Night time politics
- Question time was dominated by political donations, particularly around donors with Chinese links. After Julie Bishop attacked former Labor defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon about his ties to a Chinese donor, Labor followed up with a question on the Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation. The foreign minister says she had never heard of it.
- Labor, including Fitzgibbon, wants an inquiry into donations and influence through the powerful parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security (PJCIS) and for the government to back its foreign donation ban currently before the house. But the prime minister said he would bring a bill to parliament in the spring session, because you could drive a truck through the Labor bill.
- After Network Ten went into voluntary administration, communications minister Mitch Fifield used it as an example of why his media reforms were needed, ie to allow further consolidation of Australian media companies.
- Malcolm Turnbull addressed the climate debate in his party room room, saying wise leadership was needed, not glib one-liners on energy policy. Tony Abbott said people just wanted lower power prices and a role for coal. Bill Shorten and his environment and energy shadow said they would consider the Finkel review. A list of Coalition Finkel naysayers was leaked but two Nats who were on the list immediately rejected the characterisation. Pissants, said Mark Coultan, of the leakers. George Christensen said he would not vote for a clean energy target could he reckons it will push up power prices. That represents Turnbull’s majority of one in the house.
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The government was forced to settle a class action with Manus detainees alleging physical and psychological injury for $90m but Peter Dutton said it was the price of cleaning up Labor’s mess or some such. He accepted no liability.
- The Senate’s report into the Turnbull government’s Gonski 2.0 school funding plan will land later tonight and by then we will have a clearer idea of where the Greens support is or whether the government needs to go to the crossbench for the votes.
That is your lot for the night. I am off like a fish in the sun but thanks to Gareth Hutchens, Paul Karp and Katharine Murphy. Mike Bowers went above and beyond the call of duty, from the foggy start to now.
See you in the same place tomorrow.
Good night.
Updated
Tony Abbott says China produces 20 times the emissions of Australia. His characterisation of the party room debate was MPs wanted lower power prices and a continuing role for coal.
The mood of last night was one of robust common sense.
Of his altercation with Craig Laundy, Tony Abbott says
there was a moment of mutual bad temper.
But he says the news of the altercation was not correct.
The report that somebody referred me to was more fake news.
Tony Abbott is doing his regular spot on 2GB. He starts on the court case to settle a claim from Manus detainees.
He says:
these people took advantage of our nation’s generosity, took advantage of our nation’s good nature.
Not for a minute is he critical of immigration minister Peter Dutton or the Turnbull government.
He doubts whether any of the detainees suffered physical or psychological injuries amongst the 1,905 who were part of the class action.
Updated
Liberal MP Craig Laundy does not exactly deny reports he had a conflict with Tony Abbott in the party room.
He says it is a place for passionate discussion so it’s all G.
Laundy says he does not agree with George Christensen (see earlier post) that government should be in the business of building and funding coal-fired power stations.
Updated
Senate inquiry into potential conflicts of interest in northern Australia fund
The Senate has voted up an inquiry into the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility and potential conflicts of interest on its board:
Inquiry gets up, despite One Nation voting to protect Canavan. Spending of $5B in taxpayers funds should be free of conflicts of interest. https://t.co/4cRLJFFKPN
— Senator Murray Watt (@MurrayWatt) June 14, 2017
The Naif is the fund that the resources and northern Australia minister, Matt Canavan, wants to use to loan the Adani Carmichael mine $900m to build a rail line from the Galilee basin.
The issue of a potential perceived conflict of interest relates to a director of the independent board, Karla Way-McPhail, who runs mining labour and equipment hire companies, publicly declaring she was “very supportive” of its “vital” coal project.
The deputy leader of the Australian Greens and Queensland senator, Larissa Waters, said it was a serious concern that members of the Naif board have deep links with the coal industry, including “one board member [who has] posted hyper-partisan comments online in support of the coal industry”.
The administration of this $5bn infrastructure fund has almost zero transparency, all decisions and applications are kept secret until after they’ve been approved.
