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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Amy Remeikis

Coalition Senator Scott Ryan warns against controversial government encryption bill – as it happened

Senate president Scott Ryan has issued a serious warning about the encryption bill.
Senate president Scott Ryan has issued a serious warning about the encryption bill. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

The parliament is winding down now.

Everyone will head back home for three days of relative calm, before returning on Monday for the last sitting of the year.

What will happen?

Who knows.

The crossbench are going to try and push the Nauru bill. Labor will move to point out the government’s tenuous position as much as possible. Craig Kelly will keep being Craig Kelly. And Peter Dutton could find himself referred to the high court.

And we have four more question times.

Mike Bowers will be back with you from next week to capture all of what, I am sure will be, batshit chicanery. The Guardian brains trust will also be back with you, as will I.

All of the thanks to the whole team for dragging my dead-inside body through another week, and of course, to all of you, who made it interesting, who followed and laughed along with us. Ain’t democracy grand?

We’ll see you on Monday. In the meantime, take care of you.

Why did Rebekha Sharkie abstain in today’s motion?

She told Patricia Karvelas on RN Drive

Updated

The crossbench meeting with Christopher Pyne meeting has broken up.

The crossbench was asking Pyne to allow a vote on the Nauru medical evacuation bill, so they don’t need the absolute majority for it.

We’re told that Pyne said he would convey that message to the prime minister.

Updated

The Business Council of Australia has also praised the modern slavery act:

The establishment of a Modern Slavery Act is a critical step in ending the scourge of modern slavery and business welcomes its successful passage through Parliament today, Business Council chief executive Jennifer Westacott said.

“We congratulate the parliament in establishing this important piece of legislation, which the Business Council has long supported.

“Modern slavery is abhorrent and business looks forward to continuing to work with the government on implementing the legislation.

“Our members have taken a leadership role in combatting modern slavery and we are proud to have been a long-standing and vocal supporter of introducing the act.

“Business is committed to identifying forced labour and weeding it out of tainted supply chains.

“We believe greater transparency of supply chains will drive better practice and reveal which companies are working to maintain clean supply chains.”

Updated

Jason Clare has responded to the Adani announcement with a statement:

Adani has today announced plans to self-fund a project vastly smaller than the mega-mine that was originally proposed.

They have made plenty of announcements before.

Labor’s position has been clear. There shouldn’t be a dollar of taxpayer money spent propping up the project.

We said the project as first proposed would not stack up, and it didn’t.

We said it wouldn’t create the jobs that were promised to Queenslanders, and it won’t.”

I’m sensing a theme here

Andrew Forrest, in his capacity as the Walk Free Foundation Founder, has welcomed the bipartisan approach to the modern slavery act being passed in the parliament, as Gareth Hutchens wrote about this morning:

“An Australian Modern Slavery Act is essential if Australia is going to play a role in making slavery a thing of the past,” Forrest said.

“This Act will help us ensure the goods we buy are slave free. We cannot continue to allow the often-invisible victims of modern slavery to be stripped of their freedoms.

The products they produce are found in the supply chains of Australian and international companies that provide the food that we eat, the clothes that we wear and the consumer goods we use.

“It is our responsibility to end this criminal abuse of human rights, and this world-class legislation will help us do that.”

Updated

Scott Morrison’s office has released the official ‘I have left the country’ statement:

I will travel to Argentina from 30 November to 1 December to participate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Buenos Aires.

The G20 has a track record of bringing advanced and emerging economies together to bridge divides and shape the rules that govern our economic interactions.

My priority for this year’s summit will be building on that record with other leaders to find a constructive way forward on global trade.

A strong multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organisation at its’ centre has helped underwrite regional and global economic stability and prosperity.

This is critically important to Australia as an open, trade-reliant economy – our continued growth and prosperity depends on it.

I am pleased that this year’s summit includes a focus on the future of work and how growth can be shared across populations.

I will take the opportunity to highlight how innovation has been at the centre of growing Australia’s economy and how increasing women’s economic security and participation is essential to raising living standards. That’s why Australia introduced the gender participation goal during our 2014 G20 presidency, of reducing the gap between female and male participation by 25 per cent by 2025.

I look forward to meeting with my fellow leaders at the summit to discuss these important issues and strengthen our engagement at what is a critical time.

Updated

Our parliament spies tell us Christopher Pyne is currently meeting with the entire crossbench in his office.

With the curtains open.

Dr Paul Bauert has given his “unconditional” support to the crossbench bill to evacuate those who need medical care off the off-shore detention centres.

He’s a senior paediatrician at the Royal Darwin Hospital and member of the Federal Council of the Australian Medical Association.

There are several key points that I wish to make in unconditional support of the draft bill announced today by Dr Kerryn Phelps, Independent Member for Wentworth, in support of refugee health.

To date, assessments of the health needs of refugees and asylum seekers have been determined by bureaucrats working under the direction of the Minister for Home Affairs.

In response to this, doctors across Australia, supported by the AMA and Doctors4Refugees, along with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre which has funded and run the arduous legal appeals for successful medical transfers, are strongly arguing that medical decisions about refugees and asylum seekers should be made by doctors.

I myself have made many assessments over the last decade of refugees and asylum seekers held on- and offshore.

I am well aware of the degree of professional scrutiny required in making these assessments. I am also well aware of the complex needs of patients further traumatised by their current experiences, powerlessness and utter lack of hope and certainty.

There is now virtually unanimous agreement among Australian doctors that the situation for the refugees and asylum seekers held in offshore detention for more than five years has resulted in a mental and physical health crisis.

This is worsening rapidly as the settlement offers from New Zealand are refused and as the current refugee-averse US administration fights back against a “deal” that would have seen refugees settled in the US (less than 500 to date) and now specifically excludes some refugees on the basis of their nationality, not their eligibility for re-settlement.

There is every evidence that this crisis is escalating for those remaining on both Manus Island (PNG) and Nauru and that the medical facilities available to refugees and asylum seekers cannot and do not meet their complex and very serious medical needs.

The withdrawal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health services on Nauru, as from 30 November 2018, in addition to the recent eviction of MSF doctors and vital support staff from the island, seriously endangers any children remaining on Nauru as well as their families and other adults.

From Manus Island come equally alarming reports of escalating self-harm, suicide attempts and other markers of utter despair, without anything like adequate services to meet these needs which in many cases are life-threatening.”

Updated

Coalition Senator warns against controversial government encryption bill

The Senate president, Liberal senator Scott Ryan, has issued a serious warning about the telecommunications (assistance and access) bill – commonly known as the encryption bill.

In a submission to the parliamentary inquiry, Ryan warns that because the bill would “expand the circumstances where computer access warrants may be executed covertly” it “sits in tension” with the protocols for parliamentarians to claim privilege over material relating to their work.

The bill would expand the number of agencies who can covertly access computers, beyond Asio, to include other law enforcement agencies.

While nothing in the bill itself abrogates parliamentary privilege, Ryan warns that covert computer access warrants prevent parliamentarians an opportunity to raise a claim that police cannot read documents because of parliamentary privilege.

He said: “In that case, parliament has to rely on the agency seeking the warrant, and the authority approving it, to have proper regard to privilege.”

Ryan suggests that “procedural and legislative action” is needed to fix this issue, such as an amendment that it is not lawful to access documents that are part of the proceedings of parliament.

If time doesn’t allow, then Ryan suggests the committee agree to fix this problem after the bill is passed.

Updated

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre have welcomed Kerryn Phelps’ coming bill:

The Kids Off Nauru campaign coalition welcomes the Urgent Medical Treatment Bill being introduced into Parliament by Independent MP for Wentworth Dr Kerryn Phelps.

Dr Phelps announced in a press conference today that the bill will be introduced into the Lower House next week.

The bill is backed by a ‘coalition of conscience’ made up of cross-party MPs Dr Kerryn Phelps, Derryn Hinch, Andrew Wilkie, Adam Bandt, Nick McKim, Rebekha Sharkie and Tim Storer.

The Urgent Medical Treatment Bill will change the Migration Act to provide for urgent medical transfers to Australia for critically ill men, women and children remaining in offshore detention to save their lives.

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre advocacy and campaigns director Jana Favero said nobody wants to see critically ill people, particularly children, deteriorate because they don’t have proper medical treatment, no matter what their views are on offshore processing.

“Clinical recommendations by doctors, not politics, should determine access to medical care.”

“It is vital that the Australian Parliament backs this bill to solve the medical crisis in offshore processing centres, before another life is lost due to medical neglect.

“We applaud the coalition of MPs behind this bill for their courage of conviction.”

“Momentum for the Urgent Medical Treatment bill is increasing and we urge LNP and ALP politicians to back the bill when it comes before the House on Monday.”

