AUSTRALIA
change and fiscal sense. It is a sorry rollcall: 17 new taxes; tax at its highest level in a decade; the deficit doubled, up from A$17 billion to A$35 billion since the Treasurer’s last budget; spending outweighing revenue every year; over 800,000 Australians unemployed; and no plan to tackle the structural deficit.”
Mr Shorten noted the impact
of ‘bracket creep’ on personal income tax rates. Mr Shorten commented that “bracket creep is the biggest driver of revenue in his budget. The Treasurer should have told Australians that, for every dollar that the government keeps in spending cuts, A$2 will be collected through higher taxes. In a lazy budget, Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey are getting inflation to do their dirty work. Eighty cents in every dollar and the rise in revenue comes from bracket creep—the invisible hand in the pocket of every Australian worker.”
Mr Shorten noted that Labor would support the government’s measures to support drought relief and support for small business. In relation to the tax cut for small businesses, Mr Shorten stated that “a 1½% cut for small businesses might be enough to generate a headline but it is not enough to generate the long- term confidence and growth our economy needs. Tonight I say: let’s go further—let’s give small businesses the sustainable boost to confidence that they deserve, the confidence to create jobs. I invite you to work with me on a fair and fiscally responsible plan to reduce the tax rate for Australian small business from 30 to 25% - not a 1½% cut; a 5% cut. That is the future. That is confidence.”
Senate Budget Estimates (25 May to 4 June 2015) Senate estimates are one of the most effective instruments of the Australian Parliament for scrutinising and holding the executive to account. The former Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Hon. Senator John Faulkner has described the process as the “best accountability mechanism of any Australian parliament.” There are eight Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing Committees which are responsible for eight subject areas ranging from community affairs through to rural and regional affairs. Departments and agencies, by order of the Senate, are allocated to these legislation committees. In addition to other activities, these committees conduct the estimates hearings. Budget estimates are held for two weeks shortly after the Commonwealth Budget is presented in May.
Supplementary Budget estimates are held in October and Additional Estimates are held in February. Relevant Senate ministers, together with senior public servants appear before the relevant committees to explain expenditure proposals and to answer questions concerning the effectiveness and efficiency of various programs. Ministers residing in the House of Representatives are not called before Senate Estimates Committees.
At the hearings between 25 May and 4 June some of the issues canvassed included: the cost of security upgrades at Parliament House; Bureau of Meteorology views on climate change and the development of a new El Nino weather event; quantities of crystal methamphetamine arriving in Australia; possible electoral fraud in the federal seat of Indi;
progress on Defence Force investigations of abuse claims; the submarine replacement project; the potential for funds to flow through charities to terrorist organisations; the scale of fraud in the Department of Defence; multinational tax fraud; possible criminal investigation of events surrounding the Football Federation of Australia’s World Cup Bid; and the impact of the new paid parental leave scheme on low- paid women.
Senator Christine Milne Leader of the Australian Greens retires
On 6 May 2015, the Leader of the Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne announced that she was stepping down as leader immediately.
Senator Milne was elected to the Tasmanian Parliament in 1989 becoming Tasmania’s first female political leader in 1993. In 2004 she moved to the Federal Parliament as a Senator for Tasmania. In 2008 she was elected as Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens under then Leader Senator Bob Brown. In 2012 Senator Brown announced his retirement and Senator Milne was elected as the new Leader.
Senator Milne was deputy Leader and Leader of the Greens during the period of the Labor minority government from 2010 to 2013. It was a pivotal period for the Greens as they signed a deal with Labor to secure stable government and implement key reforms most notably the introduction of
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a price on carbon emissions from July 2012. Senator Milne was heavily involved with the development of the carbon pricing mechanism and is highly regarded for her knowledge and expertise.
Shortly after Senator Milne announced her resignation as leader, Senator Richard Di Natale was elected unopposed as the new Leader of the Australian Greens. Senator Di Natale is a trained doctor and self-declared sporting tragic who played football in the Victorian Football league for six years and loves to surf. Senator Di Natale commented that “I’ve always believed that the Greens are the natural home of progressive mainstream voters. I look forward to working with my colleagues to provide a caring voice for all Australians.”
Below: Senator Christine Milne, Leader of the Australian Green Party.
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