The day that was, Tuesday 23 November
That’s where we will leave the live blog for Tuesday.
Here’s some of what made the news today:
- The government released the long-awaited and highly-contentious religious discrimination bill, with LGBTQ+ advocates warning it will lead to discrimination based on a statement of belief, and state discrimination cases ending up in federal court.
- Liberal party MPs and senators have called for the bill to be referred to a parliamentary committee after it is introduced into parliament.
- The Bureau of Meteorology has declared a La Niña event, meaning rain will blanket much of the east coast, northern and central parts of Australia over summer.
- Labor announced it would vote against the Coalition government’s voter ID bill.
- Victoria reported 19 Covid deaths and 827 new cases, while NSW reported two deaths and 173 cases.
- Affirmative consent laws passed NSW parliament.
- LNP MP Andrew Wallace was elevated to the speaker in the House of Representatives following the resignation of former speaker Tony Smith.
- A Liberal-led Senate inquiry into the complaints process at the ABC will be delayed until the next parliament after the Senate passed a motion putting the brakes on it.
- The United Australia party will give first preferences to the Liberal Democrats at the next federal election.
Amy Remeikis will be back with you again in the morning for the third day of this first week of the last sitting fortnight.
Updated
LNP senator Gerard Rennick was on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing earlier, and he told host Patricia Karvelas the government was providing him with constitutional lawyers this afternoon about what he sees as constitutional issues with vaccine mandates being issued by the states.
He argues it could go against the constitution.
The meeting was at 5pm, and he will say more about what his position is on voting on government legislation tomorrow.
Updated
Just on the ABC inquiry vote, the office of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says both her and fellow senator Malcolm Roberts were not abstaining from voting on it, but were paired.
The pair are beaming in remotely into parliament, so they cannot vote, but they can use their pairing on votes to influence the final numbers. I’m told they paired to vote against the motion to delay the inquiry, but that is not currently reflected in the Dynamic Red of the Senate. We will let you know if we find out more.
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has defended the government’s pandemic record, after emails suggested authorities ignored health advice despite promises to follow it.
Emails released on Monday show Covid-19 restrictions were implemented weeks after they were recommended in some cases, and other measures were selectively applied to 12 LGA Covid-19 hotspots despite advice to be “consistent”.
While admitting the government hadn’t always “got everything right”, Perrottet said it had struck the right balance between a variety of economic and health concerns.
“Sometimes, particularly in a pandemic, governments are going to get it wrong.
“We haven’t got everything right ... [but] we seek to get the balance right and I believe that we did,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
He rejected accusations from Labor that the messages – between chief health officer Kerry Chant and health minister Brad Hazzard – showed the government defying health advice.
“That email is not the health advice, it’s an email,” the premier said.
But opposition leader Chris Minns said if the emails weren’t the real health advice, the government should prove it.
“If they’ve got further information to release, we’re all ears.”
“I suspect we’ll never see it.”
Updated
Just to update you on a story I wrote last week regarding YouTube ads from the United Australia Party that were pulled by YouTube for allegedly violating advertising policy. Nine of the 12 videos that were pulled have been restored now. There are three that remain pulled.
Google didn’t provide a response initially as to why they had been removed in the first place, but I understand it has to do with how the ads were set up. Google hasn’t provided any detailed explanation as to what changed, but I will let you know if that changes.
Given social media advertising will be a key component of this election, hopefully Google will be a bit more transparent in the future about why things are left up or taken down.
Updated
Jodi McKay leaves politics with “what-ifs” but no regrets, the former NSW Labor leader told the parliament as she gave her final speech as an MP.
AAP reports there were tears and laughter in the Legislative Assembly as the member for Strathfield called time on her career, with almost 15 years in parliament and experience spanning nine portfolios under her belt.
Her decision to leave parliament comes months after the 52-year-old relinquished her position as NSW Labor leader, after a damaging byelection loss in the Upper Hunter in May.
In a tearful news conference at the time, McKay – the first democratically elected NSW Labor leader – said she felt forced to quit, claiming she was destabilised by some of her colleagues.
Giving her valedictory speech on Tuesday, McKay took one final, thinly veiled shot at her successor Chris Minns.
She noted her inaugural speech in 2007 had ended with a quote from French revolutionary Georges Danton, who was arrested, tried and executed by a handful of his fellow rebels.
On Tuesday, she quoted him again.
“As Danton also said, ‘I would rather be guillotined than the guillotiner’.”
“I leave my office with a few what-ifs but certainly no regrets.
“I leave with my head held high,” she said, crying.
McKay thanked premier Dominic Perrottet for his kind words when she announced her resignation, acknowledged the leadership of former premier Gladys Berejiklian, and wished new deputy Labor leader Prue Car all the best.
But she did not mention Minns, who reportedly hung up on her when she called to inform him of her decision.
McKay is the fifth MP to quit in a month after Berejiklian resigned amid an Icac investigation on October 1.
She on Tuesday admitted many believed the end of her career had come too soon, but said she was positive her time had come.
“I’m confident in my decision, proud of my achievements, and ready and excited about the next chapter in my life, whatever that may be,” she said.
A byelection for Strathfield will be held at a date to be announced.
Updated
Here’s Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s statement on the Senate passing the Labor-Greens motion putting the brakes on a Senate inquiry into the ABC complaints process:
This inquiry was a partisan attempt to use the Legislation Committee to undermine the independence of the public broadcaster.
It was another tactic in a long line of attacks from the Liberals and Nationals who have spent eight years trying to crush the ABC.
An independent review of the ABC’s complaints system is underway. A senate inquiry established outside of normal processes and running in parallel was inappropriate. It is nothing more than political interference by the Morrison government.
The Greens will always defend the independence of our ABC. The ABC’s independence is integral to our democracy and politicians should not be dictating what it reports on.
Ironically, the biggest trust deficit in the country right now lies with the Prime Minister. Australians trust the ABC, they know how important it has been during bushfires and the Covid pandemic, and partisan attacks only serve to undermine the PM’s credibility even further.
The head of Equality Australia, Anna Brown is responding to the religious discrimination bill released today by the government. She says the statement of belief section will allow what is considered discrimination today to be legal if the bill passed.
She also points out the legislation will lead to “a whole lot of complexity” if the federal legislation seeks to override anti-discrimination laws in the states, with cases brought before the state bodies ending up in the federal court.
The wonderful Josh Taylor will take you through the evening – there is a bit more to come on religious discrimination and whatever else the parliament decides to dish up on this, the seventh last sitting day of the year.
Tomorrow will be another doozy, so make sure you get a break! I will be spending my 12 or so hours off the blog staring into space continuing my non-stop existential crisis.
A very big thank you to Mike Bowers for keeping me sane, as well as Murph, Sarah Martin, Daniel Hurst and Paul Karp for keeping the blog ticking over.
As always though, thank you to you all for reading and following along with us today – it was a fairly busy day with a lot of dense information, so we truly appreciate it. Please, stay safe – and take care of you.
The government will introduce its voter ID laws into the parliament sometime this week, possibly as early as tonight – but the laws will also be sent to a committee, which will delay its passage through the parliament.
Labor has said if the legislation passes, it will repeal the laws if it wins government as one of its first acts.
The people have spoken. They don’t want anymore racist laws in this country. We do not want the Morrison Governments racist voter id bill. Looks like they're afraid of the Blak vote.#blakvote #anotherdayinthecolony pic.twitter.com/pg86f6VweM
— Senator Lidia Thorpe (@SenatorThorpe) November 23, 2021
Labor and the Greens weren’t on the same page with all the motions today though – Labor did not support a Greens motion to disallow the carbon capture and development plan.
BREAKING: my heart + the climate, as Lab & Lib vote together to give $50mil to big coal & gas for carbon capture & storage - which hasn’t worked anywhere & the companies aren’t funding themselves! Political donations in, public subsidies out - as the climate cooks #auspol
— Larissa Waters (@larissawaters) November 23, 2021
Adam Bandt had thoughts:
Yet again, Liberal and Labor are voting together to hand public money to big coal and gas corporations. Liberal and Labor have just gifted $15m to Santos, a major Liberal and Labor donor, and $5m to a company owned by Glencore, Australia’s largest coalminer.
Tax-dodging billionaire corporations don’t need handouts. Carbon capture and storage is unicorn technology that only exists to funnel money to coal and gas corporations.
The Glasgow climate summit is barely over and Labor is voting with the Liberals to use public money to make the climate crisis worse. In the last parliament we took over government business to deliver the medevac bill, but it seems today’s Labor won’t do the same to tackle the climate crisis.
We’re in a climate emergency, and Labor shouldn’t back more coal and gas. Labor must join us and vote against funding the Beetaloo gas fields tomorrow.”
Larissa Waters also had thoughts:
In a tragic Groundhog Day, Labor have again voted with the Morrison government to keep the fossil fuel subsidies flowing, just weeks after the Glasgow climate summit.
By voting against the Greens disallowance today, the major parties ticked off on giving another $50m of public money to coal and gas companies - this time to fund carbon capture and storage, a technology that remains totally unproven despite the billions that’s already been thrown at it.
It’s a great return on investment for the millions of political donations the fossil fuel sector makes to both sides of politics – donations in, many more millions of public subsidies out.
Once again fossil fuel donors run our parliament rather than climate science or the public interest.”
Updated
Andrew Bragg, the Liberal senator who set up the inquiry into the ABC’s complaints process, has responded to the Senate vote which brought about the end of that inquiry – at least until the one already ordered by the ABC board is completed:
Australia’s Senate Committees provide the best opportunity for meaningful direct engagement in our democracy.
Australians can provide submissions, meet with elected officials, and present at public hearings.
In short, Australians can have their say. This is the Senate performing its role as a house of review and a house of scrutiny.
Restricting community access to the Senate Committees is a backward step for our democracy.
Motions considered by the Senate to silence Australians are very troubling. It raises further questions.
The ABC has already admitted the need for action with their own inquiry, which is not as strong as the Senate’s inquiry for three reasons.
First, the ABC’s inquiry is not independent as the ABC’s investigators will report to the ABC.
Second, Australians will be allowed to have their say at public hearings.
Third, the submissions to the Senate carry parliamentary privilege. The ABC has spent $26m on legal fees in the past four years. I don’t want people to face legal and financial barriers which prevent them having a say.
The parliamentary privilege attached to Senate submissions means people can say what they like without the threat of expensive and protracted legal action.
It sets a terrible precedent for the Senate to close public access, especially where more than a dozen submissions have already been received as evidence.
While I am disappointed with the result, I respect the Senate’s right to do so but reserve my right to undertake additional steps. The Inquiry has already received several sensitive but critical submissions. We must not close the door on these Australians.
Updated
Senate motion scuttles government ABC complaints inquiry
The Greens and Labor came together to put this motion through the senate:
That the Senate directs the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee to suspend the inquiry into the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service complaints handling until the independent review of the ABC’s complaints system has been completed, in line with the request made to the Senate on the 14 November 2021 by the independent Chair of the ABC, Ms Ita Buttrose AC OBE.
Which passed, 23-22. The two One Nation senators Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts are not in parliament and could not vote for it but her office said they were paired on the vote.
Updated
Peter Dutton says he wasn't 'pre-committing' Australia to war
At a doorstop at Parliament House, Peter Dutton has defended his recent comments about the potential for Australia to join a military conflict over Taiwan. The defence minister said the situation in the Indo-Pacific was “very serious” and China was engaging in “completely unacceptable” activities across the region.
“Australia needs to provide a deterrence against actions, including by the Communist Party, because the Communist Party has been very clear about their intent in relation to to Taiwan.”
Dutton said he was not pre-committing Australia to war:
“Now, I said, in response to all that, that if there was a situation where first condition, China went into Taiwan, second condition that the United States responded and was involved in an action, that in my judgement, it would be inconceivable under the alliance that Australia wouldn’t go to be standing by the side of the United States. Now, I don’t think there’s anything remarkable in that statement. But it wasn’t a pre-commitment – it wasn’t anything other than a statement of reality. And if the Labor party has a different position, I’d like to hear it. Because it seems today, that they do have different position.”
