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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Amy Remeikis

Malcolm Turnbull could have saved Wentworth, Barnaby Joyce says – as it happened

Barnaby Joyce
Barnaby Joyce has said Malcolm Turnbull could have saved the seat of Wentworth for the Liberals. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Summary

And with that, we shall bid you adieu, at least until tomorrow morning.

I will be shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, if both Marise Payne’s mic slip and other estimates goodies don’t end up as part of the morning talking points tomorrow.

Other than that, it will be more fun and games. I think, given the recent pattern, we can expect Scott Morrison to be out and about early, as he follows the path laid down by John Howard to try and own the news agenda from the beginning. It doesn’t work like that so much anymore – witness how many headline changes this blog goes through in a day, for instance – but he is giving it a red hot go.

We’ll bring you that, and all the other happenings as we all struggle through the last joint sitting for three weeks. Kerryn Phelps is all but declared as the winner of Wentworth, but we might need to wait a little bit longer for the final bits and pieces to be finalised before it is officially announced.

But was Malcolm Turnbull to blame? Not everyone thinks so.

No doubt there is some juice left in that tank though, as the conservatives who caused Turnbull’s demise continue to be shocked that he did not turn around and continue doing everything they wanted.

A massive thank you to Mike Bowers and Guardian Australia’s brains trust who are all still at their desks, because this place never stops.

And to you, for keeping us company all day, and letting us, and others know about it. We do read your messages, even if we don’ always respond. Rest up tonight, and remember – take care of you.

Updated

How Mike Bowers saw QT:

Prime minister Scott Morrison leaves question time this afternoon.
Prime minister Scott Morrison leaves question time this afternoon. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
He did the mash
He did the mash. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
The monster mash
The monster mash. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
It was a graveyard smash
It was a graveyard smash. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
It caught on in a flash
It caught on in a flash. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
*musical interlude*
*musical interlude* Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated

In that Sky interview, Joel Fitzgibbon says the Nationals, through a “closely related polling company” have been robocalling regional areas in NSW “to test Barnaby Joyce”.

“Barnaby Joyce’s big strategy now is to say see those Libs over there, they are hopeless, we accept that, but we are the National party.

“… I know of people who have had calls,” Fitzgibbon said.

“Asking whether his personal life should impact on his capacity to do the job.

“Does your personal life impact on your capacity?” Joyce interrupts to ask.

Fitzgibbon continues: “You can’t tell me Barnaby Joyce doesn’t know about this.”

Joyce says: “Mate, I don’t know about it, so there you go.”

Updated

Siri, define awkward:

'Malcolm Turnbull could have saved Wentworth' – Joyce

On Malcolm Turnbull’s role as Australia’s envoy to the Bali oceans’ conference Barnaby Joyce had this to say:

“I’m looking forward to coming back and finding the oceans exactly where we left them. I think that’s a great outcome – all oceans saved!”

On Malcolm Turnbull not campaigning:

“I am reflecting a view of concerns people have had, and they have been calling me, believe you me, they think if you are prime minister of Australia, leader of the Liberal party, leader of the Coalition, then you have a responsibility to do your very best to make sure that the government you represented is maintained in its majority.

“Now, he resigned number one, and problem number two is he didn’t campaign to save his own seat, and that annoys people. And it would annoy people in the Labor party too if it was in the same position, believe you me.

“... It is the national interest that we maintain a Coalition government, right (says the man who caused a byelection after section 44 issues and then almost toppled the government by having a child with his staffer while married)

“... So people do their part to try and remove a coalition government, which is what you do when you don’t campaign to maintain the party as the party which represents Wentworth, then you obviously, move towards Labor, Greens and independents running Australia and for people on our side of the political fence, that is anathema and not in the national interests.

“... The results speak for themselves. Show me where he actively campaigned for Dave Sharma in a pertinent form. And I truly believe, because he does have a long strong following, that if he had, Dave Sharma would be the member for Wentworth and we would still have a majority in parliament.

“... Sometimes you just have to suck it up, I know that better than most, you have to suck it up and keep fighting.”

Updated

Barnaby Joyce thinks Malcolm Turnbull could have saved Wentworth if he had campaigned in support of Dave Sharma:

Has everyone forgotten why the byelection in Wentworth was held?

After LGBT advocates – and even Michelle Grattan – were asking where the bill to protect gay students is – I have an answer.

A spokesman for the attorney general, Christian Porter:

“The government has provided the opposition a first draft and is continuing to negotiate on the proposed amendments. A subsequent draft will be provided to the opposition this afternoon. It remains the government’s intention to introduce the bill this week. It is preferable to have an agreed bill to introduce.”

Updated

"It's fair to say I am enjoying this"

Heading back to Defence estimates, Penny Wong asked what it is Steve Ciobo, the minister for defence industry, actually does.

While the public servants go through their papers to find the answer to that, Marise Payne turns to Angus Campbell and the microphones pick up her whispered:

It’s fair to say I am enjoying this.

What she is enjoying, we will leave up to you. Perhaps she is just enjoying an afternoon out in estimates.

Updated

So many people not taking lectures in this place:

Michelle Grattan is now trolling the government over how long it is has taken the government to draft its ‘urgent’ legislation to protect LGBTI kids from loopholes in religious freedoms, which could see them, in federal law, expelled from religious schools for their sexual orientation.

Updated

And for those who missed the unveiling of the latest portrait, we will have a video for you soon.

Updated

“A victorious warrior wins, and then goes to war. A defeated warrior first goes to war, and then seeks to win.”

Penny Wong: Would you prefer that your commanders were made aware of significant foreign policy decisions before the media?

Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, CDF: Senator, I am very comfortable that our active mechanisms of Force Protection Review consideration and adjustment achieve their objective and continue to achieve their objective in giving our people the best circumstances to achieve their missions and to return home safely.

Wong: I have no doubt as to your professionalism. I am asking is it better practice for you to be advised before the media?

Campbell: (10-second pause) Yes, Senator.

Wong: Thank you.

Updated

This is true:

Fair go/fair dinkum got a go four times in question time today. Which is also how much of a run it got on WSFM this morning.

Canberra bubble was heard twice, but each was like 10,000 bees flying directly into my ears, so it seemed like a lot more.

Updated

Wait – we have just had a reference to “the butcher and the baker”.

I guess we don’t have candlestick makers anymore, but it really just leaves you hanging.

And with that, question time ends.

Updated

Whatever David Littleproud is saying in this dixer, Barnaby Joyce is nodding.

Mark Butler to Melissa Price:

My question is to the environment minister. I refer to reports the minister told the former president of Kiribati: “I know why you’re here, it’s for the cash. For the Pacific it’s always about the cash. I have my chequebook here, how much do you want.” The minister 100% denied making that statement but on Thursday she couldn’t recall the complete conversation but apologised anyway. Yesterday the minister was again in denial. How can the minister not remember what she said and at the same time be 100% confident she didn’t say it?

“Oh shut up,” comes from the government benches.

“This is so pathetic.”

“Don’t burst that bubble.”

