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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Nino Bucci and Amy Remeikis (earlier)

Dutton given official warning by Speaker – as it happened

Peter Dutton speaks during question time
Peter Dutton speaks during question time. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

That's it for today, thanks for reading

Here are the main stories on Thursday, 24 November:

We will see you all again tomorrow morning.

Interesting tweet from a pollster who used to very much be inside the Labor tent ahead of Saturday’s Victorian election:

Government is ‘breaking the back of the visa backlog’, minister says

The minister for trade and tourism, Don Farrell, and the minister for education, Jason Clare, met with International Education and Training finalists at Parliament House today, ahead of the 60th Australian Export Awards tonight.

Farrell said:

On behalf of the Albanese government, I extend my warmest welcome to all international students studying or planning to study with Australia.

We are excited to have you with us, in Australia and around the world. You are such an important part of our proudly diverse society and our global education programs.

The Albanese government supports our world-class international education sector and I congratulate the Australian Export Awards International Education and Training finalists.


Clare said:

International students who study with Australia move the dial. They go on to lead countries, become entrepreneurs and make meaningful change in their communities and around the world.

We are breaking the back of the visa backlog. We have also announced an extension of work rights for students who get degrees in areas where we have a skills shortage and students are coming back. It is great to see, but there is still a lot more work to do.

Updated

Conservative figure wowed by Canberra

Jordan Peterson seems to have enjoyed his visit to Parliament House this afternoon, judging from a flurry of photos he’s just posted online – including one happy snap with Scott Morrison inside a politician’s office.

Posting a pic of the committee room he spoke in, Peterson added that the empty seats were due to “politicians called to vote”.

He also passed judgement on Parliament House’s design itself ...

And spoke warmly of an interview he’s taped with Sky News host Rita Panahi, who was also in attendance at the quietly organised speech to conservative MPs.

Updated

Columnist leaves Courier-Mail and Sky News after plagiarism allegations

Columnist Peter Gleeson has left Queensland’s Courier-Mail and Sky News after a series of articles published under his byline were found to contain other people’s work without attribution.

The Courier-Mail just published a short piece on its website. It reads:

Columnist and journalist Peter Gleeson has ended his roles at The Courier-Mail and Sky News.

In a personal note to The Courier-Mail editor Chris Jones today Mr Gleeson said: ‘I apologise for breaching News Corp’s Code of Conduct and instances where I have not met the standards required.’

This follows recent examples of material first written by others appearing in articles published under Mr Gleeson’s byline.

In his note Mr Gleeson said he had had extraordinary career opportunities during a 34-year career with News Corp and added that ‘it is a fantastic company for which I have the greatest respect.’

On Wednesday, Guardian Australia revealed Gleeson had been caught plagiarising for the third time this month, when it was discovered he had filled almost half his column with the unattributed reporting of a regional ABC journalist.

Updated

Two days of the campaign to go in Victoria…

Judge to consider if police must respond in Kumanjayi Walker inquiry

After hearing two days of complex legal argument, NT supreme court judge Judith Kelly has retired to consider whether or not constable Zach Rolfe and other police officers will be able to refuse to answer questions from the coroner investigating the shooting death of 19-year-old Warlpiri man Kumanjayi Walker.

Walker was shot three times by Rolfe in the remote NT community of Yuendumu in November 2019. Rolfe was found not guilty of murder and two alternative charges after a six-week trial in the NT supreme court in Darwin earlier this year.

Rolfe declined to answer 14 categories of questions about his involvement in the shooting or what counsel assisting the coroner said were “obviously racist” and “sexist and homophobic” texts he exchanged with fellow officers, arguing his answers could expose him to a penalty.

Constable Rolfe leaving the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker earlier this month.
Constable Rolfe leaving the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker earlier this month. Photograph: Aaron Bunch/AAP

Rolfe’s legal team joined a case brought by a fellow police officer, Lee Bauwens, in seeking an injunction restraining the coroner and other parties from calling them to give evidence or answer questions on matters that could give rise to a claim for penalty privilege.

Over the past two days they have argued that the coroner does not have the power to compel a person to answer a question, notwithstanding a claim of common law penalty privilege.

Judge Kelly has reserved her decision and says she will have a response to all parties within two weeks.

Counsel for Rolfe, Luke Officer, explained that the inquest is due to finish for the year on Friday 2 December, and won’t sit again until 23 February.

Andrew Boe, representing members of Walker’s families, asked if the judge could give a ruling this week, so that Constable Rolfe would be expedited and brought on next week, so that it was still possible for the inquest “to achieve what it had programmed”.

Judge Kelly said she would “not be in a position to do that”.

Rolfe and his fellow officers will now not appear at the inquest in any capacity until February, and the inquest is set to run well beyond its original finishing date of early 2023.

Updated

It is the afternoon, meaning it is time for an Afternoon Update:

Coalition pro-nuclear group meet in Canberra

The Parliamentary Friends of Nuclear Industries is meeting in Parliament House today to hear from hand-picked experts about why we need small modular nuclear reactors.

The chair, National MP David Gillespie, told the gathering that nuclear is the way to “settle the battle” between “climate and energy”, fighting climate change and achieving our energy needs. Gillespie says that households getting electricity from the Ontario Power Generation company were paying 4.5c kw/h compared with 35-45c in Australia.

Steven Wilson, University of Queensland adjunct professor and the author of ‘What would be required for nuclear energy plants to be operating in Australia from the 2030s’, said that he was “pleasantly surprised” to discover nuclear is possible here.

Over 30 years, he said the estimated cost would be 7.5c kw/h, a little higher at the start (10c), a little lower at the tail (6c). And would taxpayers be required to help get it going?

Wilson:

It’s definitely the case that there is an important role for government in the development and the financing and the support of nuclear power technology.

But as his report notes:

Australian governments are already underwriting all wind and solar capacity (through various laws and schemes), new pumped hydro (2000 MW Snowy 2.0), new open-cycle gas peaking plant (660 MW Kurri Kurri), batteries and new transmission investments.

Deputy chair, Bob Katter, delivered some brief remarks and left early, blaming a bout of food poisoning. Katter complained households were paying more than $3,000 for electricity, when they should be paying “no more” than $674, a figure based on his experience as Queensland mines and energy minister in 1989.

Katter said solar sounds like a “great idea” but would see the households that can’t afford solar subsidising the grid for those who can.

Keith Pitt, a former resources minister, asked about the possibility of replacing coal power plants with nuclear, noting that not all would be suitable but “some would”.

Robert Parker, a civil engineer and former past president of the Australian Nuclear Association, agreed this would help bring the cost down by using the existing grid rather than expanding it, and keeping people employed in coal communities.

The rest of the crowd is a Coalition who’s who: Liberal leader Peter Dutton, former DPM Barnaby Joyce, the shadow energy minister, Ted O’Brien, David Van, Richard Colbeck, Ian Goodenough, James Stevens, Anne Webster, Susan McDonald, Kevin Hogan, Terry Young, Pat Conaghan, and Colin Boyce, to name a few.

If there are any Labor friends of nuclear power, none of them are here.

Updated

Greens criticise government over attending grassland clearing meeting

David Shoebridge, Greens senator and justice spokesperson, has criticised the federal environment department for allowing the National Farmers’ Federation to attend a meeting about an investigation into clearing of native grasslands against the warnings of their own officials.

Guardian Australia revealed details of the 5 April 2019 meeting about an investigation into Jam Land, a company part-owned by the then energy minister Angus Taylor and his brother Richard.

The meeting was attended by the department’s then deputy secretary Dean Knudson, its chief compliance officer, Monica Collins, the Jam Land director, Richard Taylor, the NFF’s chief executive, Tony Mahar, and another official.

Officials in the department warned allowing the NFF to attend could breach the commonwealth prosecutions policy.

There is no suggestion that Richard Taylor did anything wrong by attending the meeting.

Shoebridge said there was “no credible reason” for the department to allow the NFF “to be in this meeting and having any input into the decision of the department on whether or not it will prosecute”:

This fresh material demands clear answers and accountability from the department in order to restore trust in their incredibly important regulatory work.

David Shoebridge at parliament on Wednesday.
David Shoebridge at Parliament House on Wednesday. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Environment groups, meanwhile, said it highlighted the need for a “genuinely independent” environment protection agency.

The federal government has promised to establish an EPA as part of its response to the 2020 review of national environmental laws.

Nathaniel Pelle, a nature campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said “it is not appropriate for a regulator to meet with an industry lobby group to discuss an open compliance investigation”.

This demonstrates the need for a national EPA that is genuinely independent and has backbone – one that the public can have confidence in.

Tim Beshara, of the Wilderness Society, called it “another case study to add to the tomes of why we need an independent EPA”.

The environment department has said its approach to managing potential breaches of national environmental law was outlined in its compliance policy. It said:

Consistent with this policy, the department does not comment on methodologies used or how they are used during individual matters.

The relevant compliance action is currently before the federal court of Australia in relation to an application made under section 480K of the EPBC Act and, as a result, we will not comment any further.

The National Farmers’ Federation has said it “routinely helps farmers navigate complex regulatory matters with federal departments. That’s part of our job.”

Updated

Victorian Coalition makes debt promise

The Victorian opposition has pledged that the state’s net debt will be $10.4bn lower than Labor before the end of the next parliamentary term if a Coalition government is elected at the weekend.

The Coalition has released its election commitment costings ahead of Victorians going to the polls on Saturday. The costings have been audited by the parliamentary budget office.

The opposition’s costings estimate a $2.1bn budget surplus in the 2024-25 financial year. Labor has forecasted a $1.05bn surplus the following year.

But the opposition has not revealed what the total dollar figure is for its election commitments, despite Victorians heading to the ballot box in less than two days.

Matthew Guy speaking at a lectern
Victorian opposition leader Matthew Guy. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

Updated

Bet the Andrews government think this is a stinker of an idea…

Update on review of RBA

We’ve had an update today from the three members on the review panel examining the operations of the Reserve Bank. It’s the first forensic look at the country’s central bank since the 1990s, and timely of course given how active the RBA has been in the past few years.

First up, we learnt the panel provided a briefing yesterday to the shadow treasurer Angus Taylor. (We’ve asked what he made of it.)

Anyway, treasurer Jim Chalmers has chimed in, saying it was “really gratifying to see the high level of engagement in the RBA Review from right across the community”.

“The government wants the review to be as bipartisan as possible - that’s why I’ve ensured the opposition has been kept up-to-date on its progress,” he said.

Announced in July, the review is about half way through its work, with a final report due to be handed to the government by March.

The three panelists - Canadian professor Carolyn Wilkins, ANU professor Renee Fry-McKibbin and former professor Gordon de Brouwer - gave a lengthy and fairly candid discussion about progress to a lunch organised in Sydney today by CEDA.

So, there’s 100-plus submissions and 220 people consulted, meetings with RBA present and former staffers and so on.

Not much chance of a summer holiday for the panelists but interestingly apparently nobody asked for the RBA to give up its traditional January holiday when the board hits the beaches or the bush (or wherever they repose).

If anything, the board should meet less often, submissions have said. (That would echo the mood of anxious borrowers checking their pulses and bank balances at 2.30pm AEST/AEDT every first Tuesday for those other 11 months of the year.)

The RBA board didn’t meet in January 2008 as the Global Financial Crisis began unfolding so I suppose January breaks are sacred.

We’ll have a separate article published soonish, but the three panelists outlined the big issues - if not yet committing which way they will lean on them.

These range from whether the RBA should target more than the inflation rate over time (they now try to keep it within a 2%-3% spread) and full employment.

Also, what qualifications or skills should the board members have and how should they be selected? And even whether the RBA needs to be split since monetary policy and market operations (and all the HR and other processes) may require different skills.

Should other goals be added too, such as asset bubble avoidance (a largely unwritten responsibility shared with Apra). How should climate shocks be prepared for? (See this week’s State of the Climate report and our accompanying report for a litany of wha’s underway).

How the RBA communicates its various messages (and how should it respond when the public is mishearing them) are central to the review. Today’s panel discussions, at least, suggest an encouragingly open debate awaits.

Updated

AFP asked Pavlou to leave Parliament House yesterday

The Australian federal police has now said it was behind the decision to ask activist Drew Pavlou to leave Parliament House yesterday.

