With that glitz in the matrix, I’m going to wrap up for today.
Mostly because I am still rage-filled over Michaelia Cash’s comments and the wider implications they have for women working in ministerial offices. And, seriously, we question why more women don’t get into politics? Maybe because they have to deal with this sort of bullshit.
Thank you to the Guardian brains trust, for once again talking me down from my ledge (and supplying the cough lollies and tea) and to Mike Bowers, who is still out walking the hallways, because he just never stops. You can find some more of his work on his Twitter account (@mpbowers) or his Instagram account (@mikepbowers).
Thank you to everyone who followed along today. You can find me on Twitter at @amyremeikis or Instagram @ifyouseeamy where, in the story section (which you can find by clicking on the profile picture) you can find a behind the scenes view of our day in the meantime. But I will be back before 9am tomorrow with the last day of the third sitting week.
I hope you have a lovely night, and take care of you.
Updated
Tony Abbott, speaking to 2GB, said he has “not the foggiest idea” what Michaelia Cash was talking about and can only assume “the minister had a brain snap”.
“There has been so much cheap smear and it must end. It is bad when it comes from the Labor party, it is bad when it comes from the Liberal party, and it is particularly bad when it comes from a minister of the crown.
“... I have no idea what was going through her mind at the time … I gathered she has apologised and she certainly should.”
Let that sink in for a moment. Tony Abbott just had the most appropriate reaction from anyone we have heard from in the government today on this.
Maybe because he is no longer the worst former minister for women this country has ever seen.
Updated
Craig Laundy, appearing on Sky, says it is not his job to condemn or condone Michaelia Cash’s actions:
“You have seen a very short clip, what has been overwhelmingly missed is in the lead up to where that got to, you had Senator Doug Cameron asking a lot of extremely personal questions about Michaelia Cash’s staff and to be honest, it was quite inappropriate, they were personal questions. And what Michaelia was pointing out, was is this really where we want to go, and if we do, where does it end? Does it end in rumours like this, that is what the reality is. You have seen a very short subsection.”
(Those very personal questions, for the record, were - do you have a new chief of staff, who are they, why won’t you tell us who they are, have they come from your department, have they come from another party-aligned organisation.)
Laundy:
“My understanding is he was also looking at relationships between staff, so I just don’t think it was appointees, I think it got very blurred and then it got very heated and the question Michealia asked, how far do you really want to go, and used that as an example. I think senate estimates, let’s face it, they are extremely heated at times.
“She was pointing out, by default, and that is why she said, if anyone does take it there, the way it has been literally perceived in that short clip, as opposed to what led up to it, and the fact she was throwing it out as a hypothetical, and that is why she said, if anyone has taken offence, I withdraw, but what she was demonstrating was how far do we actually let these questions go.”
Again - this is what Michaelia Cash said - and it was not a hypothetical:
If you want to start discussing staff matters, be very, very careful. I am happy to name every young woman in Mr Shorten’s office about which rumours in this place abound. If you want to go down this path today I. Will. Do it. Do you want me to start naming them? For Mr Shorten to come out and deny any of the rumours that have been circulating in this building for many, many years. Dangerous path to go down, and you know it.”
Laundy:
“It is not my job to condone, I am telling you, I have asked her office, the pretect, the context, the pretext of how it got to where it got to and the context of the whole discussion, and they gave me the explanation I have just given to you. Now I take them at face value.
“If the explanation put to me, is that it is a hypothetical, put to Doug Cameron, is this really where you want to go, is this where you want to go...her explanation to me and I take her at face value and in good faith, it fits into a context of a much, much broader discussion.”
Once again, there was nothing in the questions which hinted at what Laundy is claiming, or which would explain Cash’s reaction. Nothing. And the answer she gave was not hypothetical. It included the line “Do you want me to start naming them, for Mr Shorten to come out and deny any of the rumours that have been circulating in this building for many, many years”. That is not a hypothetical. That’s a threat. And an outrageous one at that.
For those wondering who Michael McCormack had dinner with last night, it was Brett Whiteley.
The Tasmanian MP.
Not the artist who died in 1992.
A little from how Mike Bowers saw question time:
The Fin have this little tidbit in their Michaelia Cash story:
As a minister in the former government, Mr Shorten was the subject of rumours spread by the Coalition that he had had an affair with a staffer called Shannon who became pregnant. The rumours persisted even though Shannon was male.”
For those who were asking, here is the full text of Tanya Plibersek’s statement before QT:
Two weeks ago, the prime minister of Australia stood in his courtyard and he said that he was updating his ministerial code, because, as it stood, and I quote:
‘It does not speak strongly enough for the values that we should live, values of respect, respectful workplaces, of workplaces where women are respected.’ End quote.
Workplaces where women are respected.
Today, Senator Cash used the protection of Senate estimates to launch a disgraceful attack on the young women working in this building.
It was an unprovoked attack from a minister under pressure.
