Good night everyone
As calm has settled on the people’s house, I’m going to call it a night. Thanks for your company today, it’s been marvellous, as always.
Let’s take stock. Monday, in politics:
- With Labor chalking up election victory in Victoria over the weekend, MPs returned to Canberra for the final sitting week of 2014.
- The prime minister attempted to draw a line over a miserable couple of weeks by holding an ‘all comers, all questions’ press conference in which he acknowledged that he’d said one thing before the election on cuts to the ABC, and another thing afterwards. He also noted that when it came to the government’s travails, the buck stopped with him.
- Abbott also gave a quarter inch on the controversial defence pay deal, giving back some allowances, but insisting that gesture had to be paid for out of the defence budget, because gritted teeth concessions to Jacqui Lambie don’t grow on trees.
- Apart from these gentle nods to humility and human kindness, Abbott dug in on his GP co-payments, at least until after MYEFO; and declared he wanted a deal done on the higher education reforms this week.
- The education minister Christopher Pyne obliged by outlining some concessions to crossbenchers, but it’s not yet clear whether the government will have to go further. Clive Palmer is being suitably cagey.
- Speaking of Palmer, the mining magnate and PUP leader went to the National Press Club at lunchtime apparently thinking it was open mic night, and then flicked the switch to bellicose when journalists had the temerity to ask questions on subjects Palmer finds not fit for airing in polite company – like his court proceedings in Queensland. Unable to flee the venue, Palmer just got personal, and that was seriously unpleasant television.
- The prime minister used Question Time to say he was delivering and the government was doing very well, if only people would stop and notice.
- The LDP senator David Leyonjhelm said various things which we’ve covered enough already.
- ABC boss Mark Scott appeared before Senate Estimates.
That’s today.
Tomorrow will be tomorrow, and I’ll see you then.
Updated
#BrickSenate Heffernan fires up over tax avoidance @GuardianAus @murpharoo http://t.co/gj3V6qjCrM pic.twitter.com/HLqQSrPx38
— Mike Bowers (@mpbowers) December 1, 2014
A few moments ago in the Senate the Liberal senator Bill Heffernan was unleashing his inner cranky on tax avoidance by multinationals. Heffernan is a one man crusade against profit shifting. Today he described major companies as being like the churches and the altar boys, denying there’s a problem.
Here’s brick Heff, with his pipe bomb.
Some quality commentary to share.
Political blogger Paula Matthewson, on The Drum. Today’s column is an interesting reflection on Tony Abbott’s chief of staff, Peta Credlin – who is carrying the can for the government’s woes. Paula’s thesis is the job is just too big for one person to handle.
During much of the Howard years, different aspects of the role currently being performed by Credlin were divided among a trusted few. During the time he was Howard’s CoS, Arthur Sinodinos was the political strategist and confidante who worked with the Cabinet Office on policy development, while Tony Nutt was the political enforcer. Sinodinos brought to the PMO a fundamental understanding of how government works - being a former Treasury official - while Nutt, the impeccably credentialed political fix-it man, did what he does best. Their good cop/bad cop routine maintained discipline while ensuring that everyone felt valued and consulted. Howard’s best years were arguably when this arrangement was in place.
And my colleague Lenore Taylor, on today’s Operation Reset the Press Gallery Tantrum.
The prime minister’s 45-minute media conference on Monday was a determined attempt to manoeuvre himself out of a dire political situation and reset the debate. With even the conservative commentariat attacking his government, it was calculated to give the impression he was listening (sure, things have been a bit ragged) and making concessions (yes, ABC cuts are at odds with what I said before the election), while pointing out hand on heart that he had “guts” and “conviction” (one thing no one had ever really doubted). But besides a minor concession on Australian Defence Force allowances and accepting the bleeding obvious about his broken promise on the ABC, there were no actual changes to give effect to the “reset”. That may be because every way the prime minister turns there’s an obstacle he put there himself.
Senator Leyonhjelm has veered away from the contents of politician’s trousers to issuing strange non-specific no-threats. He’s released a statement declaring the government must create movement towards marriage equality within six months, or the puppy will get it.
Well, sort of. The puppy might not get a puppy treat.
Leyonhjelm:
The crossbench is ignored until the government realises it hasn’t got the numbers, then we get lobbied to the moon and back.
However, it seems the only way to get concessions is to threaten to vote against every government bill, which Senator Lambie is currently doing and which I once threatened to do over the issue of torture in national security legislation.
If there is no substantive movement on a conscience vote on this bill in six months, then I will consider declining to give the government the benefit of the doubt.
Updated
Time for a little bit of #BrickSenate. The red room is working through various motions this afternoon before circling back this evening to the higher education debate.
In a motion just before concerning the activities of the super trawler, it was interesting to see Green senator and the party’s higher education spokeswoman Lee Rhiannon have a word to Ricky Muir.
