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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Amy Remeikis

Julie Bishop to quit politics at the next election – as it happened

Julie Bishop announces her retirement from politics on Thursday. She reminds the House of Representatives she was the first woman to contest the leadership ballot in the Liberal party’s 75-year history.
Julie Bishop announces her retirement from politics on Thursday. She reminds the House of Representatives she was the first woman to contest the leadership ballot in the Liberal party’s 75-year history. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

And with that, we shall bid you adieu, until April, when the budget is handed down.

But don’t expect the issues of today to disappear quietly into the night. There is a Newspoll next Monday, if I am not mistaken. And a lot of space for all it to play out.

This is not the end of the week the government would have wanted.

Plus, China seems to be causing all sorts of issues in the background.

It’s not over, is what I am saying. But my ability to take in another moment of this day, is.

Make sure you check back with Guardian Australia for all the updates to these and every other story which pops up between now and 2 April. Mike Bowers, Katharine Murphy, Paul Karp, Gabrielle Chan and everyone else on the Guardian’s brains trust, along with me, will keep plugging away in between blogs, as usual.

A very big thank you to everyone for dragging my caffeine-fuelled, eye-twitching shell across the line after what was a pretty insane start back to parliament. Even by the standards of the 45th.

And as always, a massive thank you to everyone who followed along with us, today, and the past few days. You are the reason we all keep chugging along.

But go take a break, have a breath, catch up on any movie missing from your pop culture repertoire. We’ll all be back here before you know it. And very shortly after that, the election campaign will (officially) begin in earnest. And you know you’ll need all your wits about you for that.

In the meantime – take care of you.

Updated

Sportsbet has wasted no time in opening its latest book:

Julie Bishop’s next job

$3.50 Diplomat
$6.00 Next governor general
$14 Sky News TV host
$26 Sunrise show host
$26 Today show host
$41 Breakfast radio host
$51 West Coast Eagles chief executive
$101 Sportsbet brand ambassador
$501 Travel agent

Updated

Julia Banks has given her take on the Julie Bishop announcement:

“Australia wanted Julie Bishop to be our first woman Liberal prime minister and for me, and many Australians, particularly Australian women, this is a very sad day.”

Reuters has just filed this report:

Customs at China’s northern Dalian port has banned imports of Australian coal and will cap overall coal imports for 2019 through its harbors at 12m tonnes, an official at Dalian Port Group said on Thursday.

The indefinite ban on imports from top supplier Australia, effective since the start of February, comes as major ports elsewhere in China prolong clearing times for Australian coal to at least 40 days.

Coal is Australia’s biggest export earner and the Australian dollar tumbled on the news, falling more than 1% to as low at $0.7086 AUD=D3.

Updated

Quelle all of the surprise. ALL of it.

Updated

And the House is done.

Until 2 April.

Parliament adjourns until the budget.
Parliament adjourns until the budget. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Labor’s environment spokesman, Tony Burke, has been reading the interim independent report released by the government this afternoon on the Menindee Lakes fish kill.

The report says the panel found no evidence a risk assessment was done at weir 32 before the fish kill, despite “a likely blue-green algal event being identified in the WaterNSW Lower Darling operations plan over the 15 months prior to the fish death events occurring”.

The panel has made 20 recommendations, including that there be an investigation to identify sites where mass deaths of fish might occur in future.

But Burke has suggested there is not enough focus in the report on the long-term problems in the country’s largest river system.

“I’m working through the report and the recommendations but on the face of it none of them involve more water, which is pretty important for fish,” he said.

Updated

Penny Wong has informed the Dfat estimates she does not intend to return to Helloworld, which releases many of the officials sitting in the back of the committee room.

Updated

It sort of disappeared in the midst of, well, the giant wheelie bin that this day became, but the Law Council has responded to Peter Dutton’s announcement of attempting to ban foreign fighters from returning.

While matters of national security and protecting Australians from terrorism are of utmost importance, the federal parliament must ensure responses are proportional, constitutional and take into account Australia’s international obligations.

The introduction of temporary exclusion orders (TEOs) could have the effect of rendering an Australian unable to legally enter Australia – or indeed any other country if they are not a citizen of another country and hence have no right to enter another country – while the order is in place.

As a result, these laws may be inconsistent with Australia’s international obligations.

It is the Law Council’s view the government’s proposed introduction of TEOs must be carefully considered and not rushed through the parliament.

Updated

So much warmth

Dfat offical Amanda Gorely approached the table to answer questions at Senate estimates about the US exiting the intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty.

Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Penny Wong, asks if she had ever asked her questions before because she looks nervous.

The treaty bans the US and Russia from developing a certain ballistic and cruise missiles.

America has cited Russia’s non-compliance for the decision.

“Obviously it’s not a good development,” Gorely said.

Updated

The House has adjourned.

We have been here for just seven days.

SEVEN DAYS.

It’s been one of the longest years of my life.

Mathias Cormann is not happy.

He has just released this statement accusing Bill Shorten and Jim Chalmers of “grossly inaccurate assertions”:

“Under parliamentary privilege, Bill Shorten and Jim Chalmers made a number of grossly inaccurate assertions in relation to previous tender decisions on whole-of-government travel arrangements, which would otherwise be defamatory.

“In relation to the 2014 decision to appoint QBT Pty Ltd as the new whole-of-government travel management services provider for a period of four years:

“Firstly, this was not a decision by me as minister or by the government. It was a procurement decision, which like all other procurement decisions in my portfolio made during my period as finance minister, was the result of an independent competitive tender process.

“Secondly, and more importantly, QBT/Helloworld back then was actually competing with Mr Andrew Burnes and the AOT business he was then the CEO of.

“In fact, AOT participated in that tender and was unsuccessful.

“In contrast, AOT and Mr Burnes were first awarded the whole-of-government accommodation program management services contract back in 2012 – that is during Labor’s last period in government.

“It is this contract, which was renewed in 2017 as a result of another independent tender process.

“While both the 2012 and 2014 contracts were appropriately subject to independent competitive tender processes, under the flawed Shorten/Chalmers Labor logic in the House of Representatives today – it was Labor which decided to give a contract to a Liberal donor, whereas the Liberal-National government awarded the 2014 contract Labor is criticising now to his competitor.

“ASX records show that AOT only merged with Helloworld/QBT in early 2016, well after the independent tender decision made by the finance department back in 2014, which Mr Shorten and Mr Chalmers referenced in their inaccurate and baseless attack today.

“Mr Shorten and Mr Chalmers could have and should have reviewed that material ASX announcement before launching such an unsubstantiated parliamentary attack.

“Mr Shorten and Mr Chalmers should apologise for their baseless and inaccurate smear, which the most basic and rudimentary research would have exposed as such.

“Finally, given the hours of evidence I provided in Senate estimates earlier this week, both Mr Shorten and Mr Chalmers know (or at least should know), that I did not seek or obtain free travel.

“The travel was never paid for by Helloworld as wrongly asserted by Labor as part of an increasingly desperate attempt to smear. It was booked with Helloworld, I supplied my credit card to pay for it at the time of making the booking, when the payment was not processed as the result of an administrative error on behalf of the company it remained listed as an outstanding debt, which was paid immediately when I was first notified that payment had not been processed.”

Updated

On his trade portfolio, Simon Birmingham says he is “working towards” having the Indonesian free-trade-agreement, which was de-railed by the Jerusalem embassy debate, signed before the election.

Patricia Karvelas: You say this is a disgruntled ex-staff member. Is it worth investigating whether he’s a whistleblower and alleging something that is truthful?

Simon Birmingham: Whistleblowering what?

PK: Well, he’s whistleblowing ...

SB: What’s the allegation you’re making?

PK: OK, I will share it with you. He got a quicker meeting as a result of Hockey owing him something.

SB: How do you determine a quicker meeting?

PK: Well, that’s what he said. He said he secured a quicker meeting.

SB: Our ambassadors meet with people all the time.

PK: You don’t think there’s anything worth investigating here?

SB: I don’t see there is any allegation of impropriety. In fact, all of the evidence all week from every public servant and official about any procurement issues is that the letter of the law and the book in terms of policy process was followed every step of the way, completely detached from any political process.

Updated

Email bombshell from 'disgruntled former employee' says minister

Simon Birmingham is speaking to the ABC and was asked about the email from Russell Carstensen, which set off a series of political bombs this afternoon:

We have a disgruntled former employee of a business. It’s not unusual for heads to meet with Australian business agents or representatives. It happens all the time. It would be happening in different countries at present.

“Regardless, there’s nothing to suggest there is any impropriety. Yes the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has a travel contract.”

Updated

Given the record of the government in appointing people from a Coalition background to the administrative appeals tribunal, I’ve had a quick look at the background of the 35 new appointees.

Among them we have: former Senate president Stephen Parry (Liberal); former Western Australian Legislative Assembly member Joe Frances (Liberal); former federal MP Bob Baldwin (Liberal).

I’m still waiting for the attorney general’s office to furnish me with the full biographies of the appointees, but it looks like they have also appointed (or else they share a name with):

  • Former Nationals MP De-Anne Kelly
  • Former chief of staff to Jeff Kennett, John Griffin
  • Former South Australian house of assembly Liberal MP Steven Griffiths
  • The former speaker of WA parliament Michael Sutherland (Liberal)
  • Former adviser to Alexander Downer Phoebe Dunn

There’s also a Jane Bell, who shares the name of someone contesting the Liberal preselection for Higgins.

But lest you think appointments are a purely partisan exercise, it looks like the government has also appointed former Labor MP David Cox.

Updated

You may remember that earlier in the week we posted about Barry O’Sullivan’s comments in agriculture estimates, where he said:

“Here’s my question: there’s a bigger chance of us having a biosecurity breach by us having a bloody old Chinaman who brings in his favourite sausage down the front of his undies.”

