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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Amy Remeikis

Labor targets PM over sports rorts emails and robodebt – as it happened

Prime minister Scott Morrison during question time
Labor has grilled Scott Morrison over 136 emails between his office and Bridget McKenzie’s about the Coalition’s sports grants scheme. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

We are going to close the blog off for the night, but we will be back tomorrow for the last sitting day this week.

The next sports rorts inquiry hearing will start at 9am. Sports Australia will be there.

And so will we, covering that, as well as everything else that happens. Whatever that may be. Except legislation, because that doesn’t seem to be something that is happening at the moment. Not a lot on the agenda.

A very big thank you to Sarah Martin, Paul Karp, Mike Bowers and Katharine Murphy and all the moderators, producers and Guardian brains trust members for all that they do.

And to you. If you need me before tomorrow, I’ll be here and here.

Until then – take care of you.

The leftwing Peter Dutton (because leftwing apparently covers anything from the left to the right, according to the home affairs minister) didn’t explain his leftwing terrorism is Islamic terrorism comments today, but that is par for the course of the most secretive department in this nation, which just gets more and more power, almost unchecked.

Updated

Senate domestic violence inquiry established

The Senate has set up an inquiry into domestic violence.

From Rex Patrick’s office:

The inquiry will examine the existing programs undertaken and funded by the Australian government, state and territory governments and non-government organisations to reduce family violence.

This examination will inform the committee in its primary focus of identifying what needs to be done and the resources required to drive and achieve real change to prevent violence against women and their children.

Updated

Linda Burney talks about the vigil for Hannah Clarke with Patricia Karvelas:

We all thought it was very appropriate, given the shocking circumstances of Hannah and her children and the way in which it’s touched all Australians.

To hold something here in the parliament, as you say, in the nation’s capital, it will be a very simple vigil, candles and flowers and a song and some speakers.

But it’s got another purpose and that’s to remind people the scourge of domestic violence happens every day, every hour, every minute for thousands of women across this country.

And we’re remembering women and children that have been touched by this terrible abuse.

The leaders are attending. It’s a bipartisan event, where, for a rare occasion, politics are being put to the side.

Updated

As seen by Mike Bowers:

‘What did you put for question 10?’
‘What did you put for question 10?’ Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
‘Paint me like one of your French girls’
‘Paint me like one of your French girls.’ Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
‘But he started it’
‘But he started it.’ Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
At least it’s a hug from someone he loves
At least it’s a hug from someone he loves. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Matt Canavan, the former resources minister, tells Patricia Karvelas he knows buttloads (the technical term) of farmers who are against the National Farmers’ Federation’s aspiration to work towards net zero emissions by 2050.

Well, actually, I’ve been inundated with support from farmers about their rejection and disagreement with the NFS’s position.

I think I’m solely on the side of future farming in this country, the development of our nation.

The CSIRO report that the Labor party relies on in this debate to say net zero emissions is achievable, that report says agricultural production would experience substantial decline under a net zero emissions model.

That’s just to offset all the carbon emissions that will occur in cities and people flying around, you have to plant lots of trees. That will cost thousands of jobs in regional Australia.

The Labor party have long since deserted support for workers. It’s not just for mining workers, or the manufacturing sector, it’s also all in the food industries as well.

Not just on farm, the jobs in sugar mills, the cotton gins, the meat processing facilities. Those are good paying regular jobs that I want to defend.

I mean, the resources sector and mines have never, ever impacted farming in this country. No. Of course not. There is plenty of water to go around. Plenty of it. It’s all great.

Updated

Matt Canavan has found another camera.

The senator for Queensland hasn’t been more than 10 metres away from a camera since resigning from the cabinet during the latest Barnaby Joyce leadership challenge.

Updated

The cruel summer continues.

A vigil will be held for Hannah Clarke and her children in parliament tonight.

I think we all know which way Zed Seselja went when it came to Malcolm Turnbull. Asked about the former prime minister’s climate warning, the ACT senator says:

Well, look, I guess I agree with the former PM, Malcolm Turnbull, on one thing, when he made a point of saying that former PMs who hung around and gave lots of ongoing commentary on current events weren’t all that useful.

