Bonsoir
Crikey, I did roll on today. But now, we stop.
Clive, Mr Bean and the Bananas @murpharoo @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/01ZvjdXmmS
— Mike Bowers (@mpbowers) March 25, 2015
Today, Wednesday.
- A terrible plane crash claimed the lives to two Australians.
- Metadata was debated, but not passed.
- Julie Bishop thought an iron ore cartel was worth considering, until she spoke to the treasurer.
-
Bill Shorten said let’s be cuddly on submarines – the government said stop it with your fantasy.
- Andrew Laming poured oil on troubled federation chamber waters, and Scott Morrison danced like a wombat.
Tomorrow will be Thursday. Let’s regroup then.
There are always ways for people to get around things
Just before we wrap communications minister Malcolm Turnbull has joined the cause of advising citizens how to get around his own metadata laws.
Take careful note of answer three.
Q: Do you think sources have anything to fear?
Malcolm Turnbull:
Well, they’ve got nothing in addition to fear. Those call charge records have been accessed by police investigating leaks for decades, ok? But of course you now have the ability by using over-the-top applications might just be something straightforward like Whatsapp, it might be a more encrypted over-the-top application to avoid leaving a trail.
Q: You’re more familiar with Wickr?
Turnbull:
I’m familiar with a lot of them. I am the communications minister.
Q: There are ways to get around data retention?
Turnbull:
If you have a device, a smartphone and if I call you just through the mobile phone network then there will be a record at Telstra that my phone called your number. If on the other hand I communicate with you via Skype, for a voice call, or Viber, or I send you a message on Whatsapp or Wickr or Threema or Signal or Telegrammer, there’s a gazillion of them, or indeed if we have a facetime call, then all that the telco can see insofar as it can see anything is that my device has had a connection with say the Skype server or the Whatsapp server … it doesn’t see anything happen with you, so you’re right. It’s important I think for journalists to remember.
Q: Also for terrorists or child sex offenders, there are ways to get around this?
Turnbull:
There are always ways for people to get around things but of course a lot of people don’t and that’s why I’ve always said the data retention laws, the use of metadata, is not a silver bullet. It’s not a 100% guarantee. It is one tool in many tools but I think as far as journalists are concerned … there’s a competing interest. You’ve got a duty to find out what’s going on and you’ve got a duty to protect your sources. On the other hand the government and the police have got a duty to ensure that people in the Department of Defence are not breaching national security by giving stuff to you.
(Thank you to the ever diligent Daniel Hurst for these quotes from Turnbull’s Sky News interview.)
Updated
Unhand that senator, rogue potassium.
Breaking bad. Or breaking sad. You decide.
Look at moi Kimmy.
Look at moi.
Federal member for Dawson, George Christensen, has accused extreme greens of treason for trying to have the Great Barrier Reef listed as “in danger” by the World Heritage Committee. During a speech in parliament today, Christensen likened the actions of some extreme green group members to Lord of the Rings character Wormtongue as they seek to “whisper in the ears of the decision-makers and diplomats who have anything to do with UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee, poisoning their minds on the state of the reef. Despite the significant measures outlined in the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability plan, there is a band of extreme greens who still want to complain.
Mr Bowers never stops. I flagged the state of anticipation developing around the building this afternoon over photo opportunities with B1 and B2. Exhibit A, Labor’s Ed Husic. Going the potassium.
Budget cutbacks @edhusicMP tries out the canapés @murpharoo @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/nf8Cu1jENF
— Mike Bowers (@mpbowers) March 25, 2015
Gorgeous. Mike Bowers has popped around to a briefing on the situation in South Sudan organised by Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt, Labor’s Anna Burke, and Liberal MP, Kelly O’Dwyer. These three have agreed to co-chair a South Sudan friendship group. So much constructive engagement happens through these parliamentary associations. It’s important to remember this when we feel like screaming about the state of contemporary politics.
Sorry we’ve had a publishing glitch. Fingers crossed we are back now.
Worth posting this for compare and contrast. From Joe Hockey’s press conference earlier on today. On cartels.
Q: Treasurer, what do you think about Andrew Forrest’s suggestion of the effective creation of a cartel of iron ore producers across the world?
Joe Hockey:
We’re not very supportive of cartels at all.
Q: Wouldn’t that give the government extra revenue though?
Joe Hockey:
Yes, but it’s important that we continue to believe, as we always have as Liberals, in the free markets. And yes, I am as concerned of the falling iron ore price as anyone else. I am meeting with Rio and speak regularly to other iron ore producers.
