Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Michael McGowan and Amy Remeikis (earlier)

Government approves $500m war memorial redevelopment – as it happened

Australian war memorial
Australian flags fly outside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

What we learned, Thursday 10 December.

That’s where I will leave you for tonight. Thanks for reading.

Here’s what we learned today:

  • A bill that gives Asio sweeping new powers – including lowering the minimum age for compulsory questioning on terrorism-related matters to 14 years, and expanding the type of issues that can be subject to questioning to include espionage and foreign interference – sailed through parliament’s lower house with the support of the Labor Party. Labor had moved amendments, but when they failed it supported the bill anyway.
  • In the same debate, the Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton was forced to withdraw a comment branding the Greens leader Adam Bandt as an “enemy of the state”.
  • The Fair Work Commission president, justice Iain Ross, released a statement, revealing he has agreed to Christian Porter’s request to review the awards covering retail, hospitality, restaurant and registered and licensed clubs.
  • The member for Lingiari in the Northern Territory, Warren Snowden, announced he would retire at the next election.
  • The government approved a $500m redevelopment of the Australian War Memorial.
  • Scott Morrison said a Covid vaccine would be roll out in Australia prior to March, on current indications. In the same interview, with Sydney radio host Ray Hadley, the prime minister said Australia would deal with the findings of the Brereton Report “very sensitively”.

Updated

Channel Nine is reporting that the side of a house has collapsed after strong winds in Bondi. The two people who were inside are reportedly unhurt.

The bill banning gay conversion therapy has passed Victoria’s lower house.

OK he’s talking about the Sharks now so I think we can move on.

Morrison is asked whether he would establish a Royal Commission into veteran suicides.

He says he wants parliament to pass legislation for a veteran suicide commission. The bill was quietly withdrawn today because of a lack of support. Labor is pushing for a Royal Commission.

Updated

Morrison is asked about Western Australian premier Mark McGowan’s decision not to come to the National Cabinet meeting tomorrow. McGowan isn’t attending in person because, well, he didn’t want to be in the same room as South Australian premier Steven Marshall.

WA’s strict Covid-19 rules means the state still has travel restrictions in place for SA and people who have been in contact with those from the state.

Morrison seems pretty amused by the decision, and says “I’m taking my chances with the South Australian premier tonight”.

“The WA government has a rule about travelling and association with known South Australians or something like that, which is a strange term, so anyway he’s saying I’m the premier so I’ve got to obey the rules I’ve set which is fair enough,” he says.

“But it’s a strange rule ... there’s been some strange rules this year but I mean that one takes the prize [but] I’m not going to make Steven Marshall sit in the corner in a plastic suit tonight, I think we’ll be quite safe.”

Good afternoon.

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is about to appear on Sydney radio station 2GB.

I believe it’s the second time he’s appeared on the station today.

Updated

The glorious Michael McGowan will be with you for the evening shift.

Updated

I can not express how much of an honour it has been guiding you through this year.

I always blog parliament – but have spent most of this year on the live blog as part of the Covid response. It has been a pleasure taking you through the year – and one I won’t forget.

Your bravery, determination and humour got me through all of the long days – and we can not thank you enough for choosing us as your information source. We set out to inform without the hysteria and answer as many of your questions as we could – I hope we succeeded.

I could not have got through this year without my Guardian colleagues – and as always, there are too many to name, but a special thank you to Mike Bowers, Katharine Murphy, Paul Karp, Daniel Hurst and Sarah Martin for their work dragging me across the line in Canberra. The Guardian brains trust – including, but not limited to – Calla Walquist, Luke Henriques-Gomes, Naaman Zhou, Chris Knaus, Josh Taylor, Melissa Davey, Lisa Cox, Adam Morton, Michael McGowan, Matilda Boseley, Mostafa Rachwani, Ben Doherty, Ben Butler, Graham Readfearn, Steph Harmon, Alyx Gorman, Steph Convery, Elias Visontay, Amanda Meade, Nino Bucci, Ben Smee, Helen Sullivan, Lorena Allam, Greg Jericho, Mike Hytner, Nick Evershed and everyone else who has guided you through – thank you. I would have forgotten someone – it has been a long week, and I am sorry – but you guys are all amazing.

The Guardian team is small but mighty – the behind the scenes crew is incredible and too many to name – but thank you.

And of course, the biggest thank you, is as always, to you – thank you for joining us during this wild ride that was 2020. I haven’t forgot your messages, and you are always at the forefront of what we do. We couldn’t do it without you, so thank you.

We’ll be back – stay tuned for other blogs, and of course, the news as it happens. I’ll be back with Politics Live in February 2021. For the last time this year – take care of you.

And I mean that. It has been a rough year. Who knows what 2021 will bring us – but whatever it is, we’ll be right there with you.

Updated

A lot of the discussion about trade diversification seems to suggest it can happen quickly or that other markets can replace the vast opportunities the Chinese market offers. Birmingham also had a reality check on that, in the ABC interview.

“Look, China is obviously a very large market. It is not only Australia’s number 1 trading partner, but it’s the number 1 trading partner for the vast majority of the countries in our region. That is the function of our geographical proximity, and the scale of the Chinese market – the scale of population, the growth of the middle class. And with that, the propensity towards premium products. So, yes, there are clearly impacts there. It’s not easy to simply pivot away. And our businesses have made commercial decisions over recent years in terms of where they sell their products. We recognise that some are now under stress and pressure as a result of the decisions China has taken.

That’s why we want to work with them through our trade offices and other avenues to help them grow into our markets. But we don’t pretend it’s ever easy to grow a new export market and, of course, the need to diversify for some means choosing access points into many different markets, not just one, if they had a more singular focus on China before.”

Updated

The trade minister, Simon Birmingham, says China’s decision to impose an additional tariff on Australian wine “just shows that China’s making these decisions is not being based properly on the evidence”.

China’s commerce minister has today announced tariffs of about 6% based on claims Australian winemakers have received unfair benefits from government subsidies, in addition to the previously announced tariffs of as much as 200% based on “dumping” claims, the ABC reported.

Birmingham told the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas that “a 6% tariff on top of a 200% tariff is
obviously marginal compared to the initial harm that was done” but it added to concerns about the evidence base Beijing was using. He argued the claim about Australian wine “doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

He also responded to China’s response to Australia’s response to China’s trade actions. (Birmingham said yesterday it looked like China was breaching the free trade agreement with Australia, known as Chafta; China said those claims were unfounded):

“I’m afraid that the evidence just doesn’t stack up in terms of China just trying to deny that there’s nothing to see here. Our wine industry knows there’s something to see here. Our live seafood industry knows that there is. Our timber industry knows that there is. Our fresh meat industry knows that there is. Our barley and grain sector knows that there is. The sectors that have seen the obvious, continuous accumulation of impacts throughout the course of this year and, indeed, in the case of the barley processors that started a couple of years ago, clearly can see a pattern of behaviour, and that pattern of behaviour is inconsistent with both the intent and the spirit, as well as the letter of CHAFTA or, of course, the commitments China has made more broadly to the World Trade Organization.”

Updated

Labor has the matter of public importance, and then the adjournment debate begins - but parliament is all but over for 2020.

And that’s a wrap on the Christmas speeches.

Government approves $500m war memorial redevelopment

While the Christmas speeches are going on and the parliament is about to be adjourned for the year, Sussan Ley drops this:

I have today approved the Australian War Memorial redevelopment proposal under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999.

The decision, based on Departmental advice, follows a rigorous assessment of the proposal against the heritage values of the Australian War Memorial and Parliament House Vista, in keeping with both National and Commonwealth Heritage Management Principles.

In making this decision, I acknowledge the diverse range of community and stakeholder submissions made during the consultation period and the public interest in the project.

The Australian War Memorial holds a sacred place in the hearts of Australians and there are 29 strict conditions of approval to minimise and mitigate the residual impacts on the site’s National Heritage and Commonwealth Heritage values.

The Memorial will be required to prepare a Heritage Impact Assessment of the final design for my approval to ensure the site’s heritage values continue to be protected.

The iconic shape and front façade of the building will be preserved throughout this redevelopment, as will the main commemorative area including the Pool of Reflection, the Roll of Honour, the Hall of Memory, and the galleries dedicated to the First and Second World Wars.

I am satisfied the conditions of my approval will ensure the Australian War Memorial will continue to be an outstanding national museum and memorial that recognises and commemorates an important part of Australia’s history.

