Well, that about sums up that.
The House is about to adjourn, and so shall I. All of the thank yous to Mike Bowers and the Guardian team. And of course, to you all for coming along on this very strange ride that was this Tuesday in the 46th parliament.
We’ll be back early tomorrow morning. Until then - take care of you.
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And apart from the thank yous, we finish with this:
The undeniable truth I learnt from my travels is that we’re all the same. We all want a roof over our head, food in our stomach and a better life for our children. What binds us together is much more than what drives us apart. We must promote a unified Australia, rather than ideologies that seek to divide us.”
Except, I would imagine, those who are over stocking our paddocks.
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And, of course, we get his view on diplomacy:
Almost 20 years ago, I finished a seven-year journey around the world that took me to most corners of the globe. The Elamite [tablets] in Iran and the Aleppo souq and Palmyra ruins in Syria were some of the more spectacular places I saw.
It would be almost impossible for me to travel to those places today, which is a shame.
As the birthplace of writing, irrigation, astronomy, algebra and our major religions, the Middle East is the cradle of our civilisation.
All war is a failure of diplomacy. The current military intervention in the Middle East has lasted almost as long as world war I, world war II and the Vietnam war combined. It has gone on for too long and needs to end. Bin Laden is dead, Saddam is dead and there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Isis will only be defeated when the world calls out the Milo Minderbinder who is funding them. As Eisenhower said:
No nation’s security and wellbeing can be lastingly achieved in isolation but only in effective cooperation with fellow nations.
Any nation’s attempt to dictate to other nations their form of government is indefensible.
Twenty-first century foreign affairs have been characterised by belligerent rhetoric and an unwillingness to seek peace through diplomatic channels.
This needs to change. Sound diplomacy and strength of position is the foundation of peace.
Of all the foreign policy achievements in my lifetime, none was more inspirational than Reagan and Gorbachev in ending the cold war. Their willingness to work together is the example that world leaders should follow today. As Reagan said:
People want to raise their children in a world without fear and without war. They want to have some of the good things over and above bare subsistence that make life worth living. They want to work at some trade that gives them a sense of worth. Their common interests cross all borders.
Australia needs to continue the good work the government is doing by building alliances with our Indo-Pacific neighbours. We are only as strong as we are united and as weak as we are divided. We also need to strengthen our defences here in Australia, using superior technology that will protect Australians and not line the pockets of vested interests.
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But let us not forget universities:
Skills-based training through TAFE should take precedence over non-vocational university studies. Too many young people are graduating from university with massive debts but no employment prospects, while business import labour to fill skills shortages.
The government’s incentive payment schemes for apprenticeships are a step in the right direction.
Sending everybody to university has not resulted in a well-educated population. It has resulted in worthless degrees, dumbed-down standards and vast amounts of student debt. It is a sad indictment on our education system that Australia, a first world country, has to import skilled labour, especially doctors, from developing countries.
There are over 600,000 foreign students studying in Australia who use infrastructure funded by the taxpayer. They can also work up to 20 hours per week, competing with unemployed Australians looking for work. It is time universities, and not the taxpayer, funded the economic cost of hosting them.
Universities should also underwrite student loans, which total over $60 billion. Why should the taxpayer underwrite this without a guarantee from universities that their graduates will get a job and repay their debts?
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And then we get to the “over stocked” paddock line (despite Australia being a ‘beacon’ for people wanting a better life). Gerard Rennick:
While economic growth is important, it should not come at a cost to our quality of life. It is time immigration levels were reduced so communities can deal with infrastructure, the environment and skills shortages.
Despite almost a doubling of the population in the last 30 years, state governments have built very few baseload power stations or dams. They need to address declining services to everyday Australians before the population increases any further.
The greatest threat to our environment is not carbon dioxide but unsustainable immigration.
As the son of a farmer, I was taught from a young age about carrying capacity and never to over stock your paddocks. Yet immigration is doing just that, causing major city congestion and overdevelopment on our city fringes.
Meanwhile, regional communities are struggling as opportunities, from the lack of infrastructure, go begging. While I agree with the government’s wind-back of permanent visa places to 160,000 annually, the almost two million temporary visa holders living in Australia should also be reduced.
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And there is still more. Yes, he is a LNP senator. As in part of the government.
Australia is endowed with vast natural wealth. Yet until the last quarter, it has run current account deficits for the best part of 50 years. In the last financial year, despite a trade surplus of $50bn Australia plunged further into debt, with a current account deficit of $12bn, due to capital profits paid to off-shore entities. Because of the tax treaties, most of these profits are taxed around 10% or less, while profits, retained in Australia, are taxed at 30%.
Our own taxation system acts as a reverse tariff on entities domiciled here in Australia sending profits and businesses off shore, because of the regulatory and taxation burden placed on them.
The solution to this is ensure the withholding tax rate placed on profits off-shore is the same as the tax rate on profits retained in Australia. Given there is $2.8tr in super, tax concession for foreign investors needs to stop. Australia has no shortage of capital.
... When the convicts got off the boat, all they had was their will to survive. There were no financial instruments, regulations, scoping studies or subsidies in sight. Our prosperity has come from the hands of our carpenters and mechanics, the minds of our scientists and engineers, the hearts of our teachers and nurses and most importantly, the persistence and innovation of small business owners. Yet today, financial rewards go to the paper shufflers. Bureaucrats who impose red tape, lawyers who argue semantics, fund managers who trade financial instruments, and universities who sell degrees.
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But wait, he continues:
Australians smell a rat when it comes to asset sales. At almost every opportunity they have rejected it. Foreign owners, superannuation funds, and corporations aren’t elected. So how are they held accountable to the Australian people, if they fail to provide essential services? They aren’t. And as such, privatisation undermines accountability, the bedrock of democracy.
The sale of critical assets to off-shore entities, also undermines our security and sovereignty. Just look at the Darwin port. Neo-liberal economics at its finest. It seems ludicrous that Australian superfunds invest $580bn in offshore equities and bonds, yet critical national infrastructure has to rely on foreign capital for funding. A classic case of ideology gone mad.
Our founding fathers, Barton, Deakin, Issacs and Higgins, all members of the protectionist party, would be turning in their graves. My forefathers left Ireland during the great famine, when powerful landowners exported wheat, rather than feed the starving population. National interest should also take precedent over vested interest.
Most infrastructure assets are monopolies that aren’t subject to competitive market forces that drive efficient outcomes. Australia’s high energy prices are one example of what happens when a market is artificially manipulated to achieve a determined aim. Only 6% of superannuation is invested in infrastructure. This needs to change. Today, more than ever, governments need to build income-generating infrastructure, such as dams, power stations, rail and ports. Like Governor Macquarie, who funded an ambitious building program, through the issue of the holy dollar, a government-owned infrastructure bank should be created to do the same. Funding from infrastructure bonds and superannuation. These measures will provide essential services, employment, and fixed income for retirees.
It is a much better option than interest rate manipulation, which only punishes savers and prospective home buyers.
If dairy farmers can’t set the price of milk to earn a fair return on their efforts, than why does the RBA, an unelected body, get to set the price of money, on behalf of money markets? Why is there one rule for one industry, and not the other?
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Gerard Rennick, by Gerard Rennick:
Self-belief is the conviction that leads to achievement. It is the optimism that inspires hard work, that turns adversary into opportunity, and convict colonies into countries.
From humble beginnings, modern Australia has overcome immense challenges to become one of the world’s great liberal democracies. Few countries epitomise the power of self-belief and the ethos of a fair go, better than Australia. A country that remains a beacon to those fleeing persecution, and are seeking a better life for themselves and their children.
