the robustness of our parliamentary process to weed out bad ideas, or fashion them into better ones, Labor is again attempting to ram these new laws through Parliament as quickly as possible. Australians were given barely a week to make submissions to a Senate inquiry on the Bill. Probably because when it tried to launch similar laws last year, more than 20,000 submissions were received opposing them. Australians must not be any less vigilant this time around. Labor’s Bill seeks to establish unprecedented powers for the communications minister — powers that would allow them to personally order misinformation investigations and hearings on terms of their own choosing. It would also create a two-tier standard for free speech, with different rules for different people. If a statement is made by an academic or comedian, for example, it can be counted as legitimate, but if that same statement is made by another Australian, it could be considered ‘misinformation’ and therefore ‘harmful’. And the statement wouldn’t need to be intentionally deceptive or malicious to be illegal, meaning it could be used to stifle the genuinely held opinions of fair-minded Australians. It stems from the loose definitions of ‘harm’ and ‘serious harm’ caused by speech, which would include remarks considered damaging to the environment or the economy. Say someone comments online that they don’t believe in Climate Change: that could be considered misinformation, harmful to the environment, and eligible to be censored. I am no climate science denier, but that doesn’t mean I think people who hold an opposing view should be suppressed. In a democracy, we settle differences through evidence and open discussion, not censorship. The Law Council of Australia takes a similar view, noting in its submission on the Bill that the definitions are “overbroad”, and that the concepts of ‘harm’ and ‘serious harm’, “each involve value judgements that are likely to be contestable and politically sensitive”. This is especially the case when you consider the way Labor wants to enforce these new free speech caveats. They propose a punitive system of fines, levied by the unelected officials at the Australian Communications and Media Authority, that will pressure social media companies to delete user content that could be considered misinformation or disinformation. Meta, Twitter, TikTok, and others will not be fined for censoring too much to meet the Government’s nominated standard, but they will face significant penalties for not censoring enough. For the most part, these companies care less for the free speech of Australians than they do about their bottom line, so it is no stretch to imagine them setting up an algorithm that automatically censors posts online without nuance. We cannot allow this scenario to become our reality. The fact we are no longer a top ten democracy, a distinction we have held since The Economist began its index in 2006, is a national embarrassment and needs to be immediately reversed. But if this Bill is passed, it would further the weakening of our democracy. There can be no doubt that misinformation and…

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Opinion Piece – The West Australian – We’re worse off than in GFC