And Malcolm has a different view than he had when he was in government. I noticed some of his commentary over the summer referring to the bushfire crisis when there were bushfires when he was PM and he pointed out that no single weather event could be attributed directly to climate change.

He’s changed his views since he left government. Good luck to him. But we’re going to get on with what are very, very strong targets, what is very, very strong action, whether it’s in the delivery of renewable energy, the 50% per capita.

Patricia Karvelas: You’re saying he’s a hypocrite?

ZS:

No. You can make commentary as you like. I’m just pointing to the facts.

PK: So you’re saying that he’s got a different view to the one he had when he was PM?

ZS:

It would clearly appear so.

Updated

Patricia Karvelas is questioning Zed Seselja over the “Back in Black” budget boasts – which are now looking decidedly pink-faced, on ABC TV.

Seselja says there is no way the government could have known what was coming. Including, the bushfires.

We’ve underestimated where our budget position would be over the last few years. And we have tended to overdeliver.

No one could have foreseen the bushfire disaster we’ve had on the back of drought, with coronavirus. As I say, we don’t know where the final position will be but we are in a radically better position with a balanced budget already achieved in order to respond to all of these issues. We’ve taken our fiscal responsibilities very seriously, whilst also seeking to grow the economy.

So the Australian people can have great confidence that when we take spending decisions, we are very, very careful so that we can ensure that we can respond to these crises as they arise.

Except the government was warned about a terrible bushfire season being due. It thought it was going to happen the season before. MPs have said that themselves. And then there were the former fire chiefs, who banded together to write a letter saying the bushfire season was going to be pretty terrible.

But sure. .

Updated

We are still working out how to call out rightwing terrorism as a country, though. Which is not being helped along by political leaders who find it difficult to find the words to do so.

Updated

Bill Shorten is not letting robodebt go.

He has left question time and released this statement:

This directly contradicts the argument being made in court by government lawyers in defending the robodebt scheme against a class action brought by 11,000 Australians.

Government lawyers on February 14 stated their policy in the robodebt class action was that the government does not owe Centrelink recipients a duty of care.

Today in parliament Mr Morrison was asked by Labor: “Prime minister, does the government owe a duty of care or not to Centrelink recipients.”

He responded with a rambling monologue prefaced by the statement: “I’ll tell you the duty of care we have to the Australian people including those who depend on their social services payments.”

Who is lying about whether the victims of robodebt were owed a duty of care by their government – the Prime Minister or his lawyers?

And will the prime minister match his talk inside the parliament by instructing his lawyers to amend their defence to confirm the commonwealth does owe Centrelink recipients a duty of care?


Updated

All summer we’ve heard revelation after revelation about the rorting of government grant programs.

In the case of the sports rorts affair, the then sports minister Bridget McKenzie’s office was found to have ignored the recommendations of her department and instead delivered grants in a way that would boost the Coalition’s election prospects.

The Greens senator Larissa Waters is now seeking a Senate order of continuing effect that would prevent that from happening again.

The Greens want to compel ministers to provide an explanation to the treasurer if they award grants in a way that deviates from the advice of relevant officials.

Such explanations would also be made public.

“For weeks, the prime minister has refused to explain how funds allocated for sports facilities and infrastructure ended up going mostly to marginal seats,” Waters said.

“Colour-coded spreadsheets and funding for mates has replaced proper process and integrity.

“Taxpayer money is not just a slush fund for ministers to further their own interests. If a minister ignores the advice of officials, the public deserves to know why.”

But the government appears keen to kill off the Greens’ proposal.

Waters says the government, with One Nation support, is attempting to knock off the proposal and is blocking an attempt to postpone its consideration until tomorrow.

Updated

Scott Morrison has raised the Malka Leifer case in his meeting with the Israeli president, Reuven Rivlin, in Canberra on Wednesday, ahead of court hearings this week.

The two leaders expressed a “strong commitment” to seeing justice for the victims of Leifer in a meeting that also canvassed the two countries’ commitment to democracy and the rule of law.

