PM pledges to cut university student debt by 20%
All Australians will have their student debt cut by 20% next financial year, as part of a major federal government overhaul designed to boost access to education and address “intergenerational unfairness”.
The change, which will be outlined by the prime minister at a campaign rally in Adelaide on Sunday, will wipe about $16bn worth of debt and is being sold as a cost-of-living measure for young Australians.
According to government figures, a university graduate with an average debt of $27,600 will save $5,520. The 20% reduction is not capped and also applies to VET loans and apprenticeship support loans.
When combined with changes to how the indexation on student loans is set, as detailed in the May budget, close to $20bn of student debt will be removed for 3 million Australians.
For more on this story, read the Guardian Australia’s full reporting here:
Key events
South Australian senator Simon Birmingham has expressed frustration at the publication of photos identifying the new home of federal Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
In a post to social media on Saturday he asked media to take down and avoid publishing photos over security concerns.
High profile politicians face genuine security considerations for themselves and their families.
Responsible media should respect those safety considerations in any reporting of the issues.
I urge media to delete all published images of Penny Wong’s new house. High profile politicians face genuine security considerations for themselves and their families. Responsible media should respect those safety considerations in any reporting of the issues.
— Simon Birmingham (@Birmo) October 31, 2024
‘It’s certainly not pretty, but this democracy is working’: Hockey
Hockey says he does not have concerns that Donald Trump, should he lose the US election, will not accept the result leading to possible civil unrest.
I’m not so concerned about it at all. I think the moment that was most risky for civil unrest in the United States was the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.
Thank God – Democrats say that to me as well as Republicans, ‘Thank God that didn’t happen’ because it’s going to be a moment like that that will ignite the flame of American politics and we all hope and pray that doesn’t happen.
So I think Americans recognise this is democracy. It’s certainly not pretty, but this democracy is working.
Re-election of Trump would be good for Australia: Hockey
Hockey says a re-elected trump will be a known quantity to Australia and “will be good for us”.
I’ll just say this: Donald Trump 2.0 won’t be a hell of a lot different to Donald Trump 1.0. That’s good for us. It offers some measure of predictability, whereas Harris will be a little less predictable because she needs to differentiate herself from the Biden presidency and most importantly, she will always be looking to re-election. Don’t forget – if Trump is elected, that’s it. Even under Trumpland thinking, he can only serve one more term and that’s it, he can’t run for re-election. Harris can run and will run for re-election if she’s president. So it will be a different type of Presidency.
Harris currently serves as vice-president under the US president, Joe Biden, who was elected in 2020.
Trump ‘not afraid to exercise power’: Hockey
Hockey says he believes Trump will seek to restart his trade war with China as he “sees China as the main adversary of the United States rather than Russian, or even threats in the Middle East”.
Hockey says Australia will be able to leverage its relationship with the US to maintain Aukus.
Hockey is asked about what Trump’s position on climate change will mean. He says that a re-elected Trump may provide “unpredictable power” that will reinforce Australia’s position as it seeks to re-engage with Pacific Island nations on climate change.
At the end of the day, if – the United States – the thing about Donald Trump is he’s not afraid to exercise power and he’s not afraid to threaten to use power. If he does that, then it actually emboldens Australia’s position, doesn’t weaken it because it means we have an entry point into that unpredictable power that others don’t.
Hockey confident Aukus deal will remain despite result
Hockey says Australia will be able to manage a new tariff war triggered by a re-elected Trump administration as “we have done it before”.
On Aukus, he says he believes Trump will not seek to change the relationship or pull out of the regional alliance.
I think Trump is – I know that Donald Trump sees Australia very favourably when it comes to issues like national security. I think that will flow through to Aukus that he won’t want to change the relationship with Aukus. He will, however, put a greater priority on building up the US defence system, its reservoir of not only talent, but also importantly the hardware, be it F-35s or Virginia-class subs. So might mean we go down the pecking order on the Virginia-class subs, but again it will rely heavily on our advocacy with Trump.
Hockey says he does not believe a Harris administration would back out of the deal.
Whatever the case, I think, you know, we’ll be in a good position with Harris as well.
Trump’s tariffs will have ‘profound impact’: Hockey
Hockey says that Trump’s tariff policies will “have a profound impact on Australia and the rest of the world”.
