Coalition NT senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is increasing her media presence ahead of the election (you may have seen several stories featuring Price across media outlets recently) and as part of that, she is laying out how she would handle Indigenous affairs, if the Coalition was in government.

I think it comes down to the way in which we collect data, and if the data that we’re collecting isn’t giving us a true indication of what is actually occurring for marginalised, Indigenous Australians, that’s something we need to really think about. The other thing is the fact that there are, of course, many Australians identifying for the first time as Indigenous at an increasing number every year, and this is also a factor that skews the data. I guess the direction that I would hope to be able to go is to identify who our actual marginalised Indigenous Australians are as a priority and a focus in terms of improving their lives. Because I think I’ve always argued that, you know, just just being Indigenous doesn’t automatically make you disadvantaged. It comes down to your circumstances. It comes it often comes down to your geographical place in Australia as well, and these are things that we need to look much closer to if we really want to see the changes occur that we need to to improve the lives of our marginalised people.

The official announcement on the Rex airlines contingency plan has dropped:

The Albanese Government will work with the Administrators of Regional Express Holdings (Rex), as part of an upcoming competitive sale process, to ensure crucial regional aviation services continue beyond 30 June 2025.

We will work with shortlisted bidders on what support the Albanese Government may be able to provide to maximise the prospect of a successful sale.

Terms of Commonwealth support will be subject to negotiation, but will be conditional on commitments by bidders to provide an ongoing, reasonable level of service to regional and remote communities, the need to provide value for money to taxpayers and good governance.

The Government is not a bidder in the upcoming sale process and would like to see a successful market-led outcome. However, in the event there is no sale, the Albanese Government will undertake necessary work, in consultation with relevant state governments, on contingency options, including preparations necessary for potential Commonwealth acquisition.

The Albanese Government is also providing further support through a waiver of the “use it or lose it” test for Rex regional flight slots at Sydney Airport, which will ensure its access to those slots until 24 October 2026.

This comes on top of the Albanese Government  providing a loan of up to $80 million to keep Rex’s vital regional routes operating until 30 June 2025, and acquiring $50 million of debt from Rex’s largest creditor, PAGAC Regulus Holdings Limited, earlier this year to ensure the airline could continue to operate.

In more domestic news, the federal government is considering buying Rex Airlines if no one else wants it. And it looks like no one else wants it.

Regional Express Airlines connects Australia’s regions to the cities, but that is EXXY. The government has already subsidised Rex to keep it in the air after the administrator was unable to find a buyer last July.

Now the government has said it is prepared to buy Australia’s third largest airline, as a contingency plan.

Jim Chalmers said:

I think it’s the only responsible course of action to take is to consider all of the contingencies. And what we’ve said is we’ve been we are prepared to play a supportive role with the bidders in the private sale if, for whatever reason, a private sale doesn’t go ahead, then we have considered and are considering other contingencies.

We’d work with state governments and other stakeholders to see what might be the most responsible course of action in the event of a private sale not going ahead.

Sabra Lane asks if that’s good business or good politics ahead of an election and Chalmers says:

Well, we support regional Australia. And if you think about the announcement I made yesterday to keep bank branches open in regional Australia, and think about this announcement today to secure the future of regional flights. And what it shows is, from the terminal to the teller, we support regional Australia.

You can tell he is proud of that line. You’ll be hearing it a bit.

On the tariff threat, Jim Chalmers says:

Some of those reports today, which I’ve obviously read, you know, they’re about issues from almost a decade ago, and we’re focused on what’s in front of us.”

Asked about whether ‘Trump sometimes seeks to take revenge on what he sees are perceived wrongdoings’ Chalmers says he “wouldn’t necessarily describe it that way”.

The point that I’m making, Sabra is the conversation between the PM and the President was yesterday. It was very productive. It was very positive. The President said that he would consider an exemption. And both sides have acknowledged how important this economic relationship is to both countries. The President himself pointed to the fact that the Americans run a trade surplus with us, that makes us different, sure to some of the other countries, which have been his focus in recent days.

…But again, to remind your listeners, we’re talking about something from almost a decade ago under a previous Coalition government, it may be that our predecessors can clear this up or provide some more context and commentary around it, but we’re not focused on what happened almost a decade ago. We’re focused on what’s in front of us. We’re focused on the significant announcements coming out of DC, and we’re focused on this productive and positive conversation that Prime Minister Albanese had with President Trump as part of our efforts to stand up for a really important industry in this country.

