Live: Environment minister urges new Greens leader to be constructive with Labor

Environment Minister Murray Watt has urged new Greens leader David Shoebridge to be constructive with Labor in parliament.Follow all the updates in our live blog. Thu 1 Oct 2026 at 8:04amThu 1 Oct 2026 at 8:04amBurns dismisses swipe from NSW premierFederal Labor MP Josh Burns has dismissed comments from the NSW premier about the Commonwealth's management of the budget.Yesterday, NSW Premier Chris Minns said he had "long" heard advice from the Reserve Bank to reign in spending and, when asked, declined to support the federal government's fiscal approach.It comes after the Reserve Bank hikes interest rates for the fourth time this year on Tuesday, and inflation rose to 4 per cent.Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, Burns says the NSW premier is looking at how to best manage his state's economy."Our job is to manage the economy across the country. I do think that we obviously want to align fiscal and monetary policy. That's obviously really important and inflation is a really difficult problem," Burns says.Thu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:45amThu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:45amNew Greens leader plays down concerns expressed by leadership contenderDavid Shoebridge says he doesn't think it's true NSW Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi doesn't want to work with him following yesterday's leadership vote.Faruqi, who lost the leadership vote 7–4, said she didn't run for deputy leadership because she believed she could play her part "outside the constraints of the leadership team".She said she was frustrated the leadership was not elected by Greens members.But Shoebridge has spoken to ABC Radio National Breakfast, playing down her concerns, and says Faruqi is free to campaign on the issues that matter to her."I am looking forward to Senator Faruqi, Mehreen, getting out there campaigning on matters that she's clearly got a passion for and a talent to connect with big parts of this country," Shoebridge says.Thu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:43amThu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:43amShoebridge says ballot for party leader shows 'strength' of GreensGreens leader David Shoebridge says he thinks his party's decision to break with tradition and have a leadership ballot yesterday is a sign of the strength of the Greens.The party held its first leadership ballot yesterday, with the vote coming down 7–4 to Shoebridge and NSW senator Mehreen Faruqi in the second round of voting.The Greens have previously chosen its leader by consensus.Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, Shoebridge says he thinks yesterday's vote shows the party's strength."At a moment like this, if there wasn't a contest, if we didn't have a bunch of people desperate to take on and meet this moment, I think it wouldn't be true to politics in 2026," Shoebridge says.Thu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:25amThu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:25am$200 million funding package announced for Bell Bay Aluminium smelterThe Australian and Tasmanian governments have announced a $200 million support package for the Bell Bay Aluminium smelter after months of uncertainty.The smelter's future had been looking shaky with its owner, multi-billion-dollar company Rio Tinto, locked in protracted negotiations with the state-owned power company Hydro Tasmania over a new power deal.There were fears the smelter, which employs 550 people, would shut if a new deal was not reached before it expired at the end of the year.The state government has now announced Rio and Hydro have struck a five-year power deal.Read the full story by state political reporter Lucy MacDonald in the link below.Thu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:17amThu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:17amWatt accuses new Greens leader of coming from 'angry, militant' factionMurray Watt has urged new Greens leader David Shoebridge to take a more constructive approach to dealing with Labor in parliament.Shoebridge defeated fellow NSW senator Mehreen Faruqi and SA senator Sarah Hanson-Young for the party's top job yesterday.Yesterday, Shoebridge told the media that he wanted his political party to replace Labor.The environment minister told Channel Seven that Shoebridge comes from the Greens' "angry, militant faction" and urged him to be constructive."We certainly hope that Senator Shoebridge can take a more constructive approach to working with the parliament and working with the government than he's shown to date," Watt says."I really hope for the Greens sake that it's not a return to the bad old days, where they just wanted to block everything."Thu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:11amThu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:11amWatt says spending driving inflation comes from private sectorEnvironment Minister Murray Watt has appeared on Channel Seven with Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie to discuss inflation.Headline inflation jumped to 4 per cent in August, from 3.5 per cent in July, driven by higher housing costs and automotive fuel prices.The Reserve Bank of Australia yesterday raised interest rates for the fourth time this year to 4.6 per cent.Watt has defended Labor's efforts to bring Commonwealth spending down and says spending came mostly from the private sector."The great bulk of spending that is happening in the economy at the moment is not from government. It's actually coming from the private sector," Watt says.McKenzie says there is a "deep level of denial and contempt" in Watt's comments about Labor's approach to the budget.Thu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:04amThu 1 Oct 2026 at 7:04amGood morning 👋Hello and welcome to our federal politics live blog. It's great to have you join us here early on this Thursday morning!I'm Josh Boscaini joining you live from Parliament House in Canberra, here and ready to bring you all of today's federal politics news.In some news just in this morning, the federal and Tasmanian governments have announced a $200 million package for the troubled Bell Bay aluminium smelter.I have a feeling we're going to hear more about that today! For now, let's get this blog on the road!