Australian news and politics live: Unions use Economic Reform Roundtable to push for new taxes

That’s a wrap on today’s live coverage of Australian news and politics.

We will be back bright and early tomorrow morning to bring you the latest news and updates.

In the meantime, catch anything you missed in The Nightly edition.

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Business has roundly rejected a union push to impose a new tax aimed at training workers, as the opening day of Jim Chalmers’ economic roundtable was dominated by arguments between the two sides.

The dynamic emerged as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he wanted to see a “contest of ideas” throughout the three-day talk fest in the Cabinet room.

“These three days are going to be really important. It’s about recognising challenges, but more importantly, it’s about grasping opportunity,” he said.

After playing down the likely outcomes of the roundtable, the Prime Minister told participants that some of the ideas they came up with could go to Cabinet “in coming days, literally” for a quick decision.

The skills levy is not expected to be one of them.

Australian Council of Trade Unions representatives repeatedly pushed the idea of a skills levy that would force larger businesses to cover work-related training for their own employees or pay 1.5 per cent of their payroll into a national training fund.

All the business groups represented in the room rejected the idea, multiple sources said.

Dr Chalmers didn’t include the suggestion in his summing up of the session either – giving business some comfort the Government won’t pursue the plan.

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There were 28 people in the room for the roundtable’s first session this morning.

Atlassian co-founder and Tech Council chair Scott Farquhar arrived in time for the second session.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sat in his usual seat at the centre of the Cabinet table, in front of a picture of gang-gangs cockatoos, the faunal emblem of the ACT.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher sat next to him, although they typically sit on the other side of the Cabinet table in regular meetings.

The Treasurer is chairing all sessions across the three days.

The ministers were flanked by Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson and RBA governor Michele Bullock.

See the full guest list and seating chart here.

National Party leader David Littleproud says he’s not satisfied with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s decision or explanation for revoking the visa of Israeli MP Simcha Rothman.

“This is a worrying development that I think Tony Burke, firstly, needs to give the full list of reasons as to why this visa was cancelled so that there is transparency,” he told Sky on Tuesday.

“Ultimately, let’s not sugarcoat it. The reality is, it’s because of the actions of this government that has recognised… wants to recognise a Palestinian state before they’re ready.”

Following Canberra’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state, Israel has revoked visas for Australian diplomats in the Palestinian territories.

The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned Israel’s decision to revoke the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority, labelling it an “arbitrary measure”.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemns in the strongest terms the arbitrary measure announced by the occupation’s foreign minister regarding the cancellation of visas for Australian diplomats accredited to the Palestinian National Authority,” it said in a statement.

It said the move was “illegal and in violation of the Geneva Conventions, international law, and United Nations resolutions, which do not grant the occupying power such authority”.

The Ministry added that “such measures reflect Israeli arrogance and a state of political imbalance” and it would only increase Australia’s and other nations’ determination to recognise the State of Palestine sooner.

Senator Cash said it would be “extraordinary” for Home Affairs to block Mr Rothman’s entry into Australia because of his advocacy for the elimination of listed terrorist organisation Hamas.

“To suggest that calls for the destruction of Hamas are ‘inflammatory’ or grounds for visa cancellation is absurd,” she said.

“Hamas is an internationally recognised terror group, and standing against them should never be seen as controversial.

“It is concerning to see the ongoing deterioration in the Australia-Israel relationship.”

She labelled the decision as “regrettable” and Australia’s diplomacy as “badly mismanaged”.

Shadow foreign affairs minister Michaelia Cash has slammed the Albanese Government for what she has described as a “mishandling” of Australia’s relationship with Israel.

The criticism came in a statement issued on Tuesday after Australia had cancelled an Israeli politician’s visa and then Israel retaliated by revoking two visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority.

“The Coalition has serious concerns about the Albanese Government’s reasons for cancelling the visa of Israeli parliamentarian Simcha Rothman and the escalating diplomatic consequences this reckless action has triggered,” she said.

Queensland MP Garth Hamilton says Australia should consider paying jobless migrants up to $9000 to leave the country as a way of curtailing rising immigration levels.

The Liberal backbencher said the policy was not politically divisive, and said a similar approached had worked in “left-wing governments in the EU” like France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium.

Quoting figures between $6000 to $9000, he said the payment would “give people a pathway home” and labelled the move as a “reasonably compassionate and fair approach”.

“The reality is, a lot of migrants who are coming over here aren’t finding work, they aren’t finding their housing,” he told 2GB on Tuesday.

“They aren’t finding that things were as rosy as they’d hoped because of the high immigration policies that we’ve employed; things haven’t quite been working out.”

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What is the Economic Reform Roundtable?

• A three-day event aimed at lifting living standards primarily by boosting productivity, which has stagnated in Australia and other Western countries
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised it will deliver long-lasting change to the government’s economic agenda

What is productivity?

• It’s about squeezing more from less, allowing wages to grow and helping build things better and faster, such as homes and clean energy infrastructure

Why is it important?

• Productivity has been in decline since 2016, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics
• Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said the roundtable will make the economy more productive over time, helping to lift living standards and make people better off
• The summit follows the Reserve Bank of Australia’s downgrading of productivity growth from one per cent to 0.7 per cent

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South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has released the findings of the state’s royal commission into domestic, family and sexual violence, which made 136 recommendations.

The government has accepted seven immediately, including creating a stand-alone ministerial portfolio, a new stewardship function, and engaging directly with victim-survivors.

Mr Malinauskas said the report contained “some pretty harrowing stories” and warned cultural change was needed in the justice system. He backed recommendations for trauma-informed training for judicial officers and safer spaces in courts so victims are not forced into the same environment as alleged perpetrators.

The premier also highlighted concerns around alcohol delivery services, calling for tighter regulation. Consumer Affairs Minister Andrea Michaels has been tasked with bringing a proposal to Cabinet, as the government works toward a full response to all recommendations by year’s end.