Updated

The Australian Council of Social Services wants the Senate to reject the Newstart wait for new migrants:

ACOSS, along with the community sector, calls on the Senate to do the right thing and vote against the bill to make migrants wait up to four years to access social security. There is no justification for cutting off support for people, including children, who are in financial need.

The government’s original bill to impose a four-year wait to access social security was cruel, and void of good policy. Migrants make huge contributions to our society. We should be supporting them when they need it, not making it harder for them to build a life in Australia.

The amended bill before the Senate, however, will still impose a four-year wait to access Newstart, hurting people most in need. It will also, for the first time, impose a one-year wait to access Family Tax Benefit Part A, which is a crucial payment for low-income families, including families without paid work and families on the minimum wage trying to give their children the best start in life.

ACOSS urges Labor to join the Greens, Centre Alliance and Tim Storer in opposing the bill in the Senate, and protect people from falling further into poverty.

Updated

Pat Dodson has tabled the joint parliamentary committee on constitutional recognition’s report in the Senate.

The four recommendations are:

  1. The Australian government should “co-design” the Voice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, within the term of the next parliament
  2. The government should then consider “legislative, executive and constitutional options” to establish the Voice
  3. That the government support the process of truth-telling
  4. The establishment in Canberra of a national resting place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander remains which could be a place of commemoration, healing and reflection.

Dodson, the co-chair of the committee, told the Senate that he and Liberal co-chair Julian Leeser had to do “quite a bit of political shoe shuffling” to achieve common ground, but still he notes “two members had different views of the way forward”.

In a minority report, the Greens’ Rachel Siewert said the Voice “must be enshrined in Australia’s constitution” with a referendum “as soon as first nations peoples are ready” to do so. The Greens want a referendum first and detail to be determined “after the referendum”.

In additional comments, Liberal Amanda Stoker agreed with the majority recommendations but backed the establishment of regional entities rather than a national Voice, according to Dodson.

Dodson said that Labor will be guided by the report and “remains committed to all elements arising from the [Uluru] statement of the heart” – including Voice, constitutional entrenchment, and truth-telling. “These are all high order issues for Labor.”

Dodson said the order of whether to legislate or have a referendum first was a matter of “political judgment”.

He said Labor is also keen to have a conversation on the republic and a plebiscite – but it has “committed to a constitutional recognition for an Indigenous Voice as a clear focus”.

Updated

The committee looking into an indigenous voice in parliament has tabled its report.

It wants a roadmap to develop one.

Updated

While Labor was moving its motion in the House to condemn the government, Penny Wong was in the Senate moving this:

“That the Senate take note of the answer given by the leader of the government in the Senate (Senator Cormann) to the question without notice asked by Senator Wong today relating to the treasurer’s cancellation of his planned trip to the G20.”

Part of her speech is below:

This is a government now so divided, so chaotic, so riven by hatred and personal interest it is actually no longer able to govern.

A government that is unable to act on climate change, unable to agree on an energy policy, unable to put the interests of the nation ahead of its own self-interest.

The Liberal National party, trashing good government, trashing good government, that’s what it is doing.

A government that can barely go 24 hours without someone resigning, or threatening to bring down the government.

So lacking in confidence and purpose it is not even prepared to let this parliament sit for fear its divisions will be exposed on the floor of the House.

A government where a prime minister cannot even announce something as simple as the date of the Budget without having the announcement wrecked by yet another member abandoning his team.

It is now increasingly apparent that this chaos and division that we see played out in this place and in the House of Representatives, is damaging Australia’s standing overseas, and is damaging Australia’s national interest.

We saw during the Wentworth byelection a prime minister so desperate to cling to power he was prepared to trash decades of considered bipartisan foreign policy on the location of our embassy in Israel.

We know this was a decision that wasn’t taken to Cabinet, that was contrary to advice, the foreign minister Senator Payne was given less than 48 hours’ notice, and the media was briefed before the head of the Australian Defence Force.

This is a decision that is now risking the free trade agreement with Indonesia, risking our economy, and damaging one of Australia’s most important relationships.

Now we learn that the government is so divided and so chaotic it cannot even risk sending the treasurer out of the country for a few days for fear the government will fall.

There are few more important events on the international calendar than the G20.

This was a forum Australia helped create.

In fact Mr Costello was instrumental in establishing it as a meeting of treasurers and finance ministers in the 90s before what the Obama Administration’s most senior US official on Asian policy, Kurt Campbell, describes as Kevin Rudd’s “decisive” role in developing the G20 into a leaders’ summit in the wake of the global financial crisis.

In that process Australia got a seat at one of the biggest tables in the world.

That first leaders’ summit, in Washington in 2008, and the follow-up in London five months later, was crucial to rebuilding confidence in the global financial system.

And now the treasurer can’t go because the absence of a single MP for even a day might cause the government to fall and has to send the finance minister in his place.

Now, as people know, I have great respect for Senator Cormann and I am sure he will do his best, but the explanation he gave for why the treasurer withdrew says it all: “he’s got some work to do domestically.”

He certainly does!

You know what that is code for? It is code for dealing with the mess. It’s code for dealing with the division. It’s code for dealing with minority government. It’s code for managing the fallout from the disastrous result in Victoria. It’s code for trying to deal with the consequences of trashing good government, which is what this government is doing.

The treasurer who should be representing Australia at the G20 in Argentina is instead on an immigration watch list to prevent him leaving the country.

Meanwhile, the prime minister is heading off, but we’re advised he doesn’t have any meetings with the president of the United States or the president of China.

I very much hope that the absence of these meetings does not signal that the chaos that has engulfed this government is now further risking our national interest.

I genuinely hope this changes before the weekend is out, and that Mr Morrison is able to secure these meetings with the leaders of these two nations which are so important to Australia – the US, our ally, and China, which is of course our biggest trading partner.

Updated

In news which will shock absolutely no one, the Adani project has been scaled back quite considerably.

When announced, it was to be the biggest coal mine in the southern hemisphere. Once priced at $16bn, Adani will be entirely self-financing the project for $2bn.

That means production will eventually reach about 27m tonnes of coal a year, down from the originally proposed 60m tonnes.

It will also fund the railway line it once said it needed government funding for, or the whole project would be put in doubt.

Both the federal and state governments gave approvals, but the Palaszczuk government said it would provide no taxpayer funds.

So Adani is going ahead. Smaller, but it’s still a go.

Updated

And question time ends.

Scott Morrison is off to Argentina.

A hell of a lot of Queensland is on fire and facing an unprecedented fire risk.

So this announcement seems particularly badly timed.

And Tony Abbott gets a question.

“My question is to the prime minister.”

And Labor erupts in laughter.

Updated

Question time resumes.

And the motion is lost by two.

Ayes 66

Noes 68

(There are a few pairs and I was using the raw government v opposition numbers.)

Updated

Checks in on the Senate:

Checks back out.

But with most of the crossbench sitting to the side of this one, it is a moot point.

69 plus two is still less than 73 plus one (at my rough count).

Updated

The doors are locked and the count begins.

Katter basically has a government minder these days. They need to make sure he gets there for votes, so it’s like his own personal government whip service.

Bob Katter has just wandered into the chamber.

He sits with the government.

Updated

The crossbench abstains – Julia Banks, Kerryn Phelps, Cathy McGowan and Rebekha Sharkie move to the chairs on the outside of the chamber.

Bob Katter isn’t in the chamber.

Adam Bandt and Andrew Wilkie are with Labor.

Updated

Scott Morrison finishes his speech.

The House divides.

All eyes on the crossbench.

It looks like they are abstaining.

Christopher Pyne has just wandered over to the crossbench to chat to Cathy McGowan, Julia Banks, Kerryn Phelps and Rebekha Sharkie.

That would be the same Pyne who was threatening the crossbench just yesterday with section 44 referrals.

Updated

Julie Bishop appears to be getting her diary in order.

There were concerns that Barnaby Joyce looked like he had fallen asleep.

Michael Sukkar is now talking to him in an attempt to keep him engaged. Whatever the point Joyce is attempting to make, it involves a lot of hand movements. And also a very red face.

Updated

And a bit more:

Division in our workplaces, division between parents, as they stand on the sidelines watching their children play sport.

They want to set parents who send their children to state schools against parents who send their children to non-state schools, Mr Speaker.

The Labor party has a plan to divide this country. The Labor party has a plan to undermine the very principles of a fair go that has made this country the strong, united, vibrant country that it is today. And Australians, I believe, will get the opportunity to see that between now and the next election.

They will know absolutely when they go to the next election that the leader of the Labor party, and the Labor party, wants to disrupt the living standards of Australians by imposing their ideological and reckless agenda on the Australian people.

But not this side of the House. Not the Liberal party, not the National party.”

You may have noticed that creeping in a bit – the Liberal party and the National party being named together, instead of the Coalition.