Price:

We have got so much to talk about in this place and we have achieved an awful lot on this side for the economy and also for the environment. The way that the conversation was reported by Patrick Dodson was incorrect. I’ve said that in the past because of the words that were used. Thank you.

“You said you couldn’t remember it,” yells Labor.

Updated

Paul Fletcher is back and if white noise had a voice, I think we have just found it.

The defence department secretary, Greg Moriarty, has confirmed no background checks are carried out on Myanmar military personnel undergoing training in Australia, to ascertain if they were involved in atrocities against Rohingya people in the troubled Rakhine state.

“At the moment, the Department of Defence does not have a vetting procedure in place in relation to our activities with Myanmar,” Moriarty told a Senate estimates hearing.

Moriarty said it was in Australia’s interests to retain the modest program to help professionalise the Myanmar military and encourage personnel to uphold international law.

This financial year taxpayers forked out $257,000 on the non-combat training program that covers peacekeeping, humanitarian relief and English classes. Defence spent $400,000 on the program the previous financial year.

Myanmar’s military has been accused of genocide against the Rohingya in Rakhine state in a damning UN report.

Updated

Catherine King to Greg Hunt:

Is the minister aware his own department provided a list yesterday of 83 medicines that have been recommended by the independent experts but not listed on the PBS?

Is the minister aware the list includes medicines that were recommended as far back as 2016? How can the minister stand by his previous answer on PBS listings when he has delayed access to some life-saving drugs for more than two years?

Hunt:

“Let make this absolutely clear. I did a little bit more research on their claims yesterday. And I saw the lists that the member for Ballarat put out. I think it was in August of eight medicines she claimed had been deferred. None of them had been deferred by government policy. And I looked at two things. I looked at major new listings we have done recently and I looked at what they did. Major new listings we did recently in terms of breast cancer, SMA, cystic fibrosis, and many other, all done within...

“...In terms of the list last published by the member for Ballarat, very interestingly she claims that hepatitis C medicine was deferred. We did a little bit of research and discovered that the company didn’t have the medicines available.

“...And requested the government delay until they had the medicine. Once it was announced they could supply immediately. The advice was provided by the company. But the total period for the medicine she talked about was an average of eight months to listing and then compared that with Labor’s deferred medicines. The seven medicines that they deliberately delayed by an average of...”

King comes forward with a point of order:

“I was asking about the information provided by the minister’s own department overnight, that shows you have not listed 83 medicines, some from back as far as 2016.”

Hunt:

Our policy is clear. We will list every medicine that the PBAC recommends. Their policy was absolutely clear, that they would defer the listing of medicines until such time as fiscal circumstances permitted.

And I did a little bit more research as to the Senate committee. What did the Senate committee say about their policy at the time? It constitutes a major unnecessary and unwelcome change in government policy.

What did the consumer’s health forum say? Consumers do not want a situation in which drugs are listed on the PBS to win votes or boost opinion polls.

That’s what they said about the Labor government and the Labor policy at the moment.

What was said about the Labor government and the Labor policy at the time, the decision to defer to list medication jeopardises the integrity of the PBS process.

So now is the time for the member for Ballarat to apologise for incompetently misleading the House yesterday in relation to hepatitis C, in relation, in particular, to whooping cough, caught out, caught red-handed and time to apologise.

King attempts to table the list – and is denied.

“What have you got to hide,” yells Labor.

Updated

Greg Hunt takes a dixer so he can accuse Catherine King of misleading the house with her question yesterday:

One of the claims made yesterday by the member for Ballarat was that we had in some way deferred the listing of a whooping cough medicine.

I thought that doesn’t seem right but I’ll check the fact because I’m not going to take what the member for Ballarat said on face value.

And I was right to check the facts because the member for Ballarat said was that the PBAC recommended that the whooping cough vaccine for pregnant women be listed in July 2016.

No, it didn’t. It said that provisionally, there had to then go and be a critical study by the Australian technical advisory group. Some of the most respected medical professionals in the country. And they did that with their consideration in February and October of 2017. Provided their final advice to the PBAC and the PBAC made their recommendation in February of 2018. And we announced our listing in of 2018 and we delivered it on 1 July 2018.

The member for Ballarat misled the House. I’m not saying it was deliberate, I am saying it was incompetent.

Updated

Environment minister under pressure on IPCC report

Mark Butler to Melissa Price:

On Sky News this morning the minister confirmed she had looked at the IPCC report closely. As the minister is aware the greatest threat facing the Great Barrier Reef is the threat of climate change. What is the report conclusion, what is the report saying on the fact of 2C warming?

Price starts explaining what the report does. This is exactly like when I did not not prepare for oral assessments and would just stand up in front of the class and cherry-pick a word from the topic and then expand on that, until the time was filled. “The topic is on Leonardo da Vinci and his impact on modern society. Leonardo was a man out of his time. Much like Leonardo DiCaprio, whose seminal role in Romeo and Juliet...” (although, to be fair, DiCaprio has actually spoken on the need to save the Great Barrier Reef, so it’s closer than this answer.)

Price (reading from stapled papers):

The Government respects the credibility of the international panel on climate change. (That’s not what you said the first time, yells Anne Aly.)

As we have said in the past, that we will consider this report and other relevant information on climate change in our decision-making.

The IPCC makes no recommendation to government. What it does is that it gives the view on a variety of things with respect to the environment, including reefs around the world, not just the Great Barrier Reef.

It presents a series of model pathways to limit global warming. I might point out those model pathways include a range of technologies in the energy mix beyond 2050.

And just as Dr Alan Finkel has said, the debate should not be about technology when we’re talking about emissions and with respect to climate change. Mr Speaker, we are very determined to protect the health of the reef. We are the ones who have invested significantly in the reef, unlike those opposite who had them on the watch list. We got them off the watch list.

We are particularly committed to those 64,000 people who rely... and the billions of dollars the reef contribute to our economy. I should think the people in Herbert would care about what we are doing with the reef. What about the member for Dawson? Do they care about how we are investing in the reef? I think so.

He cares very deeply about what we are doing about the health of the reef. We will continue to review the IPCC report. The people of regional Queensland know they can trust us. They can’t trust that mob.

Updated

Tony Burke to Melissa Price:

“What is the government’s current policy on nuclear power plants?”

Price:

“Currently the legislation does not allow such nuclear plant development.”

We move into a dixer from David Coleman, who has teamed his Australian pin of truthiness, fair dinkum power and true blue bubbles, with a fetching yellow tie.

Updated

Not even Peter Dutton’s BUT WHAT IF horror story is enough to save question time today.

I hear interjections saying to bring them here. Bring them here, Labor says. Well, Mr Speaker, let me say this. If you want to see children in detention, vote for Labor. If you want to see deaths at sea again, vote for Labor. If you want to see those 17 detention centres reopen, vote for Labor. Because the fact is that Labor, when they were in government under Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard, are making exactly the same mistakes as we are seeing now by this leader of the opposition.

He has a pile of letters and he is not afraid to use them, but the chamber is so loud, it drowns him out and he is left to basically address Scott Morrison.

Updated

Tony Burke to Melissa Price:

“Does the minister rule out approving new nuclear power plants?”

Price:

“There is no change to government policy.”