(The reports have emerged from wording on the executive order that claimed in 2018 Australia broke a verbal agreement to limit aluminum shipments, given it had the tariff exemption. There are disagreements over whether it was only supposed to apply to steel, and the timeframe the Trump administration are talking about)

Again, isn’t it strange that we have to work so hard with an ally? Is no one looking at this relationship and thinking – maybe this isn’t so great for us?

Speaking to ABC radio AM, Jim Chalmers says the change makes it clear to banks how they are to consider student loan debt and comes after months of meetings with the regulators.

He met with the bank heads yesterday and informed them of the lending guideline change. Chalmers repeats that it is “commonsense” because student debt is different to other debt, in that it “paid back in an income contingent way” and shouldn’t prevent someone who is otherwise eligible for a home loan.

Chalmers:

This is just a set of common sense changes to get more people into a home. It’s why I’ve taken the lead on this, speaking to the regulators, speaking to the banks, to see if we can make a meaningful difference for people who might have otherwise been excluded because of their student debt.

In the latest tinker with home ownership, rather than addressing home affordability, the government has changed the lending guidelines for banks, with financial institutions now being told to ignore student debt.

As AAP reports:

Regulators ASIC and APRA have agreed to clarify their guidance to lenders, along with reducing serviceability and reporting requirements in for HECS debts, at the request of Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

The “commonsense clarifications” would help more Australians into a home, Dr Chalmers said.

“People with a HELP (HECS) debt should be treated fairly when they want to buy a house and we’re working with the regulators to make sure they are,” he said.

Banks had indicated they were unsure about how to interpret the existing requirements, which were holding them back from providing mortgages to some prospective borrowers with student loans.

APRA will tell banks they can exclude HECS repayments from serviceability assessments if they expect a borrower will shortly pay off their debt.

The prudential regulator will also ensure HECS is not treated as a debt for debt-to-income reporting purposes, recognising that the size of a person’s HECS repayments depends on their income.

Meanwhile, ASIC will change its guidance on HECS debts, following consultation.

Hello and welcome to your Wednesday parliament sitting and blog, where we will follow the day’s parliamentary events.

We start today with the government feeling a little bouncy after having won the day against the opposition on Tuesday. That shouldn’t be as rare as it is, but that is where we are.

Anthony Albanese’s 40-minute phone call with US president Donald Trump ended with Australia being able to say an exemption from the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium was “under consideration”. So far no other country has received even that line, so Albanese is feeling like he won a small reprieve (weird that an ‘ally’ who has a ridiculously expensive strategic and defence plan with Australia would even need this much convincing, given the ‘great relationship, no?).

The opposition had planned a day of attacks against Albanese and his choice of Kevin Rudd as ambassador for not getting ahead of the tariffs (the Coalition claim Trump would remember that Rudd was once critical of Trump, as if Trump’s vice-president didn’t once call Trump “an idiot” and privately compare him to Hitler) but a reporter asking about Australia after the executive order for ALL countries was signed, had Trump talking about the “very fine man” Albanese and the airplanes and trade surplus with Australia and confirming the “under consideration” line.

That doesn’t mean Albanese has won though. There is still the executive order itself, which makes note of a “verbal agreement” Australia made to limit aluminium shipments the last time Australia got a tariff exemption when this stuff all went on in the first Trump presidency.

Malcolm Turnbull who helped arrange that exemption said the limits only applied to steel, not aluminium. And it seems most of what they are complaining about happened when Joe Biden was president (apparently everyone should limit themselves to a Trump presidency’s desires even when he is not president) But Trump has the same officials around him now he had then, who want to limit Australian product and they know how Australia plays this time round, and are pre-emptively trying to stop it.

The short version being: it’s not over. And the Coalition know it. So now Australia is in a position of trying to convince it’s ‘exceptional friend’ of not harming it in a trade war. And the opposition is preparing to run a HOW DARE YOU UPSET THEM campaign, instead of standing up for Australia. Cool beans.

We’ll also see some more of the electoral donation changes today, where the major parties put aside their recent animosity to circle the wagons around the two-party system.

You have Amy Remeikis and her two coffees (third under way) with you for most of the day – and I am powered by toast and gingernut biscuits this morning.

Ready?

Let’s get into it.