A complete trick of the angle here, but I can’t resist sharing what would be an epic death stare from Julie Bishop to Joe Hockey, if it was, which it isn’t.
Updated
Parliament is busy feeling anticipatory because shortly, the ABC will be hosting people for an annual event where the denizens of the building get to hug Bananas in Pyjamas and so on and so forth.
Perhaps social services minister Scott Morrison was practising for a Play School cameo when he busted out this Wombat Wiggle. Or was it the Wombat Wobble?
Andrew Laming, pouring oil on troubled waters.
Goody gum drops. The senate has agreed to extend the sitting tonight and tomorrow to deal with metadata.
On Wednesday, 25 March 2015:
- the senate will sit until 11.10pm with adjournment proposed at 10.30pm
On Thursday, 26 March 2015:
- from 9.30am until a minister moves for the senate to adjourn
- from approximately 4pm, valedictory statements will be made relating to senator Brett Mason
- if it hasn’t concluded the bill earlier, the senate will return to the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Bill 2014 from not later than 8pm
Let the wild rumpus start.
Updated
In the olden days (stay with me now, don’t put on the kettle) – staff used to roam the parliamentary press gallery with pieces of paper full of contradictory quotes from their political opponents. I liked to call this ‘rapid response’ practice the quick quotes quill, which will only make sense if you’ve read the Harry Potter series.
In the digitial age, we have quick quotes YouTube. It tends to work better for the clickable, shareable, demographic.
I was busy balancing #FuelGate and Julie Bishop’s climb down as major question time ‘moments’, so I only referenced #BudgetGate in passing. Labor was intent today in trying to hang the government on budget repair, with its own words.
If you are interested, this short clip makes the gotcha exercise plain.
Clearly the fuel dump in the federation chamber had been a couple of days in the planning.
Cruise ship crap? Could they use cleaner fuel in port? pic.twitter.com/BgnU6KF9TM
— Andrew Laming (@AndrewLamingMP) March 22, 2015
In politics, you do have to escalate to get noticed.
Andrew Laming, @andrewlamingmp is now trending in Australia http://t.co/giFpgTnEo5
— Trends Australia (@TrendsAustralia) March 25, 2015
A couple of chamber pictures now while I transition out of question time and into the afternoon.
Detente? Mike Bowers records the cessation of the Cold War.
This one actually begs for captions.
Further questions have been placed on the notice paper. Manager of opposition business Tony Burke has drawn Madam Speaker’s attention to the Laming statement, not backing down on #FuelGate.
Would Madam Speaker investigate this? As it happens, yes, she will.
Bill Shorten:
Q: I refer to the fact that the prime minister confirmed on 16 September 2013 that the budget he inherited was not markedly different from the pre-election economic fiscal outlook. Is it it the case that since the election the budget deficit’s increased by $80bn and net debt has blown out by $200bn?
Tony Abbott:
Madam Speaker, I am very happy to have a contest on economic management with the leader of the opposition. Very, very happy to have a contest on economic management with this leader of the opposition because, Madam Speaker, Labor governments destroy our budget, Coalition governments restore our budget.
That is the way it always is.
(Seems reasonable to remind readers now of a slide Joe Hockey shared with colleagues in the Coaliton partyroom yesterday about when the budget would return to surplus. The slide read: We will get the budget back to surplus as soon as possible.)
That is where things were going under Labor - worse than Greece!
This is the prime minister. While I’ve been scooping up #FuelGate there has been much shouting about surpluses, with digressions into Wayne Swan’s alleged solarium visits – and now, we are not only heading for Greek like debt under Labor – we are worse than Greece. Never let facts get in the way of a not very plausible story.
Shhh. Don’t tell Madam Speaker.
Liberal Andrew Laming apologised in the House for his messing up of the federation chamber with bunker fuel, but he must have had his fingers crossed.
Laming, in a statement, just issued.
If Australian families have to breath it, I don’t back down bringing it to parliament to make the point. With other developed nations banning it in ports, it’s long overdue to do the same thing in Australia.
Bad stumble in this sense: a person who seeks to lead a political party can’t get basic principles of economics wrong – even on the fly. That’s life threatening behaviour.
Right, Malcolm?
Not sure if this was a quickie competition law seminar prior to question time.
Bad stumble from Bishop, this.
Joe has re-educated me – isn't he nice?
Julie Bishop has a crack at Labor’s Tanya Plibersek for getting aid funding figures wrong. This of course opens the door for Plibersek to ask whether Bishop really supports an iron ore price cartel.
