It is winding down here, so we might call it a day.
The annual midwinter ball is due to kick off in just over a hour – it’s a little late this year, as in, not midwinter, because the great hall was closed for renovations.
(And before you ask, yes, we all buy our own tickets.)
We will be back bright and early tomorrow morning, for the last sitting day of this week – because remember, we all have another week of this ahead of us! Aren’t we lucky ducks!
Just a reminder, because I saw some of you missed it, the Wentworth byelection has been set for 20 October – in between next month’s parliamentary sitting.
A big thank you to the Guardian brainstrust – Gareth Hutchens has a banking royal commission story coming your way, and Paul Karp is watching the Citizen K case. Katharine Murphy is still toiling away as I wrap this up, and Mike Bowers has put his camera down long enough to don one of his trademark “sparkle jackets”.
And as always, thank you to everyone for reading and hanging out below the line – we really do appreciate all the support and your comments often make our day a little easier.
See you tomorrow morning, but remember – take care of you.
Updated
The religious freedoms debate has no set schedule – all we can guarantee is that it will be after the Wentworth byelection.
But there was a bit of noise about it in question time today, through dixers, where it was basically suggested only the government cares about religious freedom.
(This comes with a reminder that Scott Morrison couldn’t give an example of a religious freedom that needed to be protected when asked, but said he wanted to see them protected into the future.)
Anthony Albanese has told Sky of his views regarding religious freedoms:
“Australia is a secular country and we have had a separation of church and state. It is a very fundamental principle that we have in this country. I respect people of whatever faith they have and I’ve been a strong advocate for example, a consistent advocate, not always agreed to by people who I usually agree with in my party, about conscience votes for example. But the idea that one side of politics has a monopoly on faith, I think people of faith know that that is a nonsense.
David Speers: “Do you agree with the need for tougher religious protections?”
Albanese: “Well, I think you have got to make a case for what the problem is before you search for a solution. In this country what I recognise as one of our great strengths is that in my local community you have people who visit churches, both Catholic, Orthodox of various persuasions, you have mosques, you have a synagogue – and everyone is able to practise their religion, I think, in absolute freedom.
Updated
And for anyone still wondering, the PMO dinkus (the little identifying photo that sits on the top of emails) is still Malcolm Turnbull.
Updated
As promised, Linda Reynolds’ speech to the Senate on the bullying:
“On 23 August this year, I rose in the Senate to address my concerns about the behaviour of some in parliament during our leadership challenges. My speech then was in response to questions without notice by members of the opposition at question time that day. Despite significant discussion in this chamber and in the media, I stand by my comments on the day.
“Today I did comment publicly for the first and last time on these stories of bullying and intimidation, which continue to be aired, sadly, by Labor women in this chamber and also by the media. A number of my colleagues have also addressed these issues– very senior colleagues in my party. The Australian people have made it abundantly clear to me and, I’m sure, to all people in this chamber that they are sick and tired of hearing politicians talk about themselves. I share their sentiments. I strongly believe that the correct forum to address these concerns is via robust and constructive discussion within the Liberal parliamentary party processes, not in the media and not in this chamber. I am very confident and very comfortable that the prime minister and our whips are taking the appropriate action in this process, which, again, I firmly believe is something that is best dealt with internally, because (1) the Australian people deserve better, and (2) if we are to seek genuine outcomes, like in any other organisation, we need to deal with these matters ourselves.
“I’m incredibly honoured to be appointed the assistant minister for home affairs in the Morrison government, and over the past two weeks my focus has been on my new responsibilities and seeing firsthand the amazing work the men and women of our Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and emergency management has been doing. These men and women, many of whom are serving the nation in uniform, are serving with distinction. They are securing our borders; they are keeping Australians safe and ensuring that as a nation we are well-prepared for a challenging upcoming emergency management season. The last thing those men and women need is their minister or ministers sitting there, talking about themselves and not addressing the important issues that they are dealing with.
Now, it was, as I said, extremely disappointing to see the Labor party again making very cheap political capital out of this issue in this chamber and criticising or somehow saying that the way that we, as Liberal party women, choose to deal with this issue is something to be exploited in this chamber. What I and my colleagues are doing is exactly what we have done in relation to the Labor party. When the Labor party has exhibited appalling behaviour to people on my side of the chamber, we don’t do what those opposite have been doing in this chamber today and to Minister Nash last year. When we have had occasion, when these issues have arisen, in terms of bad behaviour by those opposite, on our side – and I certainly have not ever publicised these issues and brought them into a political arena here in this chamber. In fact, sitting here and listening today to the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Senator Wong, I was incredibly disappointed because, when issues have happened and when she has had cause to apologise to me and to others for the behaviour of her team, we have dealt with it privately and not publicly.
“When it has been public, Senator Cameron, we have discussed it publicly but we have not brought it into this chamber. I firmly believe that, in politics in this chamber and in any organisation in Australia, if we are truly to deal with the issues faced by many women in the workplace, cheapening them through theatrical politics here in question time doesn’t assist the women in my party, doesn’t assist the women in this chamber and it certainly does not assist the women in any workplace in this country. This is the last time I will be discussing this publicly. I want to make it very clear that it is not because I am giving up the fight; it is because I believe the appropriate way to do that, to get meaningful change, is within my party. Those opposite, I would ask and I would plead: if you want to see a better future for women in this chamber, stop politicising it and making it even harder for us on this side to deal with it.”
Updated
More Wentworth polling
Former Wentworth MP Peter King has sent this polling to preselectors ahead of a candidate vote on Thursday night #auspol #wentworth pic.twitter.com/F1VvkK8kbG
— Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy) September 12, 2018
“I think we have a fighting chance of victory,” Tony Abbott tells 2GB of Scott Morrison’s leadership.
“It is not your finest hour when you do it,” Barnaby Joyce says of the Liberals leadership change.
“... I think if we went to an election today, we would be punished for it, but we are not going to an election today.
“... Obviously in all these things it is a fractious environment for whatever reason, and it culminated in a spill and they decided to do it.”
This is in response to questions from David Speers on whether or not Scott Morrison was right to say ‘get over it’ in question time today.
Updated
I can’t imagine for a second why this photo was set up this week, of all weeks ...
Opposition leader Bill Shorten takes a selfie during a Labor photo call for federal Labor women in a courtyard of parliament house @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus @murpharoo #politicslive https://t.co/jQ9LGPd5YB pic.twitter.com/MIOIVdYDam
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) September 12, 2018
Updated
Just on that motion – I recommend, if you haven’t already, that you look through this Guardian Australia investigation into deaths in custody.
You’ll find it here.
Updated
The Senate has just passed this motion put forward by the Greens:
That the Senate –
(a) acknowledges the Guardian Australia’s “Deaths Inside” database, released in August and their reporting on First Nations peoples deaths in custody;
(b) expresses deep concern that there has been no comprehensive monitoring of deaths in custody since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody;
(c) is horrified that there have been 407 deaths of First Nations peoples in custody since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody almost 30 years ago and that in the last 10 years, 147 First Nations peoples have died in custody and more than half of those who died had not been convicted of a crime;
(d) urges the federal government to release any reports relating to the implementation of the recommendations do an urgent and public audit of the recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and make it a priority to implement the outstanding recommendations; and
(e) calls on the federal government to show leadership and call an urgent meeting with the states and territories to develop and commit to an action plan on how the states, territories and commonwealth will address deaths in custody and the high rates of Aboriginal incarceration.
“It is appalling that we haven’t had comprehensive monitoring of deaths in custody since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, Senator Rachel Siewert, spokesperson on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues said in a statement.
“This issue is not being addressed with the urgency required.
“Over 407 First Nations Peoples have died in custody since the royal commission yet it is business as usual for state, territory and federal governments.