Updated

Scott Morrison continues:

They are the policies which say that you should keep more of what you earn because you have worked incredibly hard for it. And that is the policy of this government.

And that is why, as a government, from the day we were elected we have been setting about the plan that has been making Australia stronger, that has been making Australia safer, and that has been bringing Australians together.

Our plan, which we have been implementing, is tax relief to encourage and reward hardworking Australians – $144bn worth of tax relief, which means, Mr Speaker, that more than 90% of Australians will not pay a marginal rate of 32.5c or more. 32.5c, that is what the majority of Australians will face under the legislated tax plans of our government, means that Australians going to work today on a middle income over the next 10 years will not see bracket creep, the vast majority of them, for their entire working life.

When you believe that Australians should keep more of what they earn, you believe in reducing taxes for all Australians. You don’t hold the view that, to give tax relief for some, you’ve gotta come and pull others down, Mr Speaker.

That is the dangerous politics of envy that can only come from a Labor party that is intent on driving division throughout this country.

Updated

It appears the Coalition backbenchers may have forgotten they are supposed to listen to this. Their ‘hear hears’ are very subdued.

Scott Morrison:

There’s 50,000 fewer people on the unemployment list today than there were at the last election, people.

There are more Australians turning up to work under the Liberal and National parties than could ever turn up to work, Mr Speaker, under the Labor party. Under our government’s policies, Mr Speaker, unemployment has fallen to 5%.

Under our government’s policies, we’ve had the strongest growth in the median wage in the last 13 years.

We have had the strongest growth in non-mining investment, for continuous growth record, in 30 years, Mr Speaker.

Under our government – and what we have been doing – we have the lowest level, the lowest level of welfare dependency of working-age Australians in 25 years and more, Mr Speaker.

Under our government, and under the policies and the convictions and the principles of the Liberal and the National parties, more Australians are getting in to work, and less Australians are going on to welfare.

That is the product of a government that understands and believes that the best form of welfare is a job. It is the product of a government that believes, absolutely, that if you have a go, will you get a go, Mr Speaker.

Updated

Scott Morrison gets his chance to answer:

“Well, they’re very pleased with themselves, aren’t they?

“They’re very, very pleased with themselves, Mr Speaker.

“But what I know has happened under this government is there’s more Australians turning up to work under this government than ever happened under their government.”

“Except for you,” someone from Labor yells.

Updated

And a bit more from Tony Burke:

We don’t need to be able to go through our critique of them, because, in truth, the brutality of our critique of them doesn’t match their critique of them.

Because the newspaper articles that we’re reading now, it’s really hard to get a Labor party quote in.

Because we’re competing with every anonymous backgrounder from the frontbench and the backbench, and their language is so much more colourful than us.

I mean, having promised adult government, you then get a prime minister describing his own mob as “the Muppet Show”.

It wasn’t us who described the minister for the environment as being “on L-plates”.

It was one of their own senators.

It wasn’t us who ridiculed the leader of the House as being a “legend in his own lunchtime”.

It was the man sitting next to him – the treasurer of Australia.

Updated

Tony Burke continues:

With all the resources of Government and all the things they told us they would be, the Leader of the House time and time, every time the parliamentary program was brought down would say,

“The House is not sitting enough.”

He’d tell us each time, when he was here as Manager of Opposition Business, the Parliament,

“You’re running scared if you’re not willing to have the Parliament sit. It’s a test of whether or not you’re a government.”

And now, for the first time since 1901, the Parliament is planning to only sit for 10 days in an 8-month period.

And I know a lot of the debate has been,

“Oh, maybe that’s because they’re scared of the numbers on the floor of Parliament.”

But we miss the other point, of course, that every time the Parliament meets, the party room meets.

And when the Prime Minister says to us, “Oh, you’re all getting so cocky, you know, you all think that we’re going to be able to beat a Morrison Government.”

We don’t even know if we’ll be against a Morrison Government!

Updated

Tony Burke seconds the motion:

Because the first prime minister they tried on, the first prime minister they had a go with, he started by saying,

“We can now bring back adult, stable government.”

That’s what he said.

That’s what he said. “Stable government,” he would be able to deliver. And I guess it might not have been stable, but it’s been consistent, because a number of prime ministers is three, the number of treasurers is three, and the number of deputy prime ministers is three.

There’s been a consistency in what they’ve done.

But it has been the opposite, the exact opposite of what Liberal Party voters thought they were going to get when this mob were elected.

They promised Cabinet Government. That was one of the things they said they’d deliver.

Proper, orderly Cabinet Government. Well, there’s an embassy decision... That’s it!

There’s an embassy decision that you might have thought you would have had a Cabinet submission for.

An embassy decision where you just might have thought, “Maybe we should let the security agencies know before we announce this one.”

No process. Nothing other than from the Prime Minister in this Despatch Box,

“Oh, our candidate told us it would be a good idea.”

Updated

And a little more:

Rather than face up to their failures of policy, rather than to change their out-of-touch attitudes, rather than take responsibility for the cuts and chaos, they prefer to engage in conspiracy theories.

Yet again, we saw it on the front pages of the Australian newspaper:

The conservatives see the invisible hand of Malcolm Bligh Turnbull in every decision.

Like he’s Tiberius with a Twitter handle.

You have to feel for Malcolm Turnbull.

And I’m sure some of you do now!

He must be wondering how come he never had this kind of mythical influence when he was the prime minister of Australia?

And that the economic shift is extraordinary too. After all, the Liberal Party used to believe in the invisible hand, they used to be the party of the invisible hand.

Now they are scared of the invisible hand. They blame it for everything going wrong.

The problems as humorous as it might be at one level, the nation is tired of this Government.

...The only argument that this desperate Government has is they simply say that “we are not Labor”.

But what they fail to do is they personalise this dispute.

I thought even as remarkable as the part-time Parliament was when the Prime Minister said “it’s all about me and him”.

No, prime minister, it’s about the Australian people.

Updated

Bill Shorten:

The ram shackle, reactionary Coalition sitting opposite are so consumed by some form of existential identity crisis, some bizarre debate about what it means to be a real Liberal, they watch and re-watch the old footage of John Winston Howard and they roll him out in some sort of, you know, video to prove that they were once Liberal.

They [reiterate] the speeches of the 70-year-old Menzies era as some sort of ouija board to help them go forward in their current crisis.

They talk to themselves about themselves, and be conservative echo chambers.

They pontificate about this mythical right-wing base and they write off whole communities as irrelevant.

“Don’t worry,” they say.

“Batman isn’t the real Australia. Perth is not the real Australia. Fremantle is not the real Australia. Mayo is not the real Australia. Braddon isn’t the real Australia. Longman isn’t the real Australia. Wentworth isn’t the real Australia.

“And Victoria isn’t the real Australia.”

Updated

The Coalition backbench is ignoring this. They’re getting water, having chats, looking at their phones, walking around the chamber.

He continues:

Who on earth in Australia gets to say that, “I’m not happy with my job today or next week, so I won’t come for the next eight months, except for a total of 10 days”?

The Australian people, in all seriousness, are our employers.

They remain deeply unimpressed that they have a government of parliamentarians who seek the people to vote for them to be in parliament, but once they voted for them to be in parliament, those Liberal and National parliamentarians feel no obligation to actually report to parliament.

The part-time parliament, however, points to a bigger issue.

This is a government which has simply ceased to govern. Not only have they given up governing, they’ve given up pretending to govern. They have no agenda and no legislation.

They’re just swept along by the currents of hate and division in the river which is the government Coalition ranks.

For example, the reason – an example of what demonstrates their lack of an agenda, or a lack of commitment to an agenda – is that on Monday they voted in favour of a national integrity commission.

We thought this was a positive development, because they had rejected our ideas for a year to have a national integrity commission.

But then, as we explored the logic of this government by question time, the prime minister told us that an integrity commission and the issue of integrity in parliament is a fringe issue.

Then, furthermore, he couldn’t explain if he actually supported one or not.

But they did implausibly say that one of the problems with having a national integrity commission is it might mean that ABC journalists would be picked upon by that commission.

You could see the fingernail marks in the marble from the blue carpet executive section of the parliament as they were dragged to vote for this national integrity commission.

But the reason why they voted for it is they were scared of the debate. We should have seen on Monday a forecast of things which were to come.

They don’t want to be in parliament, even though they collect the wages of people who are expected to go to parliament.

But there is a second reason other than their lack of agenda, and their inability to do anything other than respond to events, why they don’t seek to be in parliament.

There is another reason.

The reason why this government doesn’t like to turn up to work is because those in the government can’t stand being in the same city as their other colleagues in government, much less be in the same room. Australians are confronted with a sorry sight of a part-time parliament, because this government has a full-time obsession with fighting amongst themselves.

The parliament is part-time under this prime minister, but the civil war in the Liberal party is a full-time occupation.

