The Bill finalises the government’s expansion of paid parental leave that was first announced in the October 2022-23 Budget, increasing the scheme to 26 weeks, or 6 months by July 2026.

From July 1 2024, parents will be eligible for an additional two weeks of leave to the current 18 weeks on offer, followed by another two in 2025 and then the final weeks in 2026. 

Four weeks are reserved for each parent on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis, with these changes designed to encourage parents to share the care.

The Bill also introduces concurrent leave, which means that from 2026, both parents can take four weeks of leave at the same time if they choose to, providing families with the flexibility to arrange their care how they need. 

Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth says the extra six weeks of is part of a total investment of $1.2 billion over five years from the Labor government towards paid parental leave. 

“Paid Parental Leave is a proud Labor legacy and our Albanese Labor Government is building and expanding on that legacy,” says Rishworth. 

“This will benefit over 180,000 families each year and represents the biggest expansion of the scheme since Labor introduced it in 2011.”

“The Bill gives Australian families more Paid Parental Leave than ever before and will support participation and productivity over the longer term, providing a dividend for the Australian economy,” she says.

There’s mounting evidence of a “motherhood penalty”, which refers to how becoming a mum in Australia comes with a high price for women. It occurs primarily because women take time out of the workforce or work fewer hours after having a child, which sees their lifetime earnings reduce significantly.

Creating an environment for fathers to take more parental leave has been shown to combat this, as shared parental leave policies can foster an equal division of unpaid care and paid work. 

Support for the Bill

Offering their suport for the increase to paid parental leave, the Australian Chamber of Commerce said “businesses are set to benefit by ensuring that fewer productive employees end up leaving workplaces permanently and more women remain in the labour market.”

Equality Rights Alliance, Australia’s largest network of organisations advocating for gender equality, has called the changes “equality enabling” and that it offers “significant advances in the promotion of Australian women’s economic security.”

Dr Leonora Risse, an economist specialising in gender equality, noted that this is a “historic milestone” for women’s rights and economic standing, and gender equality in Australia.

“The amendments in this Bill are an indisputable and significant improvement from previous policy settings and are strongly welcomed,” said Dr Risse. 

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A beloved, wife, mother, daughter, sister and a Member for Dunkley, Murphy’s family shared on Instagram that she was at home surrounded by loved ones and “died the way she lived – with dignity and strength and a touch of sarcasm to boot.”

Murphy was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, and after recovering, her cancer returned in 2019. Shortly after, she became the first woman elected to represent the Dunkley electorate.

In her maiden speech, Murphy quoted from children’s book character Pippi Longstocking, who responded to being told she couldn’t beat a circus strongman because ‘he’s the strongest man in the world’, by saying “Man, yes… but I’m the strongest girl in the world, remember that.”

Referencing this power move, Murphy’s loved one’s also wrote in her tribute that “We loved her deeply and are so, so proud of her achievements, her character and her courage. She was indeed the strongest girl of all.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Peta Murphy MP (@petamurphylabordunkley)

Known for her commitment to social justice and her community, Murphy was in Parliament just last Tuesday  to support a national registry for metastatic cancer patients. 

“It was so true to Peta’s character that she channelled her personal battle with breast cancer into public policy, advocating always for others: for better treatment, more services and stronger support,” said an emotional Prime Minister Anthonly Albanese as he announced Murphy’s death.

In a press conference in Canberra on Monday, Albansese said his government is “broken hearted” over her passing.

“Peta Murphy was brave, she was courageous, and she was loved. Peta Murphy was the strongest of local members, the most inspiring of colleagues, and the very best kind of friend. To attend a community event with Peta was to bask in her glow … This will be a difficult period of grieving, but we will always carry her glow in our hearts.”

Prior to entering Parliament, Murphy was a senior public defender at Victorian Legal Aid and a barrister. She was married to her husband Rod Glover for 24 years.

As MP for Dunkley and following her cancer diagnosis, Murphy used her first speech in Parliament to say: “I am neither unique nor alone in the fight I am about to take on.”