Gratitude towards our forefathers who built this nation, and in doing so, gave us so many opportunities, is what drives me to see this country continue to provide opportunities for our children.
It is that aim that brings me here today. Of all the issues faced by Australia, few are as damaging to our country than the fiscal imbalance and ambiguous responsibilities between state and federal governments.
You’ve really got to ask why Australia, a country of 25m people, has nine growing health bureaucracies, while maternity wards are being closed in my home state of Queensland. Our constitution was designed to hold government to account by the people.
Yet 129 years of compromise has rendered it ineffective. It is time for Coag to hold a constitutional convention, to clearly define and separate these responsibilities, with proposed changes put to a referendum. The blame game needs to end. Australians deserve accountability.
People pay taxes in return for essential services, not more regulation. They expect governments to build infrastructure, not sell it. Yet despite this, governments have privatised much of the infrastructure which delivers those services.
At the same time, they have marched into the family home, the bedroom and the classroom, telling people how to live their lives, parents how to raise their children and owners how to run their business. The jackboot of bureaucracy is suffocating every day choices, the very thing liberal democratic governments are meant to defend.
Is it any wonder, people are cynical about governments when they walk away from providing services, while imposing more regulation?
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I am sure they have plenty to talk about.
The environment minister, Sussan Ley, says now is not the time to talk about whether or not climate change has contributed to the conditions which have caused the Queensland and NSW fires:
“I know that the climate is changing, and I know that the people I represent and rural Australians, see that every day. Now when there is an emergency of this sort, and people are worried about losing their homes, to have these high-level discussions about these issues, perhaps we leave them for another day and focus on helping people right here, right now.
Q: You don’t think the fires have anything to do with climate change?
Ley: Look, my honest answer to that is I don’t know. I don’t know what caused this particular fire on this particular day ...
Q: I am not asking about an individual fire - the science is pretty clear though isn’t it, climate change leads to more fires and more intense fires.
Ley: We have always lived on a continent which has been ravaged by fires, I am not going to become an expert on what is causing the fires.
Q: I don’t want to misrepresent you - are you saying the bushfires and the intensity and the frequency of the bushfires has nothing to do with climate change?
Ley: I am certainly not saying that ... I am sure it is related to climate change, to what degree and under what circumstances, and what actions we could be taking, there is a whole range of other conversations around that. I mean, people talk about controlled burnings, people talk about where your houses are - there are a lot of conversations to be had.
You have heard me on the reef - I am not shying away from that - but it is much more than that, and for our communities which are struggling at the moment, it is not about governments and individuals talking about these issues, it is about what we do to help people in the present, on the ground and I am very happy to participate in those discussions, and again, listen to the scientists, because they are a very good source of information.
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As expected:
The Senate passed a fed ICAC bill yesterday.
— Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) September 10, 2019
It just came to House & we cld’ve made it law.
But gov didn’t just refuse to deal with bill, they gagged everyone from speaking.
No ICAC, no debate about ICAC.#Greens will keep fighting until there’s a fed corruption watchdog.
Speaking to ABC Melbourne, Sussan Ley was asked what she says to farmers who don’t accept the science around climate change (the topic was the Great Barrier Reef outlook)
Ley reponds:
“I say that I respect the science, but I understand there is a range of science,” she said.
“So the most important thing is to inform yourself, realise ... ”
What does she mean by a ‘range of science’?
“There is a range of scientific opinion. As we know, scientists, as the conscience of the natural world, they test hypothesis, they draw conclusions and you know, they speak freely and that is fine, and that is why I wanted to talk to scientists when I went to the reef.”
On cutting emissions, given they keep going up, Ley says:
“Our policy around emissions belongs to my colleague, Angus Taylor, he’s mapped out every tonne of the 328m tonnes of abatement that we have said we will make before our 2030 targets.
“ ... We will make our commitments, we know that, we have committed to that and we stand behind that.”
Asked to explain how Taylor has “mapped out every tonne”, Ley says:
“ ... My language is simply to assure people that is our plan, that is what we are doing and I am very confident that we will get there.”
Asked when more detail will come from the government, Ley says:
“I am the minister for the environment, Angus Taylor is the minister for energy and emissions. I am not going to be drawn into his space when it comes to the detail of this and the reason is, yes, climate change is real, it is a real threat to the reef, rising sea temperatures are a result, intense cyclonic disturbances, coral bleaching and so on.
“We have our international commitments and they are well known and well spoken off. What I am doing, is being incredibly busy, with actions on the ground.”
Ley says it is not all “doom and gloom” and to visit the reef.
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LNP senator compares Australian immigration to 'over stocking' paddocks
Gerard Rennick is using his first speech to call for a cut in immigration, saying as the son of a farmer he was always taught not to “over stock your paddocks”.
“There are over 600,000 foreign students studying in Australia, who use infrastructure funded by the Australian taxpayer,” he says.
He adds that international students can also work up to 20 hours a week, competing with Australians for work.
And he wants universities to guarantee (from the sound of it) that graduates will get jobs and therefore be able to pay back their student debt.
Coooooooooool.
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Adam Bandt is attempting to bring on the debate for the federal Icac bill the Senate passed.
Christian Porter is moving to delay the debate (which is a way the government can just park it out of sight for as long as it wants)
Labor will side with the Greens on this, but they do not have the numbers.
Regarding Paul Karp’s report that several government MPs have raised concerns in the party room about soaring premiums in North Queensland, the ACCC has been inquiring into this since May 2017.
This has been on the government’s radar for a while so it’s puzzling if no action has been taken.
In December the ACCC said “immediate action” was required.
And at the end of July it released an updated report containing a raft of recommendations.
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It looks like the Greens bill for a federal Icac which passed the Senate yesterday, after One Nation didn’t turn up for the vote, is on its way to the House.
Speaking of decision-makers, Gerard Rennick will deliver his first speech, as a LNP senator, just before 6pm today.
Rennick won from the third spot on the ticket, which, after Labor’s dismal Queensland showing, gave him the seat.
He is (so far) most notorious for this social media post
So once again, yes. It does matter if our leaders believe in manmade climate change or not.
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Does it really matter if a minister has “no idea” whether climate change is manmade or not?
Yes. Yes it does. Because ministers are involved in coming up with the policies to tackle climate change. They are the ones who have direct influence on how our country moves forward on this.
So it bloody well does matter.
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David Littleproud on climate change
Here’s that whole exchange, for those who missed it.
David Speers: You say the climate is changing and that is certainly true - the question is, is this man-made climate change.
David Littleproud: I have no idea, but does it really matter?
DS: Sorry, you have no idea whether ...
DL: I am not a scientist, I haven’t made an opinion one way or the other, but I don’t think it really matters.
DS: Sorry, I just want to be really clear on this - you are not sure whether man-made climate change is real.
DL: I am going to be honest with you - I don’t have an opinion, but I don’t think it really matters. I think these extremes from both sides have taken away the maturity of debate we should have about keeping, simply, a clean environment and making sure we give our people the tools they [need to address it]
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David Littleproud is on Sky News, and admits that he has never seen fires this early before.
He also says that is because the “climate is changing” and that we have to adapt.
Yes.
“The question is, is this manmade climate change,” David Speers says.
“I have no idea, but does it really matter,” Littleproud says.
He says he is not a scientist, so he is going to be honest and admit he has no idea.
Then the bells ring, saving him from having to expand further.
