That’s where we’ll leave it for today. It’s been another fast-moving day in federal politics, that’s thrown up expected and unexpected drama. What did we learn today?
- The Coalition are planning to use Kristina Keneally’s history in NSW to smear her in the Bennelong by-election. They’ve already tied her with Eddie Obeid, Joe Tripodi, and Ian Macdonald. Keneally has responded with her trademark defiance, saying “if that is the best you can do... well knock yourself out”. Keneally’s candidacy raises the stakes, and puts more pressure on Liberal MP John Alexander, who is yet to renounce any British citizenship he may hold.
- On the eve of the release of the same-sex marriage survey results, Malcolm Turnbull delivered a rather significant smackdown of the bill proposed by James Paterson . He’s said he doesn’t think it has much chance of passing parliament, and that legalising more discrimination should not be countenanced. It’s a view that’s backed by attorney-general George Brandis and education minister Simon Birmingham. Treasurer Scott Morrison has said the original bill, proposed by Dean Smith, needed greater religious protections.
- Communications minister Mitch Fifield has been referred to the Legal and Constitutional References Committee over his knowledge of former Senate president Stephen Parry’s citizenship woes. Labor has been attacking Fifield for failing to act on the knowledge. The opposition has questioned whether Fifield told Parry to keep his concerns to himself, a charge that Fifield has denied. The committee will now investigate Fifield’s actions and report by December 4.
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Malcolm Turnbull again told the men stranded on Manus Island to “comply with the lawful requirements of the government of Papua New Guinea” and leave the detention centre. Earlier, Andrew Wilkie, the independent MP, wrote to the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, asking him to use the numbers in the House of Representatives to immediately act to help the men on Manus Island.
Thanks again for staying with me today. We’ll do it all again tomorrow.
Just before I wrap up, I wanted to share the results of this survey of support for same-sex marriage by Australian sporting codes. It found most dedicated sports fans agreed governing bodies ought to support marriage equality.
Rugby union superfans were most in favour of their governing body backing marriage equality (74%), followed by football (71%), cricket (66%), rugby league (62%) and AFL (61%).
Scott Morrison wants more religious protections in same-sex bill
Morrison also said he wants to see greater protections for religious freedom than those in the same-sex marriage bill introduced by moderate Liberal Dean Smith.
I support there being strong religious protections in the bill, should tomorrow the Australian people have decided through the marriage survey that they would like to see same-sex marriage legislated in Australia.
I do think there needs to be strong protections, I’m aware of the Smith bill and I think there, personally, would need to be additional protections than those provided in the Smith bill.”
Liberal MP James Paterson yesterday released a second bill on same-sex marriage, which beefs up protections for Australian businesses to discriminate against same-sex weddings.
Updated
The treasurer, Scott Morrison, has just ramped up the government’s attack on Kristina Keneally. Morrison is wheeling out the many skeletons from NSW Labor’s last time in office. He’s linked Keneally with five people found to be corrupt by the NSW Icac, including Eddie Obeid, Ian Macdonald, Joe Tripodi, and Tony Kelly. Morrison told reporters:
This is who Bill Shorten has chosen to be his candidate in Bennelong. Who the Liberal party are putting forward is John Alexander. John Alexander is someone who was re-endorsed at the last election, who’s shown a lot of honesty and integrity in standing up and identifying the issue that has been present, which has forced this byelection. He’s putting himself before the people of Bennelong once again.
He says the last state premier Labor tried to run for a federal seat was Peter Beattie, who failed to win Forde last year.
The only difference between Peter Beattie and Kristina Keneally, is that Peter Beattie was a half-decent premier.
.@ScottMorrisonMP on @KKeneally and the upcoming Bennelong by-election. MORE: https://t.co/MvrkcVOXSl pic.twitter.com/E0d78ZG5fX
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) November 14, 2017
Updated
Folks, we’ve officially entered the twilight zone. Kristina Keneally, who was due to host a show on Sky News at 1pm, has just been interviewed on Sky News as Labor’s new candidate for Bennelong. Bizarre is the new normal.
Not so long ago, she was due to move to Canberra to help Sky News enhance its political coverage. That’s off now, obviously. How’s this exchange between Keneally and Sky News’ Samantha Maiden?
Maiden:
You recently announced you’re moving to Canberra, is that now off?
Keneally:
Well, I might be coming to Canberra in another position, as the federal MP, but, yes, I’ve got to say Sam Maiden, I don’t think it’s going to be compatible to be a federal candidate and also to be a commentator here at Sky News.
Maiden:
OK, so that’s your resignation note.
The government has spent much of the morning attacking Keneally’s history as the NSW premier. Her time in state government, where she had Eddie Obeid as a minister, leaves her exposed to Coalition attacks. But Keneally has responded to the criticism.
I say to Malcolm Turnbull, if that’s the best you’ve got mate, if that is the best you can do... well knock yourself out, it doesn’t faze me whatsoever.
