As it happened: NSW Premier blames byelection loss on local issues; Victoria’s code brown ends; COVID-19 cases grow across the nation

The federal government won’t try and resurrect laws ahead of the coming election that would require voters to show identification at polling booths.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham told a Senate estimates hearing it was “not the government’s intention” to pursue the change “before this election”.

The election has to be held by late May.

A bid late last year to make voters show an identity document from a broad list (including utilities bills and native title council letters) was dropped as part of a deal with Labor to pass other electoral law changes.

Liberal Senator James McGrath — the chair of the joint committee on electoral matters which recommended the voter ID laws — introduced his own private bill for the same measure to the Senate last week. But Senator Birmingham said that wouldn’t be brought on for debate before the election either.

However, he indicated the coalition may pursue the measure again should it win the election, saying: “It is our belief that voter ID can be done in a way that won’t disenfranchise.”

The publicly owned utility that the federal government has funded to build and operate a gas plant in the Hunter Valley says the new fossil fuel facility will generate “minus 3.9 million tonnes” of greenhouse gas a year

Snowy Hydro chief commercial officer Gordon Wymer made the claim based on the assumption the Kurri gas peaking plant, which provides energy to back up gaps in the power grid created by intermittent wind and solar, would enable 1560 kilowatts of electricity generation by zero-emissions renewables.

Mr Wymer said the Kurri Kurri plant would deliver a net reduction in emissions as it would replace 5600 gigawatt hours of coal-fired power, which generates more emissions than gas power.

He was responding to questions from Greens Senator Larissa Waters, who commented that she was “pretty sure I don’t agree with most of that” after Mr Wymer’s remarks.

Experts have said coal-fired power is becoming increasingly uneconomic due to competition from cheaper renewables, and peaking capacity can be provided by a range of technologies including pumped hydro, gas and batteries.

Last week’s marathon parliamentary sitting that occurred just a day after the landmark apology to bullied and harassed staff will be a case in point as the government sets about reforming Canberra’s workplace culture.

Speaker Andrew Wallace said he expected the sitting that ran to 5am on Thursday to hammer out the government’s religious discrimination bill to be considered in the implementation of the Jenkins report, which called for Parliament’s long hours to be reviewed to ensure a safe workplace.

His statement followed concerns from independent MP Zali Steggall, who last Thursday argued the lengthy sitting “was in direct contradiction” to the recommendation.

“I strongly believe it was disrespectful to all staff in Parliament House to insist upon sitting to 4.40 in the morning,” the Warringah MP said.

At the time, Mr Wallace suggested Ms Steggall take her concerns elsewhere. However, on Monday afternoon, he said that while staff knew of the demands of the job, he acknowledged the recommendations handed down by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.

“I expect that matters such as this one raised by the Member for Warringah will form part of the considerations of those recommendations.”

The Northern Territory has recorded 757 new cases of COVID-19, Chief Minister Michael Gunner has confirmed, most of which were reported from rapid antigen tests.

There are 164 people in hospital with the virus, of a total 7229 active cases in the territory.

Australia recorded 19,680 new infections around the country and a total of 25 people died with COVID-19 in the latest reporting period.