There have been questions around today about whether Muir’s stated concerns about the higher education package will translate into actual opposition once the issue comes to a vote.
Oh Ricky you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind. Hey Ricky. Hey Ricky.
Housekeeping, the sequel. In a post at 8.23am this morning I gave the foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop a tap for presenting the GP co-payment as a saving. It is a saving according to the budget papers, but the saving is then shifted off to the Coalition’s proposed medical research fund – so in the commonly understood meaning of saving, the co-payment is a pretty odd saving.
I’ve made further inquiries with the treasurer’s office because I understand budget accounting magic is a highly specialised field. The explanation from Hockey’s office is the co-payment is a saving both in word and in deed, because the medical research fund will make contributions to medical research from interest, rather than from the wad of money sitting in the fund. So the saving remains a saving because the saving is banked in the fund.
On that basis, I think I was harsh on Bishop in this instance. I get the broad rationale, so like the prime minister earlier today on the ABC, I’m sorry for my overstatement.
However I stand by my verdict in the same post from early this morning that the Labor leader Bill Shorten was, and remains, dork of the morning.
No contest.
Housekeeping.
- The house is currently considering one of the terror bills.
- The main focus of the senate, as we’ve flagged, is higher education. Here’s Daniel Hurst’s news wrap on the debate thus far.
- I promised you Amanda Meade’s news story on Mark Scott’s evidence to estimates this morning. Amanda reports that the ABC audience will be better served in local news when the eight local 7.30 programs are no longer on air, the ABC’s director of news, Kate Torney. (Say wut?)
Some chamber shots now. The immigration minister, Scott Morrison, dance fighting.
The prime minister, having a think.
The prime minister has called time on Question Time.
Catherine King is seeking the microphone to object to the contention she misused taxpayers money in the regional grants scheme. King says if she was rorting or misappropriating funds, she was pretty bad at it, because a number of projects were funded in Coalition-held electorates – two thirds, in fact.
* The post has been amended from the original to reflect King’s statement to parliament that two thirds of the grants went to Coalition electorates. I didn’t catch the specific ratio in real time, apologies.
Updated
Health minister, Peter Dutton, who is resorting to full tilt electioneering rather soon. (You think we are rubbish – well, how about these clowns?)
They (Labor) are cocky at the moment. They believe they are going to be returned at the next election and I think it is important for people to understand that they did make mistakes, considerable ones when they were last in government – and they have learnt nothing since. They are all full of confidence at the moment but we have seen demonstrated today by the minister – the assistant minister for infrastructure and by the treasurer as well, that they were a bad government. The Rudd/Gillard years were bad for this country. They were a bad government.
(So noted.)
Labor’s health spokeswoman Catherine King is at the dispatch box.
Treasurer Joe Hockey thinks attack is the best form of defence.
I think the Australian people deserve an apology from you. The Australian people deserve an apology from you for the contempt you have shown for taxpayers’ money.
I am sorry, there is an audit report that says that the member for Ballarat, the member for Ballarat rorted Australian taxpayers.
(This relates to an audit report out late last week about regional grants).
Boilover on the Labor side.
Anthony Albanese.
I would ask you to ask the honourable member to withdraw. You cannot make an accusation such as that against another member of parliament without a substantive motion. I would ask him for the dignity of the house to simply withdraw and then he can go on to answer the question. That cannot be left to stand.
Madam Speaker, to whom the Albanese entreaty is addressed, is confused. What should be withdrawn, exactly?
Albanese:
The term wilful. You are aware of what it is and he knows full well. He has shown from time to time a sense of decency and I would ask him to do it here now.
(I’m not sure Hockey used the word wilful. If he did, I confess I missed it.)
The shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus has inquired under what circumstances Arthur Sinodinos will return to his ministry. Sinodinos has been troubled by the folks at Icac in NSW.
The prime minister says the circumstances would be very happy circumstances. But he gives no commitment that Sinodinos will return to the ministry.
Well hello there.
Bill Shorten, keeping it J. To the prime minister.
Q: Given the defence pay debacle, will Senator Johnston still be the defence minister next February or does the buck stop with you?
(I suspect that would mean the buck stopped with Johnston, but anyhow ..)
For the record Abbott didn’t answer the question about whether Johnston would still have his job after Christmas. But in a spirit of generosity, Abbott allows Shorten to table a petition he forgot to table during his question.
Treasurer Joe Hockey, keeping it P.
Preferring populist posturing .. that is the Labor Party way. We know that. That is the Labor Party way.
Breaking chamber feels.
The education minister Christopher Pyne would like the Senate to pass the higher education package.
The prime minister meanwhile would like to blame Labor for the defence pay deal.
Abbott:
I think members of our defence force think that the leader of the opposition has a bit of a hide asking questions like this.
