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ALP Leadership Holds Press Conference

Oct 14, 2013

The new Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, has held a press conference in Canberra, following a Caucus meeting which finalised Labor’s leadership positions and the composition of the shadow ministry.

Shorten appeared with his new deputy, Tanya Plibersek, and the party’s Senate leader, Penny Wong, and the deputy Senate leader, Stephen Conroy.

  • Listen to the ALP press conference (29m)

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  • Watch an extract of the press conference (7m)


Filed Under: A.L.P., Audio2013, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

Plibersek New ALP Deputy Leader; Wong And Conroy Take Senate Positions; Shadow Ministry Elected

Oct 14, 2013

Tanya Plibersek has been elected deputy leader of the ALP at a Caucus meeting in Canberra today.

Plibersek, the member for Sydney since 1998 and Minister for Health in the former Labor government, will be Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

ALP

Senator Penny Wong has been re-elected as Senate leader, the position she secured on June 26 when Kevin Rudd replaced Julia Gillard.

Senator Stephen Conroy has been elected deputy leader in the Senate. Conroy was deputy leader from 2001 until February this year when he became leader following the retirement of Senator Chris Evans. Conroy quit as Senate leader and Minister for Communications when Rudd replaced Gillard. In returning to the deputy leader’s position, he replaces Senator Jacinta Collins who has held the position since the Rudd takeover in June.

The ALP Caucus also elected the shadow ministry today. It will consist of:

  1. Leader: Bill Shorten
  2. Deputy Leader: Tanya Plibersek
  3. Senate Leader: Senator Penny Wong
  4. Senate Deputy Leader: Senator Stephen Conroy
  5. Anthony Albanese
  6. Sharon Bird
  7. Chris Bowen
  8. Tony Burke
  9. Mark Butler
  10. Senator Kim Carr
  11. Jason Clare
  12. Julie Collins
  13. Mark Dreyfus
  14. Kate Ellis
  15. Senator Don Farrell
  16. David Feeney
  17. Joel Fitzgibbon
  18. Gary Gray
  19. Senator Doug Cameron
  20. Catherine King
  21. Andrew Leigh
  22. Jenny Macklin
  23. Richard Marles
  24. Senator Jan McLucas
  25. Senator Claire Moore
  26. Shayne Neumann
  27. Brendan O’Connor
  28. Melissa Parke
  29. Bernie Ripoll
  30. Michelle Rowland

Newcomers to the shadow ministry are: Senator Claire Moore and Michelle Rowland.

Previous parliamentary secretaries who have entered the shadow ministry proper are: Senator Doug Cameron, David Feeney, Andrew Leigh, Shayne Neumann and Bernie Ripoll.

Previous ministers who are not in the shadow ministry are: Senator Bob Carr, Senator Jacinta Collins, Kate Lundy and Warren Snowdon. Carr is expected to resign from the Senate in the near future. Collins, the biggest loser in the Caucus election, was a parliamentary secretary during the Gillard government and became a minister and deputy Senate leader after Rudd’s return. Lundy and Snowdon are believed to have been dropped by the Left faction because they supported Shorten in the leadership ballot.

Former Parliamentary Secretary Ed Husic also missed out on promotion.

There are 11 women in the shadow ministry, the same number as in the previous Rudd government. There are 8 women from the Left and 3 from the Right.

Shorten will announce the allocation of portfolios on Friday. The shadow ministry will hold its first meeting on October 21.

Filed Under: A.L.P., Shadow Ministries Tagged With: , , , , ,

Government Humiliated By Treasury And PBO On Coalition Costings

Aug 29, 2013

The Rudd government was humiliated today by the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Treasury and the Finance Department after it levelled allegations at the Coalition over its election policy costings.

All three organisations issued public statements that challenged claims made earlier in the day by Prime Minister Rudd, Treasurer Bowen and Finance Minister Wong. The ministers released confidential minutes from Treasury, Finance and PBO and claimed there was a $10 billion dollar “black hole” in the Coalition’s costings.

Treasury, Finance and the PBO released statements which effectively disowned the figures. It was a major assertion of public service integrity during the caretaker period of an election campaign.

Rudd

Treasury Secretary Martin Parkinson and Finance Department Secretary David Tune said: “These costings were not prepared under the election costings commitments’ process outlined in the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998. Different costing assumptions, such as the start date of a policy, take-up assumptions, indexation and the coverage that applies will inevitably generate different financial outcomes. The financial implications of a policy may also differ depending on whether the costing is presented on an underlying cash balance or fiscal balance basis.”

The Parliamentary Budget Office, an organisation established during the last Parliament to provide independent costings of party policies, also disputed the government’s claims. Its head, Phil Bowen, said it was wrong to claim the minute released by the government was a costing of the Coalition’s policies.

Downloadable PDFs of the documents released by the government, the PBO and Treasury-Finance are shown below.

The debacle for the government began when the Prime Minister, Treasurer and Finance Minister held a press conference this morning.

  • Listen to the Rudd-Bowen-Wong press conference (38m)

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  • Watch Rudd (1m)

Text of media release from the Treasurer, Chris Bowen, and the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Senator Penny Wong.