Today the minister for jobs attacked young women doing their jobs.
Today the minister, representing the minister for women, smeared young women.
Mr Speaker,
Being a staffer in this place is hard enough.
Like so many of my colleagues, I am very lucky to have smart young women working for me. And on their behalf I am offended.
Senator Cash’s comments were ghastly, they were sexist, they were a 1950s-style throwback.
And they were a reflection on women working for all political parties.
Eventually, the Senator offered a conditional apology, one of those mealy-mouthed, weasel apologies: ‘if anyone was offended’.
Well, the prime minister should make her offer a proper apology to all of the young women she has offended.
Updated
Malcolm Turnbull puts us all out of our misery and calls time on question time.
Meanwhile, does anyone know who cursed this ferry? And whether they take requests?
OMG FERRY MCFERRY FACE HAS CRASHED INTO THE BALMAIN WHARF https://t.co/2JRozDW4cA
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) February 28, 2018
Oh great, Scott Morrison is back.
Nope.
The punishment continues.
Justine Keay to David Littleproud:
Who’s fault is the fruit fly outbreak in Tasmania (basically)
Littleproud: (cue A LOT of yelling)
ALL OF THE LOUD NOISES LABOR MORE LOUD NOISES
Updated
I have a feeling this Dan Tehan dixer answer on the drug testing trials is where we will leave question time today.
We just got another “aware of any alternative approaches” dixer, which once again has me considering alternative approaches. Mostly to life.
Brendan O’Connor to Malcolm Turnbull:
I refer to the PM’s recent answer where he said the minister for the workplace is responsible for administering the Fair Work Act. I also confirmed that Senator Cash and the minister for the workplace are responsible for administering that. Is this another example of the chaos of this government when ministers don’t even know what they are in charge of? Or did the PM only make the decision to remove Senator Cash’s responsibility today and not tell her?
Turnbull:
Adani (basically).
Updated
Anthony Albanese to Michael McCormack:
I refer to the government’s own budget papers for his own portfolio which shows that federal infrastructure investment in Tasmania will fall from a $174 million this financial year to $53 million in 2019-20. Is this a reflection of the fact that not a single new infrastructure project has been commenced under any of the three Coalition governments? (Abbott-Joyce/Turnbull-Joyce/Turnbull-McCormack)
McCormack:
[Names a bunch of Tasmanian projects]
I tell you, we did not see that when Labor were in power. That is why I say, again, for Tasmanians watching this before they cast a vote, vote for that Liberal government this Saturday and is part of the Hobart-Sydney deal. As part of that, the commonwealth is working with the University of Tasmania, looking for innovative financing solutions to support the university. That should please Tasmanians. I’m sure the absent member would be pleased. More than that, the freight rail revitalisation project, $59.8 million in government funding. As I say, the Hobart airport interchange,$24 million. We are making less congestion, better road safety, all the things that Tasmanians want. We are doing actually and the Hodgman government is doing it in the state, may he be re-elected this Saturday. We are doing it federally.
He also drops in that he had dinner with Brett Whiteley last night.
Updated
The backbench on both sides of the chamber appear as engaged as I am today.
We are only in the third week of parliamentary sittings. How is that even possible? Surely we have already done a year’s worth?
Updated
Anthony Albanese to Michael McCormack:
“I ask him why federal infrastructure funding for South Australia is only $95 million in 2020-21 or just 2% of the federal infrastructure and transport budget.”
McCormack:
[Honestly, I just cannot today. His answer boils down to we are spending a lot of money. Big League money. SO MUCH MONEY.]
Updated
Goodness me, QT today is a punish.
Brendan O’Connor to Malcolm Turnbull:
“The person responsible for administering the Fair Work Act is simply described as the minister. Given there are two ministers in that department, can we [know] which minister is referred to and responsible for administering the Fair Work Act.”
Turnbull:
“The minister responsible for administering the Fair Work Act is the minister for small and family business, and workplace relations. The member for ... Reid.”
(That’s Craig Laundy.)
Updated
Jenny Macklin to Dan Tehan:
“How many existing pensioners will lose the energy supplement under this government’s plan to cut support to pensioners?”
Tehan:
“I would like to thank the member for her question, and can I say on this side we have no policy which will see us reintroduce the carbon tax. We do not believe that we need an energy supplement, which was brought in because of the carbon tax. If you won, the other side had secret plans to reintroduce the carbon tax, then you should do so.”
Christopher Pyne gets a dixer on his favourite topic: how terrible unions are.
Spoiler: He thinks they are terrible.
Updated
Deputy PM Michael McCormack arrives for #qt @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus @murpharoo #politicslive https://t.co/5Ch3Y2Gmu1 pic.twitter.com/fDV1uHYHpZ
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) February 28, 2018
Maria Vamvakinou to Malcolm Turnbull:
“How many widows will have their bereavement allowance cut while this government is giving a $65bn handout to big business?”