Well, the ABC reports he has been given a slap down by the prime minister:

Today Mr Morrison posted on the Chinese social media platform WeChat, praising Chinese-Australians for their “profound influence” and calling on Australians to “unite as one to defend our hard-won, harmonious and free society”.

“The remarks made by senator Barry O’Sullivan do not represent my views, nor do they represent the views of the Liberal and National parties’ Coalition government.

“For more than 200 years, Chinese immigrants have worked hard to contribute new ideas, helped shape Australia’s identity and made outstanding contributions to the prosperity of Australian society.”

Updated

Some money for Australia’s new $2bn infrastructure development bank for the Pacific is likely to be siphoned from the aid program.

A Senate estimates hearing was told the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific would be made up of $500m in grants and $1.5bn to be funded from the federal budget.

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, announced the initiative last year as part of Australia’s “Pacific step up”, while visiting Port Moresby for the Apec leaders summit.

The hearing was told the foreign affairs and trade department has not received any extra money to cover the $500m.

Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Penny Wong, wanted to know if cash from the aid budget would be diverted.

“That is currently being considered by government and will be announced on budget night as part of the 2019-20 budget,” a Dfat official, Paul Wood, said.

Asked what areas of the aid budget had been excluded for cuts, Dfat’s secretary, Frances Adamson, said nothing was being ruled out.

“We are open-minded about the choices the government may want to make,” she said.

The aid program has been hit with more than $11bn in funding cuts since 2013 when the Coalition came to power.

Updated

Government releases fish deaths interim report

And because it is that sort of day, the government has released the independent assessment of fish deaths interim report. Insert trash bag emojis here.

From the government release:

The interim report is published on the MDBA website.

Provisional findings:

Page 43:

“The fish deaths in the lower Darling were preceded and affected by exceptional climatic conditions, unparalleled in the observed climate record.

“Runoff responses to rainfall in the northern basin appear to have been more severely reduced during recent drought when compared to previous droughts, compounding the impacts on long-term water availability.

“2017-18 flows on the Darling river at Bourke and Wilcannia were the lowest observed at those points over the last 20 years.”

Page 44:

“Hot conditions resulted in significant algal blooms in Lake Pamamaroo, the weir pools of the Menindee main weir and weir 32.

“Continued hot conditions, combined with low flow, caused the weir pools to stratify. High fish numbers and algal biomass became concentrated in the epilimnion (surface water) and hypoxic or anoxic conditions developed in the hypolimnion (bottom waters).

“Sudden reductions in air temperature and increased wind associated with storms caused water in the weir pools to suddenly de-stratify, resulting in low oxygen water throughout the water column and no escape for the fish. This was the primary cause of the fish deaths.”

Provisional recommendations:

Page 45:

Rec 1: “Undertake a risk assessment to identify parts of the basin most at risk of fish death events. This should inform the development of early warning signals and crisis intervention plans.”

Rec 2: “Address gaps in water quality monitoring (dissolved oxygen, temperature, algae) at high risk sites across the basin.”

Rec 4: “Support emerging initiatives within the basin to remove barriers to fish movement, especially in locations with high stratification potential and locations that act as refuges during low flow events.”

Rec 5: Continue short-term efforts to prevent further fish deaths through use of aerators and other technologies as well as fish translocations, noting these are short-term emergency measures and may not prevent additional fish death events if adverse conditions arise again.’

Rec 9: “Progress implementation of the northern basin toolkit measures, prioritising those that would support native fish population’s recovery (eg fish passage).

Rec 16: “Introduce real-time monitoring of diversions in the Barwon-Darling to ensure protection of managed connectivity events.” (IE, protect environmental flows from harvest.)

Updated

It would be no mistake that Julie Bishop is wearing white as she made this statement.

Her speech made it clear she wants a woman to replace her. It was filled with her accomplishments as the first woman to fill certain positions. White stands out very solidly against the blue and black suits of her many, many male colleagues.

And white, of course, is the colour of the suffragette movement.

There is no way it was a coincidence.

Julie Bishop announces her retirement from politics.
Julie Bishop announces her retirement from politics. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Standing out.
Standing out. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
And the exit.
And the exit. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

The official statement from Scott Morrison on Julie Bishop’s retirement:

“Julie Bishop is a giant of the Liberal party and she has been a groundbreaker for women in public life.

“Julie has been a good friend. I have valued her judgment, appreciated her insight and admired the tireless way she has served the party, the parliament and Australia.

“On behalf of the government and the Liberal party, I thank Julie for her great service to Australia for nearly two decades.

“Julie was deputy leader of the Liberal party from 2007 to 2018 and played a critical role in our election to government in 2013.

“As the first woman to be deputy leader of the Liberal party and the first woman to be Australia’s foreign minister, Julie’s place in the Liberal party pantheon and in the history of the Howard government and this government is secure.

“There are many achievements from her time as foreign minister in which Julie can be proud: the New Colombo Plan, the establishment of the Dfat innovationXchange and strengthening Australia’s relations throughout the Pacific.

“However, I believe her greatest achievement was her work in the days after flight MH17 was brutally felled. Julie’s judgment, determination and energy helped secure a United Nations security council resolution that ensured Australia and its partners could repatriate the victims of that terrible crime. Australia has not forgotten those terrible days and still waits for the perpetrators of that crime to be brought to justice.

“Julie was one of Australia’s truly great foreign ministers. In the Liberal party she will take her place alongside the greatest foreign ministers of our history: Casey, Hasluck and Downer.

“Julie is enormously popular with party members across Australia and for more than a decade, in addition to her travels as foreign minister, Julie has hit the highways and byways of our country in support of our members and candidates.

“On behalf of the party and the government, I wish Julie well in the next chapter of her life. I have no doubt it will be a roaring success.”

Updated

Julie Bishop continued, in what became an impromptu valedictory speech:

“It is time for a new member to take my place. I will leave the seat of Curtin in very good shape, indeed, a winning position for the Liberal party.

“When I first contested the seat in 1998, I won the election with a primary vote of 44.6%. At the last election, my seventh election, my primary vote was 65.6%. Within, essentially, the same electoral boundary.

“With a two-party preferred vote of 71%, with an experienced campaign team and campaign funds already in place, I am confident that a Liberal candidate will have every opportunity to win the support of the people of Curtin.

“It has been an immense honour to be the longest-serving member for Curtin. And also to be the deputy leader of the Liberal party. The first female to hold the role for 11 years, over half my entire political career.

“And I am also proud of the fact that I am the first woman to contest the leadership ballot of the Liberal party in its 75-year history.

“It has also been an immense honour to serve in cabinet, first as the minister for education, science and training and women’s issues, and then as the minister for foreign affairs. Australia’s first female foreign minister. And I am so very proud that my successor, senator Marise Payne, will be, and is, the second female foreign minister of Australia.

“My five years as foreign minister were a particular privilege being able to represent Australia on the world stage. We should be so proud of our reputation and the high regard in which we are held as a nation.

“And open liberal democracy, committed to freedoms and the rule of law, and democratic institutions, and open, highly competitive export-oriented market economy, entering out 28th consecutive year of uninterrupted economic growth, a world record, with a lifestyle and standard of living that is unparalleled. I thank and acknowledge the prime ministers in whose cabinets I served: John Howard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull.

“I thank the Liberal party of Australia, my division of Curtin, the state division, my colleagues, past and present in this place, and the Liberal party members across Australia and living overseas everywhere, for the remarkable opportunity they have afforded me to be a member of the House of Representatives since 1998.

“I have been blessed to have worked with some outstanding political and ministerial staff, who shared my passion for my political and policy endeavours, and I thank them, particularly Murray Hansen, my closest adviser for 14 years.

“I thank my, beautiful supportive family, my siblings, and David Panton and his family.

“And I say to my many close and trusted friends: I look forward to seeing a more of you.

“As I said in this place, in my first speech in November 1998, I was brought up to believe that entering public office should be one of the highest callings and that being able to direct your energies and abilities to the betterment of your state or your country was one of the greatest contributions you could make.

“And that I had always had an intense conviction that an individual can make a difference to the life of the times.

“That remains my view. I also set out a goal in that speech, to represent the people of Curtin with all the vigour and courage and ability that I had to offer, with honesty, decency, and above all, to put their interests above my own.

“Mr Speaker, I will leave this place positive about the future, proud of the service that I have been able to give to my electric of Curtin, my beloved Liberal party, the state of Western Australia, and my country.”

Updated

Julie Bishop:

During the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to closely consider the future of the coalition government, and the pending general election.

I have closely observed Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Liberal National team in the Parliament, in Question Time, in the party room, in press conferences, and elsewhere.

And it is evident that the policy platform that we will take to the next election is crystallising based on the very firm foundations of our unrelenting focus on prudent management of our national finances, so that we can afford the services that Australians need. In returning the budget to surplus. In paying down debt. In lowering taxes. In backing enterprise. And job creation. And growing the economy for the benefit of all Australians.

And, Mr Speaker, Australians will remember that in 2007 the Labor Party promised to deliver responsible budgets. Yet in government, they trashed the national finances through wasteful and reckless spending. Labor also promised to maintain strong border protection, yet in government, they presided over one of the greatest policy failures in a generation when they weakened those border protection laws. Mr Speaker, during the last two weeks it has become evidence that Labor has learned nothing from its past failings, and is doomed to repeat these failings should it be re-elected. It is thus my view that the Liberal National coalition will win the next election...

And that the government will be returned to office because it is focusing on the matter to the Australian people.

