Australia politics live: Paul Keating hails ‘big picture discussion’ with Chinese foreign minister

Key events

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor has responded to the unexpected fall in the unemployment rate (helped by more people joining the labour force) by saying that “jobs were the only thing keeping Australians’ heads above water in a cost-of-living crisis”.

Which yes? Money from jobs does help people pay for things?

The wider point was about cost of living:

Australians’ living standards are collapsing under Labor. Australia is experiencing a GDP per capita recession and a consumer confidence recession. The only thing left driving the economy is immigration.

As the RBA has recognised, hardworking Australians are facing a highly uncertain economic future. Labor’s failures on workplace relations, energy, housing and tax are driving up the cost of living for all Australians.

Australians are working harder, for less under Labor.”

You can expect question time to contain a version of this press release.

Education minister Jason Clare has heralded the passage of the Australian Research Council Amendment (Review Response) Bill 2023 which is aimed at taking the politics out of research grants.

An independent ARC board will be established which will approve grants with the minister to be responsible for approving the funding guidelines. That approval from the minister will be subject to scrutiny from the parliament.

I promised to end the days of Ministers using the ARC as a political plaything and today, that’s what we’re doing,” Clare said.

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has also welcomed the passage of the bill, having first moved a private members bill to stop political interference in research grants in 2018.

Faruqi said the legislation was a “a win for the Greens and researchers, who have long fought for research independence and an end to political interference in ARC grants.”

The Greens secured amendments including:

· making it an objective of the ARC to support Australian universities to attract and retain academic researchers and promote quality academic jobs

· requiring reporting on the nature of employment of researchers employed using ARC funding to provide a clearer picture of job insecurity which is rife in the sector

· inserting a requirement for the Minister to ensure the ARC Board reflects the diversity of the community

· requiring an independent review of the ARC Board, to begin two years after the significant changes made by this Bill are implemented

Burke says Albanese government’s record on jobs growth ‘second to none’

The employment minister, Tony Burke, has responded to ABS data showing 116,000 more jobs in February driving unemployment back down to 3.7%. This came as a bit of a surprise, given the impression of a softening economy.

Burke noted the long-term unemployment rate under the previous government was 5.6%. “There is a record on jobs growth from the Albanese Labor government that is second to none. No first term government has had the sort of jobs growth we’ve seen,” he said.

Burke told reporters in Canberra:

Part of the story today is the increased number of people who had jobs lined up over summer to start in February. So there’s been a bit of that the last two years, this year that’s happened at a much stronger rate …

It’s also true, though, that other predictions have said there is some softening in the economy. When you look at the trend data, that is reflected in what’s available today.”

Burke played down the impact the jobs data could have on interest rates, by noting the Reserve Bank would look “not only at the headline rates but also at the trend rates – so there is still a softening going on throughout the economy”.

Paul Keating’s statement continued:

Minister Wang Yi emphasised China’s ability to keep on growing and strongly, pointing out that China is still only 55% urbanised – another 20% to go.

He said the world will still benefit from China’s ability to supply high quality relatively low priced goods which will help underwrite higher living standards in the West and other regions of the world.

He both encouraged and welcomed Australia’s continuing integration with East Asia where he believed Australia’s future lies.

The Foreign Minister displayed a keen understanding of Australia’s strengths. Its complementarity with China’s own economy and the prospect of ever rising living standards for both countries

Paul Keating hails ‘big picture discussion’ with Chinese foreign minister

The former prime minister Paul Keating has issued a statement after his “one hour five minute meeting with the Chinese foreign minister Mr Wang Yi”.

Keating said this morning’s meeting was “a very pleasant and engaging event which, in the main, was a big picture discussion about the geostrategic balances and influences in the world”.

In the statement, Keating said:

A portion of that devolved to Australia’s long term relationship with China, from Bert Evatt’s support for recognising Mao’s government in 1950, Gough Whitlam establishing diplomatic relations in 1973, Bob Hawke’s relationship with Hu Yaobang in the eighties, my relationship with Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji in putting together APEC, the Leaders’ meeting and Kevin Rudd’s role in the expansion of the East Asia Summit.