Anthony Albanese’s thank yous extends to the press gallery

“I thank most of you”

But he reserves a special thank you to the crew at AAP - who have been THROUGH IT this year.

Hear hear.

Teachers and Year 12s, Victorians, the grieving and the struggling also get a special thank you

Anthony Albanese now starts his Christmas speech, laughing that when he said last year was eventful, it had nothing on 2020.

“The year from hell comes to mind,” he says.

The thank yous from the Labor side are about to start. Look in your pocket - there is a thank you. Shake your head - that’s right, a thank you.

What’s that in your ear? Yup - a thank you!

Scott Morrison finishes with:

Let me conclude by saying there are a couple of things we missed in this building this year. One of those was the school groups, I’m sure. It was great to wave to them across the glass here today, but to see those schools coming back to our parliament, it’s a bit like the birds that return after a storm, Mr Speaker.

We’re passing through that storm as a country. The signs are there. I think, as we go into this time of Christmas, Mr Speaker, it gives us the time to reflect on the renewable that will take place.

And it will take place, Mr Speaker.

It will give us encouragement as we go forward into the future. Australians, my prayers for you and your family this Christmas is that you will find that peace in a year I where there has been little, and that you will find the hope and you can cleave to that hope as you go into 2021. God bless you, Australia, and thank you very much, and merry Christmas and a very happy 2021.

The thank yous are continuing. The Liberals get a thank you, the Nationals, Greg Hunt, Mathias Cormann - thank yous galore.

Everyone gets a thank you in Scott Morrison’s speech, from the community to the public service, to the defence force, to frontline and essential workers and the behind the scenes parliament workers who made the virtual parliaments happen.

You also get a thank you. Everyone gets a thank you.

Look under your chair – there’s probably a thank you there.

Updated

Scott Morrison is delivering his Christmas speech to the parliament.

It’s like the queen’s speech, but with less staging of picture frames and more background MPs trying to look very interested while warring with their desire to run as far as they can from this place, as fast as they can.

Mike Bowers was in the chamber to catch Warren Snowdon’s resignation announcement.

He’ll serve until the next election.

The member for Lingiari Warren Snowdon announces his intention to retire
The member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, announces his intention to retire. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
He will be missed
He will be missed. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison have both acknowledged Warren Snowdon’s contribution.

Albanese:

Warren has been absolutely unconditionally determined to advance the interests of First Nations people and it is sad to say, I think, it would be difficult to think of anyone over such a period of time who has that as they recorded this place.

Since Federation. Certainly no one would have argued the case through native title, through land rights, through our constitutional recognition, as Warren has. That is a great legacy.

But in the great legacy and when we recognise First Nations people in the Constitution, and give them a voice to this place, as you have argued, you can feel good about making a difference and making a contribution to that change happening.

Morrison finishes with what he says is the best compliment a Liberal can give someone from Labor:

You are a good Labor man. You are a very good Labor man.

Updated

Warren Snowdon concludes his emotional speech, with a thank you to his community:

The only reason I became a member of parliament and remain a member of parliament is because of the support I have been getting from the Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory.

... To bring a voice in this place. I owe them so much. I have learned so much, so, so much. I have learned about respect and humility. And I have [learned] patience. Patience. They have such great patience. When I stood up here on 17 September, not here but the old Parliament House, 1987, to give my first speech, I said a number of things.

As a nation, we have yet to recognise in the court Aboriginal justice which is due.

It is still the case.

I said this nation cannot [reach] maturity until Aboriginal Australians are given full recognition and the demands by Aboriginal and Islander people for compensation for land stolen and social and cultural disruption are addressed.

In my view, this should involve appropriate members of the Constitution.

[That was in] 1987. I said it is time the politics of division in this country are put aside so the last, at last, the injustice of the Aboriginal dispossession is recognised and dealt with in a way which is satisfactory to Aboriginal Australians. 30 years ago.

Here we still argue about the need for a voice to parliament. The treaty making. Truth telling. We have an obligation and chance and we should be able to do it, prime minister.

We should be able to do it. Come with us. Let’s make it happen. I want to conclude by reminding you that I’ll be rolling a swag at the end of the term, not tomorrow.

But I want to just finish by reading a quote by Xavier Herbert.

It’s not immediately relevant today because of land rights being achieved by and large, except for the deficiencies which will be a discussion for another day.

I think it is a really strong statement which bears the need for us to actually do things. Before I go, I want to thank Pat, Marla and Luke for your wonderful support. He said this: Until we give back to the black man just a bit of land that was his, without strings to snatch it back, without anything but complete generosity of spirit and concession for the evil we have done here, until we do that, we will remain what we have always been so far, that people without integrity, not a nation but a community of thieves.

The member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, announces his intention to retire.
The member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, announces his intention to retire. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Warren Snowdon says there is no bigger honour than representing your community. But he says it comes with a cost.

He takes another breath as he speaks about his family.

His partner gave birth to their first child a fortnight before his first election, and a fortnight later was in the car, travelling the electorate with him. They had another three children - but he said there were many years where he was only home eight or nine nights a month.

He worked out that over his time in parliament, he has spent two years in the air.

“So I want to say thank you Elizabeth, I love you.”

He thanks his children.

“As I love you, Frank, Tom, Tess and Jack.You are a credit to your mother. Because she raised you. I was an observer. Tolerated, but an observer”

Warren Snowdon announces retirement

The member for Lingiari says thank you to everyone for coming together to save the NT’s second’s seat.

And then, as the last member of parliament who served in the parliament since it was in Old Parliament House, he announces he will be “rolling up the swag”.

He takes a moment before announcing that - it is obviously quite emotional for him.

But he won’t be contesting the next election.

The last question time for the year ends

That’s it for 2020.

Well done to everyone not in the House - you got through it.

We just heard about living though an “uncertain pandemic” and I look forward to seeing what a certain pandemic is like, because this one hasn’t been great.

Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:

Does the prime minister agree that this eight-year-old government is riddled with waste and scandal including spending $30m on airport land that was worth only $3m to a Liberal party donor, $100m on sports rorts, $4.5bn to fix the second-rate copper NBN, $1.2bn to compensate robodebt victims, $20,000 on Cartier watches, and millions on his dud Covid-safe App?

Morrison:

No

That’s the whole answer.

So not sure whether he doesn’t think that is a waste of money or whether he just rejects the question (which includes things that actually happen).

Updated

Catherine King to Scott Morrison

Why does the prime minister and the government constantly make big numbers without delivering them, including spending $6.8bn less on infrastructure than in the budget papers, announcing the National Water Infrastructure Loan Facility in 50 media releases then scrapping it, announcing the Urban Congestion Fund but spending $1 in $5 and spending nothing in the emergency response fund in bushfire-affected communities.

Morrison:

We have seen this all day from the opposition, Mr Speaker. They have saved their worst for last today. They’ve saved their worst for last.

Here, as a government, Mr Speaker, we have come together and we have been thanking Australians for their tremendous efforts this year and we continue to do that in this place, and I want to thank all those who are out there, Mr Speaker, spending the more than $100bn of infrastructure that this government has committed to over the next 10 years, Mr Speaker.

Projects like the Western Sydney International Airport, in particular.

Mr Speaker, this project is going to change not just New South Wales and Sydney, Mr Speaker, but it is going to change the entire nation. When we came to government, Mr Speaker, in 2013 I had sat on the opposition benches for six years, and over those six years I heard the leader of the opposition go on and on, and on, and on about Western Sydney International Airport. He didn’t turn a sod, Mr Speaker. He didn’t even get up a sign, Mr Speaker.

The leader of the opposition, when it comes to the Western Sydney International airport ... Mr Speaker, he didn’t do anything despite the pleas, Mr Speaker, of those in his electorate and despite everything he said, he needed to do, on Western Sydney International Airport.

He was transport minister for six years, Mr Speaker, he couldn’t get a runway, he couldn’t get lift-off, Mr Speaker, he couldn’t even get himself out there to actually make the project happen

So, Mr Speaker, I’m not going to take a lecture from the Labor party when this government has been delivering the jobs on the ground that 1.5m jobs that were created before we came into the Covid-19 recession, saving 700,000 jobs, 700,000 jobs, through the economic supports we put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Australian people know because they have seen this government get on with the job. They’ve seen us deliver on the ground, Mr Speaker. And this desperate leader of the opposition can crow and carry on all he likes, Mr Speaker, but the Australian people have worked him out and those behind him, Mr Speaker, have worked him out.

