Federal politics live: Anthony Albanese to meet with Xi Jinping on the sidelines of G20 summit

It’s going to be a busy fortnight for the government as it tries to clear the legislative logjam before parliament rises for the year.

So what does a successful fortnight look like for Treasurer Jim Chalmers?

“For me, there is a big focus on housing, a big focus on superannuation,” he tells ABC’s RN Breakfast. 

He says he hopes he will be able to introduce legislation on production tax credits for green hydrogen and critical minerals as part of the Future Made in Australia plan.

On if the government was close to a deal with the Greens on several key bills, Chalmers says he doesn’t want to pre-empt the Senate.

“We know there’s a lot of negotiating going on right now,” he says.

“We know that we’re running out of parliamentary runway this year at least, and so we want to get as much done as we can.”

Chalmers is again asked if he is considering a levy on banks to help keep branches open in regional and rural areas.

The treasurer says it’s “no secret” the decline of banking services in the regions are a challenge for many Australians.

“So it shouldn’t surprise people to hear that we engage pretty regularly with the banks and with others to try and find some solutions here,” he says.

He confirms Treasury is engaging with the financial sector and banks to see if there is something the government can do.

A declining use of cheques will see the payment method no longer issued from mid-2028 and no longer be accepted by September 2029.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says this plan was flagged a little while ago and has a “pretty long run up”.

It comes as the the treasurer revealed his plan for a “cash mandate” to ensure Aussies will still be able to use bank notes to purchase essentials.

“We’re maintaining an ongoing role for cash, really just to recognise people’s choices,” he tells ABC RN Breakfast. 

“We know what the direction of travel is here.

“We know people overwhelmingly want to pay digital. Most people want to pay digitally.

“But we want to make sure that for some people who still need that option, that option is still available to them.’

The banks are reportedly facing a levy of $350 million to ensure rural branches remain open.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers was asked about the proposal while on ABC’s News Breakfast earlier. 

“I don’t think it’s a secret that the maintenance of regional banking services is a big challenge for a lot of Australians. It’s a challenge that we have been focused on as well,” he says.

“Nor should it be especially surprising that we engage from time to time in conversations and consultations with the banks to see
if we can do better here.”

Asked directly if this was something Treasury was looking at, Chalmers responded:

“Yeah, the Treasury has these sorts of conversations all the time, yeah,” he says.

“I’m not trying to be cagey about it.”

With a federal election just on the horizon, is Treasurer Jim Chalmers worried he’ll be part of a one-term government?

“I don’t think it’s much use sitting around fretting about that,” he tells ABC News Breakfast. 

“You know, my job is to try to make the right economic decisions for the right economic reasons and I’m confident that we have been doing that.

“The politics will take care of themselves.

“My focus is on the numbers in the economy, not the numbers in the opinion polls.”

Continuing on that same theme, independent senator Jacqui Lambie says Donald Trump is just going to do what he wants so it doesn’t matter who the US president-elect is “dealing with”.

“I find him very, very chaotic,” she says.

“So I don’t think
it really matters who deals with Trump. Trump’s going to make his own decisions and he’s going to do whatever he wants to do.

“So it won’t matter who he’s dealing with him.

“He’s unstable and I’ll call it again, he is unstable.”

Greens senator Nick McKim says Dutton and Trump are “cut from the same cloth”.

“It’s not a cloth that the Greens are massive fans of,” he adds.

The panel is also asked if they think the Coalition will emulate Trump ahead of the election.

Lambie says people are really worried about the cost of living, and want leaders to spell out how they are going to fix it.

A poll conducted for the Australian Financial Review suggested more voters believe that Peter Dutton would be better at negotiating with Donald Trump than Anthony Albanese. 

Speaking on Seven, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says Albanese and Trump have started their working relationship off on the right foot.

“The prime minister has already had a terrific conversation with Mr Trump … and in that conversation they made the point that we have a very good and close relationship, whether it is the Democrats or the Republicans in power in the US or Liberal or Labor in Australia,” she says.

Nationals frontbencher Barnaby Joyce, who was also on the panel, suggests maybe the voters polled thought they could see similarities between the two leaders.

“They might
believe he has similarities in that he will put aside some of the rhetoric, put aside some of the noble causes that lead to destitution, and really concentrate on the Australian people,” he says.

But will the Coalition seek to emulate Trump during his own election campaign? Joyce says he doesn’t think they will.

“We are not that naive to believe we are the United States and start emulating them.”

Businesses will be required to accept cash as payment for groceries, fuel and other essentials, under the federal government’s planned “cash mandate”.

Although cash is legal tender, there is currently no legislative requirement to accept cash, provided a business offers another fee-free means of payment.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government would begin consultation on a “cash mandate” before the end of the year, but implementation would likely wait until after the election.

However, the government is moving forward with its timeline to phase out cheques is moving forward.

Chalmers said he had written to the CEOs of the four major banks to convey his expectation that they continue to facilitate the needs of cheque users until September 2029.

You can read more from political reporter Tom Crowley at the link below.

Anthony Albanese has arrived in Rio de Janeiro and will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this evening.

Both men are touring South America for a week-long series of summits with world leaders.

The Rio meeting will be the first time Albanese and Xi have met since the PM visited Beijing last year.

It comes as the relationship with Australia’s largest trading partner has stabilised following years in the diplomatic freezer, during which China slapped devastating tariffs on key Australian imports.

It also comes after Chinese state media last week praised Albanese, describing him as the type of leader others should follow in their dealings with China and the United States.

Xi is using his time touring Latin America to pursue up to 30 bilateral agreements and looks eager to win favour from nations who otherwise might have looked to the US.

Xi met with outgoing US President Joe Biden yesterday and said he would work with Trump’s incoming administration. But he insisted there would be consequences if the US started a trade war with his country.

Hiya friends!

Welcome to our politics live blog. Courtney Gould from the ABC’s Parliament House team here to guide you through the day.

The pollies are back in town for the final sitting fortnight of the year, with dozens of bills still to be resolved. So don’t be surprised if these final two weeks have a bit of chaos energy about them. Elsewhere, US ambassador Caroline Kennedy will address the National Press Club later today.

Let’s get into it.