Referencing her words, Albanese told reporters on Monday that, “In so many wonderful ways, Peta was unique. But as someone who inspired such affection and respect in the hearts of so many, she was never alone.”

Tributes have been pouring in for Murphy from all who knew her, describing the beautiful legacy she leaves behind. 

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Palaszczuk returned from her two-week holiday in Italy on the weekend and fronted a press conference on Monday morning, responding to reporters’ questions surrounding her leadership.

“I feel refreshed, I feel energised and I’m absolutely determined to lead the party and this government to the next election. I just want to make that very clear to everybody,” she said.

Palaszczuk also revealed she was rushed to emergency in June while attending a Labor state conference in Mackay. She told reporters she spent around six hours in hospital and had some tests done, but “everything’s fine now”.

The Queensland Premier, who has been in power since 2015, faced public scrutiny and party discontent for taking her two-week leave break in Italy at the end of August. 

However, Palaszczuk said it was an “invasion of privacy” when journalists tracked her down and interrupted her holiday. She also said she timed her break so she could be here for the bushfire season, which is expected to hit high levels of severity.

“It’s healthy for leaders to have a break, and I felt I needed a break,” she said.

Controversial legislation

In the last sitting week of Parliament before the Premier’s holiday, the Queensland government faced intense backlash for passing controversial legislation that suspended the Human Rights Act, which legalises the detention of children in adult prisons and police watch houses.

While human rights organisations condemned the government’s actions, police minister Mark Ryan at the time said the change was necessary to address “immediate capacity issues” in Queensland’s detention system and the legislation would not facilitate the detention of young people in adult watch houses.

Palaszczuk admitted to reporters at Monday’s press conference that she needed to “explain things better” to the public and to her colleagues in the Queensland Parliament, particularly concerning the suspension of the Human Rights Act.

Queensland's Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk is under pressure for the state's decision to suspend its own Human Rights Act. #abc730 pic.twitter.com/ogCEDXUUVb

— ABC News (@abcnews) August 28, 2023

“It’s my job to explain things better to the caucus and better to Queenslanders… I’m always happy to improve,” she said.

“In relation to the amendment that went through, we would have preferred it would have gone to committee. However, legal action was being taken and we’ve got legal advice that said we needed to fix it up as quickly as possible.”

‘I can always do things better.’

The next state election in Queensland is scheduled for October 2024. Recent polling by RedBridge group found 41 per cent of the 2,000 respondents listed the Liberal National Party as their first preference, compared to 26 per cent for Palaszczuk’s Labor party.

However, the Premier, who described herself as an inspiration for women and girls in Queensland, maintains confidence in her leadership.

“Politics needs people who care… not selfish people, not ambitious people. They need good, decent people,” Palaszczuk said.

“I believe I’m the best person (to be Premier) because I believe that we have the plans, the policy plans for this state.”

Palaszczuk said she was unaware of any discontent within her Labor government in relation to her role as leader of the Labor party.

“Not one person has raised any issues with me, but of course, as a government and as the leader of the government, I can always do things better,” she said.

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In the first 32 weeks of 2023 alone, 44 women have been killed allegedly by violence. These action plans come at a critical time when advocates, academics and practitioners have been calling for more funding and clearer actions to counter domestic, family and sexual violence.

What are the action plans?

The action plans set out the national and state-based commitments across prevention, early intervention, response, recovery and healing.

The purpose of the first action plan is to understand what actions governments are taking to end gender-based violence, what outcomes the actions and activities aim to achieve, and the targets we are working towards.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan is the first dedicated plan to address violence against women and children in First Nations communities.

It was developed with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council and in consultation with First Nations communities. It provides a road map for addressing the disproportionately high rates of violence First Nations women and children experience.

What commitments have been made?

The first action plan commits to implementing ten actions.

It includes education and training across justice, specialist and mainstream workforces, as well as advancing gender equality.

