What happened today, 25 February 2021
With that, I will leave you for the day. Here’s a recap of today’s news:
- Reece Kershaw, the Australian Federal Police commissioner, wrote to Scott Morrison saying allegations of criminal conduct including sexual assault should be reported immediately, warning that delays could lead to obstructions of justice. Meanwhile, a former colleague of the man who allegedly raped Brittany Higgins says he was temporarily allowed back into parliament in 2019 as a registered lobbyist.
- Allegations of sexual harassment, assault and bullying within the federal Labor party would be dealt with by officials outside parliament under a proposed national code of conduct that aims to encourage staffers to speak up. The draft code, seen by Guardian Australia, would ensure alleged victims can access external advice – creating a degree of separation from their offices.
- Coronavirus vaccine data from Israel’s vaccine rollout has shown the Pfizer/BioNTech jab was able to prevent 94% of symptomatic cases across all age groups, and severe illnesses by nearly as much, after a study of 1.2 million people who were immunised.
-
Healthcare Australia’s chief executive Jason Cartwright has stood aside from his role as the government threatens to tear up its vaccine rollout contract with the company after two aged care residents in Brisbane were given excessive doses by a doctor who had not completed mandatory training.
- Extremist groups have benefited from a distrust of traditional institutions throughout Covid, which saw wellness advocates find common ground with QAnon during the pandemic – and soften their message for the mainstream. The phenomenon has also been raised with a parliamentary inquiry into extremism, which separately heard that Australians as young as 13 are involved in onshore terrorism, both in Islamist and rightwing extremist circles.
- Local outlets are expected to be able to resume posting news articles to Facebook from tomorrow, treasurer Josh Frydenberg has said, hours after the landmark bill, which forces tech giants to pay media outlets for content, passed the lower house in its amended form and became law on Thursday morning.
- A Perth man accused of attacking a woman with a makeshift flamethrower during a racist attack has been detained by citizens while he was allegedly wearing neo-Nazi insignia.
Have a great evening, we’ll be back tomorrow.
Updated
Facebook to restore Australian news from Friday, says Frydenberg
The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, has indicated Facebook will restore Australian news to Australian users’ feeds on Friday.
Frydenberg told 2GB Radio:
I understand you will see some changes from tomorrow, that’s what Facebook have told us.
That was a major engineering feat for them to wipe the Facebook platform of Australian news media content but in doing so they also took out charities, NSW Fire and Rescue, 1800 Respect, Bureau of Meteorology, and there was understandable outrage about what Facebook did. But since that time there have been discussions and we’ve reached a solution and a way forward.
Frydenberg also noted how unusual it was that Mark Zuckerberg was across the details of a legislative change, especially of a country such as Australia, and on Sky News Frydenberg revealed he had joked to the tech billionaire he had been in touch with Zuckerberg more often than his wife in the last week. Oh dear.
Back on 2GB, the treasurer said that the media bargaining code could be a template for other countries to follow.
Scott Morrison discussed it with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, he said.
Updated
A handful of submissions to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security’s inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia have been released.
Rightwing extremist groups have “exploited” anger at Covid-19 lockdowns to radicalise Australians in wellness and alternative medical circles into adopting white supremacist ideologies, Victoria police warns in its submission.
Victoria police also note that conspiracy theories and anti-authoritarian sentiment linked to the pandemic have exposed counter-terrorism experts as being ill-equipped to distinguish between threats from extreme leftwing- and rightwing-aligned individuals whose ideologies had become conflated.
The submission states that Islamist, rightwing and leftwing extremist circles have framed Covid-19 on social media as “confirmation” of their existing beliefs of “societal collapse and the validity of the ‘accelerationist’ mind-set”.
A separate submission, from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, warns that Australians as young as 13 are involved in onshore terrorism, both in Islamist and rightwing extremist circles, and that encrypted online communication channels are preventing authorities from intervening before “lone actors” become radicalised and carry out attacks.
You can read more here:
The submissions coincide with a Guardian Australia investigation from Michael McGowan about how distrust of traditional institutions saw wellness advocates find common ground with QAnon during the pandemic – and soften their message for the mainstream.
You can read that here:
Updated
A sailor who fell overboard from a supply ship in the Pacific Ocean at 4am spent more than 14 hours clinging to an old fishing buoy before being rescued.
Alone in the middle of the ocean, and without a lifejacket, at dawn he chose to swim towards a black speck on the horizon, a decision that would ultimately save his life.
Vidam Perevertilov, the chief engineer on board the Silver Supporter, was hauled back on deck nearly a full day after falling overboard on 16 February as his freighter made a supply run between New Zealand’s Tauranga port on the country’s North Island and the isolated British territory of Pitcairn.
He later told his son he had been feeling dizzy after finishing a night shift in the engine room, and had walked out on to the deck to recover, before falling.
“He doesn’t remember falling overboard. He may have fainted,” Perevertilov’s son Marat told New Zealand’s Stuff.
Perevertilov remembers gaining consciousness, seeing his ship sailing away into the dark. The crew did not notice he was missing for six hours.
Read more:
Updated
A Perth man accused of attacking a woman with a makeshift flamethrower during a racist attack has been detained by citizens while he was allegedly wearing neo-Nazi insignia, AAP reports.
West Australian police had appealed for help to find the man who had a swastika painted on his head when he allegedly attacked the woman in the south-eastern suburb of Gosnells on the weekend.
Police said members of the public spotted the man in Gosnells on Wednesday night and detained him before calling authorities. He was allegedly wearing a red scarf with swastikas and other neo-Nazi images painted on it.
The 37-year-old was charged with performing an unlawful act with intent to harm and conduct intended to racially harass. He was due to face Perth magistrates court on Thursday.
The man is accused of approaching a 40-year-old woman and her teenage daughter outside a Gosnells shopping centre on Saturday night.
Police allege he yelled racial obscenities at the woman before attempting to burn her with a makeshift flamethrower made using a can of deodorant and a lighter. The woman sustained minor injuries.
“We are treating this cowardly and random attack on a woman and her child, doing nothing more than walking to the shops in the early evening, very seriously,” Det Sen Sgt Sean Bell said earlier this week.
“This type of behaviour is not acceptable and is not tolerated within our community.”
Thanks for taking us through the day so far Amy.
I’m Elias Visontay, and I’ll be taking you through the rest of the day.
If you see anything you think I should be aware of, you can get in touch with me via Twitter @EliasVisontay, via email at elias.visontay@theguardian.com, and Wickr at eliasvisontay.
The parliament is winding down after a fortnight of very rough sittings, which have been hard on people outside of that chamber.
Political responses to human issues never goes down overly well. Add in some unthinking comments, and it becomes a whirlwind of emotion and disbelief. I hope it hasn’t been too hard on you, our readers. Just know that we are all working to find out as many answers as we can and will continue to do that.
I’ll be off the blog until parliament resumes on 15 March – but just because Politics Live is on hiatus doesn’t mean you won’t have a blog to come back to – the daily Guardian blog starts back tomorrow.
Thank you again to everyone who joined us at Politics Live, and sent messages – we miss the comment section too, and hope to have it back, just as soon as we are able. We have a duty of care as a publisher to make sure what appears on the site doesn’t interfere with legal processes, but we are still a small team, which means we can’t always do everything.
If you need to get in contact with me, you can here – that’s the best place for messages at the moment, as I sort through emails and DMs to reply to your questions and comments.
Thank you to everyone – Elias Visontay will take you through the evening. I’ll be back on general political news from tomorrow, and will be back with you on the blog mid-March.
Take care of you. Ax
Updated
Linda Burney is asked about Labor’s coming code of conduct – which Murph has reported on – as well as the response by the parliament so far:
I am extraordinarily pleased that the ALP executive tomorrow will sign off on four documents that go to the heart of this issue of bullying, of sexual misconduct, that will apply to not just ALP members of parliament, but ALP across the board, including volunteers, including campaigns, where things are moving very quickly.
That’s really important. It’s an extraordinarily important thing to happen within our structure.
But I am also talking about the structural changes that need to take place within the parliament so that women, particularly the women that you’re referring to, young women, young staffers, know what the processes are, that people like myself that are an employer know what the processes are, by having these matters reported and satisfactorily looked at.
Updated
Rex Patrick is asked on the ABC about the parliamentary culture reviews and what he, as an independent senator, thinks about it:
In all of this, we must remember there are a lot of really good people that work here in Parliament House, whether they be MPs, senators, staffers, press gallery people, the secretariat.
There are a lot of really good people here and, you know, I don’t want anyone in the public to think that, you know, that what’s happened is, you know, characteristic or typical of the people that are inside the parliament.
It is a very, very different culture to most workplaces. What’s happened is a very serious matter, but I don’t think we should all be tarred with the same brush.
In response to minister Birmingham, I have actually said, “Look, I just need to take that on notice,” because I’m only one sort of level inside this building. I have staff. And actually I’m much better talking to my staff about what they think the remedies are.
I think we have to go through a process where we garner the views of staffers, we garner the views of everyone in this building, to try and find a way to make the very high-pressure environment that we work under a much more friendlier and safer place.
Updated
Linda Burney is asked about the alleged white supremacist attack on a First Nations woman and her daughter in Western Australia (a man has now been arrested and charged) by Patricia Karvelas and whether she was surprised by it:
Do you know I was alarmed, Patricia, but not extraordinarily surprised. I think it’s very telling that Asio has written to the committee that looks at these issues within the parliament and advising that rightwing supremacy is on the growth in Australia.
But I, as a First Nations person, have been hearing for years incidents, particularly in country towns, of white supremacy.
This is a major wakeup call for all of us about, you know, just the horror of it, and the psychological effects that it is going to mean, particularly for that woman and her teenage daughter for the rest of their life. The fear that that instils is something that is very sobering.
Updated
Paul Fletcher is now getting very uncomfortable while being questioned by Patricia Karvelas on Afternoon Briefing over whether he regrets coming down on the ABC over the Four Corners episode The Canberra Bubble.
Q: Do you still think you were right to be so critical of the ABC’s reporting on The Canberra Bubble and the toxic culture in Canberra?
Fletcher:
I absolutely stand by it, the letter that I wrote. And the point I made is that the board of the ABC has a duty under the act to ensure that news gathering is accurate and impartial, according to the recognised standards of objective journalism. I raised a series of detailed questions about that and those are questions that I asked of the board as to whether it was satisfied that it had discharged its duty.