I’m going to talk about the things that matter to the people of Bennelong, the things that I know people talk about because I live here.
Keneally said she had resisted previous attempts to have her run for federal parliament. But she said Bill Shorten had persuaded her on Saturday that these were unique times, and it was an opportunity for Labor to “put its best case forward”.
He said to me that if I were to choose to run, the Labor party would put everything they could into this campaign, if I would be their standard bearer.
Updated
The opposition is pushing back against attempts to tarnish their new candidate for Bennelong, Kristina Keneally, with the actions of Eddie Obeid, her former minister in NSW state parliament. Obeid is currently behind bars.
Labor is pointing out that Keneally gave evidence against Obeid at a NSW Icac inquiry codenamed Operation Credo. Credo investigated the connections between Obeid’s family and the water infrastructure company, Australia Water Holdings, which was attempting to secure a lucrative NSW government contract.
Icac’s report on Credo noted Keneally was a “credible and conscientious witness, who was at all times careful to give accurate evidence”.
An opposition spokeswoman said:
Kristina Keneally helped put Eddie Obeid in jail. And any smear from desperate Liberals shows you how pathetic they really are.
Updated
The Senate has voted to refer the communications minister, Mitch Fifield, to the legal and constitutional affairs references committee. Fifield has been under attack all week over his failure to act on knowledge that former Senate president Stephen Parry may have been ineligible for office due to dual citizenship.
A motion was moved by the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, to refer Fifield over his “knowledge of former senator Parry’s dual-citizenship status”. The motion was carried 32 to 27.
The legal and constitutional affairs references committee will need to inquire and report on the matter by 4 December.
Updated
We’ve just published some vision of Jacqui Lambie’s resignation speech to the Senate. It was a highly emotional time in the chamber. She was praised for the passion she brought to politics, which attorney general George Brandis said had also made her effective.
Updated
Time to recap on another extraordinary day
Question time is done in the Senate. The day in politics has twisted and turned with every hour. So where are we at now?
- Jacqui Lambie resigned from the Senate after she received confirmation that her grandfather was a British citizen. The citizenship was passed down through Lambie’s father, down to her. The resignation sparked emotional scenes in the Senate. Lambie herself struggled back tears as she spoke of her achievements as a senator, including pushing for veteran rights and saving welfare recipients from further cuts. She wants to return to parliament, and may seek a seat in the House of Representatives, if Labor MP Justine Keay becomes the next to fall to the citizenship crisis.
- A shock announcement in the seat of Bennelong. Former NSW premier Kristina Keneally was announced as a high-profile candidate for Labor. She was convinced to run by a “very persuasive” Bill Shorten. The seat is considered safe Liberal, but Keneally’s presence could be a game-changer. The government has already begun to tarnish her with the actions of her former minister, Eddie Obeid, who is now behind bars. The decision pits her against another high-profile candidate, former tennis great John Alexander. It should be a great spectacle, if nothing else.
- Malcolm Turnbull has delivered his strongest rebuke yet to a new same-sex marriage bill, proposed by Liberal senator James Paterson. Paterson’s bill proposes stronger rights for Australian businesses to discriminate against same-sex weddings. A baker, for example, would be allowed to hang a sign on a shopfront saying “no same-sex weddings”. Turnbull said the government would “not countenance” legalising forms of discrimination, which are currently illegal. Paterson’s bill is an alternative to the original bill proposed by Dean Smith, a moderate Liberal MP.
- Andrew Wilkie, the independent MP, has written to the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, asking him to use the numbers in the House of Representatives to immediately act to help the men stranded on Manus Island.
- Labor used question time to keep up the attack on the government over its knowledge of former Senate president Stephen Parry’s citizenship woes and the media tip-off given by Michaelia Cash’s office before raids on the Australian Workers’ Union offices.
Updated
It’s been a fiery Senate question time so far. Mike Bowers has been down in the chamber for us.
Updated
Greens reshuffle
The Greens have allocated portfolios after new senators Andrew Bartlett and Jordon Steele-John were sworn in to replace Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters.
Bartlett gets Waters’ portfolios of mining and resources, environment and biodiversity tourism. Janet Rice gains women.
Steele-John gets disability services, digital rights and information technology, youth and sustainable cities.
Of Ludlam’s portfolios foreign policy and development goes to leader Richard Di Natale, defence and veterans’ affairs to Peter Whish-Wilson, and “nuclear” to Sarah-Hanson Young.
Adam Bandt and Rachel Siewert continue as “acting co-deputy leaders”, a state of affairs that’s been in place since Ludlam and Waters resigned and that will continue until the next election.
Updated
The blowtorch is again on the employment minister, Michaelia Cash, in question time. She’s being questioned by Labor’s Murray Watt about her office’s media tip-off before raids on the Australian Workers’ Union office.