“State and federal governments have failed to take meaningful action. Every state government needs to make this issue a priority. There have been 43 deaths in custody in WA in the last 10 years, the highest in Australia.
Updated
From Mike Bowers to you:
Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Updated
Linda Reynolds just made a quick statement to the Senate where she said she stands by her bullying claims, but will be dealing with it in-house.
I’ll bring you that speech as soon as I can.
Updated
Anthony Albanese, speaking to David Speers on Sky, said there may be “45 people in the country” who are ready to “get over it”, “it” being the prime minister change, but says it is a bit rich to expect everyone to just move on, with no explanation.
He says that he believes there were members of the Liberal party who never accepted Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership – and if that is the reason, the government should just say that.
Updated
Committee update
Today I was elected Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters.
— Senator James McGrath (@JamesMcGrathLNP) September 12, 2018
I thank @lindareynoldswa for her leadership as the previous Chair.
A strong and well-functioning electoral system is essential to our democracy and the freedoms that we all enjoy as Australians.
You’re welcome. pic.twitter.com/bz1wJl6QIv
— Rhys Muldoon (@rhysam) September 12, 2018
So, apart from no questions from Labor on the Peter Dutton au pair matter, the big take away from question time was the instruction from the new prime minister to “get over it” in regards to the leadership spill.
Get.
Over.
It.
Well, now that the magic words have been said, I hope everyone is following suit.
Although, given how worried the Liberal party is about holding on to Wentworth – Wentworth, which a little over two years ago they won with 62% of the vote, I am not sure how confident Scott Morrison’s colleagues are that everyone will just move on.
This is not a fashion faus pax or the phonic pronunciation of hyperbole we are talking about here. It’s changing prime ministers, without ever explaining why.
Updated
Scott Morrison updates the house on the drought video he tweeted from his account:
“Earlier today I was asked by the Member for Hunter about a post on my social media feed, and he represented that this was a view that I had apparently [held] ... that was the clear imputation ...
“... I will continue, Mr Speaker. What the post refers to is comments from operators from the north-west of New South Wales, Michael and Sandy, who are explaining what the drought means for them. It goes through a range of comments and there’s another from Mr Munro [that says], ‘We know it will rain again, it always has. We’ve had droughts before and we’ll have them again. We’ll get through this one and most farmers are good operators. We’ll survive because to some extent they’ve prepared for what they can for this current event.’
“The way our government is responding to the drought is to go out there and listen to what people and rural and regional communities are saying to us. I’m going to listen to their views, not censor them. That’s what the member for New England is doing as the special envoy on drought, he’s out there listening and talking to and getting the feedback of farming communities in drought-affected areas. The Labor party might want to close their ears to the voices of the bush, but the Liberal-National government never will and on that note I asked for further questions be placed on the noticeboard.
So question time ends.
Joel Fitzgibbon says he has been misrepresented – that he didn’t say that the prime minister represented those views, but authorised them.
We move on to the next item of business.
Updated
Dear Minister Dutton, if your reference to "erroneous" reports in #qt was meant to suggest my recent report in @satpaper was wrong, I invite you to declare clearly that you absented yourself from *every* Cabinet discussion on childcare, given you declared your family's interest
— Karen Middleton (@KarenMMiddleton) September 12, 2018
Oh dear gawd.
“Alternative approaches” is back. If there was one thing that actually needs to be dead, buried and cremated, it is this ridiculous way of dressing up government press releases as constituent concerns.
#deathtodixers (no matter who does them)
Updated
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
“Can the prime minister confirm that in the last fortnight the government’s entire infrastructure plan was leaked, the plan to end the conflict with the Catholic school sector was leaked, the latest corporate tax plan was leaked, there was leaking about the PM plotting to tear down Malcolm Turnbull. And just today, there was another leak about the now prime minister reportedly abusing the then Tasmanian treasurer. Is this what the prime minister meant when he said his own government was a Muppet show?”
Morrison:
“Basically - you can’t trust Labor.”
Updated
Catherine King to Scott Morrison:
“I refer to his answer yesterday about bullying in his government. Is the prime minister aware the minister for women told 7.30, ‘I had conversations with many members of Parliament, both male and female, and it is clear to me that people were subject to threats, intimidation and bullying’. Why did the prime minister yesterday deny there was a problem with bullying in his government? Who is right, the minister for women or the prime minister?”
Morrison: (he barely takes a breath in this answer)
“I’ve taken the opportunity to consult with the chief government whip, as well as the whips in the Senate, and I’ve had the opportunity to engage directly with members in relation to the events of several weeks ago, and we will continue to deal with any issues that arise from that within the normal process that we have followed as a party, and I note this morning the Labor party has exactly the same process – exactly the same process – that they have raised with the party whips, and there’s a process of members reporting each other through what can be, as the Labor Party would know, because they went through this on plenty of occasions, and they know during those periods, there are moments of intense lobbying, and they become moments of a lot of pressure on all members, and I’m satisfied there was no gender specific lobbying or pressure placed on members, and I could also tell you one thing – it is not an institutionalised policy of the Liberal party that you shall entail in your ballot, which is what is always done in the Labor party.”
Updated
Mark Dreyfus to Peter Dutton:
“I refer to the minister’s answer just now that he had recused himself from government discussions on childcare. Is this an acknowledgement from the minister that he has a conflict of interest when it comes to the commonwealth’s dealings on childcare?”
Dutton:
“The answer is no, Mr Speaker. I make the declaration of my wife’s interests in relation to these matters, and that’s been my practice for a long period of time.”
Updated
Mark Dreyfus to Scott Morrison: (I miss the beginning, but its about Peter Dutton and his childcare interests – and whether or not he recused himself from discussions)
Given the government shutdown parliament before Mr Turnbull had the opportunity to provide this advice, will the prime minister now on Malcolm Turnbull’s promise, advise the parliament whether the minister for home affairs excused himself from all discussions on childcare?
Morrison:
I will make inquiries of the Department secretary and come back to the house.
Updated
Flag pin of sacredness, football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars watch reveals just two members on the hook of truthiness – Stuart Robert and Darren Chester have neglected to grace their lapels with the pin which holds the hope of Australia.
Updated
Mark Dreyfus to Peter Dutton:
“Clause 2.11 of the ministerial standards requires the minister to avoid conflicts between his private interests and official duties, but according to media reports he chose to participate in government discussions on the childcare industry to offer what he said was the point of view of operators. Does the minister consider he has [complied with the rules].
“His childcare businesses have received an extra $5 million in taxpayer money and he chose to participate in those discussions?”
Dutton:
“I have always complied with cabinet rules. I’ve declared any interests I’ve heard in any discussion, I’ve been very clear about that. I’ve recused herself from discussions where it’s been deemed appropriate, and I’ve seen some [incorrect] media reports, but I can’t add anything further than that.”
Updated
Christian Porter gives a dixer on religious freedoms, and references the Ruddock review. Bill Shorten asks him to table it. There is some back and forth, where Porter declines to do so, which gives us a nice little insight in to just how terrible that debate is going to be when it happens.
You can bet your bottom dollar it won’t happen until after October 20 though.
The “populist whinge” quote Labor is referring to comes from this statement Scott Morrison made in August 2016:
“It is nothing but a populist whinge from Bill Shorten.”
A royal commission could undermine the banking and financial industry’s confidence.
“That is a fire you don’t want to start.”
Updated
Chris Bowen to Scott Morrison:
“The prime minister delayed a royal commission in the banks for almost two years calling it a populist whinge. Is the prime minister aware that this week the royal commission heard that one insurance company broke the law over 300,000 times? Instead of making excuses, when will the prime minister apologise to Australians for running a protection racket over bad behaviour and voting against the royal commission 26 times?”