Speaking of the great big road.
Labor’s Anthony Albanese to the prime minister.
Q: I refer to the prime minister’s threats to Victorians to withdraw $3bn of Commonwealth funding for infrastructure if they didn’t vote Liberal on Saturday. Can the prime minister assure the people of Victoria that they will always get their fair share of Commonwealth infrastructure funding?
Tony Abbott:
I certainly can assure the people of Victoria that they will get their fair share of projects. I can assure them of that.
I do hope that the incoming Premier of Victoria does reconsider his misguided commitment to tear up the East West Link contract. I do hope he will reconsider that commitment because it is pretty clear that the people of Victoria do want the East West Link.
(I’m not sure it’s that clear given they voted for the other mob – but perhaps there’s a wrinkle here I’m missing.)
Abbott:
We are only too happy to continue to deliver $3bn to government of Victoria, provided it goes ahead with building the East West Link that it is contracted and obligated to build.
Manager of opposition business, Tony Burke, to Abbott:
Q: Is the prime minister seriously asking the Victorian government to break an election commitment the Monday after the election?
Abbott:
(This) is what we are saying to the incoming Victorian government, honour the contracts that were dually entered into by the legitimate Government of Victoria. Do what your federal colleagues advise you to do. Do what the leader of the opposition thinks is the right thing to do, collect the $3bn that the federal government is offering you and get on with building East West Link.
Meanwhile in the other place, the defence minister David Johnston has just informed the chamber that the East West link is actually a boon for public transport.
He’s noted that buses and taxis run on roads.
Updated
Labor’s agriculture spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon, sticking in the knife after the Nationals shocking showing in the Victorian election.
Q: My question is to the minister for agriculture. I refer to the minister’s comments that the responsibility for the future of SPC’s fruit cannery lay fair and square with the Liberal Party. Given the Victorian Nationals have lost the seat of Shepparton after 47 years, and will lose their party status, does the minister accept personal responsibility for the loss of this seat?
Barnaby Joyce has flushed bright beetroot.
Joyce says everything is Labor’s fault.
The Labor party creates the pigsty and we have to clean it up.
(I thought we were on tinned pears.)
The prime minister is delivering. Whatever question he gets asked. Delivering.
Incoming from Shorten.
Q: My question is to the prime minister. The former Victorian Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett has said “There is more than barnacles they will have to clean up before Christmas. Their domestic policies are a shambles.”
Does the buck stop with the PM when it comes to his domestic policy shambles?
Abbott:
The carbon tax, that has gone. The mining tax, that has gone. Free trade agreements, they are delivered. Red tape reductions, about $2bn in annual red tape reductions. $1 trillion worth of environmental approvals granted. $550 worth of benefits to every Australian household.
This is a government which is delivering for the people of Australia and above all else, we are not shirking the task of budget repair.
Updated
A Dorothy Dixer for the prime minister.
Q: My question is to the prime minister. Will the prime minister outline to the house actions the government has taken in 2014 to strengthen the economy and deliver real benefits for families and small businesses in my electorate?
Tony Abbott:
I do thank the member for Barton for his question. This has been a year of delivery of the Australian people.
(Theatrical laughter from folks opposite.)
It has.
Question time
Here is the hour of glower. I’ve been slow off the mark due to a moment of split screening between the chambers. Sorry about that.
In the House, there are some nice tributes to cricketer Phillip Hughes who died tragically last week. In the Senate, Labor is asking questions which seem to suggest the opposition is aware of documents indicating the government has made a decision to purchase Japanese submarines.
This is the decision the government says it has not yet made.
In which? At which?
I didn’t get a chance earlier to post Mike’s terrific shots from bikie fest down the front earlier, in which David Leyonhjelm unexpectedly invoked a penis.
Question time beckons.
#FacePalmer
This is a truly disgraceful outing from Palmer. He’s invoking contempt of court as a reason for not answering questions – which is not in and of itself unreasonable. But there’s no excuse for bully boy swagger at the NPC podium. It’s not open mic night at the rent seekers convention, this is a forum for accountability.
Now Steven Scott, from The Courier Mail.
Q: I’d like to take you back to that court case as well, if I could.
Palmer:
I can’t take any questions on that, because it’s before the courts.
Scott:
I’m going to ask it anyway.
Palmer:
Why don’t you just ask a question about the topic? Have some guts to Rupert, don’t do what he tells you from New York.
Stand up and be a journalist. Don’t read off that, think of your own brain and think of a question.
Scott:
You filibustered for some time now.
Palmer:
I’m not filibustering.
(The National Press Club is not an open microphone. Palmer doesn’t seem to understand that.)
Two questions about the court proceedings Palmer is currently involved in. The PUP leader, astonishingly, manages not to storm away from the podium. But he also manages to avoid the substance of the questions.