Specific actions outlined in the first action plan include:

• funding to support increased education and training on family, domestic and sexual violence for community mainstream workers, health professionals and the justice sector
• establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Men’s Advisory Body to provide advice and leadership on issues such as family violence, gender equality, programs and services for men
• improving access to short-term, medium-term and long-term housing for women and children experiencing violence
• improving actions to prevent and address sexual violence and harassment in all settings
• improving police responses and the justice system to better support victim-survivors by providing trauma-informed, culturally safe supports that promote safety and wellbeing. This also includes holding people who choose to use violence to account.

One of the notable features of the national plan is its focus on recovery and healing. The first action plan commits to enhancing trauma-informed supports and exploring new models of recovery for victim-survivors.

The national plan also includes an acknowledgement of children and young people as victim-survivors in their own right.

The first action plan commits to developing and implementing age-appropriate, culturally safe programs across all four domains of prevention, early intervention, response, recovery and healing. These will be informed by children and young people.

While the detail of how this will be achieved is unclear, the commitment is critical. As we have noted previously, ending gender-based violence in one generation requires a focus on delivering improved outcomes with transformational results for the next generation.

How will success be measured?

One of the key criticisms of the former national plan was that it didn’t include any measures to track progress over its ten-year life span.

Notably, the evaluation of the former plan was never released publicly. This is a significant failing in public accountability for efforts to reduce violence against women and children.

A key finding from the consultations was the emphasis from stakeholders and victim-survivors that targets be included in this national plan.

The first action plan is accompanied by an outcomes framework that includes targets to reduce violence. It also promises a future measurement plan, to be released in early 2024.

Careful attention and urgency in developing this measurement plan are critical. The six national targets outlined in the first action plan focus on:

• reducing the prevalence of intimate partner homicide
• improving community knowledge of what constitutes domestic, family and sexual violence
• improving community attitudes.

Notably, this action plan specifies a commitment to a 25% annual reduction in female victims of intimate partner homicide. No justification is included for aiming for this specific level of reduction.

The action plan also recognises that attitudinal change is key to eliminating violence. It includes several targets related to shifting community attitudes.

The first action plan commits to annual reporting of progress. This includes tracking the implementation of the actions contained in the two action plans. This will be a much-needed check, and ensures accountability and transparency over the life of both action plans.

What is needed now to ensure effective change and a reduction of violence?

These actions plans represent a much-needed next step in realising the objectives of the national plan. Achieving the set targets will require a significant increase in urgency and funding.

This government has made an unprecedented funding commitment of $2.3 billion over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 budgets to address women’s safety and support delivery of these action plans.

While this sounds impressive, it is not commensurate with the scale of the crisis of domestic, family and sexual violence in Australia. Increased funding to accelerate delivery of these action plans is urgently needed.

It is also critical that the reforms and work in this space are not siloed: housing, economic security and childcare are critical aspects of securing women’s safety. This is a whole-of-government project, and must be led in this way.

The way forward must be driven by a commitment to safety and recognising that we need to move urgently on the actions in the plans. They cannot simply be a political tool: they are the result of extensive consultation across Australia involving experts, advocates and victim-survivors.

This work must accelerate now. Each action may not necessarily work. Monitoring is needed to understand what works and for whom.

Agility is also required to ensure efforts can be tailored to maximise the potential for ending domestic, family and sexual violence in one generation.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Today, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth launched a five-year plan aiming to reduce the number of women killed by intimate partner violence by 25 per cent each year. 

A staggering 57 women were killed by violence in Australia in 2022, according to Destroy the Joint. And this year already, the number has reached 34 as of August 2023.

“No woman or child should have their lives terrorised by someone who professed to love and care for them,” said Rishworth in a statement.

“No woman or child should have their lives ended prematurely due to that violence.”

Rishworth told the ABC that to track progress on its targets, the government will rely on the Australian Institute of Criminology for its data for its baseline– which, according to current data shows twenty-five women have died at the hands of current or former partners in the year to July 2021. 