Q: Sure. But do you accept that story did actually tell a story about a culture which has now been clearly demonstrated to exist?
Fletcher:
What is important is that in reporting, in investigating matters, in producing programs that the ABC complies with the duties set out in the act. Parliament has set those duties out in the act.
The ABC has editorial independence.
So these are matters for board and management – they are not day-to-day responsibilities of the minister. And whatever the subject matter, those duties are important and I sought clarification from the board as to whether they were satisfied.
Q: Do you get my point though? That actually telling the stories is really difficult and now clearly something is shifting, right? We know it. Women are coming forward. They are telling stories, disempowered staffers telling stories. Doesn’t it demonstrate that there is actually a shift and that Four Corners actually was part of that shift?
Fletcher:
Whatever the subject matter, Patricia, and the ABC reports on many serious and important subject matters, those duties apply to the board of the ABC. You know, I’ve seen tweets by ABC journalists asking why is the minister asking the board? It has nothing to do with them.
That is completely wrong.
The act sets out the duties of the board in relation to the – the gathering of news must be accurate and impartial according to the recognised standards of the objective journalism.
That standard does not change, the requirement does not change, regardless of the subject matter.
The ABC reports on many serious and weighty and important matters. But it has that duty and, as minister, what I look to the board to do – and management – is to ensure that the ABC meets that duty.
Updated
Here is some more from that story of Labor’s code of conduct, from Murph:
Allegations of sexual harassment, assault and bullying within the federal Labor party would be dealt with by officials outside parliament under a proposed national code of conduct that aims to encourage staffers to speak up.
The draft code, seen by Guardian Australia, would ensure alleged victims can access external advice – creating a degree of separation from their offices. It would also mandate compulsory training for Labor MPs, elected officials and senior staff to help professionalise human resources management in political offices.
The new process – which will go before Labor’s national executive on Friday – would include a reporting mechanism to capture anonymously the number of complaints made each year, how they were dealt with and any recommendations made.
Party sources speaking on condition of anonymity say the draft code represents a first step in reforming complaint procedures, and the framework will be developed further over the coming months.
Katharine Murphy has details on Labor’s code of conduct due to be discussed at national executive on Friday.
Labor launched this review some time ago, after staff raised concerns:
Updated
Paul Fletcher is on the ABC and is asked whether Google or Facebook could be designated under the media bargaining code (forced to the table, where a decision on paying for content could be made for them) if the government is not happy with the deals they strike:
Well, the news media bargaining code has now passed into law. And what will now happen under the code is that, first of all, news media businesses that want to bargain with the digital platforms apply to be registered with the communications and media authority, and then there’s the process of designation of the platforms.
So that will be done by the treasurer, based upon advice from the ACCC, and there are factors that he needs to consider that are set out in the legislation. And one of those factors is the extent to which effectively deals have been done across the media industry.
The legislation speaks in terms of support for Australian public interest journalism, but that reflects the extent to which there are deals in place across the industry.
Updated
Mike Bowers was in the chamber for question time.
Scott Morrison usually walks in with Stuart Robert, Michael McCormack or Josh Frydenberg. But not on the day when International Womens’ Day is being acknowledged in the parliament!
Peter Dutton is still smiling:
How good is space?
Space is great.
‘Twitter for iPad.’
Updated
Adam Bandt asks the speaker about his question over whether or not the man alleged to have raped Brittany Higgins was signed back into parliament or not. Tony Smith says the logs are still being searched (sign-ins are done manually).
Updated
Tanya Plibersek gets the call for another question, but Scott Morrison calls time on question time before she can reach the dispatch box.
Under the practice orders, the prime minister can end question time at any time – no matter if someone has been called, is speaking, or not.
He has ended today’s question time earlier than usual, if that gives you any indication of his mood.
Updated
Tanya Plibersek to Scott Morrison:
I refer to the alleged sexual assault of Brittany Higgins. This morning in response to a Senate order the government has confirmed the review by the prime minister’s former chief of staff and to what his office knew is a cabinet process ... Don’t parliament and most of all Brittany Higgins deserve the truth?
Morrison:
I have already told the parliament in response to similar questions I’m awaiting the report from the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
He used to be the secretary of Treasury and of the NSW government, and he used to be my chief of staff, that is true, Mr Speaker. I’ve said that once I received that report I will report further, I will report further. I advised the House yesterday the issues that the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, if there are issues regarding sensitivity matters the federal police have advised him of, I will wait for him to give me that advice. The assertions put forward by the member for Sydney and the assertions and allegations made in those questions I don’t accept.
But it is true that Morrison has not committed to making the report public. He has only committed to receiving the report and then making a decision.
Updated
So unless it suddenly means something not being acceptable is not a rebuke, Scott Morrison is rewriting history.
Updated
Prime minister denies rebuking Linda Reynolds
Scott Morrison is asked why he rebuked Linda Reynolds over not telling him of the alleged assault two years ago, but did not rebuke Peter Dutton for not telling him when he found out on February 11.
Morrison denies rebuking the defence minister:
I do very much welcome this. I’ve only been asked one question in relation to that issue which you have just raised. I was asked, after we had been together, the Leader of the Opposition and I in relation to the ovarian cancer breakfast and was asked by journalists about whether I was unhappy that I had been told about this matter. I have been asked the same thing here.
My response in relation to not being happy about this related to the fact that I didn’t know about this on Monday*.
I made a reference to Ms Reynolds. I made a reference to Minister Reynolds. I would have hoped, in relation to Minister Reynolds, that on these matters, that some are minimised, some are minimised reference to this could have been brought to my attention if she had done that, I would have done exactly as I indicated to the house right here.
In relation to the Minister for Home Affairs, the Minister for Home Affairs advised my office from his chief of staff to my chief of staff, took that step, did that, to my office.
Except, Morrison did rebuke Reynolds. Which was reported at the time, on February 16, almost two weeks ago – and Morrison did not once use any of his question time to address what he apparently now considers to be a wrong interpretation of his words:
Here was the question:
Albanese: My question is to the Prime Minister. Brittany Higgins was, reportedly, sexually assaulted in the defence minister’s office almost two years ago. The Prime Minister said just here that his office was not informed about this until just weeks ago. Is it acceptable that the defence minister was aware that a reported serious crime had been committed in her office but did not inform the Prime Minister or his office?
Morrison:
It is not, and it shouldn’t happen again.
Updated
The answer to that question which was needed was just “no, I don’t agree with this description”.
It’s not that hard.
Sexual assaults should never be described or related to, in any way, a ‘she said/he said’ issue.
Tanya Plibersek to Scott Morrison:
The minister for home affairs has described the alleged sexual assault of Brittany Higgins as a matter of he said, she said. Does the prime minister agree with this description?
Morrison:
This is a matter that has now, as we know, been further investigated by the federal police.
What is a very important whether such serious matters is that we allow the police to do their job.
They are the ultimate arbiters about how investigations into such sensitive matters are undertaken. The consideration and weighing of evidence and that process and working with the DPP in the event of bringing forward a public prosecution.
I make this point because when it comes to the protection of all Australians, all Australians on any matter, any matter at all, we all rely on the operation of our criminal justice system and the work of our brave law enforcement authorities. I have to say, highly expert and sensitive authorities, and I want to particularly commend those women and men who work in a sensitive area of dealing with victims of sexual assault. In answer to the question, the ultimate view about these matters is how the police interrogated and investigate that evidence, form a view and allow a brief of evidence to be prepared.
That is the process in this country and we should stand by the role of the law and its administration is this country on every occasion.
Updated
Marise Payne says the Australian government will continue to monitor Julian Assange’s case “closely” but won’t commit to asking the new Biden administration to drop the extradition bid.
The foreign minister was asked by the Greens senator, Janet Rice, whether she had asked the administration to drop the US appeal against the UK court ruling blocking extradition to face espionage charges in the US.
Payne said she had raised Assange’s situation with her previous counterpart, secretary of state Mike Pompeo, but had not met with Antony Blinken yet (they did have a phone call a few weeks ago).
“I am sure that in the course of such a meeting this matter would be raised,” Payne said.
Asked whether she would pick up the phone to ask the US to drop the charges against Assange, Payne said: “Mr Assange is subject to a legal process in another country. Australia does not interfere in the legal processes of other countries.”
Payne disclosed that members of her office and Dfat had met with Assange’s legal team “in this sitting period”, as part of discussions about how Australia could provide support “in an appropriate consular fashion”.
Updated
Karen Andrews asks “how good is space” at the beginning of her dixer and then answers herself at the end with “space is great”
Someone please fire me into it.
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
I refer to his previous answer that he had known for some time yet element of the Minister for Home Affairs and his office. Why is that that, in fact, almost two weeks after the media broke the story of a reported sexual assaults and Parliament House in March 2019, Brittany Higgins, the Parliament and the people are still learning details of the Government’s response? [Why does the prime minister’s story keeps changing]
Morrison:
The assertions put forward by the leader of the opposition are simply incorrect. He can assert these things all he likes, but that does not make them true. We have been very plain and clear.
I learned about (it) on the Monday, my office was advised on the previous Friday.
I should have been told by my office ... on the Friday but I learned of it on the Monday.
I have been very clear about that. I could not be more clear about that. This suggestion put forward by the leader of the opposition that somehow the minister for home affairs had known about this for some time is not the case. That is simply not true.
He learned about (it) on the Thursday, his office advised mine about it on the Friday, at the same time when the media had reported on these issues, I was advised of it on the Monday.
That is the clear facts I have represented to this house each and every day.
All I can conclude from this is Labor may try as they might (to) ... score political points over such a serious issue, my government will continue to focus on the issue here, which is the safety of people who work in our building.
And what should be done in the event that, if any one of our staff, if any one of our staff, if indeed met any member or senator may be in a situation where they may be in receipt of an allegation or seek to make a complaint themselves, that members and managers know exactly what they should do in the circumstances.
That is why I wrote to the presiding officers and advised, on the advice I received from the commissioner of the federal police, hope that some assistance to members of the Senate if put in this situation.
It is very clear that what we should seek to do is both in supporting the person who be the subject of any possible complaint, that we should seek to ensure that these matters are brought to the attention of the police, which is what the Minister for Industry at the time data.