I guess when your words have been what have got you into trouble about two seconds after taking the job, saying less of them is a lesson well learned.

Updated

Kevin Andrews is reading a book on Winx.

This tells you how much attention the backbench is paying today.

Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison:

When the now PM was treasurer, he cut over $83m from the ABC. Last night at Senate estimates the acting manager director of the ABC said and I quote: “Those sort of budget reductions aren’t achieved without major disruption.”

Will the PM now reverse his cuts so the ABC won’t be forced to cut services, including the vital service it gives to Australians living in rural and regional Australia?

Morrison:

Canberra bubble.

Oh wait, he is also asking about whether Labor thinks the ABC should get a special deal. I guess he forgot about the $30m Foxtel got in a special deal, then?

Updated

I swear to Rhianna, if I actually took up the suggestions to drink every time one of these guys said ‘fair dinkum’ or ‘Canberra bubble’ lately, I would probably need to put to bed by 11.30am.

You know people who don’t care about the Canberra bubble? People outside of the Canberra bubble. For the rest of us, who have backgrounds outside of politics, who speak to people outside of these hallways, and have lives away from our jobs, it just makes our eyes twitch.

Updated

Linda Burney to Scott Morrison:

I refer to the reports the prime minister has dumped Malcolm Turnbull as his envoy because he didn’t help the government.

Can the PM please explain to the house how Malcolm Turnbull has been unhelpful to the government but the government’s other envoys (including the member for Warringah) have been good for government unity?

Labor laughs and Morrison takes to the floor:

The reports are false. I would encourage the opposition to spend a bit more time focusing on questions about the economy, about drought, about electricity prices and get their heads out of the Canberra bubble.

Updated

Angus Taylor is doing his best to answer a dixer on “fair dinkum” electricity and Labor keeps yelling out “where’s the big stick”.

“Come on Twiggy!” comes the call from the opposition benches.

Tanya Plibersek to Scott Morrison:

Is the prime minister aware of a newspaper article written by Sharri Markson and it reports the prime minister is done with Malcolm Turnbull and won’t ask him to represent Australia in the wake of his failure to help in Wentworth?

Given only this morning the PM said Malcolm Turnbull would represent the nation extremely well, is that report correct? Is the PM really ruling out...

Plibersek runs out of time, but the question is all but done.

Morrison:

“It’s not.”

And that’s not my brevity. That’s the whole answer.

Updated

The Labor leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, has had a win in Senate estimates, embarrassing the government by getting the head of the defence force, Angus Campbell, to say it is best practice for the military to hear about significant policy changes before the media.

The context for the question was that before lunch the estimates hearing established the media were briefed before defence about the proposal to consider moving the Australian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Updated

John Alexander gets the next dixer (because all the MPs with scary margins are the favourites lately, as we head into election town).

Josh Frydenberg points out that he is a victor over Kristina Keneally.

But given that Keneally is the reason a safe seat is now considered marginal, and she is here in the building anyway, I don’t think it is the brag he thinks it is.

Updated

Anthony Albanese gives us another dose of Michael McCormack, because too much Michael McCormack does not exist.

I refer to reports in the Herald Sun that in the budget funding for 10 infrastructure projects, including the Rockhampton Ring Road, Mackay Ring Road stage 2, they were secretly approved but not announced.

Why at a time when the road toll is rising and congestion in our cities is worsening is the government sitting on these projects and not delivering them?

McCormack:

We are delivering the infrastructure that Australians want, expect, need and deserve.

We are rolling those infrastructure projects out and I would have thought that the shadow minister for infrastructure, having sat with me in a very bipartisan way about road safety, would not have brought road safety into that question.

I know the shadow minister for infrastructure has road safety on his mind, just as I do.

I’ve heard the shadow minister for infrastructure talk about the Kempsey bus crash.

And I know the Coffs Harbour bypass, he’s talked about it. We’ve delivered it. We’re getting on with the building of it. That’s what we do. Those opposite talk. We deliver.

We build for road safety and we build for better connectivity. We’re getting on with the job. We have got $75bn, a record amount of infrastructure, that we are rolling out.

We’re rolling it out now. We’re rolling it out into the future. It’s a decade-long pipeline of investment. That’s what we’re doing. That’s what we’ll continue to do.

Albo jumps up with a point of order – given that McCormack hasn’t actually addressed the question.

McCormack comes back to the dispatch box, but continues to say words in an order which do not form an answer to the question.

Updated

Michael McCormack is back to doing his best impression of who he thinks Michael McCormack should be.

Barnaby Joyce is red, but is at least listening to the leader of his party. I can tell you the same cannot be said for most of the backbench.

Updated

Cathy McGowan has the crossbench question.

Speaking of the crossbench, Bob Katter is not here. Well smash me down and call me avocado.

McGowan:

“Last week I spoke at the Regional Universities Conference hosted by Southern Cross University. We discussed how regional higher education institutes support work force development, create jobs and drive regional growth. Education employment and infrastructure provide the anchors for regional population growth and need to be part of any population policy.

“Minister, can you give us an update an how regional education will be integral to population policy and an update on the government’s response to the recommendation of the Regions at the Ready Report for a national regional higher education strategy?”

Dan Tehan:

“Can I thank the member for her question? And she knows, as all members in this House who represent regional and rural electorates know, the importance of regional education to our regions.

“Not only the importance of education but also the importance of employment and also the importance of infrastructure. And anything that this government does to help drive population growth in to the regions, she can be rest assured that education will be central to that, that infrastructure will be central to that and also that employment will be central to that.

“Can I advise the member, that currently there are 400,000 primary and secondary students living in regional, rural and remote Australia. This is compared to around 214,000 tertiary students who are living in the regions.

“And what we want to see is as many of those students who are at the primary and secondary level go on to either a first-class tertiary education or first-class vocational training.

“And that is what we are trying to do. And we know that will help when it comes to population growth.

“The Regional Universities Network, the conference of which the member spoke at, have estimated that between 60% to 80% of their recent graduates are now currently employed in regional areas.

“So there is proof positive that if we can educate our children in the regions they will stay there and they will be employed there. Progress on the regions was asked and can I commend the member who chaired that, the member for Murray who chaired that committee report.

“And it is an excellent report. It rightly points out local education and training that is engaged in its community is pivotal to regional development and decentralisation.

“Absolutely true. Now, I’m looking very closely, very closely at the recommendations in that report which are relevant to education.

“And I will have more to say on those matters. And I know that the relevant minister is also looking at the broader report and will have more to say on that very shortly.

“Because it’s an important piece of work when it comes to advising the government on what we should be doing to growing our regions in a very sustainable way and in a way which encourages our young to not only look to the capital cities but to look to their own communities as places where they can be educated, where they can go on to build families, where they could go on to be successfully employed. That is what we’ve want to see as a government. I thank the member for her question”

Well then, that’s almost a proper answer. It’s almost as though the government is preparing for when it needs the crossbench’s support.

Updated

Head, meet desk.

This is dire.