Palmer provides his usual patter: The Australian is biased against him, as is the West Australian because Kerry Stokes wants to use some of my land at Cape Preston to put his port under and he’s concerned about that.
To Andrew Tillett from The West Australian:
You’re probably being lobbied by the millions of dollars of lobbyists that the Chinese government is spending trying to take control of ports and resources in this country and I’m standing up against that. My companies are, I’m retired, I’m a politician now.
Palmer is asked about the higher education bill. He creates a bit of wriggle room. He says PUP opposes the current bill. Palmer says he believes Ricky Muir also opposes the current bill.
Palmer says Glenn Lazarus – who was expected with Palmer at the club today – is in hospital. Hopefully his condition isn’t serious, and I wish him a speedy recovery.
The PUP leader has finally wrapped up. We are now in to questions. First question is why did you meet Jacqui Lambie at Monster?
Clive says he’s committed to enhancing the cause of women’s representation.
One of the important things in life is to listen to other people and Jacqui had something she wanted to say and I was more than happy to listen to her, right. It wasn’t about anything political, it was more about social things I would say rather than political things. Jacqui Lambie is a free and independent woman and we want to encourage more free and independent women to participate in politics.
Chairman Mao gets a shout out.
As Robert Kennedy said many years ago ..
CENSORED
Spending money makes the world go around, creates wealth and jobs and makes the pie bigger for all of us to share.
Ok this needs to wind up now before we hit Kennedy.
Oh no, hang on, here’s the co-payment.
Palmer United make no mistake about it, has killed the co-payment, there will be no co-payment. Make no mistake about that.
I’m sure you’ll hear more of that in the coming days and weeks ahead, but the co-payment is finished, right.
Jacqui: out of PUP yellow, always in our hearts
After thirty five solid minutes, we’ve hit the war.
Seven days ago, Jacqui Lambie resigned from our party and there’s been constant media and political pressure to destroy what we’d achieved against all odds.
Glenn Lazarus, Dio Wang and myself have a high degree of commitment to continue to do our best to serve the Australian people as the largest party on the crossbench besides the Greens, who always vote with the Opposition. We have a key role to play.
Senator Lambie will continue I believe to vote with Palmer United on most issues.
Palmer is sending himself a herogram for his contributions to asylum policy. The PUP leader refers to his recent deal with immigration minister Scott Morrison concerning the processing of refugees. There’s a small barb for Morrison.
The challenge this week as parliament sits for the last time before Christmas, is to ensure this agreement is followed through in legislation and if properly implemented will save Australia up to $3-4bn a year.
You could fact-check Clive Palmer's speech but it would cause you to die
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) December 1, 2014
I can’t improve on this observation.
Palmer has moved on to declaring that the world needs an emissions trading scheme. Which begs an obvious question. Why did he abolish the emissions trading scheme that was already legislated?
#JudicialVoting
#FacePalmer
Palmer now seems to be saying he needs an award for being a coal baron who does not mine coal.
Clive on promises.
Too many politicians make promises before an election only to break them after an election. Public service should be the highest calling. We have to hold our politicians to their word or the system of our democracy will fail.
Stirring sentiments indeed.
A little further on Palmer notes his party condemned direct action – that would be the policy the PUP voted for.
The Palmer address thus far is all about PUP’s great transformative success since entering the Australian political scene. (In order to sustain this uplifting narrative, some recent history thus therefore be omitted. Perhaps we are getting there.)
Palmer says PUP has used its vote in a judicial sort of way.
Many Australians believe that a vote for our party was a wasted vote, that no party could be elected with members in parliament that could make a difference in such a short period of time and I think we’ve shown that’s not true – and we’ve shown by exercising our votes in a judicial sort of way we can make a difference for all Australians.
Clive Palmer at the National Press Club
PUP leader Clive Palmer rents office space at the National Press Club. Often he grabs the podium. Today is one such day.
Palmer:
Public service is about serving the public. History is our only reward.
The folks down at the club watching this lunchtime have wine. I don’t know why I thought that relevant. Yes, I do. I’m wishing I had wine. I suspect it would help all of us get through the next half an hour.
Lest we forget.
“I once thought denial was a river in Egypt. It turns out it is the attitude of the Abbott government” pic.twitter.com/ZVGL5qgFzR
— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) November 30, 2014
The LDP senator David Leyonhjelm has been out this morning doffing his helmet to the poor oppressed bikers of Australia. Tailoring messages to your audience is a stock standard part of professional politics.
But I reckon Leyonhjelm could have left his man junk out of it.
Leyonhjelm:
The people behind me (politicians) do not understand the joy of cruising out on the highway.
In fact, very few of them have ever had anything between their legs with more grunt than a pogo stick.
When put to the test, I suspect very few of them ever have much between their legs at all.