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA OPINION PIECE – THE WEST AUSTRALIAN 18 September 2024 WE’RE WORSE OFF THAN IN GFC Remember 2008? It was the year the iPhone was first released in Australia, the ABC first aired Q&A, and Federal Parliament heard its first welcome to country. It was also the peak of the Global Financial Crisis, the year that Lehman Brothers infamously collapsed, and a time of worldwide economic uncertainty. Australia was not immune to the shockwaves of that crisis – characterised by business closures, layoffs, and crippling financial pressure on households. For many, Labor’s current cost-of-living crisis and our stagnating economy will bring back memories of that time nearly two decades ago. But what if I told you that, across many metrics, Australians are actually worse off today than they were during the GFC? These statistics will surprise you. GDP growth was at 2.9 per cent in 2008, this year it is at one per cent – the slowest rate of growth since the 1990s recession. The average household’s saving ratio was at 2.8 per cent. Today it is just 0.9 per cent. In 2008, amidst one of the worst financial meltdowns the world has ever seen, household debt as a share of income was 164 per cent. In 2024 it is 20 per cent higher, at 185 per cent. Perhaps the most alarming comparison is the number of business insolvencies. Last financial year 1,000 WA businesses failed, victims of Labor’s tandem cost-of-living and cost-of-doing business crises. Today’s figures are double what they were in 2008. That’s right, there have been twice as many insolvencies in WA this year than at the height of the GFC. It’s on a more modest scale at a national level, but still concerning, with 10,000 businesses insolvencies in 2008 compared to 11,000 this year. Even the best spin doctor on Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ team could only argue that these national figures are about equal. Imagine being ‘on par with GFC levels’ as a best-case economic scenario. That’s where Jim Chalmers and Labor find themselves now – and unfortunately they’re taking Australians with them. These statistics uncover a damning reality for the Albanese Labor Government: Australians are, across multiple measures, doing worse than they were during the peak of the Global Financial Crisis. They’re keeping less of what they earn, they’re in greater debt, and they’re working in and trying to run businesses that are struggling to stay afloat. This isn’t because Australians can’t manage their money, they can. It’s because Labor can’t manage the nation’s money. And Australians are struggling to make ends meet in an economy held in a vice-like grip by Labor’s sticky, homegrown inflation. This reality appears to be unnerving the Treasurer, who has started resorting to personal attacks against Peter Dutton, attempting to shift blame to Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michelle Bullock, and generally deflecting responsibility for Australia’s economic woes. It’s quite an unravelling from a man who came into the job as a self-confident economic philosophiser, publishing essays about how he was going to “transform” Australian capitalism. If he pulled his head out of the clouds, Jim Chalmers would see that this Government’s policies have indeed transformed our economy – just not for the better. The sad result of Labor’s economic mismanagement is that we have lost our status as the “lucky country”. We were once the exception to the rule, the envy of the world, weathering economic storms from commodity price shocks to Asia-Pacific regional disruptions, even the GFC. In fact, whilst Australia’s economy took a hit in 2008, it was still ahead of most developed economies by almost any measure. Successive Budget surpluses delivered during the Howard years, and key reforms like the GST, paved the way for Australia to avoid a recession during the GFC – one of the only nations to do so. As then RBA Governor Glenn Stevens said at the time, “there would be very few countries, if any, which would not envy Australia’s fiscal position”. Now, Australia is the exception for all the wrong reasons. Our inflation rate is higher than all the G7 nations, including the UK, USA, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada and France. Our rate of economic growth is lower than the average of the world’s advanced economies and we are experiencing a per capita recession. Worst of all, the gap between our savings ratios and that of other developed economies has widened to a chasm – the average Australian household is saving 3 per cent less than those in the US, 10 per cent less than the UK, and nearly 15 per cent less than the EU. Australians deserve better. For decades, we have come to expect a certain way of life. Now Labor and its fiscal incompetence are risking it, failing to meet the high standard we rightly expect of an Australian Government. So it’s no surprise that the latest Essential polling data shows 52 per cent of Australians think the country is headed in the wrong direction, and other polls this month have recorded a majority two-party preferred preference for the Coalition. Despite their best efforts, the public knows that the buck stops with the Treasurer and the Albanese Government. Fifty-one pre cent of voters believe the Government is primarily responsible for getting a lid on inflation – with only 27 per cent blaming the RBA. It has failed to deliver on its promises, failed to manage the economy, and sent our nation in the wrong direction. It’s time to get the economy and the country back on track – and only a Coalition government will do it.

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Opinion Piece – Life harder under Albanese

