Anthony Albanese personally intervened before the tax office delayed its credit card payment ban, after a request from a business lobby. The government said it would give the Australian Taxation Office extra funding to keep accepting credit card payments until July next year.
Who Got a Response
At an Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry event, Albanese said the chamber’s chief executive, Andrew McKellar, texted him last Thursday morning. “My door is always open. Andrew did text me last Thursday morning and by Friday morning we had an announcement,” Albanese said. He described the exchange as an example of a relationship and trust that “takes time develop as well.”
McKellar praised the prime minister for moving quickly. He said the delay would “provide vital breathing space” for small businesses affected by the ATO’s decision. “Prime minister, to your credit, your door was open, you engaged, you listened,” McKellar said. The chamber welcomed the response and said it would use the extra time to work with the tax office on what it called a “sustainable, long-term solution.”
The chamber’s chief executive contacted the prime minister directly. The government will provide extra funding for the ATO to keep accepting credit card payments through July next year; the article gave no amount for that funding.
Public Money and Parliamentary Measures
The live blog reported that the government planned to introduce a proposed crackdown on discretionary trusts and a national gas reservation scheme in Parliament that day. It gave no details on the measures’ terms, projected revenue or expected effects on workers and households.
Resources Minister Madeleine King was due to speak at the National Press Club later that day. The live blog offered no details of her expected remarks.
The article also reported a dispute over an Australian-led pre-COP event, which Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan said cost taxpayers roughly $20 million. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and other Coalition backbenchers had called the event a failure. McLachlan said these events mattered to Australia’s effort to position itself as a Pacific leader. “I think they're very worthwhile,” he said. “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.”
McLachlan said he supported the COP process and the government’s initiatives. Asked about Taylor’s description of the event as a “pre-COP flop,” he called denigration of “acts of good faith in the Pacific” petty. The live blog pointed readers to analysis by foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic.
Migration Language and Voter Frustration
McLachlan also urged Coalition colleagues not to adopt language used by One Nation, including “mass migration” and “breathing space.” Taylor used those phrases when launching the Coalition’s migration proposal on October 6. One Nation unveiled its migration policy in mid-September, promising to cut “mass migration” and provide “breathing space.”
McLachlan said “mass migration” was a term used in extreme circumstances. He said his lived experience in South Australia was that it caused concern among communities that had recently arrived in Australia and settled. He urged colleagues not to outsource “policy development to One Nation,” and called for policies focused on Australian problems and guided by compassion.
Labor’s senior figures said the party could overcome One Nation’s surge while acknowledging economic frustrations drawing voters toward the populist right. Albanese said he wasn’t “spooked” by Labor’s challenges and denied seeking to calm MPs concerned about a mid-term slump. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government couldn’t simply hope the far right “goes away or implodes.” He urged progressives not to “mock” or “talk down” to voters attracted to One Nation’s message.