Director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre, Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbons says the Action Plans announced today represent “a much-needed next step” in meeting the objectives of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-23 but adds that more must be done to ensure real progress.

“The commitments made are welcome but the urgency to act is yet to be demonstrated, says Professor Fitz-Gibbons. “All governments across Australia must now move to fully fund and action these commitments as a matter of priority.”

“This government has made an unprecedented funding commitment of $2.3 billion over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 budgets to address women’s safety and support delivery of these Action Plans. While this sounds impressive, it is not commensurate with the scale of the crisis of domestic, family and sexual violence in Australia.”

Professor Fitz-Gibbons says increased funding is “urgently needed at the Commonwealth, state and territory levels.”

An analysis by the Australian Bureau of Statistics last year found that one in four women have experienced partner emotional abuse since the age of 15, and over half of these women report experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by this partner as well.

Women who experience intimate partner violence are also twice as likely to suffer mental health disorders and only around 22 per cent feel fully recovered after a decade, according to a study from Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle.

Dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander action plan

The problem is even more profound for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, with the murder rate for Indigenous women eight times higher than for non-Indigenous women. And figures compiled by the Australian Institute of Criminology show a significant proportion of these are attributable to intimate partner violence. 

Announced today as well, the government will establish a national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family safety to address the disproportionate rates of violence against Indigenous women.

The body will be under what’s described as the first dedicated action plan for Indigenous Australians. The government said the three-year plan is aligned with Closing the Gap targets– halving the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children by 2031. 

“This plan is a first for our country and has been developed by listening and working with First Nations people because we know that listening is the key to developing better policies and programs and delivering better outcomes,” said Linda Burney, the minister for Indigenous Australians.

The plan includes providing services in prisons for Indigenous people who are both victims and perpetrators of family and sexual violence. An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men’s advisory body will be established as well.

More targets included in the government’s plan include increasing understanding of violence against women across the community and changing attitudes, improving police responses, improving access to housing for women and children facing violence and increasing corporate Australia’s role in preventing customers from experiencing violence. 

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or click here.

If you are in immediate danger call 000. If you need mental health support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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At the end of the emotional news conference in which he unveiled the wording for the Voice referendum, Anthony Albanese touched on a central reason why a “yes” result is vital.

Australia would be seen as a better nation by the rest of the world if the referendum succeeded, the PM said, adding “and our position in the world matters”.

It’s actually not so much a matter of enhancing our international reputation, as of not putting a serious dent in it.

Imagine the impression sent abroad if voters defeated a proposal for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander body to advise the federal parliament and executive government on matters relating to Indigenous people.

Any nuance about why the referendum (which to succeed must be carried in four states as well as nationally) had failed would be lost. It would just come across as Australians slapping the country’s Indigenous people in the face.

This would be particularly bad for the Albanese government, which has recently announced the appointment of the inaugural ambassador for First Nations People, Justin Mohamed.

Among other things, Mohamed is to be responsible “for leading the government’s efforts to embed Indigenous perspectives, experiences and interests” across the foreign affairs department and developing “a First Nations Foreign Policy Strategy”.

It would be an appalling start to his job if he had to explain the collapse of this high-profile referendum.

Mainly, discussion of the consequences of the referendum failing has centred on what that would mean locally.

For Albanese, who is investing a great deal of political capital in the issue, defeat would be a major blow. It also potentially could have knock-on effects for the government’s plans for a referendum on a republic in a second Labor term.

And a loss would be a massive setback for reconciliation, sparking disillusionment and anger among Indigenous Australians.

But beyond these domestic implications, the impact on Australia’s international standing should be kept front of mind. This constitutes an argument for a “yes” vote, even by those who might think the Voice will not amount to much, or, alternatively, fear it will unleash a lawyers’ picnic.

We are so far down this referendum road that not to reach the destination would have very wide fallout.

But it will be rough going over the next few months. That was clear on Thursday despite the historic celebratory news conference that saw the prime minister flanked by an array of Indigenous leaders, united in the referendum cause.