This was a matter that was known to the police and had been looked at by the police and I am very pleased that Brittany Higgins has re-engaged with that process with the police and look forward to how that investigation proceeds.
Updated
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
How can it be that after, according to the minister for home affairs who was briefed by the AFP on 11 February, and then information provided by the office of the minister for home affairs to the chief of staff to the prime minister the next day about a reported sexual assault, just metres from where the prime minister works, was not conveyed to the prime minister?
Morrison:
Mr Speaker, the matter just raised by the leader of the opposition has been on the public record since Monday of last week. I’ve been very clear ...
I learned of these matters on Monday 15 February and my office, I’m advised, were advised of these matters on 12 February exactly as the minister for home affairs just said.
Mr Speaker, I learned about it on the Monday, my office learned about (it), I was advised, on the Friday.
The minister for home affairs advised my office from his chief of staff to mine on Friday.
What is relevant here?
What is relevant here is what should members, senators, leaders of the opposition, prime ministers, ministers, shadow ministers, whoever, what should be done in the case of one of our members of staff, or a member of the Senate, or a colleague, what should be done, if we are aware, or they wish to make a complaint in relation to an alleged sexual assault.
As the commissioner of the federal police has advised all of us ... we should be advising and passing this information on to the police.
That is what we have been advised to do, that is the process, that is the process the minister for defence ... followed at the time.
And had I been in the position of knowing about this, I would have done two things. I would have enquired about the welfare of Brittany Higgins, Mr Speaker, at that time on what support had been provided to her, and I would have enquired as to whether the matter had been raised with the police.
On both of those cases, as we have learned, and answers have been provided ...
Albanese:
The prime minister is now talking about hypotheticals, this is a real circumstance, this happened: the chief of staff was told by the minister’s chief of staff on the Friday and the question goes to why didn’t your chief of staff tell you? How is it possible that it waited until Monday.
Morrison:
They are the steps that any member had been advised to them or to me, on that Friday later or at any other time, they are the inquiries you would have made.
It is the case that in both cases the action of the minister at the time had sought to put support around Brittany Higgins, as they did and as we have apologised and accepted over time, it is very clear that Brittany did not feel she had that support.
That is understood and that is the subject of the multiparty inquiry we are engaged and now.
But that is the case that this matter was advised to the police, that the police did follow through on these matters, Mr Speaker, I have been very clear when my office advises me they knew about this matter and when I knew about it, I was not pleased I was not advised at the time on the Friday ... [he runs out of time]
Updated
Lidia Thorpe accuses PM of silence over 'white nationalist terrorists'
Simon Birmingham says the federal government “unreservedly condemns” the “shameful” incident in Western Australia last weekend, after Greens senator Lidia Thorpe accused the Coalition of being silent about “white nationalist terrorists”.
WA police said this week they were looking for a fair-skinned man who had a swastika painted on his head and allegedly attacked a woman with a makeshift flamethrower in the southeast Perth suburb of Gosnells on Saturday night.
The man also allegedly yelled racial obscenities at the 40-year-old woman, who had been walking with her teenage daughter to the shops.
Thorpe raised the incident in Senate question time, asking why the prime minister had not condemned the attack “by a Nazi with a flamethrower”.
Birmingham, who represents Scott Morrison in the Senate, said he was aware of the police investigation and had heard media commentary along those lines.
“If those facts are true then of course they are to be completely and utterly condemned. They are shameful … I have no doubt the prime minister would share my condemnations of the events.”
In a follow-up question, Thorpe said: “This government’s silence is violence. Why does this government condone these attacks by saying nothing which just means you contribute to the problem?”
Birmingham: “I reject the question entirely. The government in no way condones such horrific events, and unreservedly condemns them.”
Thorpe: “What are you doing about these white nationalist terrorists? If these terrorists were anything other than white, you would have moved heaven and earth to find them.”
Birmingham: “The government rejects extremism in all of its forms, including right-wing extremism or any other. Our increase in funding and support for agencies such as Asio to be able to respond to extremism enables the security agencies as they have done to identify the rise in different types of extremism, including the rise in right-wing extremism.”
Updated
Why did the AFP not advise the home affairs minister in 2019, as the guidelines suggest should have happened.
And why did Peter Dutton’s office know the PMO had received media enquires on it? Did PMO ask?
Richard Marles to Peter Dutton:
Can the minister confirm that on 12 February, his office passed official information about the reported alleged sexual assault of Brittany Higgins to the office of the prime minister?
Who, in the prime minister’s office received that official information, at what time was the official information received?
Dutton:
As I advised the House yesterday, and mentioned in media today, I received a brief from the AFP commissioner on the 11th, I took a decision, I think the right decision at that time not to advise the prime minister... that was provided to me as the minister in charge of the Australian Federal Police.
There were media inquiries to the government on 12th, and my office, as a courtesy, on my advice to my chief of staff, contacted the prime minister’s chief of staff.
There was no operational detail provided, no official wording that you used, there was simply a passing of lodgement that the AFP had an interest in this matter and obviously, the sensitive investigation unit had made a determination on the 11th as (a) case of normal practice within the AFP, when Brittany had approached the AFP on 5 February, and they had made a determination at that point on the morning of the 11th, this was a sensitive investigation, and on that basis as honourable member would be aware, under the guidelines of the AFP, there is then an obligation on the police commissioner to advise the which is what happened, in due course.
Updated
Just a note on the vaccine rollout.
Health minister, Greg Hunt, has threatened to terminate the government’s vaccine rollout contract with Healthcare Australia (HCA) if it makes one more error.
The warning follows HCA’s error in injecting an 88-year-old man and 94-year-old woman with four times the recommended dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Holy Spirit aged-care home in Brisbane.
HCA is one of four private companies contracted to help deliver coronavirus vaccinations. The others are Aspen, International SOS, and Sonic Clinical Services.
It’s unclear at the moment how much we are paying those companies and how they won the contracts, though Hunt says it was through an internal department procurement process.
Hunt did not mince words when talking about HCA. Not only had they made a “callous error” he said they’d also failed to put the doctor concerned through the requisite training and then lied to the health department about it, repeatedly.
“It is a company with a long history of medical provision across Australia, and a long history through Covid of medical provision, but frankly we have thrown the book at them,” he said.
Hunt said they had been “put on notice of potential termination” for any further breaches.
The company has made changes to its leadership, bringing in its chair to act in an administrative role and additional senior management.
The government has also installed the clinical leadership of the former chief nursing and midwifery officer of Australia, Deb Thoms, and will bring on additional support in New South Wales and Queensland, where HCA operates, to assist with the vaccine rollout.
Strangely, we cannot find any record of the contract between the health department and HCA on Austender, the government’s online contract register.
We have asked some questions of the department to better understand the particulars of the contract. Stay tuned.
Updated
Just to get ahead of this
The government's backgrounding on this issue is wrong. The guidelines in force in early 2019 applied to both "investigations" and matters that have been referred to the AFP, but which are not yet under investigation. https://t.co/BQcv3wUgEs pic.twitter.com/eUkikIWeSr
— Christopher Knaus (@knausc) February 25, 2021
Over in Senate question time, Labor has also focused its questions on cases of neglect in aged-care facilities, and how such neglect is continuing “on this minister’s watch”. The minister for senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said everyone is “very disturbed” by any cases of poor treatment or care.
“Nobody in this place wants to see mistreatment of any senior Australian resident of aged care in this country. That’s why we called the royal commission.”
Updated
Unfortunately, the part of Josh Frydenberg’s brain tasked with volume control still seems to be malfunctioning.
No one has said it is because his brain is filled with the easily google-able resumes of his colleagues, which, one would hope, their constituents already know because they voted them in, so there is no reason to continue to list jobs before each answer except to drive us all round the bend, but no one has not not said that either.
Helen Haines once again attempts to have a question on energy answered.
Bless her for her optimism.
Lisa Chesters has a question about a commonwealth vaccine provider who never showed up as scheduled to an aged-care home.
Greg Hunt says he’ll look into it.
Updated
Someone summons the current deputy prime minister to the despatch box and for a moment I am terrified someone is going to ask him how great is Queensland, but it’s on vaccines.
But because I dropped a spirit stick or something in another life, I am never safe for long and he opens with: “from earth to the moon” which is coincidentally about half the distance I wish myself away everytime that man steps up to a microphone.
He’s talking about the moon because the vaccines have travelled 397,000 782km to get to their regional Australian destinations, which is a smidge over how far away the moon is from earth and still nowhere near far away to avoid the cringe you can hear coming from the chamber.
Healthcare Australia CEO stood aside
Mark Butler to Greg Hunt:
In light of events this week in an aged-care facility, what additional steps has the minister taken to make sure before people are given the Covid-19 vaccine all staff complete mandated training to make sure mistakes like this don’t happen again?
Hunt:
I’m very happy to respond, in particular we refer to the issues in relation to the Holy Spirit home in Carseldine. (He pronounces it wrong – it is Carsel-DYNE not Carsel-Dean). (A doctor) failed to complete the training, and ... the doctor administered a higher than prescribed dose.
(A) number of steps occurred, firstly, the secretary for the department met with and spoke with the CEO initially and with the chair of the company, I’m advised that the CEO was being stood aside as a consequence of the discussions and in particular, the company is installing new management, they are bringing in additional management.
It is a company (that) has been employed through the course of the pandemic by the West Australian government, Victorian government, by Northern Territory, by NSW, and has a long history of employment on that front.
In addition, at the government’s request, the former chief nursing and midwifery officer of Australia has been installed to oversee clinical guidance. In addition, there has been a review of the mandated and required training which was part of contract, of the company which it was in breach of, and that it has been confirmed that every person involved with (a) clinical role in the vaccine (program) has completed their training.
That has already been done, this has already been reviewed and confirmed by the department. In addition to that, what we are doing is bringing additional clinical support, in NSW and Queensland, so that’s been a direct response under the guidance of Professor Brendan Murphy, who has met with the company.
There was a breach, a clear breach, a breach of the required standards by the individual.
A breach by the company, which not only failed to meet contractual obligations but also significantly, provided false advice.
I can inform the house, that before question time at 1pm, the deputy chief medical officer and myself spoke with the chief medical officer for the Metro North district in Brisbane, who is overseeing the clinical care to patients in question.
The 88-year-old male and the 94-year-old female, her advice to us is that both have been unaffected, both are in very strong health, there have been no adverse impacts, and the woman will be returned at the request of her family to her facility this afternoon.