This is because the Naif isn’t about encouraging investment in northern Australia, it’s about creating a slush fund to prop up the dying coal industry and appeasing the Trumps within the Coalition.
This inquiry would flush out the truth about whether Queensland will facilitate or act as middleman [for] the $1bn publicly funded loan to Adani.”
The Labor and Greens push will see the Senate look at:
a) The adequacy and transparency of the Naif’s project assessment and approval processes;
b) The adequacy of the Naif’s investment mandate, risk appetite statement and public interest test in guiding decisions of the Naif board;
c) The adequacy of processes used to appoint Naif board members including assessment of potential conflicts of interest;
d) The adequacy and transparency of the Naif’s policies in managing perceived, actual or potential conflicts of interest of its board members;
e) The adequacy of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Act and investment mandate to provide for and maintain the independence of decisions of the board;
f) The status and role of state and territory governments under the Naif, including any agreements between state and territories and the federal government; and
g) any other related matters.
Updated
The human services minister, Alan Tudge, has a message for my colleague Christopher Knaus who has done some excellent work on the robo-debt scandal.
Hey @knausc @noeltowell the Minister says you've missed a huge scoop. He says he's actually doing a stellar job 😑 #auspol #notmydebt pic.twitter.com/GIoDIFvsfJ
— Linda Burney MP (@LindaBurneyMP) June 14, 2017
Updated
LNP MP George Christensen tells David Speers at Sky that he favours measures that address the issue of power affordability. He does not believe the Finkel recommendation of a clean energy target will do that. He will not vote for it.
Christensen favours government-funded coal-fired power stations and Josh Frydenberg’s plan to beef up and giving teeth to the energy regulator to keep a lid on prices.
He says Labor always wants to go one step further on policies like Finkel’s target and Gonski school funding.
Best not go there, seems to be George’s message.
Updated
Cameron England of the Adelaide Advertiser reported on 5 June:
One of the Liberal party’s largest donors, Chinese mining magnate Sally Zou, previously set up a company called “Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation” which the foreign minister says she has never heard of.
The enigmatic Ms Zou, who is also a large financial supporter of Port Adelaide Football Club, also set a company last month called Australian Earthly Paradise.
That company’s principal place of business is 19 Tallisker Rd, Deep Creek — the address of a pristine 1.5km stretch of coastal property currently on the market for $2.5 million, which is not owned by Ms Zou.
It is understood she might be intending to buy the property. Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation Pty Ltd was set up in April last year, and changed its name to Glorious Foundation just nine days later.
A spokeswoman for the minister said the existence of the company was news to her.
“The foreign minister has met Ms Zou from time to time at various functions. The minister was not aware of any foundation established using her name, nor has she been approached by Ms Zou for any government assistance.’’
Updated
Updated
There is maximum yelling in the chamber after a particularly willing question time.
Liberal MP and former assistant defence minister Stuart Robert seeks to make a personal explanation, saying all the investigations cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Updated
Foreign Minister "Mr Speaker I have never heard of the Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation" @gabriellechan @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/p5Qvhj7ACX
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) June 14, 2017
Shorten to Turnbull: If the Prime Minister really opposes foreign donations, why has the Coalition voted against banning foreign donations three times and will the prime minister agree to bring Labor’s private member’s bill for a vote in the house today so we can ban foreign donations once and for all?
Turnbull says you could drive a truck through Labor’s legislation on foreign donors.
He promises to bring a bill to the spring sitting of parliament.
It is important in the light of findings that any such ban is comprehensive. It is not simply limited to political parties. It applies to other political organisations like Get Up, like unions, and is a comprehensive ban,so that only Australians andAustralian businesses have the ability to have a say through donations into the political contest.
Turnbull says no one would take Shorten seriously after Sam Dastyari’s case.
[Dastyari] solicited money from a foreign donor. He accepted it. It was given to him. Not because he was a nice guy, not because he was hard up but because he was a Senator. He got that privileged payment. He used his position to get that payment. And then he switched the policy, the long standing policy of the Labor Party on a vitally important issue of national security. And for all of that, he was in the sin bin for six months. The Leader of the Opposition has a long way to go before anyone will take him seriously on foreign donations.