Conservative constitutional experts are critical of the wording the government has settled on, which varies only marginally from Albanese’s first draft outlined to last year’s Garma festival.

Objections go to the potential scope it would give the Voice in relation to advising executive government, and especially the public service.

Greg Craven, a member of the constitutional expert group that has been advising on the referendum, told 3AW: “The problem is executive government covers the whole of the decision-making of the Commonwealth government […] Now, if you get into a situation where, for example, the Voice hasn’t yet made a representation on some important view and the Commonwealth has not told the Voice and given it that chance, then legally it is entirely practicable for someone to take a challenge to a court to stop that action until the Voice has made a representation.”

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus moved to strengthen the guard rail to prevent such a problem but the First Nations referendum working group – the power centre when it comes to negotiating with the government – bristled. Instead, the group came up with its own form of words, which the government accepted.

Peter Dutton has called for the government to release the advice the solicitor-general provided Dreyfus about that extra guard rail.

Other constitutional lawyers, such as Anne Twomey (who is also on the constitutional expert group), don’t see a problem, believing the slight tweak from the original that has been made is sufficient protection.

It’s a case of choose your expert. We would only know definitively who’s right if and when the legal processes played out after the Voice was in operation.

This legal issue in relation to executive government is the most serious question about the Voice, but it’s not the only one.

We know the parliament will be the final arbiter of the detail of the Voice, after a successful referendum. “Parliament” in practice means the Albanese government, advised by Indigenous people and possibly limited by what it can get through the Senate.

But the referendum working group has already set out some design principles, endorsed by the government. One says: “To ensure cultural legitimacy, the way that members of the Voice are chosen would suit the wishes of local communities”.

That might seem fine at first glance, but it does not provide any certainty of a democratic and inclusive local process, which might surprise some referendum voters.

While the argument among lawyers gives Dutton added grist for questions, it does not make any easier his fundamental dilemmas with this referendum, on which the Liberals have yet to declare a position.

Dutton has a split party, with the majority favouring a “no” vote but a vocal minority of moderates firmly on the “yes” side and ready to campaign for it.

Beyond that, Albanese is investing the referendum with a lot of emotion and also tying it to achieving results in “closing the gap”.

If Dutton opposes, he’ll find himself cast on the wrong side of history, whatever the referendum result. If the vote is carried, his opposition would be condemned. If the referendum were lost, he’d receive a lot of blame, and be open to the charge he had helped stymie something that might have contributed to “practical reconciliation”, on which the Liberals focus.

Given his base, Dutton can’t win in political terms.

He might do well to listen to Craven, who was asked whether he’d vote for or against the proposal as it now stands. “I would vote for it because if I was forced to take a position as to the sort of advanced morality of doing justice to our indigenous brothers and citizens, I could not vote against it,” he said.

Craven said he would keep fighting for altered wording, but if he failed and the current wording was put to voters, “I will shut up”.

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Minister for Women, Senator Katy Gallagher, said the government is committed to making gender equality a national priority.

“The Albanese Labor Government wants to make International Women’s Day about more than just celebrating women’s successes,” said Gallagher. “And instead see the Commonwealth Government annually report on the challenges that continue to hold women and our country back, and use this to reflect on progress.”

The annual Report Card shows the challenges women and girls in Australia face through many phases of life– youth, young adulthood, careers, families, parenthood and later on in life.

“The reality is, while we are making some gains on gender equality, we are not there yet and, in some aspects of women’s lives, progress has stalled,” said Gallagher.

This year’s Report Card shows that one in two women have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime, compared to one in four men.

And 30 per cent of Australian men don’t believe that gender inequality exists, which is more than the global average of 21 per cent. 

Women over 55 are also the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness. 

And even when women are the primary breadwinners of a household, they do more unpaid housework than men (24.1 hours vs 19.1 hours).

While these statistics may be confronting, Gallagher said shining a light on them with the new Report Card is “crucial if we are to have an honest conversation about gender equality in this country.”

