LABOR MUST BOOST AIRLINE COMPETITION BY REINSTATING ACCC REPORTING

Joint Media Release SENATOR THE HON BRIDGET McKENZIE SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEADER OF THE NATIONALS IN THE SENATE SENATOR DEAN SMITH LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY MEDIA RELEASE 31 August 2023 LABOR MUST BOOST AIRLINE COMPETITION BY REINSTATING ACCC REPORTING The Albanese Government is failing Australian families and businesses by deliberately exempting Qantas, Virgin, and the wider aviation sector from its recently announced review of competition policy. Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Senator Bridget McKenzie said the Prime Minister has a lot of questions to answer as to why the Government seems determined to stifle competition and keep the cost of airfares at very high levels. “Australians are paying more, reliability is going down not up, and flight cancellations are more not less frequent,” Senator McKenzie said. “At every turn the Albanese Government seems to be avoiding its regulatory responsibilities to oversee a competitive, reliable and affordable airline industry.” “Labor refuse to add competition-creating flexibility to slots at Sydney airport, they abolished the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s monthly reporting on domestic airline competition, blocked Qatar Airways from providing additional flights to the Middle East and Europe, and now they are exempting this vital sector from examination by the newly established competition review. “The fact this exemption was a surprise to members of the Competition Taskforce, including former ACCC chair Rod Sims, is a further indication the Government has some hidden reasons for going soft on airlines,” Senator McKenzie said. Coalition competition spokesman Senator Dean Smith said CEO Alan Joyce’s evidence to the Senate Cost of Living Committee this week again failed to convince Australians that Qantas should enjoy privileged and protected status among the nation’s air carriers – and reinforced the need for monitoring the sector’s competitiveness generally. The Coalition is now calling on the Treasurer to direct the ACCC to resume monitoring the aviation industry and investigate airline competition and prices, costs and profits relating to both domestic and international air passenger transport services. The direction, which would invoke the ACCC’s powers under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, should require the competition watchdog to report on this monitoring at least once a quarter for a further three years. Despite the last ACCC report finding that the Australian airline industry had room for increased competition, both Mr Joyce and Qantas corporate affairs head Andrew McGinnes have dismissed the suggestion of ongoing oversight. Senator Smith said their reluctance is particularly disappointing given the obvious need for the cheaper prices and greater flexibility extra air services would deliver. “Australians deserve the best and most competitive experience possible when travelling in the world’s eighth largest domestic aviation market,” Senator Smith said. “The level of competition is insufficient to meet the needs of consumers, especially those living in isolated cities and regional areas outside the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.” It is worth noting that the last ACCC report, published in June, found: Qantas Airways reported an underlying profit before tax of $1.43 billion for the first half of the 2022-23 financial year, 49% higher than the previous first half record in 2017 / 2018. The domestic operations of Qantas and Jetstar were responsible for most of the recent result with underlying earnings before interest and tax of $915 million. Although Qantas’ market share decreased to 34.8% in January, the combined market share of the Qantas Group remained at 61.7% The report also confirmed the ACCC received 1,740 contacts involving Qantas in 2021-22, the most of any company and 68% higher than the previous year, observing that “such an increased level of contacts is generally indicative of a high level of dissatisfaction with that company”. Senator Smith said both the report’s findings and recent events highlighted the need to reinstate monitoring. “The fact Labor’s newly announced competition review will not consider aviation is further justification for the ACCC oversight being called for by the Coalition,” Senator Smith said. “In Andrew Leigh’s first real attempt at bringing down the barriers to effective competition in the Australian economy, he has been blocked by his ministerial colleagues from looking at airlines. “It should be very clear to the Albanese Government that the ACCC needs to continue its analysis and promotion of greater airline competition well into the future.” ENDS

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RENTERS JOIN MORTGAGE HOLDERS AS VICTIMS OF LABOR’S ECONOMIC MISMANAGEMENT

Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia MEDIA RELEASE 25 August 2023 RENTERS JOIN MORTGAGE HOLDERS AS VICTIMS OF LABOR’S ECONOMIC MISMANAGEMENT Recent data analysis shows low-income WA renters would need to spend around two-thirds of their income to access an average rental property in the state. The median weekly rent for a house in WA has climbed from $370.00 in 2020 to $580.00 in 2023, while the minimum wage has only grown from $753.80 to $863.40. This represents a ratio increase from 49% to 67%. Over the same time period, the percentage of income an average WA worker spent on rent has jumped nearly 10%. Western Australians in this category spent about 20% of their income on rent in 2020, but in August this year that has increased to more than 28%. The negative impact on WA households is confirmed by The Salvation Army’s Doorways Emergency Relief Survey, which found 21% of respondents from the West had been unable to pay their mortgage repayments or rent on time in the past year. To put this into perspective, the national rate was only 7%. Earlier this year, Anglicare WA’s latest Rental Affordability Snapshot found that the average price for a rental in WA has soared to $560 per week – an increase of 17% in just one year. It also found that only 1% of rentals are affordable for a working single parent with two children on the minimum wage in WA, while there was no affordable rental in the state for a single person on JobSeeker. Just 15% of rentals were affordable for a family with two children where both parents earn the minimum wage. Renters have joined the state’s mortgage holders as the victims of Labor’s cost of living crisis and inability to tame inflation. 56% of the fixed rate home loans in WA switch to variable rate by the end of 2023 –one of the highest levels in Australia. Of any state, WA has the largest number of borrowers that are three months behind on their mortgage repayments. Meanwhile, over 40,000 low-income WA mortgage holders are now spending 30% or more of their household budget on loan repayments. These statistics confirm that, over a year after the election of the Albanese Government, its promise life would be cheaper under Labor have come to nothing. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “There have been 11 interest rate rises on the Albanese Government’s watch and instead of effective economic management, their policies are making matters worse.” “While there’s ample evidence of the toll being taken on WA mortgage holders, it’s undeniable renters are also doing it very tough under Labor.” “Keeping a roof over their heads is now a daily struggle for many Western Australians – how is that compatible with the promise we’d all be better off under Labor?” “We are setting records for all the wrong reasons here in WA, with significant hardship being felt as a result.” “Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers have forgotten the everyday Australians they promised to help.” “Addressing this rental stress must be a top priority for Labor, and an important part of that is not the HAFF or introducing caps, but incentivising mum and dad property investors to enter the market and increase rental stock.” ENDS

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RECORD COST OF LIVING PAIN REVEALED IN NEW ABS DATA

Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia MEDIA RELEASE 2 August 2023 RECORD COST OF LIVING PAIN REVEALED IN NEW ABS DATA Living Cost Indexes released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics lay bare the rising cost of living under the Albanese Government, especially for working Australians. The Indexes measure goods and services prices and their impact on five household types – including employee, age pensioner and self-funded retirees. Annually, spanning most of the life of the Albanese Government between June 2022 and June 2023, indexes for all household types rose. Working households experienced the highest annual rise on record, or 9.6%, based on mortgage interest increases. Mortgage interest expenses blew out by 91.6%, another record. In the last quarter, indexes for all five household types rose by up to 1.5%. Insurance and financial services was the leading component, again driven by mortgage interest rate increases as well as larger insurance premiums, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages and housing expenses. Housing jumped as an expenditure component due to growing rents in an environment of low vacancy rates and strong demand. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “This ABS data makes it very clear that Jim Chalmers and the Albanese Government’s recent claims about the economy and how Australians are faring is false.” “The data confirms all Australians have experienced significant, sometimes record, cost of living increases on Labor’s watch. “Working Australians are worst affected, given the inevitable impact of rising interest rates – themselves the result of Labor mismanaging inflation and leaving the heavy lifting to the RBA. “No wonder this record data corresponds to record numbers of Australians turning to charities and non-profits for support, many for the first time. “It’s time the Albanese Government got its priorities right and focussed on addressing inflation and its effect on Australian households and those supporting them.” ENDS