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When a possum met a koala
Koala-ty time versus quoll-ity time. #auspol pic.twitter.com/BGudoLp1fR
— Patrick Gorman MP (@PatrickGormanMP) September 10, 2019
Bill Shorten on the Labor review
Bill Shorten finishes on this, when asked about some of the ‘bitch and fold’ fights happening within caucus:
I never commented on the caucus matters on or off the record. Let me answer your question. There were a couple of parts in your well-crafted question. The first thing is, I’m not going to comment about what is said in caucus on or off the record.
In terms of the farm bill, I don’t feel Labor had any choice but to support it.
There are a lot of farmers out there who feel anxious that somehow their livelihoods are being targeted by militant protesters. Whether or not this bill has any unintended consequences of dampening media analysis on the right to know, I think that is an important debate which Labor is having with the government.
We’re not going to get wedged about whether we like farmers or not. We like farmers.
And on the critique his opposition was ‘too left wing’:
Again, I’m happy to talk to individuals but I’m proud of the policies we took, but I accept that we were unsuccessful. I think that the process by which Labor is embarking on now is the correct process. We will have to look at what policies we keep and don’t keep.
I want to thank the people who voted for us, and acknowledge the people who didn’t that Labor needs to heed the lessons about why you did not vote for us. I’m sure that Labor will be very competitive at the next election.
In the meantime, there are people who want to see Labor stand up and fight for our values and that is what we’re doing every day. In my area, in terms of making sure that carers and people living with profound and severe disabilities, I will make sure you get a fair go, a better go than you have been getting.
When it comes to robodebt and some of the, I think, very unfair and harsh conduct being meted out to Australian citizens by the government, I’m going to help fight to make sure you get your justice.
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Bill Shorten is the guest on Afternoon Briefing today.
Patricia Karvelas asks him about Wayne Swan’s intervention (keep the policies, change the communication) and says this:
I think everyone is entitled to their opinion in the wake of the very disappointing election loss. Understand a lot of people have a lot to say and I respect the right of people to have their opinions. For myself, there is a review process. We will work out what policies to jettison, what to keep, what lessons to learn.
I don’t want to contribute any further to that. I understand that unity is important and I think the opposition is absolutely trying to put its best foot forward.
I do share a lot of disappointment at the election result, I accept my part in the responsibility of it.
Also, look at the economy now and think, this is the time when the government should be helping stimulate expenditure, so that we can build the productivity-lifting infrastructure that we need. We need to reform and I believe in my areas, this government has no plan.
We really need to get the national disability insurance scheme, those packages of support for profoundly and severely disabled people, those need to be provided to the people. We need to take the bureaucracy out of the system. And on robodebt, this is a government that was happy to spend hundreds of millions of dollars before an election pumping up their own tyres but are setting and engaging in a form of government extortion of its own citizens demanding they pay back money and won’t even tell people how they incurred the debt.
Asked about Mark Butler, he says the same thing, “everyone is entitled to their opinion”.
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Siiiiiggggggggghhhhhh
From Paul Karp:
Clarifying earlier comments that the question is “irrelevant” when considering the Coalition government’s response to intensifying bushfires, he told Guardian Australia he was unsure about the causes of the climate crisis but wanted to give the country the tools to adapt.
... Asked by Guardian Australia why he had avoided taking a position on the effect of manmade climate change, Littleproud replied: “I don’t know if climate change is manmade.
“I’m about practical outcomes, whether that’s about having a cleaner environment or giving farmers and emergency services the right tools to adapt,” he said.
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The independent senator Jacqui Lambie went on a tear in Senate question time about the rate of Newstart, citing the quarter of a million people stuck on the payment for more than a year who “go to job interviews on foot because they can’t afford a bus ticket, and turn up in the same shirt because they can’t afford a new one”.
Asked why the Coalition won’t raise the rate to help people get off Newstart into work, the social services minister, Anne Ruston, replied it was “not just the safety net payment” that is relevant, but also the government’s record in creating 1.4m jobs. Ruston said the government is committed to creating “pathways” to connect people to jobs.
Lambie:
It sounds like I won’t hold my breath for you to raise the rate of Newstart then. What about raising the threshold they can earn? Currently [Newstart recipients] can only earn about $50 a week before their payments are reduced. If the best form of welfare is a job – why punish people who work anything more than three hours a week?
Lambie then noted in a further supplementary question that this amounted to an effective marginal tax rate of 50-60 cents a dollar for all income over $50 a week, much greater than the 37% income tax rate the government has decided to lower to incentivise work for working Australians.
Ruston replied that “people who work for a few hours are much more likely to go on and get a job” and committed to discuss the issue with Lambie but did not commit to consider raising the threshold.
“Obviously this government doesn’t see the reduction [of the Newstart payment] is a tax in the same way as a tax of someone on a wage,” she said.
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Also an insight into what my brain looks like after that:
Angus Taylor during Question Time today @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politicslive https://t.co/KXw9wyIfsd pic.twitter.com/8VzM5eA3f9
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) September 10, 2019
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Peter Dutton moves to try and read an opinion piece on Kristina Keneally’s methods in taking on the shadow home affairs portfolio, but the lickspittle which was asked did not include my favourite and yours ‘do you know of any alternatives’ and because it doesn’t, Tony Smith tells him to stop.
Dutton challenges him, which is a brave move, because even I, who has what has been termed by several of my past teachers as ‘a slight issue with authority’, probably wouldn’t speak over the Speaker (one more reason I will never be in parliament).
Smith prevails, because he is the boss of all procedure, and Dutton moves on, but it is not the same.
Expect ‘alternative approaches’ to be back with a vengeance tomorrow, as sure as potato follows meat and veg.
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Nope.
One more lickspittle so we can all hear how safe (and consistent) we are.
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We finish with the divisions.
And probably also question time.
Let’s see.
Meanwhile, from AAP:
Imogen Bunting is hoping for a “miracle” this week.
The Brisbane mum is in Canberra, along with other welfare recipients from interstate, to try to meet with federal MPs and senators to lobby for a raise to Newstart payments.
For Ms Bunting – homeless and on welfare – the miracle would be an immediate $160 per week raise to Newstart payments.
Her visit, a trip sponsored by activist group GetUp, comes as the government is negotiating with crossbenchers to expand the cashless welfare card program and trial drug testing of welfare recipients.
“Do we care for human rights?” Ms Bunting said.
Australian Unemployed Workers Union campaigner Jeremy Poxon said they had tried to meet with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston, but both had declined.
He said unemployed people were “shafted” by the government and blamed for their own poverty.
“We’re here in Canberra, we’re not taking these attacks lying down,” Mr Poxon said.
“For too long decisions have been made about our lives in Canberra ... we’re here to change all that.”
Four years ago, Ms Bunting was moved off the Parenting Payment and onto Newstart, meaning she had to raise her then-teenage son on $530 per fortnight.
Her son, now 20, has moved out of home but Ms Bunting is still struggling, she says.
She’s homeless, has her belongings stored in a shed and can only find work for two days a week.
“I’m ashamed of a society that would put me in this position,” she said.
She says the cashless welfare could be the last straw, stigmatising her and limiting her economic freedoms.
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Side note – I’ve never seen an earless dragon in the wild.
Updated
From Mike Bowers to you.
Updated
Mark Butler:
“This prime minister has chosen the witless minister over the earless dragon,” but he too is then shut down.
Christian Porter, who has caught on to the make a really quick sledge before getting to the point, so Hansard records it game, says something about Aldi bags and moves Butler no longer be heard.
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Our video peeps, who are much more talented than I, have been working on doing these up for you, for a while, to bring you a bit more of what is happening in question time, for those of you not so enamoured with my comparisons to unseasoned chicken wings and white bread.