The six-year impasse over Leifer’s extradition has also been raised by other MPs who met with the president, including Australia’s former ambassador to Israel, Liberal MP Dave Sharma, and the Macnamara MP, Josh Burns.

Rivlin has committed to emphasising the priority of the case when he returns home, and has told MPs he will meet personally with Israel’s chief justice to try to progress the matter if it remains unresolved.

Morrison said the meeting with Rivlin demonstrated the “great friendship” between Israel and Australia.

“It’s a friendship between peoples; a friendship that has been born out of deep respect and empathy for the struggles that Israel has faced,” Morrison said.

Scott Morrison meets with Israeli president Reuven Rivlin in Parliament House, Canberra
Scott Morrison meets with Israeli president Reuven Rivlin in Parliament House, Canberra. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

And question time ends.

Scott Morrison says something to Anthony Albanese across the table and leaves.

We have reached the inevitable conclusion of the Labor motion failing, and question time moves into a dixer to Karen Andrews.

The punishment does not fit the crime.

Croquet didn’t do so well.

“Aircraft sports”, on the other hand, seem to be on the rise.

Updated

Other MPs are taking the opportunity to hit Twitter

Updated

As we go through the final stages of the divisions, the MPs take the chance to sledge each other.

Richard Marles just accused the prime minister of being “more nervous than a baboon in Camperdown”.

Who says Australia has no culture.

Updated

While it is interesting that there were 136 emails exchanged between Bridget McKenzie and Scott Morrison’s office, it’s important to keep it in perspective.

On the one hand – the Australian National Audit Office found the prime minister’s office made both direct and indirect representations about which projects should be funded.

On the other, the auditor general, Grant Hehir, said that not all representations changed the outcome of funding decisions and the ANAO did not find sufficient correlation between representations and an outcome to make it a focus of the audit.

On 13 February Hehir told a hearing:

“The evidence before us was that the minister was the decision-maker ... If we had have identified someone else as the decision-maker, we would have gone down that path.”

Hehir concluded that the community sport infrastructure grant program was “not informed by appropriate assessment process and sound advice”.

Updated

Christian Porter has moved that Anthony Albanese no longer be heard, which will pass, and then Labor will have another go, which will also be shut down, before we get to the final vote, where question time will resume for one or two more dixers.

The motion (which will fail)

I seek leave to move the following motion —

That the House:

1) notes:

a) the prime minister claims his only involvement in the corrupt sports rorts scheme was the passing of information by his office;

b) the Audit Office found there were 136 emails between the prime minister’s office and Senator McKenzie’s office over a six-month period about the corrupt sports rorts scheme;

c) the Audit Office also found the prime minister’s office emailed Senator McKenzie’s office about projects under the corrupt sports rorts scheme indicating “these are the ones we think should be included in the list of approved projects”;

d) the Audit Office found the colour-coded spreadsheet was shared between Senator McKenzie’s office and the prime minister’s office; and

e) in preparing his report, the prime minister’s former chief of staff and now secretary of his department relied on only one version of the colour-coded spreadsheet when there were dozens of versions; and

2) therefore, calls on the prime minister to:

a) correct his repeated misleading statements to the parliament that only eligible projects were funded under the corrupt sports rorts scheme when paragraphs 4.32 and 4.33 of the audit of the scheme show 280 ineligible projects were funded;

b) explain how his story can withstand the findings of the Audit Office; and

c) explain why he has used taxpayer money as though it was his own personal marketing fund.

Updated

Labor moves to suspend standing orders

Anthony Albanese is moving to suspend standing orders over the sports grants affair.

Updated

This is the document the opposition is referring to.

Updated

Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:

Why did his office received copies of the multiple versions of the colour-coded spreadsheet of the corrupt sports rorts affair program? Why did Mr Gaetjens rely on just one version of the spreadsheet when the auditor general said there were dozens. Did he ignore the other versions of the spreadsheet or was he not ever given them?

Christian Porter tries to stop the question. But he probably should spend less time practicing his dixer replies (which are remarkably similar) and more time studying the standing orders, because you are allowed to ask the prime minister about inquiries he has instigated, involving the head of his own department.