Dutton reaffirmed what he said in question time: “that the acting ambassador [of China] is attacking Australian values and that Senator Wong wasn’t standing up for those values”. Asked on what basis he was making that claim, Dutton said:
“Well, she should have been condemning those comments today.”
Q: Is that a dog whistle? Are you are you engaging in a dog whistle here?
“Senator Wong should have condemned the comments of the acting ambassador today. Instead, she didn’t. And I think that says a lot about Senator Wong, and it says a lot about her approach. And I think it – I can’t recall in my 20 years of parliament, an ambassador from any other country, carrying on the way that the Chinese ambassador has – the issuance of the 14 points that Australia needed to act on or to perform on before the relationship could be normalised; and the comments again today by the acting ambassador should be condemned by the Labor party and they weren’t.”
Q: “Senator Wong doesn’t stand up for those values.” Is that a dog whistle?
“No, no. I’ve just – I’ve answered that and I’ve given you the context of the quote, and what I said and what I said in relation to both the acting ambassador and her comments.”
Updated
Dave Sharma is now on Afternoon Briefing where he is asked about Labor’s campaign of pointing out Scott Morrison’s truthiness:
Q: It has been the big discussion point in question time. Labor asking questions of the prime minister to extract whether he is truthful, Labor trying to paint the prime minister is loose with the truth, a question for you, Dave Sharma, did the prime minister refer to Sam Dastyari as Shanghai Sam?
Sharma:
I don’t know, Patricia.
Q: I can send you the tweet. Because you believe me, would make it up. Why doesn’t he just admitted, he just did it?
Sharma:
I don’t know the answer, you can put that to him, I didn’t hear what he said in response to that question. I will take issue with the overall thrust of the debate, I just think it’s childish, people expect more, it’s like going around in a schoolyard and saying you lied to me, grow up and let’s demonstrate the issues.
Updated
There is a lot of “all politicians lie” commentary from both this place, and the wider public, which usually comes with a bit of a shrug.
Water is wet.
Days end in Y.
Politicians lie.
But it should matter if you don’t trust what your elected officials say. And the ethics norming which goes on, should also be addressed. Of course politicians are not always going to be truthful – but there is a difference between spinning something for political reasons, and then outright denying something you said, was something you said.
And it should be called out, on all sides, every single time.
Updated
Does Richard Marles think people care if the prime minister isn’t honest?
I think people do care, people look to their national leader as a person of character. Right now the national leader is a man who lies ... I absolutely think that people care about that, and that is a point that we will continue to illuminate, and a point that we will continue to make. And it should be the case.
That in public life, when you are doing interviews such as this, that you are consistent, and when you say something on one day, on camera, recorded, you can’t then down the track maintain that you never said it.
Updated
Richard Marles is also asked about Labor’s question time campaign of bringing up all the times Scott Morrison has said one thing and meant another and says:
The prime minister has an uncomfortable relationship with the truth, it’s a simple point, time and time again he says things which are not true, he lies and it’s become patently clear, and we are making that point, loud and clear, and these are not questions that are there to be debated, there are moments when he is on the public record when he will say one thing on Monday and literally pretend it never occurred, and simply deny it on the next, now this is our national leader, people who people look to for a sense of character and a sense of honesty, and moments of difficulty we look to him to lead us and it’s completely [legitimate] to raise the point this is a man who lies, constantly lies and cannot make clear his statements and is really happy to say one thing on one day and then further down the track, completely pretend as if he never said that at all, that’s the point we are making and will continue to make.
Updated
Richard Marles is on Afternoon Briefing walking a few sides of the line on what Labor will do with the religious discrimination bill:
We need to have a look at the number of these provisions to properly answer that, the point is, it is a pretty important piece of legislation that requires scrutiny from us but scrutiny in the broadest sense as well, I’m hoping this goes to some form of inquiry, Senate inquiry or parliamentary inquiry, in relation to the bill, that will give us an opportunity to have a look at this in more detail.
...What we want to make sure of here is that in providing for legislation which prevents discrimination on the basis of religion, there aren’t unintended consequences, that’s exactly the kind of issue we want to be very clear about and get the details exactly right on, so there is proper balance. There are other forms of discrimination we are keen to make sure do not come into being by virtue of an unintended consequence here, that’s the kind of issue we need to look at.
From Mike’s lens to you.
Updated
Given his party nominated him, it’s probably just news if the prime minister doesn’t think he’ll do a great job?
Congratulations to Andrew Wallace on his election as the new Speaker for the House of Representatives at Parliament today. I believe he will do a great and fair job and wish him all the best for his new role. pic.twitter.com/XO3AZLdiO0
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) November 23, 2021
Scott Morrison as seen by Mike Bowers:
Updated
New speaker Andrew Wallace is taking the matter under consideration.
Worth noting that Labor is doing this now that Tony Smith has a vote on the floor of the house.
Tony Burke uses the interview former speaker Tony Smith gave to ABC radio Melbourne this morning, where he said that if he had the power to, as speaker, he would have directly referred Christian Porter to the privileges committee over his members of interest declaration, which only declared a “blind trust” had donated to his legal costs.
Burke is telling the house that given this new information, the house should have another opportunity to consider the issue of referring Porter to the privileges committee.
The last time this happened, after Smith, then as speaker, gave the matter precedence, the government went against long established tradition and did not support the referral. Instead, it asked the privileges committee to consider how MPs should declare crowd-sourcing donations. The privileges committee has decided to ask Porter to answer questions.
Paul Karp covered it here:
Updated
Anthony Albanese uses the time after question time to say he has been misrepresented by Peter Dutton:
Today during question time the minister for defence [said I] did not support the Aukus arrangement with the UK and the US.
This is not true. Australia has a long relationship with the United Kingdom which has enjoyed bipartisan support since Federation. And the alliance with the United States originated from John Curtin in 1942, when Australia turned to Labor in our our greatest need to defend our nation, and has been supported by Labor ever since.
Updated
Scott Morrison finally ends question time.
Xi Jinping: 'we can build a peaceful home together'
Incidentally, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has spoken to south-east Asian counterparts and attempted to assure them “we can build a peaceful home together”.
Xi did not specifically mention Aukus (even though state media and the Chinese foreign ministry have renewed their criticism of the arrangement in recent days). But in yesterday’s speech, Xi backed an initiative for south-east Asia to be a nuclear weapon-free zone (the Aukus plan is for nuclear-powered submarines, not nuclear-armed submarines):
We need to pursue dialogue instead of confrontation, build partnerships instead of alliances, and make concerted efforts to address the various negative factors that might threaten or undermine peace. We need to practice true multilateralism and stick to the principle that international and regional affairs be handled through discussion among us all. China firmly opposes hegemonism and power politics. China pursues long-term, friendly coexistence with neighbouring countries, and is part of the common efforts for durable peace in the region. China will never seek hegemony, still less bully smaller countries. China supports Asean’s efforts to build a nuclear weapon-free zone, and is prepared to sign the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone as early as possible.”
China has competing claims with a number of south-east Asian nations over the South China Sea. Beijing has not recognised a 2016 Hague arbitration ruling that undermined the basis for China’s claims. The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, reportedly urged China to respect that ruling. Duterte also condemned an incident in which Chinese coastguard vessels blocked and used a water cannon on two Philippine supply boats heading to a disputed shoal occupied by Filipino marines in the South China Sea.
Xi told Asean leaders: “Joint efforts are needed to safeguard stability in the South China Sea and make it a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.”
Updated
Question time is still going.
We may all actually be in purgatory.
Keith Pitt squibs a dixer by using something the Labor environmental action network would like Labor to adopt and calling it Labor policy.
Which is like taking one of the many motions the LNP conference passes as a motion and saying that is LNP policy.
But facts don’t seem to matter any more. If they ever did.
Updated
Susan Templeman to Scott Morrison:
Petrol prices have gone up by $900 for a typical family driving a standard car in a year while real wages have fallen $700. On top of this median rent in my electorate have increased by $3,000 a year, hasn’t it become harder and harder for working families to make ends meet under this decade-old government?
Morrison:
Our government has taken numerous initiatives to take the pressure off on cost of living and as the data reveals clearly, especially when it comes to petrol prices, in the last three years alone, what we have seen is a 1.2% increase on average a year, comparing to a 2.6 increase that occurred under Labor.
Reference was made to housing cost, which I know is a great challenge especially for younger people and younger people wanting to buy their first home, since we came to government housing costs have increased according to the ABS on an average of 1.7% each year, and the last three years they have increased by 0.6%.
That compares under Labor years to 5.1%.
And I know the minister for housing will be able to tell you this, at the last election I said we would take action to help people get into their first home and under the policies we introduced since the last election, 320,000 Australians, we have helped into homeownership.
That’s what we took to the election.
Templeman:
Relevance, my question was about rentals not purchasing.
Wallace:
The question is also about making it harder for families to make ends meet, the prime minister has the call.
Morrison:
You know who has been buying those houses? People who are renting. People who are renting and we have given them the opportunity through the first home loan to posit scheme and family homeownership scheme a scheme that is helping single mothers buy their first home.
That is what our policies are doing.
Giving Australians who have that aspiration to go and buy a home the opportunity to go and achieve that, and since we were elected three years ago, 320,000 Australians have been helped into homeownership. That’s what I call promise delivered. Commitment given, promise delivered and this government will continue to do that because under our sound economic management delivered by this government, it has seen Australia through one of the greatest economic challenges since the great depression, it has seen Australia coming through this pandemic and the economic recovery under way, Australians can have confidence in the future, they can plan for the future with confidence planned by the first time and get skilled and get a job.
They can plan to open and run a small business, plan to invest in new equipment that sees them get an advantage and be able to sell the products at a better price and be able to grow their business they can do this in regional Australian manufacturing and recycling and the services Street and do this as we get the students back in December, that is a plan of securing our economic recovery, those opposite have no such plans and no such experience and no such credibility.
Updated
We are at the point where question time may never actually end.
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
My question is to the prime minister. Petrol prices have increased by $900 for a typical family driving a standard car over a year while real wages have fallen by $700. Can the prime minister confirm it has become harder for Australian families to make ends meet under his almost decade-old government?
Morrison:
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Headline inflation under our government has increased by 1.8%, over the time we have been in government, under the Labor party it was 2.7% [it was the GFC] electricity prices under our government, Mr Speaker, have risen on an annual average basis of 0.3%.
... Electricity prices under our government since we were elected have risen on average by 0.3% a year, under the Labor party they rose by 12.9%, Mr Speaker, and in most recent years over the last three years, electricity prices have fallen by 3.2% on average each year [thanks to renewables coming onto the grid]. Under the Labor party in the last three years they rose around 12.9% each and every year. On fuel prices, in the last three years, they have increased by 1.2% on average a year, under the Labor party, they increased by 2.6% each and every year and on average on our term of government they have increased by 9.4% and under the Labor party, 2.6%, what I know about petrol prices is this, the Labor party want to change the fuel emission standards, which is an increase in the petrol price for consumers. The Labor party has a sneaky petrol tax, a sneaky petrol tax [there is no petrol tax] where they want to jack up the price of petrol ...
Albanese:
To relevance it asked about petrol prices going up by $900 in the past it didn’t invite the Prime Minister to make up policies for those on this side of the house.
Wallace asks Morrison to be relevant.
Morrison:
I’m talking about what the impacts on petrol prices might be. What they might be.
What I can tell Australians is, our policies will not be changing fuel emissions standards that will put a sneaky tax on Australians. Our policies will not do that.
Albanese tries to have a point of order. Morrison is able to continue.
Morrison:
I can understand why the leader of the opposition with his constant interjections is sensitive on the issue of sneaky taxes, I can understand why he is sensitive.