The Foreign Minister was very positive about putting bilateral difficulties behind us as he was encouraged by the government’s efforts in restoring appropriate equilibrium between our two countries.

He was pleased he was also able to speak with the Prime Minister on the visit as he was the Opposition Leader, following what he described as a productive meeting with the Foreign Minister.

My goodness it has been a bit of a day.

Question time is in under 30 minutes, and it is the last one for this week, so make sure you get yourself a little treat now to help you get through it.

Our video team are taking you into the NSW parliament for a moment:

Why did the unemployment rate drop so dramatically? Are there suddenly so many more jobs?

Well, while 70,000 people did find work, the unemployment data is always subject to the number of people in the labour force.

CreditorWatch chief economist Anneke Thompson says that is partially what happened here:

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped by 0.4 [percentage points] to 3.7%, as many workers who were jobless in January but had employment to move in to have taken up those jobs. There was a very large increase – 116,500 people employed over February in seasonally adjusted terms. However, on a trend basis, employment increased by 26,600 people and the unemployment rate remained steady, at 3.8%. The unemployment rate in trend terms has now been steady for six months straight.

The unusually large drop in unemployment can be partially attributed to a higher than normal inflow of workers into employment in February this year. The ABS did point out that employment growth and population growth have been roughly the same since August 2023, which is why there has been little change in unemployment.

This data will be taken with caution by both the RBA and federal Treasury, as both entities have been generally expecting a slowing labour market over the next six months. However, any continued strength in the labour force will likely push back the expectation of an interest rate cut to later in 2024, or even early 2025.

Former senator Rex Patrick says ‘transparency fight goes on’ after his FoI win

Rex Patrick says his legal win on FoI means that governments won’t be able to use ministerial reshuffles to stop freedom of information requests from being fulfilled.

Patrick, who was represented by Maurice Blackburn, brought his challenge after his sports rorts FoI was denied on the grounds a new minister was in charge of the portfolio.

In the decision handed down in court today, Justice Charlesworth said whether a document is an official document of a minister is to be assessed by reference to the facts and circumstances in existence at the time an FoI request is lodged, not some later review date after which the minister may have changed.

Further, Her Honour determined that there is an implied obligation under the FoI Act, imposed on those who receive FoI requests, to take such steps as are necessary to not frustrate access to a document or rights of review and appeal.

Patrick’s FoI will now be considered by the information commissioner, and he will continue his fight to see the documents related to the sports rorts affair.

Patrick said:

This decision means governments can no longer sweep a departing minister’s dirt underneath the carpet. It’s a win for all Australians who want to see greater transparency and accountability restored to our political system.

I’m disappointed that the attorney general fought me on this and spent close to $200,000 of taxpayer’s money doing so.

The transparency fight goes on. Whilst the matter is now one of history, Australians are entitled to the truth. We might also learn something that will assist in avoiding a future rort.

Peter Dutton and Simon Birmingham have also met with UK’s version of a foreign minister, David Cameron.

Dutton posted on social media to say: “A real pleasure meeting with the Rt Hon Lord @David_Cameron during his visit to Australia for the annual Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN).

“Australia and the United Kingdom share a historic and enduring bond.”

Here is the health minister, Mark Butler, talking about vapes as a prescription-only “therapeutic pathway” in response to Josh Butler at his press conference:

Queensland to become last state to ban rent bidding as part of rental reforms

The residential tenancies and rooming accommodation and other legislation amendment bill 2024 would also:

Require bond claims be supported by evidence.

Require a minimum 48 hours entry notice for an inspection.

Set up a prescribed form to be used to apply for a rental home, with any information collected to be handled securely.

Limit reletting costs based on how long is left on a fixed term lease.

Give renters a fee-free option to pay rent and choice about how they apply for a rental property.

Rent bidding is the practice by a real estate agent of soliciting renters to bid above the officially listed market price, in order to get the highest possible rent.

Just because it is banned doesn’t mean rent bidding won’t happen, though. Rent bidding was banned in NSW two years ago, but the NSW Tenants Union says it’s still common. Thousands of dollars have been levied in fines.

Scanlon also plans to introduce reforms to the state’s planning system to help clear a shortage of housing construction.