Tony Burke is next with a question for Angus Taylor: "Why won’t the minister admit to the House what he told local radio that he’s actually been representing himself the entire time?" #qt pic.twitter.com/jrl3i8LNZT
— Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus) September 10, 2019
Terri Butler makes mention of the “earless dragon” being a threatened species, as she tries to move forward Labor’s motion, but she is shut down, and we go back to the division.
Updated
The government wins by five.
Tony Burke moves to try to continue Labor’s suspension, by seconding the original motion and referring to Angus Taylor as “the one threatened species in Parliament House today” but Christian Porter moves he no longer be heard.
The bells ring again, but no one is changing their seats, meaning the government will win this one too.
Updated
The House has divided.
There is no way Labor can win this.
"There’s one threatened species in parliament today and he’s sitting right over there”, says Tony Burke pointing to Angus Taylor. Labor calls for Taylor to resign or be sacked over the endangered grassland matter but are shut down by the government several times. pic.twitter.com/EvQzk1Fc4W
— Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus) September 10, 2019
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Here is how we got to this point.
Another question directed to Angus Taylor in #QT about Jam Land and the endangered grassland matter. Terri Butler asks Taylor "Can the minister confirm he has been representing himself on the grasslands all along?" pic.twitter.com/wyfyoPQ7Sq
— Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus) September 10, 2019
Labor calls for Angus Taylor to be sacked
Anthony Albanese moves to suspend standing orders, in order to move a censure motion against Angus Taylor.
Labor moves for a censure motion against Angus Taylor pic.twitter.com/Tcf10ezwxS
— Amy Remeikis (@AmyRemeikis) September 10, 2019
Anthony Albanese moves to put forward a motion, but it’s not his time. Stuart Robert fills in the time while we wait.
Oof. Things just got nasty.
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
I refer to the energy and emissions reduction minister’s failure to put the ... interest ahead of his own interests, his family to declare his interests to the department, his failure to declare his interests to this House and his admission that he was representing his own private interests. Will the prime minister do what he should have done weeks ago and sack this minister?
Morrison:
Well, Mr Speaker, that would have to be the lamest build-up I have seen to that type of a question in this place before. But, Mr Speaker, not only is every assertion that he’s just put to this place totally and absolutely false, Mr Speaker, but the Liberal party and the National party will not be lectured by someone who used to work in the New South Wales branch of the Labor party.
He had a desk in the office, Mr Speaker, in the Sussex Street headquarters of a party that stinks with corruption, where they get money in plastic bags and count it out on the table.
... Mr Speaker, he is a member of the branch of the New South Wales Labor party where his colleague in the other place think it is only thing.
You don’t want me to talk about this? You don’t want this on the table?
Anthony Albanese:
Yes, Mr Speaker. He was state director of a party that has 10 people resign.
Tony Smith:
Members on both sides. That was not a point of order, that was a statement. The prime minister has the call.
Morrison:
Thank you, Mr Speaker. With the number of Labor party members from the New South Wales division who used to serve in Senator Kristina Keneally’s former government, they’re in jail, you could establish a branch at the Silverwater prison of the Labor party, and the member for Watson would know about it because one of the people who went to prison was Eddie Obeid who he used to visit when he bends the knee come winter.
... I will not cop lectures on integrity from the New South Wales Labor party, Mr Speaker.
... That mob, Mr Speaker, stinks with corruption as we see it every single day in the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which has your state’s secretary right under their gaze.
Updated
And this is one of the previous answers Angus Taylor gave when last asked about this in the last sitting week in July:
Terri Butler: My question is to the minister for energy and emissions reduction. Was a compliance officer from the department of environment present at the meeting, referred to in his previous answer, with departmental officials about the listing of critically endangered grasslands in the Monaro region affecting land he part owned?
Angus Taylor: Thank you for the question. This is a grubby smear from those opposite, one of many that have been made, and were made during the election campaign, and I have been very clear on this. This was not a discussion about compliance action. It was a briefing from departmental officials on technical aspects of a revised listing under the EPBC Act. And the secretary of the department has made very clear – and I quote: ‘I can be very clear that minister Taylor has never raised the issue.’ This is the point. I make no apology, though, Mr Speaker. I make no apology for acting in the interests of the farmers in my electorate, and it’s about time that those opposite stood up for the farmers in their electorates.
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The transcript of the local ABC radio interview Labor is referring to, is this one, from 26 July.
Presenter: You certainly were the target, pretty much the one and only target of the opposition this week in the parliament – what do you think that was about?
Taylor: Well, I’ve been sticking up for farmers in my electorate, Melinda. We’ve had a change to a listing of the grasslands in the Southern Tablelands and that was a very substantial change, with potential to have a big impact on the ability of farmers in my electorate to improve their land, through pastoral improvement, which is a big deal across the Southern Tablelands and Southern Highlands. This listing had the potential to have a very big impact so I asked for a meeting to discuss this, and in particular discuss the technical aspects of the listing. There’s all sorts of issues here about whether clover is treated in a particular way, and we had the meeting. Now Labor has decided that because I live and farm in the electorate, and I am a farmer, that this is unacceptable.
Presenter: They do say – I mean, you said it has the potential to have a big impact on landholders, one of those landholders being a company that is –
Taylor: One of the landholders is me. I’m a farmer, so are many, many people in my electorate and many people who’ll be listening to your broadcast right now. I mean, look –
Presenter: But a big impact on a company that is, one of the directors of which is your brother.
Taylor: Melinda, this discussion was about the technical aspects of a listing, which had the potential and still has the potential to have a very big impact on farming across the region. I make absolutely no apologies for standing up for farmers in my region. That includes me and other family members. I mean this is, you know, what my job is as a local member of parliament. It is my job to stand up for us. If I’m not standing up for my farmers in the federal parliament, then who is? You know I feel very strongly about this and all local members, I mean this is what local members should do.
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Angus Taylor:
I was representing farmers in my electorate and – at a time of drought like this, you should show some respect ... for those representing farmers in their electorate.
... What I find most interesting, Mr Speaker, is those ...
.... Thank you, Mr Speaker. What I find most interesting is those opposite come into this place, lecturing us about good governance whilst the stench of corruption emanates from Sussex Street. What complete hypocrisy.
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Tony Burke to Angus Taylor:
Can the minister confirm that so far he’s told the House he was representing an unknown number of unnamed farmers inside and outside his electorate, who wrote a letter to someone else three years before the meeting, someone who wrote a letter to another someone else six months after the meeting and the mysterious bloke from Yass.
Why won’t the minister admit to the House what he told local radio that, he’s actually been representing himself the entire time?
Christian Porter again makes a point of order, but Tony Smith allows it.
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Please sign Melissa McIntosh up for the same microphone lessons Josh Frydenberg needs.
Christian Porter tries to stop the question, but Tony Smith allows it.
Angus Taylor:
As it happens I have a transcript of that interview with me. And at that interview – I’ll read from the transcript. I’m quoting myself here.
“I make absolutely no apologies for standing up for farmers in my region. I make no apologies. If I’m not standing up for farmers in the federal parliament then who is? I mean, that is what local members do.”
Mr Speaker, the point I was making was that me and my family are farmers in my electorate, are farmers in my electorate, and it pains me to remind those opposite that this is a representative democracy.
That’s what it is, standing up for your members, standing up for your constituents is what local members should do.
...Even though most of us, with a few exceptions, live in our electorates, Mr Speaker. Now, Mr Speaker, Labor is accusing me and my family of the heinous crime of being farmers in my electorate.
