Night time politics
Estimates will continue into the evening, until 11pm. So let’s wrap for today:
- Family First senator Bob Day has resigned from the Senate. He will be replaced by a nominee of the party’s choice.
- Former Tasmanian Liberal MP Eric Hutchinson has got a parliamentary job with Senate president Stephen Parry using a special allocation from the PM’s office for his presidential role. Luckily for the Liberal party, it will require lots of representation of the “president” in Tasmania, where the party lost three seats.
- Tony Abbott has tried to tempt Nick Xenophon into changing 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act. Xenophon says nope, nope, nope.
- Labor is meeting at a hastily called caucus meeting to calm factional tensions as a result of Shorten’s captain call of Kimberley Kitching to replace Stephen Conroy.
- Malcolm Turnbull has suggested Labor’s Mark Dreyfus was endangering national security by asking questions about a citizenship bill – telling him to get on “Team Australia”.
- Attorney general George Brandis has been verbally jousting with Penny Wong all day in Senate estimates. We learned the ministerial standards statements on lobbying mean not very much. We learned that the luggage lift in the Lodge, approved under the Abbott regime, cost $83,500. We learned the Coalition agreement between Turnbull and Barnaby Joyce has not been sighted by anyone in the Prime Minister and Cabinet Department.
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Tomorrow, estimates will focus on George Brandis’s department. Also tomorrow the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority will give evidence – the body that the deputy prime minister has unilaterally decided would move to his electorate. NBN Co is on tomorrow afternoon.
Thanks to Paul Karp, Gareth Hutchens and Katharine Murphy for their contributions. Thanks to Mike Bowers for his pictures.
Goodnight.
Updated
The lively day in Canberra is powering right through to close of business. As we speak the Labor left is having a specially convened caucus meeting to deal with tensions that have boiled over since Bill Shorten last Friday night backed his friend and factional ally, the controversial lawyer Kimberley Kitching, to replace the departing Stephen Conroy.
Let’s keep this as simple as possible. Tensions in the Victorian left have been bubbling away for months, ever since the majority of the faction tried to run the veteran leftwing powerbroker, Kim Carr, off the front bench. Folks aligned with Carr have been cranky that some of their Victorian colleagues lined up with colleagues in Sydney to try and remove Carr from the frontbench after the election.
Let’s call that a pre-existing condition.
Then there was the Kitching transaction last week. Victorian Labor has been absolutely off the long run since Shorten decided he wanted Kitching in the Senate. Normally sedate people were quite literally tearing their hair out over that turn of events. Shorten was advised in the strongest possible terms not to bring Kitching to Canberra, that it would stir up animosities in the Labor caucus.
It appears to have done exactly that. Gavin Marshall (a long time Carr ally) decided to tell Fairfax Media early on Monday that he might come after a couple of sitting MPs in the left when preselection time rolled around. He named Andrew Giles and Catherine King, the shadow health minister.
Folks should know by way of background that Marshall lost a position he held in the last parliament, deputy Senate president, in the fight over Carr and the front bench. Clearly he’s not that happy about it, and thought he might have a vent about people he views as being disloyal.
The non-Carr left is now unhappy to put it mildly, hence tonight’s special caucus meeting to determine whether peace can be declared, or whether things escalate.
We can cut to the chase here, now all the background has been declared. Bill Shorten is the leader of the Labor party because he was underpinned institutionally by support from Conroy (now departed) and Carr (now the subject of acrimony from his factional fellow travellers).
That underpinning has been eroded since Conroy’s departure. The caucus is something of a tinderbox after the Kitching decision. That might sound like an exaggeration, but it isn’t. Malcolm Turnbull once talked about exciting times. Seems, they are catching.
Updated
Xenophon to Abbott on 18c: no, no and no
Nick Xenophon has responded to Tony Abbott’s suggestion that changes to section 18C would “readily” pass if the Nick Xenophon Team supported them.
Asked if his party was considering supporting a change, Xenophon told Guardian Australia: “the answer is no, no and no. I’ve spoken to my colleagues and we agree: not only is there no proposal, there is no pipeline.”
I am deeply offended at the suggestion of any change in section 18C – but I realise my complaint is not actionable.
Tony Abbott has regularly come back to his proposal to amend 18C post prime ministership, despite having dropped it from his government’s agenda in order to deal with national security issues.
Now he is seeking what is known around the traps as a more minimalist proposal, which would remove the words insult and offend from section 18c, notwithstanding the free speech provisions in 18d.
It seems unlikely that Nick Xenophon would overturn his opposition to amending the Racial Discrimination Act. But hey, we have put in the call.
Re. 18c: if the Nick Xenephon Team put up a proposal, reform could readily occur.
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) October 17, 2016
Updated
The independent national security monitor Roger Gyles is in finance estimates committee now. He has confirmed he will be leaving for personal reasons. Brandis says he doesn’t want to be tied down as to a timeframe for a replacement.
MacGibbon agrees that he assumes ministers do not share classified information over such apps.