In a new statement this afternoon, the AFP said the request for Pavlou to leave came “after a direction was issued by the AFP security controller at APH”.

Head shot of man wearing black speaking to media
Activist Drew Pavlou at Parliament House yesterday. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

It was earlier unclear who had asked for Pavlou to leave, and why, with the AFP, the Department of Parliamentary Services and the presiding officers of parliament all either denying involvement or not commenting. The AFP said in a statement:

The individual referred to was not banned from APH yesterday, and was told yesterday he could return closer to his appointment at APH.

The AFP has engaged today with the individual, who was clear about his intentions at APH and gave an undertaking about his conduct while at APH.

Pavlou returned to Parliament House today and was allowed to enter without incident.

“The job of the AFP is to ensure the safety and security of APH,” the AFP statement said.

Here is our earlier story about Pavlou being ordered to leave:

Updated

Australia claims its first female astronaut

Dr Meganne Christian has been selected as one of 11 reserve astronauts – alongside five career astronauts and the first para-astronaut – as part of the European Space Agency’s 2022 astronaut class.

The UK-born researcher moved to Australia aged five and attended Illawarra Grammar school in Wollongong. In 2009, she received a bachelor of engineering from the University of New South Wales and in 2014 completed a PhD there on hydrogen storage.

However, Christian currently works at the Italian National Research Agency, and holds UK, New Zealand and Italian citizenship.

Ed Husic, the minister for industry and science, said in a statement:

“Dr Christian’s selection is further evidence of the extraordinary scientific talent that we generate through our education and university system here in Australia.

We know we need more young Australians, particularly women and people from diverse backgrounds, to enter the Stem workforce. Role models like Dr Christian will help show girls and young women that they can dream big.

The head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo, said in a statement:

We often refer to space as the gateway to Stem because of its ability to ignite curiosity – and what does that more than knowing someone who grew up right here in Australia might one day end up in space.

This also presents a great opportunity for Australia to build on our relationship with the European Space Agency and UK Space Agency.

As a reserve, Christian will continue in her day job but will receive astronaut training from the European Space Agency.

Updated

Thank you Amy Remeikis for your masterful performance.

On that note, I am going to hand you over to Nino Bucci who will take you through the rest of the afternoon. The house will take a short breather after it rises tonight, but the senate is all systems go.

We will bring you all the details as they happen, as always. Hope you are ready for the final week of parliament because I am not! I’ll chat to you all very soon – take care of you.

Updated

Unconventional policies, high-performing staff: RBA in review

Wondering how the Reserve Bank of Australia review is going?

The panel has provided an update on what themes it is hearing emerge from its review so far:

The panel is seeing a number of themes emerging which it is currently analysing.

  • On monetary policy frameworks, the panel has heard deep support for monetary policy to continue to be conducted by an independent central bank. There has been general, but not universal, support for a flexible inflation targeting framework, which is seen to have contributed to strong economic outcomes over the last 30 years. Several suggestions have been put to the panel for how to specify that framework more clearly.

  • On the RBA’s performance, there have been criticisms of the Bank’s approach to implementing the framework and communicating its decisions over recent years. These have focussed on periods of undershooting and overshooting the inflation target as well as the use of unconventional monetary policies.

  • On governance, the panel has heard suggestions for ways to increase the clarity of the board’s role and strengthen its accountability and composition to support effective future monetary policy decision making.

  • On the RBA as an institution, the panel has heard that the RBA has high‑performing, collegiate staff who are dedicated to public service. It has received suggestions for ways that the Bank’s culture could be strengthened, including to increase internal debate and openness to outside ideas.

Updated

Haines ‘disappointed’ over lack of support from major parties on integrity bill

Dr Helen Haines has released a statement on the integrity bill and the lack of government support for her amendments:

I am a vocal supporter of this bill which will establish a powerful anti-corruption commission. But it can be better.

My amendments would have made the National Anti-Corruption Commission stronger, more independent, more transparent and set it up for success for years to come,” Haines said.

Woman wearing white jacket and top in parliament speaking
The independent member for Indi, Helen Haines, in the House of Representatives this morning. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

The amendments moved by Haines included:

• Removing the ‘exceptional circumstances’ clause for holding public hearings

• Making it mandatory for the commissioner to consider certain factors when deciding whether to hold a public hearing, including unfair prejudice to a person’s reputation, privacy, safety or wellbeing caused from a public hearing

• Explicitly include pork-barrelling in the definition of corrupt conduct included in the commission’s remit

• Strengthening oversight and transparency of the commission’s budget so future governments would be prevented from starving the commission of funding

• Increasing the independence of the parliamentary committee’s role when approving the appointment of the commissioner, deputy commissioner and inspector.

These amendments were supported by members of the crossbench and the member for Bass Bridget Archer, but were opposed by the Labor, Liberal and National parties.

I am disappointed that the major parties did not support them, but I am still hopeful that similar amendments will be successful in the Senate. These amendments are supported by integrity advocates and received support through the committee inquiry process and should be considered seriously when the Senate debates the bill next week.

Updated

The four moods of QT, as caught by Mike Bowers:

The member for New England Barnaby Joyce during question time
The member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, during question time. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
The member for Fadden Stuart Robert during question time
The member for Fadden, Stuart Robert, during question time. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
The Opposition leader, Peter Dutton, during question time.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, during question time. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
A human meme at this point
Barnaby Joyce – a human meme at this point. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Chevron to end Australian of the Year Awards partnership

Fossil fuel energy giant Chevron has confirmed it will not be renewing a controversial sponsorship deal with the National Australia Day Council when the current three-year deal runs out.

Chevron has been the “National Diversity and Inclusion” partner of the Australian of the Year Awards since 2020 with the current deal ending in June 2023.

Climate campaigners have been pushing the council to end the deal – the value of which has never been disclosed.

But Chevron denied its decision was linked to a broad pushback against fossil fuel sponsorship in sports and the arts. In a statement, the company said:

In August 2022, we advised the National Australia Day Council that we would not seek to renew the partnership when our current agreement ends in June 2023.

We acknowledge there has been commentary about the support provided by the energy industry to arts and cultural programs and events, however, our decision is based on our focus to support the needs of the most vulnerable members of the communities where we live and work.

The statement said its three-year support was for a “range of programs designed to inspire and promote inclusion, foster unity and connect people of all ages and backgrounds”.

As part of the deal, Chevron also had one representative on state selection panels – each with either 10 or 11 members – for Australians of the Year in Western Australian, Northern Territory, and Queensland.

Belinda Noble, the founder of climate campaign group Comms Declare that launched a petition against the sponsorship this week, welcomed the “parting ways” but said “these arrangements should never be allowed to happen in the first place”.

Australia was a leader in stopping the promotion of tobacco. Global warming is now our biggest health challenge and banning all fossil fuel sponsorships is the next logical step.

We need a tobacco-style ban on all fossil fuel sponsorships to disentangle our public institutions from this polluting influence.

Updated

And then question time is brought to an end.

Until next week. Aren’t we all so lucky?

Peter Dutton given official warning during question time

Then we get to the pointy end of the Julie Collins campaign.

Russell Broadbent asks:

Question is to the minister for small business: can the minister confirm to the House that under Labor’s extreme industrial relations changes, small businesses such as a hardware store, a hairdresser, a cafe, a butcher, could be compelled to bargain together with a large supermarket if they’re located inside the same shopping centre as that large supermarket?

Milton Dick has also had enough:

Look. No, I don’t want the question again. The question is clearly directed to the wrong minister.

With industrial relations, I’m just saying, if the minister chooses to have someone also supplement the answer because she’s not directed to her responsibilities under the standing orders, I invite the minister ... I’m not ruling the question out of order. I invite the minister to take the question.

Julie Collins has also had enough:

And I do thank the member opposite for his question. As I have said clearly in this place, more than two million businesses will be exempt from the single interest stream the member is referring to, in terms of the industrial relations bill. Can we also ... remind the house, Mr Speaker ...

There are so many interjections, Dick steps in again and gives Peter Dutton an official warning:

I can’t be clearer. When a minister is on her feet, within barely seconds into the answer, it’s unacceptable for the yelling, for the interjections.

Collins:

And as I have said earlier in this week, in this place, Mr Speaker, there are other thresholds that need to be met. One of those is of course that the Fair Work Commission would say they have the same single interest. That would not be the case in the example the member actually refers to.

Updated

Bob Katter has a question.

The chamber holds its breath.

Katter continues to read out the subject of the question:

Resources and Northern Australia: minister, would you agree that 92% of Australia, only 1.2 million people, is an area bleeding. Three-quarters of Australia’s water is in north Queensland’s inland, not its coast. The Hughenden dam, 13 schemes, each worth $300m a year. Why not HipCo dam now, minister?

Madeleine King:

I thank the member for Kennedy for his question. I do note the question goes to water infrastructure. Which is a shared – I will get to your – I know what you’re getting at, member for Kennedy. It has intersections with the minister for infrastructure but equally the minister for the environment and water. But also of course as you pointed out, this is a lot to do with northern development and Northern Australia. So more than happy to answer that question as best I can. As for the statistics you mention in the question, I am not about that, but I’m really happy to take that away and look at it and get back to your office. But you have mentioned HipCo and the Hughenden dam.

I note your long standing concern around water security right across Queensland and in your seat of Kennedy.

It’s appropriate there’s water security for that region, I entirely agree with the member in that regard. You have had a long interest in the Hughenden irrigation scheme and so have many members in this place. You would be aware, funding for that scheme does remain in the budget. However there’s a number of steps to be taken. Sufficient water allocation must be obtained from the Queensland government, I understand this is a process that government is undertaking right now and with vigour.

Also infrastructure Australia, which of course is the minister for infrastructure’s responsibility, will be assessing the business case in relation to the Hughenden. We’re happy as a government to engage with any member of the parliament on any of their requests for water infrastructure and other infrastructure, particularly those in the Northern Australia seats on any project they think has value and can add to the economic and social involvement north.

I’m really – member for Kennedy, we have spoken many times on many of the projects that are of benefit to Northern Australia and I know all relevant ministers will continue to do the same. This government is more than happy to engage actively and look at projects that are brought forward, but they do need to be supported by a proper business case and the really need to be engaged with the state and territory governments involved. Governments need to work together to make projects like the Hughenden project, the HipCo project go ahead.

Katter is back on his feet. Does he have a point of order? No.

I don’t want – I bypassed the brilliant and gracious lady who is the minister for water. I just think it’s more northern development, that’s all.

Updated

Paul Fletcher to Julie Collins:

Can the minister confirm that a small business specialising in importing and exporting whose workforce includes 12 Australian-based employees and eight workers overseas in an associated entity of that business could be compelled into multi-employer bargaining under Labor’s extreme industrial relations changes?

Milton Dick:

Before I call the minister, that question was clearly directed to the minister but contains the responsibilities of another minister. But I will give her the call. If she wishes to transfer the question under practice, she’s able to do so. Just want to remind members it’s very clear for ministers, whoever they are, to transfer answers to another minister. I give her the call. The deputy leader of the opposition is constantly interjecting.

By right of her position, which I respect, she’s entitled to certain latitude. But that latitude is really pushing against the wall at the moment. I give the minister the call.

Collins:

Thank you, Mr Speaker. And I thank the member opposite for that question. Of course, as he will know, it is the responsibility of the workplace relations minister, he well knows more than 2 million businesses will be exempt from the provisions they’re so concerned in terms of the single interest stream bargaining provisions. More than two million businesses will be exempt from this provision and I’ll happy to hand over to the minister for workplace relations in terms of this particular question.

Tony Burke:

I wish them they would direct them to me. Australian workplace laws covers Australian businesses and the people employed in Australia.

Updated

The independent member for North Sydney, Kylea Tink, has a question:

My question is to the minister for climate change and energy: It is currently estimated there are over 20m motor vehicles in Australia powered by internal combustion engines. These engines are running on some of the dirtiest fuel in the world. Please tell us when the Australian government will take action to ensure the quality of our petrol will meet international best standards?

Chris Bowen:

I’m very pleased to confirm to the honourable member that the government is currently as we speak consulting on fuel quality standards, particularly in relation to Euro standards.

