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ESSENTIALS
— Tony Burke’s migration reveal
— Labor’s ‘Anyone but Shoebridge’ ultimatum to Greens
— The inevitable veterans’ health cap backflip
DRIVING THE DAY
MIGRATION VIBE CHECK
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke treated his National Press Club audience like adults. And we all learned something. For example, the substantial impact that shrinking household size has on our housing shortage. (The average household shrinking from 2.9 people in the 1980s to 2.5 today generated a need for 1.6 million extra homes to house the same population — something for which migrants are blameless.)
Part of Burke’s challenge was to make people believe Labor is serious about migration policy — and he was serious, thoughtful and across his brief, barely looking down at his notes for 40 minutes and never losing his train of argument. Watch or listen to the full speech.
Yes, but: Burke put himself in a straitjacket that no one outside the Labor Party has asked of him: the idea that only ministerial (rather than legislative) action is possible.
THE MINISTERIAL MAGICIAN: It reminded Playbook of Houdini untying himself from a straitjacket while in a glass box, before it explodes. It’s impressive — but did it need to happen?
For Burke’s next trick, watch closely as he turns “we have 94 seats but don’t have the numbers” into “we don’t need to vote.”
WHAT NEXT?
Since Labor won’t legislate now, it’s keeping migration alive as a political fight through to the next election. Burke relishes the idea of a fight about migration numbers, claiming he’s “all in.”
There’s a range of reasonable reactions, and open questions surrounding the speech:
— Labor isn’t listening: Burke insisted that all the measures announced Thursday were decided as far back as February and any changes since are mere fine-tuning. Given the loud signals coming through opinion polls that put One Nation far ahead of Labor and Liberal in who Australians trust on migration, Labor hasn’t been listening to public concerns.
That, or Labor’s migration crackdown really is influenced by the broader political debate and they’re not admitting it.
— Labor is actively choosing a less effective policy: Burke says that by not having the numbers to get Labor’s preferred policy through Parliament, it must settle for less-effective targeting of its preferred measures. Seven’s Mark Riley had the question of the day: Given that migration is a driving force behind a massive disruption to the political system, what justifies avoiding a legislative debate?
The real answer is that Labor cannot be sure of the outcome. Burke says the debate would create a “perverse immediate behavior change” — a signal for visa holders to start visa-hopping — as if the last six weeks wasn’t exactly that opportunity.
— Labor is trying to split the heat: Burke argued that Labor couldn’t reduce migration numbers further because it would crash the economy. Yet he wants to go further — by capping student numbers and employer-sponsored visas, he just needs the Coalition to work with him on legislation. That means Labor would go further if they could split the political cost.
— Labor’s also getting ready to wedge the Coalition: Burke said that cutting numbers further than a net 225,000 per year “trash the economy,” setting the scene for the Coalition to be blamed as economically reckless with whatever number they announce (inevitably lower than Labor’s).
THE CRITICISMS THAT DIDN’T LAND: Greens Leader Larissa Waters called the policy a “culture war” — framing 100 extra staff to deal with over stayers as “unleashing ICE-style squads of Border Force on our communities.” No one who listened to the whole speech could find that credible.
The Nationals Leader Matt Canavan says his favored industries are the “whipping boys” for Labor failures to cut other parts of the migration program, even though Burke added Canavan’s favored industries to a priority list. If Labor’s going to reduce numbers — as Canavan also wants — it has to find cuts somewhere.
NOMBYISM: That’s a good name for Canavan’s position — the label describes those who want migration cuts, but just not in their region or sector.
ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE: Labor could strike a migration deal with the Coalition, but it would have to be in the style of Bill Clinton‘s 1995 welfare reforms. Humiliated at midterm elections, Clinton worked to salvage his presidency with a grand bargain that many in his party hated because of the amount of ground it conceded to insurgent Republican populists.
Labor doesn’t feel the need for a grand bargain — a 94 seat caucus in the House has a funny way of providing false security — but it says it would still like to negotiate with the Coalition.
BURKE’S MEMORABLE LINES:
— “Not one media drop came from me” (Conclusion: someone else leaked).
— ”Migration is not putting further pressure on housing” (Implied: but it’s not helping much with unmet demand)
— ”I’m never afraid of the word sovereignty. People want to know there is a system.”