Cash declines to answer the questions, saying the issues have already been canvassed in estimates.
“I will not stand here and be lectured by a senator who goes to CFMEU picket lines and stands in solidarity with thugs, who are screaming at workers ... who threaten to rape workers’ children,” Cash said.
The allegations and counter-allegations are raising the decibel levels in the chamber, putting pressure on the new Senate president, Scott Ryan, to intervene.
It’s not been an easy first two days for Ryan, and Derryn Hinch has now requested him to do more to keep a handle on proceedings.
Updated
The resources minister, Matthew Canavan, is given his second dixer in as many days on the proposed Adani Carmichael mine in Queensland. What will it mean for the people of Queensland?
It means more business and more jobs, because we’re already seeing that impact in Queensland, where I’m proud to have my office in Rockhampton.
We’re already seeing that impact because last month Adani announced that thousands of jobs would be based in Rockhampton and Townsville.
The Coalition won’t chase votes in inner-city areas at the expense of jobs, he says.
Updated
Wilkie asks Labor to intervene immediately on Manus
Andrew Wilkie has written to the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, imploring him to act to help the men stranded on Manus Island. Labor has the numbers to “progress a humane solution”, Wilkie said.
Ball in @AustralianLabor's court. | @WilkieMP to @billshortenmp:"You have publicly stated that the situation on Manus is deeply concerning. With the support of the cross-bench you now have the numbers in the House of Representatives to progress a humane situation." #Manus #Auspol pic.twitter.com/VPcVC5qUT4
— Hadi Zaher (@zaheristan) November 14, 2017
Updated
The attorney general, George Brandis, has just denied the parliament’s citizenship woes are either a constitutional or political crisis. Brandis agrees with the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, that section 44 of the constitution, which bars dual citizens from office, is not appropriate in Australia’s multicultural society.
Section 44 on the reading the high court gave it ... is not in my view appropriate for a multicultural democracy in which 51% of people were born overseas or has at least one parent that was born overseas.
Brandis says the government has referred the matter of section 44 to the joint standing committee on electoral matters, to determine what could be done to ameliorate its impact. One option, Brandis says, is to consider a constitutional referendum. That was not the government’s policy, but Brandis says it should at least be canvassed. Another option to be canvassed is reforms to Australia’s citizenship laws, with the aim of changing the way foreign citizenship could be renounced.
There is one point about which I differ from you [Di Natale]. There is no constitutional crisis, there is no political crisis. There is the unexpected effect of a decision of the high court which has resulted in both houses of the parliament now having had to resign or be referred to the court of disputed returns.
Updated
Question time has just kicked off in the Senate. The leader of the opposition in the Senate, Penny Wong, has begun with a series of attacks on the communications minister, Mitch Fifield. The strategy is much the same as yesterday. Labor is attempting to flush out what Fifield knew about the citizenship woes of former Senate president Stephen Parry and what he did with such knowledge.
Wong asks Fifield whether he directed Parry to keep silent about his citizenship concerns until after the high court ruled on the matter.
Fifield responds:
Suggestions that I directed Senator Parry are wrong and Mr President I was not aware that Senator Parry was a dual citizen until he advised all colleagues of this by way of a memo.
Wong pressed again, asking whether Fifield directed Parry to withhold his concerns.
Fifield responds:
I’ve answered you senator, I did not direct Senator Parry.
Updated
We talked a little earlier about the potential replacement for Lambie, following her retirement. The next name on her 2016 ticket is Steve Martin, the current mayor of Devonport, a city on Tasmania’s north coast.
Lambie described Martin as a “great bloke” with “fire in the belly”.
She was asked what checks had been done to ensure Martin was eligible, given fears he might fall foul of section 44 of the constitution. Martin, through his role as mayor, could be found to hold an office of profit under the Crown.
But Lambie said Martin’s eligibility had been thoroughly checked. She said he was eligible and that the restriction did not apply to mayors.
Updated
Updated
Mike Bowers was down in the Senate for Jacqui Lambie’s speech. All sides of the chamber momentarily suspended hostilities to wish her well and express sadness at her sudden departure. Attorney general George Brandis and Labor senator Doug Cameron both spoke glowingly of Lambie. Cameron said no one was ever bored when Lambie was on her feet.
Lambie is speaking to the media outside. She has a message for Justine Keay, Labor’s MP for the Tasmanian seat of Braddon. Keay is also under a citizenship cloud, and Lambie has expressed an interest in running for her seat, should a byelection be held. Lambie says:
I haven’t slept for nearly four days not knowing what’s going on. If they want to continue to live like that, if they actually have a conscience, then be my guest. But quite frankly, and I’ll tell her right now, the people of Braddon will not appreciate that.
Updated
Just a bit more on Turnbull’s media conference. He bought into the attack on Kristina Keneally, mounted by Greg Hunt earlier today, which attempts to tie her to Eddie Obeid, the jailed NSW powerbroker.