Updated

Bill Shorten:

Australians are outraged, Mr Speaker, that this government is too scared to turn up to parliament.

With the parliament just sitting after it rises in the next week for 10 days in the next eight months.

The rest of Australia doesn’t get to take months and months off work when it feels scared about coming to work.

So, why is the prime minister insisting on a part-time parliament? I believe that this part-time parliament confirms that we have a part-time prime minister running a part-time government, and not at any time in the interests of the Australian people.

The prime minister is fond of saying, “If you have a go, you’ll get a go.”

But obviously it doesn’t include “you need to go to work to have a go”.

What a work-shy government. I’ve wondered what would happen to members of the CFMEU if they ran an industrial action campaign and proposed in the lunch shed one morning, “I have a great idea. Let’s only go to work for 10 days in the next eight months.”

Now, they would probably be sacked, and, indeed, this government would like to put them in jail.

But it’s one standard for the Morrison ministry and another standard for the workers of Australia.

Updated

Bill Shorten:

Since removing Malcolm Turnbull, the government has –

A: cancelled parliament because it couldn’t decide who should be prime minister.

B: lost two government members, with at least one more on the way.

C: been forced into minority government, which the government previously said would create instability in our economy, and instability for the country.

D: created the first part-time parliament in the history of Federation, by scheduling just 10 sitting days in eight months.

E: cancelled the treasurer’s trip to the G20.

F: voted for a national integrity commission, even though it doesn’t support one.

G: voted against tougher 15-year jail sentences for corporate criminals.

H: abandoned the National Energy Guarantee, a policy which was designed by the treasurer, which the prime minister promised would lead to lower electricity prices, and which the member for Curtin still supports.

I: been described by the minister for women as “homophobic, anti-women, climate change deniers”.

And J: been described by its own prime minister as “the Muppet Show”.

[Labor] therefore calls on this ramshackle reactionary government to stop fighting itself and start focusing on the needs of the Australian people.

Updated

Labor moves to suspend standing orders for 'part time parliament'

You might remember that Tony Pasin was booted from the parliament, an act he gave a wink for.

Labor, who as I noted have been very, very quiet with the interjections and heckles, are now moving to suspend standing orders.

The government does not have a majority. It has even less of a majority with Pasin out of the House.

Updated

This really has to be read to be believed. Take note of the federal implications.

I’m really beginning to doubt if anyone other than the poor Hansard reporters are conscious down there in the chamber.

There are more eyes on the floor than a classroom full of students confronted over who drew the penis on the whiteboard.

Updated

Tony Burke to Scott Morrison:

Can the prime minister confirm that just this week the government lost Wentworth on Monday, lost Chisholm on Tuesday, and it was reported on Wednesday that it’s about to lose Hughes?

Is this why the prime minister has a policy to have a part-time parliament? Because he can’t bear the consequences of having all the members of the government in the one place at the same time?

Morrison: WITH A CANBERRA BUBBLE REFERENCE HOW LUCKY ARE WE

It’s an interesting fact that on less than half of the opportunities the opposition has to actually ask questions in this place, they’re not about policy, they’re not about what’s happening in this country.

It’s all about politics and smear ... they’re interested in their political games, they’re interested in the good, old Canberra bubble, Mr Speaker.

That’s what they’re interested in.

They’re not as interested in what is actually happening in this place and the work that is being done.

He lists what is being done.

He includes this little gem, which is something he has been trying to have catch on for a few months:

They just come in here and think all they have to do, full of hubris, full of arrogance, full of the swagger, full of the swagger that you’re used to seeing with the cocky union militant official walking on to the site, walking up to a small business owner and telling them how it’s gonna be, Mr Speaker.

That’s what the Labor party are proposing for the Australian people. They’re swaggering around electorates all around the country and they’re going to be changing it all, changing it all, Mr Speaker, if they get the opportunity to win the next election.

And every time he says it, I get Stayin’ Alive stuck in my head, so apparently the limit for mental torture does not exist.

Updated

This may finally, finally, be resolved. It’s been a loooooooong time coming.

From AAP:

Draft laws cementing a treaty which ends a long-running ocean border dispute between Australia and Timor-Leste have been introduced to federal parliament.

The legislation gives rise to the Greater Sunrise Special Regime, which will see the neighbouring nations share the spoils from the sea’s petroleum deposits.

An authority will be established to act on behalf of Australia and Timor-Leste to facilitate joint management of the new area, cabinet minister Dan Tehan told the lower house as he introduced the bill on Wednesday.

Updated

George Christensen is the lead in for the Michael McCormack dixer, which again just proves my longstanding belief that Thursday is always the worst day of the week.

Scott Morrison, who is currently chatting to Christopher Pyne, who seems more chipper than usual today, will be back before question time on Monday, so we won’t get to experience the singular pleasure that I am sure the acting prime minister Michael McCormack QT hour would be. What a shame.

Updated

Kerryn Phelps has the backbench question today, and it’s her first one to the chamber for question time, so congrats.

Many Australians are concerned about the privacy of their health data, as there is no more important or sensitive personal information. Despite improvements in privacy protection passed by this House this week, there remains massive scope for the monetisation of this data through third use. Will the prime minister guarantee to provide the business case for the My Health Record database to this House in this sitting fortnight?

This will be the final opportunity before the opt-out period is on 31 January 2019, and Australians need to be assured about the true intentions of this program.

Greg Hunt takes this one:

In relation to the My Health Record, legislation was passed unanimously through this House this week, on Monday, and I am very happy to inform that that included a guarantee that My Health Record would be in public ownership forever.

There is no scope for revenue, there is no revenue which will be raised.

I have confirmed again today with the deputy secretary in charge of financial matters within the Department of Health that there is no revenue that has been, or is, projected from My Health Record.

So, I’m happy to provide a guarantee that there is no capacity, there is no projection, and there is no revenue that is anticipated. I am also happy to provide the very documents which she is seeking.

Updated

Tanya Plibersek to Scott Morrison:

What is the impact on Australia’s international standing, when last night, Malcolm Turnbull tweeted, and I quote, “A centrist government was blown up in August and it wasn’t done by the moderates.” Does the prime minister agree with Malcolm Turnbull? How does the prime minister explain to his international counterparts why Malcolm Turnbull is no longer the prime minister”

Morrison hears “does the prime minister agree with Malcolm Turnbull” and that’s about it, based on this answer which begins with:

I agree with Malcolm Turnbull when he says that the leader of the Labor party is the biggest risk to the Australian economy. That’s what I agree with Malcolm Turnbull on, and have for many, many years, Mr Speaker.

He then lists a bunch of government policies. Check the PMO website for more, if you need any more information on that.

Updated

Scott Morrison has written a note and kept it handy on the top of his desk.

So there must be a doozy of a dixer coming.

Scott Morrison finishes his answer with:

“Those opposite, they talk and they talk, and it’s talk, talk, talk and no action ever from the leader of the Labor party, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, it’s the literary awards next week here in this chamber, and the Labor party’s policies will be making an entry in the fiction condition, Mr Speaker, because when it comes to the Labor party, whenever they’re talking, you know it’s fiction.”

I mean, part of the reason there’s no action is because Labor isn’t the government. So there is not a lot of action to take. But everyone seems pretty exhausted by this week. The backbench is acting like it’s a wet lunch day and they are just chilling at their desks, while Labor doesn’t seem to be feeling it as much as they usually do.

Tony Pasin gets thrown out on 94a for “completely missing the moment”. He gives a wink to his colleagues behind him and leaves.

Josh Frydenberg is still talking through this dixer, but it doesn’t seem like anyone has realised.

Updated

Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison:

“This prime minister has spent two years voting against a banking royal commission 26 times. Spent three years trying to give the big banks a $17 billion tax handout. And last night voted against tougher 15-year jail sentences for corporate criminals, whilst at the same time cutting billions from schools and hospitals. Why does the prime minister put big banks ahead of schools and hospitals?”

Morrison:

Why does the leader of the Labor party lie all the time, Mr Speaker? Why does he do that?”

Tony Smith makes him withdraw it before Tony Burke gets a chance to object.

Morrison:

Mr Speaker, I could say, “Why does the Labor party – why does the leader of the Labor party misrepresent the truth, Mr Speaker?” Why do they do this all the time?”

Updated

For those who missed it, or ignored it, here is Bob Katter on Sky earlier, talking about how the people on Nauru are not refugees, because he has feelpinions about where they should have fled to.

It’s a fact that the United Nations have assessed most of those on Nauru as being genuine asylum seekers, but that is just inconvenient to Katter’s world view of where people should go when fleeing warzones.

I mean, my Lithuanian family skipped half the world when they fled in the second world war, but I guess they weren’t real refugees either. Just “displaced persons”.

Updated

It’s four from four for Queenslanders getting the first budget question.