Life sentence! Burke said it was “difficult for waiting periods to be any longer than they are now.” In the case of the 30-year wait for visas for “non-contributory” 65-year-olds, that’s longer than a prison life sentence and, literally, a life sentence for the 99% of people who die before the age of 95 globally.
Also, blame the Poms: There were 17,000 British backpackers in Australia in 2022 and now it’s close to 80,000. A number we can’t cap under our free trade deal (it works both ways because Aussies get to hit up Britain without hassle).
What international students think: Jackson Graham and Sally Rawsthorne have you covered in the SMH.
WHILE YOU WERE LOOKING AT MIGRATION
Labor scrapped its contentious plan to cap allied health care for veterans after weeks of damaging headlines. Grace Lagan has the story for AFR. The back-down came hours before Burke unveiled the migration plan, ensuring it only grabbed attention for a few hours.
The Coalition still wants Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh to resign. Crossbenchers Jacqui Lambie and David Shoebridge say he’s great — and the health payments debacle is the PM’s fault.
REQUIRED READING
Former Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock and journalist Anthony Brewster are launching a book, “Nation Building: How Immigration Made Australia,” on Monday. Ruddock says Pauline Hanson‘s politics “challenged the direction of Australia’s multicultural settlement, elevated racism to the mainstream” and shaped the Howard government’s political environment.
ONLY IN AUSTRALIA
FASTER. HIGHER. TASTIER: Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River is approved to host rowing and canoe sprint events for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games. That’s despite being 600 kilometers from Brisbane, having a strong current and is home to 500 saltwater crocodiles.
A group of 542 rowers recently urged the Olympics organizers to move the venue to, er, somewhere within driving distance of Brisbane and with fewer crocs.
Can-do spirit trumps human bait fears: Dear rowers — Do. Not. Worry. There will be “active removal zones” to relocate any crocodiles entering training or competition lanes. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli compared the risk to surfing in oceans populated by sharks.
PARTY ROOM
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Pauline Hanson, Fatima Payman and Dai Le walk up to a microphone, announce a united front, and journalists aren’t supposed to ask questions?
Some context: You know something’s seriously annoying the crossbench when the One Nation leader, independent senator and member for Fowler do a joint press conference.
Spanning the parliamentary political spectrum, they’re united in one idea: That the prime minister is petty and vindictive and his desire to keep them on tiny staffs because they aren’t in major parties.
The aggrieved parties want help to play in the big league, but they hate being treated like big players — for example getting predictable off-topic questions because one of the parties (Payman), a practising Muslim, has called the person standing next to her (Hanson) “a disgrace to the human race” while Hanson has suggested there are no “good” Muslims.
The case for more staff: Hanson is a party leader with no party leader resources. The government shouldn’t slam her lack of policy work when she lacks the staff to do that work. And it’s true that AI and spam make it nearly impossible to communicate in a timely fashion with swamped members of parliament.
The case against more staff: How many staff does a senator, in particular, really need? In the case of NSW or Victoria, perhaps there are enough people to serve to justify an extra person. In the case of Tasmania, not so much.
DAVID VS. DAVID
Independent Sen. David Pocock is the crossbench’s final representative on the new joint select committee on AI, after defeating Greens Sen. David Shoebridge 49-12 in a secret ballot. Just the Greens and two other senators voted for Shoebridge — on his birthday!
Anyone but Shoebridge: Playbook has confirmed that Labor actually offered the Greens the final slot. One catch: It couldn’t be to Shoebridge. That was a nonstarter for Greens Leader Larissa Waters, who has recently appointed Shoebridge as the party’s AI spokesperson. Labor then put it to a vote in the Senate, which Pocock won resoundingly.
Labor views Shoebridge as a grandstander who turns public committees into circuses. The Greens argue Labor is afraid of his cut-through.
Shoebridge on AI policy and viral committee moments: Read the Playbook interview.
Checked his privilege, claimed the slot anyway: “One of the criticisms of the AI industry is that it still remains overwhelmingly white and male,” Pocock said before the vote. “So the irony is not lost on me that the Senate is provided with the opportunity to vote between two white dudes named David.”
ONE NATION’S WAGE-FREE JOB
One Nation is after an executive assistant for Warren Pickering, its Victoria state president and election candidate, and wants someone with experience working with a “CEO, managing director, chair senior partner or equivalent.”
The catch: It’s full-time for no pay. You’ll need to be good at diary time management and “gatekeeping” folks like the ABC and The Guardian.