Chris Bowen to Josh Frydenberg (following a dixer on the economy and any “alternative” approaches)

My question is to the treasurer and refers to his answer just now. Given the modelling that he referred to does not model Labor’s reform to negative gearing and does not recognise that Labor’s policy grandfathers existing investments, and given the Government’s own treasury modelling shows a modest impact from Labor’s policy of negative gearing reform, will the PM now apologise for misleading the Australian people?”

Frydenberg:

Beware those who protest too much. That’s what I say, Mr Speaker. Because this is what the Master Builders Association’ CEO said: ‘We didn’t need to consider the grandfathering because we’re looking at future investment.’ So the hits in terms of increased housing means future investment is less likely and therefore we will see a downturn in the housing sector as a result of Labor’s policy, Mr Speaker.”

“We know, we know that Labor’s policy will hit those who have invested in the property sector, the teachers, the police officers, the emergency services, the nurses, Mr Speaker.

“And we know and we know that the Labor party’s policy is a new Labor party policy because what did the then treasurer of the Labor party in Australia say when he was, when Labor was last in government?

“What did he say? What did he say about negative gearing? This is what he said when he was treasurer.

“He said he it would be economically disastrous to do anything on negative gearing. Economically disastrous.

“Now he is the incoming president of the Labor party, maybe he can change this disastrous Labor policy and increase property tax on hard-working Australian families.”

Updated

So many sick burns see Terri Butler warned for whatever it is she is calling out. I can’t hear it, but she accepts it with a “fair” shrug and we move on to a dixer delivered by someone I have never seen before in my life.

Oh it’s Chris Crewther.

Updated

Question time begins

And the first question is on … Malcolm Turnbull.

And Bali’s oceans conference.

Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison:

This morning the prime minister spoke glowingly of his predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull, saying: ‘I have no doubt Malcolm will represent Australian government policy and the Australian nation extremely well.’ Would he please tell the Australian people why is Malcolm Turnbull no longer the prime minister of Australia?”

Morrison:

“I thank the member for his question about the former prime minister’s attendance at that summit in Bali.

“Eight weeks ago, when I met with President Widodo and he indicated to me the former PM had expressed his willingness to attend that summit.

“This is an important summit both for Indonesia and more broadly about the future of our oceans. I was unable to attend that summit because of my other commitments.

“And we discussed the issue, President Widodo and I, and woe thought it would be a good opportunity if the former PM would be able to attend that summit, given their strong close working relationship.

“I will always put the diplomatic and national interest of Australia ahead of any other considerations.”

[“What about the embassy?” comes the call from the Labor side of the House.]

“What I will do is act in the national interests of Australia and I look forward to the former PM being able to represent us on that occasion.

“The decision was taken weeks and weeks ago. I believe it was the right decision for Australia.

“And I will continue to work constructively with former prime ministers, whether they continue to be in this chamber – the member for Warringah doing a terrific job, working hard on getting Indigenous kids into schools.

“I was very pleased to welcome the former PM Julia Gillard to this chamber this week.

“And I’m very pleased that she has been here today and recognised with the unveiling of her portrait here in the House.”

“I remember this is what was said in Paul Kelly’s Triumph and Demise about what two former PMs thought of the leader of the opposition: ‘The distrust between Rudd and Shorten was intense and enduring. The Gillard camp was contemptuous of Shorten, considering him weak and duplicitous. Neither side trusted him and neither side revised its view.’

“How insightful.”

Updated

I am heading into the chamber for question time.

Mostly so I can go screaming down a hallway and not bother the Guardian’s brains trust, but also to check on the mood.

Hit me with your QT bingo tips!

The portrait has been officially hung.

Still working out who got moved to make room.

Harry Jenkins’s Speaker portrait was moved for Peter Slipper’s portrait. Which is the most accurate case of art mimicking life I have ever seen.

Labor, the Greens and Senate crossbench are putting pressure on the government to release legislation it promised before the Wentworth byelection to prevent discrimination by religious schools on the grounds of sexuality.

There are concerns that unless the bill prevents discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation OR gender identification that trans kids won’t be protected.

The Greens’ LGBTIQ spokeswoman, Janet Rice, also makes the point that Scott Morrison said parliament “should use the next fortnight” to ensure the issue of discrimination is addressed – and that deadline is up tomorrow:

The Greens already have a bill before the Senate that would prevent discrimination against students AND teachers on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identification, marital status or pregnancy.

There is no clarity yet from Labor about their plan to include positive protection for religious schools’ ethos and whether this will prevent them voting for the Greens bill.

Labor’s equality spokeswoman, Louise Pratt, said the opposition wants to work with the government and blames the Coalition for not releasing its bill.

“Schools have a whole range of ways to uphold their ethos ... without relying on exemptions in the Sex Discrimination Act to do that,” she said.

Pratt noted the Greens bill can’t pass the lower house, adding it was “premature” to say how Labor would vote because we don’t know which bill will go to a vote, but she said the sentiment behind the Greens bill was “very good”.

Also, it won’t be a conscience vote for Labor.

Updated

Now that Wentworth is all over but for the final counting, the Greens want Scott Morrison to follow through on a promise he made before the byelection:

The Australian Greens are calling on Prime Minister Morrison to deliver on his promise during the Wentworth byelection to remove the ability of religious schools to discriminate against LGBTIQ+ students.

“When the heat was on during Wentworth, the prime minister promised a bill would be passed by the end of this week removing discrimination in religious schools,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson in a statement.

“Where is the bill? Or did the prime minister lie to the people of Wentworth?”

“There is one day of parliament left, so he better hurry. Time is ticking, prime minister.”

“The Greens have a bill that is already being debated in the Senate. If the prime minister doesn’t deliver on his promise to pass a government bill this week, the Greens will do the job for him when the Senate next sits.”

Updated

The chief of the Australian Olympic Committee, Matt Carroll, delivered today’s National Press Club address. He was speaking about needing investment in sport (he wants $60m to get Australia’s Olympic chances back where Australians expect it) and the chance of Australia bidding for the 2032 games.

But he gets a surprise question at the end:

Leisel Jones, Olympic gold medallist:

I want to speak a little bit further about mental health and the benefits of sport with mental health. Suicide rates in Australia are costing Australians millions of dollars and suicide rates are our highest deaths between the ages of 15-44. And I have to be honest and say – I think due to sport, I didn’t take my own life.

So I think that there is a huge importance in the link between sport and mental health. Can you please explain and perhaps expand a little bit in the importance and how the funding for sport may bring down our suicide rates in Australia and how the cost to Australians may be reduced?

Carroll:

How long have I got! As I said, investment in sport comes in a number of ways. To answer your question – there is investment in getting people participating in sport. So that’s very important. So that’s a combination of the sports, of state government and federal government and private enterprise, to be fair. So that’s important.

Inspiring our young athletes or non-athletes to take up sport, that’s a job that the AOC is happy to do.

That’s what Olympics Unleashed is all about. We’re happy to commit our investment into that space. We don’t represent one sport, as I said, we represent multiple sports, and when we go into a school, or I beg your pardon, when you go into a school and your fellow Olympians go into a school, you’re talking about your experience, you’re talking about the ups and the downs, the not so good and the challenges.