Highway to hell, right there.
Updated
If ever there was a man in the hot seat – Mark Scott, in estimates this morning. Lovely shot from Mr Bowers.
Preparing for the Speaker's ruling on best #Movember effort before ceremonial shaving pic.twitter.com/SeUqSqVag8
— John Alexander (@JohnAlexanderMP) December 1, 2014
Great, great cause.
That facial hair – all kinds of wrong.
Labor MP says let's recognise Palestine
Interesting development.
The Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou has tabled a motion in the House of Representatives this morning recognising the 29th UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. She’s also called on the parliament to recognise the state of Palestine and vote yes at the UN for Palestinian Statehood.
Vamvakinou:
Australia and indeed this parliament must now recognise the state of Palestine and Australia must vote Yes at the UN for Palestinian statehood.
‘Operation Reset The Press Gallery Tantrum’ has chalked up another success. Phillip Coorey, The Australian Financial Review.
Today was a good start to getting back in favour with voters. Bare your soul, admit you were wrong, make a few concessions and speak to them maturely. It can work wonders.
(It can work wonders, if you actually do those things. Yes.)
Isn’t diversity a great thing?
I’ve already shared my quick take on the Abbott press conference – trouble at mill/I’d like to reposition a bit but I don’t quite know how/So I’m digging in.
Dennis Shanahan at The Australian by contrast is seeing a big break through.
Tony Abbott has pushed the reset button on the politics of his government. The prime minister has decided to directly address the disconnection between “fundamentals” of the government’s achievements and the “static” which portrays it as “ragged”. Instead of being evasive and apologetic Abbott has moved aggressively to reinforce the government’s aims and budget targets and banked on the public recognising “performance” and what has been achieved in “substance”.
If you read over the final point in the last post on higher education – the information campaign (I do love that euphemism) – handy to reprise this recent story from my colleague Daniel Hurst. The government has spent $150k to gauge the public’s “understanding of the higher education system.” With such an investment, a-d-v-e-r-t-i-s-i-n-g generally follows.
The education minister Christopher Pyne has issued a statement outlining the various compromises the government is flagging to try and persuade the PUPs and #PUPsUp and assorted others to say yes to university deregulation.
The prime minister has decreed he wants this sorted this week. The debate on the package is currently underway in the Senate.
Pyne:
We have demonstrated a willingness to negotiate on these vital higher education reforms before the Senate. The government has agreed to the proposed amendment of Senator Bob Day to retain the consumer price index as the interest rate on Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS). We have also agreed to the proposed amendment of Senator John Madigan to introduce a five year interest rate pause on HECS for new mums and dads.
We are now carefully considering other proposals from crossbenchers including: A targeted university transition fund; fee price monitoring by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission; targeting scholarships towards rural and regional students; and an information campaign for students and potential students on how the system works and the value they get from going to university.
Moving on now to catch up with bibs and bobs.
Here is the finance minister, Mathias Cormann, on his trip to Monster last night with the chief PUP and the once-was-PUP. You’ll find this very illuminating. I hope you are all sitting down.
Cormann:
I keep in regular contact with all parties on the crossbench, including and in particular with Mr Palmer as Leader of the Palmer United Party, to discuss government measures to repair the Budget and other policy matters in the national interest.
Fifty five minutes in a stone courtyard, with feeling
The prime minister has deployed the old Howardism this morning: press conference till you drop.
John Howard always used to pull the ‘all comers all questions’ press conference when his government was in serious trouble. The basic psychology of the tussle is simple: if the press gallery is having a tantrum at your expense, then let them scream it out at you before (hopefully) retiring, spent for a nap.
The purpose of the marathon press conference in the old days was a means of clearing static. Clearly Abbott is looking for a circuit breaker. Doing the press conference this morning is a billboard sized marker: we are in trouble, I know we are in trouble.
But unlike in the Howard deployments, the prime minister had almost nothing substantial to say this morning. Howard’s outings were generally vehicles for significant repositioning – an unpopular policy would be dumped, a successful bout of opposition trouble would be neutralised.
Abbott announced the defence pay deal, which was already known. He made a partial mea culpa on the ABC. He told folks with notepads not to blame his office for the current doldrums but perhaps blame their own addiction to soap opera (why don’t you see all these great things we are doing, why don’t you notice?) He said he wanted education tied up this week (probably, it wasn’t clear whether the higher ed package would be dumped if it couldn’t be tied up this week); he said he was committed to the GP copayment either a) forever; or b) at least until the other side of MYEFO.
So it was, broadly, ‘we are digging in.’
Which makes sense.
The simple fact very often overlooked in the “DO SOMETHING TONY” commentary right now is Abbott has dug himself in. Waaay in.
Analysis which says the government just needs a facial and a tactical reset is, of course, correct, but only up to a point.