Dan Tehan takes the question:
“I would like to thank the member for her question, and as she knows through the welfare reform bill we are simplifying seven payments into one. As we have made very clear, as we have made very clear, 99% of people will be no worse off under these changes. And I can also say to her, that what we are doing is making sure for hose who have to use our welfare system, that they can navigate it, that it is not complex. And it is something that you did on your side as well, because we want to have a simplified welfare system that is easy for people to navigate. As I made very clear, 99% of people will be no worse off.”
We move on to Peter Dutton’s daily dose of “You are very safe” dixer.
Updated
Tanya Plibersek to Malcolm Turnbull:
“Pensioners are struggling to pay their power bills because energy prices are at record highs under this conservative government. Why is this inept prime minister cutting the energy supplement of $365 a year for single pensioners to pay for his $65bn big tax cut?”
Josh Frydenberg takes it:
“They are still in Labor costings! I am glad we got a Dorothy dixer because it has been over 130 days since the member for Port Adelaide has asked a question on energy. You think that is because when Labor was last in office, energy prices doubled, Mr Speaker? Energy prices doubled. Then we got the carbon tax and the citizens assembly and we got other projects and network prices skyrocketed as the gold-plating took place.
“And now the leader of the opposition has asked for a national solution and has asked us to listen to the experts. He said he wants a bipartisan approach. So when the energy security board came forward with the energy guarantee which independent modelling shows will leave the average Australian household $300 a year better off than they would be under the Labor party, he turned his back. He turned his back. And today. Today on the front page of the AFR we see a proud Australian and the head of Dow Chemical, and somebody who knows a thing or two about creating jobs because he employs nearly 100,000 people – he says that the states need to get behind the national energy guarantee. The Labor party needs to get behind the guarantee as a means of creating jobs and investment certainty.”
He keeps going, but it amounts to get behind the NEG.
Updated
Rebekha Sharkie has the crossbench question today:
Thanks to Senator Patrick’s order for documents we now know the federal government paid over twice the market price for water purchases in the Warrego catchment, paying $1600 a megalitre versus payment of around $720 a megalitre for similar licences in the same region. Can the minister explain why more than the commercial rate was paid? Is the minister aware of any relationships, friendships or conflicts of interest between the beneficiaries of the buybacks in this catchment and the former, or current minister for water and resources?”
David Littleproud:
“Could I thank the member for her question because the Warrego lies in my electorate, the Warrego River. And I know the price, as you would in a small community, it is quite obvious. Let me say about the pricing, it was always at arm’s length from the government. I was not even the minister when those negotiations took place. If you are trying to assassinate my character in a cheap attempt to score political points in South Australia where you destroyed the vote along with the Labor party, this was their plan. They were warned about Jay Weatherill and Nick Xenophon getting the vote. And now it is nothing more than a cold and callous political machine. You are destroying the livelihoods of those people and you should hang your heads in shame.”
“Well done, mate,” says Barnaby Joyce.
Malcolm Turnbull continues to flip through the printout of the GQ interview with Bill Shorten.
Updated
Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull:
“This prime minister has presided over the lowest wages growth on record. Why is this inept prime minister making things even worse by withholding penalty rates for almost 700,000 Australian workers. Supporting cuts to penalty rates while giving corporations taxpayer handouts?”
Turnbull:
“Reducing business results in more investment, productivity and employment and better paid jobs. That has been the consistent experience around the world. They are experiencing that now in the United States. The member for McMahon wrote a book about it. It is hardly rocket science. It has been the universal experience and that is why governments in the past, both from Labor and Coalition, have reduced business tax. We have seen that result. That is how you drive jobs and jobs growth. You have to be consistent about policies. You have to be, as the leader of the opposition said, said in his GQ article when he was asked if he was like Clinton and he did not demur to that.
“This opposition leader stood with the workers of Oaky and said that he supported them. If Tony stood up and said that Bill Shorten is pro-coal mining. I can tell you that from personal experience. Tony Maher said that to those workers on the picket line, standing next to the leader of the opposition. And then, Mr Speaker, after receiving thousands of dollars of generous hospitality from the Australian Conservation Foundation, courtesy of Geoff Cousins, a reef cruise, a charter flight ending in Townsville. Accommodation, a long list.”
He concludes.
Updated
Catherine King to Malcolm Turnbull:
“It has been revealed that private health insurers receive billions more in premiums than Australians received in benefits last year. Why is this inept PM giving a $65bn handout for big business, including big insurers, instead of trying to help ordinary Australians with the cost of private health insurance?”
Turnbull:
“It gives me the opportunity to remind her of the very sound observations made by her leader only a few years ago, that reducing business tax results in more jobs, more investment. The reality is he was right then, but he was wrong now. He says whatever suits his purpose at the time, and just like he told the workers at Oaky North, that he is pro-coal, and he tells Geoff Cousins that he is going to withdraw the licence for the Adani mine, and put those workers out of a job.”