Wallace tells him to be relevant.
Morrison:
Under our government and the economic policy settings we have put in place, under the excellent fuel security initiatives put in place by the minister for energy, the excellent policies to secure the refinery operations in Queensland, securing those down in Victoria as well, those policies we put in place to protect refinery jobs, protecting jobs and refineries and aluminium smelters and the resources industry and manufacturing.
Updated
Anthony Albanese to Barnaby Joyce:
These two payslips are from two train jobs in the Bowen Basin who do the same job. One is employed by Pacific National and one by a labour hire firm. The train driver employed by the labour hire firm is a casual but still earns about $300 less every week than his colleague. What action will the government take to stop this, which is hurting workers in regional Australia, and is one of the measures which is leading to the reduction in real wages across the economy?
Joyce:
Mr Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question, and yet again, it is very sneaky, but we should really address the question to the appropriate minister with carriage of this, and I invite [Paul Fletcher to answer the question].
Fletcher:
I thank the deputy prime minister for referring to me as a minister representing the minister for industrial relations in the house.
What are we going to do about employment in regional Australia? We are going to boost economic growth and we are going to make it easier for people to be employed, that is what we are going to do.
Albanese:
Yes, this was a specific question with a real world example about labour hire worker getting the same job as someone else at Pacific National ...
... My point of order is when the minister got the call ... the minister doesn’t get to ask himself a question and then answer it.
That is what he did.
Wallace:
The leader of the opposition, it is not helpful for those on my right to be yelling in my ear. The minister will just resume his seat for a moment. As leader of opposition knows, if want to take a point of order, the leader of the opposition needs to state the point of order.
Albanese:
Is it in order for the minister, when he came to the dispatch ...
Wallace:
The leader of the opposition... The leader of the opposition will resume his seat.
(He has to repeat this multiple times.)
Peter Dutton:
It is clear, the leader of the opposition makes a point of order on relevance even though he doesn’t want to say that. He refuses to state in that case what standing order he is referring to, in which case he is out of order, and hence should be ruled out of order because the minister has made a statement ...
Wallace:
Order. The leader of the opposition, it would assist the chair, when the leader of the opposition was to raise a point of order, that you state the point of order.
Albanese:
The point of order goes to the standing order provisions for questions without notice. For which standing order 99, in which case I asked a question, what occurred was ... The minister stood up and asked himself a question presenting to answer a question that he asked himself. It is not in order.
Wallace:
The minister is in order, the minister has the call. Order, order. The minister has the call.
Fletcher continues to answer the question he wants, speaks about union membership, calls Labor policy a fallacy and decides he has finished his answer when Tony Burke stands up to challenge him.
Updated
The new Speaker is not exactly covering himself in glory this question time.
Lots of calm headmaster I-am-in-charge voice, not a lot of authority.
Updated
Just in case facts are at all relevant in this place today, here are some more examples of Scott Morrison calling Sam Dastyari “Shanghai Sam” which he has since denied ever saying.
From his own Twitter account:
Shanghai Sam needs to go #auspol https://t.co/3KgGbeK8KP
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) September 6, 2016
From an interview with Sydney radio 2GB in 2019 where he literally says, “of course I remember saying Shanghai Sam”.
This is the best one. “Of course I remember saying Shanghai Sam,” Mr Morrison told 2GB radio in 2019 https://t.co/1660oFPAen pic.twitter.com/xnV3M8OaeT
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) November 23, 2021
And his own Facebook page.
A quick google search can bring up this video, on Scott Morrison's own FB page, that has him calling Sam Dastyari 'Shanghai Sam'. https://t.co/sRm1HQmlAM
— courtney gould (@heyycourtt) November 23, 2021
Updated
Malcolm Roberts refuses to apologise, says Jacqui Lambie is 'playing victim'
Just circling back to the Senate to flesh out this incident of publishing a private telephone number – this was what Jacqui Lambie told the Senate just before question time.
Jacqui Lambie:
Mr President, this morning Senator [Malcolm] Roberts leaked my personal mobile phone number on his social media. Since then I’ve received any number of nasty, abusive and threatening phone calls and messages. I may have to change my phone number.
I give my number to veterans whose mental health is not so good and most of the time they are on their last legs. Those veterans know they can call me anytime of the day or night if they need someone to listen to them.
If you’ve got someone’s number it is not hard to find out personal details about them that are linked to it. I’m going to have to change my number because I need to make sure my family and friends are safe.
Mr President it should go without saying it is completely unacceptable to leak other senators’ personal contact details to the public just because you don’t like what they are saying. Every single one of us, no matter how much we disagree with one another, no matter how much we go at each other on the floor, we should know that one thing: One Nation have crossed a line here that should never be crossed.
You’ve got the AFP briefing politicians about our safety, we’ve got gallows on the steps of Victoria’s parliament, and senators in this very chamber should not be facilitating any abuse. Mr President I’d like to respectfully ask you look at this issue. One Nation have leaked my mobile number. I ask you to consider whether Senator Roberts should front up and apologise for his behaviour even though he’s had more than two hours to do it personally to me and I ask that you look at the safety of senators in this place more broadly – because I think we have some problems here. Thank you.
The Senate president Slade Brockman said he would take that under advisement. Malcolm Roberts attempted to respond. Leave was not granted.
Labor’s Senate leader Penny Wong was given leave, and said it was important to contain conflict. She said if protagonists didn’t understand limits, safety was put at risk.
Addressing herself to Roberts and the government, Wong said: “If you start a fire it can quickly overwhelm us.”
Wong said Roberts needed to apologise.
The government Senate leader Simon Birmingham was then given leave. He said publishing Lambie’s number was unacceptable. He emphasised the importance of civility in the debate. Debate the issues, not the person, Birmingham said. He said he would facilitate an apology by Roberts.
Roberts then sought to make a statement “correcting the record”. Leave was granted. There was no apology. Roberts said “we don’t condone” publishing private numbers.
He said the number had been published by a One Nation Senate candidate, not by him.
Roberts said the candidate was given Lambie’s number by a Tasmanian voter who got the number from Lambie’s Facebook post, “with an invitation to contact her”.
Roberts said at the last election, Lambie posted her bank account details on Facebook “with an invitation to send money”. Roberts said the phone number had been taken down but a text message remained on One Nation’s social media that specified that Lambie opposed vaccine mandates (which is a message Roberts said she sent a Tasmanian voter).
For context, Lambie defended mandates in a debate yesterday about Pauline Hanson’s private members bill. Roberts said Lambie was “playing victim” because One Nation was making inroads into Tasmania. He says Lambie had published her own number.
Updated
Anthony Albanese to Barnaby Joyce:
Does the Minister believe that two workers in regional Australia who do exactly the same job should get the same wage?
Peter Dutton (who gives Joyce the answer about what to do):
That was the question in relation to industrial relations matters that should have been directed to the appropriate minister. It wasn’t a question about a specific award within the regional area, it was in relation to an award which would apply economy wide, worker wide across the economy. It was a cute way of dressing up that element, but that is really what the question went to, and it hasn’t been appropriately directed to the deputy prime minister.
Tony Burke:
What the leader of the house is saying is when there is a trade deal, only the minister representing the minister for will be allowed to answer the question. Where there is something resulting from international agreement, only the minister representing the minister for foreign affairs will be allowed to make a response. And all the answers that we have previously had of the relevance to a trade agreement from the minister for education, from the minister for agriculture and water, all the other people who come with a stakeholder interest, even though they don’t have policy courage, if that is all going to be ruled out, that is of the leader of the houses asking for, I recommend a wiser course is to allow the question to stand.
Wallace lets the question stand.
Joyce refers it to Paul Fletcher.
Fletcher treats it as a university debate on unions.
Updated
Defence minister Peter Dutton does his now-infamous “how safe are you” dixer, and comes very, very close to accusing Penny Wong of not standing up for Australian values:
At the time of the Aukus announcement 68 days ago the Labor party rushed out and couldn’t have been any stronger in [their] support, at least at that time for the AUKUS announcement, it has taken 63 days and we have seen Senator Wong set out with a speech which could have been written by Paul Keating, and Mr Speaker the reality is, Labor has always been weak on national security and border protection.
If you want to look at what they would do in government look at what they did in opposition.
[This leader of the opposition] was the architect, along with Kevin Rudd, of the unsuccessful vote policy that resulted in people dying and resulted in children going into detention.
When it comes to the defence of our country, I can assure this weak leader of the opposition, you don’t deter an adversarial and you don’t maintain peace in our region from a position of weakness.
That is what he is advocating. The Australian public know him very well. They know him to be weak on national security.
I noticed the acting Chinese ambassador has been attacking Australian values and Senator Wong doesn’t stand up for those values, instead, she folds in a fit of weakness.
This leader of opposition is leaving no Australian uncertain as to what their view is, he is weak when it comes to national security.
Updated
Richard Marles to Scott Morrison:
The prime minister said, reports he had tried to invite Brian Houston to the White House were gossip, why did the prime minister say that when a just wasn’t true?
Morrison:
I corrected [that] on the record as those opposite our already aware.
Updated
Here is just one example of where Scott Morrison used the phrase “Shanghai Sam” (which he has since denied using), which is on video.
Updated
Scott Morrison has decided to just go straight into attack on every single question today, as he attempts to take back control of the parliamentary sitting.
Stephen Jones to Morrison:
The prime minister claimed he never used the phrase “Shanghai Sam” in reference to former Senator Sam Dastyari.
Given that he used that phrase 17 times on 11 occasions why did he claim he had never used the term when that simply wasn’t true?
Morrison:
I’m not aware of the claim you are referring to and I won’t take it at face value.
... I’m not aware of the claim the members making. I’m not about to accept claims at face value from those opposite. I’m not about to accept that from those opposite. The Labor party thinks sledging, whining and whinging is a policy. That’s not how you actually run a government they have no alternative plans, no alternative policies they come here every day and they engage in personal attack, that’s OK, bring it on, you want to engage in personal sledging, where I go for holidays, and if I go home and spend father’s day with my family.
(Morrison doesn’t mention that it was his office which misled journalists about his holiday to Hawaii, which he took when the nation was on fire. Or that he spent father’s day with his family while ACT and NSW were in lockdown. Or that a social media post made it seem like he was separated from his family on that day.)
Andrew Wallace jumps in because of all the shouting:
The prime minister will resume his seat. (SHOUTING). Just one moment. Just one moment. Order. If I can’t hear the prime minister I can’t rule on points of order. The manager of opposition business.
Tony Burke:
On direct relevance there is no way this is relevant to any of the 17 time to use the term he is being asked about.
Wallace:
I would ask the prime minister to be relevant to the question.
Morrison:
On the former senator Sam Dastyari, the Labor senator, I remember those issues very well because it was the former Labor senator Sam Dastyari who stood up ... I was just ... I was correcting the member for Wells. It was the former Labor senator who disgraced himself by undermining, Australia [defence] in relation to a foreign country. That’s what the former senator Sam Dastyari did and he had to leave this place in disgrace.
He had to leave this place in disgrace as we have seen so many other Labor members whether at state level or former Labor members in this place, in jail* enough people in Silverwater prison to start a branch of the Labor party there.
That’s what’s going on with the Labor party and you can’t trust Labor with money because they are always after yours.
*Morrison also doesn’t mention that it was Icac which led to the Obeid conviction – the same Icac Morrison doesn’t want federally, or supports when it comes to Gladys Berejiklian investigation
Updated
Most of the Coalition partyroom meeting was devoted to consideration of the religious discrimination bill, with the attorney general Michaelia Cash briefing MPs on the changes made to the second exposure draft. Morrison told MPs that the bill was an election commitment, and emphasised it was “a religious discrimination bill not a religious freedoms bill”.
