WEBVTT - Labor limps toward the finish line

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<v Speaker 1>From The Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Christinamio.

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<v Speaker 1>It's Monday, November twenty five. One of Australia's most prominent

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<v Speaker 1>rabbis has urged the Prime Minister to abandon his very

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<v Speaker 1>mild approach to tackling antisemitism. Doctor Benjamin Elton of Sydney's

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<v Speaker 1>Great Synagogue warned Anthony Albanese's failure to condemn antisemitism hasn't

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<v Speaker 1>stemmed the problem. Three of the nation's top CEOs have

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<v Speaker 1>warned Australia is on track to become the unlucky country.

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<v Speaker 1>West Farmer's Chief Rob Scott, BP president Lucy Nation and

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<v Speaker 1>Cochlear boss Dig Howard say increased to regulation and a

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<v Speaker 1>stifling business environment are killing Australian's opportunities for prosperity. Those

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<v Speaker 1>exclusive stories a live right now at the Australian dot

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<v Speaker 1>com dot au. There are just four cities days before

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<v Speaker 1>the end of the parliamentary year and the government is

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<v Speaker 1>facing some big hurdles on key election issues. So where

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<v Speaker 1>are they likely to have some success and when will

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<v Speaker 1>they have to admit defeat. That's today's episode.

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<v Speaker 2>The overwhelming majority of Australians are concerned about misinformation. Australians

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<v Speaker 2>deserve to know more about what content is flagged, demoted

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<v Speaker 2>or taken down.

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<v Speaker 1>It was a key piece of legislation intended to combat

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<v Speaker 1>the proliferation of harmful and misleading content online.

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<v Speaker 2>It would empower the Australian Communications and Media Authority to

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<v Speaker 2>look under the hood of the digital platforms and improve

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<v Speaker 2>transparency about the systems and processes they have in place

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<v Speaker 2>to protect Australians, including how they can apply with the

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<v Speaker 2>voluntary code they signed up to.

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<v Speaker 1>But the Government's Misinformation Bill, championed by Communications Minister Michelle Roland,

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<v Speaker 1>has been up against it from the get go, with

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<v Speaker 1>the Coalition and the Greens opposing it in Parliament.

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<v Speaker 3>This bill is not about misinformation and disinformation. This bill

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<v Speaker 3>is about the Albanezi government silencing the Australian people. Never

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<v Speaker 3>in my life did I think that an Australian government

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<v Speaker 3>would proceed down this path.

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<v Speaker 1>An early version of the legislation attracted thousands of submissions

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<v Speaker 1>when it was first released last year, and the government

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<v Speaker 1>had hoped to have the revised bill passed by this Christmas,

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<v Speaker 1>but on Sunday morning, Michelle Roland acknowledged the writing was

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<v Speaker 1>on the wall announcing it the Misinformation and Disinformation Bill

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<v Speaker 1>has been scrapped.

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<v Speaker 4>A statement from Communications Minister Michelle Rowland was saying, quote,

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<v Speaker 4>based on public statements and engagements with Senators, it is

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<v Speaker 4>clear there is no pathway to legislate this proposal through

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<v Speaker 4>the Senate. The Government will not proceed with the Communications

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<v Speaker 4>Legislation Amendment Combating Misinformation and Disinformation Bill twenty twenty four.

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<v Speaker 1>As the Parliament gears up for its final sitting week

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<v Speaker 1>of the year. The scrapped Misinformation Bill isn't the only

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<v Speaker 1>labor legislation that's in jeopardy. Before her death almost a

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<v Speaker 1>year ago, the late labor Peter Murphy spearheaded a campaign

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<v Speaker 1>to ban gambling advertising online.

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<v Speaker 5>Online gambling has been deliberately and strategically marketed alongside sport.

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<v Speaker 5>It's normalized gambling with sport as a fun, harmless and

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<v Speaker 5>social activity. But we heard evidence about the way gambling

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<v Speaker 5>advertising also grooms children and young people to gamble and

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<v Speaker 5>encourages riskier behavior and the experience of parents that the

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<v Speaker 5>torrent of advertising is inescapable.

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<v Speaker 1>In August, former Prime Ministers John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull,

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<v Speaker 1>as well as a slew of former premiers added their

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<v Speaker 1>voices to a growing chorus of people concerned about the

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<v Speaker 1>impact of gambling ads on the community.