This refers to Bishop’s rather gobsmacking endorsement of Twiggy Forrest’s proposal that I covered just before question time.
Julie Bishop:
I was asked about the comments and I made the quite obvious observation that the commodity price decrease is having an impact on our economy, that iron ore prices infiltrate our entire economy – but any ideas to assist would be worth considering.
I don’t know the detail of Andrew Forrest’s proposal but I have since been discussing the matter with the treasurer and the treasurer says the specifics of Mr Forrest’s proposal would not be acceptable.
And of course I support the treasurer on that basis.
In the trade, that is called multiple burn. Except the major injury is to Julie Bishop, who, right now looks very foolish.
Clive Palmer would like to know will Tony Abbott overhaul the senate voting system to entrench the dominance of the major parties.
Tony Abbott says in all things, he’ll be collegial and consultative. One of the subjects that we will talk about collegially and consultatively in the months and years to come is the report of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, that excellent report from the committee that was so well chaired by my friend and colleague – and I look forward to considering its recommendations and to acting upon them in due course.
So, the answer is yes, possibly.
Labor asks who is right about the particulars of Australia joining the China development bank – the treasurer or the foreign minister?
Tony Abbott proceeds to spell out the terms under which Australia would sign up:
Madam Speaker we have been talking to the Chinese to try to ensure that it is in fact a multilateral institution, that it is run in all important respects by a board, that its processes are transparent, that it is genuinely accountable, and it is not controlled by any one entity.
Under those circumstances we would certainly be prepared to join.
Just when you think you’ve seen it all.
Caught black-handed… Laming suspended for bringing fuel into parliament pic.twitter.com/aukwY3J7Qq
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) March 25, 2015
Labor is back: will the government have a competitive tender process and allow the new submarines to be built and maintained in Australia?
Defence minister, Kevin Andrews.
We are not going to engage in your fantasy.
Tony Abbott, recreating his morning amble through customs.
I visited strategic border command to thank all the personnel there from all the many agencies involved for their important work to keep our country safe.
The men and women of strategic border command are the people who are stopping the boats, who are stopping the guns, who are stopping the drugs and, very importantly, stopping the potential terrorists as well.
Bill Shorten would like to know whether the government will accept Labor’s offer on submarines.
The prime minister seems disinclined to accept that offer.
Tony Abbott:
The process the leader of the opposition announced today would just mean further delay, Madam Speaker.
It would just mean further delay and the consequence of further delay would be that Australia would have no operational submarines towards the end of the next decade when the Collins class submarines go out of service.
Madam Speaker is now making a statement. She is responding to a complaint from the member for Corangamite, Sarah Henderson, about events in the federation chamber last night. The complaint concerns a stunt by the Liberal MP Andrew Laming.
Madam Speaker:
As I understand it towards the end of his speech on his motion on the cruise liner industry, the member for Bowman picked up one of two bottles he had brought into the chamber purporting to contain bunker fuel. He then proceeded to pour some of the contents of thick black fuel on to his hand, spilling on to the desk and floor of the federation chamber. I ask the member to apologise to the House for his reckless and highly disorderly actions.
Laming has just apologised, but Madam Speaker is not in forgiving humour.
I thank the member for that apology but nonetheless I consider the offence to be so serious and of such disorderly nature that I name the member for Bowman.
Bye bye, Andrew Laming.
Question time
Today opens with statements on the air tragedy on indulgence.
The foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has now named the Australian woman killed overnight in the crash.
Two Australians, Carol Friday and her son were on board the flight. Consular officials have been in contact with the Friday family and are providing all possible consular assistance.
Our thought and prayers are with them at this unimaginably difficult time.
In a galaxy close by, David Leyonhjelm on the metadata proposal. He’s just done a doorstop interview with fellow crossbenchers. (Yes, he is behind you. Xenophon. Nick Xenophon.)
I disagree with it on many, many aspects as a libertarian, I think it’s the government that should be watched, not the government watching the public.
In fact, the suggestion has been made that the attorney-general is more obeident to the AFP than some of their sniffer dogs.
Julie Bishop on iron ore cartels – an idea worth considering - um, wut?
I missed a point from earlier today, so thanks to the ABC for broadcasting the grab. In one of her walking doorstops today, the foreign minister, Julie Bishop, actually endorsed Twiggy Forrest’s bizarre proposal to drive up the iron ore price.
Julie Bishop:
Well, that’s a matter for the iron ore industry. I know that we’re challenged by falling commodity prices and the iron ore price does infiltrate the Australian economy – but it’s an idea worth considering, it’s not one that I’m expert upon so I’ll leave it to the iron ore producers.