“That is important in relation to it being a shield not a sword and to allow the freedoms of people to follow their faith,” he said. Morrison confirmed that the “sensible and reasonable” bill would be introduced into the House of Representatives this week, but debated on and voted on next week, with the intention of sending it to a Senate committee for consideration.
As Paul Karp has already reported, there were 17 MPs or senators who commented on the bill, with moderates speaking about their concerns. There was support for sending the bill to a committee, but MP Trent Zimmerman said he would have preferred a joint committee to allow lower house MPs input into the bill and any possible revisions.
One MP expressed concern that the bill may not pass before the election, saying “we need to get it to a vote”, not just introduce it.
Updated
The prime minister has spoken to MPs about the importance of unity in the joint Coalition partyroom meeting.
The remarks were seen as a reprimand of Liberal senators Gerard Rennick and Alex Antic who are refusing to support government legislation until a range of demands are met regarding Covid-19 vaccine mandates and adverse events. Morrison told MPs that they had a choice about how the final sitting week could impact the government’s standing.”
Discipline and unity wins elections and if we surrender that we will surrender government,” Morrison told MPs.
“I can assure you that we can win this election, I know the path from here to there and it comes from discipline, effort and focus, that all colleagues know well.
“I know the path there, we can do it again, I need all of you to come there with me, I am leaving nothing on the field between now and the next election.”
Morrison asked MPs and senators to consider their “choices” over the next two weeks”.
“Are we going to leave here at the end of these two weeks stronger and in a stronger position, supporting those who put us here ... or are we going to leave here having given our political opponents in the Labor party great courage?”
The deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce also spoke to MPs about the importance of getting ready to fight the election, saying it was “business time in politics” and the opposition leader Anthony Albanese was getting ready to “get rid of you”.
“It’s his discipline versus our discipline, it’s his army against our army.”
In response to the pep talk on unity, one MP said that “team work is a two-way street” and asked the leadership group to ensure they “are engaging with the backbench”.
Another MP spoke out against vaccine mandates, calling them “unAustralian”.
Updated
Labor to formally oppose Coalition's voter ID bill
Labor’s caucus has formally confirmed the party will oppose the Morrison government’s controversial voter ID law (while supporting two other pieces of electoral law reforms).
One person at the Labor caucus meeting noted remote polling was only brief. Another said migrants who anglicised their names on coming to Australia often had a different name on their ID from the electoral roll.
The shadow special minister of state, Don Farrell, told the Labor caucus:
“The whole point of this is to suppress the vote in First Nations communities and in particular in Lingiari [a seat in the Northern Territory] – the government knows exactly what it is doing.”
Updated
Scott Morrison found that answer hilarious – he was laughing it up with his frontbench.
Updated
Barnaby Joyce turns a question about a supporter being given a job as the next chair of Infrastructure Australia, into class warfare.
The speaker allows him to do it.
Catherine King:
Can the deputy prime minister confirm that the first chair of Infrastructure Australia was Rod Eddington who led Cathay Pacific, British Airways and was director of JP Morgan and News Corp.
Can he also confirmed the government has decided but not yet announced that the new chair of Infrastructure Australia will be the retiring Mayor of Tamworth, Col Murray, who has described himself as a fairly solid supporter to the deputy prime minister?
Joyce:
Mr Speaker, I am sorry that hypocrisy isn’t what is wrong with the mayor, the former mayor of Tamworth.
Does he not have quite enough letters after his name to be considered worthy by the Labor party? A person who has been in the construction industry for 25 years, he is one of the leading mayors of New South Wales, he is underpinned the growth of one of our great regional cities. But of course what we see in the Labor party ...
Once we have someone from a regional area, the Labor party doesn’t like that. They are not quite good enough, and this goes to show in ground form how the Labor party does not believe in regional Australia.
They want representation from regional Australia at a prominent level. The member for Ballarat of all people ... to slam a regional person I am sorry, what would you have said about Chifley? That his train wasn’t big enough? What is it? What has happened to the Labor party? They are now the people that stand behind, and unless you are endowed with more letters after your name than an alphabet, they say you are not good enough.
The academic snobs now reside on the other side.
Well, Mr Speaker, once we had a problem about them just being sneaky, now they are sneaky snobs. This is what we are getting! It is the New World order. So we can say to people of regional Australia that if you get yourself a Labor government, they do not believe in regional people.
They don’t believe in coalminers and people who have made an honest day’s work standing in a private business, building it up and going to community services as a senior mayor of a senior regional Australia.
It is not good enough for the Labor party. Oh, no. You have to live in Grayndler if you want a job in this joint! You have to come from Grayndler. How am are going? All right?
Anthony Albanese:
He gave himself up, Mr speaker, that he wasn’t being relevant. It is not being relevant to the question. This is about the qualifications for a serious job. The chair of Infrastructure Australia. From a government that promised ...
Andrew Wallace:
The leader of the opposition will resume his seat. The leader of the opposition will resume his seat. The deputy prime minister is being relevant. The deputy prime minister.
Joyce:
We go back to the conceit of these people on the other side who want sandstone sandy is the only person who could possibly lead infrastructure Australia. Because the Labor Party believes in that person earn an honest job, and an honest job you have already had one point of order, you can’t have two.
Albanese tries again, Wallace lets Joyce continue with his irrelevant class warfare.
Joyce:
I would like to say we will stand behind honest people, you look after the sneaky snobs.
And then he is out of time.
Updated
Heading back to the chamber for the second part of that answer Scott Morrison was giving to Anthony Albanese’s question on payments for childhood vaccines (no jab, no play).
Morrison:
The policies we put in place have ensured we have had not only record levels of child immunisation but the policies we pursued during the pandemic was not to pay people cash prizes ... the Labor Leader wishes to give them [a bribe], he is very precious today ...
Albanese:
The prime minister just made a very specific allegation which was unparliamentary, unparliamentary, against a member of parliament, if he wants to accuse people ... He needs to withdraw, he needs to withdraw he cannot be allowed to stand, if that is allowed to stand it will be a free for all.
Wallace:
The leader of the opposition will resume his seat.
That shouldn’t come as any great surprise. That the level of interjections was so great that I didn’t hear what the prime minister said.
Did the prime minister make and an unparliamentary comment? Well, I’m not in the position, I am simply ... The leader of the opposition will resume his seat. If the level of interjections is so high, that I simply could not hear what the prime minister is saying, well, then, shouldn’t come as any great surprise I can’t rule on that, the prime minister has indicated, the manager of opposition will resume his seat for a moment.
The prime minister has the call.
... Are you making that a point of order?
Burke:
What you dealt with then, you asked the prime minister whether or not he believed he had said something unparliamentary, so that you know what was said it was an accusation using a term that is a criminal offence. If you are going to allow that to stand that is a very significant shift.
The use of the word [bribe] if you are now going to shift that ruling, if you are going to make that as a formal ruling do it upfront ...
Wallace:
The manager of opposition business, as I indicated just a moment ago I didn’t hear what the prime minister had said. If the prime minister uses an allegation incorrectly.
Morrison:
I make no such accusation against any individual member. I was talking about his ...
Wallace:
The prime minister will resume his seat. Order. Order stop the level of interjections is too high. I can’t hear what’s being said.
Morrison:
This leader of the opposition wanted to pay people to get vaccinations. He wanted to pay people cash.
Wallace:
The prime minister will resume his seat, for one moment. I just want to make very clear, that if members for this house are wanting me to be able to rule on issues I need to be able to hear them. So the level of interjections are far too high, and I would appreciate if those honourable members would conduct themselves appropriately. The prime minister has the call.
Morrison:
That is the Labor policy to have paid people who already had vaccinations, I can understand why the leader of the opposition is so embarrassed about this policy, it was a fiscally reckless policy and why he can’t be trusted with the finances of the nation.
Wallace:
The prime minister will resume his seat. The leader of the opposition will resume his seat, the question didn’t refer to Labor party policies, prime minister, I would ask you to be relevant to the question.
Morrison:
The question was about Labor party policies it would be a very short answer, because there aren’t many out there, there is only one thing worse, then Australians not knowing, not knowing what the Labor party do and that is not knowing what Labor would do because they are trying to sneak their way into government, this is a very sneaky leader.
Updated
Jacqui Lambie accuses senator of leaking her private mobile number
Over in the senate, Jacqui Lambie has made an announcement.
Independent Senator @JacquiLambie reveals One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts leaked her personal mobile number on social media. She's been bombarded with abuse & threats. She'll now need to change her number, which means the veterans she supports won't be able to contact her. pic.twitter.com/Tqwy7wpved
— Jennifer Bechwati (@jenbechwati) November 23, 2021
Updated
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
Why did the prime minister in his last answer say, he didn’t pay parents to vaccinate their children when that is exactly what this government did?
Morrison:
Mr Speaker, Mr Speaker, the entitlement, the entitlement, which is provided to Australians, that the member refers to, was not being made to those who weren’t getting their children vaccinated to attend childcare, that is the policy, that is the withdrawing of a payment, not the paying of it. The leader of the opposition seems confused.
I know what the leader of the opposition’s policy was, over the last months he wanted to pay people with a cash prize to get vaccinated. That was the leader of opposition’s policy.
Albanese:
On relevance, this went to the prime minister’s no jab, no pay policy, and the fact that he once again, before the chamber, misled the parliament and saying he didn’t pay people. That policy was called no jab, no pay because you were paying people!
(I am pretty sure it was actually called “no jab, no play”.)
Peter Dutton:
There are many occasions when the leader of the opposition comes to this dispatch box under the guise of making a point of order, that doesn’t happen, he makes a political statement and he should be ruled out of order.
Andrew Wallace:
The leader of the house will resume his seat. The leader of the opposition will resume his seat. The prime minister is in order and being relevant.
Morrison:
The leader of the opposition wanted to be the $6m man on paying people the vaccines they already had, this was his policy, economic recklessness, Mr Speaker!
Wallace:
The manager of opposition business would know there is one point of order, on relevance, what is the point of order?
Tony Burke:
On the order of the house, Mr Speaker.
Wallace:
The manager of opposition business will resume his seat. The manager of opposition business, there is one opportunity to raise a point of order on relevance. What’s the point of order?
Burke:
With respect to the ruling you made you ruled the prime minister was in order, on the basis he was being relevant to the question, that’s what you ruled, and to that ruling I’m saying how can it be when a question has nothing to do with Labor policy, you are now going to allow an incident like this! How does that happen?
Wallace:
The manager of opposition business will resume his seat. The prime minister has the call and the prime minister is relevant.
We are three questions in.
Updated
The dixers are back to being about the economy.
Which is where the government wants to fight the next election. So yet another re-set occurring here
The Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, warmed up for question time when he addressed the Labor caucus this morning.
Albanese said Scott Morrison’s government had “given up on governing”. He said the prime minister was “trying to walk both sides of the street on vaccines”. He said everyone wanted their lives to go back to normal, but the key to that was vaccines. Referring to yesterday’s Hawaii text message blowup (and the Macron fracas), Albanese said:
“Call me old-fashioned, but if someone in this room or in the other room sends me a text message it doesn’t leak.”
Albanese said his mother used to say “you can lock your door for a thief, but you can’t for a liar”.
Road testing a potential pitch to voters to change the government but not expect radical change, Albanese also told his colleagues (when referring to the economy):
“We represent safe change – change that will take the community with us.”
Albanese cited policies such as NBN, urban rivers program, funding certainty for ABC, feasibility study for SBS to move from North Shore to Western Sydney, more resilient economy by acting on climate change, secure jobs for better wages.
He acknowledged the discipline of the Labor caucus, saying the Coalition couldn’t guarantee how anyone would vote. “No wonder people have trouble working out what to vote for given he [Morrison] says something different every day.”
Question time begins
Linda Burney to Scott Morrison:
Why does the prime minister pretend he is opposed to vaccine mandates when he imposed some of the strongest vaccine mandates in the country on children?