Today it is Warren Entsch. He ends his “how great is our great budget going to be” dixer with “outline the consequences of an alternative approach” which, I think we can all agree, is just too much dixer for one question.

Updated

Question time

Clare O’Neil to Scott Morrison:

This prime minister voted against a banking royal commission 26 times and called it a populist whinge. And last night every member of the government voted against Labor’s amendments to strengthen punishment for corporate criminals with tougher 15-year jail sentences for the most serious crimes and bigger fines for misconduct. Isn’t it the case that, no matter what this prime minister pretends, he will always stick up for the big banks and the top end of town?

Morrison:

“This prime minister, as treasurer, instituted the royal commission on banking and finance.”

Labor erupts.

“That leader of the opposition, all of those opposite, when they sat on the government benches, did absolutely nothing!”

Labor’s interjections grow louder.

Morrison calls on Josh Frydenberg to answer the rest of the question.

Labor levels up the interjections again and Tony Smith interrupts:

“I’m just gonna say to the House, it’s not only disruptive, it’s demeaning to the House, the level of interjections. And when I became Speaker I said, of course, this is a debating chamber, where there will be a vigorous debate. And there should be.

“But it doesn’t have to be loud all the time, or rude all the time. And some of the personal abuse that’s coming out, I’m not gonna yell back. I’m just giving fair warning, I’m gonna deal with it. I really am.”

Frydenberg:

In six years, the Labor government did absolutely nothing to increase the penalties for misconduct.

In fact, when the leader of the opposition was the minister for financial services and superannuation, and Labor was in government, you had the collapse of Trio with 5,000 victims. You had Storm Financial, 4,000 clients suffering losses up to $3 billion. You had Prime with 1,200 investors. It’s been left to this government to establish the financial system inquiry. It’s been left to this government to establish the asset enforcement review taskforce which involved an expert group. And this expert group had three professors, the president of a Law Council, and the CEO of the Consumer Action Law Committee, Mr Speaker. And the bill before this parliament, which passed this House, was based on their recommendations, Mr Speaker.

He continues along the same lines.

But Labor has listened to the Speaker for now, and has simmered down.

Updated

Scott Morrison:

There is currently material being prepared by Emergency Management Australia that will be available to all members that will assist them in working with their communities to ensure that they can provide any role they can to support their communities to prepare for the summer season ahead of us.

It may well be that more homes will come under threat, and we pray they will not be lost, that more hectares could be ravaged, and we pray that that won’t happen.

And that more lives could be affected, and we’ll pray and do everything we can within our power to ensure that that does not occur.

To those affected already, on behalf of this parliament, I offer our thoughts and our prayers, and the support of 25 million people, who will stand with you for as long as it takes.

Updated

Before question time, Scott Morrison gives a statement on indulgence on the Queensland bushfires and the Sydney storm.

Updated

Scott Morrison has just wandered in, having a chat to Angus Taylor.

He stops by to have a quick chat with Rick Wilson, before heading to his seat.

It’s time for who’s that MP ...

This one was a bit of a test for me but I got there – it’s the member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon.

Updated

We are rolling into the last question time of the week.

I’m heading into the chamber to catch all those interjections. While I’m trekking across the building, hit me up with your predictions.

On the bill Paul Karp was telling you about a couple of posts ago, Scott Morrison is not convinced.

That really is a matter for the parliament and I have sought to deal with this in a bipartisan way. I have put forward two proposals to seek to deal with this in a bipartisan way and I’m disappointed that the Labor party has sought to politicise this issue and play political football with it.

I remain of the view I would like to see this matter addressed in the same terms I set out some months ago.

Updated

Josh Frydenberg has sat down with Michelle Grattan at the Conversation.

He talks about the budget surplus the Morrison government has previewed. He won’t talk about how big the surplus is though. Again, it’s worth remembering there is still an overall deficit (the national debt).

Updated

Labor’s Penny Wong has introduced a private member’s bill that repeals exemptions in discrimination law to prevent schools discriminating against students on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status.

The Senate passed a procedural motion that ensures the bill will be debated on Thursday and voted on on Monday.

This is one of many potential thorns in the government’s side in the final sitting week of parliament but would require at least two Coalition MPs to cross the floor to pass in the lower house.

Scott Morrison has also committed to protect LGBT students but the Coalition does not support repealing the exemptions unless they are replaced by other protections for religious freedom.

The government’s preferred bill allows religious schools to impose a condition that indirectly discriminates on the grounds of sexuality or gender identity where it is reasonable, including if it is imposed in “good faith in order to avoid injury to the religious sensibilities of adherents of that religion”.

Updated

Labor announced its science policy overnight. From its release:

If elected, a Shorten Labor government will develop a charter with the Australian science and research community to establish the reciprocal roles, responsibilities and expectations of government and researchers.

As part of this charter Labor will:

  • affirm our fundamental respect for academic freedom;
  • review and strengthen the national science and research priorities; and
  • establish a Prime Ministers Science and Innovation Council, responsible for identifying our national priorities in science and research.

A Shorten Labor government is committed to reversing the decline in Australia’s research and development performance that has taken place in the past five years.

Labor is the only party committed to lifting Australian spending on research and development from 1.8% of GDP to 3%. We are committed to restoring our international competitiveness.

And to restore the integrity of the Australian Research Council, we will legislate a requirement that ministers must table an explanation in parliament within 15 sitting days of rejecting any recommendation of funding by the chief executive officer.

A Shorten Labor government will also establish, for the first time in 20 years, a once in a generation, root-and-branch inquiry into strengthening our research capabilities across the whole of government.

Australia needs a new direction for science and research that brings scientists together instead of dividing their efforts.

The review’s terms of reference will build on the experience of similar reviews undertaken by Canada and the UK.

Updated

Scott Morrison has been quickly doorstopped coming out of an event.

He is sticking to the line that everything is fine.

On unity, he says he would tell his colleagues:

What all of my team are talking about – and we have been all this week and as I will continue from this day all the way to the next election – is a strong economy is what guarantees the essentials that Australians rely on and we have the runs on the board. And we have, I believe, the trust and confidence of the Australian people to be the ones who are better able to manage that economy into the future.

It’s the old “in contrast” line we have heard pop up this week.

Morrison:

We know how to manage money in the Liberal and National government.

What I am saying is, we are putting out a budget next year – that is what we are focussed on – which will be the first surplus budget that we have seen in 12 years. And that is what pays for things like MS research, that is what pays for things like life-saving, affordable medicines for Australians. That is what we are focussing on, that is what we’re doing, that is what [we’re] delivering, and that’s what we will be taking to the next election.

The next election will be about who can run that strong economy to deliver the essential services that Australians rely on, and it is a choice, it is a choice the Australian people will be able to make, and they can either choose Bill Shorten, who wants higher taxes, or they can choose me and the Liberal party and the National party, which will keep taxes down and grow that economy which will give them the essential services they rely on.

Marija Zivic from SBS tries to ask if he is happy to be jetting off to Argentina given, you know, this week, but he leaves without answering.

Which is an answer in itself, really.

Updated

Ian Goodenough is all of us, for this brief moment

Updated

The changed Senate sittings, following Labor’s successful amendment, have now been set:

Senate budget estimates will now be held on:

- April 4 and 5

- April 8 to 11

- Spillover if required on 12 April.

Those last two dates are assuming an election won’t have been called by then.

But the end result is the government will deliver its budget on 2 April. Bill Shorten will deliver his budget reply speech that same week and the Senate committees will examine it – all of it equaling the opposition and crossbenchers getting the final say on the budget. And then we go to the election.

Updated

Further to that, Bob Katter is now using individual cases to say why he wants a diabetic program. Because he cares about people, and when he sees something is not being done, he “gets mad”.

This is all in the same interview, by the way.

Bob Katter, on Sky, says he won’t be supporting Kerryn Phelps’s bill because he believes that “these people are not refugees”.

He says they passed too many countries for that.

“They are not fleeing from, they are fleeing to.”

“Those people who want the door open ... when you open the door, and let it be on your conscience, that 2,500 people who perish coming here.

“... And also they take over your country.”

He says individual cases make bad law.

Except, I guess, when it comes to the gun laws he wants changed. And the laws he wants changed for farmers. And the foreign ownership laws. And every single other individual case he uses to make his own arguments. That’s different.

Updated

While the government wrangles with how it handles its latest energy debate, after Labor picked up its former National Energy Guarantee policy, the Australia Institute has released its latest report into renewable generation.

From its statement:

Renewable generation in the National Energy Market (NEM) has reached a new record high, with all new energy generation over the last two months due to eight new solar farms coming online in the NEM, latest findings from the National Energy Emissions Audit show.

The Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program has released the November National Energy Emissions Audit authored by renowned energy expert, Dr Hugh Saddler, covering emissions in the electricity sector over the previous month of October.