There is a point of order on relevance and then Greg Hunt takes over.
It is nothing you haven’t heard before: APRA doesn’t consider profits or capital levels to be a reason for premium increases, Labor hates private health, etc, etc, etc.
Scott Morrison is up with his daily Sharks-are-two-points-out-from-the-win-and-three-tackles-out-from-the-six delivery of a dixer.
Updated
First dixer is on job creation.
The prime minister appears to have a written answer. I am not sure why. Surely he can say this stuff in his sleep now. I know I can. This post is proof.
Question time begins
Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull:
“This prime minister has presided over the lowest wages growth on record, so why is this inept prime minister making life harder for working Australians by making them pay $300 more income tax every year,and at the same time handing away $65 billion of taxpayer money to be corporations?”
Turnbull:
“Mr Speaker, the honourable member opposite knows full well that we are seeking to pay for the NDIS. The NDIS, which the Labor party did not fund. The NDIS, which needs the guarantee of financial security that Labor would not revive it, and we are seeking to do so in precisely the same way that the Labor government did in part when they were in power.
“But Mr Speaker, the honourable member asked me about big corporations, and the inequality. Mr Speaker, most people, when they go snorkelling on the Barrier Reef, pay for it themselves. But not leader of the opposition. And we heard the indignation, we heard the indignation about Point Piper, the suburb I live in. He is down on those millionaires in Point Piper but he wasn’t above taking thousands of dollars from the Australian Conservation Foundation. Geoff Cousins’ foundation. Geoff Cousins who has reported on the trip that they funded the leader of the opposition, and which was only disclosed after he came out with his report. Extraordinary! What was the name of that other donor who only came out after the event? There is a bit of a pattern.”
After a point of order from Tony Burke, the Speaker, Tony Smith, asks Turnbull to stick to the topic.
He wanders off again about 2.3 seconds later and is once again asked by Smith to stick to the question.
He runs out of time.
Updated
Tanya Plibersek makes her statement on Michaelia Cash’s estimates slur.
“The minister representing women just smeared young women.”
She says she is proud of her staff. “Soo are we, so are we,” yells Sarah Henderson.
Plibersek calls for the prime minister to make Cash offer an actual apology, instead of the “conditional” one she delivered after Penny Wong asked her to withdraw, or for it to be dealt with on the floor of the Senate.
Updated
Barnaby Joyce is exceptionally punctual for question time today. He was one of the first in the chamber.
Updated
We are in the chamber for question time.
I imagine we are about to hear from Labor about the Michaelia Cash outburst.
Turnbull government minister says Cash was 'justified' in frustration
Michael Sukkar, talking to Sky, about Michaelia Cash’s outburst has this to say:
“You know this place pretty well. As far as unsubstantiated and scurrilous commentary, most of that comes from the Labor party. So they are not blameless here,” he said.
“... I would just say though, the Labor party have been very, very keen to make hay with the whole Barnaby Joyce issue and I think they would be wise, and I think it would be decent of them, to take a step back. I haven’t seen the particular interchange in estimates, but that frustration she may have shown, I think is probably justified.”
Sky News host Laura Jayes rightly pointed out that Labor had been pursuing how taxpayer funds were spent during the Joyce affair, but Sukkar fell back on the “They started it” argument to justify his view.
“You know that a lot is said in this place and the Labor party are not purer than the white driven snow in terms of making quite serious allegations both off the record and on the record. I think I’ll leave it at that.”
Updated
Just for the record, Labor is still against the drug testing trials for welfare recipients measure the government is once again trying to get through the parliament, on the grounds it does not believe it works.
The Greens have also restated its opposition.
Michaelia Cash may have withdrawn her comments (with a non-apology apology) but the matter is not over.
No one I have spoken to, or anyone in this office has spoken to, has any idea who or what she was talking about.
Labor is still furious. By using the phrase “every young woman” in Bill Shorten’s office, Cash has identified a group, under parliamentary privilege, in response to being asked who her new chief of staff was.
Let’s not forget that the woman who made a complaint against Barnaby Joyce to the WA National party had her name leaked to the media, on top of the staffer who made the complaint against former minister Jamie Briggs, who also had her name leaked to the media, and there is not a fantastic track record there.
And it is not as if the Liberal party is known for its gender balance or promotion of women in the first place.
Updated
Nationals' Fiona Nash makes a good point re Nigel Scullion - he can't be punted from cabinet without his consent as he's Senate leader. But is precedent Ron Bosweel was Senate leader without portfolio @SkyNewsAust
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) February 28, 2018
Dan Tehan, after introducing the government’s legislation to introduce drug trials for welfare recipients, has been on the hard sell today:
.@DanTehanWannon: drug testing welfare recipients is not the only answer, but it could help people who are 'not benefiting' from Australia's economic environment.
