Australia politics live: Hanson-Young calls Coalition’s fuel excise cut a ‘bribe’ as Pocock decries ‘short-term politicking’

Greens calls Coalition’s fuel excise cut a ‘bribe’ as Pocock decries ‘short-term politicking’

What does the crossbench view of the fuel excise cut?

The Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young is no fan of the policy, telling the ABC it’s a “bribe” and it won’t “touch the sides” of the cost of living relief people need.

I will tell you what is a bribe – pretending to offer people cheaper petrol, which 12 months later, is going to soar again. And failing to invest in allowing households to actually cut their bills permanently.

Hanson-Young is joined by independent senator David Pocock – both are calling for proper policies to help people electrify their homes, which would more permanently bring down energy bills.

Pocock says the measures in the budget don’t go far enough and calls the policies from Labor and the opposition as “short-term politicking”.

We are seeing short-term tinkering, nothing that is actually addressing the root cause of the challenges that we are facing.

David Pocock and Sarah Hanson-Young in 2024. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

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AFP commissioner warns threats made against political figures is increasing

The AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, is appearing at estimates, warning the number of reports of threats to politicians and electorate offices is increasing.

Kershaw said the threats have been directed at “high office holders, federal parliamentarians, dignitaries and electorate offices.”

He breaks down the numbers:

In 2021-22, there were 555 reports;

In 2022-23, there were 709 reports;

In 2023-24, there were 1,009 reports; and

This financial year, as of 28 February, 2025, there have been 712 reports. At this rate, the number of threats this financial year will surpass those in 2023-24.

He says threats directed at male politicians and high office holders have included cases where bullets have been sent in the mail, but he is particularly worried at the threats being sent to females.

The nature of threats and comments directed at female parliamentarians and high office holders is particularly troubling, with a common feature being offensive material centred on derogatory language about their appearance.

These threats, which are being made online or are being sent in the post or over the phone, are sometimes also directed at their children.

Urgent care clinic presentations five times more expensive than GP consults

Urgent care clinic presentations are five times more expensive than a standard GP consult, but cheaper than hospital visits, according to an interim report from the government.

The interim program evaluation report released by the government today says the annualised Australian government funding support for standard Medicare UCCs is estimated to be $246.50 a presentation.

The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) says that cost is five times higher than the standard GP consult of $42, amid concerns that the government is committing to funding more of these clinics before there has been a proper evaluation of the program.

The RACGP’s president, Dr Michael Wright, said the interim report validated many of the college’s concerns regarding urgent care clinics and still left many unanswered questions:

The report confirms what we already knew: urgent care clinics are an expensive model of care, which could be better and more efficiently delivered through existing general practices.

The government’s election commitment to roll out more urgent care clinics will mean more than $1bn will be spent on setting up these clinics, and the report states that each presentation costs $246.50. This sum is cheaper than a visit to a hospital emergency department; however, it’s significantly more expensive than a standard GP consult, which costs taxpayers a little over $42.

So, your average urgent care clinic visit, seeing a GP who you may not even know, is more than five times as expensive as a consult with your regular GP.

Wright said the most cost-effective way for the government to increase access to urgent care and ease pressure on hospitals would be to support existing practices in expanding their current services, including offering more after-hours services.

Greens calls Coalition’s fuel excise cut a ‘bribe’ as Pocock decries ‘short-term politicking’

What does the crossbench view of the fuel excise cut?

The Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young is no fan of the policy, telling the ABC it’s a “bribe” and it won’t “touch the sides” of the cost of living relief people need.

I will tell you what is a bribe – pretending to offer people cheaper petrol, which 12 months later, is going to soar again. And failing to invest in allowing households to actually cut their bills permanently.

Hanson-Young is joined by independent senator David Pocock – both are calling for proper policies to help people electrify their homes, which would more permanently bring down energy bills.

Pocock says the measures in the budget don’t go far enough and calls the policies from Labor and the opposition as “short-term politicking”.

We are seeing short-term tinkering, nothing that is actually addressing the root cause of the challenges that we are facing.

Joyce: fuel cut excise ‘effecacious’ way of helping those in a cost-of-living crisis

Earlier, the PM read out some choice comments from the opposition (including Barnaby Joyce) previously about cutting the fuel excise – you can read back on that here.

Karvelas puts those comments to Barnaby Joyce – who is on a panel with Labor frontbencher Anne Aly. Joyce says the excise cut will go to those who need help the most.

They are the people for which fuel is a great proportion of their budget ... so we need to look after people in a … cost-of-living crisis which is just crushing people. This is the most efficacious way to deal with it.

He adds the policy goes to people like pensioners or single mothers who are struggling but might not pay tax, so wouldn’t benefit from a tax break.

Aly counters saying the excise is temporary while a tax cut is permanent.

You [Joyce] actually flat out said it would not help the cost of living back then. If it wasn’t going to help in 2022, I find it confusing you are now mounting an argument that it would help the cost of living now.

Chalmers pushed on migration numbers

Circling back to Chalmers on Afternoon Briefing, Patricia Karvelas asks about migration figures and whether Chalmers is “concerned” by the numbers in the budget. (This has been a big theme post-budget)

Karvelas: Net overseas migration is forecast to be 345,000 in 24-25. That is 75,000 higher than what is forecast. Are you concerned with that number?

Chalmers: That is the year we are finishing now and the main driver is fewer people leaving. The forecast for people coming here have been broadly as expected.

Karvelas: But they won’t leave?

Chalmers: It is also Australians leaving. Obviously the net part of the net migration ...

Karvelas: Australians like it better here.

Chalmers: Yes, and why not?