(I’m no expert would seem an understatement in relation to this response.)
Andrews on Labor's subs deal: a complete fantasy
I’ve only now just seen a grab of the defence minister Kevin Andrews’ response to Labor’s grand offer on the submarines. No deal.
Kevin Andrews:
Look, we’ve made a decision about this. What Mr Shorten has said this morning is promising a complete fantasy.
I mean we’ve had words for years and years from Labor and no action. Now we’re going to get on with the job, we’re going to get the new generation of submarines. We’ve said that there will be a significant Australian involvement in that.
What Mr Shorten is promising is yet again more words from Labor, promising a mirage that won’t eventuate.
I’ve been enjoying keeping half an ear on the chief scientist, Ian Chubb while making sure we are across everything we need to be at this stage of the day. Chubb is at the National Press Club.
He’s asked what’s the most disappointing thing he’s experienced as chief scientist. The answer was quite poignant – at least for those of us at an age where we tend notice the subtle acceleration of time.
Ian Chubb:
What’s been the most disappointing? The most disappointing is I’m at the age I’m at. I’d like to have another 20 years to do it because I think when you think about what you could do, when you think about what needs to be done, and you think about what capacity you have in a job like this to influence some of those outcomes – you’d never want to let it go.
It is true as the (industry minister) said last night, he had to twist my arm to get me to accept an extension, but he didn’t have to twist very hard!
Politics, this lunchtime
I’m not sure how we got to the Sound of Music either but I am sure I will post a lunchtime summary today.
Today, Wednesday:
- The foreign minister Julie Bishop has confirmed that two Australians have perished overnight in a plane crash in the French Alps.
- Labor has produced a policy on Australia’s future submarine acquisition which is says it superior to the government’s thus far invisible competitive evaluation process. Bill Shorten says given the self-evident superiority of the proposition (specificity being just the start), the government should just say yes and get rid of a serious political barnacle in South Australia. Shorten says people are sick of politicians arguing, so this is a bipartisan solution – a group hug with bonus squirrel grip. Lest we think this is actually as take-it-or-leave-it as it sounds, Shorten has said if the government pursues its own thus far invisible competitive evaluation process, and signs a contract, Labor will honour that contract. Such is life.
- The senate has pushed on with the metadata debate, but the package has not yet reached its inevitable conclusion. Just before the inevitable conclusion, my colleague Daniel Hurst has revealed objections at the shadow cabinet level to bipartisanship on this particular proposition. Chief dissenter is Shorten’s former leadership rival, Anthony Albanese.
And so it goes.
How did we get to the Sound of Music?
Just because, from Adelaide radio a bit earler this morning.
Q: Now, Christopher Pyne, do you know you’ve made it when you appear on YouTube in a Star Wars clip?
Christopher Pyne:
Well, I’ve been impressed by the amount of very supportive commentary I’ve had about that particular meme.
In fact, people think I look quite fetching in a general’s uniform from the Empire –
Mark Butler:
On the Dark Side though.
Q: Does it worry you that you’re a natural fit, that you look quite natural in the uniform of an evil empire? Does that worry you at all?
Christopher Pyne:
[Laughs]
Mark Butler:
Apparently not!
Q: It’s not The Sound of Music, is it?
Christopher Pyne:
Well, of course, Captain Von Trapp was always in an Austrian uniform in The Sound of Music, or one of those rather fetching tunics if you look back –
Mark Butler:
How did we get to The Sound of Music?
While the debate inches on, my colleague Daniel Hurst has published a story revealing that senior left Labor frontbencher, Anthony Albanese, spoke against the metadata bill in shadow cabinet.
Guardian Australia understands Albanese told his colleagues at shadow cabinet meetings he held strong concerns about the legislation, including its impacts on journalists and unintended consequences. Albanese, who is a senior Labor left figure, and others within the party remain unsatisfied with the adequacy of the compromise deal relating to journalists.
This proposal remains deeply uncomfortable for many progressive people within Labor – but whatever the internal and residual discomfort – this bill is making its way towards law because of Labor’s support.
George Brandis to Scott Ludlam.
You take a somewhat paranoid view sometimes, if I may say so, about what the government might do.
Scott Ludlam to George Brandis.
I have a few more paranoid questions to put to the attorney-general ..
(This is, in part, about the bill not containing a destruction obligation on telcos and ISPs. The bill says customer metadata has to be held for two years. It doesn’t set out what happens next.)
Back to the jargon. The red room is working towards the consideration of Greens amendments on metadata.