Alastair MacGibbon, cyber security special adviser to the PM, has told Wong that prior to James Massola’s Fairfax story about minister’s usage of Whatsapp among others, he had not sought regarding security advice on Whatsapp for cabinet ministers.
MacGibbon told the committee that the government’s signals directorate advised Whatsapp and other encrypted apps are OK for non-classified information.
Updated
Wong: Personal safety? He likes strawberries not rasberries?
The wonderful farce of the defence department redacting Malcolm Turnbull's dietary preferences on privacy and "personal safety". pic.twitter.com/mNIEMAQL4S
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) October 17, 2016
Brandis: This is an orgy of culinary trivialities.
Updated
Marathon men
COAG will hold a National Summit on Reducing Violence against Women and their Children in Brisbane next week #auspol pic.twitter.com/u4mVu6RfF8
— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) October 17, 2016
Katharine Murphy reports that Bob Day’s chief of staff Rikki Lambert intends to put his name forward to fill the vacancy. She has a full story on the Day development here.
Wong vs. Brandis + Paterson #characteristicallydishonest #estimates #auspol pic.twitter.com/EC1fCTaxLa
— Primrose Riordan (@primroseriordan) October 17, 2016
Jenny Mcallister and Penny Wong are asking about Malcolm Turnbull's food choices for overseas travel #esimates
— Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy) October 17, 2016
Stay...awake...stay...awake...zzzz
Death stare Olympics
Ministers emoticons
All very well in the Bar common room
Talk to the back.
Turnbull to Dreyfus: hold your nose and talk to George
Dreyfus to Turnbull: I again refer to reports the government is preparing to strip a dual national of Australian citizenship for the first time and that it expects the legislation to be challenged in the high court. Given this is the same legislation where a letter the attorney general provided to the intelligence committee incorrectly represented advice from the solicitor general, what are the risks to national security in the event of a successful legal challenge? What is the reason for the government misrepresenting the advice of the solicitor general?
Turnbull says he does not comment on the government’s legal advice. He also says if he has concerns he should raise it in the joint committee and talk to the attorney general.
If he has those concerns, I would suggest he holds his nose and does the unspeakable thing of talking to the attorney. I’d suggest he does that. I suggest he puts his personal animosity aside and speaks to the attorney general if he has real concerns. He’s got to get over these petty personal animosities and get on our team, get on Australia’s team, to ensure that we have the right legislation.
Updated
Brandis: I don't know if the PM is lining up a job for me
In the finance committee:
Penny Wong has asked George Brandis if the prime minister has had any conversations with cabinet members about potential diplomatic or other appointments for Brandis.
The attorney general replied:
Not that I’m aware … and as you know conversations between ministers on such matters are never an appropriate matter for public discussion.”
Brandis then said he was not aware of former Howard minister Alexander Downer’s feelings after reports the government could offer the attorney general Downer’s job as high commissioner in London as a way of resolving the dispute between Brandis and the solicitor general Justin Gleeson.
Updated
Health minister Sussan Ley gets a Dixer question on Medicare and drugs on the PBS list – in response to the current Labor attack.
Updated
Dreyfus to Turnbull: I refer to reports the government is preparing to strip a dual national of Australian citizenship for the first time and that it expects the legislation to be challenged in the High Court. Is this the same legislation where a letter the Attorney-General provided to the joint committee on intelligence and security incorrectly represented advice from the Solicitor-General?
Turnbull takes the mickey out of both Dreyfus and Brandis by the sound of it. Don’t take my word for it.
All of us understand that the ShadowAttorney-General likes to engage in a sort of Guthrie Featherstone QC MP versus Rumpole with the debate of the Attorney-General. I think we know those two learned gentlemen do not see eye to eye. There is from time to time what can be best described as a disturbance in the Bar Common Room and the less erudite members of the parliament are happy to let these great advocates get on with it.
But Turnbull goes on to suggest that Dreyfus is threatening national security with his question.
There is nothing more important that the shadow attorney-general gets over his spat with the attorney-general and focuses on the real issue which is not the dispute in the bar, which is ensuring that our laws keep us safe and give our police and our intelligence services and our ministers the powers to keep us safe.
We have seen him today stirring up an issue about the powers to revoke citizenship from terrorists. This is a very important power. He sat on the Parliamentary joint committee. He brought his legal eminence to that committee. If he has a concern, he should be raising it within that committee or, if he can bear to speak to him, raising it with the attorney-general or the minister.
Financial services minister Kelly O’Dwyer gets a question on financial advisors.
Shorten to Turnbull: In newspaper reports today, the member for Warringah says that the existing protections against racist hate speech under s.18C of the Racial Discrimination Act are “getting completely out of hand”. Does the prime minister agree with the views of his predecessor? Do these views reflect government policy?
Turnbull:
The honourable member for Warringah is, like all honourable members, free to express his views on the issues of the day but as we recall when the honourable member was the prime minister, my distinguished predecessor, the decision was taken by the government not to proceed with changes to section 18C. That decision has not been reviewed or altered.