A reset .. to what exactly?
And how does Abbott reconcile the new Tony (whatever that is) to the old Tony without looking completely fraudulent?
Abbott is so certain and implacable he’s actually stranded himself.
Very difficult, this.
Updated
The press conference is now at an end.
Give me a minute and I’ll give you my take on what that all meant.
The ABC’s Sabra Lane would like to know why the prime minister won’t just go to the next logical step on the ABC and admit, candidly, that he broke a promise. The prime minister isn’t going there. He responds to the other part of Lane’s question, which was on paid parental leave.
Q: Is it time to revisit the paid parental leave scheme again and tweak it?
His riposte is not unreasonable.
Abbott:
Do you think if I were to change the paid parental leave scheme that there wouldn’t be screams of broken promise?
I mean, I put it to you collectively. These are very important questions.
Abbott appears surprised there are so many questions this morning.
On tax reform, the prime minister signals he’s back in Audit Commission territory. He’d like the states to have the power to raise their own revenue.
It would be better if the states could deal with their responsibilities from own-source revenues rather than having to argue with the Commonwealth to fund their schools and their hospitals and so on.
Abbott won’t answer a question about whether the next batch of submarines will come from Japan.
We are weighing all of this and we will be making announcements and decisions in due course.
While pretending to rule in nuclear power, the prime minister has just ruled out nuclear power. (Abbott is responding to comments from the foreign minister Julie Bishop this past weekend. She wants nuclear power back on the agenda.)
Abbott clearly doesn’t.
I’ve got no theological objection to (nuclear power). It’s never really been an option for Australia up till now because we don’t have the energy shortages that other countries do. We’ve got abundant coal, abundant gas, hundreds of years of reserves of coal, hundreds of years of reserves of gas. We want to reduce our emissions and we will under our Direct Action policy.
If someone wants to put a proposal for nuclear energy generation here in Australia, fine, but don’t expect a government subsidy. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen because it is economically feasible, not because the government runs around offering a subsidy.
(Nuclear is only possible in terms of its economic viability via two methods: a carbon price or subsidies. The government has axed the carbon price and Abbott has just ruled out subsidies. Thanks Julie but no thanks.)
PM Tony Abbott "The buck stops with me" @murpharoo @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/iYF9LmMTSa
— Mike Bowers (@mpbowers) November 30, 2014
Q: Why can’t the government sell its message and is the way you do it being reviewed and how much responsibility do you take?
Well, obviously I take responsibility for everything in the end. I mean, the buck stops here. That’s the way it is in our democracy. The buck stops with the party leader. In respect of the government, the buck stops with me so I take full responsibility.
The prime minister is also standing by his office.
(I mentioned earlier there were all sorts of hate filled beat downs on the prime minister’s office this past weekend. This PMO is extremely unpopular across the board both within the government and with members of the press, because of their tendency to engage in self sabotage and periodic bouts of school yard vindictiveness. But it is ludicrous to blame the office when it’s completely clear that the problem is the content of the government’s program, the broken promises and evasions, and the man doing talking right now – the prime minister. If the voters don’t buy the frontman then it’s pointless to scapegoat the backroom.)
Abbott:
The first thing to say is that I stand by my office. It’s a very good office. My office is essentially the same office that got us from nowhere to election parity in 2010 and gave us a very strong victory in 2013. Let’s not forget where we were as a party and as a Coalition in 2009. In December 2009, the Liberal Party was on the verge of splitting, the Coalition was on the verge of breaking. We went to within a whisker of winning the 2010 election. We performed strongly throughout that term of parliament and we had a very emphatic victory in 2013 and the office that I have now is essentially the same office that I had throughout that period so I stand by my office, I stand by all the senior members of my office.
(Take that cabinet colleagues.)
The prime minister says the key barnacle of the week will be the higher education package. He wants this sorted this week.
Look, we are continuing to talk with all members of the cross bench. I don’t presume to know what the final outcome will be but we are determined to deal with this matter one way or another in this final sitting week of the year.
There is an overwhelming view from the universities of Australia, an absolutely overwhelming view from the universities of Australia, from the so-called great 8 to the regional universities, there is an overwhelming view amongst all of them that these changes should go through, that these changes will, in the short, medium and long-term, strengthen our university sector and ultimately help students.
So I do hope that the cross benchers, all of them, are listening long and hard to the vice chancellors of Australia.
(Group of Eight I believe, prime minister. I’m sure they’d agree they are the Great Eight, but it’s not their actual title.)
Abbott admits he said one thing on the ABC before the election and another thing after
Let the angels rejoice.
The prime minister has finally decided to fess up on the ABC.
Abbott:
I accept what we are doing with the ABC is at odds with what I said immediately prior to the election – but things have moved on.
Mea culpa sorta.