That’s the inspiration that we can deliver to kids, that it’s not all about winning. It is actually the journey along the way. And that’s what athletes have told me or Olympians have told me.

The podium is an outcome. It’s the journey that matters. The investment in that space and the partnership with the Sports Commission in the other space around participation and systems and program and all of the talent pathways, that all makes it possible.

But it’s our job to take the success of the Olympians, the power of the Olympics, and translate that into a conversation with our school children across the country. That’s what Olympics is unleashed, that’s why we call it Olympics Unleashed.

Updated

The parliament has had such “unprecedented” interest in where Julia Gillard’s portrait will be hanging, it is being hung early.

As in now.

The Barnaby Joyce resurgence has gone quiet, for the moment, but it is not gone.

Gabrielle Chan has looked into what rural and regional communities actually want:

Prominent rural advocates have become increasingly vocal over a potential return of Barnaby Joyce to the National party leadership as the prospect of a concerted independent push in rural areas gains momentum after the Wentworth byelection.

A nascent political movement, Anyone But Nats, has started to run advertising across northern NSW ahead of the 2019 state and federal elections. It has been funded by the IT businessman, Charles Tym, whose family has donated $20,000 to fund 400 advertising spots across regional television stations.

Tym, who donated to Tony Abbott’s 2013 election campaign, describes himself as a “rank novice” in politics who was formerly a “mad Liberal party voter” but now is supporting candidates who are against coal seam gas and want progress on climate change.

“It was climate change that tipped me over and Abbott in particular. He’s done everything over the last few years to stymie progress on climate change and the Nats won’t stand up for their constituents and stand up for what they want because they are in the thrall of mining companies,” Tym told Guardian Australia.

Updated

For those keeping count of the unnecessary branding road Scott Morrison is forcing us all down, ‘fair go/fair dinkum’ was used 10 times in the press conference he held this morning with Angus Taylor.

Labor is not letting go of Stuart Robert’s internet bill (he has paid back almost $40,000) anytime soon.

Don Farrell and Murray Watts put out this statement:

The Finance and Public Administration Committee heard that the Department of Finance:

    • Was not involved in any discussions with Minister Robert regarding his bills;
    • Did not request he provide any documentation with respect to the internet use that resulted in massive bills that were to the taxpayer; and
    • Was unable to provide any evidence that Minister Robert did not profit by using his taxpayer-funded dedicated data line for private business purposes.

Officials also gave evidence that the Special Minister of State, Alex Hawke, who was tasked by Scott Morrison with investigating Mr Robert, was on leave for a period during the investigation.

True to form, Scott Morrison clearly never took this issue seriously.

Rather than insisting on an independent investigation, Scott Morrison kept one of his closest leadership coup allies safe by having him investigated by another.

Minister Hawke must now explain exactly what he has done to ensure that taxpayers’ funds were not used inappropriately by Mr Robert.

Updated

Angus Taylor repeats “fair dinkum reliable power” in his explanation to Sky News on what the government is trying to achieve.

“Fair dinkum power?” Tom Connell asks.

“Despatchable power,” Taylor amends.

I’m pretty sure they just heard my sigh in Rockhampton.

Feel free to caption this:

Just for the lols, as someone who spent their first seven or so years in South Australia (long enough to pick up some of the speech accents) I really felt this:

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Good to be with you. I almost resigned from this segment, when I rang in they thought I was Christopher Pyne.

HOST: Is that right?

PYNE: Moving up in the world, good luck to you.

ALBANESE: I’m offended.

HOST: Does that happen very often to you, Albo?

ALBANESE: Never! Never ever.

HOST: You are quite different blokes, aren’t you?

PYNE: He’s starting to take on all my mannerisms and voice; he’s becoming a South Australian.

HOST: They don’t speak very elegantly, the Sydney people, do they, Chris?

PYNE: But obviously Anthony is learning, which is great.

ALBANESE: I’m learning to speak properly.

HOST: He’ll be saying ‘dance’ and ‘vase’ soon.

PYNE: Yes, and ‘graph’.

HOST: Graph, the graph.

PYNE: And ‘pool’ and ‘school’ rather than pool and school.

Updated

Anthony Albanese and Christopher Pyne spoke about it on Adelaide radio 5AA for their weekly chat:

Albanese:

You look at the postal votes as they’re coming in, instead of being around two-thirds of the vote; yesterday’s results were just 55 for the Coalition when they needed 70. The fact is the prepolls; the government did better in people who voted early than they did on the day. And that’s because decisions like floating moving the embassy to Jerusalem, voting for ‘It’s OK to be White’ – all of those things were diabolical in the electorate.

Pyne:

I can tell you that on the Monday before the byelection our polling had us at 41% two-party preferred and we’ll end up at about 49% two-party preferred. So in fact in the last week we pulled the vote back when people realised in Wentworth that we could actually lose the seat or that we were going to lose the seat. But I do think people are thoroughly sick of talking about all these internals, this inside the bubble conversation in Canberra. People want us to get on with the job and that’s what we’re trying to do with economic growth and new jobs and projects like the defence industry in South Australia. And I’m sure that Labor and the press gallery are desperate for us to talk about ourselves. We’ve got to stop it and get on and talk about new things. Wentworth was lost; we know that, that byelection is over. We’re getting on with it now.

Pyne really has a way of always finding the bright side of life, doesn’t he?

Updated

We reported last night that the speculated Liberal recount in Wentworth was unlikely to happen.

Party sources gave it a big fat no when I asked, given that, well, as a delaying tactic, it wouldn’t work. Parliament doesn’t sit again for another three weeks after tomorrow (at least the House doesn’t sit), by which time a recount will have been well completed.

So Kerryn Phelps should be confirmed as the winner by then.

Updated

Portraits we are missing (by my count):

Tony Abbott

Kevin Rudd

Malcolm Turnbull

It’s been a busy few years. The parliamentary gift shop can’t keep up.

Updated

Mike Bowers is on the scene and will have some photos for you very soon, but in the meantime –

The portrait is huge. HUGE.

It’s a close-up of her head and shoulders with the background of Parliament House windows.

She said she wanted it to stand out, and it certainly will.

Updated

Julia Gillard’s speech goes into what sort of story she wanted the portrait to tell:

I started thinking about what kind of portrait I wanted it to be. And of course you can’t capture in a portrait so much of what happens in politics.

There’s no way in a portrait to tell the story of doing all of the negotiations for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

There’s no way to tell how many hours we spent trying to improve the standard of Australian education, particularly in our schools.

There’s no way of telling of the trips overseas to improve our relations with China, with the US and to get us on the UN Security Council.

There’s no way of telling the story of time spent in parliamentary question time with the adrenaline and putting a price on carbon.

There’s no way to look at sleepless nights into the royal commission into child sexual abuse.

But I decided that there was one story I did want to tell. That I was different to every other prime minister who came before me in this place.

By that, she means she was the first woman. So she asked the artist, Vincent Fantauzzo, to tell that story, as she wanted a portrait that looked different to every other one. And she looks forward to a time when it doesn’t matter any more – that it is so common for women to be considered prime ministers, it is not even a thought.

Updated

Julia Gillard's official portrait is revealed

Julia Gillard’s official portrait is being unveiled today.