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA OPINION PIECE – THE WEST AUSTRALIAN 1 August 2024 LIFE HARDER UNDER ALBANESE Anthony Albanese lauded the “stability” of his government over the weekend, when he announced his first major cabinet reshuffle in more than two years. If I have learnt one thing in politics after many years, it’s this: the vast majority of the Australian public couldn’t give two figs about some musical chairs – which is all about union factional power games, anyway – being played out on the east coast. This is particularly the case in Western Australia, which continues to have just one Minister at the cabinet table, a sure sign if any was needed about the low regard this Government holds our state in. But if Anthony Albanese thinks it’s “stability” that will endear him to the voters of WA, then he could well be in for a nasty surprise. WA voters want competence, and they want honesty. But on both measures they are being let down. Badly. Let me give you some examples. Before the election Anthony Albanese promised to build more homes and increase the housing supply, which is desperately needed in Perth and regional WA. After more than two years, that promise isn’t just not stacking up, it’s beginning to look downright laughable. The average price of a rental in Perth has exploded under Labor – in March this year it was $710, an increase of 15% in less than nine months. Perth has one of the tightest rental markets in the country, and employers who are desperately needed to work in our schools, hospitals and construction sectors are being put off because of the lack of housing options. Nor is life any easier if you own a home. Thanks to the soaring (and, according to the RBA, home-grown) inflation crisis, interest rates have increased 12 times under Labor’s watch. According to an analysis done earlier this year by my office, 100,000 WA families are hurtling towards a mortgage cliff. This could spell disaster. Already, WA has the second-highest rates of mortgage holders in 90-day arrears in the country – behind only the Northern Territory. Instead of helping people get a foot on the property ladder, Anthony Albanese has kicked them off it and tossed the ladder away: the average home loan in Perth is now $537,000, up by more than $60,000 in a year. And what about the economy more broadly? Even in WA, the workhouse of the national economy, Labor is failing. Thanks to its reliance on the Greens to pass legislation in the Senate, Labor has refused to rule out a ‘climate trigger’ for new mining approvals, while continuing their funding of the discredited Environmental Defenders Office. Because of policies like these, nickel mining has collapsed in WA, while companies like Santos have laid off hundreds of workers thanks to what they described as unworkable mining approval processes. Anthony Albanese needs to get out to the Pilbara, where 30% of Australia’s exports come from, and which needs at least 50,000 new workers over the next decade. But instead of touching down in real Australia, and learning about its problems, like a real Prime Minister should do, Anthony Albanese is doing everything he can to make sure those jobs don’t exist, and that those exports are produced in Africa, rather than Australia. And have we mentioned live exports yet? Here’s one thing Anthony Albanese won’t be telling the people of WA: the minister responsible for banning live sheep exports, and killing off an industry worth more than $100 million dollars to the state – Murray Watt – just got a promotion. Talk about adding insult to injury. Then we come to energy. Labor’s renewables-only energy policy has been a failure everywhere in the world it has been attempted. The reason for this isn’t difficult to grasp: advanced economies need 24/7, reliable, baseload power. Renewables, by their very nature, are unable to provide this. There is only one zero-emissions energy source that can provide cheap and reliable baseload power, and that is nuclear. That’s why everyone – from US Democrats to UK Labour, from Justin Trudeau to Emmanuel Macron, not to mention every single G20 economy except Australia – are using or building nuclear power reactors. Despite promising to lead a mature government, Anthony Albanese and his ministers have used cartoons of three-eyed fish to discredit Peter Dutton’s plans for moving Australia in line with the rest of the developed world. Under Labor, we will be stuck with a second-rate energy policy that sends jobs overseas and small businesses in Australia broke because the government refuses to budge from its ideological approach. One term of Albanese has set the country back. But two would be a national disaster. The next election will be critical to Australia – but particularly WA, who Labor continues to fail. So it’s time we helped Anthony Albanese with his next reshuffle. My idea: let’s shuffle the lot of them to Opposition.

Opinion Piece – Fears among Jewish community as Anti-Semitism on the march – The West Australian