The male will stay in hospital for ... (an) elective surgery procedure, so both are in good health.
Updated
Anthony Albanese on indulgence:
“I particularly congratulate Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. How good is she at keeping people safe.”
It’s going to be a long few years.
Updated
Scott Morrison is now taking a “how good is Queensland” dixer, giving the federal government credit for the Olympic bid, its job figures and people coming off Jobkeeper.
This may come as news to the Queensland government.
We finally, in the second 30 seconds get: “I congratulate the Queensland government”.
Updated
Scott Morrison (answering that last question)
The care of older Australian is a very important responsibility and one the government takes very seriously, Mr Speaker, that is why soon after becoming prime minister one of my first decisions was to initiate the royal commission into aged care.
But that was one of many decisions taken by this government, and prior to my coming to the role of prime minister. Since 2013, our government has continued to deliver record investment in aged care, from $13.3bn when we came to office to now $24.3bn in the current year.
This funding will increase to $27bn by 23, 24. This is on average under the stewardship of this government, the effective financial stewardship I should stress of this government, an extra $1.5bn of extra support for older Australians every single year over the forward estimates.
More money, every year and increasing, because our government understands the fundamental challenges that we faced in the aged care sector, and we also want to know, about all the issues that still need to be addressed, which, when we called the royal aged commission we made clear we need to do with fundamental failings in the aged-care sector which have been happening not just recently but over decades, over decades.
We need to respond to the royal commission. In addition to that we ... have been delivering $5.5bn since the 2018/19 budget for additional home care packages ...
There are now a total of 195,597 packages that will be issued by 30 June of this year. Between now and 30 June, the number of home care packages available to senior Australians is increasing by approximate the 1200 a week.
We are absolutely determined and committed to address the serious issues in our aged-care sector, but as I announced when I announced the royal commission into aged care, I said it begins with a culture of respect for older Australians, that’s what we need in this country, and that is what my government is determined to deliver.
Updated
Question time begins
The first question is on aged care - the royal commission report is being handed down tomorrow.
Anthony Albanese:
How can Australians trust the prime minister to act on the aged care royal commission when he cut $1.7 billion from aged care funding? 11,000 people died when waiting for approved home care packages in the last year, chronic understaffing, malnutrition [in] aged care facilities, 685 deaths from aged care residences from Covid-19.
How can Australians trust the prime minister when he takes responsibility for nobody and nothing?
Updated
Just a small update about the widely published letter from the AFP commissioner to Scott Morrison:
An AFP spokesperson tells us:
“The AFP will not be releasing correspondence between the Commissioner and the Prime Minister.”
Updated
Scott Morrison says alleged sexual assaults are “serious and traumatic events for anyone to deal with” and the events of the past fortnight show why it’s important for all MPs and senators to be informed of their responsibilities.
The prime minister made the comment in a letter to the Senate president, Scott Ryan, and the Speaker, Tony Smith, in which he enclosed a copy of AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw’s letter on the timely reporting of alleged criminal conduct.
In the covering letter, seen by Guardian Australia, Morrison said it was “important that members, senators and their staff feel fully empowered and supported to take the actions recommended by the commissioner”.
Without naming Brittany Higgins directly, Morrison said the “events of the past fortnight have demonstrated again why it is so important that all members and senators are informed of their responsibilities in these situations, both to provide compassionate support to those who are affected and to ensure that we uphold the rule of law in dealing with these issues”.
Later in the same letter, Morrison wrote:
“We are a country that operated under the rule of law, administered by law enforcement agencies competent and authorised to deal with sensitive matters. They are best placed as a result of their experience and training to deal with acute sensitivity of these issues on those reporting these matters.
“I provide this advice to supplement the work already being undertaken, such as the independent review into the workplaces of parliamentarians and their staff.
“I trust this information is of assistance.”
Updated
When “Cabinet” is both a sword and a shield
With developments on the Brittany Higgins story coming thick and fast this morning, here’s another piece of the puzzle that should not fly under the radar. A letter was tabled in the Senate this morning from Simon Birmingham, the finance minister and leader of the government in the chamber.
The letter contains a troubling word. The word is Cabinet.
Let me step you through this.
Labor moved an order for the production of documents in the Senate yesterday relating to the reviews currently being conducted by Scott Morrison’s departmental head into whether there were communications between his staff and Higgins – the staffer who says she was raped by a colleague in 2019.
Morrison has said his staff knew about the allegations on February 12 this year, when the PMO was approached by Samantha Maiden from news.com.au with questions about the alleged incident.
But Higgins has suggested that isn’t right. Phil Gaetjens (Morrison’s departmental head and former chief of staff) has been given the task of getting to the bottom of things.
Just another point of context: Morrison has given no commitment to release the Gaetjens review of staff communications once the secretary completes it and hands it over.
Now, Birmingham has written back to Labor saying the review Gaetjens is putting together is “for the deliberations of Cabinet”.
Why does this matter? Invoking that designation matters.
It means that if the prime minister chooses not to release the Gaetjens review, there is no prospect of gaining access to that document under Australia’s Freedom of Information regime.
By designating it as a Cabinet document, the government will also be able to rebuff any order by the Senate to produce it.
It also means that staff from Morrison’s department will have a shield allowing them not to answer questions when they next appear before Senate estimates.
It means we’ll know what the government wants to tell us.
Updated
Deputy chief medical officer, Michael Kidd, is speaking about his investigation into the vaccine overdoses given to two aged-care residents in Queensland:
A mistake was made, a human error, and a serious error, and, of course, we need to learn from these mistakes if they occur.
This error should not have happened and we apologise to the residents and their families and the carers at the facility for the distress that this has caused.
I’m advised that it appears that the two residents received the equivalent of four doses of the vaccine, but this is still to be verified.
During clinical trials, similar high doses, or higher doses, of the Pfizer vaccine were initially used without significant side effects being reported among the recipients.
There have also been similar incidents of incorrect administration of higher doses of the vaccine reported in other countries as they have been rolling out their vaccines, including in Germany and the United Kingdom.
As the minister has said, both the residents are doing very well. They have not experienced any side effects in relation to this dosage.
And as we’ve heard, one resident is returning home and the other is staying in hospital for an unrelated reason. The doctor concerned made a serious mistake. He delivered an incorrect dose of the vaccine to two people.
He had not undertaken the required training on the safe use of the Pfizer vaccine.
This incident has been reported, as is required, to the appropriate regulatory authority, the Office of the Health Ombudsman in Queensland, which will make a determination about whether to refer the incident on to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, AHPRA.
I have been advised by the company that this doctor has not been involved in the delivery of vaccines at any other facilities.
Updated
Guardian Australia has seen a copy of the letter Australian federal police commissioner, Reece Kershaw, wrote to Scott Morrison yesterday. It encourages timely reporting of alleged sexual assaults but warns against allegations being aired in the media.
In the letter, dated yesterday, Kershaw told the prime minister he was writing in light of “recent media reporting, including allegations of sexual assault”.
The stated purpose of the letter was to “advise the manner in which allegations of criminal conduct must be referred” to the AFP for investigation. It has been forwarded to MPs and senators.
“Members and senators, and their parliamentary staff and electorate offices, may receive complaints or allegations of sexual assault from a variety of sources, including victims themselves,” Kershaw writes.
“Such matters should be reported to the AFP without delay, taking into account the rights and privacy of the victim, and irrespective of the jurisdiction in which the alleged conduct has occurred.”
The AFP commissioner acknowledges such matters “can be complex and sensitive” so members and senators and their staff can contact the AFP for advice on processes that should be followed.
“I cannot state strongly enough the importance of timely referrals of allegations of criminal conduct. Failure to report alleged criminal behaviour in this manner, or choosing to communicate or disseminate allegations via other means, such as through the media or third parties, risks prejudicing any subsequent police investigation.
“Any delay in reporting criminal conduct can result in the loss of key evidence, continuation of the offending and/or reoffending by the alleged perpetrator. It also has the very real potential to compromise the rights of victims and other parties to alleged offences.
“By not adhering to this process, there is a real risk that any alternative actions by individuals may lead to obstructing, preventing, perverting or defeating the course of justice or the administration of law.”
The letter then provides contact details for reporting such allegations.
Updated
Former UK prime minister, Gordon Brown, has retracted a claim in a review he wrote for the Guardian, that Kevin Rudd had to be physically restrained at a 2009 climate summit. Rudd immediately disputed the claim and said it was an “urban myth”.
Here’s the retraction:
• This article was amended on 24 February 2021. An earlier version included Gordon Brown’s recollection that Kevin Rudd “had to be physically restrained from punching the Chinese negotiator” at the 2009 Copenhagen summit. The Australian prime minister was reported to have been very angry about China’s stance in the climate talks but the writer has confirmed that no threat was issued.
Updated
Greg Hunt is giving an update on two elderly people who received four times the recommended dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine in Queensland.
A doctor employed through a contractor hired by the federal government administered the wrong dose.
Both aged-care residents are apparently doing very well and have shown no ill effects.
Hunt says the doctor has received a medical referral for administering the vaccine without having completed the training. He says the contractor is also in trouble:
Firstly, they have been put on notice of potential termination for any significant further breaches.
Secondly, they have brought in their chair to act in an executive administration role.
Thirdly, they’ve brought in additional senior management.
Fourth, at the Commonwealth’s request, the Commonwealth has installed the clinical leadership of the former Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer of Australia, Deb Thomas.
And we will be standing up additional support in New SouthWales and in Queensland for aged care. We will be bringing on an additional provider. This particular provider, Healthcare Australia, operates under contract in those two states.
Updated
An update on that letter from the AFP commissioner: a spokesperson for the prime minister says Scott Morrison requested the letter so that guidance could be provided to MPs and senators.
Updated
You would have seen reports the AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, has written to Scott Morrison saying allegations of criminal conduct including sexual assault should be reported without delay.
It was reportedly sent yesterday. A failure to report can result in a loss of key evidence, the letter warns.
We have asked the AFP and the PMO for confirmation and any further details.
Updated
We’ll have more for you on that AFP letter very soon.
Updated
Federal police warn PM about delays in reporting allegations of criminal conduct
This letter was first published by News Corp. The AFP police commissioner is not happy.
Letter from AFP Commissioner to the Prime Minister, in the wake of the Brittany Higgins allegations.