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<v Speaker 6>Mister Howard saying gambling losses are responsible for enormous harm

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<v Speaker 6>across the community.

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<v Speaker 1>Labour did move forward with a plan to phase outwagering

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<v Speaker 1>content on TV and a near immediate ban of online promotions,

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<v Speaker 1>with a focus on reducing the saturation of gambling ads,

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<v Speaker 1>the exposure of children, and advertising during sporting matches, but

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<v Speaker 1>it ruled out establishing a national online gaming regulator, with

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<v Speaker 1>Social Services Minister Amanda Brishworth saying the government was working

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<v Speaker 1>with the states and territories to unify the approach to

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<v Speaker 1>gaming regulation.

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<v Speaker 7>I have been working very well with my state and

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<v Speaker 7>territory counterparts. We have together brought in a number of reforms,

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<v Speaker 7>really important reforms, and have worked really closely together.

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<v Speaker 1>But the gambling reform too, who is dead in the water.

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<v Speaker 6>And that's not all.

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<v Speaker 1>Also on the chopping block this week are the government's

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<v Speaker 1>housing affordability and superannuation schemes, its big net zero transition plan,

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<v Speaker 1>Future Made in Australia, and plans to cap international student numbers.

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<v Speaker 1>Labour introduced the legislation to limit the number of international

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<v Speaker 1>students living and studying in Australia, saying massive immigration numbers

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<v Speaker 1>were exacerbating the housing crisis and making it more difficult

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<v Speaker 1>for Australians to find a home. The plan was slammed

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<v Speaker 1>by the nation's university sector, with bosses saying they'd struggle

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<v Speaker 1>if international student numbers were slashed.

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<v Speaker 8>Using students as cannon fodder in a pole different battle

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<v Speaker 8>over migration and housing simply doesn't add up the danger

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<v Speaker 8>of using these talented people as scapegoats to blame the

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<v Speaker 8>housing crisis on. Is what we stand to lose by

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<v Speaker 8>telling them to stay home.

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<v Speaker 1>The Green said that plan escapegoated international students, and the

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<v Speaker 1>Opposition criticized the proposed caps for not going far enough.

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<v Speaker 1>They say they'll introduce their own legislation that cuts even

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<v Speaker 1>deeper if they get up at the next election.

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<v Speaker 6>I think this was always coming to a head.

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<v Speaker 1>Rosie Lewis is a political correspondent with The Australian.

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<v Speaker 6>That being that the government had a lot on its

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<v Speaker 6>plate and things weren't moving quickly in the Parliament, and

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<v Speaker 6>now all of a sudden, we've got just four days

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<v Speaker 6>left until Christmas, four days this week and they no surprise,

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<v Speaker 6>want to get everything through, but they're already having to

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<v Speaker 6>concede that will be impossible. Interestingly, there are seventy six

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<v Speaker 6>government bills still before the Parliament. Some of the bills

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<v Speaker 6>much more significant to Anthony Albanese's agenda than others, and

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<v Speaker 6>it is a blow to the Prime Minister that on

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<v Speaker 6>the day before Parliament resumes for its final week, he

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<v Speaker 6>has had to concede that two significant bits of legislation,

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<v Speaker 6>as you mentioned, the misinformation and disinformation laws as well

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<v Speaker 6>as gambling reform won't be able to proceed because there

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<v Speaker 6>are no deals possible. There are even more pieces of

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<v Speaker 6>legislation than those where we just don't know where they're

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<v Speaker 6>going to land, things like his housing agenda, which the

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<v Speaker 6>government says is it's number one priority. It's helped to

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<v Speaker 6>buy and build to rent scheme, things like the Future

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<v Speaker 6>Made in Australia agenda, which Anthony Albanesi really wants to

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<v Speaker 6>peg his re election campaign on. At this stage in

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<v Speaker 6>the electoral cycle, months out from an election which could

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<v Speaker 6>be as early as March, things are not looking good

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<v Speaker 6>in terms of Anthony Albanesi having been able to persuade

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<v Speaker 6>the Parliament to get his agenda.

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<v Speaker 1>Through coming up where the government could still get some

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<v Speaker 1>wins this week. Ever since the Australian government imposed a

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<v Speaker 1>world first media bargaining code on tech platforms in twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twenty one, legislators around the globe have been keeping one

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<v Speaker 1>eye on what we do in the social media space.