She is Bill Shorten’s handpicked candidate, so obviously, Eddie Obeid and Bill Shorten have formed the same view about Kristina Keneally. And I just say again, the voters of Bennelong should back John Alexander, a great local member who has delivered in every respect for his community.
Updated
Turnbull rejects calls for right to discriminate
The government “would not countenance” legalising discrimination against same-sex weddings and a bill to do so would have “virtually no prospect” of passing parliament, Malcolm Turnbull has said in an extraordinary rebuke of conservatives demanding the rollback of anti-discrimination laws.
As conservative Coalition MPs and senators rallied around the same-sex marriage bill released on Monday by Liberal senator James Paterson, Turnbull warned he intended to stamp his authority on the issue after the release of marriage law survey results tomorrow.
The intervention rejected calls from Tony Abbott to do more to protect religious freedom than the Smith bill does and “entrench the right to dissent from any new orthodoxy”.
The rival Paterson bill was criticised by lawyers, marriage equality advocates and the attorney general, George Brandis, for allowing discrimination against same-sex weddings by commercial service providers.
Yesterday, Turnbull described the Smith bill as a good starting point but at a media conference in Manila on Tuesday he went further by warning: “I don’t believe Australians would welcome, and certainly the government would not countenance, making legal discrimination that is illegal, that is unlawful, today.”
Asked about a bill that would allow businesses to say “no gay weddings serviced here” – in reference to Paterson’s proposal – Turnbull said: “I think it would have virtually no prospect of getting through the parliament.”
Updated
Turnbull is asked about the selection of Kristina Keneally as Labor’s candidate for Bennelong. He said John Alexander was a great candidate for the Liberals, and cautioned voters:
“Don’t let Kristina Keneally do to Bennelong what she did to NSW,” he said.
Updated
Malcolm Turnbull is speaking in Manila, Philippines, on the final day of his trip through Asia. He’s fresh from meetings with Donald Trump and Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi.
He said his meeting with Trump was one-on-one, without any officials. The discussions were frank, he said.
“We had a very good one-on-one meeting, just the two of us, we decided we would sit down and have a very frank discussion,” Turnbull said.
Jacqui Lambie addresses the Senate
A clearly emotional Jacqui Lambie is now speaking about her resignation. She received confirmation this morning that her grandfather hadn’t renounced his British citizenship, which she and her father inherited by descent.
Fighting back tears, she says she hasn’t been able to sleep for days, while a question mark remained about her citizenship.
“There’s no question mark any more, it’s in place in an answer in black and white, courtesy of an email sent by a bureaucrat sitting at his desk on a London afternoon,” Lambie said. “Anyone who knows my father would be shocked to think of him other than anything else than an Aussie,” she said.
Lambie says she has worked hard to be a voice for the voiceless. That included championing the rights of veterans and welfare recipients. “Veterans fight hard for this country, they shouldn’t have to fight their government when they get back,” she said.
“Politicians on both sides of the house talk about helping those on welfare without ever having experienced what it’s like to choose between spending your welfare payment on either school uniforms or school lunches,” she said.
“Voters must look at their options and despair.”
Lambie says she does not know what will happen to her next, politically or personally. But she wants to come back to parliament, on either side of the building, and wants her party, the Jacqui Lambie Network, to be represented.
Lambie was overcome with emotion while praising her staff. “Thanks to my staff, who at many times have been my bloody saving grace, I’ll tell you. You’ve proven yourself to be loyal, you’re wonderful, you are hard working, and I would never have gotten this far without you,” she said. “If you need a reference later come and see me because I’m going to give you the best one you’ve ever had.”
She said: “For now, I just want to say thank you, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be in here.”
Updated
Sittings have just begun in the Senate. We were expecting to hear from Jacqui Lambie, and Mike Bowers tells me she’s just entered the chamber.
Sam Dastyari has run down from his Sky News interview, and is now on his feet in the chamber. He heaps praise on Lambie.
“Your contribution is a tremendous one. You’re an incredible human being. You may be someone ... that some of us haven’t always agreed with,” Dastyari said.
Updated
If there’s anyone who knows what Kristina Keneally is in for, it’s Bob Carr. Both are former Labor premiers in NSW, and both have now run for a federal seat.
Carr heaped praise on Keneally, and praised Labor for convincing her to stand.
“I’m surprised but I think it’s a terrific opportunity for the people of Bennelong,” he told Sky News.
“Leave aside Labor’s coup in persuading Kristina to stand as its candidate, I think if I was a voter in Bennelong, I would say this is the woman, this is the mother, to take up the fight for schools, for broadband, for health,” he said.
Labor’s Sam Dastyari has also described Keneally’s candidacy as a “huge coup” for the Labor party.
“I am amazed that it was kept under wraps for as long as it was,” he said.
Earlier, health minister Greg Hunt described Keneally as as “Eddie Obeid’s protege”.