And on that basis, I have reconsidered my position as the Member for Curtin. I have been contacted by a number of talented, indeed extraordinary, people, including women, who have indicated to me that should I not reconsidered the seat of Curtin, they would seek preselection from the Curtin division of the Liberal Party for that seat. Accordingly, I will not re-contest the seat of Curtin at the next election. And I will work hard in the meantime to assist a new Liberal candidates to win the seat.

Updated

The government has just announced about a million administrative appeals tribunal appointments, including former senator Stephen Parry.

Updated

Scott Morrison:

“I think it is important to mark the speech that we have just heard from the member for Curtin, simply to acknowledge her tremendous service to our country, her tremendous service to her community, tremendous service to the party, the Liberal party.

“Julie is a Liberal through and through and she has always held fast to those important liberal principles.

“We share many things in common – not just thinking that Tina Arena is the best female singer in the country – but apart from that, Mr Speaker, her passion that she has always brought to her role, the dignity and grace that she has demonstrated in every single role she has held. She is an incredibly classy individual as we remarked in our own party room ...

“When my favourite verses relate to the phrase that says ‘Well done good and faithful servant’ and that is a phrase that I think very much speaks to the service from the member for Curtin.

“Her successor will have big shoes to fill and we know that Julie has the best shoes! They will take some filling and I have no doubt that the person who fills the shoes as the member for Curtin, that the former member for Curtin will be there to support them all the way.”

Updated

In Senate estimates Marise Payne played tribute to Bishop’s efforts as foreign affairs minister in the past five years and praised her “leadership and drive” contributing to Australia’s high standing in the world.

The committee chair, James McGrath, joked Bishop had never had the “happy burden” of fronting Senate estimates.

Updated

Bill Shorten also responds. He says Julie Bishop and his wife, Chloe, were always very good friends and mentions she should be considered for roles in public service, away from politics.

I am sure she will not be short of offers, but as she contemplates public service I think we need to do better at former prime ministers and public ministers.

... In all my dealings and watching her, I think about a time when as foreign minister MH17 was shot out of the skies, and this terrible tragedy and murder that it was.

I just remember about the flight MH17 the morning we gathered here in the chamber to learn about the news; 38 Australian lives stolen, but a lot of that fell to her, the calm and composure and kindness that I saw firsthand and she would show up for the families and it was real.

It was authentic. The grief and bewilderment. I remember the service in Melbourne at St Patrick’s and she was, she really was, a leader.

But I also saw her steely determination in international forums to pursue justice and she was very strong.

On that regard, if any of us were ever to be privileged to be in the position she was in, dealing with the Russians and other people, I hope that any of us would show the same strength she showed and she did and that is to her credit.

She did Australia proud that day and in those weeks. I wish Julie and David well in everything that is ahead and I feel that the Liberal party can have nothing but good regard for her because she has been a faithful servant to the Liberal party and she has done everything she should for that party. Congratulations to the member for Curtin.”

Updated

In response to Julie Bishop’s announcement, Scott Morrison says he is reminded of the verse (one of his favourites, he says), “‘Well done good and faithful servant,’ and that is a phrase that I think very much speaks to the service from the the member for Curtin too.

“Her successor will have big shoes to fill and we know that Julie has the best shoes! They will take some filling and I have no doubt that the person who fills those shoes as the member for Curtin, that the former member for Curtin will be there to support them all the way.”

Updated

Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Penny Wong, has tried to get to the bottom of how Free TV Australia came to be approached by the federal government to provide Australian content to the Pacific region.

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, announced in January a $17.1m partnership to beam 1,000 hours of Australian TV content to Pacific island countries.

There’s speculation Nine Network’s popular Married At First Sight could be broadcast as part of Australia’s soft diplomacy effort.

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials confirmed the idea didn’t come from any reviews under way.

A department official, Kathy Klugman, said the idea was generated at ministerial level.

Wong expressed surprise at the decision given that commercial television networks said they had no existing partnerships in the Pacific and hadn’t asked for the money.

A testy exchange between Wong and the foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, followed.

Payne defended the government’s “Pacific step up” and said sports content from commercial networks was of particular interest to Pacific audiences.

“You might be derogatory, but we think we can extend and further enhance contacts into the Pacific using more than just one route,” she said. “The narrow focus you appear to be articulating is not the narrow focus of this government.”

“You don’t need to be condescending,” Wong responded.

Wong likened the decision to the $443.8m funding granted to the Great Barrier Reef foundation. The hearing was told there had been no tender process.

Wong said the government’s ideological bias against the ABC had resulted in it being excluded.

But Payne rejected that claim saying the ABC had existing broadcasting in Pacific and she had enormous respect for the two public broadcasters.

Updated

“I will leave this place positive about the future, proud of the service I have been able to give to my electorate of Curtin, my beloved Liberal party, my state of Western Australia, and my country.”

Kelly O’Dwyer is up there for the first hug and Julie Bishop exits stage left.

Literally. She just walked out. Jane Prentice and Nola Marino were very close behind her.

Updated

It is being pointed out to me by people in the chamber that Christian Porter, who was very strongly rumoured to want the (very safe) seat of Curtin, is not in the chamber to hear this.

Updated

She points out that she was the first woman to contest the leadership ballot in the party’s 75-year history.

Updated

Julie Bishop says she has been contacted by a number of people, including a number of impressive women, interested in taking her place, if she chose not to recontest.

Updated

Julie Bishop announces retirement

Julie Bishop says she has spent the past few weeks to “closely observe” the future of the government.

And she has closely observed Scott Morrison.

And that the policy platform has crystallised.

But then she makes it clear that it is about growing the economy. And that the platform is a good one.

She goes through a list of Labor’s “policy failures” when it was last in government.

And that Labor has learned “nothing” from its past failings and will repeat them, if elected.

She says that it is her view the government will be elected in the next election.

“And it is on that basis I have reconsidered my position” for the next election.

So, she is out.

“I will not recontest the seat of Curtin at the next election.”

Updated

And we are still in the chamber for Julie Bishop’s expected retirement announcement.

You can watch Penny Wong dropping her Helloworld bombshell here, courtesy of our video team.

Ayes - 65

Noes - 69

Just a musing.

A bishop can move as far as it wants in chess, as long as it’s diagonally.

Updated

I mean, there really aren’t that many women MPs in the Liberal party to choose from in the first place. And certainly not that many left which would qualify for “big”.

If you are picking up what I am putting down.

And meanwhile...

Jim Chalmers, who has been asking the questions in the House today, predicts Joe Hockey will go. That animates the government benches. There is much bristling.

Chalmers leans over the dispatch box and points at Scott Morrison: “I’m saying you should sack him sunshine.”

Chalmers says Morrison first stole Malcolm Turnbull’s job, and now he’s “stealing his jokes”.

If you are just tuning in, and this makes absolutely no sense at all, see my post a couple of minutes ago: Morrison was using Turnbull’s attack lines against Bill Shorten.

The vote on the suspension is happening now. I can only see Andrew Wilkie and Adam Bandt of the crossbenchers. They are voting with Labor.

Updated

The division has been called in the House.

Scott Morrison winds up his contribution this way.

Labor can’t be trusted to make Australia stronger. They will only make Australia weaker.

Updated

Scott Morrison declares Labor is “hopelessly divided” on the issues Australians care about.

The government has been attempting to make that line stick throughout question time. Hopelessly divided.

Government MPs are back in the chamber to hear the prime minister battle out the suspension. But they aren’t very animated.

This isn’t the note that the parliamentary week was supposed to end on.

Updated

Scott Morrison has risen to respond to the suspension. The prime minister responds in kind.

This is a leader of the Labor party who has been sucking up around the Melbourne elite all of his life as he sought to climb up the greasy pole, over one body and another, as he’s sought to destroy them all as members opposite know only too well.”

There is a ghost of Malcolm Turnbull in the chamber. These were the former prime minister’s lines.

Updated

Bill Shorten at the dispatch box: “I start this speech with the following words: Hockey owes me. That tells you everything you need to know about this government. Somebody owes a Liberal donor, so they get a meeting. A Liberal minister owes their mates who run a small private foundation, so they get $500m. A Liberal minister owes a chum who gets a juicy contract. The Liberals owe the big banks big time, so they vote against a royal commission 26 times.

“This is a Liberal government of their donors, by the donors, for the donors.”

This language is lethal in the current political climate, should that fact not be obvious to folks listening on at home.

One set of rules for politicians, another rule for everyone else.

The prime minister is preparing his speech, conversing periodically with Kelly O’Dwyer.

Updated

Penny Wong asks if either Frances Adamson or Daniel Sloper are aware of any concerns within Dfat or the commonwealth more generally about Joe Hockey’s actions.

They answer no.

Updated

And ... here’s the suspension of the standing orders.

Bill Shorten opens with a broader travel question. The Speaker, Tony Smith, advises the deputy prime minister to “stop bellowing” so the question might be heard.

Shorten asks: “In the last financial year, this government spent more than $600 million of taxpayer money on travel. Can the prime minister confirm that minister Cormann abolished the government travel panel, made it compulsory for all government travel to be booked through Helloworld companies, and moved a senior public servant because Helloworld thought he was driving too hard a bargain. Why hasn’t the prime minister recalled ambassador Hockey and sacked minister Cormann?”

The prime minister doesn’t take the question. Labor points out this failure to respond is a bit, well ... naff.

Smith says that’s procedure folks, let’s keep moving.

Christopher Pyne says Hockey hasn’t been recalled because he is “doing a darn good job”.

Updated

And just further to Murph’s posts about what Frances Adamson said during estimates about the Helloworld stuff, it included this quote:

There are whole range of things you have raised today I think we need to think about and we need to provide answers to you. I’m not in a position now to say that in all respects those actions have met the standards.”

Updated

I have just been reminded that a little earlier Dfat said Joe Hockey was on a flight.