The attoney-general, George Brandis, to Green Scott Ludlam.
We can’t pursue an infinite regression through the Theasurus.
In the world beyond jargon, the treasurer Joe Hockey is speaking to reporters.
Treasurer @JoeHockey dismisses Andrew Forrest's proposal on iron ore "we don't support cartels"
— Andrew Greene (@AndrewBGreene) March 25, 2015
Are meta-tags in the data set?
This is the Greens senator, Penny Wright, in the metadata debate.
George Brandis:
If you offer me a definition ... I’ll tell you whether they are within or without.
Penny Wright:
Well, that highlights the confusion, doesn’t it?
Wright says she’s guided by experts, and experts tell her there is an issue with meta-tags. Experts are confused and the community is confused.
George Brandis:
Just because you are confused doesn’t mean there is confusion about the bill.
Penny Wright:
I don’t think that accurately reflects the concerns. I’ll put that somewhat be-littling response aside ... Have you heard the term before?
George Brandis:
Senator, I have heard the term before.
The attorney cautions against digressions into jargon.
Sorry – that appearance from Tony Abbott rather cut across my effort to keep you up to date with the metadata debate. While the prime minister was speaking, various crossbenchers were towelling up the attorney-general George Brandis in the red room.
LDP senator David Leyonhjelm wondered why Brandis hated freedom. (He didn’t actually, he wondered why the government had done a deal with Labor to pass this package, rather than dealing with like minded libertarians ... like ... I don’t know. Him.)
Brandis noted that the current reality was ... the reality.
The prime minister ducks a question on Twiggy Forrest’s grand plan to cap iron ore production in an effort to make producers more wealthy – sorry – the grand plan to ‘help’ the Australian budget. It’s a free market, Abbott notes. Prices go up and prices go down.
Has he spoken to the Americans yet so we can finally tie up Australia’s participation in China’s proposed investment bank?
Not conclusively, obviously.
Tony Abbott:
I have had a number of conversations with president Obama. I have had a number of conversations with prime minister Abe and those conversations are continuing.
Does the prime minister have any particulars on the air tragedy overnight – any information that would suggest the incident is anything other than a tragic accident?
Tony Abbott:
I don’t, and I think it would be wrong at this point to speculate.
The prime minister has concluded his small talk and is praising our brave border force for its various achievements.
First question from reporters is whether we will join Canada in bombing Syria. This is tricky territory – the Iraq engagement is bipartisan currently, but not if it crosses the border into Syria.
Q: Last night Stephen Harper announced Canada would renew its mission in Iraq for an additional 12 months. Australia’s mission there – a decision is due later this year. Are you minded to extend our mission there? And secondly, Mr Harper announced the Canadian air force would join bombing missions in Syria.
Is that something we would consider?
Tony Abbott rules out bombing missions in Syria, for now.
You have asked me about Syria. We are not conducting air strikes in Syria at this time and we have no plans ourselves to do so. Nevertheless, as well as our six super Hornet strike fighters, we also have two other aircraft there, a refueler and an airborne control aircraft, and they are certainly assisting with air operations throughout the theatre and that includes air operations in Syria.
While we are not ourselves mounting strikes against targets in Syria, our two support aircraft are supporting strikes in Syria. They have been doing that for some time and they will no doubt continue to do that.
Anything suspicious today?
Sorry, I can’t look forward yet because Mike Bowers has just sent me particulars of Tony Abbott looking at things. The prime minister – in his inspection of a customs office this morning – had a couple of conversations with employees.
Do check out the immigration minister, Peter Dutton’s face in Mike’s picture.
Conversation one.
Prime minister to customs lady.
What do you do?
Customs lady to prime minister.
Research.
Prime minister to customs lady.
Well, it’s good to research things.
Conversation two.
Abbott to customs man.
Anything suspicious today?
Customs man to prime minister.
No.
Prime minister to customs man.
That’s because you have been vigilant.
Updated
The Senate is back on the metadata legislation.
Just before I lool forward, one look back. Senate crossbencher Jacqui Lambie last night revealed herself as a no vote on the metadata bill.
Lambie:
The government has used the threat of a terrorist attack from Islamic State to grossly invade the privacy of every Australian.
Why should the majority of law-abiding Australians have their privacy invaded because a minority of our citizens have decided that their loyalties lay with a different country – with a different people?
Why should the civil rights of law-abiding Australians be lessened because some of our citizens decide to betray their country and give support and assistance to foreign powers that would do us harm? Instead of passing these laws, I am calling on this government to use the existing laws of sedition and treason to tackle terrorism – which I will turn to shortly.
