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| Coalition continues to face pressure over superannuation policy - live updates | Coalition continues to face pressure over superannuation policy - live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.48am BST | |
| 00:48 | |
| As I’ve been posting the questions the ACOSS chief Cassandra Goldie has been on the ABC. | |
| We’ve written to each of the leaders of the political parties, the Coalition, Labor and the Greens, where we are asking for the parties to lay out very clearly what are their specific policy, election commitments that will be about reducing the level of poverty and the level of inequality in Australia. | |
| We think that this really needs to be the core debate that is happening in this election and at the moment, obviously, we’ve got a lot of policies being talked about but we’re saying let us get specific here. | |
| If we’re pursuing economic growth, for what purpose? Well it should, at its heart, be about ensuring that people on the lowest incomes, those who have the least, their living standards should be the top priority when we’re talking about the outcome of that kind of economic growth. | |
| Lenore Taylor and I think fairness is important, and we also think economic policy is also important – which is why we are hosting two panel discussions about this during the campaign: one in Sydney and the other in Melbourne. We’d love to see you there. If you’d like to book, you can find the relevant details by clicking on this link. | |
| 12.39am BST | |
| 00:39 | |
| Fairness: let's get specific | |
| Fairness is a key theme in this election contest, and picking up on that, the Australian Council of Social Service has written to our political leaders seeking answers to a bunch of policy questions. They are utterly questions, so I thought I would share them with you. | |
| Measuring social and economic progress | |
| A balanced approach to budget repair | |
| (a) What is the precise formulation and details of any associated commitments you are making in relation to revenue and expenditure? | |
| (b) Will you make a commitment that low income households (the bottom 40% of the population by income) will not be disproportionately affected (as a share of their income) by measures to restore the budget? | |
| (c) Will your party commit to restoring the budget by increasing overall revenue as well as improving the cost effectiveness of expenditure? | |
| (d) Will tax expenditures be subject to the same degree of budget scrutiny as direct expenditures? | |
| Improving the integrity and equity of the tax system | |
| (a) What are your party’s policies to achieve this, including measures to tax incomes more consistently or close inefficient or unfair tax shelters and loopholes? | |
| (b) Specifically, what action would your party take, if elected to:reduce the anomalies in the tax treatment of capital gains and other investment income, especially where investments are financed by debt (negative gearing arrangements)? | |
| (c) Curb the avoidance of company income tax by international and Australian companies through international profit, debt and cost shifting strategies? | |
| Towards a fair and sustainable retirement incomes system | |
| (a) What action does your party propose to take to reduce the disproportionate share of tax concessions going to individuals with high incomes? | |
| (b) What action does your party propose to take to curb the use of superannuation tax concessions, especially in the retirement phase, to avoid personal income tax, including capital gains tax and the tax payable on transfers of remaining superannuation balances to adult children? | |
| (c) What other action does your party propose to take to ensure that the future cost of superannuation tax concessions is sustainable, especially in the retirement phase as the population ages? | |
| (d) What action does your party propose to take to extend tax concessions for contributions to low-income earners who pay tax at less than 15% on their wages? | |
| Improving support for people who are unemployed | |
| (a) Personalised employment services with lower caseloads and appropriately skilled staff? | |
| (b) Meaningful and effective programs, especially paid work experience in regular jobs together with relevant training, for people unemployed long term? | |
| (c) What protections does your party propose to ensure that unemployed people participating in these programs are not exploited and existing employees are not displaced? | |
| Reducing child poverty | |
| (a) improvements in the adequacy and indexation of family payments for families on low incomes, particularly single parent families? | |
| (b) policies to ensure that children at greatest risk of poverty have access to quality early education and care and that cost and other barriers to such care are removed? | |
| Access to basic services for all who need them | |