I hope it has wifi!

Updated

Penny Wong takes over.

“Just to be specific,” she says.

No one moves and everyone stays silent.

“I’m sorry. I just meant I was going to specific questions. What did you think I said,” she asks.

“Just stay there,” a Dfat official answered.

“No one moved, senator.”

Updated

And for the record, Christian Porter has just issued this statement:

In an interview this morning I was asked about reports concerning travel company QBT and I indicated that they had not been successful in a tender for government travel.

Clearly, I had conflated recent publicity concerning AOT and its success in securing a whole-of-government travel contract with a separate Dfat contract. I am advised that the Dfat contract has not been settled.”

Updated

Jim Chalmers asks, back in question time: has anyone declared an interest with Helloworld with the prime minister this week?

He wonders whether there might be a rush to update the pecuniary interest register once parliament rises?

The prime minister takes that one. “I’m not aware of any,” Scott Morrison says, noting if there are new declarations they will be made in the normal way.

He says he will update the House “if there is anything further to add”.

Updated

Kimberley Kitching has taken over questioning in Dfat estimates.

She is asking whether Dfat knows whether Joe Hockey has hosted the South Australian premier, Steven Marshall, as after the change of government SA moved it’s government travel to Helloworld.

The question is taken on notice.

Kitching also points out that Helloworld’s motto is “We have the right people in the right places”, with a very Kitching smile.

Updated

Labor is back with comments from the attorney general, Christian Porter, in one of his thousands of interviews this morning. Porter suggested the tender in question was complete.

That isn’t right, it’s ongoing. (I confess I missed this when Porter said it.)

Labor’s Jim Chalmers wonders if the government has been following the progress of a tender which is supposed to be conducted at arm’s length?

Porter says he made a mistake: “It was just an error. I have no knowledge about the contract.”

Updated

And it must be remembered that the Helloworld story started with Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker from the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age reporting on Mathias Cormann having “no idea” he hadn’t been charged for his family’s flights to Singapore.

That led to Cormann admitting that he booked at least three trips directly from the Liberal party treasurer, donor and Helloworld boss, Andrew Burne.

And, just a few days later, here we are.

Updated

It’s just before 11pm in Washington.

I can’t imagine Joe Hockey is getting much rest though.

Marise Payne has just “clarified” that the attorney general, Christian Porter, got the answer wrong when he said he understood the travel tender process involving Helloworld had finished.

Updated

In the midst of this, Jason Wood has released this report. From the release:

A parliamentary inquiry has found evidence of loopholes in migration law which enable electronic travel authority (ETA) (subclass 601) visa holders to exploit Australia’s immigration system and unscrupulous individuals providing unregistered immigration advice, unlawful registered migration agents and education agents are exploiting visa applicants.

Mr Wood said the committee has heard that a percentage of Malaysian nationals are using travel visas as a gateway to circumvent Australia’s immigration system and enter and stay in Australia and obtain work by applying for a protection visa.

‘This represents an orchestrated scam that provides protection visa applicants the right to work in Australia until their claims are finalised,’ Mr Wood said.

‘This process has taken up to eight years in some cases and has cost the Australian taxpayer over $46 million in the last three years.’

The report recommends fast-tracking the process for electronic travel authority (ETA) (subclass 601) visa holders who have lodged a protection visa application.

Chair of the joint standing committee on migration, Jason Wood MP, stated that evidence from the inquiry also found that some individuals have been left substantially out of pocket after being exploited by either unregistered or registered migration agents or education agents.

‘While the majority of registered migration agents and education agents are diligent, knowledgeable, hardworking and competent and provide outstanding service, there are individuals in these industries that take advantage of vulnerable consumers,’ Mr Wood said.

‘Victims of unscrupulous and unlawful migration or education agents are left with very few options for taking action and are unable to seek recompense. The relevant authorities face multiple challenges in detecting, deterring, disrupting, investigating and prosecuting cases.’

The final report of the inquiry into the regulation of migration agents, tabled in the House of Representatives today recommends establishing an immigration assistance complaints commissioner with broad regulatory powers over the migration and education agent industry.

The full report can be found on the committee’s website: www.aph.gov.au/mig

Updated

Labor tracks back to the evidence from Frances Adamson, the secretary of Dfat, pointing out that her endorsement of Joe Hockey’s behaviour was not unqualified during this morning’s appearance. (That’s correct, it wasn’t.)

Scott Morrison again declines to answer. Christopher Pyne repeats what he said earlier about proper process in relation to “Hollow World”, which prompts an eruption of laughter on the other side.

Updated

The Dfat committee is now discussing China.

Labor is back with Helloworld. Why did the prime minister withhold the critical fact yesterday that Hockey attended the meeting in person to discuss the embassy’s travel arrangements?

Christopher Pyne has a point of order: this question is in breach of the standing orders.

Speaker Tony Smith says he respectfully disagrees with this opinion. He calls the leader of the House on behalf of the prime minister.

Scott Morrison has not answered one of these questions. Not one. They have all been directed to the prime minister.

Pyne says: “As has been pointed out yesterday, and as I pointed out again today, the Australian embassy staff meeting with QBT on 26 April 2017, which is the meeting in question, was not in relation to the tender process.”

So the question isn’t answered.

Updated

Labor is persisting with Helloworld, and the evidence given by Dfat officials this morning. Can the prime minister confirm officials were unaware before the meeting that Joe Hockey had a major shareholding in Helloworld, and not told about the conflict of interest until after the meeting?

Christopher Pyne hides behind the secretary of Dfat, Frances Adamson.

“Mr Speaker, I can confirm that the secretary of Dfat said the actions Mr Hockey undertook in declaring his conflict of interest are entirely appropriate.”

Updated

The committee has moved on to Rex Patrick asking Dfat questions about Julian Assange.

I’ll spare you the deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, because I’m reasonably confident you don’t need to know.

Labor is back with Hockey: can the prime minister confirm Hockey set up a meeting with a company he has shareholding in (worth over a million) because, in the words of the Helloworld boss, the ambassador “owes him”.

A sharp reflection follows from Labor’s finance spokesman, Jim Chalmers, on Hockey’s professionalism.

Christopher Pyne says Joe Hockey is a “great Australian”.

We are back to the bottom drawer, and Labor waiting until its “political fortunes dipped” before springing this story out of the bottom drawer.

“The Australian people are not stupid,” Pyne notes. “They can sort their way through the Canberra bubble.”

There’s a flourish on Labor being weak on border protection.

Updated

Also worth noting – Christian Porter this morning was asked about the travel tender while chatting to the ABC Breakfast show.

He answered:

Well I understand that they were unsuccessful in that tender.”

Dfat, as part of estimates, has confirmed the tender process is ongoing and is only known to a small number of officials within the department.

Updated

The second question from Labor is very tight. What is the prime minister’s response to “Hockey owes me”?

The leader of the House, Christopher Pyne, answers the question, not Scott Morrison. There is some confusion from the Speaker about why Pyne is answering. Pyne, as he does, ploughs on.

“The Labor party is trying to smear Joe Hockey,” Pyne says. Pyne says Hockey has “nothing to do with the outcome of the decision-making process in the tender, which is actually ongoing. It has not been completed with, and the decision-maker is the Dfat chief financial officer.

Pyne says Labor is clutching at straws. There’s an observation about over-egging the omelette.

At this point the Speaker suggests he is being “irrelevant to the question”.

Updated

For those who couldn’t see it on the tweet, here is the text of the email Penny Wong was just reading from:

My name is Russell Carstensen. I’ve been advised by a friend that my name was mentioned in the Senate’s estimate committee today.

I’ve just have had a chance to watch the committee and I felt that the context of my meeting with ambassador Hockey needed clarification.

I’m no longer working for Helloworld nor have any financial or investment connection with Helloworld. I left the company officially in August last year. I was group general manager of QBT (and APX, New Zealand’s equivalent of QBT). I ran that business when QBT won the WoAG travel tender. This was before the merger of AOT and Helloworld in around 2015/6.

After that merger I reported directly to Andrew Burnes who was the major shareholder and CEO of the new group. The AOT WoAG hotel corporate business was put under my control just before I left the business and I was involved with last year’s AOT tender WoAG strategy meetings but none of the meeting with WoAG.

Early 2017 Andrew Burnes advised me that his long-term friend Mr Hockey was frustrated that his travel arrangements were unprofessional and with limited hours of operations. I could understand this would be a frustration in that position.

Mr Burnes told me that he was going to arrange a meeting with Mr Hockey and me at some point in the first half of 2017.

As we had the Dfat contract via the Australian WoAG deed I assumed that there could be an extension done to cover all Australian embassies worldwide. I found out later that they weren’t covered in any way in the deed.

My relationship with the Department of Finances WoAG travel team has always been professional, transparent, trusting and friendly but with proper governance processes in place that were never crossed. They are hardworking, honest and extremely dedicated to ensure that the Australian taxpayer gets full value for money. QBT provided excellent travel services to the Australian federal government.

Around the date of 23 April 2017 I was in Europe on personal leave and some business and was planning to fly directly home to Melbourne when I was contacted by Mr Burnes via email/SMS and voice call to tell me he had arranged a meeting with Mr Hockey and I had to fly home via Washington to meet with him.

I asked Mr Burnes how could this be done so quickly. He verbally advised me, ‘Hockey owes me.’ I found that ‘owes me’ comment strange in the circumstances, but it’s not an unusual term from Mr Burnes when talking about his business relationships. I knew Mr Burnes and Mrs Burnes have had a long-term friendship with Mr Hockey and his family.

As all my emails and meeting notes were handed back to Helloworld on my departure from the business I haven’t got all the exact times or dates, but from memory which does serve me well.