Updated
Next Dixer question is to justice minister Michael Keenan. Again, unions. This time Kathy Jackson and Kimberly Kitching.
Dreyfus to Turnbull: I refer to the prime minister’s answer just now and ask again. Can the prime minister advise the House whether he donated $2m or more than $2m to the Liberal party during the election? The prime minister knows the answer, why won’t he tell us?
Christopher Pyne says the question is a red herring and is not within the prime minister’s responsibilities.
Speaker Smith rules the second question is order because it refers to a previous question. Again, this is Labor’s procedural knowledge coming to the fore.
Turnbull is forced to answer.
I have been scrupulous in disclosures of donations and receipts of donations under the Electoral Act. I don’t wish to make a big point of it but the honourable member opposite, of course, overlooked a donation for eight years.
Now what the honourable member is asking me to do is to make a disclosure in advance of it being disclosed under the act. Any disclosures I make were made in accordance with law and to the Electoral Commission and are then disclosed by the AEC at the normal time. I comply scrupulously with the law and the honourable member would be well advised to look to his own party to ensure that they do so too.
Updated
Peter Dutton gets a question purporting to be about cancelling visas but it is on Bill Shorten’s links to the CFMEU.
This goes to the registered orgs bill, which is due in the parliament on Wednesday.
Back to the House question time.
Mark Dreyfus for Labor to Turnbull: I refer to the reports the prime minister donated $2m to the Liberal party during the election. Given the deadline for lodging AEC returns has now passed, what donations has the prime minister disclosed to the AEC?
Turnbull:
All will become clear when donations are revealed in accordance with the act.
Updated
Elizabeth Kelly says while DPMC staff had seen the Coalition agreement between Turnbull and former National party leader Warren Truss, she was not aware whether anyone had seen the Turnbull-Joyce agreement.
Updated
Labor MPs have asked Malcolm Turnbull to repeat a promise he made on Channel Seven the day before the election that patients would not pay more to see a doctor because of the Medicare freeze.
Turnbull sticks to the government’s strengths on health, including that the number of bulk-billed services has increased and its record listing drugs on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. He stops short of repeating the promise.
Malcolm Turnbull would rather call 000 here than repeat his election promise that Australians won't pay more to see the GP #qt
— Tim Watts MP (@TimWattsMP) October 17, 2016
The next question is to health minister Sussan Ley on a similar point says that “one part of the health system connects to the others”. She suggests that cost savings from the GP freeze go towards other benefits like drugs being listed.
Coalition MPs have all asked Dorothy Dixers about union governance in general and the construction industry.
Updated
The estimates committee is onto the Coalition agreement under questioning from Penny Wong. This is a result of the return of those pesky supplementary questions this morning.
We learn that the Agreement is in the fiscal branch of economic division of the DPMC.
This is the Agreement between the Nationals and the Liberals for Coalition.
As I have written before, the Agreement is like a unicorn - often cited, rarely seen. The supplementary questions say that one officer had the document and it was delivered to the fiscal branch.
The government has refused to release the Agreement on the grounds its a private document between the two leaders rather than a government document. Wong says she has asked for it before as well as under freedom-of-information rules. It has not been forthcoming.
Wong says it is more than a private document if it governs things like the plebiscite. And why would the fiscal branch need a private document?
Updated
Paul Karp will be providing some reports out of question time in a minute as we press on with the estimates on DPMC.
Senator Wong asks Paterson about the return of questions on notice, given how late the last ones came back.
Wong to chair James Paterson:
Did you roll your eyes at me? Did you roll your eyes at me?
George Brandis:
Really Senator Wong, behave like an adult.
Updated
First question from Shorten to Turnbull: On the day before the election, the prime minister was asked by Sam Armytage on Sunrise “You have committed to a freeze on the GP rebate. Can you guarantee our viewers will not pay more to see the doctor due to this freeze?” The PM responded “Sam, absolutely”. Does the PM stand by his absolute guarantee that Australians will not pay more to see the doctor as a result of his freeze?
Updated
Penny Wong asks whether the PM’s department is considering or involved in a new VIP plane. This is taken on notice.
Bill Shorten is speaking to the condolence motion.
National senator Bridget McKenzie asks about Craig Emerson and whether prime minister Rudd asked for advice on whether Emerson had complied.
It was before Kelly’s time.
Question time begins with a condolence motion on the King of Thailand.
I will stick with the estimates committee on lobbying for a while longer.
Lobbying and former ministers
Under questioning, we learn:
Former assistant minister Bob Baldwin is a registered lobbyist even though he retired at the 2016 election.
The Coalition also asks about former Labor ministers:
-
Craig Emerson is a registered lobbyist
- Simon Crean and Martin Ferguson are not registered lobbyists.
Did the PM approve Macfarlane’s position? Kelly said she was unaware.
Does the department have an ability to initiate investigations if the prime minister does not ask?
Peter Rush of the DPMC says when a lobbyist registers, the department makes sure the relevant clauses in the ministerial standards are pointed out to the former minister.
In registering as a lobbyist, the former minister would have to make a statutory declaration regarding their actions.