The process has begun. And that is the matter for the climate change portfolio for those opposite who don’t understand government arrangements. The minister for transport and I are working closely on the related matter of fuel efficiency standards, two separate programs, very closely related, but quite separate, in terms of their implementation. Fuel efficiency standards are those which encourage and require manufacturers to send electric vehicles to Australia and other low emissions vehicles.

Perhaps low emissions vehicles and electric vehicles like utes that do exist around the world and are available in many countries around the world, not currently available in Australia because we lack fuel efficiency standards. They do exist. And they’re available else where, but because of 10 years of policy indolence they’re not available in Australia. It’s important our fuel efficiency standards are best practice. And our fuel quality standards are best practice. This government is in its first six months has started the process of reviewing both. It is important we consult with manufacturers, with motoring groups, I met with motoring groups, as did the Minister for Transport, just yesterday, and talked about exactly these two matters. In the normal consultative way of government.

Tink is back:

It’s on the point of relevance. I specifically asked about petrol vehicles. I appreciate if the minister can give an answer on petrol.

Bowen returns to that part of the question:

In relation to the honourable member’s exact question, I only began the consultation process a couple of weeks ago. That process is nearing its ends. After I read through all the submissions and assessed all the evidence, I will make a decision and announce it.

Updated

Here is that question:

A Canberra small business owner has told Nine News he’s worried the government’s industrial relations changes will mean he has to increase prices. It means the prices of your schooner, your pints will go up and your parmis will go up. Will the minister guarantee the small businesses won’t have to increase prices as a result of Labor’s extreme industrial relations changes?

Julie Collins:

I thank the member opposite for his question. Small businesses have been doing it tough and we know they’re facing rising increases in their costs. We do know that they are dealing with rising energy prices and they’re dealing with rising interest rates. We also know, of course, that they are having trouble attracting staff. We know there’s massive staff shortages which is why we’re also moving in terms of increasing skilled migration, in terms of increasing fee-free Tafe places, to make sure that we have the workforce available for small businesses. We’re also, Mr Speaker, of course, we are changing industrial relations laws to make it easier, simpler, and cheaper for small businesses to be able to engage in enterprise bargaining. That’s what we’re doing. We want to make sure that small businesses get the benefits for the productivity increases that come from bargaining with their employees. That is what the secure jobs better pay is all about. It’s also about making sure that the workers in these positions are able to get their first pay rise in almost a decade.

Updated

It is all happening in the chamber.

Angus Taylor stepped up to ask his question, while Speaker Milton Dick repeatedly said he hadn’t given him the call yet, which Taylor, despite being about 20cm away, didn’t hear Dick say, and kept reading his question despite his microphone being off.

The responses to what has happened in the chamber are coming thick and fast today!

Max Chandler-Mather has responded to what the resources minister had to say in answer to his question:

With climate-fuelled floods hitting so much of the country and a State of the Climate report detailing the devastating effects of climate change, it’s genuinely shocking to hear the government support exporting coal and gas past 2050. This abandons coal and gas workers to a vicious private market and makes a mockery of Labor’s net zero by 2050 target.

Updated

Mary-Louise McLaws accuses leaders of lulling Australians into the 'false view' that Covid is over

In actual news, epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws has emerged to comment on Covid for the first time since she disappeared from public view early this year to treat her brain cancer, with a submission to the long Covid inquiry.

Updated

Just wait until the senator sees me when I’ve run out of Milo to eat out of the tin. Now that is a meltdown.

What a room.

David Littleproud kicks off with a question that leads to a lot of back and forth in the chamber:

My question is to the minister representing the minister for agriculture. I refer to a northern Australia cattle properties that employs 20 ringers. If a representative for cattle ringers and station hands from that property successfully applies to the Fair Work Commission to bargain a single interest agreement, could all cattle properties in Northern Australia be [subject] to multi-employer bargaining?

Tony Burke steps up:

Just an on a point of order, the question goes specifically to the interaction of businesses with a piece of legislation that is entirely within a different portfolio. Happens to be mine. But this question is directed to the wrong minister.

And then Paul Fletcher steps in:

It’s very clear that what this goes to is the impact on businesses within the sector for which the minister representing the minister for agriculture is responsible. And that’s why she’s the appropriate minister to be asked this question and to answer it.

Milton Dick (who sounds like he has aged about 100 years this week)

This issue has come up a couple of times this week. Practice makes it clear where a question may involve, on page 549, may involve the responsibility of more than one minister, should be directed to the minister most responsible. However, a minister may direct the question without question. May direct his answer or her answer without question. I will allow … I will allow the minister under the standing orders to answer the question and then another minister may respond as well.

Catherine King steps up:

I’m proud of the Albanese Labor government’s first budget – a billion dollars has been put into the agricultural sector to make sure we’re growing that sector and protecting it from the biosecurity threats we’ve seen with foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease. The question asked is an industrial relations question so I will refer that question to the industrial relations minister to answer.

And then Burke is back!

First of all the example they asked, they have given, the example they have given as I heard it refers to a single employer making an application with respect to the single interest stream. It starts with multiple employers, that’s the way it works. Are these rules meant to be able to reach agriculture? Yeah. Absolutely. Because those opposite presided over a time when horticulture workers were … when some of the worst examples of wage theft were coming from that exact sector. Not because of the farmers themselves but because of the labour hire firms, rorting the systems, where the farmers thought they were paying decent wages, they were being charged for them, but there was a rort happening that was never meeting the worker. I met with workers, I remember meeting Kate on a visa here from Taiwan, fishing out of the bins beside the supermarket to get food, and she had a full time job. Because that’s what was happening under the laws of those opposite. So when the prime minister before gave the example that this act ... that’s been proposed by the government, the amendments to the fair work act, will make it you can no longer advertise work for less than the legal minimum rate of pay, you bet we’re in favour of it. You bet that will get in the way of some rorts that have been happening. You should be representing all the people in your electorate. Including the workers who have been underpaid.

Updated

Sussan Ley’s office is VERY quick off the mark with a press release after that question and answer. It is almost like they had it planned!

It is clear the Albanese Government doesn’t take small business seriously and Australian small businesses are paying the price,” the deputy leader said.

Minister Collins is supposed to be the voice for small business around the Cabinet Table, how can she speak up for small businesses if she doesn’t know basic details about small business programs?

Julie Collins is just not up to the task of minister for small business.”

Updated

Sussan Ley to Julie Collins:

I refer to the flood-hit town of Eugowra, which the prime minister visited this week. And the flood-hit town of Moama in my electorate of Farrer. If a small business in Eugowra or Moama is rebuilding next year, will they be able to specifically access the regional small business support program?

Collins:

I thank the member opposite for her question. We’re concerned by communities that have been impacted by floods. We know they’ve been doing it incredibly tough.

That’s why we did move as quickly as we could to make sure that assistance was available for those communities. Indeed, we’re investing $1bn over five years to mitigate potential disasters and loss and damage through the government’s new disaster ready fund.

We’re concerned about it. And we have also of course moved in each of the states that have recently had floods in Tasmania, in Victoria, and in New South Wales, to make small business grants available for those communities, Mr Speaker.”

Ley has a point of order. Dick says it is not a point of order.

Collins:

And we had been moving to support small businesses as I said in this place earlier in the week, we have also moved ..to make sure that programs that were due to end at the end of this year on 31 December that those opposite didn’t continue to fund about mental health and wellbeing and the small business debt hotline, we’re not continuing with, we found more than $10m in the last budget to make sure those programs could continue. We are looking at all of the programs to make sure that we are supporting small businesses in every way possible to come out of the floods and we’ll continue to do so, Mr Speaker.

Updated

Anthony Albanese takes a dixer on “achievements of the Albanese government over the last six months”.

That sound you hear is my eyes rolling so far back in my head they hit my heels.

Updated

The Greens MPs Max Chandler-Mather has a question for Madeleine King:

You previously said you supported Australia exporting coal beyond 2050, and they said they would be able to pump gas for hundreds of years. Minister, does the government still support exporting coal beyond the middle of this century, and do you support the pumping of gas for hundreds of years?

King:

The truth is and the prime minister has said this and the government has always said this, the decision if coal would be exported from this country and bought by others, were made in board rooms right around the world and north Asia. This is an export industry that’s been operating in this country since 1801. It supports tens of thousands of people in communities right up and down the east coast and to disregard them as you tend to do, member for Griffith, and your cam comrades is disingenuous to those communities.

Chandler-Mather has a point of order:

Just on relevance. Just trying to find out if the government supports exporting coal or not. Baseless accusations about the Green’s policy on coal and gas...

Milton Dick rules that is not a point of order.

King:

I was just pointing out to the member for Griffith the history of this country and the very important export industry and it will remain an important export industry. The member will do well along with his friends and colleagues to visit some of the communities up and down the east coast so they can see exactly the hard work that goes into the coal export industry. We’ve got the member for Hunter, a former coal miner and worked in the coal industry, I’ve been done a coal mine with him and I can see the very hard work the community supports. Gas exports are very important to this country, not only to towns like Karratha and Onslow and Broome, we’re very important to our regional neighbours. Countries across Asia depend on Australia for their energy security. We’ll remain a reliable and trustworthy supplier of energy to our neighbours for so long as we need to be.

Updated

Bridget Archer to Julie Collins:

Minister, under Labor’s extreme industrial relations changes, small and medium businesses will need to pay between $14,000 and $75,000 when dragged into compulsory multi-employer bargaining. Given small and family businesses are already facing higher interest repayments and rising energy prices, can the minister inform the House what financial assistance the government will provide to these Australian businesses to help them meet … these new costs?

Collins:

I thank the member for Bass for her question. There’s no doubt I’ve said in this place that small businesses have been doing it tough. They’re dealing with rising – increased prices and they are doing it tough in terms of increasing mortgages and increased energy prices. What we’re doing in terms of the better pay secure jobs, we’re trying to actually support small businesses and give them what they want. What we’re doing here is giving them access to enterprise bargaining that will improve productivity and give businesses the benefit of negotiating with their employees. And indeed, when you go to the regulatory impact statement, Mr Speaker, and you do keep reading, it says and I’m going to quote from it, Mr Speaker, it says, “the significant benefits of being covered by an enterprise agreement and the cost that may be associated with remaining covered by a modern award outweigh the additional costs for businesses to engage in a new multiple employer bargaining streams. Not to mention, Mr Speaker, that most small businesses are going to you co-operative stream, where they can get off the shelf type products and that will cost them very little and that’s where we think small businesses will go.

Updated

Shorten asks Services Australia and NDIA to investigate awarding of contracts

Bill Shorten:

The Age and Sydney Morning Herald have today reported the member for Fadden used his status as a federal MP in 2017 and 2018 to help the lobbying and consulting firm Synergy 360. To help them sign up corporate clients with the promise of helping them navigate the federal public service and political system and meet key decision makers including senior coalition ministers. Specifically it was reported that emails reveal that Synergy 360 would frequently update corporate clients as to the progress and lobbying and providing access to senior government officials for the allocating and rewarding of several multimillion-dollar contracts. A Mr David Milo is Synergy’s CEO. A major shareholder is Mr John Mardieson. He’s a former business partner for the member for Fadden. The member for Fadden has been a director of a separate business of ... Mr Mardrison. However Synergy 360 is not a registered lobbyist.

Stuart Robert is interjecting and Paul Fletcher gets up with a point of order:

Mr Speaker, practice is very clear about personal reflections on other members of the House. And it also is very clear on - very clear on ... On page 515 that members can only direct a charge to other members or reflect on their conduct in a vote of the House. What the minister is doing is out of order.

Milton Dick asks Shorten to return to the question.

Shorten:

The leaked emails reveal that Synergy 360 was lobbying for corporations in relation to lucrative government contracts including in the portfolios I’m now responsible for. Therefore, this morning, I have asked the CEO of Services Australia, and the CEO of the National Disability Insurance Agency to immediately and thoroughly investigate any of the contracts awarded to these companies and individuals named in these reports.

To assure me and the Australian people that the process was entirely above board and appropriate. And in conclusion, I want to say to Australians listening to this, the Albanese government believes the job of an MP is to work for infrastructure constituents, not your former business partners.