Christopher Pyne takes a Dixer, which then goes to Shorten’s donations from Australian Super and the AWU.
Then Mark Dreyfus to Malcolm Turnbull: The member for Fadden (Stuart Robert) was forced to resign after it was revealed while he was assistant defence minister he promoted a deal between a major Liberal party donor and Chinese-government owned mining company. Has the prime minister obtained advice about whether the disgraced former assistant defence minister’s comment disgraced the industry and will the prime Minister rule out reappointing him to the frontbench?
Turnbull rejects what he calls the shabby smear from Dreyfus.
I maintain the maintenance of those ministerial standards, and all, as far as future ministerial appointments, the honorable member should understand that I will always ensure that ministerial standards are complied with, both prospectively and of course in the past and dealt with appropriately in accordance with those standards.I reject the shabby smear that the honorable member chose to use his question for.
Updated
Wow, we are really digging in deeper to donations.
Labor to foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop: I refer to reports the former minister for trade, Andrew Robb, began working for a Chinese company before the last election, a part-time position that earns him $880,000 a year. Has the foreign minister sought advice from the secretary of her department about whether Mr Robb breached the prime minister’s statement of ministerial standards which imposes restrictions on post ministerial employment and if not, why not?
Leader of the House Christopher Pyne objects as it is not in the foreign minister’s purview.
Labor’s Tony Burke argues the point.
First of all, in terms of the tenor of question time, I think it’s a bit late for the leader of the House to get precious on a day like this.
Speaker Smith rules that the question is more rightly directed to the prime minister who is responsible for the ministerial code of conduct.
Ask him the question and you will be OK, Smith says not in so many words. But Labor loses the question.
Updated
Labor to Peter Dutton: Can the minister please advise the House whether any Coalition MPs have made representations about immigration matters to the department, or the minister on behalf of the Liberal or National party donors? If so, will he advise the House which Coalition MPs have made these recommendations?
Dutton says presumably he is referring to reports about Sam Dastyari’s inquiries about citizenship for an Australian Chinese resident seeking citizenship. Dutton says
MPs often make representations. No biggie.
If the honourable member has specific case, I am happy to investigate them ... but if he’s just attempting to throw mud, then I think he should look first to Senator Sam Dastyari in the Senate.
Updated
The art of war: Chinese donations and major political parties
The foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, answers a Dixer on Labor’s Chinese-linked donation, attacking Bill Shorten for not seeking a security briefing on revelations of close links between former Labor defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon.
Then Labor asks Julie bishop: What are the consequences for Australia standing on the world stage of one of the Liberal party’s biggest donors, mining magnate, establishing a company called Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation. (LAUGHTER) Does the minister seriously expect the house for a Liberal donor she knows, set up a company in the minister’s name, the Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation, but never raised it with her on the many occasions they met?
Bishop is visibly furious.
All donations to the Liberal party are declared in accordance with the [Australian Electoral Commission] obligations. (LAUGHTER) Mr Speaker, until the matter was raised with me by the media a week ago. I had never heard of such a foundation. (JEERS) I say that in the solemnity of this parliament. I had never heard of such a foundation. Third point, Mr Speaker, at no time have I ever compromised government policy in relation to foreign affairs.
(I will leave the Tveeder descriptors in capitals to give you a flavour of what the House sounds like at the minute.)
Updated
Labor to Turnbull: Is the prime minister aware that the finance minister told Fran Kelly, I quote, the price of electricity is projected to go up and up and up if we do nothing? And also he said, I quote again, “We need to embrace this blueprint that’s been put forward by Dr Finkel.” Does the prime minister agree if the energy policy paralysis continues, power price also continue to go up and up and up under this government?
Turnbull flicks the question to energy and environment minister Josh Frydenberg.
Frydenberg does not answer the question directly.
Updated
The immigration minister, Peter Dutton, gets a Dixer on boat policy and notes the court decision which the government settled on for damages for Manus detainees.
He mentions that the “ambulance-chasing” law firm Slater and Gordon – which has strong links to Labor – pocketed $20m in costs.