Well, they turn a blind eye to the literal bags of cash being laundered through Sussex Street. What utter hypocrisy!
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Terri Butler to Angus Taylor:
I refer the minister to his previous answer. Can the minister confirm he has been representing himself on the grasslands all along and told ABC radio Illawarra on 26 July that one of the landholders is me and ‘I make absolutely no apologies for standing up for farmers in my region, that includes me.’
The chamber is in uproar. Tony Smith does his best John Bercow to calm them down.
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A Dan Tehan lickspittle interrupts where we are going with this.
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Terri Butler to Angus Taylor:
My question is to the minister for energy and emissions reduction. Does the minister stand by his claim in the House that he intervened in the grasslands matter in the interests of his constituents?
Taylor:
Of course, yes. Yes. Yes, I always act in the interests of my constituents.
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Oh, in news that will surprise no one, especially women, Josh Frydenberg has acknowledged that the gender pay gap has not closed, as he asserted on Monday.
He said it is at a record low. That’s about 14%.
Huzzah. Now back to my knitting.
We get a bit of back and forth, but the question is allowed.
Angus Taylor:
I’ve been clear that my indirect interest in the delegate farm was declared to the parliament in accordance with the rules.
Now, I have always been clear that the discussions with the respect were to focus on the technical aspects of the revised listing and they did. And I advised the then minister of the compliance matter and the need to avoid any discussion of the matter.
Now, the department confirmed at a Senate hearing that this approach was completely [appropriate]. So let’s be clear. I declared my interest. The department already knew of the relationship and the meeting didn’t discuss the compliance matter.
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Terri Butler to Angus Taylor:
I refer to the minister’s previous answer in which he claimed he had declared his interest in Jam Land according to the rules. How does the minister explain on FOI decision by his department on 23 August 2019 and the answer to a question on notice from his department also dated August 2019 which state it has no record of any declaration by the minister.
Let the point of orders begin.
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Has someone told Josh Frydenberg that the Liberals won the election yet?
Could someone get around to that, right after they show him how a microphone works? Perhaps with charades? Or an interpretative dance?
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For an example on how these questions should actually work, here is the question from Rebekha Sharkie:
In April this year the government announced funding to equip every men’s shed with a portable defibrillator. There are over 900 men’s sheds in Australia and more than a dozen are in my electorate, including one eagerly awaiting the rollout. Could the minister please provide the House an accurate time line on when the government will make good on the promise to ensure that every men’s shed has this vital piece of life-saving equipment installed?
Greg Hunt:
... We recently announced $11m for the men’s shed program that included an expansion of men’s sheds. It also includes additional support for existing men’s sheds and $2m for the men’s shed defibrillator program.
My department is currently carrying out a survey of needs around the country. We expect that to be completed over the course of the coming months, and my request of them and my confident prediction to the House is that we will have these defibrillators rolling out early in the new year. I would like to pass on my thanks to those in the Yankalilla men’s shed.
It’s a fine town, but please pass on our thanks to them and to indicate that we are looking to make sure that every men’s shed in the country is equipped with a defibrillator.
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James Stevens, the new Christopher Pyne, takes the lead in Lickspittle of the day.
#deathtodixers
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Linda Burney to Scott Morrison:
My question is to the prime minister. Only months ago the government promised that a million pensioners will get an $800 bonus from changes to deeming rates. Can you confirm that only 191 pensioner couples will receive $800. How can the prime minister explain this broken promise?
Josh Frydenberg gets the nod:
I thank the member for Barton for her question. I can confirm that under these new deeming rates affected pensioners will receive up to $40.50 extra a fortnight for couples, which is above $1,000.
And up to $31 extra a fortnight for singles, that is $804.
On average a couple receiving the aged pension can expect to receive $314 a year extra and a single can expect $250 extra.
Now, Mr Speaker, the cost of these changes to the deeming rates was $600m to the budget. And it will benefit around 1 million people but, as you know, there are two deeming rates. There’s a lower deeming rate and an upper deeming rate, and the member opposite should acquaint herself with the facts.
That question was sparked by this Samantha Maiden story in the New Daily.
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From that brief moment of togetherness, we go back into questions on the economy.
Jim Chalmers to Josh Frydenberg:
In the face of skyrocketing cost of living pressures on Australian households can the treasurer confirm that this government has presided over the worst wages growth on record?
Frydenberg:
I thank the member for Rankin for his question. I can confirm to the House that the wages price index, which is the for wages growth, grew by 2.3% for the year. This was just behind our budget forecast of 2.5 %.
But, importantly, the wages bill for the economy, the wages bill for the economy, was 4.5% for 2018-19. Which was above our budget forecast of 4.25%. Now, Mr Speaker, the member for Rankin should be aware that wages growth fell by 1.6% under the Labor party, Mr Speaker.”
It goes on, but it involves yelling, and the transcriber can’t cope with it, and neither can I.
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Anthony Albanese on that same question:
I associate Labor with all of the comments of the prime minister on this very important day, and I say that we support all of the government’s initiatives in this regard and stand ready to support in a bipartisan way any further initiatives that are needed to rid this scourge from our society.
• Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day: Lifeline 13 11 14;Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800; MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78; Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
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Julian Leeser gets the first dixer.
I note that today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Will the prime minister please update the House about how the Morrison government is investing in improving the mental health of Australians and suicide prevention?
You can read about why this is an issue personal to him, here.
Scott Morrison:
Speaking at the breakfast this morning, I had the sad duty to inform those who were there of a letter I had recently received from a mum in western Sydney. I had attended the wedding with Jenny of a friend and at that wedding we had had a photo together of her and her husband and the three children.
At the front of the photo was a bright, beaming young boy, Luke, who has been yet another young Australian who has taken his own life in the last 12 months.
This is a curse on our country. It’s a curse that together all of us in this place I think are absolutely determined to break. I want to thank all of those in this House for the support they give to the very worthy goal we have of a towards zero initiative on youth suicide and on suicide more generally.
More than 3,000 Australians took their lives in 2017.
We have invested some $503m in the youth mental health and suicide prevention plan, that is the largest suicide pre-investigation plan any government has ever put into practice.
$375m to expand and improve frontline Headspace services. 20 new Headspace sites for rural and regional Australia.
New health and telehealth services. $12m to support parents and their children including helping parents recognise when their children are [in distress].
The funding of new mental health support services through our community health and hospitals program. Strengthening youth suicide prevention efforts.
Back with some $19.6m to prevent Indigenous youth suicide, particularly in the Kimberley and $22.5m in youth and Indigenous health research projects as part of the million minds mission.
These projects include almost $3m in funds for a wonderful organisation called BETIA which the member for Reid and I and the health minister had the privilege to go and see their work in action. Absolutely extraordinary stuff. We were at a girls high school together as part of that workshop. That reached 171,000 young people.
We have appointed Christine Morgan as the national suicide prevention organiser. She has a huge job to do and she’ll need our help working with state and territory leaders and their administrations.
But most importantly on World Suicide Prevention Day we must tell Australians that if you are feeling the strain, if you are feeling the stress, if you’re battling with mental illness, if you think there are things that you can’t overcome, you are not alone. There is an Australian who is there to help you. And an Australian who will reach out to you and seek to support you. I implore anyone in these circumstances, expressing that distress, to call Lifeline 131144 and other frontline service providers and I thank all of them for the amazing work they do to help their fellow Australians.
- Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day: Lifeline 13 11 14;Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800; MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78; Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
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OK. We are into the questions.
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison on.......
The economy! Snaps for everyone.