Key findings:

  • Renewable energy generation in the NEM has reached a new record high – five consecutive months, and up by over 20% since the beginning of the year.
  • Solar power provided all new renewable energy generation over the last two months, due to eight new large-scale solar plants coming online in the past two months
  • Gas generation has been declining over 2018, down by almost 20% since the beginning of the year, due to high prices and strong competition from renewables.
  • South Australia could afford to shut down all its gas generation following upgrades to the network (including a new SA-NSW transmission link).
  • Snowy Hydro has been active all month storing energy from renewables, after ten years of little use.

“Renewable energy generation records continue to be broken and the level of renewables on the grid continues to rise. It is clear we can only expect more to come,” says Dr Hugh Saddler, energy expert and author of the report.

“If the government truly wants more reliable energy and lower power prices, they should look up not down.

Updated

Your soul gets worn down working in Parliament House.

There’s something about seeing the worst of people daily, the disingenuousness, the hypocrisy. It’s exhausting. It makes you feel like Bancini from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: “I’m tired, and it’s a lot of baloney.”

However, every so often, good can still be done here.

And last night was one of those nights in the Senate. Colour looks brilliant against a black background.

The Senate passed Australia’s first Modern Slavery Act last night, after years of advocacy from civil society groups.

The legislation will force companies with annual consolidated revenue of more than $100m to look for and report on the use of slavery – even the risk of slavery – in their global supply chains.

It will make the supply chains of Australia’s biggest companies much more transparent, and has the potential to help millions of people globally.

It will affect roughly 3,000 businesses. They will be mandated to produce annual slavery statements, signed off at board level, and published within six months of their annual reports, showing what stops they are taking to eradicate slavery from their supply chains.

The government estimates it will have a regulatory cost of $65.8m, or roughly $21,950 per reporting entity.

The media has a role to play from here on in.

The point of the legislation is not to bash businesses over the head annually when they publish their slavery statements revealing what slavery risks exist in their supply chains. It’s the opposite.

Companies ought to be applauded for publishing the fact that they’ve found new slavery risks in their supply chains because that’s the thing that will help everyone – the company itself, regional and national governments, civil society groups – to learn more about the horrific practice and stamp it out.

The Act is not perfect, of course.

Advocates really wanted the reporting threshold for companies to be $25m, even $50m, rather than $100m. They also wanted the government to create the role of an anti-slavery commissioner, which hasn’t happened. But these are amendments that can be made to the legislation in a future parliament.

Many people should be congratulated for this, chief among them Stop the Traffik – a coalition of church and civil society groups and unions that has been working tirelessly for years to get Australia’s parliament to this point.

Fuzz Kitto and Carolyn Kitto are the directors of Stop The Traffik’s Australian arm.

Some MPs deserve special mention:

Liberal MP Julie Bishop, who was key at the beginning. Under her influence, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade began looking seriously at the issue.

Liberal MP Chris Crewther (who, before parliament, worked as an international lawyer through the UN at the Kosovo Property Agency, resolving property claims for people who lost possession of their properties due to the war). He produced a report on the issue of modern slavery, Hidden In Plain Sight, which is one of the best parliamentary reports you will read, from anywhere in the world.

Liberal senator Linda Reynolds, who has pushed expertly for this legislation behind the scenes. Liberal MP Alex Hawke had a hand in driving the project.

Labor MP Clare O’Neil drove this issue from Labor’s side and put in an inordinate amount of work, working across party lines.

Labor senators Penny Wong and Lisa Singh.

Greens senator Nick McKim, independent South Australian senator Tim Storer, Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick, and Senator Derryn Hinch.

Congratulations all.

Updated

White Ribbon, which yesterday thanked Emma Husar, Rowan Ramsey, Susan Lamb, Damian Drum, Gai Brodtmann and Patrick Gorman for speaking up against domestic violence in the House of Reps, today has released a statement on standards in the parliament.

You may remember that the Senate came together to change the rules of how some procedural votes are carried out, in an attempt to stop some of the most toxic forums for the gross comments. And that David Leyonhjelm, Fraser Anning and Barry O’Sullivan walked out.

Updated

The Greens are trying to have the Senate debate a bill to establish a national integrity commission but Labor has indicated it will refer the bill to a committee inquiry to report back by 5 April.

The Greens’ democracy spokeswoman, Larissa Waters, has accused Labor of kicking the issue “into the long grass”, knowing full well that the parliament will not meet for long after the 2 April budget before parliament is dissolved and the issue will not be debated until after the May election.

Labor’s Jacinta Collins explains to the Senate that its position is to introduce a national integrity commission within the first 12 months of government, but promises Labor will “get the process right”.

“We’ve heard a number of concerns about the [Cathy] McGowan bill ... it should not be rushed,” she says.

If Labor holds to this position, hopes the national integrity commission could be legislated in the last two weeks of parliament have effectively been dashed.

Updated

There is quite a bit of crankiness on the Senate crossbench over Labor working with the government to pass the social services amendments that will see some migrants wait up to four years for Newstart.

Centre Alliance was against it. The Greens were against it. Derryn Hinch and Tim Storer were against it. And with Labor, that’s enough to block the bill.

Mehreen Faruqi used her personal experience to explain her objection to the legislation:

I know the human cost of measures like this first-hand and their impact on people. I came here as a migrant in 1992, with my husband, my one-year-old son and two suitcases. A very typical migrant story. When we applied for permanent residency we got it very quickly because both my husband and I are engineers. We were told that there was an acute shortage of engineers in Australia and there were lots of jobs available for us. But when we got here, things were quite different. It was the middle of the recession we had to have, jobs were few and far between and, of course, we had the added burden of not having local experience, even though we had degrees that were recognised [the] world over – and I can tell you civil engineering experience is pretty much the same in Pakistan and Australia. We all know that resume racism does exist. We applied for hundreds of jobs and never got a look-in.

While no one would give us a job, the support system in Australia at that time did recognise that migrants do need financial assistance to survive, and we were provided this assistance. That was the only way we could survive for the first few months in a new country where we hardly knew anyone. My husband also started driving a taxi as soon as he got a licence and passed the test.

It’s pretty rich of Labor to stand here and tell us we don’t understand the complexities. Well you know what, mate, I’ve lived the complexity. So don’t dare come in here and preach to me.

Doug Cameron argued the Greens weren’t applying common sense to the issue.

“Common sense and the Greens don’t go together – should never be in the same sentence,” he said.

Updated

Andrew Wilkie has called on government backbenchers to join in support of the Nauru evacuation bill:

It is hard. People in the parties are so beholden to their parties. They stand up and they talk a good talk, they threaten, they bluster, they wave their arms around and every time the bells go they sit with their party.

Next week will be a wonderful test of backbenchers because if we try to bring this business on we will find out whether there are still party hacks or whether they are willing to act in a power-sharing parliament as people who represent their constituents and think for themselves.

Nick McKim says there is nothing in the bill that is outside Labor’s policy framework.

Kerryn is right in terms of the assessments being done on a case by case basis based on medical need. What is important for everyone to understand is that this bill is within Labor’s policy framework. There is nothing in this bill that is outside Labor’s policy framework regarding offshore detention, border security or anything else. What we need is the Labor party to step up here, step up for the kids on Nauru, step up for the innocent men, women and children – that they put most of them there in the first place and do the right thing. There is nothing in this bill that is outside Labor’s policy and we genuinely stretch out our hand and invite them to support this bill.

Updated

Scott Morrison is leaving for the G20 later today. Just a reminder he will not be having a formal meeting with Donald Trump. That has raised some eyebrows. His office says he had a chat with Mike Pence during the recent round of summits, and they didn’t need a formal sit-down.

Updated

Just a reminder that this doesn’t have the numbers as yet.

The government says it is working on removing the children, and their families, for medical treatment in Australia. It is a temporary move, and they will not be settled here.

There is also no plan to remove the men from Manus Island.

On why he thinks Kerryn Phelps is different, in his opinion, Andrew Wilkie says:

There are at least two doctors that come to mind. This is not on account of my friendship with Kerryn Phelps. It is self-evident in [that] the Medicare rebate is paid to the patient. Not paid to the doctor. It is often collected by a doctor on behalf of the patient and, correct me if I’m wrong, but in my mind that threshold of does this make sense, that has not been crossed when it comes to doctors in the House.

Updated

The crossbench is now being asked about the Peter Dutton referral.

Andrew Wilkie says he thinks there are some issues over commonwealth interest –which is the one facing Peter Dutton – but that he doesn’t think that doctors, such as Kerryn Phelps, are in the same boat.

The available legal advice is one threshold and that is the commentary offered publicly by constitutional experts.

There is also a commonsense threshold. In any case, my view – and I want to make this clear – my view is firmly that anyone who is in doubt, everyone who is in doubt, should be referred to the high court and they should go as a so-called job lot.