| (a) Adequate indexation of Commonwealth health grants to states and territories (please define and explain ‘adequate’ in this context)? | |
| (b) An adequate Commonwealth contribution to state and territory schools budgets to ensure sufficient resources to guarantee all children access to a quality education based on their needs? Please define and explain ‘adequate’ in this context. | |
| Ending the housing crisis | |
| (a) Stem excessive growth and instability in housing prices (mortgages and rents) during housing booms? | |
| (b) Increase the supply of affordable rental housing including through direct investment and investment incentives? | |
| (c) Improve the adequacy of rent assistance payment rates and indexation? | |
| A strong, independent and diverse civil society | |
| Effective action to address climate change and its impacts on people on low incomes | |
| (a) Ensure people on low incomes and vulnerable can make the most of energy efficiency technologies and access affordable housing which is energy efficient? | |
| (b) Ensure people and communities are resilient to the impacts of extreme weather events and able to adapt? | |
| 12.27am BST | |
| 00:27 | |
| So many bridges too far, I cannot tell you. | |
| 12.25am BST | |
| 00:25 | |
| Back in Canberra, Labor’s designated campaign spokesman this week, Tony Burke, is speaking to journalists in the parliament. | |
| The government’s economic plan is in tatters, absolute tatters. Let’s go through the measures that on budget night were meant to be locked in and how they’ve been changing. | |
| The first to hit the fence was the backpacker tax, on the government’s own admission it won’t be implemented in the form it was presented in the budget but they don’t know other than a 6-month delay exactly what their proposal is. Yet they’ve still banked the full revenue after that. | |
| Secondly, Scott Morrison in the debate against Chris Bowen made clear on the basis of their track record that there would be further cuts that he was willing to make after the election that he would not tell people about before the election. | |
| Thirdly, on the centrepiece of their economic plan, the company tax cut, not only has the prime minister stopped talking about it as a plan for 10 years and has gone all the way back to now only wanting to talk about the first three years of it, we also have the treasurer offering to re calibrate that legislation if required. | |
| And today we see their plans to change superannuation are in a mess. | |
| 12.20am BST | |
| 00:20 | |
| Election 2016 has immortalised the question: “How old is your rat” – which was the question the prime minister put to a voter in a Penrith shopping centre the other day, when a pet rodent was presented for inspection. | |
| Now I gather The Chaser has presented another rat to Labor’s deputy leader Tanya Plibersek. God help me. This campaign will kill an honest woman plagued by rodent phobias. That’s me. Plibersek looks quite chill. | |
| Another campaign rat...at the Sydney Fish Market @billshortenmp @tanya_plibersek #ausvotes pic.twitter.com/fooxeooyrN | |
| 12.14am BST | 12.14am BST |
| 00:14 | 00:14 |
| I centred us back in the hustings this morning. It looks like there’s been an outbreak of the blame game in Adelaide. | I centred us back in the hustings this morning. It looks like there’s been an outbreak of the blame game in Adelaide. |
| @cpyne we estimate about 200 gone in Mayo also | @cpyne we estimate about 200 gone in Mayo also |
| According to the AEC, Sturt covers an area of approximately 85 square kilometres. 1,700 close ups of Christopher Pyne suggests much of the electorate is wallpapered with the face of a fixer. Obviously this is only an allegation of light fingeredness, I have no idea whether or not it’s true, but sticking squarely in theory territory, perhaps there’s an acute shortage of power poles? | According to the AEC, Sturt covers an area of approximately 85 square kilometres. 1,700 close ups of Christopher Pyne suggests much of the electorate is wallpapered with the face of a fixer. Obviously this is only an allegation of light fingeredness, I have no idea whether or not it’s true, but sticking squarely in theory territory, perhaps there’s an acute shortage of power poles? |
| 11.56pm BST | 11.56pm BST |
| 23:56 | 23:56 |
| Tony Abbott always loved the Sydney fish market. | Tony Abbott always loved the Sydney fish market. |
| clear message for @billshortenmp at Syd fish markets this AM although he is no fan of @TurnbullMalcolm #ausvotes pic.twitter.com/2WIEMTKGGK | clear message for @billshortenmp at Syd fish markets this AM although he is no fan of @TurnbullMalcolm #ausvotes pic.twitter.com/2WIEMTKGGK |
| 11.52pm BST | 11.52pm BST |
| 23:52 | 23:52 |
| ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja is on Sky News this morning and of course he’s asked about superannuation. Seselja says there is concern in the community about the changes, but the concern can be countered successfully with information. | ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja is on Sky News this morning and of course he’s asked about superannuation. Seselja says there is concern in the community about the changes, but the concern can be countered successfully with information. |
| Zed Seselja: | Zed Seselja: |
| Yes there will always be some concerns ... but we think [the reforms] are fair and balanced, so we will take them to the people. | Yes there will always be some concerns ... but we think [the reforms] are fair and balanced, so we will take them to the people. |
| He’s on with the shadow superannuation minister Jim Chalmers, who says the outlook is very unclear, given Liberals are clearly concerned about elements of the package. | He’s on with the shadow superannuation minister Jim Chalmers, who says the outlook is very unclear, given Liberals are clearly concerned about elements of the package. |
| Jim Chalmers: | Jim Chalmers: |
| The real question is whether Malcolm Turnbull walks it back before or after the election. | The real question is whether Malcolm Turnbull walks it back before or after the election. |
| Seselja says the government is sticking with the package and the concern in the party is very small scale, “just one or two” people. | Seselja says the government is sticking with the package and the concern in the party is very small scale, “just one or two” people. |
| 11.39pm BST | 11.39pm BST |
| 23:39 | 23:39 |
| Hello good people | Hello good people |
| Katharine Murphy | Katharine Murphy |
| Thanks Mel, good morning everyone and welcome to Thursday, it’s delightful to be with you. If superannuation pain persists, see your doctor. This time yesterday various Coalition folks were water bombing a brushfire on super set by the foreign minister Julie Bishop. 24 hours, nothing much has changed, except another spot fire has been set by the Cabinet secretary Arthur Sinodinos who yesterday told Sky News the budget package might be adjusted post election after a period of consultation, then, in the same interview, suggested it wouldn’t. | Thanks Mel, good morning everyone and welcome to Thursday, it’s delightful to be with you. If superannuation pain persists, see your doctor. This time yesterday various Coalition folks were water bombing a brushfire on super set by the foreign minister Julie Bishop. 24 hours, nothing much has changed, except another spot fire has been set by the Cabinet secretary Arthur Sinodinos who yesterday told Sky News the budget package might be adjusted post election after a period of consultation, then, in the same interview, suggested it wouldn’t. |
| Confused? Don’t be. This campaign has been characterised by these sorts of events. There is this strange dynamic in this contest where the big issues up for discussion in this campaign don’t seem to adhere very much, even though they are being ventilated and written about, but the stumbles and missteps do grip in the news cycle, albeit transiently. Will we all write, in our 2016 wash-ups, in deeply authoritative tones, “the campaign of 2016 was a Marx Brothers film”? That remains to be seen. For now we’ll keep it simple, keep morale high, and stick with Thursday, which looms before us like a ten-minute-update highway to sunset, mainly flat fast and straight, but with the occasional hairpin bend. | Confused? Don’t be. This campaign has been characterised by these sorts of events. There is this strange dynamic in this contest where the big issues up for discussion in this campaign don’t seem to adhere very much, even though they are being ventilated and written about, but the stumbles and missteps do grip in the news cycle, albeit transiently. Will we all write, in our 2016 wash-ups, in deeply authoritative tones, “the campaign of 2016 was a Marx Brothers film”? That remains to be seen. For now we’ll keep it simple, keep morale high, and stick with Thursday, which looms before us like a ten-minute-update highway to sunset, mainly flat fast and straight, but with the occasional hairpin bend. |
| Out on the ground, out of sight of the national campaign, MPs are out and about every day, handing out flyers, shaking hands, courting the public, doing their best to win votes. | Out on the ground, out of sight of the national campaign, MPs are out and about every day, handing out flyers, shaking hands, courting the public, doing their best to win votes. |