He says the government is dealing with reducing migration numbers and says Peter Dutton tries to “play divisive politics with migration”

Report into Department of Parliamentary Services makes seven recommendations on internal processes

Continuing from our last post…

Hinchcliffe said the independent report into the DPS was an “extensive examination of the department’s actions and engagement” and provided seven recommendations, including some on DPS internal processes and decision making regarding the management of conflicts of interests and record keeping, but did not provide any further detail.

The DPS is now considering how to make further details of the final report public. Hinchcliffe said that consideration also occurred “against the background of a related investigation being conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission”. Hinchcliffe did not provide any details of how the Nacc investigation was related to the subject of the report or its scope.

The DPS has previously confirmed the Nacc is investigating an issue in the department, after a raid in Parliament House by the Nacc was first reported by Guardian Australia in October 2024. Guardian Australia has contacted the DPS and the Nacc to confirm whether that raid is linked to the ongoing investigation.

Anti-corruption watchdog probing $300,000 payout to former deputy secretary

Earlier this morning in Senate estimates, the acting secretary for the Department of Parliamentary Services confirmed the anti-corruption watchdog was probing an issue related to a $300,000 payout to a former deputy secretary.

Jaala Hinchcliffe also told Senate estimates she had received the findings of an independent report into what role its officials played in a $300,000 payout to Cate Saunders, a former deputy secretary, who was moved to another department after a “close personal relationship” was declared.

The former secretary, Rob Stefanic, denied having a romantic relationship with Saunders – his then subordinate – in a Senate estimates hearing in May 2024, saying he formally declared a conflict of interest due to “gossip” and “rumour”.

Months after the conflict of interest was first declared, Saunders was placed on secondment at Services Australia in April 2023 until she accepted a $315,126 incentive payment for her retirement from the public service on 1 October 2023.

The exit package was approved by the Department of Parliamentary Services. Stefanic told the May hearing he was not personally involved in its sign off. In October 2024, Stefanic took a period of sudden leave, with the presiding officers later confirming his role had been terminated in December 2024.

At a Senate estimates hearing in February, the presiding officers said he had lost their “trust and confidence”.

Chalmers continues post-budget interview blitz

Jim Chalmers is continuing his barrage of post-budget interviews, and is currently justifying why Labor won’t back a cut to the fuel excise.

He’s telling ABC Afternoon Briefing the government already has “better plans” and points to the fact that the Coalition have said they would repeal Labor’s tax cut if they came into government

The most important part is Angus Taylor said on the ABC this morning that he would legislate to increase taxes on Australian taxpayer if they win the election, and no matter what Peter Dutton says in a couple of hours’ time, that has been rendered almost meaningless by the fact that the Coalition has confirmed every taxpayer will pay more tax if the Coalition wins the election.

On why Labor’s cost of living support will take so long to take effect, he says it’s because there’s already other measures that are in place and this will provide more ongoing relief.

What’s the situation with youth crime in NSW?

Continuing from our last post…

Youth crime has by and large remained stable in NSW for the past ten years, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. However over the past two years there has been a “significant increase” in two out of the 62 crime categories – shoplifting and possession of a weapon.

An inquiry into community safety in the regions is currently under way and was launched last year after concern around youth crime escalated. At the public hearing in Bourke, community members reported that some instances of youth crime had become more violent, but they were being perpetrated by a small number of repeat offenders – many of whom come from unsafe homes.

The Aboriginal Legal Service has previously warned that imprisoning young people only makes communities more unsafe in the long term, as it puts them on a path to commit more crime.

NSW opposition proposes tougher youth crime bail laws as s mull reversing doli incapax

The NSW opposition will soon introduce a bill that it says takes “real action” on youth crime in the regions by toughening bail laws further and introducing electronic monitoring and curfews for children while they are on bail.

NSW opposition leader Mark Speakman, who acknowledged the root causes of crime need to be addressed to make a difference, said the bill seeks to strengthen the Minns government’s laws to tackle youth crime – which make it harder for repeat offenders who commit break and enter and car thefts while on bail to get bail again.

The opposition has proposed to further toughen those laws by making it harder for young people to get bail for all serious indictable offences and making it easier for bail to be revoked.

The bill does not include a s party proposal to reverse doli incapax, which places the onus on police to prove children aged between 10 and 14 who allegedly committed an offence had criminal intent and knew what they were doing was wrong.

However, th NSW s leader, Dugald Saunders, said it wasn’t yet ruled out:

We need an immediate circuit breaker to stop repeat youth offenders from holding our communities to ransom and we will continue discussions with the shadow attorney general around potential changes to doli incapax along with diversionary programs.

Staying with infrastructure estimates, here was the moment Bridget McKenzie accused the head of the transport department, Jim Betts, of being an ‘inner-city lefty’.

Infrastructure Australia chief says Victorian government have refused to give costs for design changes on Suburban Rail Loop since 2020

Infrastructure Australia’s chief of infrastructure assessment, David Tucker, has been taking questions from Senator Bridget McKenzie about Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop.

A recent report from Infrastructure Australia warned the federal government against pouring more cash into the project until the state government could show its funding model. Tucker said they have not seen the costs for design changes that have occurred since 2020.

Mckenzie: And can you step us through... what are the changes?

Tucker: Well, since the project has been announced, there have been procurements awarded for tunnelling and for some of the early works packages. There would have been a lot of planning around precincts and stations, and therefore we would expect that there has been more definition and detail on those costs in that time. But we haven’t seen that in the information presented to us.

Mckenzie: Why haven’t you seen it?

Tucker: We have requested it, yes.

Mckenzie: And the Victorian government refuses to give it to you?

Tucker: Yes.