There is a little bit of objection from opposite because there are many of those who worked for Slater and Gordon and others, of course, who received benefits from Slater and Gordon. To this very day Slater and Gordon is a significant Labor party donor. I think it is worth noting as part of this discussion, because it is reality.
Updated
Indi independent Cathy McGowan to Malcolm Turnbull: Australian Textile Mills is facing a 141% increase in energy costs and the timber manufacture D&R Henderson tells me they will pay $1m more for electricity in 2017 than last year. There are over 20,000 people in Indi employed in manufacturing sector and the loss of these jobs is a real threat. Industry is willing the parliament to get on with good policy, combining affordability and sustainability. And while the Finkel review provides an opportunity to deliver long-term energy security, what practical steps will the government take to address the immediate impacts of ballooning energy costs and the demand for renewables, particularly in my electorate of Indi?
Turnbull again says the electricity price increase is a result of a shortage of gas and he again blamed Labor for supply problems, both through state moratoriums and allowing export of gas through Queensland.
Updated
Shorten to Turnbull: “As the prime minister knows, wholesale electricity prices have doubled under the Liberal government. The Australian Energy Council has said, I quote, “The lack of national policy certainty is now the biggest driver of higher electricity prices. Does the prime minister agree and will the government commit to working with Labor to end four years of policy paralysis under this government, which has led to higher prices and instability in the energy market?”
Turnbull says the high electricity prices are all the fault of state Labor governments because of lack of gas exploration.
Updated
Jenny Macklin to social services minister Christian Porter: On 1 July, AGL electricity prices in NSW will go up by 16%. With power going up, why is the prime minister cutting the $365-a-year energy supplement for pensioners, a cut that will make it harder for pensioners to stay warm in the wintertime?
Porter:
It was meant to compensate for tax that didn’t go ahead. What the member fails to tell the House is that the savings that are achieved from that measure, the Labor party has banked and spent.
Updated
The first Dixer is on the NDIS. AKA practical love, as Turnbull says.
Updated
Pass the bill, or the Ten puppy gets it
The communications minister, Mitch Fifield, has addressed reporters about the travails of the Ten Network.
The minister says the government will bring forward its media reform package tomorrow and he would like colleagues in the Senate to pass the legislation. Otherwise poor old Ten might go under. Hint, hint.
The minister is asked whether it is a coincidence that Ten has turned the volume up to 11 on its long-standing commercial woes on the day before the government brings forward legislation that will allow proprietors to own TV, radio and newspaper assets in a single market – the thing Ten really wants to happen?
The minister thinks he’s just moving forward, in a calm and methodical fashion. Pauline willing.
Because Pauline (Hanson) ... (is there another Pauline?) holds the key to whether the package passes or doesn’t. Thus far, One Nation has not been prepared to dump the two out of three rule. They’ve been quite firm on this question. But in this building of course, it’s all things liable to change without notice.
Fifield was asked whether he might countenance cutting funding to the ABC to court One Nation’s support. He said the funding for the ABC is determined every three years, and the immediate funding arrangements are in place.
It will be interesting to watch how this particular wave breaks. Watch this space.
Updated
Shorten to Turnbull: Will the prime minister now commit to work with Labor in the national interest to end the policy paralysis which led to high other electricity prices and instability in the energy market?
Turnbull describes the question as a phony act of insincerity.
The Labor party has always made it their case that they prefer to put a tax on carbon. That has always been their preferred position. That’s been their position federally.
Jeez.
Updated
Question time coming up.
Our environment reporter Mikey Slezak has taken a look at some of the claims in the Coalition party room about Finkel, including:
- ‘Emissions-lowering policy will push up power prices’
- ‘We should delay action on climate change because it will be cheaper in the future’
- ‘Coal energy is cheapest’
Lunchtime politics
- Malcolm Turnbull has declared that one liners and glib leadership will not solve Australia’s energy problems, (looking in the direction of a former prime minister).
- His comments come after a very open and divided debate on energy policy in response to the Finkel report.