Astride the barbed wire fence, part two
Q: Prime minister, you were talking about parts of Plan A being in some trouble in the Senate. How long do you persist in trying to get those measures through somehow or other? If they are not through by the end of the sittings, will you still include those savings in the mid-year forecasts? When do you give up on them, and if you give up on them, do you have to find alternative savings to make up? Is that part of Plan B?
Tony Abbott:
The general rule is we persist with the budget measure as announced until such time as an alternative is agreed in the Senate or an alternative way forward is established. That’s why we are totally committed to the Medicare co-payment that was announced on budget. I know it may well have trouble with the cross benchers and let’s see what, in the end, we come up with.
But we are committed to the policy that we announced until we decide that there is an alternative way forward which, under all of the circumstances, makes sense. The circumstances obviously include the particular composition of the Senate at the moment.
Decoding the barnacles, by the prime minister
Abbott is asked about the GP copayment. Is it still Coalition policy or not?
The prime minister:
Plainly there are some things which are going to have a lot of difficulty in the Senate. We stand by them. We absolutely stand by them. But, if plan A is in trouble, obviously you contemplate a potential plan B. But as far as I’m concerned, I want Plan A implemented because that is the right plan, that is the best plan. When something goes before the Senate, you might decide that rather than having the best, you’ve got to have something which is better but not quite as good as what you wanted.
That’s the kind of thing that I was alluding to when I said we would be taking the barnacles off before Christmas.
(KM decoding the prime minister decoding the barnacles. Possibly the GP copayment is still Coalition policy but it probably isn’t Coalition policy. We are astride the barbed wire fence and for now, we’ll hover there.)
A point of substance. Abbott says the extra funds for defence will have to come out of existing resources.
There won’t be extra money put in so the chief of the defence force will have to find the money. That’s $17m he won’t have for other purposes.
(Happy Christmas.)
The prime minister is ... reading
Abbott has also read the weekend assessments of the performance of his government.
I’d like, if I may, to take some of those head on.
(By all means.)
Abbott thinks any serious analysis of the substance of this past year would reach a thumbs up. We should not be so preoccupied with appearances, although the prime minister acknowledges appearances do matter.
Abbott:
I do believe that by any reasonable measure, this has been a year of very considerable achievement for the government. It’s been a year when this government has demonstrated guts, commitment and strength of character on a whole host of issues, whether it be MH17 or responding to the closure down the track of Holden and Toyota.
(Responding to the closure? I think the government played a pretty significant role in the closure. Nit picking.)
Back to Abbott:
On all of these issues, I think the government has shown considerable courage and strength of character. I also think that, notwithstanding the political difficulties that we have had in the Senate, we have very significantly achieved the items that we went to the election on. The carbon tax is gone. The mining tax is gone. The boats are stopping. The roads are building. The budget is coming into better shape. Three free trade agreements that have been successfully negotiated will set our country up for the long-term.
I really do think that this has been a year of very substantial achievement. I know that appearances do count and I concede that the appearance last week was a bit ragged but, in the end, nothing matters more than performance and this is a government which has a very solid year of performance under its belt.
The prime minister is .. listening
Tony Abbott has opened his press conference today with the matter of defence pay. The prime minister confirms the story the government gave the News Corp tabloids over the weekend.
Allowances will stay.
Abbott:
First of all, defence pay. Obviously I have enormous respect for the professionalism, for the courage, for the tasks that our defence force personnel do. I don’t think anyone would have more respect than I do for all of that. All of us would like to see our defence forces paid more but what’s possible with a $20 billion surplus is not always possible with a $40bn deficit. I think we just have to be realistic about defence force pay. Nevertheless, I can announce this morning that the government is not proceeding with the changes to allowances that were announced with the defence force pay.
Suffice to say, Mark Scott is getting a hard time in estimates. Our media reporter, Amanda Meade is covering this appearance and I’ll link you to her news story later. I’m going to need to turn my attention shortly to the prime minister, who will shortly address reporters in his courtyard.
Ooo look more friends.
It appears Clive Palmer has been conducting negotiations from a hotel bar - with @JacquiLambie & @MathiasCormann pic.twitter.com/2DcubPFTo7
— Simon Cullen (@Simon_Cullen) November 30, 2014
The finance minister Mathias Cormann has joined the party at Monster. What can it mean? Something? Nothing? Both?
(Monster is the name of the restaurant. Gridlock always goes better with a nice Canberra pinot.)
The ABC boss Mark Scott is in Canberra for an estimates hearing this morning. I’ll tune into that for a bit shortly.
Shorten has bobbed up at a solar event, analysing Tony Abbott.
I just don’t think he gets science.
He is not a modern person.
There has been a deal of speculation and reportage over the weekend about whether the education minister Christopher Pyne can salvage his higher education reforms. A couple of compromises have been floated and framed in a positive light – meaning, these compromises might make passage more likely.
