The Albanese Labor Government is launching consultations with communities and organisations on the design of the new Remote Jobs and Economic Development program (RJED) to replace the old CDP.

The $707 million program, that will start later this year, will deliver real jobs to remote communities across Australia initially creating 3000 jobs over the next three years. These jobs will be real jobs, with decent wages and proper conditions, starting in the second half of 2024.

Acknowledgements omitted

I am so pleased to be here because I so admire the work you do. Helping Western Australians find the stability of a place to call home. Helping them to build new foundations – both physical and metaphorical.

Four works by Albert Namatjira will go on display at the Araluen Art Centre in Alice Springs to commemorate its 40th anniversary as part of the Albanese Labor Government’s Sharing the National Collection program.

The works by Namatjira – one of Australia’s most famous and sought after painters – will be exhibited alongside works by five foundational central Australian artists of the 1970s.

The loan is the first to the Northern Territory under Sharing the National Collection and the largest loan of First Nations works to date.

Budgets old and new

I love buying new books. Something to keep me company on the weekly flight from Perth to Canberra, or Sydney. This year I have enjoyed the Thursday Murder Club, Decision Points by George W Bush, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect and A Bigger Picture by Malcolm Turnbull.

The Albanese Labor Government will deliver a further $1 billion in savings from reducing spending on consultants, contractors, and labour hire in the 2024-25 Budget. This is part of the Government’s commitment to reduce the reliance on external labour and rebuild a fit-for-purpose public service that is resourced to deliver the services Australians expect.

This save is in addition to the $3 billion in savings from reducing spending on external labour that the Government delivered in the 2022-23 October Budget, bringing the total savings delivered to $4 billion.

Investments have been made in the Australian Public Service in the past two years. More staff have been employed, service standards are improving, and the reliance on external labour is decreasing - delivering much needed savings across the budget.

We have employed more permanent public servants to rebuild and improve the APS at the same time as reducing the APS's reliance on costly external labour like consultants, contractors or labour hire workers.

DAVID SPEERS, HOST: Katy Gallagher, welcome to the program.

SENATOR THE HON KATY GALLAGHER, MINISTER FOR WOMEN: Thanks for having me on David.

SPEERS: Let's start with this $5,000 grant, who is eligible to access the money?

TOM CONNELL, HOST: Let's get a wrap of the political agenda that has been this week. Joining me now Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Patrick Gorman, former Liberal MP Jason Falinski. Gentlemen, thanks as ever for your time. It hasn't been this week for the Government, dare I say it. We'd better start on the detainee issue. What we've learned today, Patrick Gorman, is the Minister's delegates made a call, in fact, on removing this ankle bracelet. This must mean the buck stops with the Minister, doesn't it?

NEIL WILCOCK ("WILKO"), CO-HOST: There was an emergency [national] cabinet held by Anthony Albanese, our PM, and we found out some details yesterday that had been released from that cabinet in regards to an extend of the domestic violence package that already existed. $925 million. Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher is on the line to explain it a little bit more, good morning Katy.

SENATOR THE HON KATY GALLAGHER, MINISTER FOR WOMEN: Good morning, thanks for having me on.

THE HON JULIA GILLARD AC, HOST: Katy, it's not politics that brought you to Canberra, you were born and raised there, like no one's born and raised in Canberra. Can you tell me about that?