She opens her speech, with some acknowledgements:

There are too many here to acknowledge by name, but I would like to acknowledge former prime minister Tony Abbott, thank you for joining us, and future prime minister Bill Shorten.

You kind of would have expected that from me, I think! I’d like to acknowledge family and friends who are here today.

Many people have come from a long way away to join me at this occasion. Thank you for doing that. I’d also like to acknowledge a number who couldn’t come – either because of logistical issues or because returning to this place in front of the glare of the Canberra press gallery wasn’t exactly their idea of a great day out.

So to those who love and care about me, but made that choice, I know that you’re here in spirit too. I can understand approaching this occasion with a few mixed emotions, because that’s how I felt in terms of getting my portrait done.

For me, being in Parliament House was always about purpose, it was about policy, it was about getting big things that mattered done for the nation. I was always less attracted with the pomp that goes with being in a place like this, and I put in my mind getting my portrait done in that category of pomp and ceremony, and I wasn’t particularly interested in doing it.

But I received a very good piece of advice from my staff. Each period, we’d go through things that I was supposed to have done and the portrait was on the list and I’d always say, let’s just forget about it.

And finally, there was a day when Nina, who works in my office, came to me with a very serious expression on her face saying, “You know, you ought to get that portrait done before you look a hell of a lot older than you did when you were prime minister!”

To the younger MPs in the house, you may have heard about staff that give you frank and fearless advice, that’s all in capital letters and underlined.

Frank and fearless – it’s not frank and fearless until you’re winded by it. When Nina said that I thought, yes, I really should get this done.

Updated

Julie Bishop addresses the Women in National Security conference 201at the Hyatt hotel in Canberra this morning
Julie Bishop addresses the Women in National Security conference 201at the Hyatt hotel in Canberra this morning. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

The former foreign minister Julie Bishop has responded to Fairfax Media’s story questioning whether she may have breached ministerial rules which require them to pay for gifts worth more than $300.

The story notes Bishop has declared a pair of “Aboriginal print shoes” by Grand Master Lineage on her register of interests – but the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has no record of them being declared as official gifts over the $300 threshold (a separate requirement that arises under ministerial rules).

Grand Master Lineage is a Chinese company connected to Jimmy Choo, who collaborated with Australian Indigenous artist Peter Farmer for a new line of couture shoes featuring Aboriginal artwork.

The shoes were declared in March. Bishop ceased to be foreign minister in August, when she declined to remain in the ministry after Scott Morrison took over from Malcolm Turnbull.

On Wednesday, Bishop was door-stopped after delivering a keynote at a security conference. “I comply with the register of interests,” she said.

A spokeswoman told Guardian Australia “that is her response”, declining to answer if Bishop had breached the separate ministerial rule on gifts exceeding $300 in value.

Updated

Mathias Cormann has some things to say and he will say them!

While we are on Scott Morrison’s habit of branding things unnecessarily, could someone please explain what hokey-pokey politics is?

Is it like Hocus Pocus? Because I legitimately love that movie. Does it involve shaking it all about? The ice cream flavour?

Whatever it is, Morrison won’t be doing it when it comes to asylum seekers:

First of all we are getting kids off Nauru, we have been doing it for years. We’ve got hundreds of kids off Nauru and we’ll continue to do that in the way that we’ve been getting about it and we’ll continue to maintain the integrity of strong border protection policies. You don’t get kids off Nauru by putting more on, by having weak border policies. So that’s been a key focus.

But I mean the key thing is David, mate, I’m not going to play hokey-pokey politics, it’s not going to be “left foot in, right foot in”, all that sort of nonsense. We’re a centre-right party where we do get the balance on these things right. You can look after kids and have a strong border protection policy. You can get electricity prices down and meet the reductions targets that we’ve set for Paris. You don’t have to choose between these two things, you don’t have to get caught up by the shouts from the left and the shouts from the right, you just do your job every day and you stay in the sensible centre-right where successful Liberal and National governments have always been. That’s certainly where I’m going to be, no hokey-pokey politics from me.

Updated

Anne Ruston, most famous for giving an exceptionally long speech at Georgina Downer’s concession byelection party earlier this year, had a chat to ABC Adelaide during which she was asked what “fair dinkum power” is.

In a rare show of political honesty, Ruston admitted that like most of us, she had no idea:

“Fair dinkum power?” she said.

“...I’m sorry. You’re going to have to give me more information. Obviously you’re referring to our energy policy?”

The host tells her that’s “what the prime minister calls it”.

And it is. But just because something is, doesn’t mean it should be.

Updated

White-collar crime is the target of new government legislation, based on recommendations from the Asic enforcement review. From Josh Frydenberg’s statement:

The Coalition government has introduced legislation into parliament to significantly strengthen criminal and civil penalties for corporate and financial sector misconduct. The legislation will bring our penalties closer to those in other leading jurisdictions and further protect Australian consumers from white-collar crime.

Criminal penalties are set to double, from five years to 10 years, in some cases. Civil penalties are due to increase by more than tenfold for corporations and more than fivefold for individuals.

For example, if a court currently found a corporation guilty of making false or misleading statements in relation to charging fees for no service, a criminal penalty of up to $210,000 could be imposed. If the breach occurred under the new laws, however, the court could impose a penalty of up to $1.26 million for each offence. In other words, if the corporation is found guilty of making false or misleading statements 25 times, they could face a maximum penalty of $31.5 million.

The legislation introduced by the government will also expand the range of contraventions subject to civil penalties as well as give the courts the power to seek additional remedies to strip wrongdoers of profits illegally obtained or losses avoided.

For example, if a court currently found a corporation had breached its duty to provide financial services efficiently, honestly and fairly by continuing to deduct insurance premiums from members’ accounts after they have died, there is no penalty apart from taking licensing action. If the breach occurred under the new laws, however, depending on the size of the corporation, it could face a maximum penalty up to $210 million.

Updated

Happy first anniversary to the Michaelia Cash/AWU raid shitfight estimate hearing.

Brendan O’Connor wanted it commemorated.

So, exactly one year ago today a cabinet minister told the parliament that her office had not committed criminal offences in leaking information to the media about the AWU raids by the police. We of course now know that her office was completely involved, had in fact committed a criminal offence by leaking that information to the media, which of course risks the lives of the police when you do such things and that is why it is a criminal offence.

What we want to know now, given that it was revealed this week in estimates that the police has ended its investigation, thereby removing the defence that Senator Cash has had to not answer questions about her direct involvement and that of other staff in her office about this behaviour. We now need to know from Senator Cash what she knew and to what extent she was involved, and for that matter, what other offices, what other ministers’ offices were involved in this criminal offence. Because what is clear is the AFP has already made comments that not only was Senator Cash’s office involved in their investigation – so too were other ministers’ offices including the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister Keenan’s office when he was minister for justice.

Updated

Now that the Home Affairs estimates has wrapped up, Helen Davidson has complied an update for you on what exactly is going on in Nauru and Manus Island right now.

What else we learned

Estimates also heard from the department on a number of other recent issues and incidents relating to offshore processing.