Updated

Christian Porter:

This is desperate, Mr Speaker. Absolutely desperate. Telling untruths, trying to scare people, the signs of absolute desperation.

Mr Speaker, if Yoda were here, if Yoda were here, he would remind us, if Yoda were here, he would remind us ... he would remind us that fear of leadership tensions leads to the dark side, Mr Speaker.

Fear of leadership tensions leads to the dark side.

Leadership fear leads to anger.

Anger leads to wildly untrue assertions in question time.

That is the path to the dark side, Mr Speaker, and that’s the path that the Opposition is on.

I mean, I guess a Coalition MP would know – they have been through it quite a few times in the last seven years.

Updated

Christian Porter has spent the last 2.45 minutes trying to set up a Yoda joke.

Works not, it does.

Stuart Robert just did a dixer thanking members of the community for stepping up in a series of scenarios the government should have filled, so there’s that.

As my colleague Paul Karp just quipped, there is a bit of “and so the fair work commission shall hold” about these answers from Christian Porter.

For those playing at home – Malcolm Turnbull declared Barnaby Joyce would not be found to be a dual citizen “and the high court shall so hold” and – well, we had more than one byelection that year, including New England.

Updated

Sharon Clayton to Christian Porter:

Under the prime minister’s workplace laws, a cook working 6am to 2pm five day a week including weekends could lose $6,000 a year. Workers like these have spent 2020 worried about their livelihoods. Why is the prime minister punishing them with a cut to their take-home pay?

Porter:

Why is the member deliberately trying to scare them for no reason whatsoever...

For no reason whatsoever. Why would they deserve that after the year they’ve had? Why would the member do that?

Again, the scenario that the member has raised just wouldn’t happen. It doesn’t happen now. It would not happen under any of the changes that we are suggesting before the parliament. It simply wouldn’t happen. There are a range of protections to ensure that that scenario would never arise.

A range of very strong protections.

They start with the fact that any of these sort of applications has to commence with agreement between the parties. The union is the bargaining representative, the employees, and the employer.

Indeed, one of these questions was asked earlier by the member for Spence and not that long ago, in March 2017, the member for Spence said this, ‘All of the workers on these enterprise bargaining agreements vote to either accept the agreement or reject the agreement.

Now, what worker would vote for less pay and less conditions?’ Answer, ‘Nobody would.

That is the member for Spence. The ... Fair Work Commission says it will never allow an agreement. All the matters you’ve raised could never conceivably be in the public interest, which is why it could never happen.

Updated

I would add ‘desperate to drink my weight in wine’ to say farewell to this year to this list.

Emma McBride to Christian Porter:

Under the prime minister’s new workplace laws, a pharmacy assistant working a 38-hour work could lose $6,000 a year. Why is the government’s Christmas “thank you” to front-line workers a cut to their take-home pay?

Porter:

They simply could not, which really raises the question, which really raises the question, why would the leader of the opposition be sending out his backbenchers to ask questions solely designed and unnecessary to scare people before Christmas.

How desperate would you have to be, how desperate would you have to be, to send out our backbenchers and ask questions based on totally false assertions and premises. Completely false.

How desperate would you have to be to do that, when the only conceivable reason for doing that would to scare people unnecessarily and unfairly.

Updated

Anne Aly to Christian Porter:

Under the government’s legislation, a cleaner working part-time could lose $6,600 a year from their take-home pay. Why is the prime minister punishing front-line workers with a cut to their take-home pay?

Porter:

The question is, once again, untrue, incorrect, it wouldn’t happen. It doesn’t happen, and it wouldn’t happen into the future. And I think, member for Cowan, that you and I would both agree that that scenario would never be considered to be in the public interest, which is the existing test and it would be the preserve test, which is the reason why it doesn’t happen now, and it’s the reason why it would never happen into the future. And the question is, once again, desperately wrong, desperately wrong, for a desperate leader.

Updated

Nick Champion to Scott Morrison:

Can the prime minister confirm under his new workplace laws workers who stack supermarket shelves five nights a week from 6pm to 10pm could lose up to $5,500 a year? Why is the prime minister’s Christmas ‘thank you’ to front-line workers a cut in their take-home pay?

Morrison skips this one as well and gives the nod to Christian Porter:

Well, Mr Speaker, with respect to the member for Spence’s question, the scenario that he outlines is not possibility and would not happen, not now, not under what is being proposed by way of reform, not ever.

Updated

The thing is, the government wants to suspend BOOT for two years. And it’s lowered the test for when the exemptions to applying it can apply. Which means those previous examples don’t count here, because it is apples and oranges.

Or motorbikes and waterskies, if that is easier.

Ged Kearney to Christian Porter:

Yesterday the minister denied that a personal carer in aged care could lose up to $11,000 a year from their take-home pay under the government’s legislation. Why won’t the minister acknowledge the truth, that if there’s no better-off test, then every penalty rate and shift allowance is at risk?

Porter:

Because there is a better-off test. And it remains in the legislation. As it was always designed to do.

I think what the member is talking about is a – what’s known as contract crisis provision that was inserted into the Fair Work Act by the Labor Party, section 189.

Maybe I can share with the house the instances, very rare instances, that has been used in the past.

In 2011, under the then Labor government, the Dimaroo Aboriginal Corporation needed to allow for extreme weather events and made an application, agreed by all 19 of their employees to work their ordinary hours in a way not catered for in the award and the Fair Work Commission agreed that that was a commonsense change that was not contrary to the public interest and should be approved, and it was approved.

That seems to us to be a reasonable, limited response in a crisis circumstance. In another example, in 2011, a fresh produce business in Cairns, in 2010 after floods and cyclone Yazi and what had led in Cairns to the extreme weather event of non-occurrence in winter and had an extreme impact on fruit, under a determination was made that the application agreed to by employees, agreed to by the employer, was not contrary to the public interest, which is the firm, clear, necessary safety net test there, and that agreement was agreed to. The idea that what you are suggesting would occur, either in the present system ... or the future – the idea what the member is suggesting would occur, either in the present system or in the very modest addition that we have suggested to section 189 is simply not correct.

Updated

That was the biggest ‘I don’t even care if I’m not invited, because I’ll have my own party’ spiel I have heard since I banned my sister from my 13th birthday party and she protested by having a party with her dolls outside the living room, making us all trip over her as we went to the bathroom.

Zali Steggall gets the independent question and it’s the question of the day:

Will Scott Morrison be presenting at the climate ambition summit as he claimed? Or is what Australia has done or promised to do, not ambitious enough to get a speaking slot (as reported this week by Katharine Murphy and Adam Morton)?

Spoiler – he doesn’t have an invite ( but he uses a lot of words to admit that – most notably, by not answering the question).

Morrison:

I can assure you of this.

That Australia’s climate and energy policy will be set here in Australia.

In Australia’s national interests, not to get to a speaking slot at some international summit, Mr Speaker.

The only approval I seek, apologies for my side of government, is from the Australian public, that’s it. That’s it.

The only people I answer to in this place is the Australian people. And our government stands to serve the Australian people. Whatever country that may be, that may seek to impose ... whatever on this.

...The member thinks what is relevant is whether you speak at summits or not. That is not something that troubles me or concerns me one way or the other.

If people wishes us to speak of them, we’re happy to come.

If they don’t, I’m not fussed, Mr Speaker. What matters is if you actually reduce emissions and the 16.6% fall in emissions that we’ve had since 2005, and since emissions peaked in 2007, almost 27% fall in Mr Speaker.

But on the earlier figures, this compares to a zero or a 0.2% fall in countries like Canada and New Zealand, Mr Speaker.

Australia has record investments in renewables. Australia has a plan to put the technology in place to reduce emissions and ensure we achieve the Kyoto, as we already have, and demonstrated that, an importantly, the Paris commitments before us, Mr Speaker.

What matters is what you get done and Australia is getting it done. That’s what matters to the Australian people. Not how many speeches you give, not how many ambitions you declare, Mr Speaker.

I may have an ambition to play front row forward for the Australian Wallabies but that ambition won’t be realised. But what is being realised is a Australia is meeting its emissions reduction targets ...

Scott Morrison

Updated

Christian Porter does not correct the record about Fonzie being on water skis, not a motorcycle.

Probably because he doesn’t know how to make a water ski noise.