Inviting all Australians to join this conversation, Gallagher is asking everyone to share their experiences in a survey launched today. 

The survey is part of the next phase of consultation for the Nation Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality, with the full strategy being due for release in the second half of this year. 

The National Strategy is aiming to guide community action to make Australia one of the best countries in the world for equality.

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But are families really supported in the face of record energy prices, rising interest rates, the prospect of job instability and inflation? The answer is no. The budget makes some great first strides and its goal to become one of the most gender equal countries in the world must be applauded, but it simply doesn’t go far enough. The knife is simply not hot enough to cut the butter, and by time we get through, the toast is cold.

Take childcare, for example. Its new subsidies, aimed to support 96 per cent of families, do not kick in until July 2023. Families are doing it tough today. Interest rates, inflation, energy prices, need I say more? Not to mention the impact this has on women who often stall their return to work until affordable childcare can be secured.

A key issue with these policies is that the bar is set so low on change that any improvement seems reason to celebrate. Australia’s childcare system is broken. Families need more affordable access to care, and we also need more childcare workers, with better pay, recognition and support. Families will not be better supported until both sides of the system are catered for. You cannot have one without the other. 

Our childcare centres today are at the point of crisis, not being able to fill positions with potential staff who find more money and less responsibility in packing shelves than becoming an early childhood educator.

Cheaper childcare will be of no use when families cannot get placements. There will be no increase to the female workforce participation rate, nor an increase in the number of men who opt to balance the scales and become a stay-at-home Dad, thanks to the gender pay gap. These two elements need to be considered in unison with where the change bar really should be: we need to work towards a system where, eventually, childcare over the age of one is free.

Childcare is in fact, early childhood education – education for our nation’s future.

The numbers are big and impressive for Paid Parental Leave too – a total of $530 million towards extending it to six months. It’s a great headline. But it doesn’t deliver the actual outcomes families need. For starters, it only kicks in incrementally, when families need support now. And then there’s the amount of funds paid. PPL is paid at minimum wage, $812.45 a week. Try stretching that with nappies, weekly cans of formula, a steady stream of wet wipes, nappy rash cream, rent, groceries and bills. The maths doesn’t add up and families are still left struggling.

Sure, an argument can be made on how far governments can afford to support parental leave. But there is an easy way out that doesn’t break the bottom line: create better incentives for businesses to fund employer sponsored paid parental leave. Allow for additional tax deductions or better still, waive the PAYG for the period of time that businesses fund parental leave. 

This will create an immediate cost saving, allow businesses to better attract, retain and grow their female pipeline of talent and won’t cost the government an additional cent. After all, there’s no tax receipt on zero parental leave income, so why not waive it for the employers who pay?  

Small business owners would also benefit from this approach. As a business owner myself, PPL poses a question of financial hardship: ‘Do I dwindle company funds and pay for my own maternity leave, or do I live on minimum wage and barely get by with government supported PPL?’ A government incentivised approach would allow me, and other new parents, to take six months’ paid leave, earn the government supported minimum wage, and top up the rest via my company supported paid leave without breaking the bank. It’s a win-win for both.

The budget also has many issues left on the table. Superannuation payments on PPL would barely make a dent on the budget, but it would go a long way in meeting women’s superannuation gap, often at a third of men’s superannuation balances by the time of retirement. Yet the issue was left untouched.

And it seems women keep missing out. Watching the budget speech, I was pleased to see support in funding for violence against women initiatives, families and childcare. However, I earnestly waited for announcements of support for key areas in which women need additional investment: leadership, STEM and entrepreneurship. Towards the end of the speech it dawned on me, there’s nothing coming for us.

The ‘why’ of these support measures can be quantified in numbers. Women only make up less than 35% of key management personnel according to WGEA, despite being 50% of the population. Women earn less than 3% of the world’s VC capital, and Australia’s VC opportunities are slimmer still, compared to the VC global appetite.

