This Sitting Week: State of uncertainty

By Marion Rae

Much of the action will take place outside parliament this week as the Morrison government makes the most of carefully staged events, while reminding others not to attend any.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese will put forward their contrasting views at CEDA’s two-day State of the Nation online event on June 15 and 16 on the state of the economy and how to exit the Covid-19 shutdown.

NSW and Victorian treasurers Dominic Perrottet and Tim Pallas will share their priorities on day one during a panel discussion with ACT Chief Minister and Treasurer Andrew Barr, allowing their jurisdictions’ energy transition to peep above the federal policy parapet.

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Trade, supply chains and Attorney-General Christian Porter’s industrial relations brokerage feature on day two along with insights on critical services from AGL CEO Brett Redman.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham remains in the deep freeze as China continues to remind Australia there are alternatives to being US deputy sheriff in the Asia Pacific. Officials are doing their best but a ministerial or leaders’ chat looks increasingly unlikely. And that phone call still hasn’t happened.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne will have an opportunity to mark out Australia’s position as her party’s backbench warriors call for a tougher stance on China. Billed as a major foreign policy speech she doesn’t have to venture beyond the Canberra bubble for the June 16 address at ANU’s National Security College. The Chinese Embassy has form in condemning her recent remarks.

Submissions on the Technology Investment Roadmap are due by June 21, gas-related or otherwise, providing some relevance for the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor this week.

Australia's Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel will join A2EP board member Hannah Meade and Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources officials Sanjiva de Silva and Chris Golding to spruik roadmaps and strategies for the minister on June 17.

Taylor wants progress on national oil storage and Labor Territorian and deputy chair of the Infrastructure, Transport and Cities Committee Luke Gosling has the solution. He’s lobbying Taylor and Resources Minister Keith Pitt for the NT and Darwin in particular to host it, funded through the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), which has a lazy A$3 billion slushing around.

Both chambers in the thick of it

Debate on “more flexible” superannuation is scheduled to resume on June 16. The bill needs to pass this week to take effect from July 1. It would increase the age limit for putting three years’ worth of non-concessional contributions into super with minimal tax and align the regime with the rising retirement age — handy for that spare A$300,000.

There’s still a draft bill in the government’s back pocket for raising the pension aged to 70 — but that’s an argument for another day.

The “your super, your choice” bill is pencilled in for Wednesday after languishing in the Senate since February. It would end the era of an enterprise agreement or workplace determination locking in a worker’s fund.

Already discussed by the Treaties Committee, the Treasury Laws Amendment (2020 Measures No. 2) Bill would set up the legal framework for Australia to pay more to the World Bank by buying additional capital in the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Another measure in the eclectic bill gives men’s and women’s sheds charity status, supporting an end to social isolation and a place to share mental health battles in many communities, assuming debate resumes and the Senate gives it the nod by Thursday.

The Selection of Bills Committee has backed a non-controversial package of seven bills to implement changes to the financial institution supervisory levy framework. They passed the lower house last week and will clear the Senate by the end of Thursday.

The freshly introduced Payment Times Reporting (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020 can’t make any more progress just yet. It’s been referred immediately to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by July 30.

The provisions of the Product Stewardship (Oil) Amendment Bill 2020 and the Excise Tariff Amendment Bill 2020 will also face scrutiny, after being referred to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by July 30.

Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley introduced the two bills last month to clean up after the Federal Court’s decision in the 2019 Caltex Petroleum v Commissioner of Taxation case gave a broad interpretation of “oil”, which opened the door to unintended payments from the ATO under its product stewardship for oil (PSO) program.

No time to party

Under normal circumstances, this week would also feature the Federal Parliament Press Gallery Midwinter Ball with lavish tables booked by the nation’s consulting, financial and resources heavyweights as a reward for a successful Budget 2020.

That will have to wait, as will Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s promised June economic statement — now scheduled for July 23, along with a verdict on Treasury’s JobKeeper review due by the end of this month.

Best not to let the bad news out before the July 4 by-election in Eden-Monaro.

Don’t hold your breath on constitutional recognition or a voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in parliament but at least Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt has started on “co-design” of options for the next parliament.