- The deputy chair of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, Labor’s Anthony Byrne has backed a inquiry into foreign influence and donations in the wake of ABC/Fairfax investigations. Fellow Labor guy Ed Husic has also backed the inquiry. Bill Shorten called for a bipartisan reference to PCJIS last week. (Amended)
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The government has settled a claim by Manus detainees for $90m for alleged psychological and physical injuries as well as false imprisonment. But the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, said “settlement is not an admission of liability in any regard”.
Updated
Question to Turnbull: What might happen this time if you miss the opportunity again because either on the left or on the right, in compromise is possible? What will happen to the energy system, the electricity system? And what will happen to the economy?
I’m not interested in speculating about lack of success. Our job as a government is to deliver and to lead and I have provided decisive leadership on energy.
Malcolm Turnbull: Australians need wise leadership, not glib leadership
Malcolm Turnbull addresses the Finkel Farnarkling.
He says the chief scientist’s report to all governments is good.
We are in the process of considering it.
Business as usual is no good for investment.
Turnbull refuses to give a timeframe for policy which has got to get through the Council of Australian Governments.
The aim is to get it right. Let me tell you, glib answers and one-liners have been of no assistance in keeping Australians energy secure and affordable. What Australians need is wise leadership, not glib leadership.
What Australians need is economics and engineering, not ideological and politics. All that has done is drive electricity prices up and put reliability at risk.
Updated
Malcolm Turnbull says the logic applied by Julia Gillard and Bill Shorten in 2012 should apply today.
We know that a majority of his shadow cabinet support it. And he should, too.
Scott Morrison is asked if he took up the Labor party proposal and to allow the tax increase to hit those over $87,000 a year, how much of the $8bn in revenue would you lose?
The answer to your question is, there’s a $55.7bn hole.
Updated
Malcolm Turnbull has former Labor NSW general secretary, former Labor minister John Della Bosca (now disability advocate) to urge parliament to support the increase to the Medicare levy for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Della Bosca:
We need to lock in the funding for the NDIS into the future. We can’t leave it to the whim of one parliament or another, one budget or another. No disrespect intended – one treasurer or another. It needs to be something that one government, this government, has said they’re prepared to. They’ve got in the budget to lock in the funding increase and keep it there so no future government can change those priorities and harm the NDIA’s [sic] mission.
The social services minister, Christian Porter, is there, as is treasurer Scott Morrison. Both have spoken about the funding.
Updated
Immigration minister Peter Dutton has put out a statement on the Manus settlement.
He says it is $90m.
The settlement provides $70m for the plaintiffs while No Win-No-Fee law firm Slater and Gordon will pocket an estimated $20m in costs.
Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison have media conference shortly.
A strange story by Gareth Hutchens.
Ed Husic might have his Malcolm playlist but the Nats have car karaoke. The world has gone mad.
You can’t stop the Husic.
To help the PM unwind before tonight's Midwinter Ball, I put together this #Spotify playlist: using songs from 1 of the greatest bands ever pic.twitter.com/iYIgnOK8vs
— Ed Husic (@edhusicMP) June 14, 2017
So Labor and Coalition voted together to support Indigenous Land Use Agreements. Greens voting against.
That is done.
Ed Husic supports parliamentary inquiry into foreign donations
Labor’s Ed Husic has supported a Labor deputy of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, Anthony Byrne, for an inquiry into Chinese-linked donations and foreign influence.
I think it’s important that people have confidence in the system. If there are questions that are being asked, get them answered.
He is asked if it could be a little painful for Labor, given the revelations of the past few weeks regarding Sam Dastyari and others?
We just have to get through it. We just – I think there’s no point – the longer you delay the worse it gets in the sense that you might as well get the job done of reforming the system now.
FYI Labor has supported a ban on foreign donations since 2009-ish.
The senate is voting on the native title legislation now.
Anthony Albanese also addressed British Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn’s good showing in the British election. Parallels were drawn by the compere between Corbyn and Albanese, given they both have strong support amongst grass roots Labour/Labor members. Pyne describes Albo as the “poor man’s Corbyn” because he is not as left wing as Corbyn.