When there’s career lobbying as revealed by the emails, companies are required to be on the lobbyist register. This is not an option. But most importantly, using public office as a politician to enrich your private friends and mates including political donors is not a shade of grey...whether you’re a backbencher or a frontbencher is not - if and when public office, if and when public office has been used to enrich private mates, it’s corruption.

Updated

We now have a shake up in proceedings.

Labor MP Julian Hill asks Bill Shorten a question:

My question is to the minister for government services: In light of today’s reports about previous contracting and tendering processes in services Australia and the NDIS, what is the Albanese Labor government doing to ensure federal government contracts are allocated in a proper manner that will ensure transparency for the Australian people?

Paul Fletcher, the leader of opposition business in the house, stands up to object:

On the point of order goes to the proper content of a question. The minister can be asked about matters for which the minister is responsible in public administration. But not about the practice of the previous government which is expressly what this question went to.

Tony Burke steps up to rebut Fletcher:

To the point of order, I don’t know how this one could be out of the order and any of the questions asked about the opposition could be in order. This refers to media reports of the day that practice specifically says it can be referred to in questions, and asked specific what actions the Albanese Labor government is taking. They’re the terms of the question.

Milton Dick rules Shorten can answer:

Practice does say on 557 recording media reports and the minister can answer questions on standing order 98 regarding public affairs and administration. The question does contain his portfolio and how it impacts on his portfolio. It’s in order and I give him the call.

Updated

Question time begins

Ooft, straight into it and Peter Dutton is wearing his new glasses, so you know he is serious.

We haven’t seen Dutton ask a question in a while, so it is a little surprising to see him open the proceedings.

Dutton:

My question is to the prime minister: before the election the prime minister promised cheaper electricity prices, cheaper gas prices, and cheaper mortgages. since the election the prime minister has mentioned nothing in relation to those promises, instead your actions have delivered the opposite. Now to make a bad situation worse, you’re imposing a job-destroying industrial relations system at exactly the wrong time for our economy. Why, like Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, does this prime minister get every economic call wrong?

Anthony Albanese:

I thank the leader of the opposition for his first question in three days. And congratulate him on getting that decision through his tactics committee. I did think that – I know Matthew Guy wants him to have a vow of silence ... And he’s not welcome in Victoria.

But I welcome the leader of the opposition here to ask a question about industrial relations. Because his deputy said yesterday, said a couple of times, ‘We think the entire bill is terrible.’ That is their position on industrial relations.

“The entire bill is terrible.”

Well, let’s have a look at what they say is terrible. In the legislation. Putting gender equality and job security at the heart of the Fair Work Commission’s decision making.

Putting it in the objectives of the ACT. They say that’s terrible. Banning pay secrecy clauses, a tool that’s been used to hold down women’s pay in particular. That’s terrible as well.

Giving the commission the expertise and the powers to end the historical inequality between the pay and conditions in female dominated care and community sectors and the pay ask conditions enjoyed by the rest of the workforce. They say that’s terrible as well.

Expanding access to flexible work arrangements. Particularly for women. They say that’s terrible as well. Especially prohibiting sexual harassment in the Fair Work Act. They say that’s terrible as well.

Placing new limits on rolling fixed term contracts so that workers can’t be effectively put on an endless probation period. They say it’s terrible for workers to get back entitlements.

Banning job ads advertised for below the relevant minimum pay rate. Do they support that? No, they say that’s terrible.

Strengthening anti-sham contracting laws. Do they support that? No. They say guess, what, that’s terrible as well. Reforming the better off overall test so it’s simply, flexible, and fairer for both workers and for business, they say it’s terrible as well.

The same mob, the same mob that couldn’t have $1 an hour pay increase for people on the minimum wage, they said it was reckless and damages, they’re lecturing us about industrial relations.

Well, we on this side of the House stand for increased productivity, stand for supporting business, but we also stand for supporting workers’s wages.

Updated

Question time is upon us.

It’s the last one for the house this week. Then four more to go next week before the parliament rises until next year (unless you are in the senate – you get another day next week too. Lucky you)

The bill will end up being passed in the Senate – the opposition is on board.

But it is a missed opportunity for more transparency.

Updated

Pat Conroy off to Pacific

The minister for international development and the Pacific:

Tonight I will travel to Vanuatu to attend the Pacific Community (SPC) Ministerial Conference, the first in-person SPC conference since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australia is a proud founding member of the SPC, the largest scientific and technical regional organisation in the Pacific.

I am pleased to be joining ministers and senior representatives from all Pacific Island countries and territories, along with New Zealand, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom, to commemorate 75 years since the SPC was established.

The conference is an important opportunity for the Pacific family to come together and discuss how we can strengthen our development and economic partnerships.

This visit will also be the first by an Australian minister to Vanuatu since its national election.

I look forward to meeting with my Vanuatu ministerial counterparts in the new Government to discuss our shared challenges and opportunities, including security cooperation, infrastructure and economic recovery, and real climate action.

Australia is committed to working together with Vanuatu in the interests of a peaceful, prosperous and resilient Pacific.

Updated

Experts voice concerns over largest ever NT water allocation plan draft

Water experts have written to the Northern Territory government warning a draft water allocation plan for the Beetaloo basin to allow industry to extract billions of litres a year would put significant environmental and cultural values at risk.

Eighteen experts, including Prof Barry Hart who sat on the panel for the territory’s Pepper inquiry into fracking, say the Georgina Wiso water sharing plan “breaches water planning guidelines of the National Water Initiative”.

Other academics who signed the letter include profs Sue Jackson from Griffith University, Matthew Currell from RMIT, Marcia Langton from Melbourne University, Richard Kingsford from UNSW and Jamie Pittock from the Australian National University.

The plan, published last Friday afternoon, proposes a sustainable water use limit of 262bn litres per year, which the Environment Centre NT has said is the “biggest water allocation ever made in the Northern Territory”.

Ten billion litres would be for the gas industry, 21bn for stock and domestic water use and 24bn for the Aboriginal water reserve for Aboriginal economic benefit.

The plan includes the towns of Daly Waters, Elliott and Newcastle Waters and the communities of Jangirulu, Likkaparta, Marlinja, Murranji and Wutunugurra.

The letter states the territory government had failed to establish any environmental or cultural requirements for water or “trigger rules for assessing unacceptable impacts”:

Potential impacts to groundwater dependent ecosystems are completely overlooked.

The scientific and procedural deficiencies identified ... need to be addressed, supported by a robust program of technical studies, review, and input from the scientific community – in the public domain.

The experts said the NT government had also departed from the common practice of taking input from a water advisory committee in drafting the plan.

They called on the government to make several urgent changes, including halting the granting of water licences in and outside the plan area until the water requirements for ecological and cultural values had been established, setting aside provisional Aboriginal water reserves for all aquifers and catchments and establishing consultative committees for the Georgina Wiso and all future water allocation plan areas.

Updated

Minister defends government’s IR bill

The small business minister, Julie Collins, is being interviewed by Henry Belot on the ABC ahead of question time and Collins is defending the government’s IR bill.

Collins has been targeted by the Coalition in the parliament over the last week over the bill and its impact on small business.

Collins was asked to account for the costings in the regulatory statement put together by the department and how it was done. There was a mistake – the cost to small business to take part would be $5,000, which is one of the issues the Coalition raised in question time yesterday. And there are questions over where the department found the prices.

Collins says:

The department costed it in a way that is usually done by department. I am not here to explain how it was calculated how it was calculated by the Department. I am here to say the calculation should be correct. They absolutely should be correct but we think here what we saw yesterday was a big distraction about what was essentially a typo. We are trying to make it cheaper and easier for small business to access enterprise bargaining. That is what the bill does. When you look at how much it is costing businesses now to access enterprise bargaining, what we’re doing with this bill will make it cheaper. Many businesses, member for peak organisations that will enable them to bargain in a much cheaper way.

Updated

LECC to oversee investigation into Danny Lim arrest

The independent law enforcement conduct body has warned it could take over the internal New South Wales police investigation into the violent arrest of Danny Lim in the Sydney CBD on Tuesday if concerns were raised.

The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) released a statement on Thursday stating it was using its “real time monitoring powers” to oversee the internal investigation.

The statement said:

If the commission has any concerns about the NSW police force’s conduct of the investigation, the commission has the power to step-in and take over that investigation itself.
The commission will continue to closely monitor the progress of the police investigation of police contact with Mr Lim.

The commission said it had powers to be present as an observer during interviews, request progress updates and access documents and footage related to the investigation.

The premier, Dominic Perrottet, expects the “strongest action” to be taken if an investigation into Danny Lim‘s arrest finds any wrongdoing.

Speaking at a press conference in the Sydney CBD on Thursday, Perrottet said it was right for the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission to be overseeing the internal police probe.

He said:

Having the oversight of the LECC is entirely appropriate.

If the wrong thing has occurred then I expect the strongest action

The LECC has a purpose. It’s an independent board that will oversee that investigation. I believe that’s the appropriate course of action.

Updated

Prostate cancer-awareness BBQ at Parliament House

There’s been a few lunchtime events in Parliament House today; while some Coalition MPs listened to Jordan Peterson, a number of other politicians including the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, attended a BBQ awareness lunch for prostate cancer.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia’ (PCFA) held its Parliamentary Big Aussie Barbie, with hundreds of staff and MPs turning out in the Canberra sunshine in one of APH’s outdoor courtyards, with sausages, shish kebabs and salad on the menu.

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition leader Peter Dutton at a function to raise awarness of Prostate Cancer in Parliament House
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, at a function to raise awareness of prostate cancer at Parliament House.
 Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Albanese urged men to “break that shyness” about getting a prostate cancer check. The PCFA said men over 40 can get what’s called a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, instead of the traditional rectal test.

The education minister, Jason Clare, one of the chairs of an internal parliamentary group on prostate cancer awareness, joked “It’s not a finger up the bum, it’s just a little prick.”

Coalition MP Warren Entsch, the other co-chair, said PSA tests were available today in the Nationals party room in parliament.

Albanese pleaded with older men to get a regular check:

It’s a simple blood test. I do it regularly with my GP, it’s a sensible thing to do to keep that monitoring.

Clare said partners and children of older men should also encourage their loved ones to get a test.

Updated

GetUp urges ‘clear timeline’ for legislation to protect sacred sites

Larissa Baldwin-Roberts from GetUp says Indigenous communities “need a clear timeline” for when legislation that will better protect sacred cultural sites will be implemented.

We put our sites at risk when Traditional Owners don’t have an equal seat at the table – investment needs to be made to ensure that this legislation receives adequate First Nations consultation with cultural groups, not just government bodies.

This announcement to enshrine legislation is enormous. Traditional Owners must have the power to refuse projects impacting cultural heritage and we need harsher penalties for corporations who destroy cultural heritage, giving Traditional Owners the right to pursue damages.

It is everybody’s business to protect our cultural heritage sites and we must ensure this legislation is implemented. This work has been ongoing for over a decade and it’s tied into the bigger work of repatriation.

We have an incredibly rich First Nations history and culture and the government needs to make decisions that value it correctly and the decisions around cultural heritage protection need to sit with the Aboriginal affairs minister, the Hon Malarndirri Macarthy.”

Updated

Nacc bill passes House

Paul Karp reports the National Anti-Corruption Commission legislation has passed the house on the third reading, no division.

It is off to the Senate.

Updated

And in the house

Jordan Peterson addresses Coalition MPs in Canberra

Controversial Canadian speaker Jordan Peterson is in Parliament House today, giving a talk to some Coalition MPs in a committee room.

Nationals senator Matt Canavan’s office sent out invitations to MPs and their staff for a “speaking event” this afternoon. We’ve walked past the room and seen a packed audience - including a number of MPs from the Coalition and One Nation - listening as Peterson spoke.

There’s also security posted outside the door.

In an invitation to the event, seen by Guardian Australia, Canavan’s office says there was “huge interest” in the event. They also noted that despite it being scheduled for lunchtime, there would be no lunch provided.

Peterson is visiting the country on a speaking tour of Australia.

Updated

The independent MP, Zoe Daniel, has moved to exclude editorial work of the ABC and SBS from the scope of the Nacc.

Daniel’s concern - raised by the ABC in its submission to the inquiry - is that employees of the public broadcasters could face “corruption” complaints because of the way they handle leaked documents, which she said would “hobble investigative journalism”.