Morrison:
As I set out very clearly in the House yesterday, as prime minister I took the proposal for mandatory vaccines for aged care workers to the premiers and chief ministers in June, and it was not until mid- to late-August, until those mandates were put in place by those state and territory administrations around the country. The government policy on vaccines in relation to mandates has not been a binary one; it has been a carefully considered one based on the best possible medical advice, on the advice of the chief medical officer, in fact – and indeed, the unified position that was taken on mandates, by the AHPCC, the medical expert panel which has guided us all the way through this pandemic, has only had unanimous positions on mandated vaccines, in relation to health workers, aged workers and disability workers. Mr Speaker, that is the policy of the Commonwealth government.
Now indeed, other states and territories around the country have gone further – on the basis, I assume, of advice received by their own chief health officers. But I stress, the position the Commonwealth has taken on mandatory vaccines has been based on the advice of the chief medical officer and was based on the advice of the expert medical panel, which comprises all chief health officers of the states and territories and the chief medical officer.
For those opposite to falsely suggest that the government somehow is in truck with anti-vaccine is false because … it is the policy of our government that we supported those mandates. And in very specific circumstances, people who are working with very vulnerable people, it has also been our policy to allow the law of this land and our courts to enable businesses, where they wish to exercise their rights, to exercise judgements about their own staff and those who consume their services.
That is their right, Mr Speaker. We believe those decisions should be taken by those industries and that is the position we have adopted as a government. In relation to the No Jab, No Play, it is true, we removed an entitlement to a benefit for those who did not have their children vaccinated, who are going into childcare facilities, and we have one of the highest rates of child immunisation in the world. That is a good policy, we didn’t pay them to do it, we didn’t offer them cash*, because we understood that people who are receiving a benefit from the government, if people are receiving a benefit from the government, it is only reasonable to expect, that individuals … (he runs out of time)
*No, the government didn’t offer cash – it took cash away.
Updated
Ahead of question time, Linda Burney gave a 90-second speech on Clive Toomey, who passed away after contracting Covid in October. The pandemic is still changing worlds, all around us.
I rise today to speak about Clive Raymond Toomey and his family.
Clive passed away on 26 September due to Covid. He was only 43, and his funeral was in Dubbo on 29 October.
He was the dearly loved husband of Anna, a much-loved father of Clive, Monique, Jasmin and Lachlan – and a grandfather.
I visited and spoke with the family last Monday.
They were kind and gracious, and gave me the mask with Clive’s initials on it, which I am wearing here in the Parliament today and all this week.
Clive’s family had to fight to be able to see their husband and father in hospital for a last time, and to say goodbye after he passed.
This Government promised Indigenous people would be vaccinated first, but that did not happen.
Clive was unvaccinated, but not by choice. The vaccines his community were to have were diverted away.
Clive’s family are strong. They took every step they could to get vaccinated.
This Government let Clive and his family down, just as they’ve let down communities around this country.
Goodbye, Clive, a highly respected man in the western part of New South Wales.
Updated
The first question time with Andrew Wallace in the speaker’s chair is about to begin
For those who missed Penny Wong’s speech, you can catch up here with Daniel Hurst:
And our video team have put together part of the speech as well:
Updated
At the Labor caucus meeting this morning, one member of the opposition asked whether anyone knew what was going on in the Coalition party room on the religious discrimination bill.
The Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, responded:
When we receive a bill, we will deal with it in the normal way. I support religious freedom. People need to be able to practise their faith. It’s extraordinary that there has been no attempt from the government to work with us on this issue.
We’re told there was no further debate on the issue (given Labor had not yet seen the bill).
Updated
Mike Bowers has been very busy this morning. Here is some of what he has seen:
(The mask mandate seems to be working well)
Updated
While Scott Morrison was speaking about the need for unity and discipline in the joint party room meeting, Daniel Hurst tells me Anthony Albanese was telling his colleagues it is all about the mood for change:
We represent safe change – change that will take the community with us,” Albanese told Labor caucus.
Updated
The religious discrimination bill is now out and about in the wider world – we will bring you the detail on that very soon.
But it looks like it will go to a Senate committee, which means no vote on it in this term of parliament.
What about the federal integrity bill you ask? Good question! That also looks like it won’t make it for debate before the parliament finishes sitting next Thursday, which kicks it into next year.
Updated
We’ve got a bit more detail about the religious discrimination debate in the Coalition party room.
In favour of the bill were: Matt Canavan, Ben Small, Julian Leeser, Melissa McIntosh, Lucy Wicks and Nicole Flint.
Raising concerns were: Fiona Martin, Bridget Archer, Warren Entsch, Dave Sharma, Andrew Bragg and Trent Zimmerman.
There were also two more neutral contributions from the Liberal senator Hollie Hughes, who asked about the bill’s impact on people with a disability, and LNP MP Angie Bell, who said it needs to go to a committee.
It seems despite Zimmerman’s request for a joint select committee, Scott Morrison indicated it would go to a Senate committee in the normal way.
Updated
Think you can chalk this one up to another for the too hard right now basket:
On another election promise - the Indigenous Voice to Parliament - Minister Ken Wyatt tells Sky News he doesn't want to rush the process.
— courtney gould (@heyycourtt) November 23, 2021
"We are better off doing this properly, with the support of all within the parliament."
Updated
Two men charged over alleged threats to WA premier
Western Australia police have released this statement:
Detectives from the State Security Investigation Group have charged two men in relation to an incident that occurred on Saturday 20 November 2021.
It is alleged about 10.50pm, the two men phoned the Premier and left a number of threatening messages.
A 20-year-old man from Canning Vale and an 18-year-old man from Harrisdale have both been charged with one count each of Acts Creating False Apprehension as to the Existence of Threats or Danger.
They received bail and are subject to strict protective bail conditions.
Both men are due to appear in Armadale magistrates court on Friday 17 December 2021.
Updated
As Guardian Australia reported this morning, the Bureau of Meteorology has just formally declared a La Niña event.
As the bureau put it:
“Key atmospheric and oceanic indicators of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) show an established La Niña. Tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are close to La Niña thresholds, with models indicating further cooling is likely.
“The current model outlooks suggest this La Niña will persist until the late southern hemisphere summer or early autumn 2022,” the bureau added, which is longer than previous forecasts which put the La Niña running only “at least until January”.
“All models surveyed by the Bureau indicate SSTs will meet NINO3.4 La Niña thresholds in December and January with a majority also predicting thresholds will be met in February 2022,” it added.
Translating that into English. The main global met agencies focus on a part of the equatorial Pacific – NINO3.4 – which scientists have determined is the main area to watch for emerging sea-surface temperature anomalies. When they depart from long-run averages for an extended period, they typically translate to important changes in atmospheric conditions.
During La Niña years, the typically blowing east-to-west winds strengthen and result in more rain systems developing in the western Pacific and beyond. (El Niños go the other way with the winds stalling or reversing.)
Anyway, a lot more of this to come. A La Niña declaration just means certain thresholds have been crossed, not that the weather suddenly switches. All that rain falling over eastern Australia in recent weeks points to a pattern that has been building for a while.
Updated
Earlier, we reported from the Coalition party room that the religious discrimination bill will be introduced next week.
It now seems that Scott Morrison will introduce the bill this week (on Wednesday or Thursday) but there will be no vote before next week.
Then, we expect it’s off to a Senate committee. So the government has met the timetable the deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, insisted on – that it be introduced this fortnight – but expect delay and debate about its provisions.
Updated
Government senators threatening to withhold votes don't follow through
For those wondering why the Senate didn’t allow Rex Patrick’s push to suspend standing orders and introduce a national integrity commission – the answer is that the Liberal senators Gerard Rennick and Alex Antic were paired.
That means Labor and the crossbench would have had the votes to suspend standing orders, except Rennick and Antic were paired with Labor senators, reducing the tally for those in favour of suspension.
So, despite all the huffing and puffing about withholding their vote for government legislation, when they had a major chance to embarrass the government, they passed it up.
Now, technically, they haven’t breached their commitment, because this was a procedural vote not a vote on government legislation. Senate chaos narrowly averted.
Updated
Bureau of Meteorology declares La Niña event
The Bureau of Meteorology has declared a La Niña event.
Read Peter Hannam’s story here:
Updated
Liberals raise religious discrimination bill concerns in party room
Liberal MPs and senators have raised concerns about the government’s religious discrimination bill in the Coalition party room.
Speakers included the Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch, North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman and Bass MP Bridget Archer, who raised concerns about the provisions on statements of belief; senator Andrew Bragg, who expressed concerns about gay teachers; and Wentworth MP Dave Sharma who expressed concerns about gay kids.
Up to a dozen MPs and senators spoke in support of the bill – despite the fact Coalition backbenchers haven’t seen it yet, they expressed thanks to the attorney general, Michaelia Cash, for her process of consultation to improve the bill.
The bill will be introduced in the lower house and go to a committee – but it’s still unclear what sort of committee.
Normally the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee would deal with it, but Zimmerman asked for a joint select committee, a process which helped get bipartisan support for a marriage equality bill.
We’re still unclear on the exact timing of introduction – but Scott Morrison said it would be soon.
Updated
The party room briefings are coming up.
Andrew Wallace will be sworn in as Speaker by the governor general.
And then we go into question time.
Updated
The Senate just voted on Rex Patrick’s bid to suspend standing orders to introduce the national integrity commission bill.
It was 25-all, and tied votes fail. So the insurrection in the Senate was narrowly defeated by the government.
Updated
Rex Patrick’s motion to suspend standing orders to debate the integrity commission bill failed on the numbers – Paul Karp will have more for you in just a moment.
And here is Jacqui Lambie yells in the Senate, part two:
Watch senator Jacquie Lambie go from zero to 100km/h faster than a Tesla Roadster. pic.twitter.com/mzXvKuvi1u
— Michael Mazengarb (@MichaelM_ACT) November 23, 2021
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Affirmative sexual consent laws pass NSW parliament
Heading to the NSW parliament for a moment:
BREAKING!!! Affirmative Sexual Consent Laws have just passed the NSW Parliament!
— Hayley Foster (@HayleyFoster_) November 23, 2021
The NSW Government accepted moderate changes to the mental health impairment provision😊
Congratulations, @SaxonAdair, @RapeReform, @FullStopAus & everyone who worked so hard to make this happen! pic.twitter.com/6oD6pHskQa
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Scott Morrison is worst PM on record, Jacqui Lambie says
The independent senator Jacqui Lambie has lashed out at the Coalition for more than three years of delay on introducing a national integrity commission.
In the Senate, Lambie said voters would be angry at the next election about the government’s “promises you fail to deliver”.
Lambie said Australia has put up with the Liberals in government for eight years and Scott Morrison is the worst prime minister “on record”, calling him “incompetent” and “not a leader”.
Lambie added she is “enjoying watching him and you fall apart”.
Lambie also warned the Liberal MPs in Tasmania Bridget Archer and Gavin Pearce she will help boot them from parliament.
She said:
I look forward to running candidates there and directing preferences where they deserve to go – not to political liars.
Make sure your people in Bass and Braddon enjoy their last few months.
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Scott Morrison congratulates him – we’ll get speeches welcoming him from all sides and then the House will adjourn until 1.30pm.
Updated
Andrew Wallace elected as Speaker
The ballot is in.
Andrew Wallace: 70 votes
Rob Mitchell: 59
Now Wallace is doing that thing where MPs pretend to drag him to the chair (even though they accept the nomination).
It’s pantomime but the House seems to like it.
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Jacqui Lambie says a baby born on the day the government promised a federal integrity commission is walking, talking and getting ready for kindy, being almost three, and has ACCOMPLISHED MORE IN ITS SHORT LIFE THAN THE GOVERNMENT.
That is paraphrased, but there is more Lambie yelling in the Senate today.
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So floods, not fire this summer is the risk.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology will shortly announce if a La Niña event is under way in the Pacific, underscoring the prospect of a relatively cool, damp and stormy summer for much of the north and east.
