Politics live updates: Simon Birmingham retires, ALP makes $500m of concessions to Greens, EPA deal ‘delayed’

From Dan Jervis-Bardy in Canberra: Labor insists it still wants to pursue its promised environmental protection agency in 2025 amid fresh speculation as to why Anthony Albanese intervened this week to shelve the plan.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said Mr Albanese was committed to laws to establish the long-promised nature watchdog and wanted to revisit them when Federal Parliament is due back in February.

Senator Gallagher confirmed Labor was “close” to accepting a deal with the Greens but needed more time to consider the minor party’s proposed amendments, rather than rushing the EPA through alongside dozens of other bills on Parliament’s final sitting day of the year.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek had thrashed out an agreement with the Greens and independent David Pocock, which included a legislated timeframe to introduce national environmental standards, before Mr Albanese intervened to call it off.

The Prime Minister’s intervention followed lobbying from WA Premier Roger Cook and mining and business groups that feared the EPA could devastate the State’s economy.

In a new twist to the saga, senior political and industry insiders believe Mr Albanese had another reason to shelve the EPA laws — Labor simply didn’t have the numbers.

​Read Dan’s full story here.​

Ellen Ransley reports that the long-time Liberal senator and the party’s highest-ranking moderate used his speech to warn against culture wars and reflect on his progressive stance on social issues, namely his “proud” support of same sex marriage, and taking a backseat during the Coalition’s campaign against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

“The ultimate strength of the yes vote for marriage equality demonstrated that Australians overwhelmingly back concepts of equality and respect for each other, regardless of our differences. We must learn this lesson in all aspects of our work, but including in the pursuit of reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. We should strive to make Australians proud of having the oldest continuously living culture in the world,” he said.

“For all those on the harder edges of the left and the right who seek to divide our country, only make us weaker in our division, little is gained by culture wars, politicians obsessing over what happens in private bedrooms, or anyone seeking to override evidence based medical practice.”

Read the full wrap of Birmo’s speech here.

From business reporter Matt Mckenzie:

A shake-up of the Reserve Bank looks set to pass the Senate after an 11-hour deal between Labor and the Greens that will keep a special power for the treasurer to overrule interest rate calls.

The two parties nailed a broader agreement which includes $500 million of funding for social housing and support for the Federal Government’s Future Made in Australia manufacturing subsidy program.

The RBA reform will split the board into two expert panels — one for governance and one for interest rates — following a major review of the central bank released last year.

The changes had been parked until the final sitting day of Parliament on Thursday, with the Greens successful in a bid to keep rules allowing the treasurer to overrule the RBA’s decisions.

Read the full story here.

Simon Birmingham has announced he will retire from Federal politics at the next election.

The Liberal senate leader and foreign affairs spokesman is the party’s highest-ranking moderate, and was first elected in 2007.

In a speech to the Senate on Thursday, the South Australian said now “is the right time for me” to leave politics.

He said he would step into a “new, commercially oriented direction” next year that has “nothing to do with lobbying, government relations, or commentary”.

Senator Birmingham served as finance minister before the Coalition lost government in 2022.

“I have been fortunate to spend more time on the Government benches than in Opposition,” he said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was present in the chamber as he gave his speech.

The Greens will wave through almost 30 pieces of legislation – including to overhaul the Reserve Bank’s structure – after a frantic round of horse-trading with Labor on Federal Parliament’s final sitting day of the year.

The minor party says it has won a $500 million commitment from the Government to electrify 50,000 social housing properties as part of a package of concessions that secure its support for 27 separate bills.

As part a deal to back Labor’s Future Made in Australia laws, the Greens say coal, oil and gas projects will be blocked from accessing the program’s funds while Export Finance Australia will be barred from financing domestic or overseas fossil fuel ventures.

The Greens will support the contentious plan to split the RBA into two boards – one for monetary policy and the other overseeing governance – after Labor agreed to retain the Treasurer’s never-before-used power to overrule the bank’s decisions.

The minor party had previously refused to support the change unless Treasurer Jim Chalmers immediately used that power to force an interest rate cut.

“Greens pressure works,” Greens leader Adam Bandt said.

“Having delivered good outcomes that will help people, the Greens now turn to keeping Peter Dutton out and pushing for cheaper rents, cheaper groceries and no new coal and gas in a coming minority parliament.”

As reported on Wednesday, the Greens were on the brink of a deal to support laws to establish a federal environment protection agency before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese intervened to stop it going ahead.

Greens environment spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young paid tribute to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who she claimed was overruled by a Prime Minister who was taken his advice from mining and logging interests.

“This election will be an election that is a referendum on Mother Nature, and we will make sure that it is at the top of the agenda,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

The West Australian’s Federal political editor Katina Curtis talks with Ben O’Shea on The Nightly Five podcast to explain what all the fuss was about this morning.

Listen below.

The Greens are holding a press conference as we speak, talking about the concessions they’ve extracted from the Albanese Govrnment in this chaotic final week of Parliament for 2024.

Our reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy is there and we’ll hear more from him very shortly.

A game of tactics has played off for the Government. The Senate has agreed to add the social media ban and three different migration bills back to the agenda, with one hour of debate.

Across two separate guillotine deals, 31 bills will now be dealt with before the Senate rises for the day – and the year.

First things first: the anti-money laundering bill.

The social media ban and migration Bills will be dealt with today, Labor Senate leader Penny Wong has vowed, as the Government pulls out all stops to clear its legislative logjam.

In their second attempt to guillotine debate and get through dozens of bills, Labor left off the legislation because of the Greens’ opposition.

The Coalition voiced their concerns, but Senator Wong has cleared it up.

The three migration bills and the social media ban will be part of a seperate motion that will allow an hour of debating time, she says.

The Government is banking on the Coalition’s support to pull that off.

Senior WA Liberal Michaelia Cash is demanding Anthony Albanese make an irod-clad promise he won’t revive his Federal environment protection agency after one of his senior ministers revealed the controversial policy was still on the table.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher this morning said Mr Albanese was committed to laws to establish the nature watchdog and wanted to revisit them next year despite him intervening to prevent a deal that would have allowed them to pass this week.

Senator Gallagher confirmed Labor was “close” to accepting a deal with the Greens but needed more time to consider the minor party’s proposed amendments, rather than rushing it through alongside dozens of other bills on Parliament’s final sitting day of the year.

The Prime Minister’s intervention followed lobbying from WA Premier Roger Cook and mining and business groups that feared the EPA could devastate the State’s economy.

Senator Gallagher, who was part of private meetings this week where the EPA bill was discussed, played down suggestions Mr Albanese overruled Mr Plibersek after the WA lobbying onslaught.

Senator Cash said Senator Gallagher’s comments revealed Labor’s true intentions.

“It is very clear that despite what has happened this week this government wants to introduce these nature positive laws which will be a disaster for Western Australia,’’ Senator Cash said.

“The Prime Minister must stand in front of the Australian people and promise that no version of these laws will be re-introduced by his government in the future.

“I very much doubt Mr Albanese will give such assurances because he really does want these laws in place.”