Rush says the department rely on allegations coming forward rather than initiating actions.
The prime minister has not requested any advice about Ian Macfarlane’s position relating to the ministerial standards.
Labor senator Jenny McAllister wants to know whether there have been any meetings between Macfarlane and anyone in government.
Updated
There is an 18-month cooling off period for ministers. Allegedly.
Elizabeth Kelly says the department of PMC only provides advice when asked on ministerial standards.
Do you believe the ministerial standards are working?
I do senator Rhiannon, Brandis says.
Chair James Paterson has already pointed out peak bodies are not lobbyists.
*blogger falls off chair*
A distrinction is drawn between professional lobbyists and industry peak bodies for a start, says Brandis.
Updated
Lee Rhiannon wants to know if George Brandis would meet with Macfarlane about matters before cabinet.
Brandis says he does not discuss matters before cabinet with anyone.
Rhiannon asks, what is the point of the ministerial standards?
Kelly can’t answer many of the questions about the ministerial standards.
Updated
This is the issue Rhiannon is getting at – is he a lobbyist and what are the rules? I wrote about it at the time ...
Former resources minister Ian Macfarlane said he checked with the prime minister’s office prior to accepting a job as chief executive of the Queensland Resources Council, following accusations he had breached the ministerial code.
The Coalition government’s statement of ministerial standards says ministers should not “lobby, advocate or have business meetings with members of the government” for 18 months, on any matters for which they were responsible.
“It doesn’t [breach the code], the QRC is a registered representative body, not a lobbyist and I have also checked it off with the prime minister’s office and they approved it,” Macfarlane told Guardian Australia.
“I’m not a lobbyist, I know what a lobbyist is, I have met more lobbyists than I’ve had hot dinners. I am a CEO of a state representative organisation.”
Asked whether it would have been wise to wait the 18 months stated in the ministerial code to ensure there were no doubts, Macfarlane said “I didn’t have to, I am not a lobbyist”.
Updated
Finance committee is back.
Greens senator Lee Rhiannon is questioning Elizabeth Kelly of the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on former resource minister Ian Macfarlane taking up a job with the Queensland Resource Council (QRC).
Penny Wong’s eyebrows deserve their own Twitter account. You can tell when she is dubious about a certain claim. The left eyebrow jumps at the slightest provocation.
Senator Wong has busted out her left "Oh really?" eyebrow @ estimates-@ rest & factor 5 Oh Really. @gabriellechan pic.twitter.com/AWAoQPvR7m
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) October 17, 2016
Updated
Reports that Bob Day's Home Australia company is in liquidation. A reminder that Day's private company made large payments to FF since 2011 pic.twitter.com/ojyXKmthrW
— Senator Lee Rhiannon (@leerhiannon) October 17, 2016
The main contenders to replace Bob Day are also free-market. Expected to take the same stance on ABCC, Registered Organisation Commission.
— David Crowe (@CroweDM) October 17, 2016
As Day leaves a casual vacancy, Family First gets to choose the next senator. Who may not have the IR bent.
During an at-times heated, consistently partisan, and frequently juvenile legal and constitutional affairs committee estimates hearing, we learned little, though one astonishing fact did emerge: Senator Ian MacDonald does not read The Guardian. [Irony font]
(It should also be remembered he famously claimed not to have read an Australian Human Rights Commission report about which he was questioning the commission president - because he’d already decided it was biased).
Labor senators tried to skewer former Liberal MP Wyatt Roy over his ‘war tourism’ to Iraq but the intrepid Roy was stoutly defended by Coalition senators.
Those appearing before the committee appeared uncomfortable about discussing the travel of a ‘private citizen’, but several questions about Roy’s now-notorious sortie to the middle east were reluctantly taken on notice.
And lots of uniforms. Australian Border Force uniforms, Australian Defence Force uniforms. Lots of epaulettes, lots of badges, and gold stars for all. They’ve broken now for lunch and medals.
Updated
Katharine Murphy has confirmed the resignation. We are awaiting a statement from Day regarding the resignation.
Needless to say, the Coalition has lost an advocate for their IR reforms, given Day is a former member of the Liberal party and a zealot on IR reforms that suited the Coalition.
For those who have not been watching the travail’s of Bob Day - building tsar and Family First senator, you may be confused by Day’s decision.
This is an example of some of the reports regarding this matter. As of last week from the Oz:
Family First senator and businessman Bob Day is being sued for $2 million by the former owners of Huxley Homes, the troubled NSW arm of his embattled house building empire.
Graham and Bryan Huxley told the NSW Supreme Court that Senator Day’s Home Australia group was slow to pay the $14.7m price for Huxley and welshed on office rental deals.
Senator Day and his former business partner, John Smith, personally guaranteed the payments, the Huxleys allege in a statement filed with the court by their company Potoro.
In recent months, the senator has been battling to keep creditors from winding up Home Australia, even pledging his Adelaide Hills home as security to keep the business running.
Home Australia has also been under siege from angry customers in Victoria and NSW, who say the company’s problems paying contractors have stalled building work on home sites.