Albo says bollocks.
I like Australian Labor because we have our own history and quite often I think people, whether it be people in the Labor Party or people on the conservative side who tug their forelock to the UK do us a disservice. It was Hawke and Keating who modernised Labor here well before the British Labour party was modernised but Jeremy Corbyn, I’ve met Jeremy, he is a very likeable fellow. He’s someone who has strong convictions and I think his authenticity shone through in the election campaign. I wasn’t surprised that he did well.
Updated
Albo on Finkel: if you get to the same destination in a different way, it's a good thing
Defence industry minister Christopher Pyne and Anthony Albanese – the odd couple of Australian politics - have appeared on 5AA radio. Pyne says the media reports of a backlash in the Coalition party room over Finkel are nonsense.
I was there and there weren’t robust exchanges.
Albo is conciliatory.
I think it is reasonable what Christopher says about his party room having a mature debate about it. I don’t think they should be expected to come out with an immediate response. There is obviously push back from some of the more conservative elements of the Liberal party and the National party about this but they have a responsibility. They can’t continue to blame someone else and what we’ve said is that Finkel provides a framework. It’s not our ideal position; we think it should be an emissions intensity scheme, but nonetheless if you get to the same destination in a different way then that’s a good thing. And that destination is lower emissions, lower prices, and more stability.
Pyne is clearly disappointed.
He’s become a statesman and he is no fun anymore.
Albo:
I chose not to smash you up, Christopher.
Updated
Manus update: Damages to detainees in excess of $100m and could be much higher
Ben Doherty reports the Australian government has settled a class action with more than 1,900 Manus Island detainees and will pay damages for alleged physical and psychological injuries believed to be in excess of $100m.
The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed nor finally agreed upon by a judge. But Guardian Australia understands that the compensation will be more than $100m, which would mean each claimant would receive at least $52,000.
Updated
In the Senate, the Indigenous land use agreements (Iluas) amendment is in committee stage, where senators get to ask the minister lots of questions.
- confirms the legal status and enforceability of agreements which have been registered by the native title registrar on the register of Indigenous land use agreements without the signature of all members of a registered native title claimant (RNTC);
- enables the registration of agreements which have been made but have not yet been registered;
- and ensures that area Indigenous land use agreements can be registered without requiring every member of the RNTC to be a party to the agreement.
The attorney general, George Brandis, is in the hot seat and much of the questioning has been around the representations made by mining companies to the government.
Senator Larissa Waters sums up the Greens position.
This bill is being rushed through to save Adani’s hide.
Updated
While Tim Wilson was busy, this happened.
Thanks to the Parliamentary Friendship Group for 🌈 Australians for having the EqualityCampaign for ☕️ and launch the multicultural resources pic.twitter.com/KwaMdXqe2a
— AU Marriage Equality (@AMEquality) June 14, 2017
Marriage Twitter debate.
Except it isn't a marriage. Telling the truth is a good start to any debate.
— Tim Wilson MP (@timwilsoncomau) June 14, 2017
Government settles on Manus detainees class action
Ben Doherty reports:
A class action seeking damages for more than 1,900 Manus Island detainees has been settled.
Lawyers for the detainees told the Victorian supreme court in Melbourne on Wednesday that they have reached a settlement with the Australian government and the operators of the Manus Island regional processing centre.
The 1,905 class action group members were seeking damages for alleged physical and psychological injuries they argue they suffered as a result of the conditions in which they were held on Manus, as well as for false imprisonment.
Updated
Labor’s energy and environment shadow Mark Butler points out that Labor has shifted significantly in the past two weeks in an effort to be helpful.
Only 10 days ago the market, the Climate Change Authority were commissioned to do a report from the government reaffirming an emissions intensity scheme was the best model, the model supported by CSIRO, by the Business Council and every energy group in the country.
We are willing to put that aside and consider what everyone has described as a second-best model, the clean-energy model. If that’s the price of bringing in investment and getting a policy, we have said we will sit down and do that but it has to be a clean energy bill.