$10 BILLION HOLE PUNCHED IN COALITION COSTINGS

Treasury, Department of Finance and Deregulation and Parliamentary Budget Office figures released this morning have exposed a $10 billion hole in the savings claimed by the Coalition yesterday.

Rather than the $31.6 billion save that Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey spoke about yesterday, these independent figures below show that total saves are $20.8 billion. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 Federal Election, A.L.P., Audio2013, Liberal Party, Rudd, Video Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Government Releases Updated Economic Outlook; Deficit Up, Growth Slows, $17bn Of Budget Cuts

Aug 02, 2013

The Rudd government has released an updated economic outlook statement that shows this year’s budget deficit blowing out to $30.1 billion.

Treasurer Chris Bowen and Finance Minister Senator Penny Wong have announced $17 billion of budget cuts aimed at producing a surplus of $4 billion in 2016-17. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 Federal Election, Audio2013, Budget, Economy, Rudd, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

Rudd Announces Historic Reform To ALP Leadership Election; Party Members To Have 50% Say

Jul 08, 2013

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced a proposal to give ALP members a 50% say in the election of the federal parliamentary leader.

The Caucus will have the remaining 50% say. A leadership election can be triggered by the leader’s resignation, a federal election loss or a 75% vote of no confidence by the Caucus.

Rudd said: “The proposal guarantees to the electorate that the prime minister they elect is the prime minister they get.”

At a press conference this evening, Rudd said the full ministry had decided on the proposal today. It will be submitted to the Caucus on July 22 for approval. A special meeting of the ALP National Conference is possible if the proposal is rejected.

  • Listen to Rudd’s press conference – transcript below (21m)

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Rudd

Rudd proposes that the Caucus have a 50% share of the vote and party members have the other 50%. A leader who takes the party into government will serve out the full term.

Other elections of the party leader will take place after an election defeat, on the resignation or permanent physical incapacity of the leader, or when 75% of caucus members sign a petition calling for a leadership vote.

Other leadership positions will be decided by the Caucus. Members of the Ministry or Shadow Ministry will also be decided by the Caucus, not the leader. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 Federal Election, A.L.P., Audio2013, Rudd Tagged With: , , , , ,

Tony Abbott And Women Of Calibre: What Did He Actually Say?

May 08, 2013

In the increasingly bizarre world online, there was a minor flurry yesterday over comments by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on paid parental leave.

I came to it late in the day, some hours after the comments were made. My initial impression was that Abbott must have said something highly offensive.

For example, the News Limited website, news.com.au, told me Abbott defended his paid parental leave policy as a means of encouraging women of “calibre” to have children.

Farr

On Twitter, the article’s author, political writer Malcolm Farr, said the policy was all about getting women of calibre to “breed”:



Also on Twitter, the Finance Minister, Senator Penny Wong, was taking aim at Abbott:

Elsewhere, there was talk of Abbott’s new policy of eugenics.

Clearly, this was a major foot-in-mouth blunder by Abbott.

So I listened to what Abbott said. Here’s the full media conference and the specific question where Abbott made the “calibre” comment:

Abbott

  • Tony Abbott’s media conference – May 7, 2013 (22m)

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  • The ‘calibre’ question (3m)

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I’m the first to admit that my command of English is pretty basic. But surely Abbott’s remark is innocuous?

There is a legitimate debate to be had over the merits of Abbott’s policy. Or do we prefer the warm inner glow of manufactured outrage?


Filed Under: 2013 Federal Election, Audio2013, Liberal Party, Social Welfare Tagged With: , , , ,

Current Federal Parliamentary Leaders

Feb 04, 2013

Each political party represented in the Federal Parliament elects leaders in each house.

Just as the government is decided in the House of Representatives, so the parties elect their leaders and deputy leaders from amongst their representatives in the House. If the party is not represented in the lower house, its leader will be chosen from amongst its members in the Senate.

These tables are correct as of February 4, 2013. On February 2, Senator Chris Evans announced his retirement from politics. The ALP Caucus elected Senator Stephen Conroy as his replacement on February 4. Senator Penny Wong became the deputy leader.

House of Representatives
Party Leader Deputy Leader
Australian Labor Party Julia Gillard
Member for Lalor (Vic)		 Wayne Swan
Member for Lilley (Qld)
Liberal Party Tony Abbott
Member for Warringah (NSW)		 Julie Bishop
Member for Curtin (WA)
National Party Warren Truss
Member for Wide Bay (Qld)		 Senator Nigel Scullion
Northern Territory
Australian Greens - Adam Bandt
Member for Melbourne (Vic)



The major parties also elect leaders and deputy leaders in the Senate. These people form part of the leadership group and act as the focal point for their parties in the upper house.

For example, the current ALP leader in the Senate, Chris Evans, is referred to as the Government Leader in the Senate. Senator Eric Abetz is referred to as the Opposition Leader in the Senate.

Senate
Party Leader Deputy Leader
Australian Labor Party Senator Stephen Conroy
(Victoria)		 Senator Penny Wong
(South Australia)
Liberal Party Senator Eric Abetz
(Tasmania)		 Senator George Brandis
(Queensland)
National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce
(Queensland)		 Senator Fiona Nash
(New South Wales)
Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne
(Tasmania)
-


Filed Under: A.L.P., General Information, Greens, Liberal Party, The Nationals Tagged With: ,
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