Not just one and then a tit for tat retaliation and then a tit for tat retaliation … because that would consume the parliament for its last three sitting weeks and not be in the public interest.

There is an important principle here that everyone who stands reasonably accused of wrongdoing should have their day in court and the court should be the arbiter. If we put aside citizenship issues, which some might say has now been resolved and some say it is still unresolved, there are at least four people, I understand, with financial question marks over them.

Obviously Peter Dutton, and remember David Gillespie – he was not cleared by the high court.

His matter was stayed because there was a problem with the referral – the fact that he was not referred by the parliament. There are at least four people across the government and opposition.

For a start, that would make sense. As much as I would like to see Peter Dutton go to the high court, as much as a lot of people would like to see him go to the high court, we should not be blinded by emotion, we should be guided by a higher principle and that is everyone over whom there is a reasonable doubt should all go together.

A one-off and then it is dealt with.

Updated

Australia’s spies are about to get a few more powers, if the government has anything to do with it.

From Marise Payne’s statement:

The Intelligence Services Act provisions relating to the use of force by ASIS have not undergone significant amendment since 2004, while successive governments have asked ASIS to do more in response to national security priorities, in new places and in new circumstances unforeseen 14 years ago.

To reflect these changes, the Government has today introduced the Intelligence Services Amendment Bill 2018 to Parliament. It will amend the Intelligence Services Act 2001 to:

· enable the Minister to specify additional persons, such as a hostage, who may be protected by an ASIS staff member or agent, and

· allow an ASIS staff member or agent performing specified activities outside Australia to be able to use reasonable force in the course of their duties.

Currently, ASIS officers are only able to use weapons for self-protection, or the protection of other staff members or agents cooperating with ASIS. The changes will mean officers are able to protect a broader range of people and use reasonable force if someone poses a risk to an operation.

Like the existing ability to use weapons for self-defence, these amendments will be an exception to the standing prohibitions against the use of violence or use of weapons by ASIS.

The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security will continue to have important oversight roles of ASIS’s authorisations and guidelines on the use of weapons and use of force.

'I can't see a reasonable argument against this': Kerryn Phelps pushes for Nauru evacuation

The crossbenchers, including Senators, are holding a press conference in support of Kerryn Phelps’s private member’s bill to remove all the children (and their families) from Nauru.

She has given notice that she will introduce it to the lower house on 3 December.

But to bring on the debate, she will need an absolute majority – 75 plus one, which would mean Labor, all of the crossbench and at least one Liberal MP.

Labor hasn’t made up its mind as yet, and the Liberal names which were floating around as potential supporters, Craig Laundy and Russell Broadbent, have both told Katharine Murphy they won’t be crossing the floor.

Phelps says she hopes there is a “bipartisan” approach to it.

“It makes sense, it is common sense, it makes medical sense and it is something I think we can use as a template to move forward on these sorts of issues,” she says.

“I am not at a point of talking about strategies right now,” she adds.

“I am not about making threats. I am about presenting the merits of an incredibly important issues ... this is an issue which should rise about politics, it should rise about party politics.”

Phelps says she thinks this is an issue that Australians support and want to see resolved in a bipartisan way, as it is a “humanitarian crisis”.

“It is really about getting the right kind of medical and psychological care for people who are suffering,” she says, adding that as a doctor, it is not something she can stand by and watch happening.

“I can’t see a reasonable argument against this.”

Updated

The Senate is about to pass the social services amendment bill, which will see some migrants have to wait up to four years for things such as Newstart, after Labor did a deal with the government in exchange for its support in passing it.

The Greens and the crossbench are flabbergasted. Rachel Siewart was particularly outraged, saying they had the numbers, if Labor hadn’t done the deal, to block it.

Labor is saying it is not a bill it would have brought to the parliament but it is being “pragmatic” based on the “realities” of the political scene, and that its support shortens the wait time for things such as carers’ payments, but it increases the wait time for things such as Newstart.

It’s a done deal. It is just waiting for the formality of the vote.

Updated

It has been suggested by my Guardian colleague Jo Tovey that the J-Lo/Ja-Rule banger “I’m real” is another contender for the Tony Abbott/Craig Kelly real Liberals wear Menzies T-shirts duet.

Thank you to the reader who supplied us with this photo of Kelly at a local fete, wearing the tee. I guess he was going for a more Islands in the Stream vibe with this one.

Updated

For those interested, the Greens, the Centre Alliance, Derryn Hinch and Tim Storer voted with Labor to change the Senate sitting schedule to ensure budget estimates could occur before the May election.

One Nation, Fraser Anning and Brian Burston voted with the government to try to stop it.

David Leyonhjelm did not vote.

Updated

The ACCC chair, Rod Sims, has given a speech on antitrust law. From the competition watchdog’s statement:

ACCC Chair Rod Sims delivered a keynote address to the RBB Economics Annual Conference in Sydney today, debating whether competition law’s purpose should be expanded in light of the “hipster anti-trust” movement.

“For the last few decades there has been a broad consensus among those in the antitrust community around the world that competition law should promote some concept of ‘consumer welfare’; that competition law is primarily about making markets work for consumers,” ACCC Chair Mr Sims said.

“This has also been the position in Australia.”

Mr Sims said the foundations of competition law, or “antitrust law” as it is called in the United States, were now being called into question, with some commentators calling for its objectives to be broadened to public policy issues such as income inequality, protection of democracy, financial stability or promotion of environmental outcomes.

“At its heart, the hipster antitrust movement is a critique of the consumer welfare standard,” Mr Sims said.

Mr Sims spoke at length regarding the history of competition law, and his opposition to introducing broader public interest considerations into the core of competition law enforcement.

“In my view, it is inadvisable and counterproductive to import these considerations into the core of competition. Competition law and policy should be first and foremost about protecting and promoting competition for the welfare of consumers.”

“Just because an instrument is targeted at one objective, however, does not mean it cannot benefit other objectives. I strongly believe, for example, that properly applied competition law can greatly assist income distribution; but this is a significant side benefit. We are not solving for income distribution and there are much better instruments to use to do this (such as the tax and welfare systems),” Mr Sims said.

Other public policy issues should be addressed with their own policy instruments, Mr Sims said. “It is bad public policy to attempt to achieve these goals with the single instrument of competition or consumer policy.”

Updated

ABC publicity has just let us know that Kerryn Phelps will be Monday’s Australian Story subject.

If you have to literally wear the face of the founder of your modern party to convince people you still believe in your party, you may need to consider the actions which led you to this point.

The troll is strong though, so points for that.

I’m Liberal, yes I’m the real Liberal
All you other Liberals are just imitating
So won’t the real Liberal please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?

Labor changes Senate sitting dates for next year

Labor has won that battle, with the Senate divide ending in 33 to the ayes to 30 noes.

What that means is that the budget estimate hearings will most likely be done in the same week as the budget – the Thursday and Friday of that week (4 and 5 April).

If the election is not called before then, the budget estimates hearings will probably be held from 8 April. The Senate still has to decide on the exact dates.

Labor has just ensured it gets the last word on the government’s budget before we go to an election.

Updated

Oh, I forgot to mention this earlier, as I was still in a morning fog, but Craig Kelly wore a Menzies T-shirt to declare himself a “true” Liberal who would fight for the Liberal party.

A Menzies T-shirt.

Would Robert Menzies have imagined a Craig Kelly as being cut in his image? I’m not so sure, but he was a fan of that whole “broad church” thing, so who knows.

Updated

Parliament has started and we are looking to the Senate, where Labor is attempting to amend the Senate sitting calendar for next year.

Labor said it would “go to work, even if the government didn’t” and this seems to be what they meant. The sitting calendar released for next year only has two parliament sittings scheduled before the budget is handed down on 2 April. And then we are heading to an election.

Labor wants to amend the Senate sittings to move the budget estimates hearings to 4 and 5 April. They are now set down for May. Which is when the election will be held (ie, budget estimates would be held after the election)

The options here are:

  • Make Thursday 4 April and Friday 5 April estimates hearings.
  • Make the entire next fortnight after that also estimates hearings.
  • Cancel the estimates scheduled for May and replace them with regular sitting weeks.

Updated

Speaking to Sky News, Kerryn Phelps says what Chris Bowen said was exactly how it had played out – that Malcolm Turnbull offered her help in the transition:

[He offered his former staff to her office to] make sure they [her own staff] understood which grant programs needed to be progressed and which organisations we needed to be in contact with to make sure there was an orderly transition. And that is just responsible from a former member to the new member.

Was there anything beyond constituency matters?

No, not really. I mean there are ... obviously people have conversations about what going on in the electorate and things of local importance.

But nothing on Julia Banks.

No.

What role did Phelps play in Banks’ decision to move to the crossbench?