You can’t rig the definition to include new coal fired power stations. It’s like trying to pretend day is night.
Updated
Bill Shorten says Labor would not automatically put the Finkel recommendations in the bin.
What we are offering Mr Turnbull is we’re not pushing down a series of demands, you must do this, you must do that, we’re trying to do the best we can and we need the government to tell us what they think and come up with a proposition. Are they going to make a clean energy target? We aren’t trying to make Malcolm Turnbull’s life harder.
*Live blogger falls off chair*
Clean energy target with all forms of coal is a con, says Shorten
Bill Shorten says a clean energy target needs to be fair dinkum, when asked if Labor would support clean coal in any target.
Coal is part of our current energy mix and it will be in the future but if we going to have a discussion about clean energy, the proposition that includes all forms of coal is just a con.
Bill Shorten is speaking off-site about climate policy.
We like an emissions-intensity scheme. We think that is the best way to help drive more jobs and renewables, downward pressure on energy and electricity prices and of course tackle climate change.
But the Finkel report has proposed a clean energy target. We are prepared to give it full and fair consideration and analysis. A coalition of business, Acoss [Australian Council of Social Services], environmental groups, the unions, have all asked the parliament of Australia to give fair and full consideration to a clean energy target and examine if it can work.
Labor is prepared to work in the national interest. The climate change wars of the last 10 years have got to end. We need to have certainty about our energy policy and our climate policy.
Updated
Backroom bipartisanship.
Labor intelligence and security committee deputy calls for Chinese donation inquiry
The allegations over Chinese linked donations continue as Fairfax’s Nick McKenzie et al report:
Labor is reeling after an adviser resigned amid revelations that the party bankrolled its 2016 federal election campaign with the help of up to $140,000 in donations from gold dealers linked to a multimillion-dollar tax scam.
The resignation from NSW Labor of rising star, 2016 Senate candidate and gold trader Simon Zhou, comes as respected ALP MP Anthony Byrne called for a full parliamentary inquiry into foreign interference and donations, with public hearings by the joint parliamentary intelligence committee, of which he is deputy chair.
Byrne is not prone to outbursts so this is quite significant for him to call for public hearings.
He told the ABC’s Chris Uhlmann that it was critical to address the issues at the heart of these ongoing stories in a public inquiry.
We must expose what has been happening in the political system for more than 10 years. Our laws have let foreign state actors into our country to subvert our political process.
First up in the house, Barnaby Joyce is introducing the bill to establish a Regional Investment Corporation – otherwise known as the Barnaby Bank. There is a flock of National party MPs around him.
It aggregates government agriculture concessional loans into one bucket.
According to his office:
The RIC will administer the government’s $2bn farm business concessional loans and $2bn water infrastructure loans. The RIC will deliver a streamlined and nationally consistent application process for farm business concessional loans, with flexibility to act swiftly to respond when hardships like drought or an industry crisis hit.
Updated
Meanwhile, Katharine Murphy reports on the latest Guardian Essential poll.
These are the two key points:
- Australian voters would back a new low-emissions target over emissions trading as a policy to reduce carbon pollution, but are not sure about including “clean” coal in the mix, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.
- 74% of the sample said the threat level in Australia had increased over the past few years, and 46% believe the Turnbull government should be spending more on counter-terrorism measures.
The main two-party-preferred measures:
Labor is still ahead of the Coalition: 52% to 48%.
The gap between the major parties narrowed in the month following the May budget, but within the poll’s margin of error, which is 3%. This week’s two-party-preferred result was the same as last week.
Updated
Finkel farnarkling 3: pissant lists and leakers
There has been a list circulating in the press gallery leaked from the meeting purporting to show who spoke against the Finkel review.