Day provided this statement:
Full statement that was sent to the Australian newspaper regarding their Home Australia stories. I stepped back in to help out. pic.twitter.com/cFhzNZ54wY
— Bob Day (@senatorbobday) September 28, 2016
Senator Bob Day to resign from senate: reports
Bob Day has confirmed he is quitting the Senate.
— Sabra Lane (@SabraLane) October 17, 2016
Lunch time politics
As the finance and public administration committee goes off to check their Whatsapp messages and find a bite, here is a lunchtime summary of what we know.
- The prime minister provided a special allocation for an extra staff member to senate president Stephen Parry to provide “representational” duties for the president in his home state of Tasmania - related to his role, not his party. It happens to be the former member for Lyons Eric Hutchinson who lost at the last election.
- The new luggage lift in the lodge cost some $83,000 to protect the heritage stairs and the staff from injury. The lift was put in the original designs for the Lodge in 2010. This was part of a whole list of supplementary questions released by the department of prime minister and cabinet this morning. Late.
- As a result of the late answer drop, Labor senator Penny Wong warned PMC to lift its game, lest Labor decide to call secretary Martin Parkinson - Turnbull’s personal pick and former head of treasury dumped by Abbott.
- The PM’s special advisor on cyber security and attorney general George Brandis confirmed they communicate with colleagues including the PM over Whatsapp. Brandis said the messages were entirely unremarkable but he declined Wong’s offer to share them with the public.
- Unions have flagged they will challenge the CFA volunteer laws in the high court.
Updated
CFA laws will be challenged in high court by unions
AAP:
Laws protecting Victorian CFA volunteers engaged in a long-running dispute with the firefighters union will be challenged in the High Court.
Changes to the Fair Work Act passed federal parliament last week as the Turnbull government delivered on its election promise to intervene in the dispute.
United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall has told the Australian Financial Review on Monday the union will launch a constitutional challenge against the laws.
What's up? We all chat on Whatsapp.
Alastair MacGibbon says he communicates with several people - including the PM - on Whatsapp.
Wong goes in further but Brandis steps in.
He says having commicated with the PM and his other colleagues on Whatsapp, he has never shared anything sensitive.
Wong asks if there is a Cabinet Whatsapp group? Brandis doesn’t seem sure. He says its no biggie, not in as many words.
If it is not remarkable, can you make it public, asks Wong.
So its entirely unremarkable but you don’t want it exposed to the public
Silence from the attorney.
Updated
From AAP:
Federal police are not investigating Wyatt Roy’s unofficial visit to an Iraqi war zone.
The former Liberal MP was caught in the crossfire between the Islamic State group and Kurdish Peshmerga forces near an area Australians are legally banned from visiting.
Australian federal police commissioner Andrew Colvin said his organisation had done “due diligence” into the matter but there was no open investigation.
“Based on the public reporting we did form a conclusion that we didn’t believe any offences had been committed,” he said.
Roy’s trip was widely condemned by federal politicians including the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull.
Updated
Alastair MacGibbon, the PM’s special advisor on cyber security has shimmied into the chair to answer the tech-head questions on secure communications.
This is all about the use of Whatsapp and other platforms. Generally the message from PMC is giving is that any technical communications should be done over the government’s secure platforms.
Wong wants to know where staff get guidance on using apps. Given we know that ministers and chief of staffs are communicating on Whatsapp, says Wong, are we doing anything to provided updated info? Do you know where the servers are? No, says PMC’s Allan McKinnon.
McKinnon says the government has to rely on security clearances being regularly updated.
Penny Wong is question the PMC about the prime minister and ministers use of communication apps like Whatsapp. This follows a story by James Massola in Fairfax.
Allan McKinnon of PMC says that he did not raise any issues following the report.
Wong asks “does anyone check”? Argy bargy ensues about answers.
Brandis intervenes to help Elizabeth Kelly of PMC.
Wong fires back that he should have stopped the “disgusting bullying of a statutory officer” (solicitor general) Justin Gleeson.
Brandis says Kelly is also a statutory officer.
Updated
Lodge renovations and the cost of upholstery from supplementary answers.
The total cost of refurbishing the original Ruth Lane-Poole lounge and two matching chairs was $11,524.22 (GST inclusive).
Exhibit A. Heritage stairs. Precarious and valuable.
McAllister wonders if there are any pictures of said luggage lift? Nope.
No other prime minister needed this, says Wong.
Wong asks if Turnbull is the only PM to have a luggage lift?
Turnbull is the only prime minister who has lived in the Lodge, says Kelly. The luggage lift was in the original reno plans in 2010.
Not Malcolm’s lift - is the message. Over.
Updated
Penny Wong wants to know about what a luggage lift looks like. Paula Ganly says it’s a bit like a dumb waiter, certainly not for people.
The lift:
Senator Jenny McAllister is asking about the luggage lift. Kelly says the luggage lift was installed to protect the staff, one of whom was injured lugging suitcases up the heritage stairs. There was also the heritage value of the stairs.