If the government were serious about stopping terrorist attacks on peace-loving, loyal Australians instead of introducing laws to take away our civil rights, then the government, through the attorney general, should enforce that every citizen who in any way assists the Isis forces fighting our troops should face at least seven years maximum jail sentence for sedition.
Updated
Tony Abbott. Looking at things.
Border Force things. Our prime minister loves a uniform.
Sadly there is no sign yet of the Border Force Daft Punk logo in any of Mike’s pictures. I do love that logo.
Updated
Not a lot of submarines fans in the thread this morning. Don’t you people know they are the spaceships of the ocean?
Q: Is it a case now that if the Abbott government likes part of what you are saying but dislikes another part, where do you draw the line in terms of the bipartisanship with this?
Bill Shorten:
Well, first of all, let’s see what the Abbott government says. I hope the Abbott government doesn’t say: ‘We have this all under control everyone, we’re not interested in what the opposition says’. That will make Australians frustrated.
We are proposing a process that resolves within 12-18 months, a process which has the criteria outlined in Labor’s policy. We want best capability. We want to make sure Australia owns the intellectual property and we want to make sure it is built in Australia.
They should be the requirements for tender.
Q: Are you saying it is all or nothing of your plan, or if they accept part of it, is that all right?
The Labor party is happy to take this issue off the political table and put it in the bipartisan category. We just need a government capable of working with an opposition rather than just throwing rocks.
The issue here is not what Kevin Andrews thinks, the issue is what is in the best interests of the Australian people.
People want more bipartisanship. It is disappointing if as soon as Labor offers it we get a kneejerk reaction from a government who is more interested in politics than policy.
Q: How is it bipartisan to offer a different policy position and then say the government must match that position?
Let’s be very straight here.
What we are saying to the government is if they go through (Labor’s) process and put in the tender requirement Australian build, Australian-owned intellectual property, best capability.
We have a deal, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s have an argument about something else.
Q: If the government reaches a contract with someone and you come to power at the next election, will you honour the contract if they have signed it?
If they do conclude a contractual process and if they do sign contracts, the contracts they sign we will honour.
The Labor leader has now turned up at a press conference outside the submarine conference in Adelaide.
Q: The defence minister pretty much already ruled out working with you on this so where does it leave you?
Bill Shorten:
It would be so silly of the Liberal government in Canberra to just take their bat and ball and go home and say they won’t work with Labor.
What Australians are desperately crying out for, not just in submarines, but across a whole range of issues, is Liberal and Labor working together.
I am not cut from the same cloth as Tony Abbott.
I’m interested in rolling up our sleeves and how we work together.
Today we have offered common ground to Tony Abbott. You can’t just make a decision about tens of billions of dollars, thousands of jobs, most importantly, our national security, on some handshake deal with one tender bidder.
We need to get to the bottom of what’s happened.
Funny old trajectory this. As I mentioned this morning, Shorten first hinted Labor would not honour submarine contracts – only to be cleaned up by the shadow treasurer Chris Bowen. Now he’s cleaned up Penny Wong.
Shorten’s point in this interview is the government shouldn’t rush through a botched process, particularly when Labor is standing ready to support a bipartisan way forward. Labor shouldn’t have to cancel (theoretical) contracts. There should be an agreement between the major parties about how to proceed with a major defence acquisition.
Bill Shorten tidies up Penny Wong – of course we will honour submarine contracts
Ah yes, first question to Bill Shorten. Will you honour contracts?
Shorten:
If the government rushes a contract through ... of course we will honour contracts.
The migration bill has cleared the red room.
The #Senate has agreed to the Migration Amendment (Protection and Other Measures) Bill 2014 with amendments
— Australian Senate (@AuSenate) March 24, 2015
I’m hanging on for Bill Shorten, who is coming up on Adelaide radio in just a minute. It will be interesting to see if he’s asked about Penny Wong’s ambiguity this morning on honouring contracts. If he’s not asked, I’ll follow it up with his office.
The Labor senator Kate Lundy made her final speech in the senate last night. The various formalities are underway for her replacement – the former ACT chief minister Katy Gallagher.
The ACT Legislative Assembly has endorsed @KatyG_ACT as Senator for the ACT, following resignation of @KateLundy @abcnewsCanberra
— Lisa Mosley (@LisaMosley) March 24, 2015
Blessed are the Politics Live readers.