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said the bill has safeguards to prevent journalists needing to disclose the identity of their sources, and noted after the joint committee inquiry this had been extended to other employees of the news agency. Still, the government does not support carving out all the ABC and SBS’s editorial work.

The amendment was voted down 34 to 14.

We’re now on to the opposition’s amendments, being moved by shadow AG Julian Leeser.

Leeser said the Coalition wants to remove the carve-out for unions exercising powers under federal law (basically, that unions aren’t within scope of the Nacc just because federal laws give them right of entry powers).

The Coalition also wants a limit on retrospective investigations, requiring that there must be an “identifiable public interest” before the Nacc investigates conduct in the past.

The Coalition also wants a “super-majority” of 9 out of 12 members of the joint committee to be required to approve the Nacc commissioner’s appointment.

The last house question time for the week is coming up in just under an hour.

It seems like it is going to be a bit of a messy affair.

Victorian Labor predicts $1bn surplus

Victorian Labor has forecast that a re-elected Andrews government will deliver a $1.05bn surplus before the end of the next term, as parts of it’s pre-election costings.

The party has released its financial statement and election commitments costings ahead of the state heading to the polls on Saturday.

Labor’s health commitments total $4.6bn but the figures released show some of Labor’s major health commitments have not had their funding allocated to specific years across the forward estimates.

Man wearing a blue suit and no tie speaks to the media
The Victorian Treasurer, Tim Pallas. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

The Victorian treasurer, Tim Pallas, said some of Labor’s health commitments could not be built “in five minutes.”

The government will go about it diligently and consistently and it will get delivered like everything else.


Labor has also committed to not introducing new taxes or increasing net debt to pay for its election commitments.

Updated

Revived foreign interference inquiry to examine TikTok and WeChat

The Senate has revived an inquiry into foreign interference through social media – and is expected to examine China-linked platforms TikTok and WeChat as part of its work.

The Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference Through Social Media lapsed because of the federal election – but it has previously tabled an interim report that said the Australian government “must approach the problem of foreign interference through social media with urgency and seriousness”.

The earlier recommendations included that the government “establish clear requirements and pathways for social media platforms to report suspected foreign interference, including disinformation and coordinated inauthentic behaviour, and other offensive and harmful content, and formalise agency remits, powers and resourcing arrangements accordingly”.

Liberal senator James Paterson will chair the committee, which was led in the previous parliament by Labor senator Jenny McAllister.

This morning, the Senate signed off on a motion moved by Paterson to revive the committee with the task of examining the use of social media for purposes that undermine Australia’s democracy and values, including the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

The terms of reference say the committee will also investigate what policy responses could reduce those risks, international policy responses to cyber-enabled foreign interference and misinformation, and the extent of compliance with existing Australian laws and regulations.

Paterson said in a statement today:

The committee will examine the activities of social media applications headquartered in authoritarian countries, such as TikTok and WeChat, which pose a unique risk to the national security of Australia. The committee will also examine the way social media companies headquartered in Western countries, such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, have been successfully weaponised by authoritarian states in an attempt to interfere in our democracy.

Recent reports from Iranian diaspora communities of targeted online harassment, Russian state-backed disinformation campaigns about the invasion of Ukraine, and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s research exposing intimidation of activists and journalists working on Chinese human rights issues, demonstrate this is an ongoing problem which must be addressed.

Paterson said Australia led the world with its foreign interference, espionage and influence reforms of 2018, which were now being adopted by likeminded countries around the world. But he described cyber-enabled foreign interference as “a unique challenge which requires further reforms”.

The final report will be due in August 2023.

Updated

Calls for ban on spit hoods in ACT

One year on from when Fella’s Bill became law in South Australia, the National Ban Spit Hoods Coalition is working to ban spit hoods in the ACT.

Wayne Fella Morrison, a 29-year-old Wiradjuri, Kokatha and Wirangu man, had not been convicted of any crime and was being held on remand when he died on 26 September 2016 at the Royal Adelaide hospital after being restrained at Yatala labour prison.

The National Ban Spit Hoods Coalition wants the Australian federal police to stop using them, as part of a campaign to have their use banned in Australia.

The National Ban Spit hoods Coalition continues to welcome consultation with those involved in drafting bills to ensure spit hoods are banned in law for all people and in all settings. We will accept nothing less. This includes — police watch houses, prisons, disability group homes, in medical and mental health facilities and in immigration detention.

States and territories must not delay legislating the banning of spit hoods. We cannot risk another life.

The National Ban Spit hoods Coalition’s new website, banspithoods.com, is now live

Updated

Farmers urge action on flood recovery, competition laws

The National Farmers Federation wants to see the government act in a few more areas, or go further than they already are:

Fiona Simson said there were some priorities:

Flood recovery:

The Government needs to be here with us for the long haul. That’s certainly the message we’ve been given and it will be important this continues to be backed up with funding.

We can’t just be lumped with decimated roads once the water recedes and the news cameras leave town.”

Stronger competition laws:

Too often we see farmers treated poorly when they go to sell their products to supply chain behemoths. The federal government has already shown its commitment to resolving this through new penalties and the expansion of unfair contract laws.

Now, we need to go further – exploring mandatory codes of conduct for farm commodities facing significant power imbalances, strengthening merger laws, and bolstering oversight and enforcement by regulators.

Energy infrastructure enforceable code:

The government’s Rewiring the Nation policy – while needed to modernise and decarbonise our grid – will come at a massive cost to farmland.

Recent experience of the approach by energy companies leaves a lot to be desired. We need mechanisms to give farmers a stronger voice in the process, and to assess and avoid productivity impacts.

Updated

The independent MP Zali Steggall has moved amendments:

  • To introduce time limits both for Nacc reports and for people subject to possible adverse findings to respond

  • For the Nacc to be able to hear evidence subject to legal professional privilege in private hearings.

The government, Coalition and the Greens are opposing the amendments.


Kate Chaney, Kylea Tink, Sophie Scamps, Zoe Daniel, and Allegra Spender are in favour – but these went down easily.

Spender is now moving that if a vote approving the Nacc commissioner’s appointment is tied on the oversight committee, that the government can’t break the tie with the chair’s vote.

Updated

Let’s have a look inside the chamber thanks to Mike Bowers:

Scott Morrison in the house of representatives of Parliament House in Canberra
The member for Cook, Scott Morrison, during debate on Amendments to the National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill 2022, in the House of Representatives of Parliament House in Canberra this morning. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
The member for Fadden, Stuart Robert, in the House of Representatives
The member for Fadden, Stuart Robert, during voting on Amendments to the National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill 2022. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
The Teals and Independent cross bench MPs in the House of Representatives
The Teals and Independent cross bench MPs watching their amendments fail as Labor voted with the Coalition. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Dai Le moves Nacc amendments

The independent MP’s measures:

  • Allowing people called to appear to the Nacc to tell a spouse or any medical professional

  • For the Nacc to make public statements explaining “the context” in which witnesses appear and noting “the need for the public not to scrutinise a witness before the corruption investigation has been completed”

The shadow attorney general, Julian Leeser, said the Coalition “strongly supports” the measures as a means to mitigate the “very stressful process” of being called to appear and prevent the “oppressive” circumstance of being issued a notice that might ban a witness from telling a family member.

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, explained the commission can already make statements about the “circumstances and capacity” someone is giving evidence, describing this as “an important reputational safeguard”.

For example the commission can note:

  • A witness is appearing voluntary, and is not the subject of a corruption investigation

  • That an investigation is not complete, and no finding of corruption has been made.

Dreyfus said that his - and the issue of who witnesses are permitted to tell is “all appropriately left to commissioner” and “does not need to be specified in the legislation”. The government has already supported a joint select committee recommendation to allow witnesses to tell a psychologist.

The amendments were voted down 79 to 56. The Coalition, Bob Katter, Kylea Tink, Sophie Scamps, Kate Chaney and Rebekha Sharkie voted with Le.

Updated

Opposition promises ‘significantly lower debt’

Before both parties release their election costings later today opposition leader Mathew Guy has promised to “significantly lower debt” if he wins office on Saturday.

He said:

Our costings will be released this afternoon, costed independently by the budget parliamentary Budget Office, who we will give extra resources to if we come to government.

And I can tell you, there’ll be significantly lower debt, significantly lower debt over the forward estimates under a Coalition government than under Labor.

Analysis in October showed the Liberals had outspent Labor by millions. It’s big ticket item to save money is scrapping the ALP’s signature infrastructure project – the suburban rail loop – but that money has been promised for 24 new hospitals across the state.

The Liberals have previously said they will make “public service efficiencies” but Guy promised there would be no cuts to services.

No cuts, no closures. What we will do is have a budget that is sensible that is responsible and reasonable and you’ll see that this afternoon.

We will bring you more on the costings when they come out.

Updated

Opposition pledges to lower P-plate age to 17

Appearing in Wodonga, opposition leader Mathew Guy has announced a Coalition government would lower the age Victorians can get their P-plates from 18 to 17.

It’s a great opportunity for Victorian kids,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“You still need 120 hours of L-plates and you’ll still need to do all the work that you would normally do on your L-plates.”

When asked about the risks, he said the Liberals had looked at what happens in other states, such as NSW, where 17-year-olds can get their P-plates and there was no increase in safety issues.

The rollout would take about a year and a half, he said:

Victorian kids are at a disadvantage.

They can’t drive to school [independently at 17], they can’t drive to work, they can’t drive to uni. But lowering the age to 17 gives them the chance to do so.

And it breaks that nexus between the age of 18 and when you can get your licence and when you can legally drink.

Updated

Andrews hits out at Sukkar

The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has hit back at reports federal Liberal MP Michael Sukkar will refer the state government’s Suburan Rail Loop project to the commonwealth parliamentary budget office.

The Australian has reported that Sukkar – who represents the Victorian seat of Deakin – would refer the Andrews government’s signature infrastructure project to the federal parliamentary budget office.

Andrews responded to the report at a press conference:

This is a bloke who couldn’t even build a car park in his electorate.

That is all I really need to say about the Liberal party … they’re cancelling it, they’re cutting it.

Victoria’s parliamentary budget office has costed the first two stages of the project at $125bn. The Victorian opposition has pledged to shelve the Suburban Rail Loop and funnel available funds into the state’s healthcare system.

Updated

Dai Le amendment fails

Dai Le’s amendment for the Nacc to provide translation and mental health services to people called to hearings, and adding language and cultural sensitivities to the test for public hearings have been defeated, 73 to 63.

The entire Coalition voted with Le, whose amendments were also supported by Kylea Tink, Kate Chaney, Sophie Scamps, Zali Steggall, Zoe Daniel, Allegra Spender, Bob Katter, and the Greens.

Earlier, the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, explained that Labor opposed them because it is his “strong expectation” the Nacc will provide these supports where required, as federal courts already do.

Dreyfus opposed adding English fluency and cultural sensitivities to the considerations about whether to hold a public hearing. He noted the commission can already consider “any unfair prejudice to privacy, reputation or wellbeing” before ordering a public hearing, including “any particular vulnerability” of the person. Helen Haines also spoke against this element of the amendments.

Also supporting Labor to vote the amendments down were Monique Ryan and Rebekha Sharkie.

Updated

Final Haines amendment defeated

The last Haines amendment on Nacc budgetary independence was defeated 55 to 14. Bridget Archer voted with the Coalition and Labor this time.

Independent MP Dai Le is now moving amendments which require translation services and mental health supports for those appearing at a hearing.

Updated

Labor joins Coalition to vote down Haines amendments

So far, Labor is voting against amendments from Helen Haines, who was elected on a strong platform of increased transparency, in what seems like a bid to ensure bipartisanship with the Coalition.

Which did not progress a federal Icac. Didn’t even introduce its toothless tiger version into the parliament.

Lots of people watching this debate with eyebrows raised.

Updated

Haines proposal on funding anti-corruption body voted down

The House just divided on the Haines amendment that if the Nacc oversight committee makes a recommendation in relation to the Nacc budget and the government does not follow it, the AG must provide a written statement of reasons to parliament.

Dreyfus said:

The committee will have the function of reviewing [the Nacc’s] budget and finances, and report to parliament whether it is sufficient to perform its functions. [It can] review the budget at any time. [There are] budget estimates [hearings] three times a year. The committee can also ask for advice from the commission about budget requirements. This will provide powerful parliamentary oversight of the budget.”