Dastyari has described the government’s attack on Keneally as “sickening” and “rubbish”, coming from men who don’t believe a strong independent woman can have her own agency.
“This is the rubbish, rubbish, that Kristina has risen above, time and time again,” he said.
Updated
According to the Australian Senate Twitter account, the South Australian parliament has given the tick to Rex Patrick to replace Nick Xenophon in the federal Senate.
The South Australian Parliament has chosen Rex Patrick to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of former Senator Xenophon
— Australian Senate (@AuSenate) November 14, 2017
Patrick is Xenophon’s senior adviser and was chosen by the party’s management committee (mainly its federal party room) – the party was able to choose his replacement because the high court found section 44 did not disqualify Xenophon.
NXT candidate Tim Storer – who would have been elected if a Senate recount were used to fill the vacancy – stepped forward to lay a claim to the seat but this seems to knock that on the head.
Updated
Back to Jacqui Lambie, for a moment. It’s worth remembering that Lambie is a deeply popular politician in Tasmania. Her party, the Jacqui Lambie Network, won 28,146 votes in the 2016 election, achieving a swing of 8.3%. She personally won about 10,000 votes.
She has championed a number of issues during her time in parliament. But there were two that stood out:
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better treatment of veterans, particularly those suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. Lambie had her own battle with the department of veterans affairs after she was injured in the army in 1997, and subsequently discharged.
- drug addiction and treatment services. In mid-2015, Lambie told the public that her son Dylan was addicted to ice. She spoke of her frustration at not being able to help her ice-addicted son.
“I am a senator of Australia and I have a 21-year old son that has a problem with ice, and yet even with my title I have no control over my son. I can’t involuntarily detox my own son, because I am not talking to my son anymore, I’m talking to a drug. And I can tell you, I’m not the only parent out there. There [are] thousands of us,” she said.
But Lambie is also remembered for her attempts to have the burqa banned in 2014. She insisted it was on security grounds.
Paul Daley wrote an in-depth piece on Lambie last year. It’s worth a re-visit. Ignore the unfortunate headline quote: ‘I reckon I can do 20 more years’.
Updated
Malcolm Turnbull is wrapping up his tour of Asia. He’s still in the Philippines, and today met with Australian and Filipino troops. The two nations are working to combat the threat posed by Islamic State in the southern Philippines. Fairfax’s Alex Ellinghausen posted this to Twitter a bit earlier:
The Prime Minister with Aussie and Filipino troops in Manila pic.twitter.com/SoQZWYIE6j
— Alex Ellinghausen (@ellinghausen) November 14, 2017
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has attracted significant criticism from human rights groups and the United Nations, including over the war on drugs. The drugs crackdown has involved extrajudicial and indiscriminate killings.
Turnbull said the pair talked about the war on drugs on Monday.
Updated
Well, it’s quickly become clear how the Liberals plan to tackle Kristina Keneally in Bennelong. Health minister Greg Hunt spoke to the media at a little earlier, and said this of Keneally:
This is Eddie Obeid’s protege. Eddie Obeid was Kristina Keneally’s patron. You’ve got a comparison here. One – Kristina Keneally fought for Eddie Obeid. The other – John Alexander fought for Australia on the international courts. So the people of New South Wales should not be played for mugs.
Updated
Liberal senator David Fawcett has told Guardian Australia he believes that James Paterson’s bill “reflects more fully” the recommendations of the Senate committee inquiry into same-sex marriage that he chaired, endorsing it over Dean Smith’s bill.
Malcolm Turnbull has called Smith’s bill a good starting for a parliamentary debate about marriage, but conservatives are not ruling out raising the marriage issue in the party room.
Fawcett said Paterson’s bill would fulfil United Nations Human Rights Committee recommendations both on the rights of LGBTI people and to protect religious freedom.
Fawcett:
Australia has never legislated to protect religious freedom comprehensively ... the James Paterson bill is more comprehensive, and it is my preferred starting point.
Fawcett said he wanted “sensible grown-up conversations” about the legislative process ahead, and he would encourage all parties to discuss which bill to use “not necessarily in the debating chamber of the Senate”.
Updated
Sydney 2GB radio host Ray Hadley has responded to the news that Kristina Keneally will challenge John Alexander in the Bennelong by-election.
“And she is contesting Bennelong,” he said, without mentioning her name.
He then played a recording of the time when Keneally, after she seized power of the NSW government in a late-night coup, toppling then-NSW Labor premier Nathan Rees, told the NSW parliament that she gained the position on her own.
“I am nobody’s puppet. I am nobody’s protege. I am nobody’s girl,” Keneally told parliament.
Hadley then said: “That’s when she was elevated to the premiership, and the suggestion was from the [Liberal] opposition at the time that Eddie [Obeid], Uncle Eddie, had paved the way [for her].”
Then he cut to a traffic report.