The Fonz with the Happy Days team. (Skis and shark not pictured.)
The Fonz with the Happy Days team. (Skis and shark not pictured.) Photograph: Paramount/Everett/REX

Updated

Michal McCormack (I legit almost forgot his name there for a moment) says something about regional Australia being at “the heart of Australia”.

Which they are. But also – that is just geography.

We then get something about planes, trains and automobiles.

And he rounds it all off by mispronouncing ‘stoic’ just as he was striving for statesman-like.

It’s exactly how McCormack should go out - burping homilies, messing it up and looking slightly confused to find himself in the room.

Updated

If you can’t work out how to jump over a shark, you can’t run IR. Or something.

It is all about IR.

Anthony Albanese asks Scott Morrison whether he is going to back down on the cut to take-home pay that he claims he hasn’t made?

There is a point of order because of course there is

Christian Porter:

My point of order is regarding the standing orders that allow the prime minister to have someone answer questions on his behalf that’s allowed. But it can’t be allowed with just a contemptuous nod of the head. It’s got to be referred and the parliament deserves to be treated with respect.

Tony Smith rules the question in order.

Porter takes the question too:

Yes, and the double-negative question was, “Will the PM back down on something which the government has not done?”

No. We won’t. Because we haven’t done it. And, therefore, there’s nothing to back down on. The question really, Mr Speaker, is why are the members for Watson and Grayndler on their motorcycles seeing who can jump the biggest shark. What is going on there?

[We reject] the allegation wholeheartedly. There they are on their motorcycles ‘broom-broom’ getting ready to jump the biggest shark they can find.

Why are they both trying so hard to out over-reach each other?

Anthony Albanese has a point of order:

It goes to accuracy there are children watching. A motorbike can’t jump a shark.

Porter:

We’ll explain what the phrase ‘jumping the shark’ means after question time.

But why are they both out trying to over-reach other. Why are they both trying to come out with the most absurd, ridiculous, untruth in a question that they possibly can? It’s because it’s the final audition for the one job that they both want, and that’s the person sitting over there. They both want and envy that job and that’s why we are getting this ridiculous overreach.

Updated

Question time begins

It is the final question time of the year - and you can tell.

No one is in ANY mood today.

Updated

It’s almost question time – strap in for another IR hour.

Updated

Editor-at-large of the Australian Paul Kelly has launched Bridget McKenzie’s biography of ‘Black’ Jack McEwen, published by Connor Court.

It was a light-hearted affair, best exemplified by McKenzie’s quip to Michael McCormack that she’d written the book because “I had all this spare time, boss” – in reference to her resignation from cabinet over the sports grants controversy.

According to Kelly, the central thrust of McKenzie’s book is that McEwen’s role can’t be dismissed or minimised because he was a protectionist, rather, the heavily protectionist post-war “reconstruction” period is back in vogue.

Quoting from the book:

McEwen’s approach still holds true for our party. With apologies to Adam Smith, the invisible hand of McEwen is behind our Covid-response, we are all McEwenists now.

Kelly dissented from that, and got a cheer of support from Liberal MP Tim Wilson, but said the book is thought-provoking.

McKenzie said her takeaway from McEwen is that he was not “flaccidly acquiescent” in the Coalition government – “that’s not how he got things done”, and was a template of how the country party should continue.

Updated

We are less than an hour away from the last question time of the year.

You may need something stronger than coffee.

Fair Work Commission to review penalty rates

The Fair Work Commission president, justice Iain Ross, has released a statement, revealing he has agreed to Christian Porter’s request to review the awards covering retail, hospitality, restaurant and registered and licensed clubs.

Porter had suggested the commission consider whether to allow employers and employees to agree to “loaded rates” – which replace penalty rates with a higher base rate of pay – and to consider simplifying classifications.

Ross said:

I propose to commence a process on the commission’s own motion to consider the inclusion of loaded rates and exemption rates clauses in the priority modern awards ...

The process will also consider whether any changes can be made to simplify the classification structures in the priority modern awards and any other changes proposed by any interested party.

Ross explained that the FWC has considered “loaded rates” in the past in the penalty rate cases and the four-yearly review of modern awards.

In both of these cases, the full bench noted that there was merit in considering the insertion of loaded rates into the hospitality and retail awards. In the penalty rates case the full bench indicated that it envisaged the development of loaded rates to be an iterative process undertaken in consultation with interested parties once the transitional arrangements in respect of the reductions in Sunday penalty rates was complete. The transitional arrangements have now been completed. Consistent with the view expressed in the penalty rates case it is appropriate that consideration now be given to the insertion of loaded rates into the hospitality and retail awards.

Updated

Chris Bowen says Labor will support the stillbirth action plan:

I will support the government in any of their actions and commitments to enact this plan.

I will be keeping a close eye on the short-term commonwealth items – they look not too difficult at all for immediate action – so will advocate that we get started on those straight away.

Once again, I would like to thank everyone here for their work – whether it has been through contributing to this plan, advocating for or participating in the Senate inquiry, or making public, what has long been a private grief.

Updated

The bells have not stopped ringing

Kristina Keneally made raising awareness and creating an action plan for stillbirth one of her goals when entering the Senate. A bipartisan committee was established to come up with a plan.

Today Greg Hunt has announced:

The Morrison Government’s National Stillbirth Action and Implementation Plan’s primary goal is to reduce stillbirths by 20% or more over the next five years. The plan has a 10-year timeframe and includes further short, medium and long-term actions.

To change these sobering statistics, over the next four years the Australian Government will provide:

  • $4m to support stillbirth education and awareness initiatives, particularly for groups at higher risk of stillbirth.
  • $2.1m to adapt the Safer Baby Bundle program for those priority populations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  • $0.5m to develop new Clinical Care Standards and update existing clinical care guidelines relating to stillbirth.
  • $0.5m for data improvement and activities to enable long-term research on stillbirth.
  • $1.7m to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework for the plan.
  • $1m for state and territory governments to take immediate steps to increase the uptake of stillbirth autopsies and investigations.
  • $1m through a National Health & Medical Research Council grant to Monash University to conduct a trial of a wearable, low-cost device to monitor fetal movements to prevent stillbirths.

Updated

Christian Porter said he didn’t “spring” the better off over all test part of the legislation on the unions, just “controlled the timing” despite 150 hours of consultations and round tables:

But we obviously control the timing of both when solutions to problems are raised or indeed thought of and some of those are raised in the process later rather on earlier.

Lols at the ‘staying close to home’.

We all are.

The international borders are closed. It’s not like any of us can take off to Hawaii for the holidays.

Updated

Morrison says Australia needs to deal with Brereton findings 'very sensitively'

As Amy mentioned earlier, Scott Morrison has been on 2GB with Ray Hadley. I’m glad she’s on it as usual, because I confess I’m catching up.

Some quick takeouts from that interview.

  • The PM said a Covid vaccine would be rolling out in Australia prior to March on current indications.
  • Morrison will have the premiers and chief ministers around for dinner tonight before national cabinet on Friday. Last meeting for the year tomorrow. Ho, ho, ho.
  • On the Brereton report. Hadley referenced some recent comments from the defence minister Linda Reynolds about the alleged killings of civilians and combatants being cold blooded murder. That was, in fact, the key allegation in the investigation into potential war crimes in Afghanistan, but the radio host thinks this is “like throwing petrol on the fire”. Morrison says it’s a “difficult time” and he’s sought to use “very careful language”. He says people are obviously innocent until proven guilty, but he says there is a need to deal with the findings in the Brereton report, and do that “very sensitively”. He says the response can’t be reduced to simple solutions. “There’s a history here that we have to deal with”. Hadley thinks Morrison ought to speak to the defence minister. “I understand the point, Ray,” Morrison says. Hadley thinks “these poor buggers have been thrown under a bus”. Morrison says the principle is innocent until proven guilty.
  • Hadley says he doesn’t care where Morrison goes for a Christmas break. Morrison says he’ll be staying close to home. He also hopes to speak more to Ray next year. Ho, ho, ho.

Updated

Is Christian Porter the fall guy if the legislation doesn’t get up?

Porter:

Well, I’m responsible for the legislation, for the process that helped design the legislation, and it is early days with respect to a bill like this. And the it covers five of the most longstanding problems that exist in the system. The focus has been on four paragraphs and one page so far*. But can I tell you, there’s going to be plenty in it to keep everyone interested and alert over the next several months, as we deal with it. And it’s a process, as I indicated previously, of continuing the dialogue, the discussion, the consultation around the draft through the committee. But the five problems that we’re seeking to fix, they can’t be left unsolved. If we can’t fix those problems in a practical way, we allow barriers to job growth to persist in an economy that desperately needs them removed.