Morrison:
“I will ask the treasurer to add to this answer, but Mr Speaker, I’m not sure if the shadow treasurer didn’t hear my last response to the last question, Mr Speaker, but what I made clear was my deep regret for the reasons I outlined. I’m pleased the royal commission is now proceeding. The matters presented at the royal commission are deeply disturbing, but, as he would know, the matters they are investigating on so many occasions happened on the watch of those who sat opposite. They did not initiate a royal commission when they were in government. They did not even support a financial system inquiry when they were in government, Mr Speaker. This is an opposition that is a lion in opposition and a mouse when in government, Mr Speaker. When they come to this place and they raised these issues, completely blind to their own failings, their own culpability and their own lack of empathy, they only exposed to the Australian people the shallowness of their position.”
Josh Frydenberg adds to the answer, by essentially echoing it.
Updated
Penny Wong has issued this statement:
Labor is deeply concerned by continuing reports of the mass detention of China’s minority Uighur population and other violations of human rights, including those outlined by members of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva earlier this month.
Labor is particularly concerned about reports of Australian residents feeling intimidated and unable to contact their family members.
Labor welcomes the foreign minister’s confirmation the Australian Government has raised concerns with Beijing about the situation in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
It is important that the Uighur community in Australia do not feel pressured or intimidated by events in China and we welcome the minister’s assurance Australian officials have raised the issue of Uighur Australians with their counterparts in Beijing.
As well as continuing to press our concerns through bilateral mechanisms, Labor calls on the government to use Australia’s membership on the UN Human Rights Council, in coordination with other members, to continue to pursue this issue with the Chinese government.
Updated
Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison:
“Yesterday the banking Royal Commission heard shocking evidence that Grant Stewart’s son, who has down syndrome, was bullied into signing up for insurance that he didn’t want, need or even understand. At the time this occurred, the prime minister had already voted against a royal commission and ridiculed people for calling for this royal commission. Will the prime minister at least apologise to Mr Stewart and his son for voting against the royal commission 26 times and calling it a populist whinge?”
Morrison:
“When I heard that report it was shocking, it was despicable and, Mr Speaker, I’m pleased ultimately the matter was rectified but that doesn’t condone it in any shape or form. Mr Speaker, when I became treasurer, my process had been to fix problems as I find them.
“When referring to matters of the banking and financial industry, we moved quickly, the minister for jobs and the minister for financial services took action to deal with the serious problems occurring in our banking and financial industries. We increased the resources for Asic, increased and the penalties, increased powers, increased the toughest legislation in this place for banking and financial institutions in the country. We didn’t stop, we kept going and we continued to add to all those measures.
“But as I was seeking to solve those problems, because that’s my nature, Mr Speaker, if I see a problem then I will seek to fix it. But, Mr Speaker, the problem I didn’t see, and I should have seen, the problem that also needed to be addressed was the hurt that people were feeling as a result of the banking and financial sector.
“I regret not having done that earlier for that reason. What I wouldn’t do, though, and the reason I made the comments I did at the time was because I wasn’t going to go around Australia and promise hurting people that they would get outcomes for a royal Commission that would change their circumstances.
“I was never going to promise that. Those opposite that did that were giving people false hope and engaging in a form of cruelty I would not engage in. It’s true that I do regret, Mr Speaker, that of all the problems I was seeking to regret in the banking and financial industry, the real hurt being felt by Australians also needed to be addressed.
“I regret we didn’t do it earlier, I’m pleased it’s happening now. In addition to that, the report in September of this month, at the end of that review, we will make further decisions on how we progress from there.”
Updated
For those wondering, here is the rough draft of Brian Burston’s serving of tea against Pauline Hanson and One Nation:
“It may not be apparent to Australians, but the president of China, Xi Jinping, has something in common with a notorious Australian. I would invite members of the Senate to speculate on who that might be and what it might be that they have in common. We all know that the president of China is president for life. What Australian would seek to be president for life? I could not think of anything more abhorrent to our democracy, anything more un-Australian. The Anzacs went to war to protect and defend our democracy. It is the right of every Australian – that is, provided that you are not a member of One Nation, because One Nation is the most un-Australian, undemocratic organisation in history.
Senator Hanson has declared herself president for life, just like the president of China. James Ashby told her to, because Jimmy controls her 24/7 – the not-so-faceless man of One Nation. She is the only Australian, and One Nation the only political party in Australia, that follows the dictatorship model.
Wikipedia states: ‘President for life is a title assumed by or granted to some leaders to remove their term limit irrevocably, as a way of removing future challenges to their authority and legitimacy.’ The title sometimes confers on the holder the right to nominate or appoint a successor. Let’s have a look at who she and Jimmy have handpicked for the national executive. Who are they? Well, let me go through them one at a time.
One is Pauline Hanson, president for life. Disagree with me and you’re gone. She once described herself as ‘mother of the nation’ and more recently ‘senator for Australia’.
Two is James Ashby, the proud holder of a criminal record and a diary thief – the man who brought down Peter Slipper. Jimmy is the man who shares a unit with the president for life here in Canberra – a close relationship of no benefit to members of One Nation.
He is a man who stalks my staff, both physically and by carrier service, as well as sending me vile text messages. The judge in the Ashby-gate case described Jimmy as a ‘psychopath’ – how true. Three is Sean Black, a convicted rapist and wife basher. Four is Alex Jones. I don’t know him, but he would be a yes-man. Five is Michael Pucci, a prolific bully.
He was considered for dismissal from employment for bullying but was instead promoted to the executive because president for life likes somebody with a bit of mongrel in them. That is why she handpicked never-was-a-senator Roberts as the lead Queensland candidate for the Senate at the next federal election. She thinks he has a bit of mongrel in him – ‘Jimmy told me so’.
No other political party has a president for life – only One Nation. When I was a member of One Nation and representing them in the Senate, I asked her to ‘please explain’ but she couldn’t or wouldn’t, just like she couldn’t explain why she breaks deals and handshake deals at that.
Senator Whish-Wilson: Senator Burston, I remind you to direct your comments directly at the chair.
Senator Burston: Sorry, Acting Deputy President. But Jimmy knew. He had told her to. Just like she couldn’t explain how the millions of dollars that One Nation has received from the taxpayer was spent – the money that should have been spent to support the political objectives of those she represented. Why is money under the table and in the control of Senator Hanson being husbanded away? Is it for her old age or more overseas trips? I must ask Jimmy. He will know. If only One Nation members had it so good.
One Nation is a family business. If you want to be a candidate, you have to pay $10,000 to be endorsed as a candidate for the lower house and $25,000 if you are endorsed as lead candidate for the Senate. You also have to pay thousands of dollars to Jimmy Ashby’s printing business. He has become quite wealthy since joining the One Nation gravy train. If the New South Wales Hanson and Jimmy picked and controlled state executive want to fundraise, they need approval from Senator Hanson and Jimmy, and 40% of proceeds go to her. Jimmy told me so. That’s right. It’s a family business. The NSW executive has been told that they are under the total control of head office – in other words, the president for life and Jimmy. In an email to all NSW members, dated 9 March 2018, head office in part wrote in point form: one, information, ideas, policy flows from the ground up. Important decision-making flows the opposite way from the leadership of the national body; two, the national executive is the total governing body of the party. The constitution lays out its ultimate powers as well as the fact ...
Three, reimbursement costs for steering committee meetings must be pre-approved with receipts and paid invoices submitted with the claim. Four, states have no power to take control of membership information or make representations to the media on behalf of the party unless pre-organised or pre-authorised with head office or the national executive. Five, HG maintains control of the party’s databases at all times. Six, directives of major decisions in each state will be maintained by the national body –
Senator Hanson: I just don’t like lies.
