Coalition backflip on international student cap is ‘baffling’, Aly says
Anne Aly, the minister for youth and early childhood education, has been speaking with the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing about the Coalition’s backflip over plans to cap international student numbers from next year.
She describes the move as “pretty extraordinary and baffling” because “Peter Dutton has thus far thrown his support behind” the caps.
I think there is still negotiating to do … The minister for education, Jason Clare, will have to talk to the crossbench and the Coalition. But I don’t know what the intent behind this is. I don’t think anyone knows what the intent behind this is because Peter Dutton has always maintained that they would support a cap on international students, now they have done a complete turnaround.
Aly says that “if the legislation does not get through, there is still a ministerial order in place”. This is ministerial direction 107, a regulation enacted in December 2023 that gave priority to students applying to low-risk institutions.
Key events
Petra Stock
Adelaide council rejects Aukus nuclear waste plan
Plans to dispose of low-level nuclear waste from Aukus submarines at an Adelaide naval facility have been unanimously opposed by the local council for the area, which says it was not consulted.
The Osborne naval shipyard, 25km north of the Adelaide CBD, and HMAS Stirling at Garden Island, 50km south of Perth in Western Australia, have both been designated as “radioactive waste management facilities” for nuclear waste from Aukus submarines under the Australian naval nuclear power safety bill, which passed parliament in October.
Last week, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield – responsible for the area surrounding the Osborne shipyard – voted to unanimously oppose the storage and disposal of radioactive waste at the site.
You can read more on that story here:
Lisa Cox
Trump’s energy secretary linked to NT fracking
Donald Trump’s nomination for energy secretary has connections to fracking operations for gas in the Beetaloo basin in the Northern Territory.
Chris Wright is the chief executive of Liberty Energy, a company that provides services to the oil and gas industry across North America.
US gas company Tamboran Resources announced in 2023 it had struck a partnership with Liberty Energy for the delivery of fracking equipment to drill wells in the Beetaloo basin between Katherine and Tennant Creek.
Read more on that story here:
Police arrest three men after alleged dangerous jet ski riding
Three men have been arrested after police allege a jet ski was ridden dangerously close to swimmers at a Melbourne beach on Saturday.
Victoria police said in a statement that officers were patrolling near Half Moon Bay about 3pm when they saw a jet ski being ridden close to swimmers.
Police will allege the rider was speeding in a no boating zone, narrowly missing multiple people in the water.
Three men were later arrested at a nearby boat ramp where it’s alleged one of the men assaulted a police officer.
Police said it expected to charge three men on summons: a 21-year-old from Craigieburn with conduct endangering life; a 24-year-old from Hadfield with assaulting police; and a 22-year-old from Fawkner with hindering police.
Emily Wind
Many thanks for joining me on the politics blog today, on what has been a very busy Monday. There’s still more to come, and Nino Bucci will be here to bring you the latest.
McAllister defends Labor’s electoral reform proposals
Jenny McAllister is also asked about the government’s proposed electoral reform, and comments from the independent MP Kate Chaney earlier today, denouncing the policy.
Responding to criticism the reform would allow big money to be splashed at the major parties, she says:
The core of this legislation is about making sure people get to parliament because they have got support from their communities, not because they are sponsored by one wealthy individual …
People will still be able to donate, to be able to support the candidates. But by placing caps, we stop the capacity for a handful of people, that very limited number of Australians who have access to very large amounts of money, to disproportionately influence the outcome of elections. And I think it is a proposition most Australians understand is pretty sensible.
Dutton ‘needs to explain’ international student backflip, McAllister says
The emergency management minister, Jenny McAllister, is also up on Afternoon Briefing this afternoon, where she weighs in on the international student cap – is there a way through this?
She says the “last two weeks in every sitting year are always a big couple of weeks for the Senate” and “it’s a time when we see people’s true colours”.
It seems that [Peter] Dutton is planning to vote against this very sensible policy reform … Why Mr Dutton will not support this when he has publicly said he will in the past is really something he needs to explain.
Asked if there is a plan B, McAllister – like Aly – says this is a matter for the minister, Jason Clare.
We think this is good legislation … If the Liberals don’t support this, they really need to explain why that is … It seems like a reckless approach to an important policy question, done without any explanation.
Coalition backflip on international student cap is ‘baffling’, Aly says
Anne Aly, the minister for youth and early childhood education, has been speaking with the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing about the Coalition’s backflip over plans to cap international student numbers from next year.
She describes the move as “pretty extraordinary and baffling” because “Peter Dutton has thus far thrown his support behind” the caps.
I think there is still negotiating to do … The minister for education, Jason Clare, will have to talk to the crossbench and the Coalition. But I don’t know what the intent behind this is. I don’t think anyone knows what the intent behind this is because Peter Dutton has always maintained that they would support a cap on international students, now they have done a complete turnaround.
Aly says that “if the legislation does not get through, there is still a ministerial order in place”. This is ministerial direction 107, a regulation enacted in December 2023 that gave priority to students applying to low-risk institutions.
Sarah Basford Canales
Coalition makes last-minute backflip on plans to cap international student numbers from next year
The Albanese government has been left red-faced after the Coalition made a last-minute backflip over plans to cap international student numbers from next year.
The education minister, Jason Clare, has accused Peter Dutton of being a “fraud” on tough immigration policies after the opposition sided with the Greens and independents on changes to limit new enrolments from overseas students to 270,000 in 2025.
In a statement, the shadow education minister, Sarah Henderson, joined by the Liberals’ home affairs spokesperson, James Paterson, and immigration spokesperson, Dan Tehan, said Labor’s proposal was a “piecemeal approach” and did “nothing to address the structural issues it has created”.
You can read the full story with all the details below:
Malinauskas to jet to Cop29 for Adelaide host city bid
South Australia will attempt to bolster its bid to host a future UN climate summit when the premier, Peter Malinauskas, heads to Cop29 to promote Adelaide as a potential site.
As AAP reports, Malinauskas will travel to Azerbaijan this week to attend the conference, where he will press SA’s case for Adelaide to be the host city for the 2026 summit if the Albanese government’s bid to host Cop31 is successful. He says:
This conference will attract tens of thousands of people and hundreds of millions of dollars into our state. It will provide an incredible opportunity to market our state to investors across the world, enhance global visibility and deliver long-lasting benefits for our tourism and events industry.
If Australia is chosen to host Cop31 it would be one of the most significant diplomatic events in the nation’s history, bringing an unprecedented number of leaders from governments, business and the global community to Adelaide.
It would also be the largest event ever held in SA, with more than 30,000 people attending the conference, delivering an estimated economic benefit of more than $500m. Work on the bid started in 2022.
Blocking Newcastle climate protest is ‘disgraceful overreach’, Bandt says
The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, has criticised the NSW government’s decision to block public access to a Newcastle port ahead of a climate protest as a “disgraceful overreach”.
The state government has imposed an exclusion zone around Newcastle harbour ahead of a Rising Tide protest to call for an end to new coal and gas approvals and for the introduction of a 78% tax on coal and gas exports. The plan was to paddle out from this Friday to Sunday, staying close to shore and not entering the shipping channel.
In a post to X this afternoon, Bandt said he attended last year’s Rising Tide protest and it was “family-friendly, safe, and one of the most inspiring displays of community power I’ve ever been a part of”.
The NSW government’s multiple attempts to shut it down this year are a disgraceful overreach. And they will not work.
We’ve just had our hottest year in human history. Again. Yet Labor has approved 28 coal [and] gas projects since coming into office. People wouldn’t have to take to the water if the government did their job. Peaceful protest is justified. Fuelling climate collapse is not.
