The first sitting week for 2024 and we hit the ground running with important legislation that means Australians will earn more and keep more of what they earn.

Here’s the 5&5.

BEST

Every tax payer will receive a tax cut under Labor's plan
We closed workplace loopholes
Nemesis
Peter Dutton in The Shining?
PNG Prime Minister James Marape

WORST

The flip flopposition
Peter Dutton flights with Rinehart air
Little Paul Fletcher short and stout
Petter Dutton culture warrior
The less than efficient Opposition

1. On Tuesday we introduced our tax cuts legislation – which will mean a tax cut for every Australian worker. As the Treasurer explained when introducing them: “Our tax cuts are better for workers and families and communities right around Australia, and they are better for the economy as well."

2. We’re making sure Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn. The tax cuts make sure people keep more of what they earn and the Closing Loopholes 2 legislation passing the Senate means wage rises for many Australians too. This will be a game-changer. Casuals will have more rights to secure work if they want it. Gig workers won’t have to rely on tips to make ends meet. Truckies will have minimum standards meaning they can get home safe. And there will be a right to disconnect for people who are sick of working unpaid overtime after they’ve gone home for the day.

3. As Arts Minister I’m a big backer of public broadcasters like the ABC. So much so it’s even in our National Cultural Policy Revive. As the policy says “The national broadcasters are the platforms through which audiences engage with some of our best comedy, drama, documentary and children's television.” Comedy, drama, documentary and children's television. Watching the ABC on Monday night we got all four in one with Nemesis - the documentary about the Abbott / Turnbull / Morrison years.

4. The PM’s a busy man but he also managed to catch Nemesis on Monday night. He was particularly interested in Peter Dutton’s challenge to Malcolm Turnbull in 2018. As he told Question Time on Tuesday.

“I was reminded that the Leader of the Opposition's big commitment to be made Leader was that he would smile more. He was going to be like Little Miss Sunshine; instead, he gave us Jack Nicholson in The Shining— smashing through the walls—his clear hatred, full of negativity, full of abuse."

5. An address from a foreign leader in our Parliament is a really important event. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does both Houses come together. On Thursday PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape addressed the Parliament – the first leader to do so in the chamber since 2020 and the first leader of a Pacific Island nation to ever do so. Both PM’s reiterated the importance of the relationship and history between Australia and our nearest neighbour.

Prime Minister Albanese: We embrace each other as equals. We learn from each other as neighbours. We are there for each other as mates, especially when times are hard. In everything our people do together, we nourish our common interests, our shared values and our unique connections, including, of course, a great and growing passion for that mighty cultural institution – rugby league … Next year, we will commemorate and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea's independence, a momentous day in the life of both our nations. Australia will always be proud of the part we played in that time of historic change, yet we know that independence was never our gift to give. Independence was the people of Papua New Guinea's right to assert. It was your country's opportunity to seize. It was an act of great courage, profound national unity and a statement of self-belief as well as self-determination.

Prime Minister Marape: As I begin my speech, let me start with a reflection: a leader from the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, where I come from, once visited Canberra, in Australia, in the 1950s. His name was Kondom Agaundo. He made a speech in his own mother tongue because he knew no English, and it drew some laughter from the crowd. He made a statement that is quite sentimental and historic. He said: 'Today, I come to you and speak to you in my language and you laugh at me. One day my son will come to you and speak in your language and you will certainly listen.' Today, as I stand before you in your wonderful House, this prophecy is being fulfilled. I speak to you in the language you taught me.

1. While we’ve made it very clear we’re giving every Australian worker a tax cut - the Opposition have been absolutely all at sea. First they said they’d “absolutely” roll back our tax cut plan, before announcing they’d support it – even though they hate it. Jim Chalmers summed up the Liberals position in Question Time on Tuesday:

“On the same day, the shadow Treasurer called my changes 'Marxism', and by the afternoon he was on 2GB saying he might vote for them. The opposition leader called for an election on a policy that he is now voting for. That would be a pretty strange election and a pretty strange debate. Imagine how angry he would get if this was about something he's voting against? The only clarity we get is from the member for Farrer. She was asked, 'Will they roll back our changes?', and she said, 'That is absolutely our position.' No matter what they say today, they are still out of touch, they still want to roll it back and they still have no alternatives."

2. The Prime Minister was on fire in Question Time this week. One of my particular favourites was his response to Peter Dutton who was yelling and interjecting about the PM engaging internationally. The PM shot back reminding Dutton of his preferred mode of transport “you've almost worn out Gina Rinehart's plane, mate."

3. When the Manager of Opposition Business Paul Fletcher gets angry and jumps up on a point of order he does this weird thing. He puts one arm forward on the bench, and the other on his hip – reminiscent of a little teapot. He did a lot of it this week - huffing and puffing at the dispatch box every time someone mentioned the ABC’s documentary Nemesis. I can’t imagine why he didn’t want us talking about it.

4. You might have missed this one over the break - but one of Peter Dutton’s brainwaves was yet another culture war that everyone should boycott Woolworths. During 90 second statements on Tuesday the member for Hasluck, Tania Lawrence, called him out on it.

“Woolies workers, already doing a tough job during the toughest part of the year, were called un-Australian. They were abused and yelled at following the reckless and dangerous words of the opposition leader—abused for simply turning up and doing their job to pay the rent and put food on the table. The politics of division has consequences, and the opposition leader should be ashamed. His party should hold him to account, otherwise this nation will."

5. On Thursday the Opposition decided to ask about the vehicle efficiency standard we recently announced. Catherine King had the perfect answer.

“I'd like to start my answer with a quote: ‘…when fuel efficiency standards were introduced in the US, the most popular models before introduction stayed the most popular models after introduction … what we'd call utes … There wasn't a material change in price and we don't expect that there would be a material change in price here.’ Now, who said that? Who said that? You'd think it would be me because in terms of the new vehicle efficiency standard impact analysis we have put out, that is what's in there. It could have been Minister Bowen as well. But who was that? It was, in fact, the Member for Bradfield, when he released the draft regulatory impact statement for the fuel efficiency standards that those opposite were going to introduce back in 2018!"

Oh Fletch…

The Senate is back on Monday next week and the House will sit one final time on Thursday.

‘til then,

Tony

PS. Song of the week is “Nemesis” by David Gray - and while it doesn’t come with a soundtrack, if you want to hear my take on the show here’s what I had to say in Question Time.

5&5: The ancient Greek goddess of vengeance