“If the economy is going as well as he claims why do business confidence and conditions numbers get worse again today and why are they well below the long-term average?”
Morrison:
I’m pleased to know that the confidence figures remain on the positive side of the ledger and they remain on the positive side of the ledger despite ... the very complex and difficult challenges that the Australian economy faces.
Now, unlike the leader of the opposition, the Labor party, who have taken to talk down the economy.
... What we can see on this side of the House is the opportunity in the Australian economy and the way forward for the Australian economy. And the way you take the Australian economy forward is you don’t hold it down with higher taxes, Mr Speaker, that crush the spirit of Australians because the Labor party still holds on to $387bn of taxes they want to still put on the Australian economy.
... Now, Mr Speaker, I can hear those opposite who are saying that’s not the case.
... Well, Mr Speaker, when are they going to let the Australian people in on the secret about what their view is on taxes?
Albanese:
I remind the prime minister that by definition that implies he’s the government leader and he needs to be relevant. It asked about government policy, nothing to do with Labor. I know he’s obsessed but it’s about the economy, business confidence and what the government is doing about it.
Morrison comes back, but he again talks about Labor.
So whether it’s the Setka sit in Victoria, the walkout of WA factions in Western Australia, the corruption we’re seeing in the New South Wales Labor party, the leader of the opposition is presiding over a party that is chaos and confusion and even corruption, Mr Speaker.
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There was a baby Tasmanian devil in parliament and no one told me.
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Over in the Senate and it looks like the government has adopted some Greens amendments, but forward by Mehreen Faruqi, on a live export bill.
The amendments insert a much-needed focus on animal welfare into the bill, which had previously not been mentioned at all,” Faruqi said.
The amendments change the objects of the Act to introduce a requirement to consider animal welfare and amend clause 10 of the bill to specifically provide that the Inspector-General must consider the welfare of animals as part of their reviews.
Before they got on board with my changes, the bill didn’t have a single reference to animal welfare. Under this Government, any improvement to animal welfare is a hard-fought step forward.
— Mehreen Faruqi (@MehreenFaruqi) September 10, 2019
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Question time begins
But first we start with a condolence motion for Jim Forbes – the last surviving minister from the Menzies government.
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It is the downhill stretch to question time. Will the Lickspittles (dixer questions) be as terrible as we have come to expect?
Time will tell.
For the people up the back, who missed the post a few weeks (months, who can say) ago – James Ashby’s ban on entering parliament has expired and he has been back in the building for some time.
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Here is what Anne Rushton had to say on how many people the government estimates would need the $65,000 rehabilitation support it is putting forward as part of its push to have its drug testing welfare recipient bill passed:
In estimating how we put that package together we estimate between two and 3% of the 5,000 people tested are likely to fail the second test, or test positive for the second test.
We hope it is lower than that, that is what we have estimated. And estimating that number, we decided to set aside an amount of money that we thought was more than adequate, probably generous, to be able to provide the services for those two or 3%.
Making sure, if, for some reason, disappointingly we saw a higher number of people, return positive the second time, we would have those additional resources set aside.
The amount was an extrapolation of the estimated number, it is not a limit, it just was an extrapolation.
What will the money do?
Provide the individualised service to the individual who tested positive the second time so we can case manage them individually. As we know everybody presents in a different way and will require a different set of services. Some require a small amount of intervention, others may take quite a long time.
The second area is to make sure we have the resources to be able to provide to the providers within these regions, so if they need to beef up their facilities and resources to meet an increase in demand, they will be able to do that.
The third pool of money we set aside will be to make sure, if for a particular reason those resources aren’t able to be upscaled quickly enough, we can buy in the additional resources. We want to make sure anybody who is testing positive twice and requires this assistance will be able to access it.
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I probably should have put this up earlier, but following on from Labor’s attack this week, that the government needs to stop looking at ways to wedge Labor and run the country, Graham Perrett came up with a new term last night during one of the debates:
I rise to speak on the fair work laws amendment (proper use of worker benefits) bill 2019. It is yet another Orwellian nomenclature from the ministry of truth opposite – unbelievable! This isn’t legislation; this is “wedgislation”.
I mean, fair dinkum, we’ve dealt with this before, yet here it is back again. What do we have? We have a government focused on union bashing – that’s their favourite pastime – rather than actually looking after the national economy and the best interests of the nation. Those opposite don’t care about the terrible conditions that employees have to put up with. No, they’re trying to wrap the representatives of working Australians in red tape so that they can’t actually do their job.
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Social Services Minister Anne Ruston says she expects around 500 recipients to test positive initially for illicit substances as part of the 5000-strong trial. She expects only 1 - 2% of the total number will test positive a second time and be referred for treatment. #auspol
— Shalailah Medhora (@shalailah) September 10, 2019
Equality Australia and Democracy in Colour have presented a petition to shadow attorney general Mark Dreyfus and Greens senator Janet Rice calling for a fair and balanced religious discrimination law, after backlash against the Coalition’s exposure draft bill.
The Greens are clear they can’t support the current bill but Dreyfus avoided expressing a personal opinion:
This is an exposure draft ... It’s far too early to adopt a definitive position in respect of any of this bill simply because it’s not clear that the government will be proceeding with what’s in the exposure draft. In fact if you listen carefully to things the attorney general has said publicly about this, I think it seems highly likely the government is contemplating a change ... we will wait and see what the government finally presents to parliament, when that occurs.”
But Dreyfus’ frontbench colleagues have not been nearly so circumspect: Michelle Rowland and Joel Fitzgibbon have suggested Labor should consider supporting it, Chris Bowen is working behind the scenes for that outcome.
Tanya Plibersek has warned that overriding state discrimination law would be a “real problem” with the legislation and Penny Wong has also expressed concerns.
Dreyfus said his colleagues had simply noted comments by “many different groups pointing to problems” with the bill, but Labor hasn’t got a final position yet.
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Labor to back 'vegan terrorist' bill
Labor MPs have decided to back the government’s new agricultural protection bill - known as the “vegan terrorists” bill – despite three MPs speaking against it.
Kim Carr was the most vocal opponent, raising concerns about the party “capitulating” to the government.
Penny Wong hit back at the suggestion, saying the argument “that we are capitulating on major issues is a Greens tactic and we must take it on”.
Albanese also spoke about the Labor party’s direction and the review process under way, saying that “if you do the same thing in politics, you will get the same outcomes”.
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The Intelligence and Security Committee have determined what is a terrorist organisation for this point in 2019. From its statement:
The Intelligence and Security Committee today tabled its report supporting regulations listing and re-listing groups, such as Islamic State-Somalia, as terrorist organisations under the criminal code.
The committee reviewed the process for listing terrorist organisations and the information provided to the minister for home affairs in support of regulations affecting the listings, which must demonstrate that, each group:
- is directly, or indirectly engaged in, preparing, planning, assisting in or fostering the doing of a terrorist act; or
- that they advocated the doing of a terrorist act.
The committee’s report, review of the listing of Islamic State-Somalia and the re-listing of Abu Sayyaf Group, al-Qa’ida, al-Qa’ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and Jemaah Islamiyah as terrorist organisations under the criminal code, asserts that appropriate processes had been followed in the listing of these groups and that each group meets the definition of a terrorist organisation under the criminal code.
The committee’s chair, Mr Andrew Hastie MP, said the PJCIS had an important role in the oversight of terrorist organisation listings, as individuals whom engage with listed organisations may be charged with serious offences including: being a member of a terrorist organisation, recruiting on behalf of a terrorist organisation, or getting funds to or from a terrorist organisation.