Ten minutes later, he returned to the issue. He said Keneally had to say those things about not being anyone’s puppet because Nathan Rees had warned, before he was toppled, that his replacement would a protege of Obeid and Joe Tripodi.
“You cannot reinvent history,” Hadley said.
He then played a recording of the warning from Nathan Rees.
“Should I not be premier by the end of this day, let there be no doubt in the community’s mind, no doubt, that any challenger will be a puppet of Eddie Obeid and Joe Tripodi,” Rees said at the time.
Hadley then said: “The electorate need to be reminded of Kristina Keneally circa back then. 2010. It’s a long time ago.”
Updated
Keneally’s candidacy dramatically raises the stakes in Bennelong, which goes to the polls on December 16. The seat, in Sydney’s north-west, is considered a safe Liberal seat.
The Liberals held it with a margin of almost 10% last election. But Labor have previously signalled they will campaign vigorously, and have so far they’ve sought to woo ethnically diverse voters in the multicultural electorate. They’re seeking to capitalise on anger over the government’s stalled citizenship requirements, which impose onerous English requirements, and preference deals between the Liberals and One Nation in Queensland.
The incumbent, John Alexander, is also racing against the clock to find out whether he is a dual British citizen, and then have it renounced.
Labor have only won the seat once in its history, courtesy of former journalist Maxine McKew in 2007, who defeated Howard with a 5.5% swing.
Election analyst Ben Raue explained the state of play in Bennelong in this piece on Monday.
That news seems to have shocked even her colleagues on Sky News.
Sky News’ Laura Jayes hosts a show with Kristina Keneally at 1pm each day.
Jayes said she had no idea of Keneally’s candidacy until the announcement today. She says Keneally will not be coming into work today.
Keneally says her opponent in Bennelong, John Alexander, is a “nice guy”. He’s affable, and would beat her in a tennis match, she said. He might be a bit sloppy with his paperwork.
“I think John Alexander is a nice guy, if you ask me if he’s a good local member, well I can’t get past the fact that the Liberals in 2016 made no local commitments to the area of Bennelong,” she said.
Updated
Kristina Keneally reveals that she received a call from Bill Shorten on the weekend, asking her to run in Bennelong.
“I got a call from Bill Shoten this weekend; Bill Shorten is a very persuasive man,” Keneally said.
She said Shorten knew she was a local, and that:
“I think he kind of knew that the fight for the Labor cause has not extinguished in me.”
Updated
Bill Shorten and Kristina Keneally appear in Sydney
Opposition leader Bill Shorten has just appeared in Sydney, alongside his new candidate for the seat of Bennelong, Kristina Keneally.
Keneally, who promises she is not a dual citizen, says she had “never thought that a run at the federal parliament was a thing for me”.
But she says no one could have imagined the citizenship crisis would have unfolded the way it has.
“This is a unique circumstance, an odd circumstance, and really, let’s be blunt, a crisis circumstance,” she said.
She describes herself as the underdog in Bennelong, but said she had never ran away from a fight. Bennelong is considered a safe Liberal seat.
“I’m under no illusions, it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be hard,” she said.
Keneally began the press conference with a story about her son’s difficulties in dealing with the local Medicare office in Ryde.
She said they had to endure an excessive wait, were forced to submit paper, not electronic forms, and then told to come back later in the week.
She looked around and “felt angry” for the other people waiting in the office.
“This is what happens when the Liberals get into government: they cut services, they cut Medicare services,” she said.
Keneally went on to explain her ties to the Bennelong electorate, although she concedes she lives “800 metres from the border”.
She moved here in 1994, after meeting her partner, Ben Keneally. Her first flat was in Waverton, and her in-laws lived in Gladesville for 40 years.
“This is where I live, this is where I work, this is where my family is,” she said.
Shorten described Keneally as a “high-profile” and “first-class” candidate, but conceded Labor was starting from a less-favourable position in Bennelong.
He described the byelection as a chance for voters to send a message to Malcolm Turnbull.
“This byelection is a chance for the voters of Bennelong to send a wake-up call to Mr Turnbull and his government,” he said.
“This is a chance which I think a lot of people in Australia would like to have, but has fallen to the people of Bennelong, to send a message against the dysfunction and the chaos of the current government ... that’s what this byelection is all about.”
Also, in case anyone was wondering what’s going to happen to Keneally’s spot on Sky News?
“Some of you may be aware that I work at Sky News, although probably not after today,” she said.
.@KKeneally: I renounced my US citizenship in 2002. MORE: https://t.co/MvrkcVOXSl pic.twitter.com/eczpUN1wVM
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) November 13, 2017
Updated
“We are going for government”
Making a couple of calls to triple confirm Kristina Keneally is, in fact, Labor’s candidate in Bennelong (which is my habit), ALP folks just had one thing to say.
“We are going for government.”