Dreyfus said these processes of parliament will result in the “imposition of political pressure” by bringing the sufficiency of the Nacc’s budget to public attention, concluding that “the further amendments would not meaningfully enhance the committee’s role”.

The amendment was defeated (by Labor and the Coalition) 49 votes to 16.

Haines was supported by Bridget Archer, the Greens, and crossbenchers Kate Chaney, Bob Katter, Dai Le, Monique Ryan, Sophie Scamps, Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall, Kylea Tink, Rebekha Sharkie, Zoe Daniel and Andrew Wilkie.

Haines is now moving an amendment on appointment of Nacc commissioners:

The decision to approve or reject a proposed recommendation is to be determined by a majority of all of the members of the Committee for the time being holding office. The majority must include: (a) at least 2 Government members; and (b) at least 2 non-Government members.

Updated

Interest rate rises increase housing stress

Consecutive interest rate rises have done little to improve housing affordability for first home buyers, as rising interest rates offset the property market downturn.

That’s the finding in the latest ANZ CoreLogic Housing Affordability Report, which painted a grim picture for hopeful first home buyers.

The typical Australian first home buyer would take 10.9 years to save for a deposit as of the September quarter, the report found, a small improvement on 11.3 years in the previous quarter. The report assumes 15% of household income can be saved for a deposit.

Meanwhile nationally, the portion of income needed to repay a new mortgage has risen by 4.4 percentage points to 43.3%.

In Sydney, the most unaffordable city, first home buyers would need to save for 12.8 years and set aside more than half their income to service a mortgage.

In Melbourne, 42.4% of income was needed to service a new mortgage, while in Brisbane the rate was 40.3%.

Renters were also bearing the brunt of consecutive rate hikes.

Nationally, 33.4% of renters income was being spent on housing in the latest quarter. A person is considered under rental stress when more than 30% of their income goes towards rent.

Some 34.4% of Hobart renters income went towards housing, followed by Sydney and Adelaide (31.6% respectively).

The report said low rental supply was contributing to crisis:


The decline in rental affordability is the result of several demand and supply factors. On the demand side, the drivers of a soft rental market at the onset of Covid-19, including closed international borders, reduced interstate migration and job loss, have now reversed ...

Another reason for additional demand in the private rental market, and a factor putting low income households at greater risk of homelessness, may be the low level of additional social housing.

Updated

The view from the lens of Mike Bowers

Mike Bowers is back with us and in the chamber

The teals, other independents and Greens crossbench MPs and the Liberal member for Bass, Bridget Archer, vote together on amendments to the national anti-corruption commission bill.
The teals, other independents and Greens crossbench MPs and the Liberal member for Bass, Bridget Archer, vote together on amendments to the national anti-corruption commission bill. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Kate Chaney is a mood.

Bridget Archer and Western Australian teal MP for Curtin Kate Chaney during the voting.
Bridget Archer and Western Australian teal MP for Curtin Kate Chaney during the voting. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Haines pork-barrelling amendment fails

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has spoken about the Helen Haines amendment to add “allocation of public funds ... to targeted electors for partisan political purposes” to the Nacc bill (to explicitly include pork-barrelling in scope for investigations).

Dreyfus has previously spoken in favour of pork barrelling being investigated - but he is arguing that an amendment is not needed to make this explicit:

Dreyfus said:

As I’ve said previously, there is a point at which making of discretionary grants can cross the line into corruption, public money given away for private purposes.

Can I assure the member for Indi and all members of crossbench, the bill would enable the commission to investigate serious or systemic corruption in relation to a discretionary grants program ... if [funds are given] dishonestly or for improper purpose, the commission will be able to investigate.”

Dreyfus responded to Zali Steggall that it is “simply not correct that pork barrelling is excluded from the work of the commission – it is included”.

The House then voted 58 to 15 to reject the amendment, with Labor and the Coalition voting together to defeat it.

Haines’ amendment was supported by Liberal Bridget Archer, the Greens, and crossbenchers Kate Chaney, Zoe Daniel, Bob Katter, Dai Le, Monique Ryan, Sophie Scamps, Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall, Kylea Tink and Andrew Wilkie.

We’re now onto a Haines amendment about ensuring Nacc funding independence.

Updated

ACT doing best at transport emissions reductions

The ACT has been ranked as the most progressive state or territory on cutting greenhouse gas emissions from transport, with New South Wales coming in second.

According to a report from the Climate Council, the ACT’s zero emissions transport plan, targets for electric buses and government vehicles, high levels of new electric car sales and the lowest emissions per person for transport all put the territory on top.

NSW is ranked second, with the highest share of people using public transport and targets for electric buses and government vehicles that don’t deliver as quickly as the ACT, the report says.

Victoria and Tasmania were placed equal third in the Are We There Yet report, followed by South Australia, Queensland, WA and the Northern Territory.

Latest national data shows transport accounts for 18.7% of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

Before the pandemic, transport emissions were rising. After a sharp drop from the economic slowdown, transport emissions have climbed again but not to pre-pandemic levels.

The Climate Council said while progress was being made towards cheaper and cleaner transport, there were big differences in how states and territories were progressing. Dr Jennifer Rayner, the council’s head of advocacy, said:

Australians want clean transport options that are accessible, reliable and better for our hip pockets and climate.

This includes well-connected networks of footpaths and bike lanes, zero emissions public transport and affordable electric vehicles. State and Territory governments are putting their wheels in motion but our analysis shows they really need to hit the accelerator.

Updated

So looking around at all the chambers, it seems everything is a bit of a mess at the moment.

Stay with us, as we sort through it and keep you up to date.

Plibersek’s office responds to traditional owners’ claims of lack of consultation

Tanya Plibersek’s office has responded:

The minister’s office has attempted to engage with the PKKP on at least four occasions since the Response was approved by Cabinet on Tuesday.

The minister’s office spoke to the PKKP cultural heritage manager. A meeting between the CEO and the Minister was also offered.

Updated

AGL announces date for power plant closure

Energy issues are usually not far from the surface these days, and news that AGL Energy has today given a date for the closure of its Torrens Island ‘B’ power plant in South Australia will likely stoke debate anew.

The energy giant, which has been under siege from billionaire activist Mike Cannon-Brookes over its decarbonisation pace, told the ASX today it would close its remaining three units of the now 600MW gas-fired power station on 30 June 2026.

The company cited the expected completion of a new transmission line between SA and NSW in mid-2026 as affecting the economic viability of the station. Better hope that line is in place by then, I suppose. (The storms that “islanded” SA from the rest of the national electricity market is a reminder of the need for more power supply options.)

AGL copped a lot of flak when it gave seven years notice for its plans to close its ageing Liddell coal-fired power plant by 2022. After intense pressure from the Turnbull government that closure date was pushed out to April 2023, handily after the state elections next March.

It’s unlikely AGL will get much pressure from Albanese government, but it’s not hard to imagine political and punditry hay being made over the decision to exit a fossil-fuel plant.

Expect more media interest on 30 November when the Australian Energy Regulator is due to release its annual retail markets report detailing how household bills have changed over the past year.

Shareholder issues of a different kind are on display elsewhere today with one of Australia’s biggest coalminers New Hope Group holding its AGM in sunny Muswellbrook (haze permitting) in the upper Hunter region of NSW.

New Hope is hoping a resolution from 100-plus shareholders to wind down coal output in line with global climate goals (think, COP27) won’t get up.

Groups like Market Forces aren’t happy that the company is not providing any audio or video webcast as is the practice for most AGMs and something New Hope managed to provide during the Covid years. Will van de Pol, a campaigner at Market Forces, said:

New Hope Group is avoiding shareholder accountability, even after complaints from globally significant investors about the company’s lack of engagement. Market Forces analysis indicates New Hope Group will spend nearly $1bn in investor capital to expand the New Acland Stage 3 project in Queensland and continue to explore other coal assets.

Given the federal government will have to provide EPBC approval for mine expansions, expect this issue to turn up in Canberra too.

Updated

Senate runs out of time to finalise territory rights bill

Despite concerns raised by Katy Gallagher and David Pocock about opponents’ delaying tactics, the Senate has now run out of time to get a final vote on territory rights today, and the bill will now come back next Thursday.

Opponents had asked for more time before a final vote, so they could move amendments. Pocock and Gallagher asked why the amendments weren’t already prepared, considering how long the territory rights push has been on the cards.

A line of Liberal senators then stood up to speak and ask for more time. Senate procedure rules mean such bills can only be considered during certain times of the week, and the numerous speeches meant that time was chewed up.

The Senate Twitter account tweeted that the time had expired for debating territory rights, and it wouldn’t return to the agenda until next Thursday. But from what we learned today, it should eventually easily pass the Senate – a vote to take the bill through the second reading stage, and towards a final vote, passed 41 to 25 so you’d imagine the final result will be something similar.

Updated

Haines moves amendment on pork barrelling

Independent MP Helen Haines is now moving an amendment on pork barrelling, clarifying the Nacc can investigate it if it constitutes serious or systemic misconduct.

Pork barrelling is defined as the “allocation of public funds and resources targeted at electors for partisan political purposes”, which Haines paraphrased as “buying votes with taxpayer money”.

Haines said when target seats are pork barrelled “important infrastructure in other electorates misses out”:

In the last parliament I heard now the now attorney general constantly calling this out. I heard the now PM doing the same thing, calling for an anti-corruption commission to stamp out pork barrelling. I want to make sure there is not one element of doubt that the commissioner can – if they determine this is serious or systemic – can undertake investigation into this egregious practice. There is growing concern about the alleged misuse of billions of taxpayer dollars.

Updated

Territory rights bill debate continues in Senate

The territory rights debate continues, with opponents seeking a delay to the final vote so they can move amendments – but supporters of the bill are unhappy with the request, and confused about why the amendments were not ready.

ACT senator and manager of government business, Katy Gallagher, asked those wanting to bring amendments to detail what they are, even if the exact detail is not ready. She said she was perplexed because the bill was a straightforward repeal of existing legislation and was unsure of what amendments could be moved.

Liberal senator Sarah Henderson earlier protested that the Senate procedure office was overworked and had not been able to work up the requested amendments yet, and asked for time to move those amendments.

David Pocock, the ACT senator and advocate for territory rights, was also unhappy at the request for delay:

We’ve known this bill is coming for quite some time now. I’m quite concerned about process here. This is the simplest of bills.

Jonno Duniam, the Liberal senator asking for more time, said he would request three amendments. They included restrictions around providing voluntary assisted dying to those under 18, and around the imports and the approval process or exemptions for medications used in euthanasia.

Pocock moved to guillotine debate and put the final question. Labor voted against that, with Gallagher saying it was Labor party process that debate on conscience votes not be cut short.

The debate continues. Gallagher still says Labor wants the final vote today.

Updated

Helen Haines calls for improvements to Nacc bill

Earlier, independent MP Helen Haines spoke in favour of lowering the bar for public hearings:

Mr Speaker, I am a vocal supporter of this bill. I believe overall it is an exceptional model, an excellent model, and I applaud the government for prioritising the national anti-corruption commission legislation as top order in their agenda since they came to parliament. We have been waiting a long, long time to see legislation such as this, and I think in particular the attorney general for the way in which he has gone about putting this bill together for the consensus approach he has adopted as meetings and for the work of his department and of his staff.

This will indeed establish a powerful anti-corruption commission. The fact that we have worked so hard together across the parliament to pull together what ultimately I hope will be a consensus bill I have long called for, that we can together bring about this extremely important change.

But, Mr Speaker, it could still be better. I have long said that I won’t finish until the absolute finish line, and we are getting close to that. This bill can be improved before we deliver the Australian people the national anti-corruption commission they truly deserve. An anti-corruption commission that is fit for purpose and fulfils its role, not just now but into the future for many years to come.

I urge all members of this House to think very carefully about what our nation has asked us to do, and to consider amendments on their merits. I ask you to support them so that we pass legislation for the best possible integrity body, restore its trust in us, I know they do. Part of that is that they see how we deal with corruption when it comes before us.

I would never ask for carte blanche public hearings, but that is not what I’m talking about here, what I’m talking about is a public inquiry when it’s in the public interest ...