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There is a great fear among the Australian Jewish community that, not for the first time in history, they stand at the edge of a precipice. On one side, the security of tolerance and an understanding of the evil of anti-Semitism, and on the other, the dangerous abyss of ignorance and racial hatred. For weeks, Australian universities have been overrun by anti-Israel encampments, where chants of “intifada” and “from the river to the sea” have transformed places of learning into centres of fear. Anti-Semitism is on the march in Australian cities, whether it be anti-Semitic chants on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in October or the alleged targeting of an 84-year-old Jewish woman in Melbourne, who said she was poked and called a “Zionist pig” at a recent Never Again is Now event. It remains one of the most perplexing and disturbing consequences of the October 7 attack that the greatest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust has led not to an outbreak of sympathy for the victims but the opposite. In these dark times, Jewish Australians are taking measures they had never dreamt would be necessary in this country. Jewish students are not attending lectures, Jewish schools are hiring extra security, and Jewish parents are having conversations with their children about what to do if they are abused or even assaulted. The words of the great-grandmother harassed in Melbourne, who said she “can’t believe this is the Australia I grew up in,” captures the distress felt across her community, and in particular those who lived through the Holocaust. Adding to this distress is a sense of confusion: why is it acceptable to treat Jewish Australians in a way that would be unacceptable if it were any other minority group? This confusion was articulated by the president of the Perth Hebrew Congregation, Michael Levitt, in this newspaper. “We all know that similar public displays of hatred directed at Indigenous Australians, people of colour more broadly, homosexuals, Muslims, transgender people, foreign students — almost any subset of Australian society other than Jews, whether on our streets or on campuses — would be condemned and closed down speedily, and with firm intent,” he wrote. When any community in our country feels under threat, they should be able to look to their political leaders for moral clarity and guidance. Worryingly, Australia’s Jewish community felt abandoned by Labor at the time their public support should have been the Government’s first priority. For evidence of this, we need only look at the events of the past week. When the International Criminal Court sought the arrest warrant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, along with Hamas’ leadership, they were met with a clear rebuke by the political leadership of our closest allies. US President Joe Biden labelled the ICC’s decision as “outrageous” and confirmed his view that there is “no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas.” UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “There is no moral equivalence between a democratic state exercising its lawful right to self-defence and the terrorist group Hamas”. Opposition Peter Dutton described the decision as “repugnant” and an act of anti-Semitism. The most Anthony Albanese could bring himself to say was that he didn’t comment on court proceedings — a weak response from a Prime Minister who, before the last election, promised that “Australia needs leaders who show up and then step up”. Just this month, Labor Senator Fatima Payman accused Israel of genocide in the Senate and repeated the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. Anyone in possession of a map can see that the “liberation” of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea is itself an incitement to genocide, as it could only be brought about by the destruction of the state of Israel. Clearly, Anthony Albanese doesn’t think it’s a problem if a member of his own political party thinks this is a desirable outcome, as he is yet even to reprimand Senator Payman. Nor has he formally reprimanded Ged Kearney, a member of his own front bench, for publicly supporting Senator Payman. In an attempt to break this cycle of fear, Peter Dutton and Liberal Senator for Victoria, Sarah Henderson, wrote to Mr Albanese seeking a judicial or Senate inquiry into antisemitism on campuses. But Labor, it seems, is reluctant to support any inquiry focussed only on anti-Semitism. Time and time again, at moments when the country needed moral leadership, Anthony Albanese has been sly and equivocating. As a result, anti-Semitism has a foot in the door in Australia. While Anthony Albanese continues to shy away from responsibility on this critical issue, which goes to the heart of Australia’s multicultural character, he could do worse than reflect on the words of Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. In his 1987 acceptance speech, Wiesel said: “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” He went on to say: “Action is the only remedy to indifference: the most insidious danger of all.” On behalf of the country, it’s time for Anthony Albanese to get off the fence.

Opinion Piece – Compensating travellers for cancelled flights long overdue – The Australian Financial Review