@murpharoo Australian Border Force Bill 2015 - Resumption of debate on 2nd reading is now
— michael halliday777 (@michaelhallida4) March 24, 2015
The two chambers have begun their sitting for the day. In the senate, we are on the migration bill I referenced during our live coverage yesterday – not metadata yet. I’m not sure where they are up to in the reps because I haven’t had a chance to look yet, but the legislative bounty today includes a bill setting up the Australian Border Force.
Bill Shorten has begun his address in Adelaide – doing what he always feels most comfortable doing – trying to get to the political middle. Getting to the middle can be a great quality in politics if you are interested in getting things done. It can also make you look like you stand for nothing.
Shorten likes an anecdotal opening to a speech, we’ve done the Shorten family history and there’s a hat tip to the wartime Labor prime minister John Curtin. Now he’s working through the dot points I’ve already given you on the specific submarine proposal.
I’ve lost the live link to Adelaide and Kevin Andrews, but can turn to the Adelaide Advertiser’s Tory Shepherd, who has evidently been briefed by the government about the defence minister’s speech. Andrews is pitching that the Australian industry support the subs project.
The engagements between international partners and industry will be scheduled to complement the development of their pre-concept designs, allowing timely judgments of how to best involve Australian capabilities and skills in their proposals. Importantly, there is agreement on the need for a co-ordinated and consultative approach to the engagement, which offers international partners full visibility of how Australian industry can support the project and maximise Australian industrial involvement.
For the record, this is the Labor submarine acquisition process pitched by Bill Shorten today. This is from the extract of his speech reported by Daniel Hurst this morning.
- A competitive tender process, including a funded project definition study.
- Labor is proposing a twelve to eighteen month process, involving a six-month request for proposals, followed by a six-month request for tenders.
- Under this process, Australia would invite the most prominent non-nuclear submarine designers from Germany, France, Japan and Sweden to participate.
- Each would receive $7m from the Commonwealth to be involved in this process.
- Following the request for proposals, the government would down-select two submarine builders to provide final submarine designs and fixed priced contracts.
- The two parties selected to provide this information would receive an additional $8m to provide more detailed tender bids.
- There are three non-negotiable conditions for these tenders: a guarantee of submarine performance; Australian access to all intellectual property; and the next generation of submarines must be built, maintained and sustained in Australia.
On submarines, Andrew says:
The process I recently announced is the best way forward to ensure that (a capability) gap will not occur.
This would be the competitive evaluation process that emerged from undertakings the prime minister gave to South Australian senator Sean Edwards during the leadership spill. Kevin Andrews has never really fully explained what this process is. Perhaps new particulars will emerge today.
The defence minister Kevin Andrews is addressing the submarine summit in Adelaide now. His opening pitch is to blame Labor, and then tell the shipbuilding industry to pick up is act.
The government wants there to be a sustainable naval shipbuilding industry in Australia. Furthermore, the government has a vision for a long-term, efficient and productive maritime industry in Australia, which will provide high skilled jobs for young Australians for decades to come.
When we came to office in 2013, we discovered the previous government had no commitment, no plan for the future of the Australian naval shipbuilding industry. Previous governments, through a lack of decision making, left the Australian naval shipbuilding industry in a precarious and uncertain state.
The only way Australia can continue to have a naval shipbuilding industry is if the industry is properly structured to drive efficiencies and improve productivity. This will require hard decisions and a commitment to a productivity-based culture.
My favourite story of the morning for just all out weird. Not in the main run of politics today, but worth sharing anyway. We all know that mining magnate Andrew Twiggy Forrest is a big ideas person. We know, largely, because he keeps on telling us. The Australian Financial Review reports that Twiggy has called on the world’s big iron ore companies to announce publicly a cap on production in an effort to arrest declining prices, which have slumped more than 50% over the past year.
Forrest says he’s happy to cap his own production, like now. AFR reporter Lisa Murray: “He said the other major players, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Brazil’s Vale should also cap their production “and we’ll find the iron ore price goes straight back up to US$70, US$80, US$90.
Forrest:
I’m happy to put that challenge out there, let’s cap our production right here and start acting like grown-ups.
Do competition laws not apply to massive ideas persons in the resources industry?
Busy morning for Mike Bowers, hither and thither. The morning, in pictures.
The Australian’s defence correspondent Brendan Nicholson has an interesting news break this morning on a review led by the former Rio Tinto Australian head David Peever. “The biggest Defence shake-up in 40 years is coming after an expert panel found the department was rife with “waste and inefficiency’’ but resisted change because of complacency and inertia. The restructure, to be unveiled soon by the government, will streamline the top-heavy defence department and its agencies, slash the number of administrators and improve efficiency after an independent review warned processes were complicated, slow and inefficient.”