Burston: ... I might point out to the Senate that this is a direct copy of an email sent to all members of NSW, which I’m happy to provide on the record to the Senate. ‘Six, directives on major decisions –
The acting deputy president: Senator Burston, are you wanting to table it?
Burston: No. I haven’t got it with me, but I will table it in the future. ‘Six, directives on major decisions in this state will be maintained by the national body. HQ’s job is to approve any content sent to members. Eight, no state executive is to hold phones for membership applications as a middle man for the national body – that’s right it’s a family business. What has One Nation achieved since it was elected? Zero. Increased immigration and rural towns continue to die. They lost half their senators. They lost the balance of power in the Senate. I can go on and on.
Since it started contesting elections in 1996, the president for life, Jimmy, and others have forced out 23 of 30 elected members of parliament, a strike rate of 77 per cent. Of those 30 elected members, six currently represent One Nation: two senators, three in the WA Legislative Council and one in the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Two were disqualified from sitting in the Senate, Heather Hill and Malcolm Roberts. Rod Culleton resigned from the party before being disqualified from the Senate. Nineteen resigned in their first term.
Two lasted a full term with the party before being defeated at the next election, Bill Flynn and Len Harris. Only one elected member has been re-elected for the party. Rosa Lee Long won Tablelands at the 2001 Queensland State election and was re-elected in 2004 and 2006 but as an independent.
No wonder One Nation has collapsed in the polls.
People ask me why I left One Nation. I honour my word and handshake deals. I love my country and will not be a member of a party that is a dictatorship. Would you?
We need positive action taken now to make this country great, to grow our economy. We need leaders with a strong track record that can deliver to the Australian people and that’s why I’m proud to lead the United Australia Party in the Senate.
There are many stories about One Nation. This has only been one of them.
Brain Burston dumps on One Nation watched by party leader Pauline Hanson this afternoon in the senate @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus @murpharoo #politicslive https://t.co/jQ9LGOVv73 pic.twitter.com/O4m97cE8Pk
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) September 12, 2018
Updated
Michael McCormack said some things.
Moving on.
Julie Collins to Scott Morrison:
Can he confirm that since the last federal election, he has spent more time in Germany than he has in Tasmania? When is the prime minister going to stop shouting at Tasmanians and start showing the respect that we deserve? Finally, when will the prime minister finally bring down the curtain on what is described as his government’s Muppet show?
Morrison lists the government’s spending commitments in Tasmania before finishing with:
That’s what I call recognising Tasmania. That’s what I call recognising Tasmania, running a strong economy, working with Premier Will Hodgman, Treasurer Peter Gutwein in Tasmania, to ensure a strong economy that is delivering for Tasmanians, but there is a great risk to Tasmania, a terribly great risk, and thankfully at the last state election, they averted the election of a Labor government, but there’s still a great risk that if those opposite in the Labor Party get their hands on the Australian economy, then Tasmania will suffer under their management.”
Updated
Cathy McGowan has the crossbench question – and its on climate change, or more specifically, what we are doing about it:
Prime Minister, my community wants action on climate change, and they know that the future is with renewable energy, and they want the government to lead the way. You’ve said the Neg is dead that there is no legislation setting emission targets, and yet you remain committed, which we welcome, to the Paris agreement. What is the future of renewable energy targets? What action is the government going to take on climate change? Can you please share what your plans are, not only for my electorate but for all of us in regional Australia who rely so closely on the climate for our living?
Scott Morrison:
Australia will meet the emissions targets we’ve set for the future, both in 2020 and 2030. Australians are doers, not talkers about these things. We have a proud record of meeting the commitments that we agree to, and we set for ourselves, in these international forums. That’s why we remain committed because we would not want to cast any doubt on our commitment to other agreements. When we make a commitment and we set those targets, we pursue them. Kyoto one we cleared by 128m tonnes. Kyoto two, we anticipate meeting that by an excess of 294m tonnes.
There was a billion tonne turnaround from what was occurring under the Labor Party over the last five years. Emissions per capita are at the lowest level, per capita on GDP, in the last 28 years, and at electricity, it’s the lowest since September of 2000. We will meet the 2030 Paris targets. Our suite of policies, which includes the emissions reductions fund, the small-scale and large-scale, and the great legacy of Prime Minister Turnbull, snowy 2.0, a significant investment in renewable and dispatch of all power for Australia’s future will assist us in meeting this target, and the energy efficiency measures will make up our policy to meet those targets.
We are doing it without sacrificing jobs. More than 1m jobs are being created while we’ve been going about this billion-tonne turnaround we inherited from the Labor Party. Our commitments and policies are clear and our intentions are clear.
Updated
Peter Slipper and Harry Jenkins are both in the house today, as guests.
Updated
Joel Fitzgibbon to Scott Morrison:
“Why did the prime minister tweet and authorise a video containing the following statement, and I quote, ‘drought is a necessary evil. It can help cut out that bottom 10% that probably shouldn’t be there anyway.’ Neither the member for Warringah nor Malcolm Turnbull would ever have promoted a statement like that. Why is it that at the same time Australians are making an extraordinary effort to help our farmers in drought, the prime minister is promoting material that dismisses those farmers hurting most?”
That is in relation to this video which was tweeted from Scott Morrison’s account:
Another perspective on the drought: Feedlot operators from North West NSW, Michael in Bellata and Sandy from near Moree, explain what the drought means for them. pic.twitter.com/emn2v4sG3s
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) September 11, 2018
The comments Fitzgibbon is referring to come in at about 1 minute 10 or so.
Morrison:
That matter is of no recollection to me and I’d be pleased if the member can provide me with the details and I’ll be happy to review it.”
Fitzgibbon offers to table the transcript, but the government denies him permission.
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I’m honestly surprised it has taken the government this long to bring up Lisa Singh’s shift to the (pretty unwinnable) fourth spot on the Tasmanian Labor Senate ticket, (unionist John Short has been put in place), but I guess then there is also Jane Prentice and Lucy Gichuhi, so, glass houses and all that.
Amanda Rishworth also gets a 94a timeout, and so does, (I think) Jason Falinski.
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Tanya Plibersek to Scott Morrison:
Last night on 7.30 the prime minister rejected gender quotas, saying it should be a matter of one’s own effort, exertion, credibility and effort. Is the prime minister honestly saying the reason women are paid less, have fewer leadership roles in business, are under-represented on important national institutions is because they display less effort, less credibility and less effort than men?
Morrison:
“No, I’m not, I’m not saying that at all ... she might want to explain to me why Senator [Lisa] Singh, a very respected member of the other place, was relegated to number four on the ticket. Why was she relegated to number four on the ticket? The reason she was relegated to number four on the ticket is because she wouldn’t join up with one of your mob’s factions.
“... As I was saying, Senator Singh, because she wouldn’t join up with one of the other factions of the Labor Party was relegated, Mr Speaker. And I’ll tell you why, because under the Labor party, showing and telling your vote is not the exception, it’s the rule, Mr Speaker. The deputy leader of the Labor party admitted today that show and tell on votes is actually OK because they’re a collective group. It’s OK to do that if it’s institutionalised, Mr Speaker. That’s the way the Labor party works. The leader of the Labor party says he wants to run the country like a union.
He runs the Labor party like a union, Mr Speaker, and we know how the unions intimidate on building sites. We know that the bred, fed and led approach with this leader of the Labor party has infused their entire culture, and that’s what he wants to bring to the leadership of this entire country.
That’s why the leader of the Labor party can’t be trusted. He likes to talk about these issues. Well, where was he when the Member for Lindsay [Emma Husar] was subjected to be roughhouse tactics of her members out there ...