Amendment five will strike out the unnecessary and alarming exceptional circumstances requirement. In my mind, this is the single most important change to this bill. My amendment will ensure the commission may decide to hold public hearings if the commission is satisfied it is in the public interest.

I sat through almost 40 hours of evidence from former judges, past and present, Icac and Ibac commissioners, advocates. We heard so little evidence about the exceptional circumstances test and an overwhelming amount of evidence against it. Sufficient protections are provided by providing a hearing to be public only when in the public interest.

Coalition committee members indeed cited fears about grave mental health impacts that may arise from appearing in public when arguing to keep the exceptional circumstances. I would point members to their government amendments which will allow additional protections to seek mental health support. It is an important concern and I share it, but the exceptional circumstances test is not the way to fix it.

Updated

MPs consider national anti-corruption commission bill, with Bridget Archer crossing the floor

The House of Representatives is considering the national anti-corruption commission bill in committee stage, including amendments.

First up were Helen Haines’ amendments to remove the “exceptional circumstances” test for public hearings, so that the Nacc can have public hearings whenever it is in the public interest to do so. Haines also proposed that the optional considerations for the Nacc in judging exceptional circumstances be made mandatory.

The house voted the amendments down 77 to 14.

Liberal Bridget Archer – as she flagged last night – crossed the floor, voting with the Greens, and most of the crossbench (Kate Chaney, Zoe Daniel, Haines, Bob Katter, Monique Ryan, Sophie Scamps, Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall, Kylea Tink and Andrew Wilkie).

Haines’ amendment to define what “exceptional circumstances” are is next up – but I expect that Labor and the Coalition will again vote together to defeat them.

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, told the House that “reasonable minds can differ” on the question of exceptional circumstances:

This is an appropriate threshold that reflects the significant nature of the power to compel people to give evidence at a public hearing.

Updated

And in the House of Representatives:

Updated

Traditional owners ‘angry and disappointed’ they were not consulted over Juukan Gorge report response

The PKKP Aboriginal Corporation, which administers the traditional lands and waters of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama people and the Pinikura people on their behalf, has released a statement slamming the federal government for its response to the Juukan Gorge report, saying they were not consulted. The statement in full is below:

The PKKP Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC is angry and disappointed with the announcement in Canberra today of the Federal Government’s response to the Joint Select Committee Report into the destruction of Juukan Gorge.

PKKPAC Chairman Burchell Hayes said the Corporation could not comment on the Response because they had not been consulted on the content.

All of this started with the destruction of our cultural heritage, everyone keeps on telling us they are sorry about it, but actions speak louder than words,” Mr Hayes said.

It seems like a media event in Canberra is more important than giving PKKP people the respect of asking us what can be done to try and stop something like the destruction of the Juukan rock shelters happening again, or even letting us know what the government is planning.

We received an email on Tuesday 22nd November from the Minister’s Office that this was happening with no detail or meaningful follow-up.

We would have expected the Minister would want to meet with us before making a public announcement about our Country and cultural heritage. It is disappointing the media know more than we do.

Mr Hayes said today’s events had confirmed that the PKKP peoples, not governments, had to look after themselves when it came to their country.

We have tasted the devastation and we know what needs to be done.

The corporation said it would not be providing any further comment.

Updated

Tanya Plibersek tables government’s response to the Juukan Gorge destruction report

This morning, our government signed an agreement with the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance.

This partnership will guide the reform process – to ensure that Indigenous voices are present at every stage, in every room, and in every decision we make.

Members of the alliance are here in the chamber today – and I want to thank them for their ongoing work and dedication.

Mr Speaker, the committee report identified eight recommendations for reforming Australia’s cultural heritage.

We have accepted seven of them, and we are working through the final recommendation with the alliance, which is whether ultimate responsibility for cultural heritage protection should sit with the Indigenous affairs minister or the environment minister.

As I said, these are thorough and considerate reports – and the recommendations speak to the principles and priorities that will shape our legislation.

Free, prior, and informed consent.

Truth telling and open dialogue.

Genuine partnership – the kind that can only be entered into by equals.

And wrapped around it all, a new respect for Indigenous culture and history, enshrined in our national law, honoured by business and civil society, and celebrated in communities right across this country.

The alliance and i are working closely with minister Burney and Senator Dodson to make sure we get these laws right.

Just like we are working closely with the states and territories, to make sure our rules are harmonised across the commonwealth.

And we will work closely with business – who have already shown a great willingness to learn from past experience and to grow.

Updated

Push to finalise territory rights bill today

The Senate could pass the territory rights bill, to allow the territories to make their own euthanasia laws, as early as today – with finance minister Katy Gallagher saying the Senate can be “nimble” when necessary.

The Senate is now debating the bill. As reported, the Senate had earmarked time next Thursday to finally resolve the bill, but after the second reading stage of debate ended this morning (no more senators wanted to make speeches at that time), Gallagher said she wanted to “resolve” the issue today.

The Senate agreed 41-25 to move the bill through the second reading stage and towards a final vote. We reported this morning that the bill was likely to pass, after doing our own headcount – but some Coalition senators who had previously voted against territory rights, including Linda Reynolds and Richard Colbeck, voted for it this time.

Liberal senator Jonno Duniam has asked the Senate to wait until next week because he wants to move amendments to it – but that they weren’t ready. Greens senator Larissa Waters said she found that highly unusual, as the territory rights bill has been on the agenda for some time, and she doesn’t want the Senate held up by opponents of the bill not being ready.

Duniam admitted it was “inconvenient” and apologised but claimed it was not a deliberate delaying tactic – and he said it was “clear” the bill would be eventually successful.

Updated

There is still the third reading (and maybe committee) to go, but this is a very big indication of where it is heading:

Updated

This was the biggest hurdle for the bill so far.

Katy Gallagher is now pushing to have the bill resolved before the Senate rises – today.

Updated

Senate passes second reading of territory rights bill

The territory rights bill has passed its second reading in the Senate, 41 to 25.

An earlier version of this post incorrectly recorded the vote as 39 to 25.

Updated

It is getting close to crunch time in the territory rights bill vote:

Updated

Danny Lim released from hospital

Sydney street personality Danny Lim has been released from hospital after being thrown to the ground and suffering a brain bleed during a “discontinued” arrest by police.

Lim’s lawyer, Chris Murphy, said there was a plan in place for his care:

Danny Lim has been released from hospital with a plan in place for ongoing monitoring. Thank you staff at St Vincent’s Darlinghurst for the loving care.

Thank you to the community for your love & support, hope to get our happy icon back with his smiles and his signs.

Previous reporting:

Updated

Senate debates territory rights bill

In the Senate, the private member’s bill to give territories the right to make their own laws on things like voluntary assisted dying (a right taken away by the Howard government in the late 1990s) is being debated.

The legislation does not legalise VAD in the Northern Territory or the ACT, it only means the territories can bring forward that legislation, if they wish. A debate and vote would still have to occur.

The Liberals have a conscience vote, as do Labor.

Updated

Low risk doesn’t mean no risk, Andrews says of repatriation of women and children from Syria

Karen Andrews, the former home affairs minister, is continuing the political attack against Clare O’Neil, the Labor home affairs minister, over the repatriation of Australian women and children from Syrian refugee camps. The women had left Australia for Syria in most cases with partners who were in support of the Islamic State regime, which has since fallen. Mayors in western Sydney have raised concerns about the families resettling in their communities. Andrews has been taking up those mayors’ case.

Asked if Australians should have confidence in its security agencies which have said there is “low risk” of any problems, Andrews says:

They should. They should have confidence in the capability of Asio and the Australian federal police, without a doubt.

But low risk doesn’t mean no risk. So let’s be clear about that.

And what the government has failed to do is reassure the people that proper measures are in place.

We don’t actually know if there are any measures, let alone what those measures may well be. And I think it’s, again, a fundamental mistake that rookie ministers made.

Again, the women and their children are Australian and if they had been able to make their own way out of the camps, we would have been obliged to allow them to return anyway.

Updated

Dreyfus seeks ‘respectful’ discussion on religious discrimination bill

Attorney general Mark Dreyfus gave a speech at the Australian Catholic University interfaith breakfast event where he spoke about the government’s plan for a religious discrimination bill.

As a first step, Dreyfus has asked for a review of Australia’s laws.

He told the breakfast he did not want any subsequent debate to be political:

It is my strong belief that these are matters that should be above party politics. And it is my hope that the new leader of the Liberal party, Peter Dutton – whose presence here this morning I would like to acknowledge – and the new shadow attorney general, Julian Leeser, will work constructively with the government to extend the federal anti-discrimination framework in a way that brings Australians together.

As the expert panel led by Philip Ruddock recognised, designing legal rules to protect freedom of thought, conscience and religion without unjustifiably burdening other rights is an immensely difficult and delicate task. The expert panel described it as “a many-sided discussion”.

To the extent possible, the government will seek to encourage a “many-sided discussion” that is respectful, constructive, accepting and unifying, and recognises the wealth and value of Australia’s diversity.

Many contributions to that discussion will come from within the Labor caucus, which is more reflective of the diversity of Australia than ever before.

The caucus is made up of people who are Christian, who are Jewish, who are Muslim – people from a range of other faiths, and others who are not adherents of any religion at all. There are a record number of First Nations members of caucus. There are caucus members who went to university, and others who didn’t – people who were born in Australia, and many who weren’t. There are a record number of women in the caucus and the cabinet. There are people from the LGBTIQ community. There are single parents, working parents – big families and small.

The Albanese government sees this diversity as a strength. Different perspectives are to be welcomed as we search for common ground – rather than exploited for the purposes of sewing division.

I think everyone in this room, and Australians across the country, have had enough of the division – and will embrace a more constructive and respectful path forward.

Updated

Treaty needed to restore First Nations rights, Lidia Thorpe says

The latest research from Reconciliation Australia shows support for a treaty has increased by about 20% in the last two years to reach a high of 72% people in support.

The biennial Barometer report showed there was also increased support for an Indigenous representative body to be established, with about 80% of the general population in support.

But the report also found an uptick in Indigenous people experiencing racism.

Senator Lidia Thorpe
Senator Lidia Thorpe in Melbourne last week. Photograph: Tamati Smith/Getty Images

Greens senator Lidia Thorpe says self-determination through treaty is one solution. She says Indigenous people need more than “just a say”:

We learnt yesterday that First Nations children are 10x more likely to be living in out of home care than non-Indigenous kids, less than half of them are living with First Nations carers. Forcibly taking children away from their community is an act of genocide, according to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Today, Reconciliation Australia showed us that 60% of First Nations people have experienced racism in the last six months.

We know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 26x more likely than their non-Indigenous classmates to be incarcerated.

This is all evidence of systemic racism in this country. The solution is self-determination. It’s critical that First Nations people have more than just ‘a say’ over the matters that affect us.

Everyone is better off when we are free to steer our own course, yet successive Governments continue to lock First Nations people out of decision making processes and force policies onto us that continue the violent legacy of colonisation.

We need a Treaty to redefine and rebuild the relationship between the Government and First Nations people. A Treaty will restore our right to make decisions for ourselves, our families, our communities and our homelands.

Through real justice, we can build a society where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

Treaty was promised by Bob Hawke’s Labor government in the 80s and it’s still unfinished business today. There’s growing support for First Nations people to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to making decisions about our community, our country and our culture. The Greens will keep fighting to make this a reality.

Updated

Taylor pushed on Indigenous voice

Patricia Karvelas asks Angus Taylor whether or not Liberal MPs should be able to individually decide how they campaign on the Indigenous voice.

His entire voice changes at this question. Taylor is obviously not comfortable with this:

Well, look, we’ll wait and see. We’re working our way through this. And to discussing this with colleagues. We haven’t come to landed at a view on it. And the right time, we’ll have more to say.

Karvelas asks again – what is Taylor’s own view?

Taylor:

My view is we should work through the issue methodically systematically and get to a sensible outcome.

Karvelas goes in for a third time – John Howard says no but others are pushing back against that – does Taylor think it’s reasonable that people argue their own case in a big referendum campaign?

Taylor:

I think what’s reasonable in these things to give is to give people time to work through the issues and come to a landing as a party room joint party room, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.