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) February 28, 2018
MORE: https://t.co/oU6f4WuWu0 #newsday #auspol pic.twitter.com/eU5r1Slt4c
The government withdrew this legislation last time because the Senate crossbench, including the Nick Xenophon Team, were not going to support it.
Obviously, they feel there are some changes there.
Updated
Thank you to all the Liberal MPs and staffers who have been in touch disgusted by @SenatorCash's attack on women in Parliament today #auspol
— Shorten_Suite 👊 (@Shorten_Suite) February 28, 2018
Speculation of a wider cabinet reshuffle will not go away.
So far the rumours, and I stress they are just rumours, are that Matt Canavan and Nigel Scullion may be out and Darren Chester and Keith Pitt back in. (Alan Jones first reported the Scullion speculation. News Canavan will be moved on has been floating around since the leadership change)
I understand there is to be a meeting about it tomorrow.
With Michael McCormack’s leadership, the Queensland contingent in the Nationals has lost quite a bit of its influence. And Pitt, reportedly, was dropped by Barnaby Joyce after a dispute. That was either over his affair with his former staffer, or not backing Canavan for deputy, depending on the report.
So it is going to be interesting to see where all the dust settles.
Updated
For goodness sake. We did not get a phone call from the prime minister’s office, or anyone else’s office, to replace the photo. History has not “been rewritten”.
The top of the blog photo has been replaced with one that was taken by a member of our own staff. The AAP photo is still widely available on social media.
Updated
Bill Shorten updated his pecuniary interests showing Geoff Cousins’ charity, the Australian Conservation Foundation, paid for his North Queensland charter flights and a cruise along the Great Barrier Reef. The gifts were received in January #auspol pic.twitter.com/CUoPWGEXVK
— Greg Brown (@gregbrown_TheOz) February 28, 2018
.@SenatorCash used a Senate hearing to attack young women working in politics. Her comments undermine the professionalism of the many competent, intelligent, hardworking young women who work on all sides of politics. The comments are disgraceful + sexist - she should apologise.
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) February 28, 2018
Michaelia Cash withdraws her comments
Penny Wong:
“It has just come to my attention that some outrageous slurs were made from the table by the minister. We have the prime minister a week ago giving us a fairly moralising speech saying we need to make this a better workplace for women and the minister representing the minister for women comes in here making what can only be described as outrageous slurs about the character of female staff working for the leader of the opposition.
“It can’t be allowed to stand. I think it is disgraceful and sexist and it is impugning of the character of various staff. I would ask the minister to withdraw.”
Michaelia Cash:
“Senator Wong, I do not agree with your summation of what was said. Senator Cameron was clearly maligning my staff. The point I was making was, rumours circulate in this building, it does not mean they are true. I referred to rumours.
Wong:
I am not interested in what senator Cameron said, minister. if you have a personal reaction to that, deal with it.
“But you chose instead to make what were frankly disgraceful remarks impugning the character of staff working for the leader of the opposition. You should withdraw that. And if you don’t, we will have to deal with it on the floor of the Senate.”
Cash:
If anyone has been offended by my remarks, I withdraw.
Wong:
Thank you.
Wong departs.
Updated
Penny Wong has just entered the Michaelia Cash Senate hearing.
Updated
It is safe to say the Greens are still against the government’s drug testing trials. From Richard Di Natale’s office:
The Coalition government has not consulted its own drug and alcohol advisory committee – the Australian National Advisory Council on Alcohol and Drugs (ANACAD) – about its latest plans to drug test income support recipients, it was revealed at estimates today. The leader of the Australian Greens, Dr Richard Di Natale, said it was clear that the Coalition didn’t ask their own experts because they didn’t want the truth: that this plan is cruel, wasteful and will make the problem worse.
“Every single independent expert consulted on the government’s ridiculous and cruel plan to drug test income support recipients has concluded that it was a bad idea that would make the problems of substance abuse and inequality worse, not better,” Di Natale said.
“And now the government has admitted that it hasn’t even bothered to consult with ANACAD, its own expert advisory body on alcohol and drugs.
“The fact that the Turnbull government is still planning to introduce this legislation without its own experts’ advice shows that they are more concerned with dog whistling to their rightwing supporters about being ‘tough on crime’ than they are about addressing these serious issues.
“If the government knows that its own experts won’t support its plan, why should they expect anyone else to?”
****end statement****
Updated
Doug Cameron is back asking the questions to Michaelia Cash and asks her to answer without “melting down” and making “slurs” against women in Bill Shorten’s office.
She is getting quite a few messages as this hearing is going on – her phone has been in her hand quite a few times since her first outburst.
Updated
Speaking to Adelaide Radio 5AA in his usual spot, Anthony Albanese had a bit to say about Bill Shorten and Adani this morning:
Well, Bill Shorten has been out there consulting very widely. Last week he had three town hall meetings in Townsville, Mackay and Rockhampton. He has spoken to industry. He has spoken to conservationists, as you would expect him to do. And what we have said consistently is that if the economics or the environmental issues don’t stack up, then this mine won’t go ahead. And what we are seeing on the ground is the fact that again Adani has missed a deadline. They keep putting deadlines on themselves and saying ‘We will begin construction on this date’ and they never meet them and they don’t meet them because they can’t get any financing of this project.”