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Andrew Leigh has responded to Ken Henry’s comments (unsurprisingly, since they go to Labor’s current attack on the government in regards to the economy).
Ken Henry’s excoriating views on the state of public policy today reflect the Morrison government’s rudderless drift. The Morrison government is the dog that caught the car, and doesn’t know what to do next. Australia faces massive challenges – from inequality to productivity, climate change to wage stagnation – and yet the fresh thinking that used to characterise policymaking is sadly lacking from the Coalition.”
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Former Treasury boss Ken Henry has had a few things to say, according to this report from the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age’s Shane Wright:
Australian politicians are failing the nation by ignoring the advice of experts, former Treasury secretary Ken Henry has claimed, warning large numbers of people could miss out on a job because of their deliberate ignorance.
In excoriating comments to a small gathering of MPs and social scientists in Canberra on Tuesday, Dr Henry said governments were claiming success for policies that had not fixed the problem they were developed to confront.
...Dr Henry also cited poor quality infrastructure that had led to congested major cities unable to deal with the fastest population growth in the developed world and wide-scale cases of environmental degradation including the “unsustainable and environmentally damaging water usage in the Murray-Darling basin”.
Jacqui Lambie has responded to Pauline Hanson’s comments from a little earlier today (Hanson questioned why Lambie would reject the government’s welfare drug-testing proposal, given her family’s personal experience with drug addiction).
My son is an example of what happens when you have access to the support & rehab services you need. 500K Aussies don't have access to those services. My son has moved on from the past, he can thank his 18 mths @teenchallenge in Toowoomba & the people of QLD for that.#auspol
— Jacqui Lambie (@JacquiLambie) September 10, 2019
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The parliamentary bells are ringing, meaning the official proceedings are about to get under way.
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The parties have met for their regular meetings and have all emerged.
We’ll let you know what went on when we hear more. Doesn’t seem to have been too much drama in the joint party room, beyond “how good is [insert noun here]”.
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Going back through the Pauline Hanson interview with Sky News and the One Nation leader seems to get a bit personal here, with her critique of Jacqui Lambie’s rejection of the drug-testing policy.
Lambie has been open about her son’s battles with drug addiction and what that did to their family. That’s also given her a first-hand experience with drug rehabilitation services, and said that has guided her – that she knows, for instance, that people needing rehabilitation in Tasmania are sent out of state, because the services are just not there.
Lambie has said she won’t look at supporting the legislation until more services are in place.
Asked about that, Hanson said: “She should be the first one then to say, yes I want it, because I want my child off drugs. So what is the issue here?”
Outside the Sky studios, Hanson expanded on that, saying she believed that it would “help, people like her son and that is why I am supporting this”.
Senator @PaulineHansonOz wants a 'Please Explain' from @JacquiLambie as to why she's opposing the drug testing welfare recipients bill: "her child has been on drugs why you would knock back something that could possibly help... who’s got in her ear?" #7NEWS #auspol
— Jennifer Bechwati (@jenbechwati) September 10, 2019
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Ask and you shall receive – George Brandis is in town, because all the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade heads of mission are in town, for the annual “how is the world going” meeting.
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George Brandis has been spotted in the building.
We are not sure why our man in London is here, but no doubt it is all very terribly important.
Pauline Hanson is speaking to Sky News about a speech she is giving on family law reform, where she is calling for 50/50 joint custody of children, from the moment of separation.
Anthony Albanese on the drug-testing proposal, while talking to Sky this morning:
Well of course funding for rehabilitation is a good thing in its own right and on its own merits. The question here is does what the government propose have merit? When we look at the examples that have been given, both the audit office examination of what has occurred here, the examples in New Zealand where the figures show less than 1% of people who have been tested, it’s been pretty ineffective at a high cost.
And the real question here is how is it that the government – prime minister Morrison gave a speech on the weekend where he spoke about this fortnight’s parliament being all about a test for Labor – how about the government govern? How about they come up with an economic plan rather than just political tactics from day to day?
For an expert take on drug testing welfare recipients, read this:
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Samantha Maiden at the New Daily has an interesting story this morning:
It was billed as an $800 aged bonus, with a million pensioners promised a cash splash under prime minister Scott Morrison’s deeming rate change.
But documents released under freedom of information laws to the New Daily have revealed that seniors will secure just $5 a week on average for singles.
The average windfall for aged pensioners is just $249 a year for singles – a fraction of the $800 pensioner bonus heralded across front pages in July.
For couples, the average payment under the deeming rate changes is $3 a week and $156 a year.
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Labor’s Linda Burney is demanding the federal government take steps to sort out what she has described as a “secret agreement” that controls the use of the Aboriginal flag in public, because it is now unclear whether her own tattoo of the flag is a breach of copyright.
“This situation is untenable,” Burney said. “It’s unthinkable that the use of the Aboriginal flag is now governed by a secret agreement at the discretion of a for-profit company.
“It is a discredit to the flag’s history and the strength it represents.”
The flag’s designer, Luritja artist Harold Thomas, holds copyright over the flag and has entered into a number of licensing agreements.
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Labor has ridden to the defence of the Coalition’s $1.2bn Catholic and independent school package it formerly labelled a “slush fund” after the Greens revealed a plan to shut it down.
Guardian Australia understands Labor will not support the Greens’ move to disallow the “choice and affordability” fund, with the shadow education minister, Tanya Plibersek, instead welcoming the fact the Morrison government has restored funding for Catholic and independent schools.
The Greens education spokeswoman, Mehreen Faruqi, blasted Labor for joining the government in “setting up a private school slush fund that has no justification, no accountability and no guarantee the cash won’t go to subsidising fees for wealthy private schools”.
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In the meantime, here are a few stories you may have missed. From Paul Karp:
Australians rorting a scheme designed to allow travellers to claim back the goods and services tax have cost the budget up to $557m over 20 years, according to the audit office.
In a scathing audit report released on Monday, the home affairs department and tax office were blamed for failing to undertake risk assessments and implementing only “limited systems” to prevent revenue leakage.
... According to data estimates provided by home affairs, the scheme suffered “a large level of non-compliance from Australian citizens and residents and significant revenue leakage” of between $244m and $557m since July 2000.
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It’s the usual party room/caucus quiet before the storm this morning.
Reading through the Hansard from last night, and Liberal MP Ian Goodenough made a very Ian Goodenough speech about religious freedom, which seemed to actually speak about Indigenous recognition, and for some reason, the flag:
Looking to the future, I believe that all Australians should become more united through reconciliation and multiculturalism. Australians should all be united as one people under one flag, regardless of origins and history.
I strongly belief in the principle of flying one national flag of national unity, under the banner of the Australian flag. Indigenous Australians, new migrants and people from different ethnic backgrounds, and persons born in Australia should all be treated equally, with access to opportunity and advancement based on merit.
I was born in Singapore, a nation of many ethnic groups and religions which is very multicultural in nature and which has enjoyed relative harmony in its modern history.
From a young age I was exposed to many different cultural practices, religious traditions and festivals in a multicultural society which was diverse and colourful.
However, in Singapore’s history race and ethnicity were once treated with more formality.
Having emigrated from a country which once had a policy of recording a citizen’s race on official documents, I can appreciate the benefits of not having one’s racial background recorded on Australian official documents.
Our constitution should promote harmony, unity and a single national identity, rather than differentiation based on race or ethnicity. It doesn’t matter how long one has been in Australia or from which country we have come from.
What matters is what we do in Australia – our accomplishments and achievements. We all share a collective responsibility to build up our nation together as one people.