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From being one of life’s pleasures, flying in Australia has become an anxious business, which sees us reloading Qantas or Virgin apps throughout the day, expecting the worst, while having to make contingencies for possible delays or cancelled flights. Australians who fly for work, visit family, for medical appointments, holidays, and a host of other reasons, have the right to say enough is enough. Last week’s Domestic Airline Competition in Australia report from the ACCC confirms why. The report found that, in December 2023, 5 per cent of flights were cancelled, representing more than 2200 departures – more than double the long-term average of 2.2 per cent. Just 63 per cent of flights arrived on time, well below the long-term average of 81 per cent. We also heard in Senate estimates last Monday that when two air traffic controllers at Sydney Airport called in sick, flights across the eastern seaboard of Australia had to be cancelled, an indicator that at least some of the cancellations and delays are the responsibility of the federal Minister for Transport to fix. In November last year, 45 per cent of flights were cancelled or delayed on the “golden triangle” routes between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, meaning one of the busiest routes in the world is also one of the most unreliable. And if you happen to find yourself at Broome Airport in WA’s Kimberley region, there’s only a 50 per cent chance your flight will leave on time. Customer service is also headed in the wrong direction. The ACCC says it has seen a dramatic increase in the number of inquiries on airline matters. In the first nine months of 2023, they were 179 per cent higher than 2018 and 100 per cent higher than 2019. We expect an affordable airline system where your flights take off and land on time, and your bags arrive with you at your destination. Domestic airfare prices are trending down, falling 13.4 per cent in the year to November 2023. But they remain far too high. This reality is even harder for air travellers to swallow when they think back to the record profit of $2.47 billion announced by Australia’s largest carrier, Qantas, last August. Former ACCC chairman Allan Fels recently pointed out that this profit coincided with Qantas’ flight cancellation rate more than doubling. The February 2024 Domestic Airline Competition in Australia report is the first published since the watchdog resumed airline monitoring late last year. It was originally a Coalition government initiative, but Labor allowed the regime to lapse, due largely to pressure from Qantas. This decision went against the advice of the ACCC itself and the sentiments of every other industry stakeholder, including airlines, airports and travel agencies. It was characteristic of the Albanese government’s stifling of airline competition, both domestically and internationally – the highest profile example of which was the decision of Transport Minister Catherine King to block Qatar Airways’ application to add extra flights into Australia. Coalition pressure in the form of a private senator’s bill from us as the respective shadow ministers for competition (Smith) and transport (McKenzie) forced Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ hand. In November 2023, he reluctantly restored this vital monitoring process and the clarity it provides consumers in an environment that’s currently stacked against them. Now we are having to do it again. We are co-sponsoring a second private senator’s bill, aimed at delivering Australian airline consumers the protections they need. The draft bill requires the establishment of long overdue minimum standards of service for travellers and – importantly – compensation for those who have had their plans upended. Similar laws exist in Europe and the US, where Qantas is bound to adhere to them, so why not in Australia? Neither the airlines nor the airports are likely to embrace this bill, but unless there are serious efforts by the Albanese government to improve flight reliability, including reforming the slots system at Sydney airport, changing the culture at AirServices Australia, and improving competition within the aviation sector, nothing will change. It’s clear that there has not been a sufficient disincentive that would prompt airlines to improve their operations until this point. They have had free rein to cancel flights and lose baggage while passengers, in most cases, bear the expense and inconvenience. We are now in a cycle where the Coalition acts proactively where Labor will not. Our “Pay for Delay” legislation will be another step in tilting the balance of power back in favour of consumers, rather than airlines. Because that is the way it should be.

Opinion Piece – Newly engaged Anthony Albanese must show WA some love too – The West Australian

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Fresh off his engagement to long-term partner Jodie Haydon, no one will begrudge the Prime Minister having a spring in his step when he arrives in WA in a few days. And while he can expect a warmer reaction — who doesn’t love a wedding — Anthony Albanese must also be ready for some tough questions. West Australians are not gullible. We can see past the knee-jerk political reactions, such as Labor’s decision to abandon stage three tax cuts, and whistle-stop tours of our State. And we realise that, despite promising to “stand up for WA” before the last election, Labor’s policies seem to be pulling our State backwards instead. Firstly, Anthony Albanese can be certain that he will be asked to explain his position on live exports. Labor’s plan to outlaw this industry will not only be catastrophic for the WA economy, it will also decimate livelihoods and erase the generations of achievement of our farming communities. When an industry is worth more than $120 million to WA and feeds hundreds of thousands of people around the world, it’s only a weak leader that would bow to the demands of extreme animal rights activists — even if many of them do live in his own electorate. Labor’s damage to our farming communities hasn’t stopped there. Less well known by many is that our farmers raise hundreds of millions of dollars every year in compulsory industry levies. Yet, Labor has just re-committed to a new levy that forces Australian farmers to pay for the biosecurity costs of international importers. The new tax will punish WA farmers, push up prices at supermarkets, and add to the cost-of-business challenges for our grain growers, meat producers and fruit and vegetable farmers. Farmers are already dealing with labour shortages, climate and cost-of-living challenges. Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers’ answer — to impose more taxes — needs to be called out. We can also expect the Prime Minister to try to justify the $10 million Labor has donated to the now-discredited Environmental Defenders Office. This body, whose current target is Woodside’s $16 billion dollar Scarborough gas field off the northwest coast, is a direct threat to 120,000 West Australians employed in the resources sector. It’s also a threat to the roads, schools, and hospitals across the country who rely on royalties from WA miners. Anthony Albanese should follow Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s example and promise to shut it down after the next election. Then we come to the housing crisis — now the worst in the country. While there are many factors that go into housing, what is hurting WA renters the most is Labor’s record, unmodelled immigration policy. In three years Labor will bring in 1.5 million people from overseas, with no plan to manage its impact. In 2023 alone, more than 500,000 immigrants came to Australia. This put significant strain on WA. Per capita, our population grew more than any other State last year. Unsurprisingly, in December the average price to rent a house in WA hit $600 a week for the first time, and rental availability shrunk to below 1 per cent. Finally — and this list of grievances is far from complete — the Prime Minister can expect to be held accountable for his Government’s failures in Indigenous affairs. Despite spending more than $450 million on a referendum that was overwhelmingly rejected by WA voters, Anthony Albanese and Minister Linda Burney have been silent on the epidemic of alcoholism, violence and sexual abuse that scars too many remote indigenous communities. If the Prime Minister cares so deeply about improving health and education outcomes for Indigenous Australians, he should include Broome, Derby, Halls Creek and Kununurra in his itinerary. No one is saying it’s an easy issue, but the PM’s symbolism-over-substance policy, combined with a refusal to see first hand the communities worst impacted by this current scourge, is insincere at best. With speculation growing the election will be later this year instead of early next year, WA voters are watching closer than ever and are asking themselves whether Anthony Albanese really has WA’s back or is in fact going behind it. So far, the evidence says it’s the latter.