I emailed Mr Hockey directly via his government email address saying that Mr Burnes has told me he [Mr Hockey] was ready to see me in Washington. Mr Hockey’s assistant contacted me and arranged a meeting on at 10.30am on 26 April in the Australian embassy in Washington.

Ambassador Hockey, a Mr McPhillips and a Mr Richards were in attendance.

We spoke for about an hour and was provided with Mr Hockey’s travel frustrations, which I totally understood.

After the meeting I left without any further communication until I returned to Australia and debriefed Mr Burnes on the meeting.

I advised him that the embassy business would have to go to tender but there was a excellent opportunity to get that business, especially that wanted [sic] and to hub the America’s travel out of Washington as discussed.

At the time Helloworld was looking at buying a corporate business in the USA, one based in the Washington area. I told Mr Hockey this.

On my return I emailed Mr Hockey directly to his embassy email address and gave him the corporate travel options in detail. I assume these details could have been used at a basis of the tender requirements if a tender came up.

I sent a copy of that email to Mr Burnes. I also advised WoAG Travel I met Mr Hockey.

The feedback from the WoAG Travel team was that they were uncomfortable with the meeting. I decided then that I would not follow up with Mr Hockey.

I was advised later in a conversation that ‘people’ in Dfat were uncomfortable that Mr Hockey met me and that he was a shareholder of Helloworld.

If I remember correctly I did not know at the time of the meeting in Washington that he was a shareholder.

Yours sincerely

Russell Carstensen

Updated

Labor has opened question time with the evidence in Senate estimates about Helloworld, specifically about “Hockey owes me”.

Scott Morrison says he refers to the statement the company made to the ASX.

He says Hockey did not discuss the tender with the company. We are then back to the bubble and the preoccupations of the Canberra bubble, and the bottom drawer. Labor has had this story in its bottom drawer for ages, the prime minister says, so why only bring this up now? Then we are on to Labor’s general arrogance.

“Hockey owes me” is left to hang, friendless, in the air.

Updated

“Hockey owes me.

“I find that ‘owes me’ comment strange in the circumstances,” Penny Wong says to break the silence.

It continues.

“Still all good?” Wong asks wryly, her eyebrow at peak arch.

“No comment from the minister?”

More silence.

“Well senator, you are reading an email from a third party” Marise Payne starts.

“Yeah,” Wong says.

Who claims that a meeting which was a pitch meeting and I will put to you a reasonable descriptor, given both this email and the emails Dfat has now provided, a pitch email from a company in which the ambassador has a financial interest, arranged at short notice by a bloke who claims the ambassador owes him. Does anybody consider that to be a problem? I suspect the Australian people do, but does anybody at the table consider that to be a problem?”

Payne responds.

“Senator, the language that you are using is, as I have said, as I tried to say, is contained in an email from a third party, which we have no opportunity to verify with those about who it is written. So you, I presume, will continue to read it into the record and we are in the position of not being able to seek a response on any of the assertions contained [and is made] in these emails. It does put the department and senior officials at a disadvantage.”

Updated

Russell Carstensen no longer works for Helloworld.

"Hockey owes me"

Penny Wong has receipts. And she is not afraid to deploy them.

She has just read out from an email from Russell Carstensen. Joe Hockey has not seen this email.

“Mr Carstensen says he was in Europe on the 23rd of April on personal leave and was going to go straight from Europe to Melbourne, where he lives, apparently, when he was contacted by Mr Burnes by email and sms and voice call, ‘to tell me he had arranged a meeting with Mr Hockey and I had to fly home via Washington to meet with him’.

“I asked Mr Burnes how this could be done so quickly and he verbally advised, ‘Hockey owes me.’

There is silence in response to this. Beats and beats of silence.

Updated

Right, Penny Wong is back in Dfat estimates. There are emails.

So we are going to cover the next hour a little differently. Murph is going into the chamber and cover question time for me, and I am going to stay and cover the committee.

Updated

It is almost question time.

Hello world, this is me ...

Updated

Gai Brodtmann says she decided to leave politics to give her “heart and soul” to her family and friends.

Her mother turned 80 and some friends died recently, too young, and she said it has given her perspective on what is really important in life. She has dedicated a lot of her speech to her staff, colleagues, friends and family, including her husband, Nine’s political editor, Chris Uhlmann, who is watching from the press gallery, thanking them for their support.

Updated

Gai Brodtmann picks up on a common theme which has run through the valedictories lately no matter what side: people have lost trust in the democratic institutions and politicians.

She says not enough attention is placed on the behaviour of parliamentarians. She says the contest doesn’t have to be personal, and it doesn’t need to be “a bloodsport”.

She asks that in her final days the contest focuses on policy, not personality. It gets a round of applause from the public gallery.

Updated

Gai Brodtmann is delivering her valedictory speech to the chamber.

She was first elected to the seat of Canberra (to be known as Bean after the next election) in 2010, but announced in August she planned to retire from parliament at the next poll for personal reasons.

Updated

Peter Dutton has introduced legislation to stop foreign fighters, mostly to address the issue of those people who left Australia to fight in Syria for the Islamic State.

From his release:

The home affairs minister said temporary exclusion orders, announced with the prime minister on 22 November 2018, recognise the need to control the return and re-entry of foreign fighters and other Australians of counter-terrorism interest.

“It is vital for our national security that we deal with Australians who travelled to the conflict zone in Iraq and Syria as far from our shores as possible.

“Australians who are involved in supporting terrorism, and who may have fought with terrorists in Syria or Iraq, pose a significant threat, especially since the military collapse of [Isis].

“That’s why we’re introducing temporary exclusion orders which would prevent Australians involved in terrorism overseas from legally returning to Australia for up to two years.

“The ... orders allow law enforcement and national security agencies to delay, and then monitor and control the return to our community of these people.”

The orders, based on the UK regime of the same name, can prevent a person from obtaining an Australian passport.

Under the legislation, the minister can make an order on a person if they suspect on reasonable grounds that the order would prevent a terrorist act, support for a terrorist act, training with a terrorist organisation or support for a terrorist organisation.

A person subject to an order can only return legally to Australia through a return permit issued by the minister, for example, for deportation to Australia by a foreign country.

“The return permit can specify the conditions under which the person returns to Australia, such as date of return, specific flights and security arrangements, to further manage any potential threat,” he said.

Updated

Tony Smith’s statement to the House on Tim Wilson has been published on the live minutes.

You can find the whole thing here but these paragraphs sum it up:

I appreciate the concerns that may have been raised by the actions of the member for Goldstein and the actions could be seen to have caused damage to the committee’s reputation and the reputation of the House committee system more generally. However, I do not believe that evidence has been presented to demonstrate that the member for Goldstein’s actions have prevented the committee in a fundamental way from continuing to fulfil its basic responsibilities in relation to its inquiry work. I therefore do not propose to give precedence to a motion to refer the matter to the committee of privileges and members’ interests.

As I have noted, while I do not believe the actions of the member for Goldstein meet the test set out in section 4 of the Privileges Act, I believe his actions have not always conformed with what I see as the conventions usually observed by chairs of House committees and the practice of House committees. The particular matters I would mention include:

• having a private website ‘authorised by’, and with the badging of, the chair of the committee, which appeared to solicit submissions and attendees at public hearings from just one perspective; and

• apparently arranging for a public hearing of the committee to coincide with the meeting of a group with an active interest in the committee’s inquiry, including with the possible intention to engage in protest activity at the hearing.

As members would be aware, it is quite properly the role of the committee secretariat to seek submissions to inquiries and make arrangements for public hearings on behalf of a committee, and committee members and other interested parties should be able to expect that these arrangements will be made without influence or interference.

Inevitably political views influence some of the inquiries that committees conduct, but this shouldn’t mean that committees would not approach their task open to the evidence which may be presented and with clear and proper processes. In this case, although I am satisfied there has been the potential for interference with evidence given to the committee, I have not been provided with material to demonstrate any interference has unduly prevented the committee from performing its work. If there is such evidence, for example from members of the committee itself, I would be happy to consider the matter further.

Updated

Meanwhile

Department of Social Services staff have been asked some tricky questions about a new report into the cashless debit card that was released today by the minister, Paul Fletcher.

Fletcher suggested this morning that the University of Adelaide report had shown positive “observable impacts” on alcohol and drug misuse, child welfare, crime and domestic violence.

“Researchers got out on the ground in the Goldfields in Western Australia and spoke directly to stakeholder groups and card users,” he said.

“They asked people structured questions about school attendance, financial stress and management of money, alcohol and drug use and health and wellbeing.”

But the Greens senator Rachel Siewert has questioned its value, saying the report had asked people their perceptions of changes in the community rather than measuring outcomes.

Bureaucrats stressed the report was independent but were forced to confirm the department had essentially approved the methodology used in the report, which cost $550,000.

Researchers interviewed 66 stakeholders and 64 of a total of 2,995 card users.

Evidence around the effectiveness of the card – which quarantines a person’s income support for use on staples – is already a point of contention. A previous study cited by the government to laud the scheme was strongly criticised by the auditor general.

The card was recently expanded to cover the Hinkler electorate in north Queensland.

Updated

Cutting to the chase in all of that, it seems that not every clause in the medical evacuation bill does link to existing provisions in the Migration Act.

That seems to be it.

It may or may not be valid. This is what the AG is saying the government legal advice says, but because we haven’t seen the whole advice we have no idea if there were any caveats.

And, as we learnt last week, caveats to legal advice (like, I don’t know, ultimately the parliament can decide whether or not it cared about the constitutionality) can be important.

And there are about 1,200 people who have been transferred to the mainland for medical treatment and just 282 have been sent back, and that was before 2015. Since then, the overwhelming majority have stayed and are the subject of legal challenges, suggesting that the law as it already stands can be legally challenged.