The shadow foreign affairs minister Tanya Plibersek is on Sky News comenting on the plane tragedy and the death of the two Australians. She says a number of events in recent times will be making people wary about aviation travel. There have been a series now of similar tragedies. Plibersek says it is important to remember that statistically speaking, these events are infrequent.
The justice minister Michael Keenan and crime commission boss Chris Dawson will shortly release a report investigating the illicit market for the drug ice. Michael Gordon in The Age has the jump on that report this morning. “The commission finds that ice, or crystal methylamphetamine, poses the highest risk to the Australian community of all illicit drugs and calls for a collective response from governments, law enforcement agencies, community groups and industry. It identifies several changes in the nature and scale of the methylamphetamine market since 2010, including increased purity, ice now being the dominant form of the drug, and an increase in the importation of the drug and “precursor chemicals” used to manufacture it.”
I mentioned the prime minister is at the Australian War Memorial. This morning, he’s launching a travelling exhibition which will visit twenty three locations across Australia throughout the Centenary of Anzac period.
Labor declines to say whether it would honour a submarine contract entered into by Tony Abbott
To submarines now. As my colleague Daniel Hurst reports this morning, the federal opposition has called for “a bipartisan solution to the gridlock” surrounding the acquisition of Australia’s next fleet of submarines.
Bill Shorten wants Swedish designers included in the process. He’ll use a speech to a submarine summit in Adelaide on Wednesday to outline the process Labor wants the government to adopt, instead of the still artfully non-specific competitive evaluation process Tony Abbott says he wants.
Labor’s senate leader, and South Australian senator, Penny Wong has been deputised to do the early morning radio interviews about the submarines pitch. Wong is pressed by the ABC AM host Michael Brissenden about whether or not Labor will honour any contracts the Abbott government signs, whether or not Labor agrees with the decision-making. The point of the questions is will Labor back the Coalition’s decisions if the government ignores today’s pitch.
Wong dances around that point. She says Labor wants the government to agree with Labor’s process – go out to market, don’t exclude certain players, do a proper process.
Let’s stop the blame game. Let’s do this the right way.
Wong says Labor’s process will deliver an Australian build and value for money.
But she doesn’t answer the specific question put to her: will you honour any contract the government signs.
Bill Shorten all but said during a visit to Adelaide last year that Labor wouldn’t honour a contract on the submarine acquisition. This caused a bit of a stir. It was later cleaned up by the shadow treasurer Chris Bowen – who said Labor’s standing policy position was to honour contracts.
Good morning and welcome to Wednesday, the day after Tuesday, and the day before the final parliamentary sitting day before the budget.
As we go live this morning, the foreign minister Julie Bishop has confirmed that two Australians have died overnight in the horrific plane crash in the French alps.
Julie Bishop:
There were 144 passengers and six crew onboard, including sixteen German schoolchildren on an exchange. Sadly I can confirm that there were two Australian citizens onboard, a mother and her adult son from Victoria.
It would not be appropriate to disclose further details of our citizens at this stage due to the privacy considerations of the family. We are seeking to identify whether there were any other Australian citizens, dual nationals or permanent residents, onboard that flight.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this shocking tragedy.
The causes of the crash remain unclear. We have separate rolling coverage of the search and rescue effort, which you can read here. The prime minister, Tony Abbott, on his way to an event at the Australian War Memorial, stopped to make this brief statement to reporters.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families of all those killed but particularly with the loved ones of the two Australians who have lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, our consular officials are doing what they can for the families.
Apart from the impact of this terrible tragedy, the two main national political stories of today – at this stage at least – are the government’s metadata legislation and Australia’s future submarine purchase.
I’ll stocktake metadata first and get to submarines in the next post.
The senate last night went through the first phase of debate on the metadata legislation. The Greens were surprised to learn that the government still doesn’t know how much its proposed scheme will cost – there are a diverse range of estimates, not a fixed cost. Some of these estimates are in the order of several hundred million.
Attorney-general George Brandis:
Those are matters currently before the government – they are a matter of deliberation as part of the budget process.
Green senator Scott Ludlam:
That is remarkable that you would bring forward a bill without knowing how much it is going to cost or how you are going to evaluate the cost.
I cannot recall in my experience the government putting forward a bill with support from the opposition that it didn’t know how much it would cost.
The metadata debate will continue today, and depending on the efficiency and collective wisdoms of the senate, could even pass the red room later on. I will of course keep you posted.
The comments thread is open for your business and you can find us, as always, on the Twits @murpharoo and @mpbowers
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