Updated

Angus Taylor on opposition to Labor’s IR bill

The shadow treasurer Angus Taylor is speaking to ABC radio now about the government’s IR bill.

The opposition is absolutely, 100%, no thank you when it comes to the legislation. So what does Taylor think will lead to pay rises?

Well, let me tell you the mechanism that is working best right now. And that’s individual arrangements between employers and employees in fact, in the last a WPI data that came out, just in the last week or so, we saw individual arrangements going up twice or even four times faster than union-driven arrangements. And it’s it’s allowing employers and employees to sit down and work together to get the best possible outcome for the business and the workers. And it is actually working best in those sorts of arrangements.

Yes, but that is not getting people wage rises.

Taylor:

I’m saying that’s where it’s working best. Now, we want to see it working better over time. There’s no doubt about that. But you’ve got to have a strong economy, you’ve got to have productivity.

You’ve got to have employees working with employees. And you know, we saw that era of toxic industrial relations in the 70s and 80s come to an end as as this approach of getting employers and employees working together closely … Actually, to their great credit, the Labor party under Bob Hawke was really important to achieving that.

So we don’t want to reversion I don’t think any business wants to reversion.

I just hear exhaustion from businesses at the what they’ve experienced in the last couple of years, particularly small businesses in my electorate.

And they don’t want another hurdle in front of them in getting on with a post-pandemic world, which is a real challenge is there are labour shortages.

They are having to pay more to retain workers and that’s the market at work and that’s that’s a good thing. And we just don’t need union officials getting in the middle. They’re driving industry-wide disputation as a way of strengthening their power base rather than strengthening the economy.

Updated

‘It’s a shameful moment in Australia’s history’

The report into Juukan Gorge’s destruction was titled “Never Again”. Can Tanya Plibersek ensure it won’t ever happen again?

I’m determined that this sort of cultural heritage destruction should never happen again in Australia. It is a shameful moment in Australia’s history.

It’s not unique. And one of the really terrible things about the report that was led so well by Senator Pat Dodson was that it was an opportunity for Aboriginal groups from around Australia to talk about their own experiences of cultural heritage destruction.

And Juukan Gorge was perhaps the most high profile but certainly not a unique experience of cultural heritage protection.

We are so very fortunate in Australia, like, you know, you think about kids growing up in Egypt not knowing about the pyramids. It’s impossible to imagine and yet we have cultural heritage here in Australia that is tens of thousands of years older … and I think we need to change that we need to value it properly.

Updated

How can strengthening federal laws stop the destruction of sacred heritage sites?

Tanya Plibersek:

I think I think it’s really worth having a look at the two inquiries that the the parliament undertook into the Juukan Gorge destruction because it describes not just the failure of laws, but the failure of process and the failure of people to listen and that happened at the commonwealth level and it also happened at the West Australian state government level.

The other thing that it describes is a company that paid lip service to consultation and really, you know, really didn’t do what it should have done when Aboriginal people said you can’t blow up caves that are 46,000 years old, that have examples of continuous use and habitation that you know, the site of finds like a 4,000-year-old hair belt, and tools that are tens of thousands of years old.

The company didn’t listen when the traditional owners said that. I would very much hope that this catastrophic destruction has made businesses more aware of their responsibilities. It has led to some changes at the West Australian state level and certainly it will lead to more changes at the commonwealth level as well.

Updated

How long will this take?

Tanya Plibersek:

There’s absolutely a sense of urgency to ensure that this sort of cultural heritage destruction doesn’t happen again.

I completely agree with that, but a very strong message from the the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance is also that they genuinely want to sit at the table to work through these issues in partnership and cooperation.

And so we’ve got to balance the urgency that you describe with really thorough and thoughtful consultation with First Nations people around Australia so that it is a genuine co-design process.

It’s not just the government, you know, dropping a few suggestions on the table in a, you know, take-it-or-leave-it sort of fashion.

Q: Have you got an idea about how quickly you’d like to be able to introduce some laws to ensure this happens?

Plibersek:

Yeah, I’m not going to put I’m not going to put a timeline on it yet. I think that’s something that we determined as we work through the complexity of these issues, and there are a lot of complexities involved.

Updated

Plibersek targets imbalance of power in protecting First Nations sacred sites

Removing those gag clauses would require changes to the Native Title Act, which Tanya Plibersek says is not an issue, but will require a process.

It’s just a process we going through, a co-design process for the cultural heritage protection laws. And of course the attorney general has also said that there are areas of the Native Title Act that he would like to examine in more detail … There’s also the issue of resourcing one of the other recommendations of the Juukan Gorge inquiry is about resourcing for prescribed body corporates.

You’ve got not just the imbalance of power in negotiations that occur because of the way the laws are drafted … But there’s also a massive imbalance in the resources that people bring to the to the negotiating table if you’ve got very large corporations with very deep pockets, up against, for example, a small prescribed body corporate.

It’s, you know, it’s not an easy thing to to negotiate in those circumstances.

Q: No, so how do you change that? How do you balance it up? Who provides the funding?

Plibersek:

Well, that’s why we’re going through this. That’s why we’re going through this process with the First Nations Cultural Heritage Protection Alliance. It’s about the legal changes we need to make. We do need to look at some of these issues around prescribed body corporates. I mean, I think, you know, this is yet to be determined, but it makes sense to me that if the expectation is that native title holders, for example, negotiating with big mining companies, it makes sense to me that some of those big companies would make a contribution to make sure that the the negotiations are taking place on a level playing field.

Updated

‘When those beautiful Buddhas were destroyed by the Taliban, there was an international outcry’

Tanya Plibersek says the recommendations in the report alone won’t stop another sacred site from being destroyed:

We need to strengthen our laws as well. And that’s why we’ve entered into this code design process with the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance we need to change the law. I mean, the the the current law was written in 1984.

There’s been a few changes along the way. But certainly not nearly enough to give the sort of cultural heritage protection that we need to have in Australia. I think your introduction was quite right – when those beautiful Buddhas were destroyed by the Taliban, there was an international outcry about that destruction.

The Juukan Gorge destruction is similarly significant. But it happened because of the weaknesses of our laws and that that’s the commonwealth laws and there was criticism in the reports of the Western Australian government – there were certainly criticisms of the company itself.

The fact that there are gag clauses included in agreements between companies and traditional owner groups, means that traditional owners feel constricted from speaking out about cultural heritage destruction. These are all things that we need to address when we reform our laws.

Updated

Juukan Gorge wasn’t a one-off, Plibersek says

Tanya Plibersek is speaking to ABC radio RN Breakfast and says the destruction of Juukan Gorge was a wake-up call:

One of the very clear findings of the two inquiries into the Juukan Gorge destruction was that this wasn’t a one-off incident and there were really significant flaws in our laws protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage.

In fact, the destruction of Juukan Gorge was legal under the laws as they exist at the moment and that was completely wrong, but it shows how weak the laws are that that’s the case.

We’ve said that we will work with the First Nations heritage protection Alliance, an organisation that was set up after the Juukan Gorge destruction made up of around 30 Aboriginal organisations from across the country.

We will sit down with the First Nations heritage protection Alliance and co-design stronger laws to give better protection to Aboriginal cultural heritage. And today in the parliament, I’ll also be tabling the government’s response to those two Juukan Gorge inquiries to deal with a number of other recommendations from the reports.

Updated

Grants for cashless debit card trial sites

Communities that formerly hosted cashless debit card trial sites will be eligible for up to $17m in federal grants, as the government looks to create employment opportunities in those towns.

The “Community-led Solutions – Economic Development Grant Opportunity” will be open to projects in Ceduna, Goldfields, East Kimberley and Cape York. It comes after the Labor government passed laws to repeal the income management tool this year.

Social services minister Amanda Rishworth said:

This funding will meet the call for additional investment in shovel-ready infrastructure projects that provide ongoing and sustainable opportunities for training and employment.

Applications open today, with funding to flow from early 2023. The government expects to give funding for capital projects like tourism centres, upgrading major facilities or capital equipment like farming machinery that are part of local employment programs.

Rishworth said it was an example of the government listening to communities that raised concerns after the ceasing of the cashless debit card program:

Breaking the cycle of welfare dependency is critical, and we need to provide pathways to employment for people in their communities.

Anyone wanting to transition off the cashless debit card could visit servicesaustralia.gov.au/debitcard or call the cashless debit card hotline on 1800 252 604.

Updated

Good morning

We have made it to the Thursday, which as we all know, is traditionally the worst day of the week.

The house has been preoccupied with the national anti-corruption commission legislation – which will soon be the Senate’s problem, while the Senate has been preoccupied (at least behind the scenes) with the government’s IR legislation.

All of that is coming to the pointy end, with just five House sitting days left, and seven Senate sitting days (it is sitting on the Fridays as well to get through the legislation backlog).

But today the parliament will also turn its attention to Tanya Plibersek, the environment minister, as she delivers the government’s response to the joint select committee into the report into the destruction of the Indigenous heritage site Juukan Gorge.

Juukan Gorge’s destruction was another dark moment in the nation’s history, highlighting how little protection Aboriginal sacred sites had.

Plibersek will be speaking very soon and we will bring you that.

You have Katharine Murphy, Paul Karp, Josh Butler and Daniel Hurst – as well as Amy Remeikis on the blog for most of the day.

I have already had three coffees already and am headed for my fourth.

Ready?

Let’s get into it.

Updated

Government to respond to Juukan Gorge report

One of the first items of business today will be environment minister Tanya Plibersek giving the government’s response to the joint select committee on northern Australia report into the destruction of Juukan Gorge.

The committee found Australia must do more to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage by overhauling “grossly inadequate” laws and giving traditional owners the “right to withhold consent” over developments on their country.

Plibersek will be joined by Linda Burney, Senator Pat Dodson and the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance to sign the co-design partnership agreement on cultural heritage reform.

MPs near vote on federal Icac

MPs could vote on setting up federal anti-corruption watchdog after debating the matter last night and hearing suggested amendments from independents including Zali Steggall.

She said while the government’s proposed model would help increase accountability and transparency, she did not believe it went far enough:

At the moment there is much too much provision in this bill that keeps it behind closed doors and provides a whole different standard for politicians than the rest of the public.

Zali Steggall
Independent member for Warringah Zali Steggall. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Another independent, Dai Le, who represents the multicultural electorate of Fowler, pushed for the commission to ensure anti-corruption measurers would not negatively impact the mental health of witnesses called to give evidence.

Coalition MP Bridget Archer, who crossed the floor in the last parliament to bring on debate about Helen Haines’ proposal for an anti-corruption commission, is sticking to her guns by flagging last night that she was supporting crossbench amendments removing “exceptional circumstances” as the test for whether or not there are public hearings, and replacing that threshold with a public interest test.

Katharine Murphy wrote last night:

She’s backed an extension of protections for whistleblowers, and Archer has also argued if the government of the day departs from the recommendations of a parliamentary committee overseeing the new integrity body, the government should provide reasons for that departure.

This won’t make a difference to the final outcome on current indications because Labor has the numbers with the bulk of the Coalition to make exceptional circumstances the legislated test for public hearings – but Archer is remaining true to the spirit of her floor crossing one year ago.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to the Australian politics live blog. Amy Remeikis will be here shortly but let’s look at the main stories making news overnight.

  • Parts of regional NSW remain at high risk of flooding today with the Lachlan River still rising downstream of Forbes in the central west. Helicopters have been used to airlift sheep to safety in Condobolin, which is cut off by an inland sea. Residents in Euabalong have been told to evacuate because the river is going to peak at a record 8m today. Some residents in Moulamein in the Riverina have chosen to stay despite a warning that it could be cut off until December.

  • The federal environment department allowed the National Farmers’ Federation to attend a meeting about clearing of native grasslands by a company called Jam Land, part-owned by then-energy minister, Angus Taylor. A document obtained by Guardian Australia shows that the department’s own officials said allowing the NFF to attend would not normally be “acceptable” and could set the wrong precedent. This is Lisa Cox’s exclusive story.

  • We also have a report this morning that the Liberal party is expected to allow members the freedom to campaign however they wish on the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, defying advice from former prime minister John Howard. Even Liberal backers of the voice say the government must give more information about it and conduct a parliamentary inquiry before they can pledge their support.

Updated

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