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS FOLLOWING FIRST HEARING OF PERTH MINT INQUIRY

Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia MEDIA RELEASE 27 July 2023 MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS FOLLOWING FIRST HEARING OF PERTH MINT INQUIRY Reports delivered at one minute to midnight, no indication of a timeframe for resolution, or whether financial penalties will apply at the taxpayers’ expense were all revealed at the first hearing of a Senate probe into The Perth Mint and Australia’s anti-money laundering regime. Witnesses giving evidence in Canberra included some members of the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce, the Reserve Bank of Australia, Attorney-General’s Department and AUSTRAC. The RBA gave its evidence privately ‘in camera’ – with only Inquiry members and officials present. The hearing was chaired by Senator Dean Smith, who secured Greens and crossbench support to launch the Inquiry in June. Senator Smith noted two observations from the WA Auditor General’s October 2022 report Compliance Frameworks for Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-terrorism Financing Obligations – firstly that non-compliance with obligations risked reputational damage and financial consequences to the State, and secondly that two entities had failed to resolve past issues identified by AUSTRAC. Asked if these were all characteristics of Gold Corporation, which runs The Perth Mint, the AUSTRAC representative noted that was an assumption that could be made. Significantly, AUSTRAC told the hearing it was unable to give a timeframe for finalisation of the Gold Corporation matter. And it would not rule out the possibility of financial repercussions for the State-owned business, the cost of which may ultimately be borne by WA taxpayers. AUSTRAC did reinforce its expectation that any findings of non-compliance should be shared at the highest levels of an organisation, including its risk and audit committee, board and chairman, and that this would apply to Gold Corporation like it would any other operator. Senator Smith also queried whether the independent auditor’s report into Gold Corporation ordered by AUSTRAC was received on time, as it appeared the report was submitted a day late – and on a Saturday. AUSTRAC clarified it was received after midnight in Canberra, meaning shortly before deadline in WA, despite an extension of time having already been granted. WA Senators Dorinda Cox, who is the Inquiry’s Deputy Chair, Linda Reynolds, Fatima Payman and Glenn Sterle also participated. A date for a public hearing in Perth, at which The Perth Mint is expected to be called as a witness, will be set in coming days. Submissions to the Inquiry close on 1 August and it is due to report by 13 December. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “Today’s hearing raised more questions than it answered in terms of how long The Perth Mint matter could last and how much it could cost the people of WA.” “AUSTRAC especially made it very clear that the bar is set high when it comes to compliance and that standard absolutely applies to Gold Corporation.” “Getting to the bottom of what did or did not happen at The Mint is essential to WA’s national and international reputation.” “The Inquiry, which includes my WA Senate colleagues from across the Parliament, will continue to work in a bipartisan way to give this issue the close scrutiny it deserves.” “When the Inquiry moves to Perth, I expect the full co-operation of Gold Corporation and the WA Government – right up to Premier Roger Cook.” ENDS