— Brihony Speed (@brihonyspeed) February 25, 2021
"I cannot state strongly enough the importance of timely referrals of allegations of criminal conduct..." @abcnews @politicsabc pic.twitter.com/fdmNCb9LI3
Updated
The government has introduced its bill for new national environmental standards and an environmental assurance commissioner.
This bill is part of the government’s response to the review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act and follows a bill to hand environmental approval powers to state governments.
The standards and assurance bill has been referred to a committee that will report back to parliament in June.
As previously reported, the bill locks in a weaker set of national environmental standards than those proposed by the final report of the review into the Act.
The proposed assurance commissioner is an independent position that would be appointed by the governor-general and would sit within the environment department.
Environment groups have expressed concern today that the proposed assurance commissioner model is effectively “toothless” because the bill, as it stands, won’t allow the new commissioner to audit individual decisions made by governments about developments and the environment.
We’ll have more to come on this later.
Updated
Get used to seeing the word ‘period’ in Woolies.
The supermarket giant is ditching ‘feminine care/sanitary items’ labelling and will use ‘period care’ instead.
May a generation of women never have to see tampons being dipped in blue liquid, or hide their pads/tampons in their handbags as they head to the office bathroom.
From Woolworths:
- Woolworths will be rebranding its feminine hygiene/feminine care category, including products like pads, tampons and menstrual cups, to ‘period care’.
- The change is aimed at de-stigmatising the category by calling the products what they are, rather than using a euphemism, while also making it easier to find products online and in store.
- The new signage is visible across Woolworths digital platforms from today and will progressively roll out across all stores in Australia in the months ahead.
- Woolworths will partner with Share The Dignity for a third year, supporting women across Australia experiencing period poverty. Since the partnership commenced in 2019, more than $1.8m has been donated to support the charity’s community impact programs.
Updated
I mean when you think about who was the driving force behind the campaign against former Australia Post CEO Ahmed Fahour’s salary (which eventually led to his resignation), and that Pauline Hanson then wrote to Mitch Fifield to complain about Christine Holgate’s salary in 2017, this is a lot.
MEDIA RELEASE | Senate Supports Inquiry Into Australia Post Scandal
— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) February 25, 2021
Senator Hanson described her successful inquiry push as “a giant step toward achieving some justice for Christine Holgate as well as the 80,000 staff and contractors of Australia Post”.https://t.co/OcAtO0msms
Updated
Australia’s ambassador to the US, Arthur Sinodinos, has just popped up (via video link) at a United States Studies Centre event at Parliament House.
The Senate division bells started ringing at the beginning of his speech, prompting the former NSW senator to say:
“Whenever I hear those bells I have a Pavlovian reaction and start to run out of the room.”
Updated
James Yang also spoke:
I work for Hungry Panda. Hungry Panda keeps on reducing our payments. And riders like us feel helpless. So I organised a group of people to voice their concerns. In the same afternoon, I was kicked out of the platform and my app has been blocked. Then I sought help with the TWU, and we were trying to conduct a negotiation with Hungry Panda. However, at the beginning, they refused to negotiate.
However, there was a hearing in the city at last.
And today I’m very grateful that I’m here at Parliament House.
I wish there was a law to protect riders, that we have insurance and certain conditions. I hope there’ll be some penalties put on these companies who do not follow the laws.
I really hope there would be a certain protection for workers like me. I also take this opportunity to express my concerns to the riders who died in their work. I hope there was some compensation for them. I’m pretty angry at those types of companies. I hope that the community will support our riders and give us a fair treatment. Thank you very much.
Updated
Ashley Moreland was one of the rideshare workers who spoke at Anthony Albanese’s press conference.
Asked what needed to change about regulations around the gig economy, Moreland said:
I think at the end of the day, there’s a number of circumstances that are coming together to make the work particularly dangerous. I mean, let’s face it, it is the safety during the deliveries and the risk. And what drives that is really the algorithm. Because there’s no accountability. And these companies are part of this new gig economy, this data-driven economy where they safeguard these algorithms, how they work, as if it’s like a secret that determines their livelihood or not.
It’s not until we actually break apart how those algorithms work by forcing the companies to reveal this, which by the way would probably need to occur through some independent body that’s set up to investigate, which there seems to be some progress toward.
It’s only by doing that there’ll be some transparency and that in the same way that current industries of more old-style work can be looked at and we know how the systems actually work, that there’s a definite mechanism that we can pinpoint.
It’s not until that happens with this gig economy that we can go, ‘Here’s these gaping holes and unfair processes at play that are actually applied to each and every one of us’. And there are thousands of people doing this work now in Australia.
Updated
Auckland has already been declared a hotspot and travellers will have to quarantine for 14 days if they come to Australia.
I hope they get a handle on this, quickly.
#BREAKING An open home was held at a house where three family members tested positive for Covid-19. https://t.co/72rLotYxGu pic.twitter.com/XXNNGUAOM9
— nzherald (@nzherald) February 25, 2021
Updated
Aged care minister Richard Colbeck has been doing the rounds this morning, after a contractor hired by the federal government to administer the Pfizer Covid vaccine in aged care homes, included a doctor who had not yet completed their vaccination training, gave the wrong dose to two elderly people (both are in hospital under observation, but have shown no ill effects from receiving an overdose of the vaccine).
Colbeck is asked if the government could have done better:
Well, we’re talking about a medical professional. It’s not somebody who’s just arrived on the scene to conduct a vaccination. This person has been through years of medical training. We would expect some level of professionalism in that sense to undertake the task that they’ve been contracted to undertake.
Having said that, we will take and we are taking steps across the nation to ensure that everybody who’s engaged in the vaccination process has completed the training. We’ll have an independent verification process of that.
The doctor’s been referred to the appropriate authorities for review, as I think is appropriate. But we need – as I said, we need to maintain confidence in this process.
It is really important for Australia that we do that and particularly for senior Australians. But one thing that we do know is that this vaccine will protect people. It is safe. And we know, because it’s been trialled at different dosage levels in its pre-trial time, that it won’t have a significant negative impact on the residents, and we’re really pleased that they’re OK. We’re very sorry for them and their families that they’ve been put in this circumstance.
But as I said, we’re putting in place every single measure that we possibly can to ensure that these sorts of occurrences don’t occur again.
Updated
Labor MP Stephen Jones wants to know which way Craig Kelly, now an independent, will vote on the government’s push to water down the responsible lending requirements:
Will the keyboard warrior, who singled the banks out in his first speech for “gorging themselves on fees, charges and excessive margins”, back the royal commission or the party he could no longer be a part of?
Today’s vote on the government’s plan to erase responsible lending obligations on Australia’s banks is the test.
Will he put the interests of banks above the people he represents?
Or will he side with customers as he pledged to do in his maiden speech to the parliament?
Will he vote to keep his election commitments to the people of Hughes, as he pledged to do when he moved to the cross bench?
Or will he let the Liberals break their promise to implement the banking royal commission recommendations?
It’s easy to dash off late-night rants on social media.
Sticking to your promises and protecting ordinary Australians take real guts.
It’s easy to call yourself a maverick and move to the crossbench as an independent.
But being a true independent means being prepared to do what’s right even if your former colleagues don’t like it.
Updated
The Australian Services Union is calling for jobkeeper to be extended, using Qantas as an example:
Australian Services Union assistant national secretary Emeline Gaske said staffing levels must be maintained to support the industry’s recovery.
“We are at a critically important point for the aviation industry where domestic travel has not recovered yet but with the vaccine rollout, we can see the recovery on the horizon,” Gaske said.
“If the government prematurely axes jobkeeper it will hamper the industry’s recovery by reducing its overall capacity.
“Cutting jobkeeper will mean less workers, less flights, less travel and less money flowing into regional and local economies off the back of domestic tourism.”
Gaske said Qantas’ latest ASX announcement shows jobkeeper and a loyal workforce got the company through the initial phase of the crisis, but the industry was not out of the woods yet.
Qantas workers stuck by the company and they have been able to do that because of jobkeeper. There is hope for the future, but we need workers ready to go when people start to travel again as the year progresses.
Workers are extremely anxious about the axing of jobkeeper and are understandably starting to plan for the end. We will lose people if the government doesn’t act now to announce the extension of jobkeeper.
We can’t afford for people to leave the industry at this phase of the national economic recovery. We must keep jobkeeper to get through the coming months while the vaccine is being rolled out.
Updated
There is so much this country has to reconcile with, and do better on.
So, so much
Last night in the Senate I spoke about the life and death of Private George Bennett.
— Senator Tim Ayres (@ayrestim) February 25, 2021
A Kamilaroi Man - he was one of 850 Aboriginal men who served bravely with the AIF in World War One.
His death in a police cell - and his unidentified grave - remain a great injustice. pic.twitter.com/3ZXgCOiutk
Another reason why the Time For a Home campaign is so important.
Brave Afsaneh Khademi wants us to hear her horrific story
— Craig Foster (@Craig_Foster) February 24, 2021
3yrs ago, Afsaneh lost her baby on Nauru 😢
Her health conditions are so serious after 8yrs detention, doctors say she must be freed on humanitarian grounds
No one is listening. How is this possible in Aust?#GameOver pic.twitter.com/53YRk8uJsJ
Updated
Scott Morrison’s office has sent out a statement on Brisbane being named as the preferred city to host the 2032 Olympics. He left out any credit for the Queensland (Labor) government:
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has welcomed the decision from the IOC and reaffirmed the Commonwealth Government’s support to host the Olympic Games for the third time, and Paralympic Games for the second time.
“Since we announced our early support for the Bid in 2019, we’ve been working with the state and local governments, the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia to put forward the best possible case for South East Queensland 2032,” the Prime Minister said.
“On two occasions, I took up the case directly with IOC President Dr Thomas Bach and I know how enthusiastic the Committee is about working with Australia.”
“Today’s announcement from the IOC is a positive development but we still have a lot of work to do.”
“Particular credit must go to the Member for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien who has campaigned heavily to bring the event to the Sunshine State. It will see Queensland beamed around the globe, while delivering an economic and jobs boom.
“We saw how Sydney 2000 brought our nation together and took Australian sport to a new level, and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do again if we’re successful in hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games again in 2032.”