Queensland’s deputy premier, Jackie Trad, standing in for Annastacia Palaszczuk who is overseas on a trade mission, echoed those comments: that Adani needs to stack itself up.
I think we can predict quite a few of those dixer answers today, though.
Updated
Mike Bowers was in the Senate hearing room for the second round of rumour-gate:
Updated
The committee examining part of Michaelia Cash’s portfolio has moved on to government questions, after an argument over whether or not it was done with the section which allows opposition senators to ask about the AWU raids (obviously Labor argued it was not, while the government senators argued it was time to move on).
It is sticking with that section, but the government senators now have control of the questions so I think we can expect quite a bit of filibustering to go on.
Updated
Dan Tehan was on ABC selling the government’s drug testing trial policy for those on welfare:
We think this is good policy. This is about helping people help themselves. We have seen record job growth, 1,100 jobs created a day, and we want to make sure that as many people as possible can benefit from that jobs growth. We want to have further discussions with the crossbenchers and a further discussions with the Labor party to see whether we can get this trial up and running. We know that if we do nothing, the status quo, that isn’t helping these people help themselves, get off welfare and into a job.”
Updated
So. That escalated quickly. Michaelia Cash, the former minister for women, publicly tarring a group of women with the rumour brush.
For the record, I have not heard the rumours she is referring to. That means nothing, other than I have not heard the rumours she is referring to.
So just as the government was hoping to move on from the Barnaby Joyce affair, one of its ministers hits the nuclear button.
Ladies and gentlemen, we present the 45th parliament.
Updated
Here is the video of that exchange:
Michaelia Cash threatens to name "every young women in Bill Shorten's office" that she's heard rumours about.
— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) February 27, 2018
Labor senator Doug Cameron tells her to take what the young people call a "chill pill". #estimates pic.twitter.com/bfNXhfM60E
The meeting breaks for a private meeting not long after that and returns with the chair, Lucy Gichuhi, asking that committee members abide by the “convention” that staffers are not named without reason.
Doug Cameron asks who Michaelia Cash’s media adviser is, now, given that David De Garis, her former adviser, quit after the revelations the AWU media raid leak came from her office.
Media adviser’s names are usually on the bottom of the minister’s press release. Cash tells him to Google one of her press releases. When Cameron persists, Cash again warns of the “dangerous road” he is walking and again threatens to name staffers in Shorten’s office.
Updated
Michaelia Cash threatens to 'name every young woman'
Doug Cameron has been asking Michaelia Cash about her new chief of staff. He wants to know if they work for one of the agencies she oversees, or another Liberal office.
Then, out of nowhere, Cash comes up with this counter punch:
If you want to start discussing staff matters, be very, very careful. I am happy to name every young woman in Mr Shorten’s office about which rumours in this place abound. If you want to go down this path today I. Will. Do it. Do you want me to start naming them? For Mr Shorten to come out and deny any of the rumours that have been circulating in this building for many, many years. Dangerous path to go down, and you know it.”
Updated
Michaelia Cash warns of 'a very dangerous path'
Michaelia Cash just threatened to name “every young woman in Bill Shorten’s office” about whom “rumours abound” after telling Doug Cameron that his line of questioning asking her to name her new chief of staff is walking down “a very dangerous path”.
Updated
Michaelia Cash is claiming public interest immunity for the questions, so she is not answering many questions.
She has said she had hired a new chief of staff, but the person is yet to start work in her office. Doug Cameron asked who the person is, but Cash declines to name the him or her.
She said the person has not come from one of the departments she oversees, but when it comes to whether or not he or she is from a Liberal related office, she prevaricates.
Updated
And because today wasn’t busy enough, the travel reports are expected out today.
The reports cover the period between 1 October and 31 December 2017.
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Michaelia Cash is appearing at the Senate education and employment committee.
Doug Cameron is questioning her over the investigation into the leak of the AWU raid.
You can watch here, if you are so inclined.
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It’s 9.45am, and treasury officials have been in Senate estimates hearings since 9am.
After the treasury secretary, John Fraser, read his opening statement, we’ve had multiple spoon-fed questions from Liberal senator Jane Hume designed to prompt Fraser to repeat how well the government’s budget strategy has been going.
We’ve had a mini-political speech from Mathias Cormann about the need for company tax cuts.
Hume has then tried to get Fraser to say how the economy will be affected if parliament doesn’t pass the tax cuts.
Senate estimates hearings are “supposed” to be an opportunity for politicians to cross-examine department officials about spending programs. Treasury is also naturally asked questions about the economy.
The Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson asked if someone else can ask Fraser questions, but Hume just asked him to wait.
Fraser’s scheduled to appear from 9am to 11.15am, and it’s now 9.50am. Fifty minutes of his time has been eaten up by the government’s desire to have him parrot the case for their company tax cuts.
Hume has just given Labor 20 minutes to ask questions.
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Dan Tehan has just introduced the government’s drug testing for welfare recipients bill into the House.
Bringing this back was flagged yesterday. You can find the legislation here.
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Things are going so well within the National party that its meeting to discuss portfolio changes, and the Coalition agreement has been “postponed” (political speak for cancelled).
It was meant to be held this morning, apparently, but AAP reports that Barnaby Joyce helpfully confirmed that it had been delayed, although he didn’t say why.
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Joel Fitzgibbon stopped by doors in his way into parliament this morning. He had this to say about the costs order in the Coalition agreement federal court case:
Yesterday the prime minister attempted to intimidate me by threatening a cost order against me. In doing so he didn’t attempt to intimidate just me. He sought to intimidate any member of parliament who seeks on behalf of the taxpayer to hold this government to account.
“Well, prime minister, I won’t be intimidated. You can send me to the bankruptcy court if you like. I have enormous community support and people who are prepared to support my campaign. It is time you just handed over the Coalition agreement. If you do not do so, people will continue to ask what have you got to hide? What dirty deals did you enter into in order to be the prime minister of this country?”
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The government is getting serious on the Takata airbag recall. (Seriously, it had the feel of a six-flag press conference.)
It has made the recall compulsory. And fair enough too. The defect can cause the airbags to explode and have been responsible for about 20 deaths globally.
You can find a list of the cars which need to have their airbags replaced here (it’s about 2.3 million cars in Australia).
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Barnaby Joyce jogs to work this morning @GuardianAus @murpharoo @AmyRemeikis #politicslive https://t.co/5Ch3Y2Gmu1 #beackbenchlife pic.twitter.com/4RucPlXLbp
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) February 27, 2018
Government pursues Labor over Adani
However, the government is just thrilled to be able to talk about Geoff Cousins’ interview with 7.30 on Tuesday night.
Labor signalled a shift in how it was treating Adani after our story on suspicions that Adani had altered a lab report was published. Since then it has said it will need to stack up environmentally, as well as financially, to go ahead, with Bill Shorten repeatedly stating his “scepticism” of the project. More recently, however, talk about that scepticism has dropped off somewhat. Last week Anthony Albanese said Labor was not looking at retrospective legislation to stop the mine. On 7.30 Cousins said he didn’t believe Labor was doing enough.
But Cousins said enough to make Malcolm Turnbull’s morning:
Doesn’t that show what a duplicitious person we have in Bill Shorten. This is a guy who goes out to work sites and sees the CFMEU miners and he tells them he’s backing them, he’s right behind them. He says he believes in their industry. He wants to support them and their jobs and then, and he said publicly, he supports the Adani project, it’s going to create thousands of jobs in north Queensland. Very big mine.
“And then he goes to see Geoff Cousins who is a big greenie, a big environmentalist, and he says to Cousins privately – when no coalminers are listening, when no voters in north Queensland are listening – he says, ‘Don’t you worry, Geoff, when I’m prime minister, I’ll cancel its licence.’ That’s what Bill Shorten says.
“This is a guy who says one thing to the greenies and another thing to the miners. He isn’t straight. He isn’t fair dinkum and he’s being shown up for precisely what he is: someone who will sell out workers and miners and his own union members in order to pick up some Green votes in inner-city electorates like Batman.”
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Malcolm Turnbull said he understands the AFP referral regarding the leak of the Roman Quaedvlieg report to the Daily Telegraph was made last night. He also said he was disappointed in the time delay in making a determination in his case.
Quaedvlieg has been on paid leave – on his $600,000+ salary – since May last year.
I’m disappointed about the time delay. I’ve got no doubt that there were reasons for that that obviously we’d prefer these things to be dealt with more swiftly, but it is a public service process and you can understand the importance of that and due process has to be accorded. Natural justice has to be accorded and all of those procedural elements, but it is now with the report from Dr Parkinson which is with the attorney general and he will be making a decision on it very shortly.”
Yesterday we learned that since 2013, 50 leak complaints had been made to the AFP and 30 were accepted for investigation. Of those, all but three have been finalised. One of them is the leak from Michaelia Cash’s office regarding last year’s AWU raids. Cash was expected at the estimates hearing yesterday, but did not appear.
The AFP did not shed any more light on the investigation, other than to say its investigators were talking to multiple people, and were also looking at the timeline of who knew information and when, which included its own people.
Cash was with Turnbull today at a job site, as the government works to get you all talking about jobs and the economy, rather than Barnaby Joyce and everything else which has been going on.