*It is a pretty important page.

Updated

Christian Porter also says there has been too much focus on ‘one part’ of the IR bill – suspending the better off over all test – and not the rest of the legislation:

With respect to the omnibus bill there has been focus on one area and not a lot of focus on other areas, which in my observation would be more important, but, in any event, the government will keep that dialogue going, keep discussions occurring with all the parties and that work will continue over the summer. That will be difficult and detailed work which the government will be assisting with any way we can.

Updated

Christian Porter confirms the government has taken the national commissioner for suicide prevention off the legislation list, after failing to get the numbers needed for it to pass the Senate:

Perhaps if we’d had more time, it may have been possible to secure that support but it has been a matter of intense discussions with the crossbench and others. It was disappointing that Labor originally supported that model and withdrew support. However, the government’s commitment to that remains absolutely rock solid and we’ll be continuing that work over summer.

Greg Hunt will launch the still birth action plan at 12.30pm.

Greens leader accuses Coalition of making 'power grab' through new Asio bill

In the parliamentary speech that so angered Peter Dutton, the Greens leader Adam Bandt accused the government of making “a power grab that takes away people’s liberty” through the new Asio powers bill.

Bandt contended that “this last minute piece of legislation that is being rushed through should send a shiver down the spine of people who think that Australia is a place where you have the right provided that you’re not breaking the law, you have the right to go about your business freely”.

Greens leader Adam Bandt.
Greens leader Adam Bandt. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Bandt also contended the powers would make Australia “a world leader in these kinds of state sanctioned tracking of citizens and coercive questioning powers”.

The Greens leader referred to concerns the Asio powers bill would have a chilling effect on journalism, whistleblowers and civil society organisations.

External legal advice prepared for GetUp argued some of the work of civil society organisations – especially those involved in environmental and human rights advocacy – may be caught by the broad definition of “acts of foreign interference” because it includes clandestine acts that “are otherwise detrimental to the interests of Australia”.

For more on that issue, see our story from October.

Dutton withdrew his unparliamentary comment that Bandt was an “enemy of the state” but defended the need for the new powers, which expands the type of issues that can be subject to compulsory questioning beyond terrorism to include politically motivated violence, espionage and foreign interference.

It’s also worth noting that the government made several amendments today in response to recommendations of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security.

That includes amending the bill to require the attorney general to take into account the best interests of the child as “a primary consideration” in deciding whether to issue a warrant allowing questioning of a minor as young as 14.

It’s also worth noting the bill that sailed through the lower house today is different from the new Australia Signals Directorate and dark web-related powers unveiled last week (my colleague wrote a useful explainer about that proposal, which you can find here).

Updated

I’ve been talking to employer groups to see what they think of the two-year suspension of the better off overall test for approving workplace pay deals.

After Guardian Australia revealed this major change on Tuesday, the Australian Industry Group and Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry were quick out of the blocks in support of it.

Many others are ambivalent about it – the Australian Mines and Metals Association is not focused on it because its members aren’t planning on undercutting the award, the Australian Hotels Association is not focused on it, because pubs almost all use the award to set pay rates, not enterprise agreements.

One stakeholder who was upset by the prospect of losing this reform is Peter Strong from the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia.

He told Guardian Australia:

We think it’s got to go through, it’s not about cutting pay rates it’s about managing your business and everything else in the agreement so you can survive. If you’re a worker you’d rather have a job than not have a job.

But Strong was pragmatic in the face of the possibility Christian Porter could drop the change:

You’ve got to be pragmatic. There are many other changes in the bill we’d like to see around casuals and permanent part-time workers, the fact we’re getting a bill with these changes is something we’ll celebrate. The other changes are really worthy, it would be nice to get the change to the Boot because businesses will close without it. It does have a number of protections including that the Fair Work Commission must approve the agreement ... We’ll continue to pursue it, and if a business closes as a result [of the better off overall test] we will highlight it.

Updated

You can also dance in Tasmania #sentenceswhicharenotweirdin2020

Peter Gutwein has updated the state on changes to its restrictions:

Firstly, gathering in homes will increase from 40 people to 100. Please remember to be Covid-safe, make sure there is plenty of room to spread out, have hand sanitiser available, and most importantly, if you are unwell, do not invite people to your home.

I am pleased to advise that dancing, and stand-up drinking, will be permitted by up to 100 people at indoor venues and 250 people in outdoor values from this Friday at 5pm.

Updated

Given the last 24 hours since announcing it was suspending the ‘better off overall test’ by slipping it into the legislation has seen the unions and Labor organise in a way we haven’t seen all year, don’t be surprised if Christian Porter announces the government is dropping the ‘woot – worse off overall test’ from the IR legislation.

That’s despite spending all of question time yesterday saying it wasn’t true.

Updated

Peter Dutton labels Greens leader Adam Bandt 'enemy of the state'

Peter Dutton has been forced to withdraw a comment branding the Greens leader as an “enemy of the state” during torrid debate on the new Asio powers bill.

The legislation – which lowers the minimum age for compulsory questioning on terrorism-related matters to 14 years, and expands the type of issues that can be subject to questioning to include espionage and foreign interference – sailed through the lower house a short time ago.

Labor attempted to move some amendments, including ensuring that a judge continue to be involved in signing off on compulsory questioning warrants rather than just putting it in the hands of the attorney general, but those amendments failed (59 votes in favour to 61 votes against).

Guardian Australia had previously reported on the push from Labor to keep what it described as a Howard government safeguard, or “double lock”, on signing off on questioning warrants – but Labor ended up voting for the bill even without that safeguard in place.

The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, claimed the new powers would give the attorney general unfettered powers, and that Labor should be prepared to vote down the entire bill if the amendments did not succeed.

Dutton said he wanted to thank shadow attorney general Mark Dreyfus for his contribution to the debate but the home affairs minister said he hoped somebody fact checked Bandt’s “appalling contribution”.

People will take it at face value and discount it as an appalling contribution. You [Bandt] make Australians unsafe, you make Australians unsafe through your pathetic contributions and your stances in relation to these matters.

Dutton said ensuring safety and protection of the Australian community was the first priority of the Morrison government, and the security agencies needed the capability to counter the threats of politically motivated violence, terrorism espionage and foreign interference.

Both Dutton and Dreyfus pointed to the fact the bill included repeal of the more intrusive “questioning and detention” powers.

Dutton moved some amendments in response to recommendations of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security. Dutton praised the work of Liberal committee chair Andrew Hastie and Labor deputy chair Anthony Byrne, whom he described as “two absolutely patriotic and professional” MPs “in complete contrast to the enemy of the state, the member for Melbourne [Bandt], as was represented before in his contribution”.

Bandt demanded that the minister withdraw and apologise for the unparliamentary remark, prompting Dutton to withdraw the comment.

Updated

Christian Porter has announced a doorstop interview for 12.15

Queensland CHO Dr Jeannette Young has spoken on dance (not necessarily rhythm) coming back to Queensland:

This is about Queenslanders being sensible, and Queenslanders have been really, really sensible today.

That is why we have had a fantastic response in Queensland that we have had. We have not seen transmission.

Same with dancing, so dance with other people as you would normally, but do not fancy the whole group, not those mosh pits you have a hundred people squashed up to gather that my daughter told me about, all squashed up together, and you do not know anyone, you are not dancing with those hundred people.

So if you are dancing with someone you met that night that is fine, just be sensible about it, and stay with that person, with your friendship group, with your family, stay in those groups, do not spread out.

So you have a couple of people here, a couple of people there, rather than everyone in a tiny little space.

Hard and fast rules do not work because people find ways to get around that because you made them hard and fast.

If you take the concept and work without people do really well, that is what has happened.

I met the industry groups yesterday, very very sensible. So I know this will work, it will be put in place, it will be managed.

The issue is that if we want to get any community transmission we would have to stop dancing, but I have no concerns about that, we did that really complete right at the start, if we need to we could do it again.

TL;DR – leave space for the holy spirit.

Updated

As Murph reported yesterday, Bridget McKenzie has been ordered by the Senate to appear at the sports rorts committee.

She has to appear by 12 February to answer questions, under the senate order.

Don Farrell said it was a necessary, if unprecedented step:

The Select Committee had previously requested Senator McKenzie appear as a witness on no less than six occasions, but she declined every time.