The next Member for Bennelong, @KKeneally pic.twitter.com/O1kUUrURmV
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) November 13, 2017
Kristina Keneally to stand in Bennelong
Right, well, this is turning into another one of those days.
Former NSW premier Kristina Keneally will stand in the upcoming by-election in Bennelong as Labor’s candidate.
Keneally is currently a presenter with Sky News, which first reported the story.
Guardian Australia has confirmed Keneally’s candidacy.
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There are a few formalities for Jacqui Lambie’s last day in the Senate. She will make a short formal statement to the Senate, likely after midday.
Lambie will then need to table a resignation document. She will then disclose her pairing arrangements. A short statement from Lambie’s office said:
She has received assurances from Labor that standard pairing arrangements will be honoured, such as those granted to Senators Nash and Parry, and is awaiting similar assurances from the government.
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Education minister Simon Birmingham has just described Jacqui Lambie as a “passionate individual”.
“I understand that this would be a bitter blow for her personally,” Birmingham said.
He said many in the parliament had mixed dealings with Lambie.
“I feel for Jacqui Lambie. I have had some constructive dealings with Jacqui, particularly around reforms to school funding, as well as some dealings that have perhaps not been as positive,” he said.
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Jacqui Lambie was one of the most colourful characters in parliament. So perhaps it’s fitting to remember her Senate career through pictures.
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What next? A quick snapshot
Jacqui Lambie’s departure follows the resignations of fellow senators, Greens Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters; the deputy leader of the National party, Fiona Nash; One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts; and the former Senate president, the Liberal Stephen Parry, who have all fallen foul of the constitutional requirements under section 44.
The Liberal lower house MP John Alexander also resigned at the weekend, triggering a byelection in the Sydney seat of Bennelong.
National Barnaby Joyce is also running in his seat of New England after being ruled ineligible by the high court.
Lambie’s resignation was expected, given she had told a number of Senate colleagues over the course of a chaotic day on Monday that she was in trouble because of her father’s Scottish heritage.
Lambie is now the second Tasmanian senator to force a replacement, after Stephen Parry’s departure.
When it was just Parry’s departure triggering a recount, it was possible that procedure could have displaced the Tasmanian Green Nick McKim, possibly in favour of a One Nation candidate.
But the ABC’s election expert Antony Green, told Guardian Australia on Tuesday if both Parry and Lambie were knocked out “there is no question over Nick McKim’s position”.
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Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz has issued a statement on Lambie’s resignation. He says she “certainly brought some interesting flair to the Senate”.
While Ms Lambie’s resignation from the Senate will be disappointing, particularly for her supporters, she has acted with integrity and a fundamental respect for the Tasmanian people by resigning for which she should be commended.
It is a real shame that Justine Keay continues to engage in such a great deception of the people of Braddon by refusing to either resign or have herself referred to the high court to draw an end to the valid questions hanging over her particularly in light of Mr Parry and Ms Lambie’s honourable actions.
I wish Ms Lambie well for the future.
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Lambie said she’d have a “good look” at running for the house of representatives, should Labor MP for Braddon Justine Keay be the next scalp claimed by the citizenship crisis.
“I’d certainly have a good look at it, I just have to see what else is going on… it’s all over the shop here right now,” Lambie said.
She said she had no reason to believe she was a dual citizen at the time of her candidacy.
“Until you start hearing what’s been going on, it all comes out. Trust me, I’ve become a legal expert in it in the last fortnight, I can assure you,” Lambie said.
“I think because I was with [Palmer United Party], I would have thought there wouldn’t be any questions over it, they’ve checked all this.”
Lambie is expecting to resign from the Senate just after midday. She’ll jump on a plane and return to Tasmania. Her staff are expected to lose her jobs.
She says she doesn’t think section 44 of the constitution will ever be changed.
“No I don’t think we’ll ever do that, but I will tell you something right now,” Lambie said.
“There’ll be checking like there’s no tomorrow, so I don’t think this will be an issue.”
Lambie says she respects the constitution.
Lambie is speaking on Tasmanian radio. She’s determined to return to parliament.
“I was going to say what my father said to me this morning, you can’t keep a bloody Lambie down,” she said.
“I won’t be laying down, I’ll just get up and get back on and go again, simple as that.”
The first thing she’ll be doing is renouncing her citizenship, she says.
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Jacqui Lambie dual citizen, set to resign
Jacqui Lambie’s office has confirmed she is a dual citizen and intends to resign from the senate.
Breaking: Jacqui Lambie tells Tasmanian radio she will quit the Senate today. Has confirmed she is a Scottish dual citizen. @theheraldsun #auspol
— Tom Minear (@tminear) November 13, 2017
Back to same-sex marriage momentarily. The bill proposed by James Paterson on Monday introduced a greater right for businesses to freely discriminate against same-sex weddings. It would allow a hotel, for example, to refuse to hold a same-sex wedding or reception. A baker could hang a sign in the shopfront saying: “No same-sex weddings”.