And one more “and”: the bill hasn’t received royal assent yet. Which means it is not technically even the law.

Updated

This is how the government said it worked before the medical evacuation bill:

How did the return of medical transferees work before medevac?

Before the medevac laws passed, the minister had a discretionary power to transfer a person to Australia for medical reasons, or for some other temporary purpose.

o This power is set out in section 198B of the Migration Act 1958.

Once in Australia, the person is held in immigration detention.

o This power is in sections 189 and 196 of the Migration Act.

Once it is no longer necessary for a person to be in Australia, the Migration Act provides the minister with the power to remove the person from Australia (under sections 198 of the Migration Act) or to take them to Nauru or Papua New Guinea (in sections 198AH and 198AD).

The requirement to return a person to a regional processing country and the power to achieve this are contained in section 198AD.

But the power to return a person to a regional processing country under section 198AD only applies to the specific categories of “transitory person” set out in section 198AH.

The categories of “transitory person” set out in section 198AH do not include a person transferred under Labor’s new medevac section 198C.

Section 198(1A) also makes clear that an officer must remove a person from Australia if:

o they were transferred to Australia for a temporary purpose under the discretionary power in s 198B of the Migration Act; and

o the person no longer needs to be in Australia for that purpose.

Again, section 198(1A) simply does not apply to people transferred under Labor’s new medevac provisions.

Updated

And that summary of the legal advice:

AGS advice: problems with the return of transferees

The laws passed by Labor and the Greens add a new provision, section 198C to the Migration Act. That provision requires the transfer of a person to Australia if two doctors agree. It is a separate regime to the existing discretionary transfer power in section 198B.

There is an existing, specific and comprehensive regime for the return of a person to a regional processing country where they were brought to Australia under the minister’s existing discretionary power in section 198B.

Labor’s new mandatory transfer regime – section 198C – does not link to the existing provisions in the act (198AD and 198AH) that give the minister the power to return transferees to Manus and Nauru.

The government has not yet identified any other power in the Migration Act allowing the return of medevac transferees to Nauru or Manus. It is exploring all legislative and non-legislative options to fix this problem.

Updated

Christian Porter’s office has released the summarised legal advice on the medical evacuation bill. From the AG’s release:

“Labor’s rushed border security legislation now means that there may be no power to return people to Manus or Nauru once they have arrived in Australia.

“This is what happens when Bill Shorten and Labor play politics with national security and border protection.

“The Australian government solicitor’s office has advised that Labor’s amendment fails to include, or link to, sections of the Migration Act which provide the legal authority to return people brought to Australia under Labor’s bill once they have completed medical assessment or treatment.

“This means anyone brought to Australia could remain in indefinite detention on Christmas Island.

“Labor’s bill specifically requires anyone brought from Manus and Nauru to be held in immigration detention. This means even those outside of detention on Manus and Nauru who are brought to Australia under Labor’s bill would be required, under Labor’s law to be held in detention indefinitely.

“This is the direct consequence of Labor’s politicised and rushed legislation which passed through the House last week with the support of the Greens and crossbenchers.”

The Attorney-General said it would not be appropriate to release the AGS advice. However, he provided the summary.

“The focus of the government now is cleaning up Labor’s mess,” he said.

“We are currently considering options to address this issue – both legislative and non-legislative.

“I can assure everyone that the focus of the government is making sure we do everything we can to keep Australia’s borders safe.”

Updated

Australia’s embassy in China has been denied access to the Chinese province of Xinjiang amid a security crackdown on Uighur people and claims of human rights abuses.

“Access has not been granted,” a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade official, Graham Fletcher, said.

The department told a Senate estimates hearing that the last time embassy staff visited was June 2016. The Guardian reported last week 17 Australian residents are believed to be under house arrest, or detained in secretive “re-education” centres.

Fletcher was unable to confirm the figures.

He said the department was aware of cases of people who had not been in contact with their family members in Australia.

“We don’t know of any Australian residents who have been detained,” he said.

“As part of China’s program of what it regards as dealing with a serious extremism problem in Xinjiang, it seems to be discouraging contact between residents of Xinjiang and relatives abroad.”

He said the department is therefore not confident a loss of contact means people are in detention.

Fletcher maintained Australia had discussed granting independent media access to the province with the Chinese embassy in Canberra and had made representations to Beijing over the situation in Xinjiang.

Updated

Mike Bowers caught this interaction, which followed Tony Smith’s announcement that he would not be referring Tim Wilson to the privileges committee.

Craig Kelly and Tim Wilson leave the House of Representatives this morning.
Craig Kelly and Tim Wilson leave the House of Representatives this morning. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

It’s labour force figure day – unemployment remained steady at 5.1%.

Updated

The social services department is providing an update on the national redress scheme for people who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse.

It says there have been 2,728 applications and 51 payments so far. No applications have been rejected. It has been estimated 60,000 survivors could be eligible.

The average payment was $79,000. Fewer than 10 payments were between $100,000 and $150,000, and 34 were between $50,000 and $100,000. For payments up to $50,000 the figure was 14.

The department secretary, Kathryn Campbell, told senator Derryn Hinch the department was sending letters today to institutions that had not signed up to the scheme.

Updated

There are two kinds of people following this Helloworld stuff right now.

Those who have The Saddle Club theme song stuck in their head.

And those who do not.

Hello world, this is me ...

Updated

Cathy McGowan has entered amendments to the government’s future drought fund bill.

She tells us that while she supported the spirit of the bill, she doesn’t believe it quite got there in actuality:

“I feel the bill was rushed out to meet the drought summit timeline. It’s loosely drafted and does not represent good governance.

“The amendments I move today will ensure that the operation of this fund is more transparent, the minister is accountable to the parliament for expenditure, and good governance and proper process are followed.

“The amendments pick up the concerns raised by the scrutiny of bills committee, by the Senate committee inquiry into the bill, and include improvements suggested by the National Farmers Federation.”

Updated

And a bit more from Penny Wong’s questioning of Daniel Sloper:

Penny Wong: Oh right. Do you have notes from that meeting?

Daniel Sloper: I don’t.

PW: What did he say to you?

DS: I asked him whether he had declared his interest because the embassy had also told me that. He confirmed he had.

PW: Did he tell you how?

DS: He said orally to his staff.

PW: When?

DS: Before the meeting.

PW: How long before the meeting?

DS: I didn’t ask him that question.

PW: And you didn’t ask him whether that was advised prior to the meeting being established?

DS: No. I asked what was the sequence of events. He was approached by QBT. The staff were asked to arrange a meeting. Ahead of that meeting he declared his interest.

PW: Did you ask him why he arranged the meeting?

DS: Because he was approached by a government travel provider.

PW: Did you hear what I asked you?

DS: I asked and that was his answer.

PW: Did you ask whether any other travel providers had approached him?

DS: I didn’t ask that, no.

Updated

On the argument that the medical evacuation bill is open to legal challenge and potentially prevents the return of any medical evacuee to Nauru or Manus, as Murph and we have been pointing out this week, the law as it stands is already open to legal challenge and people are not being returned.

How do we know that? Senate estimates.

Updated

The foreign minister, Marise Payne, is the minister at the table with Dfat officials. Payne reminds Wong that Helloworld issued a statement to the Australian stock exchange, which a company would not do lightly.

The statement said:

At no time has ambassador Hockey or Helloworld CEO Andrew Burnes discussed the Dfat tender and neither Mr Hockey nor Mr Burnes have had any involvement in the tender process.

Mr Burnes did not request the meeting with Dfat personnel in the United States. At all times Helloworld and Mr Burnes have acted properly in the tender process.

Wong bats it back to Payne. She makes clear the distinction that Dfat officials are dancing around. That is the difference between the official tender process and the pitch leading up to it.

Wong: “[Helloworld] were careful words about tenders … whereas we were talking about a pitch meeting.

“What they haven’t talked about … is that Mr Hockey was in the meeting. That was conveniently left out.”

So you have the pitch leading up to the tender. Wong says she is trying to get around the “lawyerly” use of words – that is the 26 April meeting was not talking about the tender so nothing to see here.

This is something the prime minister said in QT yesterday.

“I can advise the Australian embassy staff meeting ... on 26 April 2017, I’m advised, was not in relation to the tender process,” Morrison said.

The train is rumbling towards the destination.

Updated

The exchange between Penny Wong and Daniel Sloper over how that Joe Hockey Helloworld meeting was arranged went like this.

This is important because as Gabrielle Chan reported yesterday:

Scott Morrison has denied reports the US ambassador Joe Hockey instructed staff to meet with Helloworld subsidiary QBT before it lobbied for government work.

The prime minister also told parliament that Hockey, a former Liberal treasurer and one of the 20 largest shareholders in the company, had declared his interest ahead of an embassy meeting, though it was not about the travel service tender process.

“I can advise the Australian embassy staff meeting ... on 26 April 2017, I’m advised, was not in relation to the tender process.

“QBT was then, and continues to be, a travel agency for [the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] through a whole-of-government supply arrangement. Mr Joe Hockey declared his interest in Helloworld to embassy staff ahead of the meeting.

“I’m advised embassy staff did not meet QBT or other staff in relation to the tender and embassy staff have met and corresponded with a whole range of travel providers to discuss the embassy’s travel requirements.”

Penny Wong: There is a possibility of saying to the person “I have got a financial interest in you and you will have to approach the embassy separately” that’s the possibility isn’t it? “I am one of your top 20 shareholders it is not a good look for me to be asking people who report to me to meet with you. You’ll have to approach them separately or approach the DHOM”. That would’ve been the option, wouldn’t it?

Daniel Sloper: That certainly is an option but it did not occur.

PW: He didn’t choose to do that. He chose to be in the meeting? He chose to be in the meeting?