Morrison:

As would be appropriate because it was a serious inquiry and I note that the head of prime minister and cabinet, Mr Speaker, he was able to have whatever document he sought to conduct the inquiry and the prime minister’s office complied with all requests of the Secretary, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, what I can go back to highlight again, what the auditor general said about the matters of the leader of the opposition, settle down, settle down!

What he said was for us to see that there was some driver in this that we would have to identify those representations that there was a bias and there was a correlation in what was in those representations and the outcome, he said that they did not see that.

The auditor general has been quizzed on these very matters and he has found no correlation, Mr Speaker, with the representations that were made from my office with these outcomes. Mr Speaker, the leader of the opposition is trying to throw mud while he himself sits in an absolute swamp, Mr Speaker!

We know that the leader of the opposition had a spreadsheet in his office when he ran a similar program which had a column on it that said Labor or Liberal, Mr Speaker. That is what he had and then he threw the rulebook away and gave the money to the project he wanted to.

Morrison is made to withdraw his final remark, which I missed, but I think involved the word “hypocrite”.

Updated

Scott Morrison, who told journalists to settle down in a press conference lately, is now telling the opposition to settle down.

Paul Fletcher says some things.

On what? Who knows. There are words.

Updated

Scott Morrison:

I want to refer to the evidence provided by the ANAO to the committee ... he [the auditor general] says it was not the case that we could see that those which came directly from the prime minister’s office were more successful than those that came from the local member’s office.

I hope that the leader of the opposition would be more truthful about these things.

I would certainly hope that when he had to appear as a witness at the Labor committal conspiracy trial, Mr Speaker, that he was more truthful there.

Updated

Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:

My question is addressed to the prime minister and it follows his extraordinary answer to my last question. The prime minister has said about the corrupt sports rorts affair program and said that: “All we did was provide information.”

Why did the office tell the [minister] and I quote: “These are the ones we think should be included in the list of approved projects.”

Morrison:

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I repeat what I just said. I said that our office ... Mr Speaker, what I just said to the House in response to the last question, is that we passed on information about other funding options or programs relevant to project proposals and provided proposals based on representations made to us.

Why does the leader of the opposition have an issue with the government talking to people in communities about what their priorities for community projects should be?

Mr Speaker, what I know, and I make reference to my earlier answer, Mr Speaker, I and the auditor general reported that the leader of the Labor Party in response to the program ...

Updated

There is also this (given that Melissa McIntosh was the Lindsay candidate at the time, not the MP)

It’s time for Just How Safe Are You with leftwing warrior, Peter Dutton.

After all, as Dutton himself says:

“You can use leftwing to describe everybody from the left to the right.

“I said today, I don’t care where people are on the spectrum, if they pose a threat to our country and want to do harm to Australians, then they are in our sights.”

Updated

One of the points of relevance is Scott Morrison’s use of the ‘member for Lindsay’, given that the member for Lindsay at the time was Emma Husar.

Morrison:

I’m happy to take the leader of the opposition’s interjection, what I know about the member for Lindsay even if she isn’t in this place she knew what was right, and guess what, Mr Speaker? The people of Lindsay agree with me. Because they elected the member for Lindsay because the member for Lindsay knows what’s best for her community.

Morrison again brings up the auditor general report critical of Anthony Albanese released about 10 years ago. Tony Smith pulls him up on relevance, so Morrison ends with this:

I have set out the role my office played, all I know is that when the leader of the opposition was a minister, he threw the book away and knowingly funded ineligible projects. You want to talk about corruption!

Totally normal discourse.

Updated

Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison

The prime minister has claimed his office’s only involvement in the corrupt sports rorts scheme was to pass along information, why has the audit office told the Senate today there were 136 emails about sports rorts going back and forth between the prime minister’s office and Senator McKenzie’s office in under six months.

Morrison:

Neither I nor my office were decision-makers in the process that governs the sports grants program, the decision-maker as has been identified through the audit office was the sports master.

As I stated at the [time], what prime ministers have always done is support their judgement and colleagues because I know they know what is best for their communities.