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LABOR REFUSES TO RELEASE GST DOCUMENTS REQUESTED UNDER FOI

Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia MEDIA RELEASE 14 July 2023 LABOR REFUSES TO RELEASE GST DOCUMENTS REQUESTED UNDER FOI Treasurer Jim Chalmers is again showing up Anthony Albanese’s much vaunted commitment to accountability and transparency in Government by refusing to release hundreds of pages of documents relating to GST discussions between the States and Federal Government. “The Treasurer is failing to meet the most basic transparency requirements and has flaunted the Freedom of Information process since March this year when my office first made a request regarding details of the GST distribution system,” Senator Dean Smith said. Treasury officials confirmed during Senate Estimates that 91 new FOI requests were received between 1 January and 30 April 2023, but 8 were not finalised within the statutory timeframe of 30 days and one was not finalised within 30 days of the due date. On 28 June, the Treasurer’s office issued a ‘practical refusal grounds’ to Senator Smith’s request, blocking the release of more than 500 pages of documents on the basis it would place an unreasonable burden on his “small number of office staff” and that it would “substantially and unreasonably interfere with the performance of the Minister’s functions”. The recent announcement confirming WA’s AAA credit rating was, predictably, met with a barrage of complaints from State Premiers and Treasurers about WA’s GST deal. “Documents that my office managed to source through other Senate information gathering processes confirm that the GST system has been discussed at meetings between State Treasurers and the Federal Treasurer since the election of the Albanese Government,” Senator Smith said. In a letter to the Federal Treasurer on 30 January 2023, the ACT Chief Minister confirmed the GST “no-worse off guarantee” had been discussed at the Council on Federal Financial Relations (CFFR) on 9 September 2022, and asked for a “process and timeframe for resolution of this issue” be discussed at the next meeting of the CFFR. “The use of Freedom on Information laws and other Senate information gathering processes have become more necessary than ever after Labor changed the rules governing the Council on Federal Financial Relations in December last year, making all its discussions and documents confidential,” Senator Smith said. “Western Australians have a right to know what secret deals the Albanese Government might be hatching with other States in order to meet their demands for greater GST funding. “WA’s Federal Labor representatives cannot allow our GST win to be whittled away with secret side deals, potentially robbing WA of its fair share of funding for roads, hospitals and vital infrastructure.” ENDS

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LABOR TALKFEST CONTINUES WHILE AUSTRALIAN CHARITIES WAIT FOR REAL RESULTS

Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia MEDIA RELEASE 11 July 2023 LABOR TALKFEST CONTINUES WHILE AUSTRALIAN CHARITIES WAIT FOR REAL RESULTS Another round of charities town hall meetings is being held by the Albanese Government while it neglects key decisions affecting the Australian charity and non-profit sector. Charities Minister Andrew Leigh is in Perth today for the first of the meetings, with more advertised in Brisbane, Devonport and Adelaide later this week. Labor says the town halls follow on from “successful meetings with charities last year”, but Opposition charities spokesman Senator Dean Smith said there’s no tangible evidence they achieved meaningful results. “Andrew Leigh is far more interested in concepts than delivery when comes to backing our charities and non-profits,” Senator Smith said. “Labor acknowledges the sector is under pressure, then proceeds to waste a week by holding meetings instead of taking the urgent, practical action required. “What more proof does the Albanese Government need that the sector is facing unprecedented demand that’s growing by the day?” Senator Smith said it was particularly disappointing given Labor still hasn’t announced a new advisory board for the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. EOI applications for the board opened in October 2022 and the Charities Minister, who is responsible for making the appointments, was provided a short list in January this year. “Six months have now passed since this landed on Andrew Leigh’s desk,” Senator Smith said. “Now we have another round of town halls, more talking, and no action from Labor where it really counts. “Applicants for board positions, and the sector generally, deserved an answer a long time ago – they need clarity more than ever and they’re not getting it from the Albanese Government.” Responding to Andrew Leigh’s media release today that noted “we have initiated a Productivity Commission review of philanthropy” and “started work on a Blueprint for strengthening the capacity and capability of Australian charities”, Senator Smith said Labor had only begun work on this after he raised it in Question Time on 8 February. “Part of these initiatives were an election commitment to the sector, but that didn’t stop Labor dragging its heels for months,” Senator Smith said. “And we still haven’t actually seen the blueprint that Andrew Leigh talks about. “Australia’s charities and non-profit sector represents almost a tenth of the economy, it’s a major employer, and it’s literally keeping Australians alive in the Albanese Government’s cost of living crisis. “Our charities are at the coalface of this crisis and the least Labor could do is provide them with some concrete results.” ENDS

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Charities the hidden face of Australia’s Cost of Living Crisis

Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia Angie Bell MP Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education Shadow Minister for Youth Federal Member for Moncrieff Aaron Violi MP Federal Member for Casey MEDIA RELEASE 4 July 2023 CHARITIES THE HIDDEN FACE OF AUSTRALIA’S COST OF LIVING CRISIS Charities from the Dandenongs to the Gold Coast have described themselves as the ‘hidden face’ of the Albanese Government’s cost-of-living crisis. Operators said they are facing record demand for their services against a backdrop of inflation, rising rents and reduced donations. Charities and non-profits shared these experiences during visits by Shadow Assistant Minister for Charities Senator Dean Smith to the Federal electorates of Casey and Moncrieff. The visits are aimed at supporting Coalition Members’ engagement with their local charities, as well as gauging the capacity and resilience of the sector nationally. In Casey, Federal Member Aaron Violi MP and Senator Smith visited homelessness support service Holy Fools and emergency food relief provider Discovery Community Care, after calling into The Mustard Tree Op Shop and Café in Lilydale. Sales at The Mustard Tree, run by the Lilydale Baptist Church, fund its wide-reaching charity work, including food, clothing and shelter for those in need. Another catering operator doing important work is Tasty Az, a social enterprise providing cooking, job and life skills to people living with a disability, and where Mr Violi and Senator Smith helped make a batch of scones for afternoon tea. The visit ended with a round table meeting with representatives of Anchor Community Care, Cire Community Hubs and Healesville Inter-Church Community Care. Senator Smith said the work being done by local charities was inspiring. “The support being provided to so many people, whatever their needs, is remarkable when you consider the economic environment charities are currently operating in,” Senator Smith said. “The feedback is clear, there are more clients than ever before, but overheads are up and donations are down – it’s a very challenging space to be working in. “We heard anecdotal evidence that increasing rents are forcing charities out of the premises they need to run their activities.” Mr Violi said locals in need were supported by a charity and non-profit sector that is second to none. “Casey is incredibly lucky to be home to such a dedicated, diverse and highly organised charities presence, doing everything possible to support those who are struggling,” Mr Violi said. “But providing these services is far from easy at the moment, with many local charities facing unprecedented demand. The Mustard Tree told us it experienced its busiest month ever in May 2023.” Travelling to Queensland’s Gold Coast, Senator Smith participated in a dynamic round table organised by Ms Angie Bell MP at the Broadbeach Senior Citizens Centre. Among the charities and non-profits that generously gave both their time and input were St John’s Crisis Centre, Volunteering Gold Coast and Gold Coast Hospital Foundation, which supports the work of Australia’s busiest emergency department. Rosie’s Friends on The Street, Hope Starts Here, The Migrant Centre, Serving Our People and branches of the local Rotary and Lions Clubs were also around the table, covering services from assisting new arrivals to Australia with getting drivers licences and other essentials, to running a free supermarket so those experiencing food stress can get their groceries in a stigma-free manner. Ms Bell said that Moncrieff has a proud history of volunteering and supporting those in need, with local charities and community organisations actively working together to meet demand. “Gold Coasters are feeling the full impact of this cost-of-living crisis and our local charities and community organisations are going above and beyond to provide support,” Ms Bell said. “Moncrieff charities are out there doing important work, supporting the most vulnerable in our community. Friends with Dignity have furnished hundreds of homes for domestic violence survivors, St John’s Crisis Centre are offering a hand up to those who are struggling with homelessness and the Carrara Lions Club have their own grants programs to make a small but meaningful difference within our community.” Senator Smith said although feedback about a lack of new volunteers across Casey and Moncrieff was consistent with elsewhere in Australia, it was encouraging to hear some representatives say they are seeing an uptick in interest from young people. “But it’s a shame that, while charities and their volunteer bases work so hard to meet their obligations, the Albanese Government is not,” Senator Smith said. “Labor doesn’t just owe it to Australians to be better economic managers, get inflation in check, and relieve the pain of its cost-of-living crisis – it owes it to our charities.” “It’s a blessing that communities like those in Casey and Moncrieff have the outstanding charity sectors they do, and that they are so well advocated for by Aaron Violi and Angie Bell. ENDS

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