DS: He was one of the participants in the meeting, yes.

PW: You said they meet with people all the time? Right? I think that was your evidence, that they meet with travel providers all the time?

DS: Yes.

PW: Which other meetings had Mr Hockey been in?

DS: Mr Hockey, as ambassador, meets with …

PW: No, no. Don’t give me a general answer fob-off. Has Mr Hockey been in any other meetings with other competitors or travel providers apart from the Helloworld group?

DS: Senator, if I can make a few points. I’m not familiar with which companies are in the tender process because it is still at foot and I’ve been involved with that, so I can’t go to whether he has been involved with that. As ambassador he has met – and I’ll make a general statement then I’ll come back to the specific – with a whole range of travel providers, travel industry providers, car hire, hotels and so on through his role. Independently of that the mission also meets with travel providers.

PW: Does anybody else have meetings? I just want to know does somebody else have a meeting within 48 hours when they email him out of the blue?

DS: I don’t have that information available, but I expect somebody else would be meeting at various rates according to the schedule of the ambassador and other commitments within the embassy.

PW: But you don’t know that, you’re just saying that?

DS: I don’t have access to all the calendar entries.

Updated

The speaker, Tony Smith, has given a ruling on Labor’s attempt to refer Tim Wilson’s handlingof the franking credits inquiry to the privilege’s committee.

Smith summarised the main thrusts of the complaint as “the apparent organising of public hearing at certain place and time at behest of a person with vested interest” (Geoff Wilson); and the “authorisation of a website as chair of committee through which members of the public could lodge submissions and register to attend hearings ... by agreeing to register for a petition” opposing Labor’s policy.

Smith:“I appreciate the concerns that may have been raised by the actions of the member Goldstein [Tim Wilson] and how the actions could be seen to cause damage to the committee’s reputation and the reputation of the house committee system more generally.”

But Smith said the evidence was not sufficient to demonstrate an interference that would “prevent the committee in a fundamental way from fulfilling its basic responsibilities in relation to its inquiry work”. Smith therefore refused to give precedence to a motion to refer Wilson.

But he made further criticisms of Tim Wilson:

“Whilst I do not believe the actions of [Tim Wilson] meet the test in section 4 of the Privileges Act, I believe they have not always conformed with what I see as the conventions usually observed by chairs of house committees … including having a private website authorised by and with badging of the chair which appeared to solicit submissions and attendees from just one perspective.”

He also warned that “handing out of party political material should not be tolerated by chairs” at committee meetings.

Smith said he is prepared to reopen the matter if there is “evidence the committee was unduly prevented from doing its work”, such as evidence from committee members.

The manager of opposition business Tony Burke said he would make inquiries of committee members. So I’d say this isn’t necessarily the end of the matter.

Tim Wilson thanked Smith for his “fair consideration” of the matter, and said the objective of the inquiry was always to “maximise the participation of the Australian people into their parliament”.

Wilson noted that Australians can make submissions on the APH website and anyone can attend hearings.

It is only 7.30pm in Washington right now. Some of these questions Dfat don’t have the answer to, could be answered with a phone call, is what I’m saying.

Joe Hockey requested meeting, estimates told

Greetings blergworld,

Penny Wong and her eyebrow have been forensically questioning Dfat officials on US ambassador Joe Hockey’s role in the travel arrangements of the Washington embassy.

This relates to the story running all this week regarding the links by senior Liberals to travel company Helloworld.

The prime minister yesterday defended Hockey, saying he had not requested the meeting between Helloworld subsidiary QBT and officials in Australia’s Washington embassy regarding their travel arrangments.

We have heard in estimates this morning that Hockey – one of the top 20 biggest shareholders in Helloworld – got a call from said Dfat officials yesterday as they tried to work out how this all unfolded.

Dfat officer Daniel Sloper was questioned by Wong about what Hockey told him yesterday.

Sloper said he asked Hockey asked whether he declared his interest and Hockey said he had.

Hockey had declared his interest orally to his staff, said Sloper.

Sloper confirmed the chronology:

“(Hockey) was approached by QBT,

“The staff were asked to arrange a meeting, ahead of that meeting, he declared his interest.”

Wong: Did you ask him why he arranged the meeting?

Sloper: Because he was approached by a government travel provider.

Updated

Estimates: a visual story.

Penny Wong holds her hands over her eyes
Yup. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Wong with her hand over her mouth
Tfw you question every decision which has led you to this moment in time. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Wong looks upwards
For the love of Beyoncé. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Wong looking pensive
So many questions. So little answers. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Tim Wilson will not be referred to the privileges committee over his conduct as chair of the committee looking into franking credits, the Speaker, Tony Smith, says.

But he does give a small rap over the knuckles with his ruling, saying he understands why the referral request came his way, saying the MP’s actions have “not always conformed” to the usual conventions committee chairs observe.

Updated

Speaking to RN this morning, Mark Dreyfus said he can’t see an issue with the medical evacuation bill preventing transfers back:

The bill that was passed by parliament has very clear language. About temporary transfers. It is very hard to see, on a legal basis, how we have a problem here. The second thing is the government has no credibility left when it comes to faithfully representing the advice it has received.

The director general of Asio said the advice from his agency was misrepresented and would cause damage to the standing of Asio. Just last week the same attorney general misrepresented advice from the solicitor general about the constitutionality of this bill when he tried to stop the Speaker from letting this bill go through the parliament.

He asked the Speaker not to give the advice of the solicitor general to the public or the parliament and, wisely, the Speaker refused.

Then we learned the solicitor general had made a whole lot of qualifications and reservations. He needs to release this advice today and stop misrepresenting advice and stop misrepresenting the law.

Now, we have one day left of government in this part-time parliament, we are not sitting again until April 2nd, but that’s the government’s fault, it doesn’t want the parliament to sit.

Instead of this desperate, misrepresenting behaviour that Mr Porter is engaging in, why not approach the parliament and do the work of the government and get the other members of parliament to do the work of parliament, which is absolutely routine? My point is, this is a part-time parliament and it is of the government’s own making that there is a problem here.

But we’ve got a day, and if the government approaches us now and releases the advice and tells us what the problem is, of course we will work with the government.

Updated

The royal commission into the aged care sector is set to hit the road in March.

It has announced community forums in Bankstown, NSW, on 1 March and in Bendigo, Victoria on 5 March.

The commissioner, Lynelle Briggs, will be at the forums. Some people will be given the chance to make statements. Attendees need to RSVP by 27 February.

Other community forums will be announced in coming months.

Updated

The Department of Social Services says it was “not alarmed” by reports that more than 2,000 people had died after receiving a Centrelink debt notice under the scheme critics have labelled “robodebt”.

The department’s secretary, Kathryn Campbell, said she had seen the statistics and noted the comments of the human services minister, Michael Keenan, who said the death rate among letter recipients was lower than the overall death rate among Centrelink customers.

It is not clear whether the figure quoted by the minister includes those on the age pension.

Asked about the reports by the Greens senator Rachel Siewert, Campbell said: “We were not alarmed, we did not see a causal factor.”

The data showed 2,030 people died after they were sent a debt notice. About 430 of those who died were between the ages of 16 and 35, while 663 were classed as “vulnerable” by Centrelink.

The average length of time between the person’s last letter and their death was 222 days.

Updated

The independent MP Bob Katter just tried to suspend standing orders to move a motion criticising the Nationals for deregulating the dairy industry.

The motion notes that since deregulation farmers’ income has dropped from 59 cents a litre to 41 cents. It notes that both Labor and the LNP oppose arbitration (to set prices).

The attempt to suspend standing orders fails 72 votes to 68.

Updated

Senate estimates has heard that more than two-thirds of disability support pension claims were rejected last financial year.

Department of Social Services officials said there 104,000 DSP claims in 2017-18, with 73,000 of those claims unsuccessful.

Officials maintained that the success rate has been steady over the past few years. It has become increasingly difficult for people to access the payment owing to the tightening of requirements over a number of years.

On Tuesday estimates heard there had been a 70% increase in DSP appeals to the administrative appeals tribunal.

About 17% of the 676 appeals from claimants to the tribunal were overturned in the first quarter of 2018-19, officials said.

The Greens senator Rachel Siewert raised concerns about the waiting time for DSP applications. But officials said 74% of claims were processed within the 49-day benchmark set by the department.

The auditor general has criticised the department for the way it calculates median times, saying it was “biased”.

Updated

Oh – the motion to suspend standing orders failed.

73 to 68.

Updated

Dfat’s chief people officer, Daniel Sloper, has told Penny Wong he spoke to Joe Hockey about the Helloworld stuff yesterday.

So far, we know that QBT, which is an offshoot of Helloworld, and of which Hockey is a top 20 shareholder, approached the US embassy for a meeting. Hockey asked staff to arrange the meeting in response to that request.

Updated

But obviously none of these laws are of *vital importance*, right?

Updated

Paladin have released another statement, announcing it with this prologue:

This morning I have written to our staff, the Australian Department of Home Affairs and the PNG Government with a statement for public release.

We are very proud of our work and the values, philosophy and integrity of our leaders. In light of recent misleading media coverage that has called this into question, we felt strongly it was important to state our position, experience and values clearly on behalf of the company.

As always our number one priority is the safety, security and wellbeing of all of our staff, the communities in which we operate and the people in our care.

We will not be making any further comment.”

It includes this:

This statement clarifies our relationship with High Risk Security Group (Asia-Pacific) Unipessoal Lda and its related Australian entity HRSG Australasia Pty Ltd (ABN 83 614 059 577) of Level 2, 128-134 Crown Street, Wollongong NSW 2500 (High Risk Group Companies). Neither business is owned, managed or controlled in any way by Paladin, its owners or Directors. We understand there is some confusion in the media around these unrelated entities and any potential bad debts and failed contracts that may be attributed to them.