I know the member for Petrie and the member for Boothby know best for their communities, the member for Lindsay knows what’s best for her community. I know what is best for our communities right across the country.

There is a back and forth over whether the prime minister is being relevant.

Updated

Christian Porter is delivering the next dixer, but he appears to have practiced this once too many times in front of the mirror, because it seems a bit stale.

The human vision board is entertaining the prime minister though, so he can count that as a brownie point.

Tanya Plibersek to Scott Morrison:

Why have nearly 140,000 apprentice and trainee places been lost under the seven-year-old government?

Morrison:

Thank you for your question about apprentices and the trends we are seeing in apprenticeship numbers and I am pleased to inform the House that in the 2019-20 budget the government provided $585m for skills measures to implement long needed reforms in the veteran sector and created up to 80,000 new apprenticeship places through the new incentive scheme, kicked off on July 1, 2019, which is after the period of the trends that the member is referring to.

So the funding the government has put in place to do with these issues commenced and went in place from 1 July, 2019.

Apprentices and their employees have readily taken up the new scheme with almost 6,000 additional apprentices signed up just the six months.

I note that at the same time we have increased the funding when it comes to the vet sector, states and territories responsible for the delivery of that, including Tafe funding have withdrawn funding from $4bn in 2013 and down to $3.1m in 2017

The Commonwealth is stepping up a meeting up commitment to ensure we get more apprentices in place and to address the issues that the member has raised but I do note to compare and contrast, that when the Labor party was last in power, between 2011 – 2013, Labor cut employer incentives to businesses that employ apprentices nine times, totalling $1.2bn and when the leader of the opposition was deputy prime minister, Labor cut $241m from incentives to encourage employers to take on apprentices and in 2012-13, the number of apprentices and trainees in training collapsed under Labor by 22%, or $110,000.

I am not going to cop lectures from a Labor party that does not know how to manage money and run an economy and does not have a plan.

Updated

Angus Taylor attempts to answer a question (he’s a Rhodes scholar, don’t you know) and the similarity to a test pattern is uncanny.

We are investing in new and storage projects like Snowy 2.0 to make sure we have a secure, reliable grid.

Yup. And you know what we need to make snowy viable? Katharine Murphy does:

Updated

Josh Frydenberg ends his dixer with another attack on the “wellbeing” budget, which Jim Chalmers said Labor would look at delivering, at the same time as the budget budget. New Zealand has announced it will deliver one. It basically lists what the government is doing to tackle well-being issues impacting its population – things like mental health, suicide prevention, child welfare, indigenous welfare, homelessness and equality.

Frydenberg thinks this is hilarious:

Picture this alternative, the Member for Rankin is about to deliver his first wellbeing budget. He walks in, therefore, into the Chamber and robes are flowing. Incense is burning, Mr Speaker.

These are in one hand and gone are the seats, gone are the benches, Mr Speaker and in their place, meditation mats for all, Mr Speaker. Meditation mats for all and the Member for Rankin stands up to address the Chamber to announce that his wellbeing tour has gone national, hugs for all, Mr Speaker!

Hugs for all! There is a warning to every Australian, Mr Speaker, when the Member for Rankin provides him with a hug and a kiss he will take away their wallets.

This is the same government that scrapped the women’s statement in the budget (the one which worked out how the budget would impact women) under Tony Abbott (before Kelly O’Dwyer insisted it be reinstated) so sure. Let’s attack wellbeing.

How about we kick some puppies into the sun a bit later? Maybe burn some kid’s art?

Updated

Adam Bandt delivers a question which covers War and Peace and everything in between, which just gives the prime minister carte blanche to talk about whatever he wants.

Bandt:

Now the coronavirus is hurting us as well. This is on top of the underemployment crisis in the country plus wage stagnation and an inequality crisis. With the risk of the economy heading towards recession and the Reserve Bank running out of bullets, will you back a Green New Deal to fight the threat of recession and lift public-sector wages to boost wage growth across the economy, will you start by at least $95 a week to encourage retail spending and invest $6bn to remove the grid bottlenecks holding back renewable energy investments and grow construction and manufacturing jobs?”

