Future Made in Australia bill set to pass but much of Labor’s remaining agenda up in the air
Future Made in Australia bill set to pass but much of Labor’s remaining agenda up in the air
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Greens say they will support the bill, which is designed to bolster on-shore processing of critical minerals. Labor is on track to pass the centrepiece of its Future Made in Australia plan, but other parts of its legislative agenda are either in doubt or dead in the water before what could be the final parliamentary sittings before the election.
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Parliament will return from the summer break on Tuesday, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, hoping to use the coming fortnight in Canberra to help launch his re-election bid. Labor will prioritise passing the main pillar of its flagship Future Made in Australia plan – $13.7bn worth of tax breaks intended to turbocharge on-shore processing of critical minerals and green hydrogen production.
The government has argued the incentives are necessary to kickstart industries crucial to the green energy transition and to protect Australia from China’s stranglehold of the global critical minerals supply chain. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email.
But the Coalition’s opposition to what it has described as “billions for billionaires” has also given Labor political ammunition to paint the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, as “anti-mining” in the resource-rich and electorally significant states of Western Australia and Queensland.
The Coalition’s position means Labor needs the Greens and three crossbenchers to get the laws through the Senate. In a strong sign the Greens will support the legislation, leader Adam Bandt said the party “support the principle of this bill” as negotiations on the finer details ongoing.