Updated
The finance minister, Simon Birmingham, has said it is “always prudent” to plan back-up options, after reports the government has been considering ways to terminate the deal with French company Naval Group to deliver Australia’s new submarines.
Birmingham is due to meet today with Naval Group’s global chief executive, Pierre Éric Pommellet, amid increasing signs of tensions between the government and the company over the $90bn project.
A key issue is the government’s desire to amend the strategic partnering agreement for the future submarines to include a 60% spending commitment for local Australian content.
The Australian Financial Review reported overnight that a top-level study ordered by Scott Morrison would look at a range of options, including how to terminate the project. The AFR also reported that the study would “look at the long-range conventional powered submarine that Swedish shipbuilder Saab Kockums has offered the Dutch navy”. But the government is said to be reluctant to tear up the deal and is mostly focused on repairing the relationship.
Ahead of today’s meeting, Birmingham played down the notion of terminating the contract, saying he was “not going to run speculation on what optionality is or otherwise defence might be pursuing in the background”.
Birmingham told ABC Adelaide this morning he thought it was “always prudent to look at contingencies, to know what your options are and to be prepared for them in any eventuality”, adding:
“Look, I have full confidence that the defence will have a number of options, as they always do, in terms of the different contingencies that could be undertaken. But we are not meeting with Mr Pommellet to terminate a contract. We’re meeting with him to seek to negotiate an outcome in accordance with the commitments Naval Group has made.”
NSW records no new locally acquired Covid cases
NSW has now gone 39 days with no community transmission.
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, the 39th consecutive day without a locally acquired case.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) February 25, 2021
Seven new cases were acquired overseas, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,973. pic.twitter.com/wf47rAoM2F
Updated
Mike Bowers has been out and about since early this morning.
Updated
Here is part of what Peter Dutton said today, while explaining why he didn’t tell the prime minister after the AFP alerted him of Brittany Higgins’s allegations (we’ve reported the whole statement a little lower down).
"I wasn’t provided with the ‘she said/he said’ details of the allegation. It was at a higher level." @PeterDutton_MP on Brittany Higgins' rape complaint. @10NewsFirst #auspol pic.twitter.com/IqhfRrGigd
— Tegan George (@tegangeorge) February 24, 2021
It should not need to be said, but there is no need for “she said/he said” when referring to allegations of sexual assault.
You don’t hear “he said/he said” in any context. You don’t hear any version of that phrase used in relation to any other allegations other than violence against women.
There is no need to include it. You can say you don’t know the details of the allegation.
There is no reason to add in the very particular phrase of “she said/he said” in explaining that. It’s a phrase which is designed to cast doubt over who should be believed.
It’s a phrase which makes the allegation seem almost impossible to prove either way. It’s a dog-whistle.
It’s part of the reason women don’t come forward, because every time you hear he said/she said, it just reinforces “Who will believe me?”
And a former cop should know that.
Stop saying it.
Updated
Here is what Peter Dutton said while speaking to Sydney radio 2GB last week about the allegations:
I’m not a prude but I’ve got to say I think I’ve led a boring life down here in Canberra.
I think people are under the impression that you come down here and everyone’s bed hopping it’s just a complete nonsense.
Now, I’ve been here 20 years, this is first allegation that I’m aware of, of somebody having been raped and no doubt there will be other people who alleged they’ve been sexually assaulted or they’ve been in a circumstance where somebody believed that there was consent and there wasn’t, you know two to willing consensual adults, and there are also different scenarios that you can contemplate going on in a workplace where thousands of people descend on to the building.
Yes, many of them young, single and like any workplace, people go out for a drink or for dinner after work, but the assault of, you know, woman or anybody, obviously is unacceptable and is not to be tolerated in any circumstance.
So we just need to make sure that people have a realistic understanding what’s happening in Parliament House.
For plenty of us, you know, you arrive here before six in the morning and leave at 11 at night, it doesn’t leave much room –
I’m not sure how people find the time for extracurricular activities to be honest – but it’s you know it’s the case the vast majority of people on both sides, all sides of parliament conduct themselves, absolutely appropriately but in circumstances where there is an allegation, it needs to be investigated.
The support needs to be provided. And on everything I’ve seen there was never any threat to Brittany that she would lose her job, quite the opposite.
There was support by Linda Reynolds and by Michaelia Cash and that continues to this day.”
Updated
Has Scott Morrison personally asked his ministers what they knew and when, in regards to Brittany Higgins’s allegations?
Scott Morrison:
There have been wide conversations, particularly over the course of the past week and cabinet have discussed it on many occasions. But let me say this, what happens when people become aware of whether it’s in this building or anywhere else, the advice I have from the commissioner of the federal police is that if someone wishes to make a complaint or someone possesses information regarding the allegation, whether it be of sexual assault or any other criminal activity, what you do is you take it to the law enforcement body, the police who is authorised, experienced and capable of dealing with those complaints. That’s where they should go. So that’s what my ministers did. Those in the first instance, whether it was Minister Reynolds or even more recently in February, was to assure themselves that this matter had gone to where it should go and that is the federal police.
So in my case, had it been the case that that was brought to my attention at an earlier time, my action would have been the same as those ministers’ actions. And that is to say, has the matter been drawn to the attention of the police? The answer to that question was yes, it had. And my other question would have been, is the individual – in this case Brittany – but is the individual, have they been provided with the support and access to the services to assist them and support them in this circumstance? They are the two actions and they are the actions that were undertaken at the time. Now we have a broader-ranging review that is dealing with were those supports adequate enough, legitimate question – this is a complex issue and there are no simple or straightforward answers, as I was just discussing with thesex discrimination commissioner. That’s important. But they are the actions that you take and they are the actions that were taken and they are the actions that should have been taken, and how we can improve that system so people can be confident to take these matters to the people who are equipped and authorised to deal with them. That is the police. That is how our system must operate. That is where those issues should be dealt with as a matter of law and support and protection for all Australians.
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Should Peter Dutton have told Scott Morrison about the rape allegation, after the AFP alerted the home affairs minister to it?
Morrison:
The minister for home affairs is regularly briefed on sensitive investigations across a whole range of issues. That is the process that he is engaged in. And that can happen on a weekly basis. And it’s his operational practise, which I know is supported by officials to receive those briefings. And they’re matters for him.
As prime minister, if any agency, whether it be the Australian federal police, whether it be Asio or any of the other many intelligence agencies, or others, believe that the prime minister must be directly briefed on such matter then they will arrange that briefing and the minister for home affairs operates on that understanding.
That was not done on this occasion.
The matter was being addressed and had been addressed by police. And that’s what the minister was advised.
Updated
“Respect” was mentioned 42 times in that speech.
“Protect” featured 19 times.
“Reflect” – 11.
But nothing about the need for systemic change and the role the nation’s leadership can play in it. The prime minister reflected on the role women had played in the nation, through the pandemic and grief, and named some of them. But there was nothing about what he believed needed to change about the systemic issues which have been raised and what he would do to see that change.
Scott Morrison:
And finally, I reflect on my own responsibilities, as each of us in this place must. I can comment, others can comment on what each of our responsibilities should be, but the best contemplation is when we reflect on our own responsibilities and we consider what we, each of us can do, to make Australia a better place to live. A place where women can truly grow and feel respected.
Updated
The prime minister’s International Women’s Day speech included a new three-word phrase: “Respect, protect, reflect.”
Scott Morrison:
This has been a very traumatic few weeks for the people who work in this place, but even more traumatic, obviously, for those who are the subject of those issues. So I just wanted to share with you my own personal thoughts about the very issue that brings us here together today, and that is women.
The three points I want to make to you today are about respect, protect and reflect.
My hope is that we will live in a society where we can truly say that women are respected. That is what we are trying to achieve, because from the disrespect of women or failure to respect women, all the other challenges flow. Violence, discrimination, deprivation, abuse, assault, lack of recognition, not hearing. It all starts with the failure of respect for women.
Updated
Q: Still so many questions over who knew what, when, and how it’s possible and plausible that the prime minister didn’t know before this allegation of rape inside Parliament House became public. We know now, of course, that Linda Reynolds, the defence minister, is on leave on the advice of her cardiologist and we hope that she’s OK. That, of course, she is in good care and recovering from whatever it is that is plaguing her at the moment.
But I wonder your thoughts on this: should she have told the PM about Brittany Higgins’ allegations before they were made public? Did she drop the ball?
Peter Dutton:
Well I think that the first point is an important one; that is that we want Linda to get well soon. I mean these are high-pressure jobs that we’re all in and Linda had a pre-existing medical condition as we know and the pressure obviously has exacerbated that. And she’s a human being. We want her to get well.
When you look at what Linda has done in relation to this matter, she has provided every assistance that she possibly could …
Q: … well that’s not what Brittany Higgins says. With all due respect, that’s not what Brittany Higgins says.
Dutton:
I understand what Linda has said. I understand the support that was provided.
Brittany’s made a decision yesterday to make a formal complaint to the Australian federal police and I honestly believe that the rule of law applies here. There is now a process to go through. It’s more salacious because it’s Parliament House, but in relation to any crime or sexual offence in particular, the police need to do their job.
I’ve been very clear about this today; we’re not going to comment, we’re not going to provide a running commentary on a police investigation now. The police will interview witnesses; they will conduct all of their investigations now that a formal complaint has been made.
It’s been difficult, obviously, before now for them to do that and under the ACT legislation, with human rights charter, they can’t initiate that investigation until a complainant has provided that complaint.
So let’s respect the rule of law and let’s allow the police to conduct the investigation, without the running commentary, without being impeded by the politics that you see thrown around by Anthony Albanese and others, and let’s allow the police to do their work.
Updated
Peter Dutton was asked on the Nine Network’s Today show why the AFP decided to notify him Brittany Higgins was considering re-pursuing her case in February 2021, but did not notify him she had opened a complaint in March 2019 (as the AFP’s guidelines says they should have)
Dutton:
The Australian federal police will make that decision about whether they provide information to the relevant minister – and that’s been the case for many years.
There are some matters where the prime minister will receive a briefing, either from the commissioner of the Australian federal police or indeed the director-general of Asio, or other agency heads and I won’t be informed about that matter because of the sensitivity of it or the minister for defence or foreign affairs may not be informed about the matter. That it will be raised, because of the sensitivity, solely with the prime minister and the judgment is made by the independent, you know, office holders; in this case, the AFP commissioner.