Scott Morrison:

It would be a great relief that we are not going to adopt the policy of the Greens! It would be a great relief for the people, I cannot speak for the Labor party because they are known to like quite a few of the Greens ideas when it comes to economic policy so I do not think they can provide that same assurance.”

Morrison then wanders into dixer territory about why his government is the greatest government to govern ever in the history of governments.

Updated

Julie Collins to Scott Morrison:

My question is to the prime minister, why is the prime minister privatising aged care assessments?

Greg Hunt gets the nod:

We reject the proposition put forward by the member that is inaccurate, untrue, and it is false.

I will make this point, what we are doing … is making sure we are having a system which actually delivers better, better outcomes for patients who are seeking to enter residential aged care or have some kind of aged care assessment, that’s exactly what we are doing.

In terms of the implementation we will work with states, I make this offer ahead of Coag at the end of this week, we are looking forward to working with the states in a constructive fashion, what the opposition are saying is that they will abandon the practice they had when they were in government on using non-government providers to assist with the assessment process, that’s the change, or are they not?

Here is the question for the opposition to take away from this, are they now saying they would abandon all of those current, non-government providers which were in place when they were in government, which they did not propose to change at the election, or is this a case of simply making it up as they go along? Because we know one thing, when they had the opportunity, only a few months ago, the current shadow minister was the current minister going into the election, they had a chance to invest in aged care, what did they provide for residential care, nothing. For home care, nothing, they know that we know that and the Australian public knows that.

Updated

Michael McCormack’s performance is so bad, even the Speaker alerts him to the concept of the inside voice.

Can I assure the deputy prime minister his microphone is in good working order, so far.

We were so preoccupied with whether or not we could turn a loaf of bread into a politician, we didn’t stop to think if we should.

Updated

Michael McCormack is now pretending to be a leader by acting as if he has just discovered hands and wants you all to know about it.

Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison:

The government social security law guide, which was released on 10 February this year, states Australian government employees have a duty of care to the public in performing their duties. But government lawyers on February 14 stated the policy in the robodebt class action does not owe Centrelink recipients a duty of care. Does the government owe a duty of care to Centrelink recipients?

Morrison:

The duty of care to the Australian people including those who depend on their social services payment which enables them to deal with the difficulties in their lives and at a time like this, when the country is facing some very difficult challenges – I refer to the impact of the bushfires and coronavirus which means more and more Australians because of the automatic stabilisers of social security payments which go to those impacted by the economic shocks we are now experiencing.

What they deserve from a government is to be able to pay their bills and make sure we can make the payments we can make to them, as we have, and we make sure we do that, one of the ways, as a government, we have been able to make sure people can rely on the services of the essential government delivers with a Centrelink payers or other support payments, aged care payments as you need to know how to manage money, that means when you are making payments to those, you pay them

If anyone is managing to pay their bills on Newstart, let me know.

Updated

Scott Morrison answers a dixer on how amazing the government is as an economic manager by talking about Labor.

Question time begins

Bill Shorten asks about the government’s duty of care in regards to robodebt and Stuart Robert loses his mind:

“Let me say we will not be lectured on duty of care by those opposite who have presided over 1,200 deaths at sea and those opposite have the hypocrisy to...”

Tony Smith tells him to pull his head in and Robert’s withdraws his comment.

Robert again starts talking about the wonderful social safety net, so Shorten raises a point of order on direct relevance. Smith once again tells Robert to get on with it.

Robert:

The members question goes to technical legal matters before the court. It would be inappropriate to comment further when the matter is under actual judicial review.

Labor groans.

Remind you of anyone in Australian politics?

I regret to inform you the Liberal party store $35 ‘Back in Black’ coffee mug, is now sold out.

DEIDRE CHAMBERS

Universities Australia chair Deborah Terry has just spoken at the National Press Club about the need for science and expertise to guide Australia’s response to the coronavirus and climate change, although she steered clear of political commentary when asked why some politicians refuse to believe the science.
Terry had a few pointed lines on the issue of freedom of speech on campus:

“Last April, a review by a former high court chief justice [Robert French] found that claims of freedom of speech crisis were ‘Not substantiated’. But offered a guide for each university to consider how its existing policies breathed life into those freedoms. So, in the 10 months since, each university has carefully and thoughtfully mapped that guide against its own policies.”