Mike Bowers was there:
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Yesterday we learned that the government had spent $87,000 fighting Joel Fitzgibbon (or more accurately, Labor) in the federal court to keep the Coalition agreement confidential. Malcolm Turnbull said that amount would be reduced by the costs order awarded against Fitzgibbon, which he originally denied existed, but after Turnbull tabled the order clarified that he had been unaware of its existence:
As I understand it, in a technical sense there is a costs order. To the extent to which that’s true I apologise to the house if I misled the house. I wasn’t aware or fully understood that matter.
“I can explain: there is no agreement between parties as to costs, there is no dollar figure, and there has been no demand on me for costs. I wasn’t aware a costs order had been made.”
But the agreement remains secret. With Barnaby Joyce’s resignation on Monday, a new agreement needed to be signed. Here is what Turnbull had to say about that this morning:
The agreement has been signed. It was signed on Monday. In exactly the same terms as it was signed between me and Barnaby Joyce. And which, I might say, is the same terms it’s been in more or less for a very long time.”
And as for that cabinet reshuffle speculation, here is what the prime minister had to say about that:
I’m not going to comment on ministerial arrangements. And any changes on the Nationals side are obviously ones that I’ll discuss with the new leader of the National party. But that will be a discussion to be had in due course.”
Stay tuned.
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Good morning and welcome to day 11
Overnight the action did not stop: the ABC estimates hearing captured attention, and more was revealed on why the Border Force chief, Roman Quaedvlieg, is on leave.
After two days of Labor and crossbench senators trying to get answers through the estimates hearings, the report into Quaedvlieg’s alleged behaviour was revealed by the Daily Telegraph.
Quaedvlieg is alleged to have sent “salacious” text messages to a woman who was working casually at Sydney airport, but denies they were in a relationship at the time she was appointed to a permanent position. He has been on paid leave since May, but estimate hearings has revealed the attorney general, Christian Porter, is to decide his fate.
But as we learned late yesterday, no one can say why that is, or even why the attorney general has been anointed the decision-maker.
Michelle Grattan shed a little more light on that overnight. She reports Malcolm Turnbull asked Porter to make the decision, which is expected “within weeks”.
Speaking at an event this morning, Turnbull said he was “very disappointed” the report (which no one could get answers on during estimate hearings) found its way into the Daily Telegraph, and said he understood the Australian federal police is investigating the leak. But he also gave the resolution a little hurry on:
I’m disappointed that the matter has taken so long to be resolved but as you can understand, there will public service processes and the reports on Mr Quaedvlieg’s circumstances with the attorney general, with respect, to make a decision on it shortly.”
Turnbull also said the new Coalition agreement was signed on Monday, and it has the same terms as the one signed under Barnaby Joyce. I’d love to tell you more about those terms, but the agreement still remains confidential and under lock and key.
Over at the ABC estimates hearing and Michelle Guthrie sat through the latest Abetz-imates. However, Amanda Meade reports we did learn there were no factual errors identified in Emma Alberici’s article on company tax cuts, which was pulled down and then reinstated after some edits (and an outcry).
ABC executives failed repeatedly to identify any factual errors in Emma Alberici’s coverage of tax policy at a heated Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday night.
Its managing director, Michelle Guthrie, said the editorial process had “clearly failed” in relation to the articles by the economics correspondent because the articles had to be amended.
But Guthrie and her editorial policy adviser, Alan Sunderland, refused to pinpoint a single error or identify a manager who was responsible for allowing them to be published.”
Treasury estimates are being held today, and we’ll learn more about the home affairs department.
Outside the Senate and Bill Shorten is facing questions about where he stands on Adani after a businessman and environmentalist, Geoff Cousins, revealed on the ABC’s 7.30 on Tuesday night private conversations he held with the opposition leader over Adani.
As Katharine Murphy reports:
In a statement to the ABC in response to the Cousins interview, a Shorten spokesman said Labor was deeply sceptical of the Adani mine proposal and if it doesn’t stack up commercially or environmentally it shouldn’t go ahead, but ‘Labor doesn’t rip up contracts and we don’t create sovereign risk.’ ”
The government says Shorten is saying one thing privately and another publicly. Labor maintains its position remains the same: that it would need to stack up environmentally and financially to go ahead.
Meanwhile, Michael McCormack is still attempting to pull the Nationals together, but we will have to see what the cabinet is going to look like. Katharine Murphy had a chat to him last night and reports:
There is some speculation around that Matt Canavan, the resources minister who used to work for Joyce before he entered the Senate, may not survive the looming deck shuffle, but McCormack is telling colleagues he’s not made any final decisions. He won’t comment at all ahead of the announcement.”
So let’s get into it!
Mike Bowers is already out and about. Follow him at @mpbowers and @mikepbowers. You’ll find me in the comments (when I get a chance) or more immediately at @amyremeikis. For updates of our day behind the scenes, you can find more at @ifyouseeamy on the instagram story.
Do you have your coffee? I most definitely do.
Let’s get into it.
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