So why wasn’t he alerted two years ago, as the guidelines say he should have been?
Dutton:
Because the sensitive investigation board made a decision, a determination on the 11th and that’s what triggers notification to me.
Now, as is on the public record, the Australian federal police had engaged with Minister Reynolds, and had spoken through that process where Minister Reynolds quite properly in all of this had tried to provide support as best she could to Brittany to help her make a complaint to the police, and so the AFP took a decision that they should engage directly with the complainant, with Minister Reynolds.
They did that and it’s entirely appropriate.
I don’t direct investigations; I don’t interfere with police investigations; as of course is appropriate.
The AFP commissioner will make a decision and you know, that’s been made back as far as 2019 about who should know and they took a decision that they should brief me on the 11th of February after the sensitive investigation board had made their determination and that is completely by the book, completely appropriate and the AFP commissioner has done exactly the right thing.
Updated
Anthony Albanese is holding a press conference with gig economy workers.
“Drivers like us feel helpless,” said James, a Happy Panda driver.
Malcolm, a rideshare driver, speaks about how drivers struggle with making ends meet and how they face the possibility of immediate termination from the app based on unsubstantiated reports from passengers.
Albanese, after listening to the gig economy workers, warns that algorithms are “pitting worker against worker”.
“The fact is we need an economy that works for people, not people working for an economy.”
“My view is that customers as well would be prepared to accept that it’s just not fair, if they knew people were working sometimes less than $10 an hour without any rights whatsoever.”
Dismissing the governments arguments about the cost of legislating changes for gig economy workers, Albanese says the costs are mounting in lives lost.
Updated
The time for a home campaign is pushing along
#Breaking Petition with 37,000 signatures calling Morrison Govt to release people transferred for medical treatment from detention & resettle them in a permanent home by World Refugee day in June, handed to Labor, Greens and cross bench MPs, by Thanush, Ramsi and #TimeForAHome pic.twitter.com/1kiulYMJ9V
— ASRC (@ASRC1) February 24, 2021
Everyone is very excited about Brisbane being put forward as the preferred city to host the 2032 Olympic Games by the IOC.
Very, very excited. Despite the cost. And the pressure on infrastructure. And the vulnerable people who have their lives disrupted as cities put their best face forward.
But everyone who is very excited right now won’t have to deal with it by the time it becomes a problem – so this truly is the golden time for excitement. All care, no responsibility.
Updated
And how much did Qantas get in jobkeeper? Glad you asked. From the half-year accounts:
As one of the most heavily impacted companies, the Qantas Group recognised $459m in jobkeeper payments, the majority of which was paid directly to employees on stand down and the rest used to subsidise wages of those still working.
The total program is estimated to be worth about $100bn, which would mean that a little under 0.5% of all jobkeeper paid went to Qantas alone.
Updated
Australia’s biggest airline, Qantas, lost $1bn in the second half of 2020 as the coronavirus crisis crippled operations, accounts released to the ASX this morning show.
Chief executive Alan Joyce has put the best possible spin on the figures, saying Qantas has done well by global standards and again pointing the finger at government border closures.
These figures are stark, but they won’t come as a surprise,” he said.
Just consider the trading conditions we had to deal with in the half …
Border closures meant we lost virtually 100% of our international flying and 70% of our domestic flying.
Three-quarters of our revenue – around $7bn – went with it.
The fact that we were able to limit a $7bn drop in revenue to a bottom line loss of circa $1bn says a lot about how the Qantas Group is managing this crisis.
That sounds like a strange metric for success – especially for an airline that was delivering near-record results before Covid.
But if you look around the world, airlines are confronting losses that are far bigger.
Updated
A thunderstorm has just settled over Canberra.
It’s like the mood has manifested in weather.
Updated
Qantas plans to resume international flights in late October
Qantas is preparing to resume regular international flights from late October, in line with Australia’s projected vaccine rollout.
Both Qantas and Jetstar will plan to ramp up regular services to New Zealand earlier, from July, and continues to consult with the federal government about the reopening of borders.
The airlines will offer unlimited flight changes for tickets on the reduced capacity services.
Qantas is planning to resume flights to 22 of its 25 pre-Covid international destinations including Los Angeles, London, Singapore and Johannesburg from 31 October 2021.
Qantas won’t initially resume direct flights to New York, Santiago and Osaka.
Jetstar will resume flying to all of its 13 international destinations.
The news follows several states shutting their quarantine-free border arrangements to arrivals from New Zealand following community cases this week.
A Qantas statement said:
Qantas and Jetstar are now planning to restart regular international passenger flights to most destinations from 31 October 2021 – a four-month extension from the previous estimate of July, which had been in place since mid-2020.
The date change aligns with the expected timeframe for Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout to be effectively complete.
Capacity will be lower than pre-Covid levels, with frequencies and aircraft type deployed on each route in line with the projected recovery of international flying. International capacity is not expected to fully recover until 2024.
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Scott Morrison was stopped by journalists as he left the international womens’ day breakfast event at Parliament House (I’m told there was a reference to the Sharks, lots of talk of “protecting women” but no actual recognition of the need for structural change).
He was asked about Linda Reynolds:
I spoke to Linda last night. A couple of times yesterday, in fact. And I can tell you that she’s much improved from where she was the night before.
And under doctors’ instructions, she will remain under observation for a few more days yet. And she’s looking forward to returning to her duties and getting on with the job.
She’s doing a great job, and particularly on a morning like this morning I want to be able to say “she’s” doing a great job more and more often in the future.
Is her position safe?
Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be? She’s doing a great job and I have great confidence in the work that she’s doing. And I thank those colleagues, whether from the government or elsewhere, that have expressed their support for Linda. And she certainly has mine.
Updated
The media bargaining code passed the Senate overnight.
Facebook is still having pass ag tantrums:
Facebook's head of global affairs has put out a notably salty post about Australia's news media bargaining code in an attempt to scare off the rest of the world.https://t.co/vdGpCJ8YVu
— CAMERONWILSON (@cameronwilson) February 24, 2021
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Peter Dutton was also asked if he had an update on Linda Reynolds, who remains on medical leave after being admitted to Canberra hospital yesterday:
I haven’t had an update this morning. I sent a message to Linda yesterday.
I think all of us, as Penny Wong did graciously yesterday, but others in the media as well, want Linda to get well as quickly as possible.
These are all high-pressure jobs. And Linda has been under pressure over the course of the last couple of weeks, and she obviously has a pre-existing medical condition.
She’s done the right thing in seeking medical attention for that.
And I hope that she’s back at work as quickly as possible, and I think, you know, we need to think about the fact that ... I mean, people sometimes forget that members of parliament are human beings and have emotions and feelings and the rest of it.
And I think it’s important for us to not speculate about what her job is and all of that.
The priority is for Linda to get better and to be back at work as quickly as possible. And I certainly hope that’s the case.
Updated
Peter Dutton, a former police officer, explained his decision not to inform the prime minister of his knowledge like this:
I made a judgment that I had received a briefing from the Australian federal police commissioner about a sensitive matter.
I took a decision that I wasn’t going to disclose that to the prime minister. I think that was the right decision.
And when the media inquiries came in, we provided information, not to his office about the detail, the detail of the allegation, it was at a higher level, which is the basis on which I was briefed by the AFP commissioner, more in terms of process, as the commissioner advised me at the time.
And there are other matters, unrelated to this, obviously, that I was briefed on during that discussion with the commissioner on the 11th.
And as I say, I have those regular briefings with him, and I don’t disclose the rest of that information, as a courtesy to the prime minister’s office on the 12th, when there were media inquiries, we provided some detail to him just that the AFP had an interest in this matter.
And I wasn’t provided with the “she said/he said” details of the allegation. It was at a higher level.
Updated
There was no alert/warning for that Peter Dutton press conference.
And still no answer on why the AFP decided to enact its “alert the home affairs minister” guideline on 11 February 11 2021, but not in early 2019 when it was first made aware of the allegations. A complaint does not need to progress for the AFP to follow those guidelines.
Updated
This about sums it up:
Just an insight into the juvenile conduct of @PeterDutton_MP office - despite polite request for comment over 24 hours - they have refused to respond, laughed in my face when I asked yesterday for a reply and then refused to notify me of today’s presser. Stay classy.
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) February 24, 2021
Updated
Should the AFP have gone to Peter Dutton earlier (given the guidelines say the home affairs minister should be alerted to issues like this, even if a complaint is not taken forward)?
Dutton:
No, I don’t. And, again, when Brittany first engaged with the Australian federal police, the police made a decision at that point, as is publicly known now, to engage with minister Reynolds and with Brittany.
Brittany had made a decision, perfectly understandable, for her own reasons not to make a complaint to the police until – a formal complaint to the police until yesterday. And now the matter needs to be investigated.
So, I think it’s very clear here that the rule of law needs to operate, we need to follow what are long existing protocols. That is, if the police have a formal complaint, they are allowed to conduct that investigation, and we don’t want to compromise any potential prosecution.
These matters shouldn’t be speculated on publicly. And the AFP commissioner, as I say, has been very clear on his advice on that matter.
Updated
Peter Dutton then turns the blame back to the prime minister’s office for not informing the prime minister of the allegations when it was alerted, on 12 February:
I think the prime minister has been very clear about his frustration and anger at the fact that he wasn’t provided with information earlier by his office.
He’s been very clear to the parliament and to the public about that as well, and you would expect him to be angry. A mistake was made. He wasn’t informed by his office, and he’s sought to rectify that, and there’s now obviously an investigation that’s under way.
Updated
Peter Dutton said he “formed the judgment” the rape allegation “was not to be disclosed”:
I honour the relationship that I have with the Australian federal police commissioner and I don’t compromise that. I don’t seek to compromise the integrity around his investigations.
And if I don’t need to disclose something, I don’t. And I formed the judgment that that was not to be disclosed ...
I mean, I receive briefings from the Australian federal police commissioner on a regular basis, and in some cases the commissioner, or, indeed, the director general of Asio, will provide a briefing to the prime minister where I won’t get a briefing because the matter is of national security importance or other matters that are sensitive that it’s deemed appropriate by the commissioner to only inform the prime minister. That is entirely appropriate.
It’s operated under this administration, under other administrations, and that’s the way the AFP has always operated. And I think the commissioner has done exactly the right thing.