Scott Morrison tried to hide his own involvement by making Senator McKenzie his scapegoat. But no longer being a Minister because you’ve breached Ministerial Standards should not allow former ministers to avoid appropriate scrutiny.

Predictably, the Morrison government voted against transparency and accountably, suggesting Senator McKenzie should not have to front the inquiry because there was no precedent of the Senate compelling a former Minister to appear.

The Morrison government’s unprecedented rorting of what was meant to be a competitive, merit-assessed grants program and its attempts to avoid scrutiny require an unprecedented solution.

Updated

NSW has recorded no locally acquired cases of Covid – four returned travellers have tested positive, and are in hotel quarantine.

There have been no further cases linked to the woman who tested positive while working at one of the hotel quarantine sites.

Updated

The debate over increasing Asio’s powers has become pretty heated – Daniel Hurst will have an update for you soon.

Updated

No surprise here – but Labor is opposing the cashless welfare card legislation when it returns to the house (the Senate amended it, changing it from permanent to extending the trial in an undisclosed deal with Centre Alliance, so the House has to tick off on the changes).

Linda Burney:

The government’s amendments are a clear concession and acknowledgement that there is significant community anxiety about this card.

This government has consistently failed to prove this works. And it has refused to release the much anticipated $2.5m University of Adelaide evaluation.

This has caused significant hardship on people placed on this card. Many have been prevented from purchasing basics and essentials at affordable prices.

It is also structurally racist – with two thirds of participants being First Nations Australians – 83% in the Northern Territory.

You only need to read Bridget Archer’s speech to the parliament to be reminded of the anxiety in the community about this card.

The question now is – what happens next? It is clear that the government is determined to expand this card – a national rollout.

The prime minister has foreshadowed it. The social services minister has foreshadowed it.

Matt Canavan and Andrew Wallace are outright calling for a national roll out.

The government has refused to rule out extending the card to new areas and more people.

Updated

There has been no official announcement – everything has centred around it being approved in January and then being made available in March – but I guess Scott Morrison felt like he could do with some positive speculation this morning.

Updated

Tasmania has recorded a fourth Covid case in hotel quarantine – another member of the same family group which arrived on a flight from India has tested positive.

All are in quarantine.

Updated

Australia Super hits $200bn in retirement savings management

Australia’s biggest super fund, Australian Super, is now positively gargantuan: it’s just announced it’s hit $200bn in retirement savings under management.

That’s up from $175b about six months ago and comes despite the coronavirus pandemic, treasurer Josh Frydenberg allowing savers to draw up to $20,000 from their super and the government’s continuing war on industry super funds.

The total size of Australia’s super savings is around $3tn so on a back of the envelope basis Aussie controls more than 6.5% of the retirement pile.

Chief executive Ian Silk said the fund is not only the country’s biggest but also the best performer when measured over five, 10 or 15 years.

The milestone reflects AustralianSuper’s ability to use size and scale to provide strong long-term financial returns while also driving down costs for members.

Silk’s scheduled to talk to Guardian Australia this afternoon so we should have more from him later today.

Updated

The parliamentary budget office has released its medium term budget projections.

You can find that here.

Myefo is next week.

Updated

The Prime Minister’s Literary awards have been announced, which Steph Harmon has covered in this lovely piece:

Art is a very special thing to have in your body, as Archibald finalist Digby Webster said – but often, it’s not valued – certainly not in ways which can financially sustain you.

Which is why prizes like this are so important (and so are grants and supporting the arts).



Updated

You can dance in Queensland again.

I imagine this is how Kevin Bacon felt in Footloose, although somehow, that sentence still manages to be less boomer than this tweet from Queensland’s health minister, Yvette D’Ath.

(I saw that with affection, but honestly, someone said you could Nutbush in Queensland again and I’m pretty sure that has never happened outside of a primary school.)

Updated

AAP has an update on 26 January events for Sydney:

The traditional Sydney Harbour daytime program has been cancelled and Circular Quay will be closed from 5pm unless you have a restaurant booking or are attending a ticketed event.

The NSW government announced the changes on Thursday, saying Australia Day would still be a day to inspire and unify the community.

Tourism minister Stuart Ayres said Sydney and NSW had always taken centre stage on Australia Day and that would continue in a Covid-safe way.

Frontline workers will be able to attend the traditional Australia Day Live concert at the Sydney Opera House forecourt but others will have to watch on TV.

Other events include the WugulOra Morning Ceremony at Barangaroo Reserve and a Salute to Australia at Government House, both of which will be broadcast. There will also be an Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Race in The Rocks.

26 January would be an opportunity to acknowledge the resilience of Australians, especially frontline workers, Australia Day Council of NSW chair Andrew Parker said.

Updated

It looks like the government has taken its (unpopular) National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill off the agenda for today.

There has been a campaign for a royal commission, rather than what critics have called a ‘glorified coroner’ but so far, the government has held firm.

Although Labor’s Shayne Neumann says there has been some concession:

I had a look at the Senate Order of Business for the last two weeks. The Government’s had their National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention Bills listed. Today they’ve withdrawn it. It’s a statement of surrender by the Morison Government. And there’s now no excuse, no excuse whatsoever, for not listening to people like Julie-Ann Finney and Karen Bird, and the parents who tragically lost sons and daughters to suicide. The Government should put aside its stubbornness, its truculence and listen to the young veterans, listen to the parents. This is a national shame and a tragedy for the individuals. Families are grieving and hurting. Call a Royal Commission, Prime Minister, into veteran and defence suicide. Make sure the Terms of Reference are broad. Independent and fully empowered, a Royal Commission can look at this in a systemic way. Put aside your notions, put aside your stubbornness. Listen to the families, listen to Julie-Ann Finney. This should never happen again. We need a Royal Commission. This is a statement of surrender. The Government hasn’t listened. Their glorified coroner won’t do it. It’s an individual case by case analysis. It’s simply not good enough. Listen to the families, Prime Minister. Reach across the aisle. We will support you, Prime Minister, in a Royal Commission. Let’s deal with this issue now.

Victoria’s regional travel program kicks off, as AAP reports (Andrew Bolt most be stoked).

Victoria’s regional tourism voucher program is set to begin, in an attempt to kickstart tourism in bushfire and Covid-19 affected parts of the state.

Households can apply from Friday for one of 120,000 vouchers worth $200 each, which will be rolled out in stages for travel until the end of May 2021.

The minister for tourism Martin Pakula expects the scheme to be very popular, especially the first stage, which is for travel between 12 December and 22 January.

“I would expect demand to potentially outstrip supply, that’s been experienced in other parts of the country,” he said.

Households can register for the vouchers from 10 am Friday, and will receive the $200 after their trip.

But tourists will have to spend a minimum of $400 on accommodation, experiences or tours in regional Victoria, as well as at least two nights in accommodation, to be eligible for the scheme.

“We’re not handing out $200 up front, there’s got to be some appropriate rigour in this for the state,” Pakula said.

Destinations in the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and the Bellarine will be eligible for the scheme, and households can apply even if their travel has already been booked.

The $28m travel voucher scheme was announced in the state budget in November, as past of a $300m tourism package, which also allocated money to upgrade infrastructure along the Great Ocean Road, and at Wilsons Promontory and the Grampians.

Updated

Some lovely news for the morning.

Updated

Labor opened the House proceedings with Anthony Albanese attempting to suspend standing orders so the House could note:

That:

  • The industrial relations legislation introduced by the Government yesterday cuts the take-home pay of workers, and
  • Therefore, pursuant to Standing Order 37(c), calls on the Minister for Industrial Relations to immediately discharge the order of the day, Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020, from the Notice Paper.

(Basically he wanted the IR law scrapped and re-written to take out the WOOT (worse-off-overall-test, which is what Labor has termed the changes to the better-off-overall-all-test.)

Alan Tudge very quickly shut down the debate and the chamber moved on.

Updated

Peter Dutton is introducing the latest security legislation (honestly, there is a lot and most of them just get waved through and people should really pay attention to how many bills are being passed for ‘national security’ which further infringe on rights) – this one is on critical infrastructure.

This one aims to create:

  • Positive Security Obligation for critical infrastructure, including a risk management program, to be delivered through sector-specific requirements, and mandatory cyber incident reporting.
  • Enhanced cyber security obligations for those assets most important to the nation, described as systems of national significance.
  • Government assistance to relevant entities for critical infrastructure sector assets in response to significant cyber attacks that impact on Australia’s critical infrastructure assets.