There are 52 asylum seeker and refugee children left on Nauru, after a plane carrying 11 arrived in Australia while estimates sat. They were all accompanied by their whole family, estimates heard – an apparent change in procedures which have usually seen some family members made to stay behind.

There are 15 families split between the two countries, with 30 people on Nauru and 31 in Australia.

On Nauru there are now 652 people (sent there by Australia for processing) including:

  • 541 refugees
  • 88 still in the refugee determination process, including seven children
  • 23 failed asylum seekers
  • 107 family units including both adult children and minors

The US has resettled 276 people, and formally refused 148. Another 31 are in the final stages of resettlement approval.

On Manus Island there are 636 single adult males, including 495 refugees and 131 failed asylum seekers.

146 have been settled in the US.

Department in the dark on MSF departure

The assistant minister, Linda Reynolds, revealed the department first learned of Nauru kicking Medecins Sans Frontieres off the island through the media.

The department boss, Michael Pezzullo, maintained the Nauruan government had grown disappointed with MSF working outside of its reason for being there, which he said was to treat locals.

The memorandum of understanding between MSF and Nauru clearly states they would treat locals, refugees and asylum seekers “without discrimination”.

Pezzullo said MSF was only supposed to treat refugees if they were referred by Nauruan authorities but also conceded Nauru had not referred a single patient, despite the high level of mental health needs.

On Nauru there are 31 Australian government-contracted medical professionals, 34 contracted mental health professionals, and 11 administrative workers.

Daintree boat arrival

All 17 Vietnamese people whose boat capsized off the Daintree River earlier this year have been returned to Vietnam.

Air Vice-Marshal Stephen Osborne refused to say if any of them had claimed asylum, but said their assessment had determined that Australia owed them no protection.

He also refused to give details of a “long standing arrangement with Vietnam to return people to Vietnam who have no right to be here”.

“Our assessment process meets our domestic and international obligations. Our MOU with Vietnam does likewise in respect to both countries,” said Osborne, who is the commander of the Operation Sovereign Borders joint taskforce.

He said Vietnamese authorities were running their own investigation into the boat trip.

Canstruct contract extension

The Australian government is seeking to extend its contract with Canstruct on Nauru for at least another six months. It expires next week.

The extension would have to be approved by Nauru’s Regional Processing Centre Corporation, which the department’s David Nockels described as “the way the [Nauruan] government is managing, from its perspective, the regional processing environment.”

“We can contract anybody but for the contractor work in the RPC environment would require the RPCC to say yes to that,” said Nockels.

Updated

Julie Bishop, fresh from the stage at a national security conference, where she delivered the keynote address, explained why she has been silent on the whole ‘let’s talk about moving our Israel embassy’ issue.

I will wait on the Australian government. I don’t think it is fair to the prime minister, Scott Morrison, that I should run a commentary on a ... foreign policy change. This is open to any government after a change of leader to reconsider or consider new foreign policy.

Updated

It’s back to Mathias Cormann v Kristina Keneally in finance estimates.

The main battle is over Phil Gaetjens’ appointment as Treasury secretary, despite not submitting a CV.

His most recent job before taking up with Treasury was as Scott Morrison’s chief of staff (he had previously worked for Peter Costello).

Keneally is asking why he got an $874,000 job without a CV.

Cormann won’t let him answer, and instead tells Keneally she is “barking up the wrong tree” and that a public servant working for a minister should not preclude them from a job.

Updated

Chris Bowen spoke to the ABC about the Master Builders Association’s analysis, pointing out that it neglected to take in the grandfathering of existing negatively geared homes. But he also said the policy could be implemented “even more smoothly” in the existing market (as opposed to when it was created, before the 2016 election).

Why?

Because investors have already in some instances left the market because they are finding it more difficult to get finance. Now it doesn’t matter what the tax concession is, if you can’t get the finance to start with you are not in the housing market. You can have very generous tax concessions, if the bank won’t lend you the money you’re not buying the house and that is what we are seeing across the board. So what our policy does is make the tax settings fit for purpose going forward. I mean the property market is slowing now, it will quicken at some point and investors will roar back into the market, but we are getting the policy settings right now to ensure that first homebuyers are on a more level playing field. We don’t think it’s right that you get a tax concession for your fifth or sixth house but you get very little support for your first house.

We have the most generous property tax concessions in the world bar none, only Australia and New Zealand have this model of negative gearing. Other property markets work quite effectively around the world and this is the right policy. It was designed very carefully and has stood the test of time. I mean I’ve seen all sorts of modelling, all sorts of allegations made. You know I’ve seen allegations that it would see property prices go up, I’ve seen allegations that it would see property prices go down. I’ve seen allegations that it would mean more supply, I’ve seen allegations that it would mean less supply. I’ve seen it all now.

Updated

A skirmish between Mathias Cormann and Kristina Keneally has livened up the economics estimates hearing. Keneally accused Cormann of “political interference” for talking down her time, and stopping her from asking questions of Treasury staff.

Josh Frydenberg was excited by the Master Builders Association’s analysis of Labor’s negative gearing policy though (remembering that Chris Bowen has already said the modelling isn’t of Labor’s actual policy).

From his statement:

The MBA found that by raising taxes on housing over five years, Labor’s policies could result in up to 42,000 fewer new dwellings being built, 32,000 less full-time jobs and an $11.8 billion drop in building activity.

The MBA report joins a growing list of experts saying that Labor’s policies would have a significant impact on Australia’s economy and property market, particularly at a time when the housing marking is softening.

RiskWise warned that median house prices in New South Wales and Victoria could fall about 9 per cent, Citi’s research found Labor’s policy could “accelerate the cyclical weaknesses in housing prices” and Standard and Poor’s warned of the consequences of falling house prices on the broader economy.

Labor’s property tax will punish not only the 1.3 million Australians who negative gear, but every Australian with equity in their home.

Bill Shorten must admit he got this one wrong and ditch his ill-conceived property tax plan.

With Australia’s housing market cooling over 12 consecutive months in our capital cities, this is the worst possible time for Labor to push its property tax.

Updated

The transcripts for the estimates hearings are beginning to filter through.

You can find those here.

Updated

No word on the official government position on this as yet, but Penny Wong has made Labor’s position clear:

Labor joins with the G7 Foreign Ministers, of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union in condemning the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the strongest possible terms and calls on Saudi Arabia to now provide a full and proper account of the events leading up to his killing.

Labor is deeply disturbed by the evidence, including that presented by Turkey overnight, that Mr Khashoggi was killed as a result of a deliberate, planned and horrific attack by Saudi officials.

The Saudi government’s explanations are simply not credible and the world now demands Saudi Arabia tell the truth about the events of 2 October in its Istanbul consulate and bring to account those responsible for the killing of Mr Khashoggi.

Freedom of expression and a free press are important values Australia shares with all nations committed to democracy and the rule of law.

That is why Labor last week called for Australia to boycott the Riyadh “Future Investment Initiative” (FII) conference. We welcome the government’s decision to support that call and join with our friends and allies in withdrawing official Australian representation at the conference.

It is appropriate that as a country we send a strong signal of our concern over Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and our expectation that the government of Saudi Arabia provides a forthright and accurate account of what has occurred.”