The declaration will come a day after the bureau confirmed the season’s first tropical cyclone had formed in the Australian region. Cyclone Paddy developed near Christmas Island and reached category-one stretch on Monday but will weaken within days without making landfall.
A declaration of a La Niña is widely expected by the bureau at its fortnightly update of the main climate drivers for Australia’s weather on Tuesday afternoon. It has had a La Niña alert in place for weeks, and most of the models the bureau uses have been tipping such an event will last until at least January 2022.
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Some in the House are watching the Senate:
.@Senator_Patrick is seeking to suspend standing orders in the Senate to debate my bill for an Australian Federal Integrity Commission. We have been waiting too long for integrity in politics. We can’t wait any more and I hope every senator with integrity supports this.
— Helen Haines MP (@helenhainesindi) November 23, 2021
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One more update from Penny Wong’s foreign policy speech to the Australian National University:
The Australian government and the Labor party have both raised concerns in recent times about an increase in Chinese military pressure against Taiwan, a democratically governed island of 24 million people, amid Beijing’s long-term goal of “unification” with what it considers its territory.
Wong has taken aim at the defence minister, Peter Dutton, for telling the Australian newspaper earlier this month: “It would be inconceivable that we wouldn’t support the US in an action if the US chose to take that action.”
Wong characterised this as out of step with US policy of strategic ambiguity and blamed domestic political considerations. “Amping up the prospect of war against a superpower is the most dangerous election tactic in Australian history,” she said in her prepared remarks.
In the question and answer session, the head of the ANU’s national security college, Prof Rory Medcalf, asks: “If the government is essentially expressing support for a democracy of our size in our region against that kind of intimidation, what’s wrong with that and what would Labor do differently?”
Wong replies that the issue of Taiwan is a “finely balanced and complex” issue, adding: “You are correct to assess that the threat of conflict is rising. I think the question is what is it that Australia can do most to preserve the status quo.”
Wong says successive US administrations and Australian governments have sought to take positions to preserve the status quo and avoid conflict.
“My point is our job really is to ensure we create the disincentive collectively for conflict and continue to create as many incentives as possible for peace. I accept this is historically and now an issue where governments have recognised the downside of the sort of binary way Mr Dutton is construing it. I’m making a point that I do not believe, particularly given the US position, that that is the way in which we are most likely to create that incentive for the status quo.”
A member of the audience asks about China’s economic coercion against Australia over the past 18 months and whether Labor would do anything different about those trade actions.
Wong says it’s an area where there is “clear bipartisanship” between Labor and the Coalition. She says she has described China’s behaviour across a range of contexts as “not being the behaviour of a responsible global power”. She repeats the Australian government’s position that China’s behaviour in the trade area are inconsistent with its commitments under the China-Australia FTA and the World Trade Organization.
“It is an example of where we are in the China relationship. China has changed, the nature of the relationship has changed, and there will be enduring differences that need to be managed and dealt by whoever is in government and that will not change. I think of it as these are the structural aspects of the relationship. However, we know that we have to continue to engage. The question for governments over the coming years is how to do that and how do we do that in a way that recognises and manages these differences that are going to endure.”
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The parliament is about to get its next ‘wowser in chief’ as a Speaker.
Tim Watts has found the history of how it’s previously gone down.
Potentially a new ‘wowser in chief’ as Speaker?
— Tim Watts MP (@TimWattsMP) November 23, 2021
There’s been a history of that in the Australian Parliament…
Press Gallery beware!https://t.co/q0EGlXSMzx pic.twitter.com/9ezIyDhjlF
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This debate is still going on – it will depend on who supports it on the crossbench.
#BREAKING I am trying to bring @helenhainesindi’s AFIC bill on for debate in the Senate. Will the Senate support having a debate? Who’s for a Federal ICAC, who’s not? #auspol #FederalICACNow
— Rex Patrick (@Senator_Patrick) November 23, 2021
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Ged Kearney is seconding Rob Mitchell’s nomination as Speaker, she talks of his experience (he is also known for how many times he has been booted out under 94A) and then adds that he loves his family, his cars and his food.
It has a bit of a ‘forgot the oral assignment was due today’ vibe about it, to be honest.
The House goes to a vote – but the government has the numbers on this.
Updated
Labor nominates own MP for Speaker role
Labor is nominating the member for McEwen, Rob Mitchell, for the role of Speaker.
Tony Smith was elected unopposed three times. That streak is broken.
Updated
While the House of Representatives concentrates on electing a Speaker, over in the Senate Rex Patrick is trying to suspend standing orders to bring on the debate for the federal integrity commission legislation.
Labor will support the motion, which is for the crossbench bill Helen Haines introduced into the House, and Patrick introduced into the Senate.
It will depend on where the rest of the crossbench will go if it gets up or not.
Updated
The Victorian government has announced $40m in grants for three major offshore wind projects.
The funding will contribute to feasibility studies and pre-construction development for projects from Star of the South, Macquarie Group and Flotation Energy.
Star of the South’s proposed 2.2GW offshore wind farm will receive $19.5m, while Macquarie Group will receive $16.1m for the initial development stages of a 1GW offshore wind farm off the Bass Coast.
Flotation Energy will receive $2.3m for scoping studies and surveys for a 1.5GW offshore wind farm off the coast of Gippsland.
The Andrews government said the projects had the potential to create up to 5,600 jobs, bring more than $18bn in new investment to Victoria and power around 3.6m homes.
“Offshore wind is the next step to create thousands of high-skilled jobs, and we know we’re ready with a highly skilled workforce able to step into them,” the premier, Daniel Andrews, said.
Victoria’s energy, climate change and environment minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, said it was the largest single offshore wind announcement in Australian history.
Updated
Government nominates Andrew Wallace for speaker
Andrew Wallace, the member for Fisher (Sunshine Coast seat in Queensland), is being nominated for the role of Speaker.
Tony Smith is back on the backbench, having resigned this morning.
Wallace is being described as a “clean living man” who doesn’t drink. But is still “fun”. Despite having the nickname “wowser in chief”.
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It is worth pointing out that those arguing against vaccine mandates, or pushing anti-vaccine agendas, are using emotion as their defence, not facts.
Anyone who comes back to them with facts gets pushback with emotional debates with the caveat ‘I am just telling their stories, I am not saying either way’ or that questioning any of the accounts is ‘questioning what these people went through’.
There are no facts in that side of the debate. You can’t ‘debate’ emotion. And yet, they continue to get air time for those views – which they then cut up for their social media, and use to spread their message to vulnerable people even further.
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The Coalition party room is currently considering the religious discrimination bill – but its own MPs and senators still haven’t seen it.
Guardian Australia understands the party room has been told they will be given the bill at the end of the meeting, before it is introduced to parliament next week. Labor had expected after consultation with the attorney general, Michaelia Cash, that it would be introduced this week.
The Liberal senator Gerard Rennick is currently on Sky News defending his lack of due diligence looking into claims people are making about vaccine adverse events – and didn’t attend the party room meeting.
Updated
On the partnerships point, Wong says Australia needs to treat south-east Asia as the priority that it is, starting with more support for the pandemic recovery and boosting the vaccine rollout. “The prime minister’s announcement of 60million vaccines by the end of 2022 is a start, but clearly won’t be enough to ensure full coverage and boosters for those who need it, or strengthen frontline health systems in the Pacific and south-east Asia. The government needs to ensure sufficient domestic manufacturing capability to deliver for ongoing vaccine needs for the region.”
Wong pledges to appoint an Asean special envoy – “a roving high-level representative, respected in the region, to complement our diplomatic network, and forge close relationships with capitals” across south-east Asia.
Wong says Australia must also “address the emerging pandemic that is climate change”, suggesting: “It’s clear that a credible Pacific step-up will only happen under an Albanese Labor government that is genuine on climate – a government that recognises the existential, national security and economic threat climate change presents to all, particularly our Pacific friends.”
She calls for the overseas development assistance program to have “effective targets and oversight to not only alleviate suffering but also to address the structural barriers that are holding women and girls back”. Australia, she says, should also have a more robust domestic framework to eliminate modern slavery.
Updated
Penny Wong’s three overarching ideas for foreign policy are:
- Projecting a confident, unified, modern Australia.
- Building genuine partnerships, grounded in trust, to multiply our influence.
- Deepening the capability of the foreign service, including giving it “clearer political leadership and a sharper understanding of its role, responsibilities, and its potential in these times” along with “a rebuilding of our development assistance program”.
On the first point, Wong says how we articulate modern Australia “can constrain or amplify our influence – from a business seeking new markets, to the promotion of our national interests in a time of geostrategic competition”.
Speaking at the ANU, she says the world is multicultural and so is Australia. Australia, she says, should place the experiences of First Nations peoples at the heart of its diplomacy. She notes a quarter of Australians were born overseas. Strengthening social cohesion is “the foundation of our sovereignty” and also helps Australia to create common ground and build alignment with other partners.
“Expressing who we are in narrow and exclusionary terms can inhibit the potential for alignment. And it can diminish the cohesion in the Australian community. Recall Tony Abbott’s championing of the Anglosphere. Consider how that was received in the region and heard at home. Recall Eric Abetz demanding Chinese-Australians denounce the CPC [Communist party of China] in a Senate hearing – not a demand made of any witness who wasn’t Asian. Recall that the foreign minister was invited to rebuke Senator Abetz, but despite her responsibility to project Australia to the region, she declined to show any such leadership. Narratives matter, as do perceptions. As we strive for maximum influence, we need to understand this. And we need to understand how our past attitudes and policy on race can provide others with the opportunity to promote narratives that limit our influence.”
Updated
The LNP senator Gerard Rennick is trying to explain his position on Sky News.
It is going as well as you would expect.
Updated
Penny Wong outlines Labor foreign policy
The shadow foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, is giving a speech to the Australian National University right now outlining her plans for foreign policy if Labor wins the election.
First, she outlines the current outlook: Australia must expand its power and influence given a range of challenges, including “rising nationalism, fraying multilateralism, great power competition, emerging Covid strains, an ever-warming planet, and a more assertive China”. Wong says foreign policy “is not merely a stage for photo ops but a critical tool in delivering our national security”.
“Our interests won’t be advanced simply by a series of individual deals and transactions. Rather, the features, the architecture and the attributes of our region – and of the international system itself – are being contested. We are in a contest – a race, you might say – for influence. Maximising our influence means we need to use all the tools we have. Military capability matters. When I say military capability, I mean actual, real capability – not announcements. But we need more than that. We need to deploy all aspects of state power – strategic, diplomatic, social, economic.”
Wong says most of the challenges that the region faces fall short of military conflict – most of them fall in the grey zone. Alluding to China’s trade actions against Australia, Wong says: “The example most resonant for Australians will be trade – increasingly a vector for geostrategic competition. Economic coercion and cyber-intrusions are being deployed to pursue strategic outcomes and undermine agreed rules. And not far from us, the flouting of norms for exploitation of natural resources including energy, water and fish stocks risk livelihoods and regional stability. These are threats that can’t be deterred by military might alone.”
On economic resilience, Wong says, it is “in Australia’s national interest that we reinforce our economy’s resilience by becoming a renewable energy superpower”.
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New House of Representatives Speaker incoming:
The House resumes at noon. After Members are notified of Speaker Smith's resignation, a new Speaker will be elected. Upon taking the Chair, the new Speaker is expected to be congratulated by Members prior to making acknowledging remarks. The House will then suspend until 1.30pm. pic.twitter.com/FBFOEFKEDH
— Australian House of Representatives (@AboutTheHouse) November 23, 2021
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This is one preference message you would imagine will be backed by Clive Palmer’s seemingly endless advertising dollars though:
On further preferences- Kelly says put major parties last, and put sitting member last.