After Playbook discovered the role, the party removed the job advert Thursday afternoon. As always, we are here to provide you with the screenshot.
STATE OF THE NATION
AI FIGHT COMPLICATES LABOR’S NEXT PUBLIC SERVICE DEAL
Federal public servants are heading for a showdown over AI conditions for the next three years, as unions say the government isn’t matching its commitment to protect workers’ rights with action, reports Miriam Webber.
The Public Service Commission, which negotiates with more than 100 government agencies on behalf of the federal government, this week tabled a preliminary offer to establish rights for AI training, and a requirement for higher-ups to consider its impacts on employment matters. The negotiations are for a three-year deal from February 2027.
CPSU members want a cautious approach to the rollout of AI, including guarantees that the technology won’t be used in performance assessments and recruitment decisions.
Rebecca Fawcett, the newly elected CPSU national secretary, said the PSC’s offer “does not provide the strong, enforceable protections workers need.” More from Fawcett below.
THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW
REBECCA FAWCETT — PAUSE AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING IN APS
The Community and Public Sector Union is the most powerful voice in a round of enterprise bargaining that will affect tens of thousands of public servants.
Fawcett is the union’s new national secretary and led a 2023 round of talks that secured significant flexible working rights. Fawcett spoke to Miriam Webber about the union’s next fight.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
What will your priorities be?
We’re in the middle of APS bargaining and we have a strong pay and conditions claim.
We know that AI and related technology is a really significant issue for workers and we’re very focused on making sure we lock in workplace protections and that AI is implemented safely and responsibly.
Are you going to have to be aggressive on AI right now to get the settings you want?
We have secured a commitment from the government that they intend to be a model employer on AI. Our job now is to make sure that becomes a reality.
On the related technology of automated decision making, we are seeing the public service run streets ahead implementing that technology in aged care. We are seeing an algorithmic process for determining the level of in-home support that an older Australian receives, and that algorithm has no human oversight and no capacity for human intervention.
So, we have called for a pause on the use of automated decision-making in the APS until the government develops a really clear and mandatory set of safeguards.
Labor says they’re committed to reducing outsourced work but you’ve criticized the pace of that. Where do you think the government is going wrong?
We see agencies still doing the wrong thing — the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, National Disability Insurance Agency, the ATO — all still relying on really significant labor hire workforces.
The government should be taking a stronger role directing those agencies to do the right thing.
The Finance Minister has already talked down your 15% pay claim over three years.
Eighteen thousand of our members have backed that claim, and we also know they are under significant cost of living pressure.
The Commonwealth is due to come to the table with its own pay offer in October and we’ll be putting that pay offer to our members.
There’s a wave of redundancies happening across the public service. Is that just the nature of government work?
While overall APS jobs have increased, we will absolutely call out those redundancies where they are happening.
There are a number of agencies that have seen really significant redundancies recently: Home Affairs, the National Disability Insurance Agency has announced redundancies just this week. That puts that service delivery and policy work for the APS at risk.
QUESTION TIME
LINES YOU CAN CROSS: Senate President Sue Lines must wish she had the same powers as House Speaker Milton Dick — to boot misbehaving senators. First on the list: Nationals Sen. Bridget McKenzie, who would have been sent packing at least 20 times this week. McKenzie regularly turns her back on Lines when she’s admonished.
“Fine, I’ll save us all,” McKenzie said Thursday, giving herself an early mark after another session of interjections.
To be fair: Sometimes McKenzie is funny. She yelled “Blessed are the cheesemakers!” during an answer on the EU free-trade deal.
HOUSE PARTY: Sarah Witty (Melbourne) was taking inspiration from McKenzie’s suits and gave Anne Aly (Cowan) a run for her fashion money in a red suit, purple tie and pinstripe shirt. And no, we’re not being sexist — merely contrasting this obvious style with the low-imagination male fashion choices across the chamber.
FASHION UNIPARTY: It’s not just that the men in the House all wear ties, every day — though there is no rule requiring it — it’s that there’s only four men in the chamber who consistently show us any personality. They deserve a vote of thanks: the Labor seating pair of Dan Repacholi (a striking earth red suit) and Matt Smith (the tie game) and Tim Wilson’s Yves Klein Blue socks. A (dis)honorable mention goes to Andrew Giles, who consistently shows us leg … but only because his socks are pushed down into his chelsea boots. We’re betting he was forced to wear garters at school.