Updated
Senator Wong is now expressing her “disappointment at the discourtesy” shown by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in returning the aforementioned supplementary answers late.
Kelly says the tardiness was due to the caretaker period.
Wong says Labor does not call the secretary Martin Parkinson as a matter of courtesy but if DPMC does not lift its game, it will.
Updated
Updated
Updated
Elizabeth Kelly notes staff changes in the past six months, including the appointment of former Greens senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds as as deputy secretary for social policy in the department of prime minister and cabinet.
Chris Uhlmann reported this fact on the eve of the election:
Cabinet ministers, senior bureaucrats and Coalition backbenchers are outraged at the appointment of a former Greens candidate to a senior position in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on the eve of the federal election...
A spokesman for the department told the ABC: “Ms Hatfield Dodds was appointed following a merit selection process conducted in the usual manner and consistent with the Public Service Act.”
The appointment has revived suspicions in the conservative ranks about Dr Parkinson, who was dumped as Treasury secretary in the months after Tony Abbott was elected in 2013...
Attorney general George Brandis is in the seat to steer the department of prime minister and cabinet.
Elizabeth Kelly is in the chair for the department. Grab your popcorn.
Good morning from Matt Hatter:
@gabriellechan I suppose it's too late now to add 'Official Lodge
— The Matt Hatter (@MattGlassDarkly) October 16, 2016
Luggage Hauler' to Eric Hutchinson's nebulous job description? #estimates pic.twitter.com/KchbZlWXEt
More from questions on notice.
Lucy Turnbull has asked for a sustainability assessment of the Lodge.
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has arranged with the ACT Environment and Planning Directorate to conduct a sustainability assessment of the Lodge at no cost.
Updated
Katharine Murphy is also trawling the additional information.
We learn more of the Lodge renovations:
- Reoccupation: $48,598.00
- Upholstery: $24,680.51
- Window soft furnishings: $18,000.00
- Whitegoods: $22,356.64
Nick Xenophon is questioning the Department of Parliamentary Services. He wants to know about how the email services for MPs and parliamentary staff are dealt with.
We learn that the:
- servers are in-building
- the servers are managed by DPS directly
- they are not shared with any other entities
Updated
Senator Nick McKim is using Senate estimates to quiz the Australian federal police about the department of immigration revealing that 19 referrals to the Nauruan police have been made over alleged violence and sexual assault.
The AFP deputy commissioner Justine Saunders responded that 14 incidents were referred to the Nauruan police. Of those, nine were closed owing to insufficient evidence, one was withdrawn, in one instance the investigation concluded that no offence was committed and two remain open.
Saunders said of the referrals, one has resulted in the charge of a suspect with an assault offence and the matter is before the court.
Asked why immigration had said the number was 19 and the AFP believed it was 14, Saunders replied to ask the immigration department but “perhaps [they] didn’t meet the threshold to refer to the Nauruan police”.
Updated
Advice for senior government officers travelling to China
Back to supplementary answers:
Back in February, then senator Stephen Conroy:
What advice would you give to a high-ranking PM&C official who indicated that they were going on holiday in China? What advice would you give to that government official about their personal communications devices?
This was the answer from PM&C today:
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) would provide a detailed security briefing to the travelling employee. Information on device security, exploitation methods, security measures and considerations while abroad would be provided.
Whole-of-government resources are used in the development of the briefings, with particular emphasis on Information Security Manual (ISM) controls, as published by the Australian Signals Directorate.
PM&C provides the same advice for both personal and business devices. The ISM controls are amended to reflect personal electronic devices and any personal services or accounts the official may use while travelling. Department officials are reminded that the use of consumer or commercial services for the transmission of classified or sensitive official information is not permitted.
This question was getting to the assistant defence minister Stuart Roberts.
Conroy wanted to know about Roberts’ personal devices.
The answer provided today:
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is not aware if there is any process in train regarding personal devices issued to the former assistant minister for defence.
Updated
In Senate estimates, the AFP assistant commissioner Ramsey Jabbour has revealed the federal police have not made any applications for a warrant to access journalists’ metadata in the past 12 months.
Nick Xenophon is annoyed that previously at estimates he was denied this information. The AFP commissioner, Andrew Colvin, concedes he is prohibited from discussing specific cases but can give general numbers.
Colvin added:
We did say it would be a very rarely used piece of legislation – we’ve been shown to be quite truthful. I won’t say we’ll never use it, of course.
In April Guardian Australia reported that the AFP admitted it sought access to reporter Paul Farrell’s metadata without a warrant in 2014 in an attempt to hunt down his sources.
That was before the law was changed requiring a warrant. Xenophon moved on to another line of questioning, surprised that the answer was that no warrants were sought. Perhaps he should have asked how often police accessed journalists’ metadata before the regime required a warrant.
Updated
PM's Lodge luggage lift: $83,535.75
There has been last-minute drop of additional answers to supplementary questions. Let me explain. When the departments cannot answer a question, they take it on notice and the answers are delivered at a later time.