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) November 23, 2021
Updated
A reminder though – in the end, preferences are up to the voter. A how-to-vote card might be handed out at the booth, but there is no onus to follow it (or even look at it) while voting.
Supporters of the major parties tend to follow how-to-vote cards, but not those who give their votes to the minor parties or independents, which makes predicting those preference flows a crapshoot.
United Australia party and Liberal Democrats announce preference deal
And there you have it:
Craig Kelly announces UAP will give first preference to Liberal Democrats, and in the lower house seats where LDP isn't running, their members will support UAP.#auspol
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) November 23, 2021
Updated
Meanwhile, the Greens are also looking to the election.
Greens are foreshadowing an Adani style campaign in inner city Liberal and Labor seats - unless Labor votes to disallow $50m public funding to open up Beetaloo gas basin. #auspol @AmyRemeikis pic.twitter.com/XnPgPgqKYW
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) November 22, 2021
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As the Coalition deals with a backbench revolt over vaccine ‘mandates’ (agreed to as part of the national plan, from the national cabinet, which Scott Morrison, the head of the government chairs) and vaccine misinformation being published on its own members’ social media, there is this message from a public health official:
It's encouraging that ICU numbers have dropped below 100 and we push on to 90% double dose for 12+. But the 19 lives lost are a real tragedy. There are legitimate reasons why a few individuals can't be vaccinated, but 17 of 19 had no vaccines recorded. Entirely preventable. 1/3 https://t.co/wSzc2Lza1b
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) November 22, 2021
To all those who are yet to be vaccinated, please consider what it might mean for you or at-risk individuals anywhere. If you're fully vaxxed, congrats. And get your booster as soon as eligible - it provides significantly greater protection from infection and severe illness. 2/3
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) November 22, 2021
There are about 250,000 Victorians who will be due for a booster by year's end. We've given 80,000 boosters so far, but really need to ensure everyone who's due is getting their dose. It's likely to provide protection for several months; possibly years. Our winter insurance! End
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) November 22, 2021
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This also clears the way for the bill to form part of the election campaign, where the Coalition can claim it has a mandate to pass it if it is re-elected.
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson tells Sky News the religious freedom bill will be kicked to a Senate committee.
— Trudy McIntosh (@TrudyMcIntosh) November 22, 2021
As for her position if it does go to a vote: "I am not supporting that bill until they reign in the issues people have"
Updated
Craig Kelly, the leader of the United Australia party, is holding a press conference with John Ruddick from the Liberal Democrats at 11am in the Mural Hall in Parliament House, to talk a preference deal.
Campbell Newman, the Liberal Democrats Queensland Senate candidate, is holding a press conference with Clive Palmer in Brisbane at the same time (presumably on the same issue).
So Palmer and the Liberal Democrats will be swapping preferences. Palmer has said he is happy to spend $80m in advertising this election, so don’t underestimate the impact. They are all looking for the disenfranchised vote and they don’t care how they get it.
Newman is fighting One Nation and LNP senator Amanda Stoker for Queensland’s sixth Senate position, so stay tuned.
Updated
The government that wants government to get out of people’s lives is moving forward with legislation to make it harder for people to vote – for no reason. This legislation is not addressing any issue which has been raised in Australia, a nation with compulsory voting.
Labor’s Don Farrell says if the Coalition’s voter ID laws pass Parliament, the first action of an Albanese Labor government will be to repeal the legislation
— Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy) November 22, 2021
Updated
Melbourne man arrested over disappearance of campers
A Melbourne man has been arrested over the disappearance of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay in Victoria’s rugged high country 20 months ago.
Read our story here:
Updated
George Christensen has been able to run rogue for quite some time – Barnaby Joyce said the quiet part out loud when he took back the Nationals leadership and explained why he wouldn’t censure his backbencher over his vaccine views back in August:
Barnaby Joyce confirms the delusional George Christensen, a Government backbencher, now runs the country. Scott Morrison is too gutless to stop Christensen spreading his dangerous COVID lies because he’s scared he might bring down the government. pic.twitter.com/xZhrsPxhDc
— Mark Dreyfus (@markdreyfusQCMP) August 12, 2021
Obviously, that strategy worked an absolute treat. Absolute Galaxy Brain thinking.
Updated
The Queensland LNP MP Andrew Wallace has been nominated as the new Speaker.
Technically, it is for the House to decide – but the government should hold the votes.
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The LNP senator Matt Canavan says he is compiling a ‘list of concerns’ he wants to send to the prime minister as he considers what he will do with his Senate vote.
I do believe that there remains opportunities for the Australian government and the prime minister to pressure the state and territory governments to back down from their threats to stop Australians from being able to work. The state governments are using Australian government data and the Australian immunisation register to enforce their mandates. And I think that it would make absolute sense for the Australian government to establish a set of guidelines before providing access to that data.
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All of this anti-vaccine mandate blow-up in the government party room is happening on the same day Victoria recorded 19 deaths from Covid by the way.
Nineteen people. Seventeen had not been vaccinated. There are a lot of individual worlds which seem so much bigger because people are missing from them, because of this pandemic.
And elected parliamentarians are using their power and influence to push against the most effective tool we have in keeping people safe, and with us.
Updated
Here is what George Christensen told his supporters on his Substack newsletter about his plans.
A couple of things – all LNP MPs are able to vote on their conscience, at any time. Unlike Labor, you don’t have to follow a party position. It’s the main difference between the party. In Labor, you can get kicked out for crossing the floor, but in the LNP you are allowed to cross without consequences (except for those MPs who supported voluntary assisted dying in Queensland and were then threatened with disendorsement after the conservatives in the party blew up over it).
The other thing – when would George Christensen’s conscience, given where he sits on the political spectrum, ever have him voting with the Greens or Labor? Does such a reality ever exist? Christensen has threatened to cross the floor/withhold his vote many, many times in the past. I can’t think of a time when he did it, when it actually mattered. It’s like when I say I am giving up chocolate, as I walk into a Haigh’s store. Next time. FOR SURE.
Earlier today, I informed Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce (and the Nationals Party Room of which I am a member) that, unless we act to stop state governments and private corporations from discriminating against non-vaccinated Australians when it comes to either employment or clientele, then I intend to not be beholden to party room discipline when voting in the House of Representatives.
To be clear, until federal action is taken against vaccine discrimination, I will be voting according to my conscience (or abstaining from votes) on bills and substantive motions rather than just voting with the government as MPs usually do.
As I was elected as a member of the Liberal National Party, I will continue to support the government with confidence motions and supply as well as procedural motions (except if they relate to ending vaccine discrimination). My support is not guaranteed on bills or substantive motions. When action is taken to stop vaccine discrimination, I will go back to the normal process of voting with the government on most, if not all, bills and substantive motions.
I have no doubt this stance will result in personal attacks on me. But far more important than my political and personal reputation is the prospect of ending the tyranny, the discrimination, the segregation, the job losses and the negative business impacts that are all being wrought (or are about to be wrought) on my fellow Australians.
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The former Queensland LNP premier turned Liberal Democrats Senate candidate Campbell Newman is holding a press conference with Clive Palmer today (11am AEDT, 10am AEST time) for ... reasons.
Palmer and Newman spectacularly fell out during Newman’s one-term premiership, where Palmer went from being the party’s major donor to setting up his own political party to help tear the LNP down.
Anyways, now they’re holding press conferences together.
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Tony Smith has resigned as Speaker, so he is able to chat to the media now – don’t expect too many secrets to be shared – Smith is a traditionalist, and will uphold the respect for the Speaker’s office, as well as his party. He remains the member for Casey until the next election, when he will retire from federal politics.
But he does seem to be chatting about some things.
And @TonySmithMP tells me that if the Speaker had the power, he would have directly referred former AG Christian Porter himself to the powerful Privileges Committee, House vote or not. @abcmelbourne
— Virginia Trioli (@LaTrioli) November 22, 2021
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For those heading to South Australia now that the borders are open to those who are vaccinated against Covid:
How to link your vax certificate to mySAGov app
— Greg Barila (@GregBarila) November 22, 2021
1. Update your mySAGov app/ login
2. Download Medicare (MyGov) app/login
3. Go to proof of vaccinations
4. Go to "view history"
5. "Share with check in app"
6. Select "mySAGov"#covid19southaus
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The party room meetings are under way, so things will get a little quieter for an hour or so.
We’ll bring you the updates of what happened in those meetings as soon as we can.
For those who don’t know, one of the strange little Canberra quirks is the background party room/caucus briefings – where a chosen MP (usually Ben Morton for the LNP and Tony Burke for Labor) gives a brief rundown of the minutes taken at respective meetings (the Greens also hold a briefing) but none of it is officially on the record, and is treated as background.
Journalists can ask questions about what was discussed (and not always get answers) and names are never offered just ‘an MP raised XX concern’ and then it is a rush to hit the phones and find out what really happened in the meeting.
Updated
Victoria reports 19 Covid deaths and 827 new cases; NSW two deaths and 173 cases
Victoria and NSW have published their daily Covid numbers:
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) November 22, 2021
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/mg5KtFsvQ0
NSW #COVID19 update – Tuesday 23 November 2021
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) November 22, 2021
In the 24-hour reporting period to 8pm last night:
- 94.4% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 91.9% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/2UmaJ3Co1F
Updated
Chinese foreign ministry responds to Peter Dutton
Overnight the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, took aim at Peter Dutton for ridiculing comments by China’s acting ambassador to Australia.
A quick reminder: Wang Xining, the acting ambassador, last week likened Australia to “a naughty guy” over the Aukus nuclear submarine deal, saying it jeopardises Australia’s peace-loving reputation and the Australian people “should be more worried”. In an interview with the Guardian, Wang said Australia would be branded as a “sabre wielder” rather than a “peace defender” as a result of the plan to acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines.
(Bear in mind, China is rapidly modernising its own military force, and already has the largest navy in the world with a battle force of about 355 ships and submarines, according to a Pentagon report earlier this month. China currently operates 12 nuclear-powered submarines and, like the US, is a nuclear weapons state.)
At the daily foreign ministry press conference in Beijing, Chinese state media outlet the Global Times asked: “In response to the Chinese embassy to Australia’s remarks regarding Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine deal, Australian defence minister Peter Dutton on November 19 called Chinese official’s remarks provocative, silly and funny. Do you have any comment on that?”
Zhao replied: “Mr Dutton’s remarks are extremely absurd and irresponsible. As a senior official of the Australian government, he is obsessed with the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices. Driven by selfish political gains, he has repeatedly made provocations, sensational and astonishing statements on China-related issues. He wouldn’t scruple to hijack Australia onto the chariot in confrontation with China. His real intention has been exposed to all.”
Zhao accused “some Australian politicians” of “hyping up” the China threat “and making all sorts of trouble” and interfering in China’s “domestic affairs” related to Taiwan.
“Certain Australian politicians should discard the Cold War mentality and ideological bias and not to erect any ‘imaginary enemy’ when it’s completely uncalled for. If they attempt to pocket selfish political gains by singing the anti-China tune, they will end up shooting themselves in the foot and becoming a laughing stock in the world.”
Updated
Bill Shorten had his regular slot with Channel Nine this morning, where he dutifully gave Labor’s message on Scott Morrison and trust:
I reckon all politicians cop a bit of a bad rap. But listen, Scott Morrison, Morrison’s taken us to new levels, hasn’t he? I mean, for the first time ever, we’ve got a leader who doesn’t want to lead. You know, bad leadership’s disastrous for the country, but someone who doesn’t want to lead, who wants to pass the buck to the states on every occasion? That is a recipe for chaos, conflict, almost the decline of the country. So, I just think Scott Morrison needs to turn up and tune in and stand up and stop dropping the ball.
The host then helpfully turned to the conversation to how walking both sides of the vaccine mandate conversation is a strategy to harness 10% of the vote, and Labor is falling into a trap by upholding public health messages. Or something. (We all in the media really need to stop talking about politics being a game, instead of something which has impact on people’s lives.)
