Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has admitted that a $6 million grant promised to Marrickville Golf Club is not for fixing sewage problems, as he had told Parliament. Infrastructure Department officials told a Senate estimates hearing that the project includes no sewerage works. Most of the money will go towards redeveloping the clubhouse, with smaller amounts for stormwater upgrades and landscaping, according to council minutes. Albanese said the NSW government is funding the sewerage aspects. Opposition Business Manager Dan Tehan urged him to correct the record. Albanese also holds an undisclosed honorary membership at the club.
Anthony Albanese has told colleagues that more investment is needed to improve safety for politicians. Proposed measures include upgrades to electorate offices and funding for the Australian Federal Police. Separately, department officials have rejected Mr Albanese's claim that a $6 million grant to the Marrickville Golf Club was partly meant to fix sewerage problems. The grant comes after revelations about his undisclosed membership of the club.
Documents show Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was invited to a media event celebrating a $6 million upgrade to Marrickville Golf Club, five days before the ABC reported he held an undisclosed honorary membership. The event did not go ahead. Albanese told parliament the grant would fix a sewerage problem, but a department brief did not mention sewerage and instead described clubhouse, bar and revenue upgrades. Opposition Infrastructure spokesperson Bridget McKenzie accused him of misleading parliament.
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A Sydney man who made death threats to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the Bondi Beach attack has avoided jail. Gregory William Tait, 44, of Greystanes, pleaded guilty to two charges of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence. Acting Judge Timothy Keady sentenced him to a two-year good behaviour bond. Tait apologised for his behaviour, saying he had been drinking, taking sleeping pills and grieving his father's death. The judge said politicians should be able to do their jobs without such threats.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected the idea that Australia was built on a single culture, praising the country's multicultural makeup. Speaking to the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia conference at Parliament House, he said many communities had added to the nation's identity. He did not directly name Pauline Hanson or One Nation, but his remarks responded to her June call for Australia to become a monoculture. Albanese said migrants contribute to health care, business and the economy. He also announced an $85.2 million investment in migration skills recognition reform.
New Zealand's two major parties, National and Labour, are both polling at 28 per cent, their lowest combined level since the 1930s. Prime minister Chris Luxon and Labour's Chris Hipkins both underwhelmed in a leaders debate hosted by the NZ Herald. Panellists declared the debate a tight draw, while National claimed victory based on a reader poll. Luxon drew criticism after wrongly claiming he had raised the minimum wage by inflation each year. Newcomer Qiulae Wong's Opportunity party may hold the balance of power after the November 7 election.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has denied being overruled by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who intervened to stop a tax office ban on credit card payments. Chalmers said he and Albanese agreed to step in and give the tax office a longer transition period. Albanese said he acted after speaking with Andrew McKellar, head of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The tax commissioner, Rob Heferen, had said the ban would start on 1 December, citing costs of almost $200 million a year.
Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson has accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of humiliating Treasurer Jim Chalmers after Albanese said he intervened to delay the Australian Taxation Office's credit card ban. The policy change stops the ATO accepting card payments for tax debts, which would have hit small businesses relying on commercial cards. Chalmers later announced extra funding to cover the surcharges until the end of the fiscal year, a move Albanese took credit for. Wilson predicted the episode would strain relations between the two, while Chalmers insisted both sides had agreed on a better approach.
The Coalition and the Greens have joined forces to vote down a Labor bill that would reduce the private health insurance rebate for people aged over 65. Separately, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected suggestions of a rift with Treasurer Jim Chalmers. The denial follows a government intervention that delayed the Australian Taxation Office's planned ban on credit card payments. The live coverage's posts cover the day's developments, with filters for key events, the prime minister and small business.
Trade Minister Don Farrell says Coalition MPs walked out of a meeting on the EU trade deal. Other developments include the Reserve Bank warning that a staff pay rise will not proceed if rejected ahead of a vote. Nationals MPs brought pineapples to parliament to warn against risky imports. Coalition bid to send the trust tax bill to an inquiry failed for now.