These additional answers from estimates in February have been dropped just before these estimates – hoping that it will be swept away in the news squall that generally happens around estimates.
Around the extra committees, I will work my way through the answers.
Here is one:
The cost of the specialised luggage lift put into the Lodge during the recent renovation was $83,535.75 (excluding GST), including installation.
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The treasurer, Scott Morrison, has spoken on 2GB Radio about the government’s bill to strip people involved in terrorist offences of their citizenship.
Morrison he had “no doubt” that advocates would legally challenge them in the high court, but said in the meantime they are being implemented and “tightly followed”.
He added:
They’re dual citizens as well, so it’s not like they’re left stateless under these laws. By their own actions they’d be disqualifying themselves to the values of Australia. I’m very proud we put these laws in place – it’s a signal that citizenship matters, and obligations attach to [citizenship], not just rights. Those obligations include holding to our values.
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The finance committee is finished with the Parliamentary Budget Office and on to the Department of Parliamentary Services. This is the department that supports the functions of parliament and pollies. In another hour, we will be on to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, mustered by George Brandis.
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In case you are wondering what the cost might be of Hutchinson’s new special representational work for the Senate president, it could be up to $160,000 – under a special allocation from Turnbull.
Government personal employees other than senior staff, such as an adviser
- $90,271–$133,218, plus $28,139
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A round plug in a round hole.
In finance committee, senators are on to the Parliamentary Budget Office.
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Top 50 domain visits in PM's office since Malcolm Turnbull took over #auspol #estimates pic.twitter.com/F85zA69jcw
— Bevan Shields (@BevanShields) October 16, 2016
Senate president employs former Liberal MP for additional work
So just to be straight. Eric Hutchinson, a former Liberal MP who lost his seat at the last election, has been hired as an adviser to the Senate president for his presidential role – not his party role. It was made possible by an “extra allocation” by the prime minister.
But the Senate president, Stephen Parry, confirms Hutchinson will do extra “representational work” in Tasmania.
(Which sounds like rebuilding the Liberal brand in Tassie.)
You appointed a mate to do work in your electorate, says Penny Wong.
If you were there, Senator Wong, you would equally ... (Parry’s voice trails off ... )
Parry says Hutchinson’s experience as an ex-parliamentarian made him suitable.
It was my fortune and his misfortune ... a round plug into a round hole.
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I’m told the Parry staffer is Eric Hutchinson, former Liberal MP for Lyons.
Wong notes that the crossbenchers have received extra funds from the prime minister’s office for extra staff to get across all the legislation. They receive an extra three staff – giving them seven staff in total.
Wong says, however, that the Senate department that supports the crossbenchers has received no extra budget.
The clerk of the Senate, Rosemary Laing, says she is hoping crossbenchers get more self-sufficient, such that they can:
navigate simple procedures for themselves.
But Stephen Parry, LNP senator and president, says he has received an extra staff member to deal with lots of extra work as president, including representational events in Tasmania.
The prime minister has approved an extra staff member for the extra work as Senate president.
Wong makes the point the extra staffer was for Senate work – rather than doing party work such as “representational events”. Parry counters that all his staff are Liberal members so he may attend party events but “not formally”.
Parry says the staffer is a former MP who lost his seat at the last election. (Remember there was the Liberal Tasmanian wipe-out.)
Trying to find out who …
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Wong’s questioning has borne some fruit. Senate department admit that a shortage of staff led to absence of an officer within one of the public galleries last week.
The deputy usher of the black rod says “staffing across the galleries were a little bit stretched”. He says there was a couple of instances where officers were only outside the door.
The security staff make sure there are no breaches of security, such as protests.
The finance committee will drill down into the workings and budgets of the parliamentary building. Penny Wong is starting in the Senate department and its security checkpoints. Her presence is usually a good sign of where the interesting stuff is happening. She is Labor’s chief prosecutor in Senate estimates.
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Hold on to your hats. The LNP senator James “Blue Poles” Paterson is chairing the finance and public admin committee which will start with the Department of the Senate. The Senate prez, Stephen Parry, is in the chair.
And that well-known conciliator LNP senator Ian Macdonald is chairing the legal and constitutional committee with the Australian federal police up first.
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There has been significant movement on Liberals’ attempts to open up the NSW division to plebiscites, similar to moves Labor has made, though not stretching as far as a vote for the parliamentary leader.
All smoke signals suggest Turnbull is going to back a Warringah motion to offer plebiscites for all financial members.
Malcolm Turnbull is expected to support a motion to the New South Wales Liberal state council from Tony Abbott’s own Warringah branches which could open up preselections to ordinary members for all federal and NSW candidates.
If passed by the Liberal state council on 22 October, the motion from the Warringah federal electoral conference (FEC) would amend the NSW division’s constitution to allow each financial party member a vote for their local, state and federal Liberal candidates, senators and state upper house members.
The current constitution has candidates chosen by a small group of party delegates.
Senior Liberal sources said the prime minister, who has long privately supported party plebiscites, was expected to support the motion.