It will stimulate inflation in the United States, it will have a dramatic impact on the US dollar, it will have a dramatic impact on US interest rates, and there’s no win out of Donald Trump’s tariff policies for anyone, including in particular the consumers here in the United States. On the other side – and the key thing about his tariff policies is that they don’t need congressional approval. So he can do it by executive order as he has done before. That’s what makes his tariff policies real.
During his tenure as federal treasurer under the Abbott Coalition government, Hockey was a fierce supporter of free trade and deeply hostile to government support for industry, who oversaw the closure of the Australian car industry after he dared General Motors Holden to “come clean” about its intentions.
Hockey says neither candidate will be able to win both houses needed to get their policy agenda over the line.
Hockey cites ‘unbelievable’ coalitions of both candidates
Hockey says his read on the election is that the difference comes down to policy, with both candidates having pulled together “unbelievable” coalitions.
For Trump supporters, they want lower tax, they want less regulation, they want a stronger border. For Harris candidates – the overwhelming unifying factor is that Kamala Harris is not Donald Trump. That has brought together an unbelievable coalition that stretches from Bernie Sanders on the left to Liz Cheney who would be a very, very conservative Republican on the right. I mean, that’s a very broad coalition.
That’s up against Donald Trump whose coalition stretches from Elon Musk to the head of the Teamsters Truck Driving union. Now, you couldn’t get a bigger differentiation in that cohort as well.
Hockey expects US election will be close
Hockey, speaking to ABC Insiders which is being broadcast from Detroit, Michigan, says he expects the election will be close and the result will not be known for “four or five days”.
He says North Carolina will be a key seat, with the former federal treasurer expecting it will be won easily by Trump.
I think North Carolina will come in early if it is a strong result for Trump and it will be a precursor to a – an overall victory for Trump. But if it’s close, then obviously it’s going to make it a very interesting night.
‘Most Americans have made up their mind’: Hockey
Former US ambassador Joe Hockey says he thinks “most Americans have made up their mind” in the final stages of the US presidential election.
Hockey says there are several unknowns in this contest, ranging from how many will turn out to vote and no one has a clear understanding of which way the outcome will swing.
It is a result that no one is able to predict and it’s going to come as a surprise to Australians, given there are so many polls that were in a position where we can’t pick the winner, but the fact is no one knows how big the turnout is going to be. Unlike Australia where we have compulsory turnouts in elections, here it is a mystery how many new voters will come out and how they’re going to vote.
Two men charged after bushfire in Adelaide on Saturday
South Australian police have charged two men after a bushfire in Adelaide’s north on Saturday afternoon.
The grass fire burnt 33 hectares (82 acres) at Penfield around Womma Road in Adelaide’s north which burnt several glass houses and a shed.
Three people were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
The fire is believed to have begun when a spark from an angle grinder ignited the blaze which proceeded to burn out of control.
South Australian police have arrested two men in connection with the fire and charged them which cause a bushfire being recklessly indifferent.
The last major fire to affect the agricultural was the Pinery Creek fire that threatened Gawler and the Barossa region in 2015.
The former ambassador Joe Hockey will speak with ABC Insiders host, David Speers, on Sunday morning ahead of the US election.
Coalition senator Simon Birmingham appeared on Sky News earlier on Sunday.
We will bring you all the latest as it happens.
PM pledges to cut university student debt by 20%
All Australians will have their student debt cut by 20% next financial year, as part of a major federal government overhaul designed to boost access to education and address “intergenerational unfairness”.
The change, which will be outlined by the prime minister at a campaign rally in Adelaide on Sunday, will wipe about $16bn worth of debt and is being sold as a cost-of-living measure for young Australians.
According to government figures, a university graduate with an average debt of $27,600 will save $5,520. The 20% reduction is not capped and also applies to VET loans and apprenticeship support loans.
When combined with changes to how the indexation on student loans is set, as detailed in the May budget, close to $20bn of student debt will be removed for 3 million Australians.
For more on this story, read the Guardian Australia’s full reporting here:
Good Morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog.
Anthony Albanese has announced a plan to wipe a fifth of all student debt if his government his re-elected. The PM is expected to outline the details of the change at a campaign rally in Adelaide on Sunday, will wipe $16bn worth of debt as part of the government’s cost-of-living measures.
Two men have been arrested following a grass fire in Adelaide’s north that alleging began after an angle grinder started the blaze. Emergency services were called to an area at Penfield on Saturday afternoon after the fire burnt 33 hectares and several glass houses.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started …