We further clarify that High Risk Security Group Pty Ltd (ABN 64 144 000 573) is the original name of Paladin Group Pty Ltd, recently changed to Paladin Aus Pty Ltd (Paladin Aus). Notwithstanding the similarities in names, we can confirm that there was some discussion in 2009 about Paladin Aus and the High Risk Group Companies pursuing work together. This did not eventuate, and the entities are and always have been completely separate. In fact, Paladin has operated in competition to HRSG in Timor Leste under Sentinel Unipessoal Lda since 2015.

Further, we take this opportunity to advise that Paladin Aus Pty Ltd has no service delivery contracts in Australia and as such had been registered at a private residential address. This address has now been changed to a serviced office in Canberra.

We absolutely support the stated position of the Speaker of the PNG Parliament and Acting Governor General of PNG, the Honourable Job Pomat MP in his claims that he is not a party to any business by Paladin, its subcontractors (including Peren Investments Limited) and partners (including Pomwan Paladin Security Limited). We recognise the Speaker as a man of absolute integrity, a leader of his people and a respected clan leader in Manus Province. Peren Investments Limited represents the traditional custom landowners for the site of ELRTC in Lorengau under the leadership of Kepo Pomat.

Estimates Penny Wong remains one of the best Penny Wongs.

I’ve said it before, and I will no doubt say it again, the senator is an exquisite inquisitor.

She is talking to the Department of Foreign Affairs officials about what they would do if they received a meeting request from a company they had shares in which was seeking a government tender.

Marise Payne is, as the foreign affairs minister, also under the microscope. She was just asked what she would do, if she found herself in a similar position to Mathias Cormann regarding his flights:

“Self-evidently senator, had any of that been received in my case, it would be on my declaration,” she said.

Updated

Bob Katter is talking on the motion to suspend standing orders in the House. I’ve just been told by a few miffed MPs in the chamber that Katter just referred to the “bludgerigars” in the government “who need flogging” over what they have allowed to happen (previously) in agricultural industries.

Updated

Penny Wong is in the Dfat estimates, asking about Joe Hockey and Helloworld.

Earlier this morning Christian Porter was asked about Helloworld, while he was on the ABC. “That issue has arisen, my understanding is people have been asked if they have connections with Helloworld, I certainly have had no connection whatsoever,” he said.

Asked, “You will be supportive, of Labor’s questions for an inquiry into the matter?,” Porter responded:

I’m sure this matter will be the subject of inquiry from the prime minister to members of the parliament, but I’m not sure what it is you are saying has occurred or needs to be investigated.

Which sounds like the prime minister is asking his ministers and MPs questions, but is not necessarily setting up an investigation.

Later, Porter says:

I think this is an issue that has been trumped and overblown by a Labor party who has destroyed our border security in the short space of two weeks and it is done so that good people like yourself will ask not terribly specific questions on an issue of minor …

He is interrupted, to point out there had been a specific question. Which there had. But it doesn’t particularly matter how specific the question is, at the moment, because all the answers seem to be the same.

Updated

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is being grilled about the Helloworld saga and ambassador to the US Joe Hockey’s disclosure about a shareholding in travel company.

Reports have emerged that Hockey instructed embassy staff to meet with the Helloworld subsidiary QBT before it lobbied for government work.

A Dfat official, Daniel Sloper, said Hockey had declared an interest in the company on 26 April 2017 to Washington staff and it had then been relayed to Canberra. He signed his annual interests disclosure on 9 May.

The hearing was told that Australian overseas posts had historically made their own staff travel arrangements. The department had been looking to consolidate them to save money.

Updated

Why doesn’t Christian Porter want to release the legal advice, which alerted the government to a potential loophole in the medical evacuation bill, which the attorney general says would prevent asylum seekers or refugees from returning to Nauru or Manus (which, if so, probably could just be corrected with an amendment, which is how most of this stuff is fixed).

He told the ABC:

We don’t want our advice used against us in litigation if we find some way to return people to Manus and Nauru, we will use every power under our auspices to do that.

Updated

Annnnnnnd it begins with Joel Fitzgibbon moving a motion to suspend standing orders.

It’s on the milk price issue again.

The bells have rung, the prayers are being said.

Parliament has begun for the last time before the budget is handed down.

Today’s estimates hearings have begun, including Dfat, where you can absolutely expect Hakeem al-Araibi to be discussed.

You’ll find the whole schedule, here.

Updated

'Desperate need' for national integrity commission – Kerryn Phelps

Kerryn Phelps had a chat to Jon Faine on ABC Melbourne.

I missed the beginning, but asked whether she would support a no-confidence motion in the government, the Wentworth MP says she believes it is “extremely important that the Australian people have the right to decide who governs them at the next election and that is going to be within the next 90 days”.

She said:

I don’t think in practical terms there can be an immediate election …

The point is the Australian people have the opportunity in May to decide what they want in their next government and I think it is very important that we maintain focus on these important issues that we are currently dealing with.

There is an election coming up very soon – it is not a year or two away, it is within the next three months, and I think with every day that goes past, people are able to see the conduct of this current government, and they will make their own minds up and they will decide who they want to govern them for the next three years.

For me at the moment, the medical issues are a real focus, environmental issues are a major focus for me, and one thing that comes out of the Senate estimates this week … is that there is a desperate need for a national integrity commission.

I think the trust in politicians and our democratic processes have been eroded and I think it is extraordinarily important that we have a properly constituted transparent and retroactive national integrity commission that can take a look at any questions or queries about processes and make sure that there is actually some real teeth.

Updated

Australia’s biggest coalminer might be limiting its thermal coal production (which make no mistake, is a commercial decision) but Angus Taylor has some strong opinions about Labor’s renewable energy targets, after new modelling. From his release:

The work, released by BAEconomics’s Managing Director Dr Brian Fisher, shows that Labor’s 45% Emissions Reduction Target and 50% Renewable Energy Target will:

• cost the economy $472 billion,

• slash more than 336,000 jobs,

• cut the average wage by over $9,000, and

• increase wholesale electricity prices by more than 58%.

Bill Shorten needs to come clean.

Which industries will he close first? Will it be agriculture or aluminium, mining or manufacturing? Which jobs will he export overseas first?

Labor’s reckless targets will punish Australian families already struggling with cost of living pressures, and destroy the industries that have made our economy strong.

Updated

It’s also worth noting that just yesterday, Christian Porter introduced a series of bills into the House, including amendments to the foreign influence transparency scheme, which has been in place for a whole eight weeks.

As Paul Karp pointed out yesterday:

The most important change is the definition of “communications activity” would be changed to capture “information or material being distributed to the public”. That would mean that agents of foreign principals would have to register for distribution pamphlets, for example, in the election.

It makes a few tune-ups for what the explanatory memorandum calls “gaps” in the reporting requirements. Apparently some reporting requirements were applied only to people who registered under the scheme, and that has to be extended to those who are “liable to register”.

Which sounds, I don’t know, kinda like a loophole? Which is being closed?

Updated

Christian Porter, despite not releasing the legal advice, is pretty convinced this loophole in the medical evacuation bill is close to end of days.

He told the ABC:

It is a terrible law, but this legal loophole is very significant. You will be bringing people on Manus and Nauru, who are not in detention, to Christmas Island and placing them in detention, with no authority to return them back to Nauru and/or Manus Island.

The “not in detention” line is part of the government’s strategy to remind people that the asylum seekers and refugees on Manus and Nauru have been released into the community, and therefore “are not in detention” – despite remaining under the care of Australia.

Updated

As has been pointed out on Twitter, it is worth noting that during the home affairs estimates hearing, we were told that the majority of those transferred to Australia for medical treatment (just under 500) have not returned, since about 2015.

That’s largely because of legal challenges.

Updated

You may have missed this, from late yesterday. It’s probably worth noting, given the debate about Richard Marles’ comments on thermal coal yesterday (he told Sky News: “The global market for thermal coal has collapsed, and at one level that’s a good thing because what that implies is the world is acting in relation to climate change”):

The commodities trader Glencore has bowed to pressure from shareholders, including the Church of England, to limit coal production for environmental reasons – days after reporting that it produced nearly 130m tonnes of the fossil fuel last year.

The Switzerland-based firm, whose oil-trading operation is based in London, laid out plans to improve its environmental record, including a review of its membership of trade bodies it fears may be undermining the international Paris climate agreement.

Glencore, which is Australia’s biggest miner of coal, said it was responding to concern within the investment community. The Church of England, which is understood to have a stake worth just under £10m in the group, welcomed the announcement.

You can read that whole story here.

Updated

Good morning

It’s the last sitting day until the budget sitting begins in April. Shortly after that, all the indications – at least at this stage – point to the an election being called. Probably for 11 or 18 May.

So what are we talking about today?

The same thing we have been talking about since the sitting began last week. The medical evacuation legislation, which was passed against the government’s will, sparked an intense border protection debate which shows no signs of slowing down. Now, the attorney general, Christian Porter, tells us, it might contain a “drafting error” which would stop the government from being able to send back any asylum seeker or refugee sent to Australia for treatment.

The “loophole” is very concerning, Porter says.

But not concerning enough that he will release the legal advice, which advises of this loophole, in its entirety.

Then of course, there is still Helloworld and Michaelia Cash ticking away. And whatever else estimates throws up. The way the days have been going lately, you never know where the story is going to come from.

But we’ll have that all covered for you, of course. Mike Bowers is already on the case, as are Katharine Murphy and Paul Karp. The Guardian brains trust have clocked on and at some stage, my brain may even follow. Maybe after coffee number two.

Ready?

Let’s get into it.

Updated

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