It’s great to have support for families, but the disappointing news flash alert for Labor’s 2022 government is that not all women want to be mothers. As voting citizens, they need budgetary support too.

Shivani Gopal is the CEO and Founder at Elladex, a digital rolodex for women’s personal, professional and financial growth.

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The news was announced this week by Resources Minister Madeleine King, who said allowing oil and gas companies to explore the ocean acreage was vital to meet Australia’s future energy needs. It comes as the government is in the process of legislating its 43 per cent by 2030 emissions reduction target.

“At the same time as we strive to reduce emissions it must be emphasised that continued exploration for oil and gas in Commonwealth waters is central to alleviating future domestic gas shortfalls,” King said.

“Australia’s energy sector also continues to support international energy security, particularly during the global turbulence caused largely by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

The government’s decision has been heavily criticised by environmental groups, climate activists and politicians on the crossbench who have campaigned for stronger climate action.

Independent MP Zoe Daniel said the government needs to be explain how the oil and gas exploration is appropriate, considering its own climate targets.  

“This requires an explanation from the government as to how this does not run counter to the climate target that was passed through the house in the last session,” Daniel tweeted.

“This is no time for business as usual on fossil fuels nor lip service on climate.”

Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said Labor likes to “talk big on climate” but will end up doing what their fossil fuel donors demand.

“We already have enough oil and gas in reserves to trigger catastrophic climate change to our planet,” he said.

Independent MP Zali Steggall said new oil and gas wells are unnecessary and irresponsible, and has called on the Minister for Resources Madeleine King to reverse the decision, and end all seismic testing in Commonwealth waters.

“The International Energy Agency has said that new oil and gas extraction is not consistent with a roadmap to net zero by 2050,” Steggall said in a statement.

“The IPCC and the United Nations Secretary General agree that we simply cannot have any new fossil fuel extraction.”

Stegall also noted the exploration itself will cause environmental damage and be detrimental to whale migration routes, even if a project is never commissioned.

“Underwater seismic testing is known to have devastating impacts on marine life, with Nature finding an 88 per cent decrease in whale sightings in areas of seismic testing. The areas impacted almost surround the country and two key whale migration routes.”

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This shift looks set to flow into the ministry, which is expected to be shortly announced.

Of the 17 new MPs to pick up or retain lower house seats for Labor, meaning they’re entering parliament for the first time, ten are female and seven are male.

And the mix of new Labor members overall is looking more like Australia than any government in Australian history.

Meeting with the new caucus for the first time today in Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese outlined the new government’s policy ambitions and declared they will be an inclusive government.

“I want to remind you that you shouldn’t waste a day in government. We don’t intend to,” Albanese said.

He added they have an “enormous responsibility” to deliver on the commitments made, and they now have “a clear mandate as part of a majority Labor government. And we will deliver it.”

He noted that the world has noticed a shift in government, and that “we’re joining again the global effort, which we needed to do after nine wasted years.”

Albanese also promised to never “single out vulnerable people”.

“We saw division during the election campaign whereby some very vulnerable people were singled out,” he said.

“We’re a better government than that. We shouldn’t do that. Ever. Ever.”

“What we should do is seek to reach out and to be an inclusive society and how we conduct ourselves is very much a part of that.”

He said the next parliament will begin in the final week of July, with the new ministry set to be sworn in on Wednesday.

Albanese also acknowledged Labor’s “two fallen colleagues” including Kristina Keneally and Terri Butler, who lost their seats.

The speech came as Fiona Phillips was looking increasingly likely to retain the seat of Gilmore for Labor, which would give Labor 77 seats in the lower house.

Reiterating Labor’s policy priorities, Albanese started the session with an acknowledgement and also committing to implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

He said they will deliver more secure work, introduce legislation for an anti-corruption commission. easing cost of living, cheaper childcare and s a strengthened Medicare. He said they will fix childcare, create a more resilient economy and “end the climate wars.

“We will show that we’re an inclusive and mature country by recognising the privilege that we have of sharing this great island continent of ours, this great multicultural nation, with the oldest continuous civilisation on the planet and recognising that in our constitution with an enshrined voice to parliament.