The Paterson bill has drawn an angry response from Liberal moderates, including Warren Entsch and Trent Zimmerman. Education minister Simon Birmingham also said on Monday that he preferred the original bill proposed by moderate Dean Smith.
Attorney general George Brandis has just been on Sky News. He had this to say about the options that would come before parliament in the event of a yes vote:
I don’t want to get into the weeds before the parliamentary debate but I agree with senator Birmingham. We’re certainly not going to remove one form of discrimination and, at the same time, instate a new form of discrimination.
Labor’s Murray Watt has criticised Paterson’s bill, and cautioned against any attempt to introduce religious protections to an “absurd level”.
I saw James Paterson being interviewed yesterday, he’s the proponent of this bill. Apparently under his bill it would be legal for someone, a baker, to refuse a wedding cake to two gay men, but it would be illegal to refuse that cake if it was a birthday cake.
I mean, how crazy is this? That’s not about religious protections. That’s the kind of interference in the market that i wouldn’t expect from a libertarian member of the Liberal party like James Paterson.
.@MurrayWatt: An overwhelming 'yes' vote would strengthen the case for @DeanSmithWA's same sex marriage bill. MORE: https://t.co/cGdPUiFbFy pic.twitter.com/4LOZlksaxA
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) November 13, 2017
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The Guardian Essential poll has some interesting results this morning. It shows Malcolm Turnbull’s approval rating is down five points in a month, and his disapproval up six points.
He remains clearly ahead of Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister, at 40% compared with Shorten’s 28%. A significant proportion of voters were undecided (33% of the 1,815 voters undecided). You can read more about the results of the poll here.
It comes after Monday’s Newspoll, published in the Australian, showed Turnbull’s preferred prime minister rating fell from 41% to 36%, shortening his lead to two percentage points.
New Greens senator Jordon Steele-John was forced to use the slip road to access the Senate entrance to Parliament House this morning. The Parliament House carpark lift was broken. Not a great look for the accessibility of our national parliament.
Senator Steele-John had to use the senate slip road to access P/H-car park lift was broken @GuardianAus @murpharoo pic.twitter.com/sFKbhHesg0
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) November 13, 2017
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Finance minister Mathias Cormann and Labor’s leader in the Senate Penny Wong have locked horns on citizenship this morning, appearing on Channel 7’s Sunrise.
Wong says Labor achieved a series of wins in the deal on citizenship disclosure made on Monday.
Keen political watchers will remember that, under the disclosure agreement, senators must disclose their citizenship and family background, including that of their grandparents, and outline steps taken to renounce dual citizenship prior to standing for the last election. This will all need to be disclosed by 1 December. Wong says:
We’re happy with the arrangement that’s been agreed to because it’s what we wanted. We wanted a stronger system of disclosure, the government’s agreed to that. We wanted an earlier date for disclosure, the prime minister had much later date and the government has agreed to that.
It is a pity that it took Labor and the Australian people pressing so hard for this before Malcolm Turnbull was prepared to act, but we have landed an agreement and I think that’s a good thing for the country.
Cormann continued the government’s attack on four Labor MPs in doubt over their citizenship. That includes Susan Lamb and Justine Keay. The government has threatened to refer both Lamb and Keay to the high court. Cormann said:
We’ve got at least one Labor member of parliament who has confirmed on the public record she was a dual citizen at the time of nominating for the last election and that is clearly in breach of section 44 of the constitution.
He’s asked whether the constitution should be changed, given the vast number of dual citizens in Australia. Cormann kicked the can down the road:
It’s a fair question but that is something we can explore into the future. I think right now it is incumbent on every member and senator to be compliant with the constitution as it stands.
But into the future I think it is certainly a valid question, but my sense is that the Australian people quite like the fact that Australian members of parliament are required to be Australian citizens only.”
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Good morning and welcome
Welcome to another day in the madhouse.
It’s Christopher Knaus here again filling in for Amy Remeikis, who is doing an excellent job of steering Guardian Australia’s coverage of the Queensland election.
We’re monitoring developments on a number of fronts today, so stick with me as things unfold. This is what we’re expecting so far:
- The citizenship crisis rolls on. This morning, all eyes are on Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, who remains in doubt. She is awaiting advice from the British Home Office on whether she has inherited citizenship courtesy of his Scottish ancestry. Australian Conservatives leader Cory Bernardi was out and about last night saying Lambie was telling senate colleagues that she was ineligible. Watch this space.
- Malcolm Turnbull and Donald Trump had a second, short meeting last night in Manila. The pair were previously scheduled to have a private dinner, but that appears to be scrapped.
- We’re one day out from learning the same-sex marriage survey results. Expect some continuing argy bargy within the Liberal party, after Liberal senator James Paterson announced he was introducing a second bill on Monday.
Just a reminder, only the Senate is sitting today. Let’s get started.
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