Bills rammed through Senate pre-election

More than 20 bills have been rushed through the Senate on the final sitting day before the election.

LAST-MINUTE LAWS

* Money to run the government and the federal budget

* Loan scheme for north Queensland floods and income tax exemptions for disaster grants

* A $75 payment for singles and $125 for couples on welfare payments to help with power bills

* Slight increase in the income threshold for paying the Medicare levy

* Raising the threshold of the government's instant asset write-off from $25,000 to $30,000

* Raising the governor-general's salary from $425,000 to $495,000

* Changes to the government's foreign influence transparency scheme including making people report activity from the time they become liable to register rather than after registration

* Allowing Australia's export credit agency to fund overseas infrastructure projects, with an eye to the Pacific

* Changing the Corporations Act to define a mutual entity and reform demutualisation rules

* Closing tax avoidance loopholes to make sure foreign investors pay their fair share

* Stronger penalties for insolvent companies which don't pay workers' entitlements and greater powers to recover unpaid debts to employees

* Give a veterans' gold card to Australian Civilian Surgical and Medical Teams that provided medical aid, training and treatment to Vietnamese people during the war

* Jail time for social media executives of companies which broadcast abhorrent violent material

* Extending the cashless welfare card trials in three existing sites - Ceduna, South Australia, East Kimberley, WA and Goldfields, WA; extend the card to Cape York

* New obligations for the design and distribution of financial products and more powers for the corporate regulator to respond to detrimental products

* Changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax which are expected to raise $6 billion over 10 years

* Reduce taxes for craft beer brewers by bringing excise into line with larger producers

* Establish the $2 billion Australian Business Securitisation Fund to help smaller banks and non-bank lenders to lend to small businesses


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Source: AAP



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