Julia reached out to me for some consultation about what that process might look and feel like, and I indicated that I would be there to support her in that transition and the three female crossbenchers were there to support her when she gave her statement ...

I didn’t know until she mentioned it to me when she reached out ... I wouldn’t have tried to influence her one way or the other, that was very much an independent decision for her to make and she made a very courageous decision. It is not an easy thing to do and I really admire her for doing it, but I certainly would not have sought to influence her one way or the other.

Updated

Chris Bowen stopped by doors and defended both Malcolm Turnbull and Kerryn Phelps over reports that Turnbull had provided staff to Phelps and had been in contact with her.

I’ve only read the report, of course. I think if it’s true, Malcolm Turnbull is being a sensible, rational grown-up and providing some assistance to his successor, and providing a bit of a handover. I don’t see anything wrong with that. If anybody is upset about it, it would be the sort of hard-right people of the Liberal party who despise Malcolm Turnbull, and they are not being grown-ups in the room. If an outgoing MP, a former MP, chooses to sit down with a new MP and says, ‘Well, here’s a briefing about how I did things, and if I can be of any assistance going forward,’ well, fair enough. The fact that the Liberal party has gotten themselves all hot and flushed about this says more about them than Malcolm Turnbull, Kerryn Phelps or anybody else.

Updated

It is almost World Aids Day and Greg Hunt has announced the approval of the first HIV self-testing kit and the listing of Juluca, which works to stop the HIV virus from replicating, on the PBS.

This is a very good thing. Should have happened sooner, but it’s good it is happening now.

From Hunt’s statement:

This listing means around 860 people a year will be able to access this medicine which would otherwise cost patients up to $10,800 a year without the PBS subsidy.

Patients will now pay a maximum of just $39.50 per script, with concessional patients, including pensioners, paying just $6.40 a script.

I am also pleased to announce that the Government will commit $5 million to support the implementation of Australia’s next National Blood Borne Virus and Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategies which include:

· The Eighth National HIV Strategy 2018–2022

· The Fifth National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander BBV and STI Strategy

· The Fifth National Hepatitis C Strategy

· The Fourth National STI Strategy

· The Third National Hepatitis B Strategy

The Eighth National HIV Strategy will be the roadmap to help further reduce new infections and improve health outcomes.

Its goals include virtually eliminating HIV transmission in Australia by 2022, reducing mortality and morbidity related to HIV and supporting those living with HIV by reducing stigma and discrimination.

A few short years ago defeating HIV was seen as impossible but today we are on the cusp of eliminating the transmission of HIV.

In 2017, more than 27,000 people were living with HIV in Australia.

Last year, Australia recorded 963 HIV notifications – the lowest annual number of notifications since 2010.

There has been a reduction of 15 per cent in diagnoses among gay and bisexual men in the past year alone.

Updated

Clare O’Neil stopped by doors this morning to talk about Kelly O’Dwyer’s comments in question time yesterday:

I might just make a brief comment about some of the commentary about women in the Liberal party that was made yesterday. Hearing Kelly O’Dwyer stand up in parliament and say that the Liberal party is the natural home of Australian women was one of the most ridiculous statements that has ever been made in the Australian parliament.

Particularly on a day after one of their own female MPs told us that she got bullied out of her own party by people who don’t want to see women in the Liberal party. It is absolutely ridiculous.

Let’s remember that Kelly O’Dwyer earlier this week said that the Liberal party are seen as “homophobic, anti-women, climate-change deniers” and yet two days later she’s telling us that they are the natural party of Australian women?

It is absolutely ridiculously and until the Liberal party deal with their big problem with women, then we are not going to see a properly representative chamber in this country.

Updated

Craig Kelly has repeatedly refused to rule out a move to the crossbench if he loses preselection. This is what Katharine Murphy wrote on Monday:

The saga of Kelly’s preselection has dragged on unresolved for months. Liberal sources insist moderates have the numbers to roll the outspoken conservative, but Kelly has dug in for a bare-knuckle fight.

He told Guardian Australia on Monday: “I’m looking forward to putting my achievements on the line, and I’m very confident I’ll be returning as the member for Hughes.”

Asked what he would do in the event he was rolled in the preselection expected before Christmas, Kelly said: “That’s hypothetical at this stage.” Asked several times would he rule out going to the crossbench, Kelly repeated his formulation about not getting into hypotheticals.

He went on Sky yesterday and refused to play “the rule in, rule out game” about his plans when asked if he was considering moving to the crossbench.

He then confirmed Michael Koziol’s story in the SMH that people had been urging him to run as an independent if he loses preselection (including sitting as an independent in the mean time).

But now he’s calling this situation he created “a bit of fake news”:

People been urging me to do all sorts of things. But, look, my intention is – I’m looking forward to the preselection. I’m looking forward to putting my record on the line. My job is to continue to advocate for the great work that this government has done, that I have been very proud to be part of. A million new jobs. Unemployment rate down to 5%. Economic growth at 3.4%. And you know what? We are about to get the budget back into surplus. That’s what I’m proud of. I’m proud of the team. I’m proud of my prime minister, Scott Morrison. And I’m looking forward to being part of his team going into this next election.

He told ABC radio this morning he was “absolutely” confident of winning his preselection.

Cool beans.

Updated

Steve Ciobo is on Sky saying he will not be “coming on shows like this and talking about all those issues”.

Those issues being an MP quitting the party, another threatening to quit and allegations the former prime minister is causing chaos from behind the scenes.

He also says he doesn’t believe voters will think about “who has done what to who”. They’ll be thinking about the economy.

I’m just thinking of my dad here, he of the phrase “how’s bullshit castle?” when he asks me about parliament, and I can tell you that is certainly one conservative voter who will be thinking about who did what to who when he heads to the polls. And I doubt he’ll be the only one – we have seen this play out before, after all, in 2013.

Updated

Meanwhile, Kelly O’Dwyer, who yesterday declared the Coalition was the “natural government for Australian women”, is in the news today, after a poll showed she was in great danger of losing her seat.

Rob Harris and James Campbell from the Herald Sun report that polling shows O’Dwyer would lose Higgins at the next election, with a primary vote dropping below 40%.

The ReachTel poll was commissioned by the CFMEU and used party names, not those of the candidates, but it is not going to be filling anyone in the Victorian arm of the Liberal party with a sense of confidence.

There were already whispers that O’Dwyer was worried about losing her seat already, hence the crisis meeting with the PM, where, with other Victorian MPs, she reportedly told Scott Morrison the party was being viewed as “homophobic, anti-women and climate-change deniers”.

If the Liberals can’t win a Wentworth and are in danger of losing Higgins – which has been (basically) Liberal since federation, and remains the only electorate to produce two prime ministers – Harold Holt and John Gorton (Gorton went independent for eight months in 1975, after Malcolm Fraser became the Liberal leader) – then it makes it very hard to hold a Kooyong, or a Brisbane or a Bradfield or a Goldstein. The list goes on.

Updated

Good morning

What on earth did politicians do before social media?

Malcolm Turnbull has deployed his thumbs to his Twitter page, defending himself against claims he is helping to bring about the downfall of the government from outside the parliament.

That one got a nod of support from Julia Banks.

Then there was the Australian front page this morning, where Turnbull was accused of playing “invisible hand”.

Invisible hand was a phrase coined by Adam Smith, in the book Wealth of Nations, to describe the market when actions have unplanned and unintended consequences – for example how buying a coffee or three might be in your self-interest, but it helps the barista, cafe owner, supply chain owners and (hopefully, know where your beans come from people) the farmers. But all you planned on doing was getting a coffee so you could pretend to be a human that day.

I’m not sure if that is how the Oz intended it, but regardless*, Turnbull was having none of it.

So that’s fun.

Scott Morrison has one more day of this before hopping on a plane to Argentina for the G20 summit. He’ll be back on Monday in time for QT, but surely, at this stage, dealing with the looming trade war between China and the US, Russia’s insanity and Brexit fallout seems easier than wrangling his party room at the moment. I know where I would rather be.

Craig Kelly is certainly being helpful in that regard. He is still talking about leaving the party and sitting as an independent, if he doesn’t get pre-selected. At this stage he is probably not going to get pre-selected. But one of the most conservative members of the party room is not exactly going to start supporting Labor and Greens policy, so the government doesn’t have a lot to lose with him shifting. The message I’m getting from some pretty fatigued MPs is: “You do you, Craig.”

We’ll keep you updated with the day’s events, so we’d love it if you joined us. You’ve got me and the Guardian brains trust with you for the day. Mike Bowers will be back next week.

I am hunting around for my third coffee, so that gives you some indication of how my morning is going. Let’s get into it.

*yes, I know irregardless is clunky but it has been used since the 1700s. But fine. It has been changed to regardless to stop the angry tweets.

Updated

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