Updated
Peter Dutton considered rape allegation AFP 'operational matter'
Peter Dutton is now having to address questions about why he was informed of Brittany Higgins’ allegations by the AFP on 11 February – and why he didn’t tell the prime minister about it. He tells reporters:
As you know, the Australian federal police re-engaged with Brittany, or Brittany re-engaged with the Australian federal police on 5 February.
The sensitive investigation board met on the morning of 11 February, and they made a decision that the investigation was sensitive.
And at that stage, as you’re aware, the protocols provide that the Australian federal police commissioner then informs me, which he did on the morning of 11 February.
I took a decision at that time that I wasn’t going to inform the prime minister because this was an operational matter.
And I have a special responsibility, as the minister for the Australian federal police, to receive briefings, as I do on a regular basis, from the commissioner.
I don’t instruct him how to conduct his investigations, I don’t impede his investigations, I don’t seek to influence his investigations.
As has been the case for my predecessors, and that’s obviously entirely appropriate. I formed a judgment that I was not going to provide that information or disclose the information, which the commissioner had provided to me, I must say, at a high level, more around the process than the detail of the alleged offence.
On the 12th, the following day, though, there were media inquiries that came into the government.
And I formed the judgment at that stage that my chief of staff should inform the prime minister’s office, which took place. And that’s what happened on the 12th.
Updated
Last night Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy interviewed Ross Garnaut at the ANU about his new book Reset.
While dealing with the challenges and opportunities of recovering from Covid-19, Garnaut was asked by the audience why Australia had handled coronavirus so well but climate change so poorly.
He responded that the threat from Covid is more immediate – death – whereas the harms from climate change seem more distant (and accrue to others); and secondly, that there were powerful vested interests in Australia in the fossil fuel lobby.
Kennedy then offered a third explanation: that Australia tends to do better with challenges that can be solved by unilateral action rather than global coordination.
He cited removing tariffs as an example of unilateral action that had “brought great return”. So far most countries’ responses to Covid have not been “globally coordinated” but each has acted out of self-interest.
He said:
I’m hopeful that in the vaccination stage we will see a more globally cooperative approach – that will be important for those [developing] countries you mentioned.
Kennedy argued that the best way to achieve our self-interest in the long term was to act in a globally coordinated way.
Updated
Mark Butler appeared on ABC News Breakfast, where he was asked about the former Labor MP’s Emma Husar’s open letter to Anthony Albanese, and subsequent media interviews, where she accuses Labor of hypocrisy. Husar says she was not supported by the party when she was “slut shamed” in a BuzzFeed article published in 2018. Husar had always denied the salacious aspects of the article but did not contest the 2019 election after the allegations were raised.
An independent investigation found there had been no reason for Husar to resign, and no basis for many of the complaints made against her. Husar sued BuzzFeed for defamation and settled out of court.
Husar has spoken to Sky News and the ABC saying she was abandoned by the party, and felt used by its leader, Albanese:
The Labor Party have ridden their sanctimonious high horses like it’s not happening on the Labor side – but were absolutely complicit with their silence in 2018.
A strong woman stands up for herself, then she stands up for others.
— Emma Husar (@emma_husar) February 23, 2021
Thank you to all the women who are telling their stories. The Culture of silence is dangerous & exists on all sides of Politics.#auspol #BrittanyHiggins pic.twitter.com/51JuAe1haB
Butler was asked about Husar’s experience and said:
I heard the comments and I heard what Emma has had to say over the last few days. She obviously went through an incredibly distressing experience here in Parliament House and I think we’ve been upfront that there is a broad cultural challenge we have in this building that crosses political parties.
We’re doing all we can to try to deal with that challenge. Over the 25 years I’ve been involved in the party, we’ve seen a massive increase in the representation of women, such that half of the caucus are women, half of the shadow cabinet are women, half of our leadership group are women. That’s leading to a change but we still have more to do.
Updated
The NSW environment minister, Matt Kean, says the state government will hire 125 new firefighters for the National Parks and Wildlife Service to help protect important habitat and environmental sites during future fire disasters.
The announcement is in response to the state’s independent inquiry into the catastrophic 2019-20 bushfire season and is one of the items in a new five-year plan for fire management and ecosystem recovery released today.
The plan is the NSW government’s “medium-term” response to the disaster and includes proposals to help ecosystems recover from the fires and better protect wildlife and habitat from future fire threats.
They include continued assessment and monitoring of wildlife and habitats that were worst hit by the fires, developing tailored plans for fire-affected species, updating conservation policies to recognise fire as a major threat, updating the state’s maps of environmental and cultural assets, and protecting habitat that is likely to become even more critical to the survival of species in a changing climate.
Kean said:
We know from the best available science that, due to a changing climate, bushfires are likely to become more severe and more frequent.
This plan will help us to protect and support our state’s unique and precious biodiversity for the long term.
Updated
Over at the Parliament House International Women’s Day breakfast, I’m told speakers are serving up a call for the investigation into parliamentary culture be made completely independent from the government/political parties.
There are also a few empty tables. In a post-Covid world, over catering isn’t really a thing anymore, so the empty tables stand out.
Updated
Victoria reports no new coronavirus cases
There were no cases of Covid recorded in Victoria yesterday.
Yesterday there were no new cases reported. 18,282 test results were received. Thank you to those who got tested - #EveryTestHelps.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 24, 2021
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/6ntbCucYGI
Updated
You may remember that the government watered down an inquiry into far-right extremism in Australia by making it about all extremism, including leftwing.
Well, the submissions are starting to roll in to that inquiry.
And Asio’s submission makes it clear what it considers to be a growing threat to Australia. This was written before a white man painted a swastika on his head and attacked a First Nations woman and her daughter in WA with a makeshift blowtorch.
Lol ASIO not really buying that both sides crap from that extremism inquiry. pic.twitter.com/6jAkIBb9Im
— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) February 24, 2021
Updated
The Senate committee looking at the government’s Covid response handed down a report late yesterday.
As Katharine Murphy reports:
The Senate committee probing the Morrison government’s management of the pandemic has excoriated the government for deploying public interest immunity claims to “wilfully obstruct access to information crucial to the committee inquiry”.
The second interim report by the committee, tabled on Wednesday night, lays out “multiple instances” where important information sought by the committee during the inquiry had been withheld by government on grounds of public interest immunity.
The chair of the committee, Labor senator Katy Gallagher, declared the blocking conduct needed to be called out because the current generation of senators “must stand up for the powers and purpose of the Senate”.
It’s even more interesting because, despite having government senators sitting on the committee, there was no dissenting report.
Updated
Auckland declared hotspot
Auckland has been declared a Covid hotspot by most of Australia, meaning travellers from New Zealand no longer have access to quarantine-free travel – at least for now.
Queensland, Victoria, and NSW require travellers from NZ, who have arrived in the last week (from the 20th) to get a Covid test and isolate until they receive their result. Travellers who arrive on flights from the declaration will have to go into hotel quarantine (or return to NZ).
Auckland now has eight cases linked to its cluster.
Updated
There is no more cursed event than an International Womens’ Day breakfast.
I don’t know who came up with it or why they continue, but still they persist.
The great thing about International Womens’ Day events is how many men are invited to talk at them, because Dolly forbid men feel left out on a day which is meant to be about spotlighting women’s issues. (And yes, there is an International Men’s Day, it’s 19 November, and you can organise your own damn breakfast/morning tea if it means that much to you.)
Scott Morrison is the guest of honour at this year’s parliament event.
Last year the prime minister said he didn’t want women’s advancement to come at the expense of men:
See, we’re not about setting Australians against each other, trying to push some down to lift others up.
That is an absolutely liberal value, that you don’t push some people down to lift some people up. And that is true about gender equality too.
We want to see women rise. But we don’t want to see women rise only on the basis of others doing worse.
Last week Morrison said his wife, Jenny, had helped “clarify” the allegations Brittany Higgins had made by asking him what he would want to happen if it were his daughters.
#girlpower
Updated
Good morning
Welcome to the last sitting day of this parliamentary session. It’s taken us years to get to Thursday and, judging by the fraying tempers and stretched patience on display yesterday, it’s going to be a long one.
Brittany Higgins has given a statement to police and an investigation is now officially under way again. ACT policing sent this out late last night:
Update regarding alleged assault at Parliament House in March 2019.
· ACT Policing can confirm it is investigating this matter after receiving a report about an alleged assault at Parliament House in March 2019. No additional comment will be made during the investigation.
· No other formal reports associated with this matter have been made.
· ACT Policing encourages members of the public to report any form of assault committed against them. All such reports will be appropriately considered and victims will be supported via ACT Policing’s Victims of Crime team and dedicated specialist support services.
With an investigation now under way, you won’t get many answers in parliament – we saw at the beginning of this ministers batted away questions by saying they believed it was part of a police investigation. It wasn’t at the time but now that it is, you won’t get too many more answers from the government.
There are still questions about why the AFP decided to alert Peter Dutton to Brittany Higgins’ case on 11 February, the day before the journalist Samantha Maiden went to the PMO with questions. Subsequent reporting from Maiden and Christopher Knaus reveals Higgins’ approach to the AFP on 5 February inadvertently sparked a process that led to Dutton being advised:
News Corp Australia reported on Wednesday night that the Australian federal police (AFP) was approached by Higgins on 5 February and she advised them she was considering reopening the complaint. The Guardian understands that prompted the police to flag the matter with Dutton as politically sensitive. News Corp reported Higgins was not aware Dutton would be alerted in such a manner.
But the AFP had been aware of the complaint since March 2019.
As Chris reports:
Police guidelines say the home affairs ministers must be informed about politically sensitive matters “at the earliest opportunity”. If those guidelines were followed, Dutton could have been told of the alleged rape two years ago, when Higgins first reported the incident to police stationed at Parliament House in March 2019.
We’ll see if we find out any more on that today.
Linda Reynolds remains on medical leave after she was admitted to Canberra hospital yesterday for a pre-existing medical condition.
Meanwhile, Scott Morrison is the guest of honour at an International Womens’ Day event at parliament.
We’ll let you know everything that happens across the day, with the Guardian brains trust, as always, at your disposal. You have Katharine Murphy, Daniel Hurst, Paul Karp and Mike Bowers in Canberra, with Amy Remeikis at the blog helm.
I’ve already had four coffees and have been staring at a wall since 4am, so this should be fun!
Ready?
Let’s get into it.
Updated