It is a bold move by Turnbull, given the reform campaign has been run by Abbott’s own FEC president, Walter Villatora, and championed by Abbott in recent months. The prime minister is also expected to attend the state council but it is not yet known whether he would speak to the motion.
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Snap analysis from Paul Karp:
The Australian has reported that One Nation’s support has quadrupled nationwide, and almost doubled to 10% in Queensland.
Drill down and the results are not nearly as impressive as they appear. The Australian has compared One Nation’s 6% support in Newspolls since the 2 July election, with their 1.3% lower house primary vote at the election.
But according to the article, One Nation only ran candidates in 12 Queensland seats and three in New South Wales, meaning only about one in 10 voters could vote for One Nation in the lower house at the election.
When you compare the Newspoll results to One Nation’s Senate vote, the party’s vote has increased from 4.3% at the election to 6% in the poll averages. This is arguably a fairer comparison because voters in all states had a One Nation candidate on the ballot.
The Australian reported in Queensland One Nation has almost doubled its 5.5% lower house vote at the election to 10% in the poll averages. But its Senate vote at the election in Queensland was 9.2%, pointing again to a much more modest rise.
What it does show is that One Nation’s lower house vote would increase if it ran candidates in every lower house seat – fair enough, but not as surprising a result as a “quadrupling” of the One Nation vote nationwide.
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Good morning, blogan family,
I am strangely calm this morning. It could be that we are in the eye of the storm. It could be that I have crossed into a parliamentary twilight zone. It is most likely to be this agenda today.
- Parliament’s lower house sits at 10am.
- Four Senate estimates committees, including:
- Environment estimates committee, including the windfarm committee.
- Legal and constitutional affairs committee, starring the attorney general, George Brandis.
- Finance and public administration committee starring Brandis and the finance minister, Mathias Cormann, with guest appearances from the Australian Electoral Commission.
There is also lots of news.
We know from Tom McIlroy of Fairfax that media bigwigs dined at the Lodge ahead of another parliamentary sitting week. It was informal, says Tom. I’m thinking open shirts, kicking back on the sofas, a few beers under the wisteria. A bit of cross-media conviviality.
The guestlist is understood to have included editor of the Australian, Paul Whittaker, Chris Dore from Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, the Herald Sun’s Damon Johnston, and Courier-Mail boss Lachlan Heywood.
It comes weeks after editors from Fairfax Media met with Mr Turnbull at an afternoon tea event in Sydney.
ABC and SBS chiefs are set to appear before Senate estimates hearings at Parliament House on Tuesday, while a parliamentary inquiry considering the government’s proposed media reforms is due to present its report next month.
We know from Adele Ferguson of the Fin that:
Financial services minister Kelly O’Dywer will on Monday announce the government will create a new independent standards body that will be given broad powers to govern professional standards for financial advisers, including setting a code of ethics.
The big banks and AMP will bankroll the establishment of the statutory body and the minister will appoint members of the board. Once it is up and running, the government will work with the industry to develop an ongoing industry funding model.
A new set of professional standards for financial advisers to be mandated through legislation will be introduced into parliament this year.
This is yet another brick in the dam wall to hold off a bank royal commission.
Malcolm Turnbull has returned to his roots, so to speak, and penned a piece for the Oz about the importance of industrial relations reform, aka the bills that launched a thousand slips at the July election. I’m talking the Australian Building and Construction Commission and the registered organisations bill. He presents a case against the CFMEU and its “sizeable” donations to the Labor party. I’ll just give you the first and last par.
When politicians are presented with a clear problem for which there is a proven solution, they have a responsibility to act. Parliament will soon be asked to pass legislation reintroducing the Australian Building and Construction Commission. The case is overwhelming and growing …
The Senate showed it can work to fix a problem, when 10 crossbenchers supported legislation that will protect Victoria’s Country Fire Authority and its tens of thousands of volunteers from a hostile union takeover. Soon these senators will have the opportunity to stand up to another bully and fix another problem. By restoring the ABCC, we can create a better construction industry, which in turn will build a stronger Australia.
Malcolm Turnbull is the prime minister of Australia.
All about problem solving, which is the PM’s preferred narrative these days (noted by Katharine Murphy here). His theme dovetails neatly with Bill Shorten’s choice of his friend and ally Kimberly Kitching to replace Stephen Conroy in the Senate. The trade union royal commission report recommending the Department of Public Prosecutions consider prosecuting Kitching over claims made in the trade union royal commission. Kitching has denied all the claims.
So the cabinet secretary, Arthur Sinodinos, was out yesterday, talking up the registered orgs bill which establishes a registered organisations commission to impose criminal penalties on wrongdoers. Segue to Kitching and we have headlines this morning: Coalition attacks Labor’s choice of senator. Breaking.
There is a Newspoll around which I will bring you shortly. The headline is that Pauline Hanson’s support has skyrocketed. The fineprint is that she is coming off a relatively low base.
Mike Bowers is in the building, stalking the halls. He is @mpbowers, I am @gabriellechan on the Twits and we best get on before estimates begin in earnest.
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