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<v Speaker 1>So when Prime Minister Anthony Albanesi announced plans to ban

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<v Speaker 1>Aussie kids from social media, it made waves.

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<v Speaker 9>This one's for the mums and dads. Social media is

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<v Speaker 9>doing harm to our kids and I'm calling time on

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<v Speaker 9>it and I want Australian parents and families to know

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<v Speaker 9>that the opment has your back.

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<v Speaker 1>The ban isn't without criticism, but it's poised to sail

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<v Speaker 1>through Parliament with bipartisan support this week. It'll legislate a

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<v Speaker 1>minimum age of sixteen years for social media use and

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<v Speaker 1>put the owners on tech companies like a TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit,

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<v Speaker 1>Instagram and x formerly known as Twitter to enforce the

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<v Speaker 1>new rules. If they don't, they could face fines of

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<v Speaker 1>up to fifty million dollars.

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<v Speaker 6>It will be an important win, but it's one that

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<v Speaker 6>we've seen coming for some months now because Peter Dutton

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<v Speaker 6>has also really been championing this ban on under sixteen's

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<v Speaker 6>using social media, having said that once it's legislated this week,

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<v Speaker 6>the government's giving itself at least twelve months to figure

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<v Speaker 6>out the ins and outs of how this ban would

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<v Speaker 6>actually work. So we're not actually going to know what

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<v Speaker 6>it looks like, what will be required of young Australia

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<v Speaker 6>or Australians older than sixteen until at least end of

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<v Speaker 6>next year, but more likely twenty twenty six. But of course,

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<v Speaker 6>in a week where there's going to be a lot

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<v Speaker 6>of legislation blocked or rejected or not put up at all,

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<v Speaker 6>any win is a win and Anthony Albanesi will certainly

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<v Speaker 6>be talking about it in parliament.

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<v Speaker 1>The coalition is also set to back the government's proposed

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<v Speaker 1>electoral reforms, which caps how much candidates can spend in

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<v Speaker 1>a single electorate at eight hundred thousand dollars. It would

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<v Speaker 1>also limit donations by unions and individuals to twenty thousand

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<v Speaker 1>and six hundred thousand dollars, respectively, and require donations over

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<v Speaker 1>one thousand dollars to be disclosed.

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<v Speaker 9>What we want to put in place is electoral reform

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<v Speaker 9>that lasts over a period of time, that doesn't seek

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<v Speaker 9>to secure a political advantage for any particular side of

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<v Speaker 9>politics or indeed for and it's running as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Just lastly, Rosie, the government is also likely to pass

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<v Speaker 1>its proposed new aged Care framework, which will overhaul the

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<v Speaker 1>way the sector is regulated in hopes of providing high

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<v Speaker 1>quality care for older Australians. Plus the education reforms like

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<v Speaker 1>fear free take places will get up. So where does

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<v Speaker 1>that leave us at the end of the final sitting

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<v Speaker 1>week of the year.

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<v Speaker 6>There's still a lot on the government's books, but the

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<v Speaker 6>outstanding question is will they actually be able to do

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<v Speaker 6>anything in the new year. And while many think that

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<v Speaker 6>the election will be in May, that would give Anthony

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<v Speaker 6>Albanezi some sitting weeks in February and March, there is

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<v Speaker 6>a real possibility that he could call in an election early,

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<v Speaker 6>say in February four March, and we have no sitting

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<v Speaker 6>weeks left, so there will be a lot of his

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<v Speaker 6>agenda held over, so to speak. And then the next

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<v Speaker 6>question will be what does he take to his reelection

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<v Speaker 6>campaign or what does he decide is just in the

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<v Speaker 6>too hard basket, Even things like his religious discrimination reforms,

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<v Speaker 6>which he quietly dropped some months ago. Now, which we

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<v Speaker 6>assume we'll never see the light of day again. So

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<v Speaker 6>there's a lot to watch in this space, but only

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<v Speaker 6>the Prime Minister has the answer at this point, and

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<v Speaker 6>he probably hasn't even made the decision on many of

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<v Speaker 6>those bits of legislation.

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<v Speaker 1>Rosie Lewis is a political correspondent with The Australian. You

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<v Speaker 1>can read all our recording and analysis of this final

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<v Speaker 1>Parliamentary sitting week anytime at the Australian dot com dot

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<v Speaker 1>au