Australia news LIVE: Revolt brewing over Reserve Bank reform; Albanese says working-from-home can be ‘win-win’

Australia’s top media executives are appearing in Canberra today to give evidence over laws that would legislate viewers’ ability to easily find free-to-air apps on smart televisions.

SBS boss James Taylor and ABC boss David Anderson have kicked off proceedings.

The SBS boss opened with a claim the hybrid public broadcaster was informed in 2018 by the manufacturer of the best-selling connected TV in Australia that the SBS On Demand app would be removed if SBS did not agree to a 15 per cent revenue share and placement fee.

“When SBS refused to pay, the manufacturer carried through on their threat, making it much harder for audiences to find the SBS On Demand app,” Taylor said.

ABC managing director David Anderson.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Anderson says television manufacturers, such as Samsung and Sony, are the gatekeepers of access to content for Australians, holding the ability to remove and restore access on their devices.

The ABC boss says the national broadcaster has also been asked to pay for access on smart TVs.

Both Anderson and Taylor support the bill to implement preferential access for free-to-air services, but are pushing for two amendments.

They say the 18-month implementation time should be shortened to six months, and the legislation should extend to search results.

Anderson says it is in both ABC and SBS charters the channels should be freely accessible for the Australian public.

“We’re just looking for amendments to bring it in place earlier.”

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says she’s ready to regulate if more big fashion brands don’t sign up to an industry-led scheme that plans to put a levy on garments to reduce the amount of clothing that goes to landfill.

The Seamless scheme, launched by Plibersek in June last year and led by the Australian Fashion Council, aims to have 60 per cent of the clothing industry sign up by 2027. It has attracted brands including Big W, Cotton On Group, The Iconic and David Jones.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has put the fast fashion industry on notice.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

It has proposed a levy on signatory retailers, with funds raised going towards projects focused on clothing sustainability and recycling, as well as education and research.

Find out more here.

Nationals spokesman for veterans’ affairs Barnaby Joyce says everything is professional in his relationship with Nationals leader David Littleproud.

Speaking on Sky News Australia, Joyce said he did not intend to take leave as suggested by Littleproud after footage emerged of Joyce lying on a Canberra street after a parliamentary sitting day.

Joyce and Nationals leader David Littleproud during question time at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“Just going to do my job and listen to the recommendations of my wife and my doctor, and now I’m going to do my job, and that’s what people are expected to do. They expect you to ramp up and get straight back into it. I make no excuses whatsoever,” Joyce said.

Asked how his relationship was with Littleproud, the former deputy prime minister said everything was stable.

“Everything’s very professional, and that’s the way you want it … I focus on my nation, I focus on making sure we do the very best job for regional Australia. Always have, and that’s what I’ll continue to do,” he said.

“Everything’s fine, we’re enjoying Lent.”

Anthony Albanese says that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be able to return home.

Speaking on ABC radio, the prime minister said regardless of people’s views on Assange, he shouldn’t spend more time behind bars.

“There is nothing to be served by the further incarceration of Julian Assange, and my view is that he should be allowed to come home to Australia to spend time with his family,” Albanese said.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is appealing his extradition to the US.Credit: AFP

Judges at the High Court in London are considering whether to grant Assange permission to appeal against his removal from the UK, flagging there would be no decision before March 5.

The WikiLeaks founder is facing extradition to the United States, where authorities want to prosecute him on espionage charges relating to the publication of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents concerning the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says some supermarkets have “excessive market power”.

“Quite clearly they [Coles and Woolworths] have excessive market power, we have effectively a duopoly in large parts of Australia. In some places, IGA or Aldi or other supermarkets will play a role, but overwhelmingly there is a concentration of power,” he told ABC radio.

Albanese said there were three inquiries into supermarkets, including one the consumer watchdog was heading, and another into competition.

Prices at major supermarkets are under the microscope.Credit: Getty

“When you have that disconnect between the prices being paid for by supermarkets, and then the price being paid by consumers, then something’s going wrong.”

The prime minister said the government would look at recommendations on how to encourage new entrants in the market.

“That would obviously be helpful, the more competition, the way that economics should work, it should lead to lower prices.”

Labor Northern Territory Senator Marion Scrymgour says there needs to be an end to “pussyfooting” on youth crime, arguing the rise in crime in Alice Springs needs a firmer approach.

Speaking on ABC Radio National, Scrymgour backed her earlier comments to The Australian, saying the kids getting in trouble at Alice Springs “shouldn’t be treated as little angels” and that a tough love approach is needed.

Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour wants plans for education and health, regardless of the referendum result.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“Ignoring the issue, or just not doing anything with that, and people going … softly, I think, you know, these kids have been ignored for too long, and I think sometimes we’ve just got to stop pussyfooting around this issue,” she said.

“I think sometimes people say ‘oh, you know, a lot of these young people have FASD [Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders]’ or they have issues, and I get that FASD is a major issue, particularly in and around Central Australia, but the diagnostic tool, or FASD – there’s a backlog of a lot of these kids.

“I think people are just making assumptions that that’s what these young people are suffering from … I just think we’ve got to stop pigeonholing these young people.”

Earlier, NDIS and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten was asked about breaking up supermarkets, and said it wasn’t on the government’s agenda.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government wouldn’t break up supermarket chains and declared “we’re not the Soviet Union”.

Shorten reiterated that on Nine’s Today show, saying Labor wasn’t going to break up Coles and Woolworths.

“But it was Labor who said ‘enough is enough’ with the price gouging, I think I’ve been on your show six or seven times and said Coles and Woolies need to be accountable,” he said.

NDIS and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

He said the major supermarkets needed to provide better price competition.

“We’ll do what it takes,” he said.

“We just want to make sure Coles and Woolworths aren’t ripping people off,” Shorten added.

The opposition’s finance spokeswoman Jane Hume agreed that more competition would be better for consumers, and “enough was enough”.

But she questioned why it took two years for the government to launch investigations into the supermarkets.

“[Albanese] could have done it a year and a half ago, because apparently the cost of living was the No. 1 issue a year and a half ago,” Hume said.

Staying with the education minister, who has also spoken about the Fair Work Commission’s investigation into the productivity benefits of working from home.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said while the appropriateness of working from home depended on the job, for many people it provided flexibility as well as improvements in productivity, which the government was determined to boost.

Education Minister Jason Clare said the commission was looking at working-from-home rights and other aspects of the award.

Education Minister Jason Clare.Credit: Martin Ollman

“The pandemic showed us there are different ways of working,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program this morning.

“You need to apply common sense. Some jobs like … teachers, cops, nurses, ambos … you can’t work from home, [but] there are other jobs you can. Some are more productive when they work from home, others … aren’t.”

The minister said the key was common sense and flexibility, and the commission was examining if it worked for both companies and workers.

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said there needed to be a balance on working from home.

“The unions are pushing much of this, and I worry that we don’t get that balance right. There are so many workers who can’t work from home, who don’t have that choice but … I agree, flexibility has to be right at the centre of this,” she said.