“And you might have noticed that the world has noticed that the government has changed.”

The new Labor MPs includes

Western Australia
Pearce: Tracey Roberts
Swan : Zaneta Mascarenhas
Hasluck: Tania Lawrence
Tangney: Sam Lim

South Australia
Boothby: Louise Miller-Frost
Spence: Matt Burnell

New South Wales
Reid: Sally Sitou
Robertson: Gordon Reid
Bennelong: Jerome Laxale
Hunter: Dan Repacholi
Parramatta: Andrew Charlton
Cunningham: Alison Byrnes

Victoria
Holt: Cassandra Fernando
Chisholm: Carina Garland
Higgins: Michelle Ananda-Rajah
Hawke: Sam Rae (new seat)

Northern Territory
Lingiari: Marion Scrymgour

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On Monday night, the ABC called the South Melbourne seat of Macnamara for incumbent Labor MP Josh Burns, pushing Labor into a position where it can govern with a majority. It also looks like Labor could win one more seat, Gilmore on the NSW south coast, where Fiona Phillips has edged slightly ahead of Liberal Andrew Constance.

In Macnamara, Josh Burns has been in a tight contest with Greens’ candidate Steph Hodgins-May and Liberal Colleen Harkin. The seat of Deakin is also still in doubt, with Liberal Michael Sukkar ahead of the Labor candidate Matt Gregg by about 600 votes, as counting continues.

A majority in the House of Representatives means the Albanese government would not need the votes of the crossbench to pass legislation. However, Albanese has noted he plans to work “constructively” with the expanded crossbench, now filled with an increased number of community-backed independents.

The 47^th parliament will have a record number of politicians on the crossbench, with at least 16 seats. Currently, it looks like there will 4 Greens MPs and 12 independents (or other minor party MPs). After suffering a landslide election defeat, the Coalition has won just 57 seats.

Labor’s result of at least 76 seats means the party will have its first majority in the House of Representatives since Kevin Rudd’s government formed in 2007.

Despite Labor’s majority win, the party’s national primary vote came in at just 32.8 per cent, while one in three Australians chose to give their vote to an independent or minor party. With only slim majority, Albanese will need to keep the crossbench onside because it’s common for government numbers to change during a three-year term.

Dr Monique Ryan, the new independent MP for Kooyong said she hopes the Albanese government will choose to meaningfully engage with the crossbench.

“Although Labor will likely have a small but clear majority in the House of Representatives, it will not in the Senate, I hope and believe that Mr Albanese will engage meaningfully with the cross bench in both houses,” Dr Ryan told Women’s Agenda.

“He’s indicated that he wants to work collaboratively and positively, and it will be important for him to demonstrate a commitment to that by allowing debate on the important issues on which Australians have changed government; climate, integrity and gender equity – all areas in which the crossbench has much to contribute. Our government will be better if all have a voice in it.”

Speaking to Women’s Agenda prior to the election, North Sydney independent Kylea Tink said the new government should move towards a consensus building approach to improve standards in the House of Representatives.

“The Australian democracy has moved to a point now where it is so confrontational that both major parties like to have the whole of control,” Tink said. “They like to know that for next three years, they can drive an agenda without criticism or without a force to stand against them.”

“Introducing the crossbench enables us to bring the conversation back in, to make sure that all opinions are being aired and discussed and we are working towards consensus.”

Returning independent MPs Helen Haines and Zali Steggall have each urged the Albanese to reform processes in the House of Representatives to ensure debate is relevant and balanced.

In an opinion piece today, Steggall said she was “quite shocked” by the lack of genuine debate in the House during the Morrison government. She has suggested installing a female speaker, and backed Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie for the role.

Meanwhile Helen Haines has suggested Dorothy Dixers, which are prepared questions and answers, should be banned in the House of Representatives, and also wants a minimum of four crossbench questions in question time, and one day of private members’ business every sitting week.

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