... In Western Sydney, and where was he when, apparently there had been a formal investigation under way for about a year in the Labor party, and he knew nothing! He knew absolutely nothing, Mr Speaker, when questioned on these issues! His attention to this sort of matter in his own party was to stick his head under the table and pretend it wasn’t there.”
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Ann Sudmalis gets the first dixer today, which at least makes her visible, given the new seating plan puts her as the only woman behind the despatch box, at least from the broadcast point of view – but where she sits is completely blocked out by whoever stands at the despatch box
#planning
The dixer is on how Scott Morrison plans on “keeping Australians together” and that sound you hear is me, screaming my way down the hall way, chasing after my eyeballs which rolled so far around in my head, they fell out.
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Morrison 'get over' leadership spill
Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison:
Everyday this week the prime minister has refused to explain why Malcolm Turnbull is no longer prime minister of Australia. Last night on 7.30, he was asked the same questions six times and six times he failed to answer the question. Will the prime minister finally tell the Australian people why prime minister Turnbull is no longer the prime minister of Australia?
Morrison:
(Essentially – get over it)
“I think it is time for the leader of the opposition to get over it. Get over it! It’s time for him to get over it. It’s time for you to focus on the things that matter to the Australian people, which is to ensure that the economy ... it’s time the leader of the Labor party actually focused on the things that matter to the future of the Australian people.
“... If he focused on how an economy is kept strong to guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on, because what I know is the leader of the Labor party has no clue when it comes to keeping an economy strong, he has no clue about how to ensure a balance of the budget. He stands in this place and he makes bold promises and claims and engages in a gush of empathy, Mr Speaker, but he has no practical ability to deliver one promise to one person in Australia because he has no ability to manage a stronger economy or manage a budget, Mr Speaker. Neither him nor the shadow treasurer, nor any of those who are proven failures when they were last in government, when it came to managing the nation’s finances. The Australian people know why the leader of the Labor party should not be the Prime Minister because he’s not up to the job.”
Annnnnd Brian Mitchell is booted under 94a.
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We are in the final slide to question time. Because the fun just does not stop round here!
Dean Smith rises to ask for Brian Burston to be given an extension of time, but he doesn’t move the motion – he was joking
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For those on election rumour watch, the Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has told a Ceda watch the Queensland government is yet to be told if the scheduled October Coag meeting will be going ahead.
“COAG is due to happen in October. We haven’t yet got confirmation from the Prime Minister that it will take place,” @AnnastaciaMP tells CEDA lunch. @couriermail #qldpol #auspol
— Sarah Vogler (@SarahLVogler) September 12, 2018
Just on the Wentworth byelection, here are all the dates, as sent out by the Speaker’s office.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon Tony Smith MP, announced today that he will shortly issue the writ for the election of a Member of the House of Representatives for the electoral division of Wentworth in New South Wales, in the place of the Hon Malcolm Turnbull, resigned.
The dates in connection with the by-election will be as follows:
Issue of writ: Monday, 17 September 2018
Close of rolls: Monday, 24 September 2018
Close of nominations: Thursday, 27 September 2018
Declaration of nominations: Friday, 28 September 2018
Date of polling: Saturday, 20 October 2018
Return of writ: On or before Wednesday, 26 December 2018
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Brian Burston is standing up in the Senate giving One Nation a serve.
He calls it a “family business” and says Pauline Hanson has become quite wealthy from it, while also talking about the “lack of democracy” in the party.
Hanson, who still sits in front of him, keeps interjecting. Murray Watt rises with a point of order, asking her to be quiet.
“I have a right to say what I want as well,” she says.
Updated
The government is already starting the “byelections are tough” mantra.
Just a reminder Malcolm Turnbull won Wentworth at the last election with 62%.
“It’s going to be very, very tough,” Craig Kelly says.
Kevin Hogan, who went and sat on the crossbench in protest against the leadership change technically robbed the government of its one-seat majority but it’s the move to the crossbench when you don’t really move to the crossbench – he is still sitting in the partyroom.
But if the government loses Wentworth – well, oh boy. All bets are off.
Updated
Yup
Meanwhile in the Senate... the Morrison government is in serious danger of running out of business.
— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) September 12, 2018
Wentworth byelection set
Malcolm Turnbull’s seat will be decided on Saturday, October 20
Asked about quotas, Kate Jenkins said:
My response, and I think, like lots of people, I have changed my views over time. My view is that there is not some wondrous, impartial and fair system of merit in place in lots of our parts of our workplaces. If there was, then we know that it’s not that men are this much better than women. We would have more women with men. So, as a lever, and again, I go back to the United Nations and the convention, it actually specifically includes provisions about what are called “special measures” and they are measures to rectify, to try to rectify past discrimination.
So my position is – in practice, we use the language – quotas and target and it gets a bit confusing. Technically, quotas are usually statutory and I can’t see that happening in the near future in Australia. But in business terms now, a lot of businesses have what we call targets with teeth. Targets that are public and that people are accountable for, and in some cases, where people lose money as a result of not achieving. So that’s the sort of conversation in the Australian business world now about targets and you know, I think ... I think it’s more about the concept of how you fix the problem than about spiralling into an argument about the language.”
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Kate Jenkins:
It’s clear that stigma and shame around reporting these incidents continue to exist, as well as a belief that sexual harassment is a normal part of everyday work.
More than half of those who were sexually harassed said that this behaviour was common or occurred sometimes in their work place. The most common reasons people said they didn’t report their experiences were that they thought that others would think that they were over reacting, that the incident wasn’t serious enough or that they thought nothing would change anyway.
When people did report, those fears were borne out in reality. Almost one in five people who did make a formal complaint said that they were labelled troublemaker, ostracised or victimised by colleagues, or resigned.
The survey showed that even if you did report, nothing would change. One in five people said that the person who harassed them experienced no result of the complaint being made.
In addition, almost half of those who made complaints said that it did not result in changes being made in their workplace.
If you’re a man, you’re less likely to report, but we were told that employers were more likely to take action in response to a man’s complaint. We also surveyed on bystander responses.
People did report that they’re increasingly noticing sexual harassment, and that is positive progress.
Almost two in five people told us they’d witnessed or heard about the sexual harassment of another person in the workplace in the past five years – more than double the numbers reported in previous years.
However, the propensity of the bystanders to take action has decreased significantly since the last survey in 2012 when half of bystanders to the workplace said that they intervened, compared to just a third in 2018. This means two out of three people did nothing.
We heard that the most common reasons for not taking action were that they did not want to make things worse for the victim, were not wanting to intervene, or not thinking that the harassment was serious enough to warrant intervention.
This is important information as we think about how we will change workplace cultures which tolerate unwelcome sexual conduct. And as with people who reported their own experiences of sexual harassment, bystanders who did intervene in the harassment of others also experienced negative consequences.
One in 10 said that they were ostracised or ignored by colleagues, and another one in 10 said that they were labelled a troublemaker. The final area we surveyed was the impacts of sexual harassment. And we heard that the impacts can be devastating. We heard that sexual harassment affects stress, affects self-esteem and confidence, and impacts on employment and health.
For women, in particular, who, as a group, experienced multiple factors that impact on their lifetime economic security, an experience which affects health or the ability to go to work can further entrench insecurity and disadvantage.
Updated
Home affairs response to Dutton inquiry missing six cases
The Senate committee inquiry examining Peter Dutton’s use of discretionary powers to grant tourist visas to au pairs has received answers back from the home affairs department.
The department has given details of instances that Dutton used his power in section 195A of the Migration Act to grant tourist visas.
But Labor has queried why six cases – which appear in documents tabled in parliament – do not appear in the department’s answer. These occurred on 17 September, 2015; 24 March 2016; 17 June 2016; 8 April 2017; 10 August 2017 and 12 April 2018.