Richard Di Natale has also called for Australia to cancel its arms deals with Saudi Arabia.

Updated

There is quite an interesting story in the West Australian this morning.

Shane Wright reports the banking regulator is looking at making investment lending “more difficult postcode-by-postcode rather than across the board”.

But it also includes this tidbit:

The West Australian can also reveal that APRA will not urge the financial services royal commission to back major changes to the laws it administers despite damning findings about its operation.

APRA and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission came under fire in the interim report from the commission, with both singled out for failing to take formal legal action against institutions found to be in breach of the law.

So that would be Apra saying ‘we don’t need this, everything is cool’.

Updated

Estimates is still on.

That is all I have the energy to say about that right now.

Updated

Anthony Albanese stopped by doors this morning.

It’s fairly rare for him to make an appearance – he is usually doing radio or television – but he stopped by this morning to have a chat about the government’s war on...the government.

This is a government that is just looking for things to fight over. Now they are fighting over whether Malcolm Turnbull should attend an oceans conference in Indonesia. This is just pathetic and it comes at a time whereby this is a government that simply doesn’t have policies in key areas. They don’t have an energy policy. What they have is platitudes. Platitudes aren’t policies. Policies are things that change the economy, that drive that change through.

I’m not sure those who are continuing the battle against a former prime minister and MP know what it looks like from the outside. Not good is my guess.

Updated

Scott Morrison looks to be enjoying gelato for breakfast as much as I enjoyed eating my mother’s tuna mornay as a kid. Take that as you will.

Scott Morrison takes a sample of gelato
Scott Morrison during a visit to Pure Gelato in the Canberra suburb of Mitchell this morning. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Morrison tastes gelato
Going … Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Morrison tastes gelato
Gone. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated

Scott Morrison is not “done” with Malcolm Turnbull.

Allegedly.

The Daily Telegraph had a report claiming that after Turnbull declined to campaign in Wentworth (which is basically just following through with what he said he would do if he lost the leadership) Morrison was done with the former prime minister. It also mentioned the anger at Turnbull representing Australia in Bali next week.

Morrison had this to say, when asked this morning:

Eight weeks ago, when I met with President Widodo, he advised me, and I was aware, that the former prime minister committed to go to the Oceans conference in Bali. This is a very important conference to President Widodo and the Indonesian government.

Now I am unable to make that commitment and we discussed the opportunities to see if Mr Turnbull would continue to represent Australia on that occasion. He said he’s departed from partisan politics, but where he is in a position to support the national interest and where he’s in a position to serve his country he always will.

And so of course we welcome that, and where we take a decision where he thinks he can do that and where we think we can, we’ll extend such an invitation. Some have made comments about travel, I don’t think Malcolm Turnbull is hanging around looking for a trip to Bali, by the way, the reason he’s going is because he’s been in a position because of his previous relationship with President Widodo to assist our national interest in attending this event.

But what about the report?

“It’s wrong.”

So are you on good terms?

“Yes.”

I mean, with such stirring words like that, obviously, everything is totally fine.

Updated

Melissa Price is continuing her stellar run as Australia’s latest environment minister.

Fresh from having her travel questioned in estimates overnight, Price was left to defend why, as environment minister, she does not believe lowering emissions should be one of her key priorities.

Scott Morrison was asked about whether or not coal-fired power stations were still on the agenda this morning, when he headed to a gelato business before 7am (as you do).

Our government is not going to introduce a carbon tax. Only the Labor party is looking at introducing policies that would force the price of electricity up and the best indemnity against higher prices is – don’t vote Labor if you don’t want higher electricity prices.

Our government will be acting consistent with getting electricity prices down to encourage and support and facilitate new investment in reliable energy generation around the country. The consultation paper was released yesterday by Angus and he can make further comments on that.

We want to see new investment go in and that goes into the issues which will be discussed on Friday which ensures that we’re forcing the companies to contract for more reliable power going into the system further ahead so we can get the reliability and the lights stay on.

Updated

Stuart Roberts’ internet bill came up in estimates overnight, but there doesn’t seem to have been much new uncovered:

Updated

Chris Bowen was up VERY early this morning disputing the Master Builders Association’s modelling of Labor’s negative gearing policy, which was first published by the Australian.

Some Australians reading the front page of today’s the Australian would be forgiven for thinking the Master Builders Association has modelled Labor’s reforms to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount.

It does NOT.

This research does NOT model Labor’s reforms to negative gearing – the Master Builders admit themselves that they fail to account for the fact Labor’s policy fully “grandfathers” existing property investments meaning any investment purchases before the start date are protected.

Updated

Good morning

Sometimes it can feel like groundhog day as I read the headlines.

Today, with energy once again front and centre, feels like one of those days.

After yesterday’s promise of “big sticks” and the government saying, once again, it would accept and implement the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s recommendations on energy, we are back to discussing new coal-fired power stations, because, well, the government has put them back on the table.

In an interview with Katharine Murphy, Angus Taylor spoke about why:

The energy minister, Angus Taylor, has signalled the Australian government could indemnify new power generation projects against the future risk of a carbon price, and says it could also support the retrofitting of existing coal plants.

In an interview with Guardian Australia, the man dubbed the “minister for getting power prices down” by the prime minister, Scott Morrison, has also committed to keeping current subsidies for households and businesses to install renewable energy technology like solar panels until 2030, and insists Australia’s electricity sector will reduce emissions by 26% on 2005 levels in “the early 2020s”.

Taylor on Tuesday outlined a range of measures the government wants to implement to help lower power prices, including cajoling retailers into offering customers out-of-cycle price cuts so consumers could experience hip-pocket relief by January, ahead of the next election.

He also foreshadowed policy interventions to boost investment in new “reliable” power generation, including providing a floor price, contracts for difference, cap and floor contracts and government loans.

Then there is still the fallout from the weekend. Kerryn Phelps was still ahead by just under 1,600 votes last I checked, and while Dave Sharma has just over 50% of the postal votes so far, he would need about 70% of those votes to flow his way to have a hope of winning, and that doesn’t look like happening.

But as the final count comes closer, the anger at Malcolm Turnbull, for, well, existing, is growing. Barnaby Joyce, who is just here to help, told 2GB it was outrageous Turnbull didn’t help campaign in Wentworth. And there is growing anger in the Coalition backbench ranks – and One Nation, if that tells you anything – that Turnbull will be representing Australia at next week’s oceans conference in Bali. Despite it being something that Scott Morrison has all but said is to help smooth things over with the Indonesian president.

But the backbench heart wants what the backbench heart wants, and the backbench heart is seemingly angry the leadership coup didn’t go entirely the way it planned, and Turnbull is Turnbull – and now comes with his own agency.

But it’s energy which is once again dominating all the agendas. We’ll follow the ins and outs of that, as well as anything else that comes up.

Mike Bowers and the Guardian Australia brains trust are already on the job. And you know I’ll be lurking in the comments when I get a spare moment, or can be spotted on Twitter at @amyremeikis.

It already has the feeling of a four-coffee morning.

Ready?

Let’s go.

Updated

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