Anthony Albanese said he intervened before the Australian Taxation Office delayed a ban on credit card payments, after a business lobby asked him to act. The government then announced extra funding for the tax office, allowing it to keep accepting credit card payments until July next year. For small businesses affected by the decision, the reprieve came quickly: from a lobbyist’s text to the prime minister’s office.
Andrew McKellar, chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Albanese the extra time would “provide vital breathing space” for small businesses. He said the chamber would use it to work with the tax office on a “sustainable, long-term solution.” The announcement postpones the ban. It doesn’t provide a final solution.
A door open to business
At an Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry event, Albanese described the sequence plainly: “My door is always open. Andrew did text me last Thursday morning and by Friday morning we had an announcement.” He added: “That was an example of a relationship that takes time develop as well, that trust.”
McKellar praised the access: “Prime minister, to your credit, your door was open, you engaged, you listened.” The exchange places the business lobby’s direct contact with the head of government at the center of a decision affecting how the tax office accepts payments. Albanese confirmed he personally intervened before the tax office decided to delay the ban.
The government’s extra funding keeps credit card payments available until July next year. Small businesses affected by the ATO decision are the immediate beneficiaries identified in the account; government funding for the tax office is the mechanism. The chamber and the tax office still have to work out the long-term arrangement.
Measures headed to Parliament
The live blog said the government’s proposed crackdown on discretionary trusts and a national gas reservation scheme were expected to be introduced in Parliament that day. Resources Minister Madeleine King was due to speak at the National Press Club later that day. The report gives no details on the measures’ provisions or who would be affected. Their expected introduction isn’t a settled outcome.
The blog also reported a dispute over an Australian-led pre-COP event. Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan said it cost taxpayers roughly $20 million and defended it as worthwhile. “You can't be a Pacific nation and contribute to the life of the Pacific and turn your back on initiatives that seek to solve those issues,” he said. He called criticism of the event “petty” and said, “I'm a strong supporter of the COP process and of the government's initiatives.” Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and other Coalition backbenchers had called the event a failure; Taylor described it as a “pre-COP flop.”
Party competition over migration language
McLachlan also urged the Coalition not to adopt language used by One Nation, including “mass migration” and “breathing space.” Taylor had used those phrases when launching the Coalition’s migration proposal on October 6; One Nation had unveiled its migration policy in mid-September, promising to cut “mass migration” and provide “breathing space.” McLachlan said he didn’t think adopting One Nation’s language was a good idea. He said the phrase “mass migration” caused concern among communities that had recently arrived in Australia and settled.
He urged Coalition colleagues not to outsource “policy development to One Nation,” and said their policies should address Australians’ problems “with a thread of compassion.” Labor figures, meanwhile, expressed confidence they could overcome One Nation’s surge while acknowledging economic frustrations drawing voters toward the populist right. Albanese said he was not “spooked” by Labor’s challenges. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government couldn’t simply hope the far right “goes away or implodes,” and urged progressives not to “mock” or “talk down” to voters attracted to One Nation’s message. The parties are arguing over how to answer those voters. The report describes no grassroots or community-organized response.