Shorten replies:
Well, let’s just back up a little bit here and just look at what’s really at stake. What we have is the Covid crisis, which has been a terrible and complex time for a whole lot of Australians and businesses and families. And what we have as a prime minister, you know, being prime pinister isn’t just a reward for winning the election. It actually carries, that rank carries with it responsibilities.
Updated
Yesterday, the federation chamber (the spillover chamber for debates and speeches) held a motion in support of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
A number of MPs spoke on it, including National party MP Mark Coulton, who used the word “apartheid”, which none of the other MPs did.
The whole speech is worth reading but here is part of it:
I saw that with my own eyes in Hebron, where the centre of the town had been overtaken illegally by settlers.
I saw settlements. The image of some temporary buildings on top of a hill in the West Bank does not describe the settlements. There are 620,000 Israelis living illegally in the West Bank.
These are cities with shopping centres, swimming pools, movie theatres and substantial, solid homes. These are permanent settlements. The access to the settlements is on roads that only Israeli citizens can use, not Palestinians.
How would you like to live in a land where not only is your access cut off by roads that you’re not allowed to use but, at times during the year, military activities mean certain parts of your country are no-go zones?
How would you like to be a farmer and know that all the lowlands and the Jericho Valley, the highly productive lands, have been taken from your control and you have to eke out a living on a bare, bony ridge?
The policy of the Australian people and our government is to look to a two-state solution. I think that we’re beyond that.
I think we have a level of apartheid, with a suppressed people, and the West Bank has been cut up to such an extent that I don’t know how that would work.
As the member for Calwell says, I think it’s going to require a lot of effort from the world to actually come up with a solution that’s relevant to now …
I support the Palestinian people. The globe needs to act. World leaders need to act.
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I think we can see where Labor is going today:
Truth, lies and BS. In 90 seconds, I explain how Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt helps us understand Scott Morrison. https://t.co/Lu49A8MbMx #auspol pic.twitter.com/4GJSNeLukR
— Andrew Leigh (@ALeighMP) November 22, 2021
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Anthony Albanese was asked if he knew “straightaway that was not the truth”.
Yes, because it was a lie. I didn’t know where he was.
The Labor leader continued:
I kept that text message which was a private message from his phone to my phone, private, because that’s what you do, whether it’s between Australian political leaders, or whether – or if it was a message from a foreign leader.
The truth is that I kept that information that he had given me of a private nature.
He chose to go on to 2GB radio live from Hawaii and say that he texted me.
That was a matter for him. I confirmed that that was the case, but I didn’t release the text message.
And then:
This prime minister has a problem with just telling the truth, and it is a real problem for the nation.
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Anthony Albanese asked about 2019 text from Scott Morrison
Anthony Albanese was also asked about the text Scott Morrison sent him in 2019, ahead of his Hawaiian holiday during the 2019 bushfires.
For those who need a refresher, Labor, as part of a “let’s remind everyone of all those times the prime minister didn’t tell the truth” campaign in QT, asked why the PMO had misled journalists over the whereabouts of the prime minister as Australia burned.
Morrison answered:
I can only speak to what I have said, as the leader of the opposition will know, because I texted him from the plane when I was going on that leave and told him where I was going, and he was fully aware of where I was travelling with my family.
After Albanese denied knowing where Morrison was, only that he had received a message from the PM saying he was taking leave (as Morrison made public at the time), Morrison followed up with:
Where I was going was on leave. That was the importance of the text message sent to the leader of the opposition. He knew I was taking leave. I told him I was taking leave. He chose to politicise that and has done so ever since.
And then we had a third attempt from the prime minister explaining that “where I was going on leave” actually just meant “I was going on leave”.
I wish to add to an answer. I want to confirm what the leader of the opposition said – that, in that text, I did not tell him the destination of where I was going on leave with my family; I simply communicated to him that I was taking leave. When I referred to him knowing where I was going and being fully aware I was travelling with my family, what I meant was that we were going on leave together. I know I didn’t tell him where we were going, because where members take leave is a private matter. I know I didn’t tell him the destination, nor would I, and nor would he expect me to have told him where I was going. I simply told him that I was taking leave with my family, and he was aware of that at that time.
That all happened within the space of an hour.
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Anthony Albanese was on ABC News Breakfast this morning, where he got to deploy this old line:
I just think this is a prime minister who can’t control his own party room, let alone capable of governing us into the future in the way that we need.
If you can’t govern your party, how can you govern the country?
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Liberal senator Andrew Bragg was on Sydney radio 2GB this morning, talking about his ABC complaints Senate inquiry.
He was asked about the Greens motion Sarah Hanson-Young will move to try to shut it down (ABC board chair Ita Buttrose said the inquiry amounted to “political interference” given the board has already set up an independent inquiry into the complaints process, which is yet to report back)
Bragg:
We’ve already received more than a dozen submissions from the community. Many serious issues have been raised in these submissions. Some of them are so serious, we can’t actually put them up on the website straight away. So I think it would be unbelievable if the Senate was to cancel the ability of people to have their say. And this is a community process where people can have their say about complaints handling so if the Senate votes to close this down, they’ll be voting to close down these people’s voices.
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Peter Dutton has been in the media a lot lately (he is even smiling again for the cameras – never a good sign) as he does his part to talk up the possibility of a “khaki” election campaign (which is all about defence).
Penny Wong has noticed, as Daniel Hurst reports:
The Morrison government is embarking on “the most dangerous election tactic in Australian history” by talking up the prospect of Australia joining a war over Taiwan, according to senior Labor frontbencher Penny Wong.
The shadow minister for foreign affairs will use a speech on Tuesday to accuse Scott Morrison of “desperately playing politics on China whenever he’s in trouble” – citing the prime minister’s attempt to portray Labor as siding with Beijing.
Wong will also accuse the defence minister, Peter Dutton, of straying from longstanding bipartisan policy on Taiwan. She will say Dutton is doing the people of Taiwan “no favours by amplifying Beijing’s fatalism” about the limited options available.
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There will also be a new Speaker of the House elected today.
Tony Smith will hand in his resignation to the governor general, which is the political equivalent of making something social media official, and then the House of Reps (the government) will elect a new person to fill the role.
Will it be Andrew Wallace? Kevin Andrews? Nola Marino? You’ll find out soon. The new Speaker gets a nice pay bump, giant office, staff and a portrait and they get their new pay from now until the next parliament is formed, so even if they end up sitting in the chair just for the next seven days, the chosen backbencher will receive an extra $160,000 or so until the day before the new parliament resumes, even if they lose their seat at the next election.
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You’ll be hearing more and more about “wedge” politics as we get closer to the next election (in either March or May).
It’s the description political commentators and the players they observe like to use when talking issues and legislation which are designed to create a problem for the other side. So, essentially, it is all part of the political game. The issue with it, of course, is that legislation and highlighting issues is meant to be about making people’s lives, on the whole, better. So when something is boiled down to “a wedge for the other side” it exposes what this part of the political cycle is all about – trying to maintain power.
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As Sarah Martin and Paul Karp have been reporting, the government party room is expected to consider the religious freedom bill today – not that everyone has seen it yet.
What has been seen has managed to alarm the moderates in the party room, who have reserved their right to cross the floor over a statement of belief clause that overrides other state anti-discrimination laws and a positive discrimination right for faith-based institutions.
But the conservatives don’t seem too impressed either, as they don’t consider the bill goes far enough in protecting religious freedoms.
While the government may have trouble getting it through its own party room (and then its own side on the floor when it comes to votes) it had hoped to use the legislation as a yet another “wedge” for Labor.
Here is what Jim Chalmers had to say about the bill yesterday, while speaking to ABC radio in Brisbane:
I haven’t seen it yet. It hasn’t been broadly circulated. There’s a lot of coverage in the media, so obviously, we read that and absorb that. But I haven’t seen the bill yet. It hasn’t been broadly circulated. It gets introduced on Wednesday, I believe. So, we’ll have a good look at it.
We’ve said throughout these three years of false starts and missteps and all of the rest of it that we support people in our community being able to go about their lives and exercising their faith free from discrimination. That obviously requires a lot of fine details which will be in the legislation, and we’ll take our time to go through it properly to make sure that it accords with our views. But I haven’t seen it yet so I can’t come to a definitive final view on it.
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Michael McGowan and Christopher Knaus have gone through LNP senator Gerard Rennick’s Facebook page, where he is publishing alleged Covid vaccine horror stories:
We say alleged, because the senator himself admits he has not checked the stories, equating it to “school work” and questioning “Did you get all of your school work right when you were at school?” when Mick and Chris asked him about some of the dubious claims:
Is it 100% accurate? I can’t guarantee that and I’ve never said that, and that’s why I say it’s someone’s story. It’s not my story, I’m telling someones else’s story.
And yet he is sharing this on his page, which labels him as a senator, and is fighting against vaccine mandates because of these stories.
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South Australia is once again open to the rest of the nation – with some restrictions, as AAP reports:
Everyone must be double vaccinated and use a new online border entry process known as EntryCheck SA, which assesses an individual’s vaccination status, departure location and Covid-19 risk.
Based on the information provided, travellers may also be prompted to use a new HealthCheck SA app which will help them monitor daily symptoms and guide them through any testing and quarantine requirements.
Unvaccinated travellers will be required to seek a special exemption, with applications to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
By yesterday, more than 25,000 people had applied to come to SA, with most of the earlier arrivals expected to be returning residents or people reuniting with family and friends.
Tourists are more likely to travel to SA over the Christmas-new year holiday period.
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Good morning
Welcome back to Politics Live.
Seven days to go in this parliamentary sitting year and Coalition backbenchers have decided now is the time to make a stand.
After five government senators crossed the floor yesterday to be the only five to vote on a Pauline Hanson-sponsored anti-vaccine mandate bill (Hanson is in Queensland and was unable to vote on her own bill) perennial “don’t make me do it” George Christensen is once again threatening to withhold his vote in the lower house.
Christensen, who will retire from federal politics at the next election, last threatened to go rogue in 2017, writing a letter to then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull who had just lost his majority in the lower house. Back then, Christensen wanted a banking royal commission and a return of penalty rates.
This time around Christensen wants state vaccine mandates overturned. Scott Morrison, who has been walking both sides of the line on the issue lately, yesterday reaffirmed his support for vaccine mandates for health and aged care workers (which the federal government requires).
But Christensen is not a fan. It shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Queensland LNP backbencher spoke at the conservative Cpac love-in yesterday, and had a go at the state LNP leader for not being strong enough on Queensland’s pandemic restrictions (even though criticising Queensland’s pandemic restrictions helped the LNP lose the last state election, and strengthened Labor’s numbers in the state parliament).
Christensen said:
Where’s David Crisafulli on these pandemic restrictions?
If I was the leader of the opposition I would have been on the stage [on Saturday] supporting all of these people who are protesting.
It’s great we’ve had ScoMo come out just this week saying that governments need to back off and we need our freedoms back. That should have been said long ago. But that’s being said now, that’s great it needs to be followed up with action ... so people don’t go and vote for these minor parties.
Christensen also agreed that there needed to be more conservatives in the party and less “ball-less dicks” being preselected:
There needs to be more of us so those other types don’t get in.
So that was yesterday. And today, he’s threatening to withhold his vote, which given the numbers in the house, is not the news Morrison would want as he tries to do ... something to rescue this last parliamentary sitting of the year.
The PM managed to create another own goal yesterday over his own relationship with the truth, and today the latest Guardian Essential poll has Labor ahead on managing the economy, the issue the Coalition hopes to make the next election about:
The party room meeting should be fun!
You have Mike Bowers with you, as well as the Guardian Canberra team of Katharine Murphy, Daniel Hurst, Sarah Martin and Paul Karp. Amy Remeikis will be with you on the blog until late afternoon.
It’s shaping up as a four-coffee morning.
Ready?
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