This is the Senate, so the working proposition is always anything can happen, and it usually does. But my colleague Daniel Hurst, who keeps a very close eye on matters education, is not so sure the education package will be a thumbs up by week’s end. Yesterday, the crossbench was looking decidedly mulish.
Here’s Daniel:
The PUP – which has two crossbench votes in the Senate – and its former member, Jacqui Lambie, indicated they would not be persuaded to support the higher education bill, which included cuts to course subsidies and ending caps on student fees. Their three votes would be enough to defeat the bill, because Labor and the Greens are firmly opposed to the legislation. A fourth crossbench senator, Nick Xenophon, ruled out voting for the bill in the next four days, saying a decision should be deferred to February to allow further talks on suitable amendments.
As is noted periodically in the classics, only time will tell.
Updated
There are no secrets in Canberra.
My mate just spotted Clive Palmer & Jacqui Lambie having a chat at Hotel Hotel in Canberra #auspol (cc @annabelcrabb) pic.twitter.com/UvEkbABGGc
— Declan Fay (@declanf) November 30, 2014
Just one small pedant’s point before we surf into the morning. I referenced in the opening post the foreign minister Julie Bishop’s interview on Radio National this morning.
During the course of that interview Bishop described the government’s GP copayments as a saving. She was pushed on this point by her host Fran Kelly – it’s not actually a saving is it when you are spending all the revenue on the new medical research fund?
Bishop:
It’s considered a saving.
I’ve gone back to the budget papers as the authoritative source. Page 133 and 134, Budget Paper Number 2.
The government will achieve saving of $3.5bn over five years by reducing the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) rebates from 1 July 2015 by $5 for standard general practitioner consultations and out of hospital pathology and diagnostic imaging services and allowing the providers of these services to collect a patient contribution of $7 per service.
The savings from this measure will be invested by the government in the Medical Research Future Fund.
In one pocket, out of the other. Not really a saving then, is it?
Meanwhile, I’ve decided to award dork of the morning to Bill Shorten, who has actually said, on the radio ..
I thought denial was a river in Egypt ..
(He did. Truly. How on earth does he think this nonsense is grown up political communication?)
Good morning blogans, bloganistas, and welcome to the final parliamentary sitting week of 2014. Today’s weather forecast is murky with a high chance of absurd. We are not only in the final sitting week of the year, we are also closing in on the mid-point of the Abbott government’s first term in office. (I know, right? Time sure flies in a parallel universe.)
It’s the Monday after the weekend’s Victorian election – a development which has plastered cheeky Cheshire Cat like grins on the faces of Labor MPs returning for the closing act of shout fest.
It’s been a character forming weekend for Abbott and for the federal coalition. Last parliamentary week was a shocker. The weekend papers were initially full of commentary declaring how terrible the prime minister’s office was and how dreadful the policy sell job was (as if the content of what’s being sold doesn’t matter.) The random acts of rhetorical violence against Tony Abbott’s backroom were then replaced on Sunday with the predictable free advice to the prime minister about steps he might take to avoid being a ‘one term Coalition government’ like poor old Denis Napthine.
MPs are still busy this morning spinning the wash-up of the Victorian poll. Daniel Andrews’ victory is, variously, all Tony Abbott’s fault, or not Tony Abbott’s fault given the government in Canberra has clearly put in the best performance by a new government in a musical. Foreign minister Julie Bishop, on ABC Radio National Breakfast just a moment ago, walking a middle course on the developments down south.
It’s obviously a very complex result.
To other issues.
- There’s a new forecast around from Deloitte Access Economics which shows the budget is in trouble. Given many of the contentious measures unveiled in May have disappeared without trace in the Senate, and nobody has a coherent strategy at this point at least to contemplate serious fiscal repair, this assessment should surprise absolutely no-one.
- Labor and the once-was-PUP Senator Jacqui Lambie are keeping the pressure on the government on the issue of defence pay. The Labor leader Bill Shorten has been on the radio playing with the Team Australia concept: Tony Abbott loves to talk about team Australia but he’s refusing to pay the team. (Zing.) The News Corp tabloids reported at the weekend the prime minister would write to the Defence Remuneration Tribunal in an effort to overturn a decision to scrap entitlements for soldiers under the new, controversial 1.5% pay deal. The deadline to do that is today.
Let’s stride forward into today’s nonsense with confidence – let’s do the Lego firewalk.
Oi @mpbowers @murpharoo #bricksenate “@angry_mo: The most evil thing ever!!! pic.twitter.com/iyAvXbcq2P”
— Gabrielle Chan (@gabriellechan) November 30, 2014
The Politics Live comment thread is now wide open for your business – and you know you can reach us on the Twits @murpharoo and @mpbowers