The Law Council is in general in favour, but wants more independent oversight. As the bill stands, the Home Affairs minister has the oversight power. Right now, that is Dutton (but there is a cabinet reshuffle coming up).

Updated

The Victorian government has released annual reports into the public sphere.

212 of them.

At once.

Merry Christmas.

Bob Katter is once again pushing for north Queensland to be its own state.

In other news, it is a day ending in ‘y’.

Updated

Last week, David Littleproud said this about Australians shirking away from fruit picking jobs:

We’ve got to be honest, Australians don’t want these jobs. They’ve moved past it. They’d rather sit on the couch than do this work.

(At the same time, the government has tutted tutted the cases where employers have paid people $3 an hour to complete the backbreaking work and said it ‘shouldn’t be happening’)

Simon Birmingham was asked if he agreed:

Well look, I think we have- the vast majority of Australians are very, very hard working, but clearly we do need to encourage more to get out there and do some of these jobs. There are jobs available in Australia right now. Yes, people may need to relocate, that’s not easy, or possible even for everybody - but for some it is, and that’s why we’ve put incentives in place.


The federal government is trying to convince more New Zealanders to travel to Australia to pick fruit.

One problem though – New Zealand farms are also struggling to find labour to work on their own properties.

Sabra Lane asked Simon Birmingham why people would travel to Australia to pick fruit, if they didn’t want to do it at home:

Well ours, of course, offer the opportunity for travel around Australia – a holiday experience, and that is what working holiday makers are – and not necessarily people who are choosing a career or a job pathway in a particular sector. They’re people who are undertaking a short-term travel experience, where they do some work as they go around. Now, we hope that we can get some of those New Zealanders here. We equally hope that it becomes a two-way travel bubble, and it may well be that when that occurs some young Australians decide to do likewise in terms of travelling around New Zealand and doing a bit of work while they’re there.

Updated

Here’s some cheery news from Graham Readfearn:

Australia’s hottest spring on record, which saw temperatures more than 2C above average, would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change, new analysis has found.

A spring as hot as the one Australians just experienced would come along only once every half a million years without the extra greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, climate scientist Dr David Karoly told the Guardian.

Karoly warned that Australia was almost certain to experience even hotter temperatures and break further records over the coming decades.


That news comes ahead of Angus Taylor’s ‘please explain’ meeting with NSW energy minister Matt Kean, over NSW’s action on climate change, by beefing up its renewable energy grid, after members of the federal Coalition backbench had a tantrum

Q: Are you over-egging this, though, because the government’s presented you with a weapon, basically? You’ve labelled this bill nasty, but it was Labor, and the government’s really pointing this out, it was Labor who amended the Fair Work Act back in 2009 to allow employers to set aside the safeguard of the Boot if they were facing hardships. Since then 60,000 EBAs have been approved, only 21 didn’t comply with the test and only one resulted in lower wages.

Anthony Albanese:

Because there’s a strict test in there. What we’re doing is consistent with what Labor always does, which is stand up for workers’ pay and conditions.

What the provisions in the bill that they introduced yesterday provide for is a very simple test, which is, has a business been affected by the pandemic.

Well guess what? Breaking news on Radio National: every business has been affected by the pandemic.

Some of them have been improved, it must be said, in terms of some of the retail outlets have done okay. But every business has been impacted by the pandemic.

And it’s just quite outrageous for the government to establish a consultative process, which involved the ACTU, Sally McManus and the union movement entered into that process in good faith, and they got hit from behind with this with no notice whatsoever.

Updated

Anthony Albanese was on ABC RN this morning, talking IR:

We’ll examine any detail which is there. At the moment, we won’t vote for what’s there. It’s as simple as that. And that’s not the only problem, of course.

There’s other problems there, which is that if a casual is looking to be made permanent, and one of the problems that’s been identified by the pandemic is the insecure work, casuals were the first people to be thrown out during the pandemic, the insecure work creates a problem for them in terms of being able to have a mortgage, be able to have that security that a constant income provides.

And yet, under this legislation, there’s no remedy for casuals to be able to be made permanent because an employer has to agree there’s no prospect for arbitration.

What the government says is that they should just march down to the federal court.

People who are casual employees aren’t in a position to take their employer to the federal court in order to be made permanent.

Updated

Victoria records 41 days of zero Covid cases

Victoria has recorded no new Covid cases for 41 days in a row.

Queensland chalked up 85 Covid free days yesterday.

Updated

Speaking of uncomfortable family dinners, the nation’s leaders are getting together for a dinner at the Lodge tonight (sans Mark McGowan) ahead of tomorrow’s in-person national cabinet, in what might be the most awkward gathering around a table since the great Remeikis kuchios (Lithuanian Christmas) airing of the grievances incident of 2005.

Given that Annastacia Palaszczuk and Gladys Berejiklian stopped speaking to each other, McGowan basically seceded Western Australia from the federation, Daniel Andrews gave daily master classes in ‘don’t start’ with Scott Morrison, who responded with a master class in passive aggressiveness, Peter Gutwein closed off his island and did his own thing, Michael Gunner threatened to keep the border closed until 2022, and Andrew Barr just tried to keep the peace, it’s not exactly going to be a warm and fuzzy reunion.

Updated

In answer to a question on critics describing the cashless welfare card as racist, Michael McCormack does not say it is not racist, just that “there will always be critics for everything”.

He then has to be prodded into saying he doesn’t agree with Pauline Hanson who said yesterday that you “lose your rights on welfare”.

Not everybody gets on welfare because they want to. Not everybody ends up without a job because they want to and this year we’ve seen in the Covid-19 recession so many forced on to welfare who would never have lost their job or hours of work and of course we’re getting those people back into work.

The second go around, he manages to say “no, you don’t lose your rights” but then, like a computer with too many tabs open, freezes on regional jobs:

No, you don’t lose your rights. We’ve always had that cushion, that safety net system. Australia’s a great country. We’ve got the highest minimum wage in the world, we’ve got a welfare system that works and we’ve got the dignity of work that prospect for those people that do end on welfare, there’s the prospect now of getting a job. 54,000 jobs in regional Australia.

I say to people if they have ended up on the welfare queues, look to regional Australia. There are 54,000 jobs not just in agriculture and mining, in really well paying jobs and people need to have a look and take that leap of faith and go to a region.

Updated

The state premiers and first leaders will be in Canberra tomorrow, for the first, in-person meeting of the national cabinet.

Except for Mark McGowan. In very family Christmas vibes, the WA premier is skipping the event, to avoid SA premier, Steven Marshall.

McGowan is ‘socially distancing’ from Marshall, because WA still requires SA visitors to quarantine for two weeks.

Feel free to use that as an excuse to skip out of awkward family events for the rest of time.

Updated

That read out continues:

Trade:

The leaders underlined the crucial role the rules-based trading system plays in supporting Covid-19 economic recovery. They emphasised the need for open markets, greater supply chain resilience and enhanced trade and investment that contributes to sustainable development. In this context, they welcomed progress towards a comprehensive, high-quality, sustainable and inclusive Australia-EU FTA.

Security:

The leaders committed to establishing a General Security Agreement (GSA) between Australia and the Netherlands. The GSA will enable greater collaboration between our respective governments and reflects the commitment of both countries to work in partnership to uphold international law and address common strategic security challenges.

Climate change:

The leaders agreed that resolute and coordinated action is key to tackling the urgent challenge of climate change and environmental degradation. The leaders underlined their commitment to the full implementation of the Paris Agreement and to step up global action to tackle climate change in the lead up to COP26 in 2021, including through intensifying global cooperation on low emissions technologies. Both leaders acknowledged the need to achieve net zero emissions and to pursue a low emissions development strategy in accordance with the Paris Agreement. The leaders recalled the request by UNFCCC COP21 to communicate or update their Nationally Determined Contributions reflecting the highest possible ambition. Both leaders also acknowledged the importance of reducing waste and emphasised their commitment to cooperation on the circular economy.

The relationship:

The leaders welcomed the continued broadening and deepening of the bilateral economic and security relationship, including in the areas of critical minerals, disinformation and countering foreign interference, as well as cyber security and critical and emerging technology.

Updated

The official read out from Scott Morrison’s virtual meeting with Mark Rutte, the Netherlands PM is out:

Covid:

The leaders expressed their deep sadness at the ongoing loss of life caused by the Covid‑19 pandemic. They stressed the importance of international cooperation to overcome the health crisis, including universal, equitable and early access to safe, effective and affordable Covid-19 vaccines. They reaffirmed their commitment to re-building resilient and sustainable economies in line with open and rules-based trade. They also agreed to work together in relevant forums to promote the development of international standards to enable Covid-proof international travel.