Balance crucial in a divisive debate – The Sunday Times

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It’s the time of the year when the subject of Australia’s national day, and the date on which we celebrate it, fills the airwaves and column inches. For a couple of weeks it dominates media, political and, more recently, commercial conversations. The decision by Woolworths and Aldi, among others, not to sell Australia Day-themed material this year at least partly on ideological grounds is the latest example of elements of corporate Australia being unwilling to stay in their own lane and has rightly drawn criticism. We now expect a debate to arise as each January 26 approaches. But those of us who are genuinely proud of our country, enjoying its triumphs and mindful of its tribulations, should not accept the efforts of those sowing hypocrisy where there should be honesty, and division where there should be unity. So, as we near this Australia Day, let’s ensure the discussion is characterised by some balance and common sense, too. First, surely we can all agree there should be a national day on which we celebrate Australia and the part each of us plays in it – and this should be known as Australia Day. Second, we should be clear about what we are acknowledging on Australia Day. We celebrate our diversity, our respect for each other and the individual dignity every Australian is entitled to. We honour the liberty of expression that allows free debate, the equality given to every person before the law, and reiterate our trust and respect for the institutions ensuring our democracy. All this is wrapped in a spirit of gratitude, fairness and tolerance. Third, let’s recognise all our history – the good and the bad. We are blessed with a rich Indigenous heritage. We are a nation that has built a trusted national identity that is the envy of the world. We have fought for freedom over tyranny in global conflicts and opened our doors to millions looking to build a new life in safety. We can absolutely enjoy all that is good about our country, while also remembering past wrongs and committing ourselves to constant improvement. And we can do this in the knowledge that Australia’s historical ledger has more pluses than minuses. Finally, we must be clear about the date. Australia Day marks January 26, 1788, and while this represents understandable and valid sensitivities for some parts of the Australian community, it can also be viewed as a lens through which we better appreciate the experiences of First Nations Australians over the past 236 years. I’d argue that what is required is not a change of date, but an increased level of maturity and understanding – especially from our parliamentarians. There are those, led from the front by Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, working to deliberately erode confidence in our national day by failing to provide real leadership. Anthony Albanese could learn a thing or two from the political playbooks of former prime ministers Paul Keating and John Howard on this. When confronted by efforts in the 1990s to destroy Anzac Day and change the Australian national flag, these leaders acted decisively. As a result, Australians are today comforted by the fact both Anzac Day and the Australian national flag are protected by law. Paul Keating enshrined Anzac Day in legislation in 1995 and John Howard in 1998 ensured the national flag could only be changed by a vote of all electors. Debates about these symbols are now muted because people know they must make a substantive case for change, rather than simply disrupting from the sidelines. Australia Day is every bit as significant and deserves the same certainty and protection. It’s something to think about as the noise once again begins to rage. In the meantime, I have no doubt many will celebrate Australia Day 2024 with enthusiasm – and they are the Australians Anthony Albanese and corporate Australia should be paying attention to.