The shadow immigration minister, Shayne Neumann:
“Peter Dutton and his department have failed to come clean over his ministerial interventions to grant tourist visas – there are serious discrepancies between what the department has provided and what is recorded in the parliamentary tabling office.”
Guardian Australia understands that the committee chair, Senator Louise Pratt, will now write to the department asking it to reconcile the discrepancies.
The Liberal senator Eric Abetz said that the answers demonstrate that Labor’s “fishing expedition has been a complete flop” and that Dutton has “acted entirely appropriately”.
He said:
“The responses from the Department of Home Affairs show that of the 24 subclass 600 interventions signed by Minister Dutton, only two (the already publicised Brisbane and Adelaide cases) related to au pairs; [and] that neither the minister nor his office had any contact with the department on either the Brisbane or Adelaide cases, with the only contact being through the usual channel of the departmental liaison officer.”
Abetz says the responses “completely discredit” Roman Quaedvlieg’s claim that he was asked for help in a possible third European au pair case.
Updated
The sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, is delivering the National Press Club address.
It’s not a pretty speech.
It’s on the latest survey on sexual harassment in Australia’s workplaces, conducted by the commission:
Our survey findings indicate that sexual harassment is endemic in Australia. When we look at the lives of people, 87% of women and 57% of men have reported being sexually harassed on at least one occasion.
Sexual harassment in the work place is a common experience, which which has increased since the last survey. One in three workers in Australia reported being sexually harassed in the last five years, compared to one in five reporting in 2012, and one in ten in 2003.
Half of us have experienced it or witnessed it. To an increasing degree, this is a young person’s problem. What is clear is that this conduct begins at the moment people enter the work place and perpetrators prey on those less powerful than them.
One in five 15-17-year-olds said that they’d been sexually harassed at work in the past five years.
Young people between the ages of 1 and 29 were the most likely to be sexually harassed at work.
It’s a problem that affects both women and men. We found that 39% of Australian women and 26% of Australian men told us that they’d been sexually harassed in the last five years at work. Both a significant increase on the 2012 results. The risk of sexual harassment was much higher for those people who have already experienced a range of discrimination and disadvantage.
Sexual harassment was reported by 52% of workers who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex. 53% of Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander workers, and 44% of workers with a disability.
People earning lower incomes were more likely to be sexually harassed at work than those earning more than them. The results confirm what we expected – that sexual harassment is less about sex and more about the abuse of power, and that young and vulnerable workers are at the most risk. The survey gave us helpful information about the nature of sexual harassment by workers.
Women were more likely than men to experience all forms of harassment in the work place. One in 10 women said that they had inappropriate contact in the last five years, and one in 20 said that they’d been stalked in a work-related context. The most commonly experienced forms of sexual harassment in the work place were: unwelcome sexually suggestive comments or jokes.
Intrusive questions about a person’s private life or physical appearance. Inappropriate staring or leering, and unwelcome touching, hugging, cornering or kissing. Sexual harassment was most likely to occur at your work station or where you work, or in a social area or at a work social event. These behaviours might seem easy to dismiss. It’s just a joke – he was only looking at her. It was meant as a compliment – what’s a bit of a hug between coworkers.
But consider how it feels to be treated that day in and day out. The ongoing humiliation of people who are just trying to do their job is a reality for far too many Australians. Because our survey showed that rather than being one-off incidents, sexual conduct in the work place often occurred repeatedly over weeks and months. We were told that the same person often harasses multiple people in the same work place, which speaks to the impunity of people who harass others in the work place. We were told that you’re most likely to be harassed by a coworker at your same level.
However clients, customers and more senior managers were also named as harassers. We were told that four out of every five harassers in the work place were men – broken down by gender. 93% of female victims were harassed by one or more men, and 58% of men were harassed by one or more men.
And this, to me, this result really tells us that the engagement of men will be really critical in our next steps on preventing sexual harassment. Men said that they were more likely than women to be sexually harassed by a group of harassers, suggesting work place cultures that tolerates this behaviour towards male employees perhaps more than women. In contrast, women were more likely to be harassed by a single harasser.”
Updated
Wait – does that mean the prime minister has read receipts on his phone?
Updated
But this is rolling on
I politely expressed my dissatisfaction to the PM about his comments last night countenancing the ‘groomed’ comment by Minister Dutton. He read my message but didn’t respond to me, instead choosing to publicly attack my engagement with a Senate committee. And he’s disappointed? https://t.co/cTJjSewFfG
— Roman Quaedvlieg (@quaedvliegs) September 12, 2018
It is DISMALLY dull here today.
It usually doesn’t get this dire until the Wednesday of the second sitting week, so I can’t WAIT for that day to roll around.
Christopher Pyne weighed in this morning on why the Liberal party shouldn’t turn to quotas to boost the number of women in its ranks during his weekly chat with 5AA Adelaide radio (where he is joined by Anthony Albanese).
“The problem with a quota system is there is always that doubt hanging over the heads of the people who have been chosen because of an affirmative action policy that they weren’t as good as other people in that particular race. Now I am not saying that all the women in the Labor Party aren’t as good as the men who were running in the pre-selection, but that doubt lingers because of the affirmative action policy.”
Updated
Adam Bandt has just sung a song in parliament – he’s kindly provided it here, on his Facebook page.
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While the Liberal preselection race for Wentworth is heating up, independent candidate Licia Heath has received a high profile endorsement. Independent state MP Alex Greenwich has thrown his weight behind Heath, who is a director of Women for Election Australia and a local education campaigner.
Greenwich said:
“Licia is a strong and community-based independent who I’m proud to support. From her commitment to public education, a federal ICAC, parliamentary reform, including fixed four-year terms and action on climate change, Licia represents the values and issues important to Wentworth. Along with hundreds of volunteers that support [mayor of Sydney] Clover [Moore] and I during elections, I look forward to campaigning in support of Licia during the Wentworth byelelection.”
Still no word on whether former Australian Medical Association president and marriage equality campaigner Kerryn Phelps will run as an independent.
Guardian Australia understands Scott Morrison is backing former Woollahra councillor Katherine O’Regan in the Liberal preselection battle to be conducted on Thursday evening.
Despite Liberal polling suggesting a woman has the best chance of retaining the seat, it’s not clear they have the institutional structures to tip the balance in favour of a woman.
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The judgment in the defamation case against Alan Jones and 2GB and 4BC radio has been published.
You’ll find the summary here.
Guardian’s Queensland correspondent Ben Smee has also reported on the judgment:
Broadcaster Alan Jones was repeatedly “wilfully blind to the truth” when he made “vicious” and “spiteful” comments about the Toowoomba-based Wagner family, a court has ruled.
Jones and two radio stations have been ordered by the Brisbane supreme court to pay more than $3.4m in damages for defaming John, Denis, Neill and Joe Wagner, plus interest, estimated to be about $300,000.
In a blistering judgement, which contains repeated criticisms of Jones’s practices and actions, Justice Peter Flanagan found Jones engaged in ‘unjustifiable conduct’ and ‘was motivated by a desire to injure’ the reputations of the Wagner brothers.”
Updated
The latest leak to hit Scott Morrison claims he called Peter Gutwein the Tasmanian (Liberal) Treasurer a “fucking mendicant” (fancy word for beggar) during GST negotiations, which forced then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to “sideline” the then federal Treasurer.
Rob Harris of the Herald Sun took the claims to Gutwein yesterday, with direct questions, and this was the response:
Asked about the claims yesterday, Mr Gutwein issued a statement saying he’d had a number of conversations with Mr Morrison regarding the GST while he was treasurer.