In any debate surrounding a referendum to change the constitution, the principal of national unity should be promoted – one people united under one flag.
We must make constructive steps towards uniting all people as Australians, regardless of their origin, ethnicity or other attributes, advancing our nation into the future
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The drought is about to bite even harder for people who live outside of drought-impacted zones – food prices are about to increase, if you read between the lines of the latest Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Science statement into crop production:
“Winter crop production is forecast to rise by 11 percent in 2019–20 to 33.9 million tonnes but falls short of the 10-year average to 2018-19 by 16 percent,” Abares acting Executive Director Peter Gooday said.
“Wheat and canola production is forecast to increase 10 and 6 percent respectively, but both are expected to fall significantly below the 10-year average to 2018-19.
“Barley production is forecast to increase by 14 percent to around 9.5 million tonnes which brings it 6 percent above the 10-year average to 2018‑19.
“Crop production deteriorated in regions across New South Wales and Queensland, due to unfavourable growing conditions over winter. Crop production in these states is forecast to be very much below average.
“On the other hand, crops in Victoria were in good to very good condition at the beginning of spring thanks to generally favourable growing conditions over winter.
“Crops in Western Australia received timely winter rainfall to help boost yield prospects to around average for most crops after a late break to the season.
“South Australia received sufficient winter rainfall in most major growing regions, but the same can’t be said for northern cropping regions with their prospects generally below average.
“Early spring rainfall will be important to final crop outcomes.”
According to the latest seasonal outlook issued by the Bureau of Meteorology, September rainfall is likely to be above average in Western Australia and below average in most other cropping regions. October rainfall is likely to be below average in most cropping regions.
“If realised, above average September rainfall in Western Australia would give cereal crops in the state a strong chance of achieving average to above average yields,” Mr Gooday said.
Mr Gooday said the seasonal conditions outlook for early spring in eastern Australia is likely to constrain crop prospects in southern New South Wales, and northern cropping regions in Victoria and South Australia.
However, there’s a good chance that most cropping regions in southern Victoria, and central and southern South Australia will still achieve average yields.
Mr Gooday said outlook for summer crops is unfavourable due to poor seasonal conditions in northern New South Wales and Queensland.
“Area planted to summer crops is forecast to fall by 28 percent in 2019–20 to around 758,000 hectares—production of grain sorghum, cotton and rice are all forecast to fall,” Mr Gooday said.
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Jim Chalmers stopped by doors this morning (which meant he had been tapped to deliver this morning’s missives).
He responded to Scott Morrison’s calls for Labor to support the drug testing trial policy:
The prime minister last night on 7.30 said that he couldn’t understand why people were resisting these drug testing trials. I mean, how out of touch can this guy be? It might be a 60-year-old trying to get back in the workforce for a long time, maybe having lost your job as a 50-year-old. The prime minister now wants you to pee in a cup in a demeaning way as a part of his picking fights with the Labor party. I mean this is – what he’s proposing here hasn’t worked overseas. It won’t work here. It is indiscriminate. It’s ineffective. It unnecessarily demeans people when they’re trying to get back in the workforce and the health experts, the law and order experts, experts right across the board, have criticised this approach.
That’s why I question the government’s motives here, its motivations. This, for the government, is not about getting people off drugs, or off welfare into work; it’s about chasing headlines, it’s about picking fights with the Labor party and I think people who are unemployed in this country deserve a government which actually cares about getting them into work, and prioritises that over these kind of political games.
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This always makes for some great shots (insert puns about parliamentarians and endangered animals here).
Australia’s political leaders will come face to face with some of Australia’s most endangered native animals at Parliament House in Canberra today, to mark National Threatened Species Day.
That’s just after midday. Mike Bowers is on it.
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Jacqui Lambie all but quashed the government’s hopes of passing its revived drug testing policy yesterday when she said she would not support it until she saw proper rehabilitation services put in place. Scott Morrison says his government will be talking to all the senators about the bill, including Lambie, but he says: “The question is, why won’t Labor support, a fair dinkum trial to try to actually try and deal with one of the biggest challenges we have which is to try and help people break addictions, and find themselves in employment and actually change their lives for the better.”
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Scott Morrison, who just attended to suicide prevention breakfast, has stopped by for a doorstop.
Asked about criticisms that extending the cashless debit card program to more welfare recipients further stigmatises those on welfare, Morrison says “I don’t accept that” and moves on to the next question.
That’s a favoured move of his – and he is very adept at it – he shuts down a question by saying he doesn’t accept something, or gives a one-word answer, and moves on. It’s not that the questions are not being asked, it’s that they are not always answered. And we can’t force politicians, of any ilk, to answer beyond the way they choose.
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Not news, but for those of you who like to be in the know about this sort of stuff, Mathias Cormann and Peter Dutton, who famously walk together most parliamentary mornings, have switched from walking along Red Hill to walking along the lake.
It’s been noted no less than three times to me this morning. No idea why the location change, but there you go.
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Anthony Albanese is chatting to Laura Jayes on Sky this morning.
It looks as though Labor will be continuing the attack we saw yesterday – that the government concentrates on “wedging” Labor instead of actually coming up with a plan.
“They continue to act like an opposition in exile, sitting on the government benches,” Albanese said, pointing out that before the last two sittings, Scott Morrison had told his party room that pieces of legislation were “tests for Labor”.
On who is right between Wayne Swan (keep the policies, but change the communication) or Mark Butler (we need to look at why we lost and properly examine what we are doing), Albanese all but says some policies will change, but the values won’t.
He again talks about the “vision statements” Labor will be releasing.
But we won’t see anything until after the review, which is due back in October.
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Good morning
We’ve woken this morning to more bad news on the fire front in Queensland and NSW, with more homes lost.
Meanwhile, the annual Climate of the Nation report is out, and people are more concerned with the impacts of climate change than ever before. From Katharine Murphy’s report:
The annual Climate of the Nation survey, which has been tracking Australian attitudes to climate change for more than a decade, finds concern about droughts and flooding has risen from 74% of the survey in 2017 to 81% in 2019.
Concern about climate-related extinctions – an issue highlighted dramatically in May when a major scientific report warned that a million species across the world faced extinction – has risen from 71% in 2017 to 78% in the 2019 survey, while concern about water shortages, an issue front of mind as a consequence of Australia’s prolonged drought, has increased from 67% to 78%.
Public sentiment about phasing out coal has also shifted in the past few years. In 2017 65% of the survey thought coal power stations should be phased out gradually to help manage the costs of the transition, but the percentage has dropped to 52% in 2019. The percentage of people believing the shift from coal to clean energy needs to be accelerated, even if the transition costs more in the short term, has increased from 19% in 2017 to 26% in 2019.
There has also been an increase in the percentage of people in the survey arguing that Australia should completely end coal-fired power generation within the next 10 years. In 2017 30% of the survey agreed, and in 2019 39% agreed.
Of course we have already had the argument over whether the fact rainforest is burning is because of climate change between Richard Di Natale and Pauline Hanson, but that aside, rainforest is burning when it hasn’t burned before. And it’s September.
But that should come up today. And, if it doesn’t, well that is the problem right there, isn’t it?
Meanwhile, there will be party room and caucus meetings today. Not a lot on the agendas, although I imagine Michelle Rowland’s intervention will probably be brought up in Labor’s catch-up.
Also, Peter Dutton’s home affairs department will also get a bit more heat today.
You have Mike Bowers and Katharine Murphy, Sarah Martin and Paul Karp, as well as whatever amount of brain cells I manage to scrape together.
Ready?
Let’s get into it.
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