| Let’s crack on. Today’s comments thread is open for your business. If the thread’s too bracing for you, Mike Bowers and I are up and about on the twits – he’s @mpbowers and I’m @murpharoo. If you only speak Facebook you can join my daily forum here. And if you want a behind-the-scenes look at the day and the campaign as a whole, give Mike a follow on Instagram. Today he’s consorting with fish. You can find him here. | Let’s crack on. Today’s comments thread is open for your business. If the thread’s too bracing for you, Mike Bowers and I are up and about on the twits – he’s @mpbowers and I’m @murpharoo. If you only speak Facebook you can join my daily forum here. And if you want a behind-the-scenes look at the day and the campaign as a whole, give Mike a follow on Instagram. Today he’s consorting with fish. You can find him here. |
| 11.30pm BST | 11.30pm BST |
| 23:30 | 23:30 |
| Thanks for joining me for all the superannuation and backbench revolt talk this morning. Melissa Davey here handing over to deputy political editor Katharine Murphy in Canberra now, who I’m sure will make sense of the morning’s events and commentary for us. | Thanks for joining me for all the superannuation and backbench revolt talk this morning. Melissa Davey here handing over to deputy political editor Katharine Murphy in Canberra now, who I’m sure will make sense of the morning’s events and commentary for us. |
| See you tomorrow. | See you tomorrow. |
| 11.26pm BST | 11.26pm BST |
| 23:26 | 23:26 |
| Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm says the government is punishing those with “aspirations to be comfortable in life” through its superannuation reforms that target the wealthy. | Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm says the government is punishing those with “aspirations to be comfortable in life” through its superannuation reforms that target the wealthy. |
| He says political donations and support from the conservative base of the Liberal party are rolling in as a result of the superannuation policy, which includes lowering the annual limit on contributions that are taxed at the concessional rates, and tightening of transition to retirement provisions. Leyonhjelm told ABC radio: | He says political donations and support from the conservative base of the Liberal party are rolling in as a result of the superannuation policy, which includes lowering the annual limit on contributions that are taxed at the concessional rates, and tightening of transition to retirement provisions. Leyonhjelm told ABC radio: |
| I’m not sure that they’re tearing up their membership cards in droves or leaving the party in droves but they’re certainly disenchanted. They’re saying, ‘What can we do to launch a protest vote’. We have some new members as a result, they’ve left the Liberal party and joined us, but more commonly they say, ‘I’ll stay with the Liberals but donate money to the Liberal Democrats’. | I’m not sure that they’re tearing up their membership cards in droves or leaving the party in droves but they’re certainly disenchanted. They’re saying, ‘What can we do to launch a protest vote’. We have some new members as a result, they’ve left the Liberal party and joined us, but more commonly they say, ‘I’ll stay with the Liberals but donate money to the Liberal Democrats’. |
| How many people, host Fran Kelly asks? | How many people, host Fran Kelly asks? |
| Ahh.. well.. it’s dozens to hundreds. I have to confess my staff don’t think the Senator needs to know that information but certainly there’s a lot of them. I can’t put a figure on it. | Ahh.. well.. it’s dozens to hundreds. I have to confess my staff don’t think the Senator needs to know that information but certainly there’s a lot of them. I can’t put a figure on it. |
| He said that the Liberal party members turning to the Liberal Democrats were also unhappy there had been “no serious attempt to bring spending under control”. They were frustrated, he said, that the government was doing nothing to stop middle-class welfare, while simultaneously punishing those with aspirations, including wealthy people entering retirement. | He said that the Liberal party members turning to the Liberal Democrats were also unhappy there had been “no serious attempt to bring spending under control”. They were frustrated, he said, that the government was doing nothing to stop middle-class welfare, while simultaneously punishing those with aspirations, including wealthy people entering retirement. |
| This government is not serious about aspiration. They’re addicted to spending. They won’t tackle middle class welfare. There are lots of people receiving... support and the government won’t tackle them for political reasons. As long as that’s the case the people are saying; ‘Why should you be clipping my wings and my aspirations to be comfortable in retirement?’ | This government is not serious about aspiration. They’re addicted to spending. They won’t tackle middle class welfare. There are lots of people receiving... support and the government won’t tackle them for political reasons. As long as that’s the case the people are saying; ‘Why should you be clipping my wings and my aspirations to be comfortable in retirement?’ |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.26pm BST | at 11.26pm BST |