According to that list, those against included:
- Tony Abbott
- Rick Wilson
- Chris back
- Ken O’Dowd
- Kevin Hogan
- Bridget McKenzie
- Rowan Ramsey
- Andrew Hastie
- Ian Macdonald
- Ben Morton
- Tony Pasin
- Russell Broadbent
- Craig Kelly
- Angus Taylor
- Andrew Gee
- Tim Wilson
- Mark Coulton
- Andrew Broad
- Damien Drum
- Kevin Andrews
-
George Christensen
The list immediately rang alarm bells with me as some of those people were much more nuanced in their approach, according to their own words, and were not opposed per se. For example, the Nationals MP for Mallee, Andrew Broad, has been working hard with Labor’s Pat Conroy to find common ground on energy policy though the house multiparty committee on energy and the environment. He told me last night on the record there were a lot of good things in the Finkel review and the status quo on energy would not cut it. So someone has claimed him without much thought.
Mark Coulton, National MP for Parkes, was more direct this morning. He described the leaker as a pissant and underlined Finkel is a report and not government policy.
Some, well, I was going to say pissant, but that is probably politically incorrect, has leaked from a confidential meeting ...
I belong to a party where we discuss these things. We don’t drink the Kool-Aid and blindly follow on championing some sort of mantra. I thought yesterday’s discussion was very responsible.
To read my name on a list as some form of climate change denier when I consider I represent one of the most climate-aware electorates in Australia I find offensive.
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The first order of the day in the Senate is the native title legislation on the Indigenous land use agreements. This is the legislation which the government says is designed to fix agreements between traditional owners and mining companies, including the Adani agreement. But a number of traditional owners have been speaking out against the bill over the past 24 hours.
That bill will be debated most of the morning and may come to a vote before question time.
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Finkel farnarkling 2: mature responsible discussion
Good morning, blogans,
This morning, 10 years of divisive climate politics is coming home to haunt the Coalition. On it goes, through John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull 1.0, Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull 2.0.
Australia desperately needs a stable energy policy FOUR YEARS AFTER THE COALITION DISMANTLED THE CARBON PRICE.
The chief scientist, Alan Finkel, has provided an acceptable path forward but the argument continued in the Coalition party room last night.
The meeting, let’s be clear, was a presentation of the Finkel report followed by thoughts and feelings about Finkel’s findings. It was not expected to land on a solution but give a chance to vent.
At the end, the only thing there seems to be consensus on is that something needs to be done.
The senior ranks of the government appear to be on the same page at this stage (all things liable to change without notice). The talking points are:
- the Finkel review only landed on Friday
- this is a mature and responsible discussion
- we need to move to a new model to provide investor certainty
But like an old rockstar, Tony Abbott was returning to his greatest hits. Coal is good for humanity. His interventions were consistent. At one point he asked whether the government could buy the closed Hazelwood power station to which the energy and environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, said it was being dismantled “as we speak”.
Among Abbott’s like-minded MPs, there was some appetite for somehow supporting new coal power but Frydenberg said it would take years to build.
Abbott finally had a set to with a Turnbull supporter Craig Laundy, over his constant interventions.
David Crowe of the Oz reports:
Tony Abbott interjected so often throughout the meeting that Craig Laundy, a frontbench ally of Malcolm Turnbull, called the former prime minister out and asked that he show respect to those who wanted to speak.
The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, was hosing down reports this morning.
I don’t go into the specifics of party-room meetings but what I would say, I was in the meeting in the morning and I was in the meeting in the afternoon, it was a very good discussion, it was courteous and professional discussion.
The treasurer, Scott Morrison, also had his fire hose out. He told the ABC that the Finkel review had done a good job in identifying the problem that we don’t have investor certainty in energy.
He said as treasurer it was important for the economy and he asked for patience, given that the report only dropped on Friday.
It has frankly vexed governments for a decade so we are not going to have a solution nicely tied up in a bow and presented to the media, Morrison said.
Finally, Morrison was asked if the clean energy target threshold would be high enough to include so-called “clean” coal in the incentive scheme.
I believe that will be achieved.
But Bill Shorten was making hay while the sun doesn’t shine.
Mr Turnbull has been weakened and Australians are the losers. He needs to stand up to Tony Abbott.
Stay with me, talk to me in the thread, on the Twits @gabriellechan and Facebook. As you can see from the main pic, Mike Bowers has been swimming through the pea soup fog to bring you the vibe in parliament. Onwards and upwards.
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