I enjoy a constructive and positive working relationship with Prime Minister Morrison,” he said. “I have always said I’d fight for Tasmania’s fair share.”
The prime minister’s office said it never happened. And today, despite having the opportunity before the story went to print, Gutwein has issued a statement saying the reported phrase – that would be “fucking mendicant” was not used.
Chris Bowen said he believed this leak came from the “big apple” rather than the “apple isle” – a reference to Malcolm Turnbull’s New York sabbatical, and then attempted to suspend standing orders over the accusations.
Shadow Treasurer @Bowenchris is now moving a motion to suspend standing orders in the House of Representatives over accusations the Prime Minister abused the Tasmanian Treasurer during GST talks.
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) September 12, 2018
MORE: https://t.co/g0GW2jiXoG #SkyLiveNow pic.twitter.com/d6WiozMj6J
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Dipping back into Scott Morrison’s interview on 7.30 overnight, I think this was my favourite part.
On why he believes there needs to be religious freedom protections put in place:
Leigh Sales: You’ve said you intend to look at protections for religious freedoms. Can you give me an example at the moment where people’s religious freedoms are being impinged in Australia?
Morrison: That’s actually not the point, Leigh. What the point is, is that Australians want to be sure that in the future those things won’t be –
Sales: But policy usually addresses where a problem exists. So I’m asking where the problem exists?
Morrison: I believe there could be problems in the future, I articulated those things when I spoke in the House last year. We’ve had a process which is being pursued by Philip Ruddock, leading that expert panel, that panel has reported back to the Government. I’m now in receipt of that report and what I can guarantee all Australians is that their religious freedoms will be protected by law if necessary.”
So – we need religious freedoms protections because of things which could happen in the never-never, maybe.
But the same logic does not apply to an emissions reduction target, apparently, because that would just be insane.
We haven’t changed our emissions policy, Leigh. It’s the same policy that we had a month ago, it’s the same policy we have now, our emissions reduction policy hasn’t changed. The certainty of that emissions policy is clear.
“I’ll tell you what’s missing when it comes to energy policy though and that has been the reliability guarantee that we continue to pursue and we will with the states. What is missing is the price safety net which we’re introducing as a result of the ACCC inquiry. What’s missing is the big stick to deal with large electricity companies to make sure they do the right thing by customers. That’s what we’re doing to get electricity prices down.”
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Tanya Plibersek stopped by doors this morning with some things to say about Peter Dutton – giving us a taste of where question time will be heading:
Well I think you saw in Peter Dutton’s unhinged performance yesterday, a man under desperate pressure – cracking under that pressure. It’s important for Peter Dutton as a minister of the crown to be prepared to answer questions about whether he has used his ministerial powers correctly, that is standard, every minister should face that level of scrutiny and they should do it with better grace than Peter Dutton did yesterday.
... It’s really interesting, isn’t it, how Peter Dutton is trying to make this Labor’s problem. Mr Quaedvlieg has made statements to a Senate enquiry, properly constituted Senate enquiry into his actions, but he’s not the only one who’s made statements to that Senate enquiry. By using publicly available information Labor has asked reasonable questions that relate to Peter Dutton’s responsibility to be accountable for his decision making, that is a basic foundation of the Westminster System of government, that a minister in question time should be able to and prepared to answer questions about how and why they have made certain decisions. I think Peter Dutton’s extraordinary behaviour says more about him than it says about anything else.”
That last quote was in regards to Dutton’s accusation that Roman Quaedvlieg was Labor’s Godwin Grech.
I guess the government is finally free to use that attack, now that Malcolm Turnbull is out of the parliament. Dutton had to wait three years, but he managed to slip it in on day two of the Morrison government parliament, so I guess being able to smile again is not the only plus for him, in regards to this leadership change.
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Scott Morrison attempted to start the day having us all speak about policy.
Here he is at the announcement the government will be bringing forward much of the spending announced in the budget earlier this year, for aged care.
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Labor won’t be dropping the Peter Dutton issues anytime soon. Chris Bowen held a press conference this morning, where he said Dutton’s claim yesterday was an attempt to “muddy the waters” and distract from his own issues:
I think that is an extraordinary statement by the minister yesterday. I do not know Mr Quaedvlieg. I cannot vouch him one way or another. I understand why he is pretty upset about that statement yesterday in the house. I think Mr Dutton is increasingly casting around desperately to try and change the conversation here and you can carry around folders with my name on it, you can say what you want about Mr Quaedvlieg, [Mr Dutton] has questions to answer and I understand why he is trying to change the conversation, we are not silly.
He is trying to muddy the waters here. But Mr Quaedvlieg has made public statements before the Senate, given evidence to the Senate and the Labor Party has based his questions on the evidence before the Senate. If Mr Dutton wants to assert otherwise, he is entitled to say so, but they are the facts of the matters. Mr Quaedvlieg has given public evidence to the Senate and the Labor Party has referred to that.”
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I’m fresh back from the GetUp demonstration at the ACT Magistrates Court, where a directions hearing will be held this afternoon on the prosecution of Witness K and Bernard Collaery.
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie told the crowd that Australia’s decision to bug the East Timorese cabinet room was a crime and it was “dreadfully improper” to spy on our neighbour, the poorest country in South-East Asia, to get a negotiating advantage.
Wilkie implored people not to believe the “nonsense” that prosecution was not political, citing the fact attorney general Christian Porter gave the green light (after a recommendation from the commonwealth department of prosecutions).
Greens senator Nick McKim said the saga was “book-ended by acts of bastardry”: the “deliberate attempt to defraud” Timor L’Este out of its oil and gas revenue; and secondly the decision to charge Witness K and Collaery, who he said “should be congratulated for their bravery” in blowing the whistle on Australia’s spying.
Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie gave Labor a serve for not showing up to the demonstration and not publicly criticising the decision to prosecute:
Sharkie says the Witness K matter is "not getting the media attention it should". "One party is missing here ... Labor needs to come out and support Witness K and Bernard Collaery". #auspol pic.twitter.com/dLUeFr7NwM
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) September 11, 2018
At a press conference after the demo, Wilkie suggested the government could revoke its consent to the prosecution.
McKim said:
“There is no doubt that the attorney general has the power right now to cancel these charges and to allow Mr Collaery and Witness K to go free. We need to understand Labor’s position, so that if Labor does win the election ... we will know whether Labor will do the right thing ... and instruct the DPP to withdraw these charges.”
I’m not sure of that last point – I’ll seek out some legal advice about whether that is possible and ask Labor what its position is.
Updated
Linda Reynolds, who just two weeks ago, spoke of the bullying and harassment which went on during the leadership spill in the Senate, telling Sky:
I just hope ... whatever happens tomorrow that the behaviours that we have seen and the bullying and intimidation that I do not recognise as Liberal in any shape, way or form be brought to account.”
She is the latest Liberal woman to back away from bullying as an issue, with the now assistant Home Affairs minister, saying “the last thing” Australians want is politicians speaking about themselves.
I have certainly made my feelings known internally and that is where they should say – these are not issues which need to be, or should be aired publicly ... the prime minister has got on with the job, I am getting on with the job, I am dealing with the issues internally in the party and that is where it should say.
I am very confident with the prime minister’s handling of this and particularly how the whips are dealing with this,” she said.
As far as I know, there have been no formal complaints made to the whips. Scott Morrison says it is not an issue.”
And now, following Lucy Gichuhi’s backdown and Reynolds saying she “has said all she has to say on this issue”, I guess that is it. Nothing to see here.
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Also worth noting – the ABC is reporting Alan Jones has been found guilty of defaming Toowoomba’s Wagner family.
From the ABC report:
Broadcaster Alan Jones and 4BC defamed the Wagner family in a series of radio broadcasts between 2014 and 2015, the Queensland Supreme Court has found.