HEY BIG SPENDERS: After all the coverage of the PM’s links to Marrickville Golf Club as an honorary member and user of the club’s facilities, and the $6 million grant it received, we feel obliged to share Labor’s dirt on the Liberals.
Mark Butler tried to do this buried at the end of question time. Maybe that curious timing was because the worst Labor could find was that Angus Taylor is an honorary member of a scout troop that the Coalition promised funding to. Given 12-year-olds don’t vote, that is indeed an optimistic long-term pork barrel.
AWARDS
THE GARYS
It’s the end of another sitting block, and unlike the lazy people at The Logies — who only hand out trophies once a year — we’re already back for a second round of The Garys, awarded to the hardest-working bag carriers and valued advisers in Parliament.
GOLDEN GARY: Whoever wrote Dan Mulino’s “Superannuation in Wonderland” answer in Wednesday’s House question time. Please out yourself for a free Byron Bay Cookie at Aussies.
SILVER GARY: Tony Burke’s media ad visor, Michaela Marshall, who had to handle all incoming calls from journalists in a busy week while her colleague was on leave.
NAUGHTY GARY: The person in Richard Marles’ office who couldn’t hear Latika Bourke’s questions at a press conference in London, though her phone seemed to record the audio of them just fine.
CANBERRA MEETS WORLD
DECODING AI: Amid the dire warnings about AI annihilation there are precious few voices offering clarity on what should actually be done, by whom and where. That’s why we’re launching Decoded by POLITICO, a briefing on the people, power moves and policy fights shaping the AI era, drawing on nearly 50 journalists around the world.
We held our first Decoded Summit in Washington this week (read the highlights here), and more are planned in other key capitals in the months ahead. A new daily newsletter and audio podcast launches on Oct. 5. Sign up here.
SANCTIONING THE MODERN SLAVE TRADE: Australia has joined 10 other friends — including the U.S. and U.K. — in accusing China and Russia of a “systemic evasion” of UN sanctions that have prohibited countries from using North Korean laborers since 2017.
A new report from the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team found North Korean laborers earned as much as US$800 million last year. Nearly all of that was seized by the North Korean regime.
LOCAL CANBERRA
DID YOU EVER WONDER WHY — there’s a Jackie Chan mural in Dickson? Playbook co-author Finn McHugh, a Canberra native, was shocked to realize the superstar’s deep ties to the city are not common knowledge.
Chan joined his parents in Canberra in the early 1970s, when his father worked at the U.S. embassy as head chef, and attended Dickson College. The exact nature of his study is disputed. You can catch up by reading this 2017 deep dive from the ABC.
What’s not in dispute: Chan — real name Chan Kong-sang — earned his stage name while working as a construction worker in Canberra. A fellow builder named Jack took him under his wing, earning Chan the moniker “Little Jack.” That eventually became “Jackie,” and the rest is history.
COMMUNITY CORNER
THE BEST OF HANS ZIMMER: The National Gallery of Australia hosts a classical concert performance of the German composer’s film scores at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow.
SPORTSBALL: The AFLW comes to town at 12:35 p.m. on Sunday, when the GWS Giants play Richmond. You can still get tickets here.
MOVES AND APPOINTMENTS
APPOINTED: Former Assistant Minister Wyatt Roy is now a senior adviser at Compono.
Rodney Henderson and Anna Shave are joining the Board of the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, which invests in Australia’s industrial capability. Henderson is CEO of electrical engineering firm Colterlec, Shave is a member of the WA Government Innovation Advisory Board.
HIRING: ASPI wants a China and analyst or senior analyst.
RETIRING: Channel Ten news veteran Hugh Riminton is bowing out after 48 years in journalism.
BIRTHDAYS
TODAY: Labor Sen. Richard Dowling; Labor MHR Cassandra Fernando; Tasmanian Supreme Court chief justice Christopher Shanahan SC; Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre.
SATURDAY: Former Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan’s first birthday out of the job; SBS News reporter Tys Occhiuzzi; Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.
SUNDAY: OECD Secretary-General and former Finance Minister Mathias Cormann; former Sydney Water CEO Kerry Schott AO; Italian acting icon Sophia Loren.
IN MEMORIUM: Former High Court Justice William Gummow has died, aged 83. “Justice Gummow was a deeply learned, rigorously analytical and highly collegiate member,” the court said in a statement.
