00:01This latest set of inflation data, really, it's not the best news in the world for the
00:06government. As you say, it comes off the back of this RBA interest rate hike yesterday.
00:11This inflation data still puts CPI above that target band that the Reserve Bank would like
00:17it to be. Treasurer Jim Chalmers, though, for his part, he stood up today and he's acknowledged
00:21that inflation indeed is still too high in the Australian economy. But he's very much
00:27pointing to the war in the Middle East and the correlating oil prices, the increasing
00:31oil prices as the reason behind those increasing inflation figures. The opposition, for its
00:38part, once again, it's seizing on yesterday's rate hike to again accuse Labor of not doing
00:43enough to rein in spending. It says that the government is driving inflation by the way
00:48that it's spending. The Treasurer, though, he's very much disputing this. He's been out
00:53today defending the government's economic track record, its financial record, in the
00:58wake of this latest inflation data. He's pointed out that the government has indeed delivered
01:02surpluses since it's come to office. It didn't in the most recent budget. But he also insists
01:07the government is delivering lower deficits than what was projected, and that the government
01:12is doing the best it can in difficult circumstances to leave the budget in good shape. Here's the
01:18Treasurer Jim Chalmers, followed by the opposition leader. Inflation is still too high in our economy.
01:24That's why it's so important that we are managing the budget in a responsible way. We're providing
01:29cost of living relief in an affordable and ongoing way via tax cuts and boosts to bulk billing
01:35and in other ways. This government hasn't taken spending, containing spending seriously.
01:40We would. And that's what is needed right now. Australians are tightening their belts.
01:47And Jack, on another issue, the Greens have a new leader. Describe for us how that played
01:51out today.
01:52Yes, that's right, Joe. David Shoebridge has been elected as the new leader of the Greens.
01:58He'll replace Larissa Waters, who's stepping down from the minor party's top job due to ill
02:04health. David Shoebridge was part of a three-way contest that also involved fellow New South Wales
02:10Senator Maureen Faruqi, as well as South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. He got
02:15over the line in what was a contested ballot, with six votes cast in his favour out of the
02:21total 11-member caucus in the first vote. He's also got a new deputy with him. That's
02:26Steph Hodgins-May from Victoria. She'll be the new deputy leader of the Australian Greens.
02:32For some background in terms of David Shoebridge, he's a former lawyer. He's been serving in the
02:38Senate as the New South Wales Senator since 2022. And he was also previously in the New
02:44South Wales Parliament for more than a decade. Now, Senator Shoebridge, he faces a real uphill
02:51task now to essentially unite the party in the wake of this contested leadership ballot. But
02:57he also faces a task in terms of capitalising on voter backlash to the major parties. We've
03:03seen One Nation being able to do that in recent times. The Greens have really struggled, though,
03:07to have the same level of cut-through. Here's more of what Senator Shoebridge said today.
03:13Labor has created the circumstances for One Nation, and Labor is not the answer. The Greens,
03:19the progressive alternative. We're here to beat down One Nation, and we're here to replace Labor
03:25and return hope and faith to politics.
03:29Now, that's the new leader of the Greens, David Shoebridge there. Now, not everyone's
03:33happy with today's ballot. Ballot, one of the leadership contenders, New South Wales Senator
03:38Maureen Faruqi, she's put out a statement today where she acknowledges that she's disappointed
03:43with the party room decision. But she also notes that she's long advocated for party members,
03:49as in the rank and file of the Greens, to determine who the leadership should be. And she says that
03:54she shares members' frustration that the opposite has happened this week. She says that she's calling
04:00on the new leadership team to set a timeline for a new way to elect leaders, so that it's now
04:06up to,
04:07so it would be up to the party membership. So, as I said before, David Shoebridge facing a bit of
04:11an
04:11uphill battle now to unite the party in the wake of this leadership ballot.