The Toowoomba-based Wagner family has been awarded around $3.4m plus interest in damages.
The Wagners claimed Mr Jones implied they were responsible for the deaths of 12 people in the 2011 Grantham floods when a quarry wall owned by the family collapsed.”
Updated
Worth noting –
PM Morrison says this story is “rubbish”. His office has denied. But Tasmanian Liberals say nature of the conversation has veen open secret since July. https://t.co/tyx7V3yBLi
— rob harris (@rharris334) September 11, 2018
Updated
Speaking to Sky, Alex Hawke weighed in on the lack of women within the Liberal party.
On why their shouldn’t be quotas, he had this to say:
“We want to make sure we have more women in parliament, but that is done on merit,” he said.
“I think you are seeing some more women come through the pipeline, I think there is a focus in the parliamentary party and the organisational wing, to target more professional women to come into parliament at all ages and join us in parliament. And it is crucial to see that happen, absolutely crucial.
And in 2018 it is not an optional extra, it is absolutely essential for a modern political party to have good representation of both genders in parliament.
I don’t think there is a once and for all about it. I mean, there will be a time when I think, this is something to consider, there will be a time when there will be more women than men in parliament, that won’t be a problem either for men, as long as people are there on merit.
... I do think the public look favourably on female candidates for the moment,” he said on the Wentworth preselection debate.
I do think more people in the public think, well I would like to see a talented woman as my representative, so yes, I think women have a head start on your average male today, and I think, whether that is a few points, or more of an advantage, that is up to people to decide. But the panel on Wentworth will make their own decision, they are not being directed by anybody. They will look at who is the best candidate, obviously there are some really high quality men and women in that race.”
And finally on how he thinks Scott Morrison is going as prime minister:
I think Scott Morrison is showing himself to be very authentic to the Australian public, authenticity is at a premium in 2018 in politics and it is a marked difference to Bill Shorten and the Labor party. I don’t think people find people Bill Shorten authentic.”
Updated
As we mentioned, Roman Quaedvlieg, has written to the Speaker over what Peter Dutton said in parliament yesterday - and this morning, he has greeted Twitter with this:
Talk to anyone in the community & put together the words ‘groomed’ & ‘girl’ & see where their mind goes, let alone an ex-police officer, let alone one who has investigated offences against children.
— Roman Quaedvlieg (@quaedvliegs) September 11, 2018
I picked up a coffee from my local cafe today & they were abhorred by the slur.
Bullying claims from within the Liberal party are also continuing to dog the government, but Scott Morrison and his loyal lieutenants, including Alex Hawke, have been doing their best to hose down those claims.
Yesterday, Lucy Gichuhi said she would not be making her speech to “name names” in the Senate, after speaking to Morrison and being assured he would deal with the matter. Here is what Morrison had to say about that conversation to Leigh Sales:
When I spoke to Senator Gichuhi she made it very clear to me that in terms of the events in Canberra and the spill of the leadership, she told me very plainly that she was not bullied by anybody here in Canberra, in relation to that matter.
There are some other issues that, when I’ve got into detail of this issue with several of my colleagues, of matters that relate to the party divisions and how things are dealt with there. But this is a very torrid business, Leigh, as we know. What I do know of the events of a couple of weeks ago, was that my standard, my example, I think more than met what people would expect. That’s what I’m doing going forward. At the same time, there was no sort of gender-specific actions that related to what some would call very intense lobbying. Which is fairly normal in the political process, albeit not edifying.
Tanya Plibersek responded to that this morning, while speaking to ABC TV:
He is not saying he is not taking them seriously. He said they’ll investigate that and: “I don’t believe we do have a problem with bullying.’ He said the whips are investigating but [have] prejudged if they don’t have a problem.
If you are former foreign minister and deputy leader and your two senators and minister for women said there was a problem in the culture, wouldn’t you as leader come out and say, ‘Oh, sorry I have never realised. Let me have a closer look at that.’
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As I mentioned, Paul Karp is covering the Witness K prosecution listed this morning.
For those needing a refresher, that relates to the decision of Christian Porter to prosecute the former Australian spy who went public with claims Australia had bugged the cabinet room of the Timor-Leste government while the two nations were negotiating over the crucial – and lucrative – oil and gas pipeline in the East Timorese Sea.
Claims, I might add, that no government – Liberal or Labor – have denied.
GetUp protest ahead of Witness K directions hearing this afternoon. "Hey Morrison/Porter this is not OK, drop the case against Witness K" #auspol @AmyRemeikis pic.twitter.com/exfTjmqq4l
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) September 11, 2018
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The Morrison government is making a big pitch to senior Australians before the election, pulling forward millions of dollars in funding for aged and residential care services.
Today it will announce plans to spend $40m this financial year on aged care services and infrastructure in regional, rural, and remote communities – money that was going to be spent over the next four years.
It will also provide $50m this financial year to support residential aged care providers and their staff – again, money that would have been spent over the next four years.
The $50m will support 2,700 aged care homes and 366,000 staff with training to help them transition to the new aged care quality standards, which will roll out from 1 July 2019.
These passed the Senate on Monday, as the aged care (single quality framework) reform bill 2018. The bill provides for a single set of quality standards to apply to all commonwealth-funded aged care providers. It is the first upgrade of aged care standards in 20 years.
“These new single quality standards have a single focus – to protect the rights of senior Australians,” said Ken Wyatt, the minister for senior Australians and aged care.
“Under the draft new regulations, aged care providers’ governing bodies and boards will be legally accountable for safety and quality. There will be mandatory clinical frameworks for each home, including disease control, open disclosure and minimising the use of restraint.
“While the overwhelming majority of Australia’s 2,700 aged care providers and 366,000 dedicated staff deliver exceptional care, the new standards are about ensuring there are no exceptions.”
The government will also announce $15.6m in extra funding for the new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, which will take over the aged care regulatory functions of the Department of Health, including provider approvals, quality and prudential compliance, and compulsory reporting, from 1 January 2020.
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Good morning
It’s the third parliamentary sitting for the Morrison government, and the prime minister has spent the past few days attempting to convince everyone that it is time to move on from the events of the past fortnight.
But a leadership spill isn’t exactly the same as spilling milk – and it usually takes years to clean up.
Overnight, Scott Morrison’s first interview with 7.30 since becoming prime minister showed that he still can’t explain why the spill happened but suggested Australians were so used to leadership changes that it wouldn’t cause too much turbulence.
“I think, sadly, over the last 10 years there have been too many of these changes, on both sides of politics and, I don’t think Australians are as shocked by these things as they used to be,” Morrison said. “They are disappointed.”
That continues a narrative Christopher Pyne attempted to sell on Monday, where he blamed conditions created by Labor’s previous leadership changes for the latest switch in the Coalition.
Morrison is determined to attempt to push through with “getting on with the job”. despite continued questions about Peter Dutton’s visa interventions and an escalating feud with Dutton’s former Border Force chief and friend, Roman Quaedvlieg.
Quaedvlieg announced last night he would be writing to the Speaker about the issue, after a question time attack from Dutton, made under parliamentary privilege, in which the home affairs minister referred to Quaedvlieg as having “groomed” his 22-year-old partner.
Morrison stood by Dutton overnight.
So the government has brought forward its aged care package, which was announced in the budget, in an attempt to take back control of the agenda.
We’ll let you know how that goes.
The Guardian brains trust is on the job. You can catch them at @paul_karp (following the Witness K case this morning) @grhutchens and @murpharoo . You’ll find Mike Bowers at @mpbowers or @mikepbowers and you can catch me in the comments or at @amyremeikis.
Ready?
Let’s get into it.
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