MH17:

The leaders committed to continue to pursue truth, justice and accountability for the 298 victims of Flight MH17 and their loved ones, including the 196 Dutch nationals and 38 people who called Australia home. The leaders reaffirmed their strong support for the work of the Joint Investigation Team and the ongoing criminal trial of four suspects in The District Court of The Hague. The leaders expressed their disappointment in the Russian Federation’s decision to withdraw from the trilateral meetings with Australia and the Netherlands regarding the Russian Federation’s role in the downing of Flight MH17. The leaders agreed to continue to urge the Russian Federation to reconsider its decision. The leaders also acknowledged further efforts to hold the Russian Federation to account through the cases brought by the next of kin and the Netherlands against the Russian Federation in the European Court of Human Rights in relation to the downing of Flight MH17.

Indo-Pacific:

Prime minister Morrison welcomed the Netherlands’ Indo-Pacific Guidelines and its commitment to cooperate closely with Australia and other regional countries in support of an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific. The leaders agreed to work together to maintain regional resilience and capacity for sovereign choices and to promote and uphold international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Globalisation:

The leaders emphasised their commitment to multilateral cooperation, and to a rules-based global order. They stressed the importance of multilateral institutions, including the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, OECD, World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization, and the importance of effective, independent leadership within institutions. They confirmed their commitment to the continued and timely implementation of the World Health Assembly resolution of 19 May 2020 on Covid-19, including the impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation into the response to the pandemic.

Updated

Rex Patrick explained to the ABC why he voted no on the cashless welfare card legislation:

One of the reasons we voted for it two years ago was because the government undertook to do the very trials that are being suggested would be undertaken again to measure whether or not the card had success. One of the problems is, you know, I went to an Indigenous community outside of Ceduna and they had a fantastic leader of their community, very strong leader, and his community was doing extremely well. There was another area where it wasn’t doing as well and perhaps not because of the card, but simply because of that weaker leadership. And that’s the difficulty here – it’s hard to put your finger on what might be causing good or might be – or might be causing harm

Jacqui Lambie voted no, because she said no other support services had been built around it, despite the government saying at the time, that it would.

Updated

The topics in this discussion don’t seem to match the jovial nature of the photos used, but anyway.

Updated

So is is this legislation really the worst since John Howard’s Orwellian-named WorkChoices?

Michele O’Neil:

No, it’s accurate.

It’s the first bit of legislation that absolutely opens up the capacity for people’s legal rights, their pay and conditions, to be cut.

And they talk about the fact that this can happen for two years, but that is misleading because the agreements can be made over this two-year period but agreements can last, technically, for four years but if they’re not replaced can go on and on and on.

And we, still, today have workers, 13 years later, who are on agreements that were struck during WorkChoices where they’re paid below minimum conditions and they have got no way of getting out of it.

So this idea it is a short-term measure is completely wrong. And the other thing, there are changes to the better-off-overall test that are permanent because it takes away the right to have the agreement for seven days and have it properly explained before they vote on it.

These are complex things and affect your life in a significant way. It is what you earn and what your conditions are.

Why would you permanently remove workers’ rights to get support, make sure they understand it, get it translated if they need to and understand it before they vote?

Updated

The ACTU president, Michele O’Neil, chatted to ABC’s News Breakfast this morning, about the exemption changes to the “better off overall test”, which Christian Porter has said will still only be used in limited circumstances (although the legislation changes mean it can be used more often than it is now).

O’Neil:

Firstly, how would he know that and then why is he doing it?

It doesn’t require a business to be negatively impacted by Covid-19, it just says an impact, it doesn’t even make it negative.

It means that agreements can be approved that take away workers’ pay and conditions, they go backwards.

When we think about what workers and their families need and also what small business and the whole needs, we need certainty and we need people to be able to spend.

So, consumer confidence, being able to have enough money in your pocket to be able to support business is what’s going to grow jobs, not cutting people’s pay and conditions.

It’s actually really the opposite to what’s needed …

This is already a provision in the act that talks about exceptional circumstances. So it seems like this has just come out of the more extreme parts of the business lobby. It was never discussed in any working groups and we’ll oppose it and this needs to go but it’s not the only concern.

Updated

The adjournment debate is set for 4.30pm in the House today.

Doesn’t look like the MPs want to stick around.

Victoria’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, has recommend the permit scheme between Victoria and South Australia be scrapped from 12 December:

Based on current Covid exposure dates in South Australia, I have recommended the removal of Victoria’s border permit scheme from 12 December.

Operational changes have now been made at Melbourne Airport to coincide with the return of international arrivals.

Given South Australian has had zero cases in the past 10 days, and arrivals from that state present a significantly lower risk, we have moved to a spot check system for those flights, ensuring the international arrival schedule for the Covid Quarantine Victoria program is not impacted.

This is also in line with the removal of the border and voluntary testing at the road checks. To date the voluntary testing scheme of travellers from SA has not received one positive result.

Updated

Good morning

Happy last sitting day for 2020!

After almost a year of live blogging, it felt like 2020 – and the parliament – would continue into infinity. But it is 10 December and the last sitting day of the year, and we made it.

Just.

Last night the Senate got fiery, after a last minute, undisclosed deal between Centre Alliance and the government saw the cashless welfare card extended for another two years in trial sites, as well as expanded to the Northern Territory.

Rex Patrick (now an independent), the swing vote up until 9.30pm or so, voted no. Stirling Griff, from Centre Alliance, then had some amendments, which the social services minister, Anne Ruston, introduced, amending her own bill, and voted yes to extending the trial, rather than making it permanent.

There were absolute scenes, as Luke Henriques-Gomes and Katharine Murphy report:

No one is saying what the deal was, and don’t be surprised if there are some legal questions that pop up – Labor and the Greens were heading down that path yesterday, with no indication they won’t pursue it, given they received no answers.

Another fight is brewing over in the House over the IR laws. Despite the government claiming it is expanding on exemptions which exist in the “better off overall test” Fair Work Act, it’s latest IR bill actually replaces those exemptions with something else, which have a lower bar. So while it is possible to exempt the BOOT now under the Fair Work Act, it’s in very limited circumstances. Those circumstances won’t be so limited under the government’s new legislation, which is what has caused all the hoohah. The government denies it but it is in the legislation. Expect that battle, along with super, to kick off and continue into the new year.

We will cover all of the last day’s shenanigans and more, as the federal parliament bids farewell to the sitting year. Feel free to drop me a line with what your strongest memory of this parliamentary year – the cancellations, the virtual attendance, the brief moment of bipartisanship, national cabinet – you tell me. It has been A YEAR. And it has been an honour to spend most of it with you, here in the live coverage.

But first, to the day. Katharine Murphy, Daniel Hurst and Paul Karp are as they have been all year, diligently at your service, as is the wonderful Mike Bowers and everyone else in the Guardian brains trust.

Grab yourself a coffee and we’ll get into it.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
The Hidden Effects of Screen Time on Children's Health, Sleep, and Development
Discover how excessive screen time affects children's health, sleep, and development, and learn practical tips to manage digital habits for healthier, balanced growth.
Medical Daily
Medical Daily
Barry Keoghan: 'There’s a lot of hate online. It’s a lot of abuse of how I look'
Barry Keoghan has considered quitting acting due to abuse over his looks and says he finds it hard to deal with the comments.
BANG Premier
BANG Premier
Best thing I ever ate? My first In-N-Out burger in LA
Why the Double-Double is ‘the near perfect expression of burger-ness’
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
How AI English and human English differ – and how to decide when to use artificial language
Suspicion and affection. Apprehension and excitement. Most people have mixed feelings about AI English, whether or not they always recognize it. When reading text generated by AI, people feel it sounds off, or fake. When reading English by a human, people are more likely to feel it has a characteristic…
The Conversation
The Conversation
Delilah and Me
Back in 2002, I heard a great question, from Betchen and Paul Barber: Who cut off Samson's hair? Of course… The post Delilah and Me appeared first on Reason.com.
Reason
Reason
Why was Tim McGraw 'sobbing' in the street?
Tim McGraw started “sobbing” in the street in New York City when he found out he was being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
BANG Premier
BANG Premier
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play