Earlier today the education minister, Dan Tehan, spoke to the Universities Australia conference, and revealed the government would include freedom of speech in the school experience survey.

Asked if the university sector would seek some form of federal funding to compensate for the impact of coronavirus, Terry responds that the first priority is the wellbeing of students, but does not rule out seeking assistance in future.

She said: “Yes, in the background, we are looking at what the implications of it might be, [we’re] doing some modelling in the background. But that is not what is taking up our time at the moment. It is too early to tell. It is too early to tell what effects some mitigating arrangements might have. It’s too early to tell what, for instance, might be something that will come out of the fact that actually, our semester two starts earlier than the northern hemisphere teaching periods. So it’s too early. What I want to say is here - our focus is on the students and what they need at the moment. They are our students. They are part of our community and we must keep our focus there.”

Updated

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern will be in town later this week.

She has already said she won’t be “waggling” her finger at Australia over our climate policies. I would expect Australia’s immigration policies will come up, though. It is still a pretty big bone of contention that Australia is deporting people who may have been born in New Zealand but lived here their whole life, if they are imprisoned.

Personally, I hope this is suitably brought up, and lauded:

Updated

The health minister was also asked about the baboons:

Greg Hunt:

Other than the story as reported through the ABC, and it is where I’d learned about the baboons, I don’t have any extra information. My heart was with the baboons, I have to say.

... They operated as a modern relationship. And I’m fine with that.

Updated

Some more baboon content for you. Because we all need it.

Turns out the baboon has six wives.

If anyone hits me with a “no wonder he was trying to escape” joke, you too will be tarred with the boomer brush.

Updated

It is the downhill slide into question time.

Economy, economy, economy from both sides, will most likely be the order of the day.

Updated

Health minister upgrades Italy travel warning

Greg Hunt says Australia has changed its travel advisory for northern Italy, because of the impact coronavirus is having in the region.

To repeat, the Australian government, on medical advice, has lifted our travel advisory for northern Italy, in particular. That is exercise a high degree of caution – level two, of our travel advisory – for the provinces of Lombardy and Veneto.

In addition, with regards to Iran, we have higher levels of travel advisory for non-medical reasons, but we have issued additional advice with regards to exercising a high degree of caution in relation to any travel to Iran, where we have had an increase in the numbers and significantly high number of deaths, which as the chief medical officer indicated yesterday, may be a strong guide that the number of cases is greater than those that have been reported.

Updated

The Sydney baboons are in the mind of Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, who wants the Senate to acknowledge the three who made a bid for freedom and also raise awareness of animal testing and research in Australia.

This is her latest motion:

The Senate will vote on the motion on Thursday.

I give notice that on the next day of sitting, I shall move –That the Senate:

1. Notes:

a. Three baboons made a bid for freedom in Sydney this week,
b. The baboons were from a colony bred for use in research,
c. Animal testing causes harm and suffering to animals, and
d. The episode has highlighted the community’s concern for the welfare of animals used in experimentation and research;

2. Wishes the baboons well; and

3. Calls on the government to:

a. Ensure national transparency and accountability in the use of animals in research, and
b. Invest in the methods and technology needed to end the use of animals for research purposes.

Updated

Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff has taken to the Senate to call for an immediate review of all the anime and manga available in Australia.

The Japanese animation has caught his eye because of some of the themes which run through it – Griff says the depiction of young characters in some stories amounts to the glorification of child sexual abuse.

“They contain depictions of wide-eyed children, usually in school uniforms, engaged in explicit sexual activities and poses, and often being sexually abused,” Griff said.

He wants a review of the ratings.

“The classification board appears to be making decisions in isolation to criminal law. This must stop.”

Griff has written to communications minister Paul Fletcher over the issue.

Updated

In this quiet, quiet time, let’s take a look at the latest ABS figures.

You may have noticed Shane Wright’s tweet a few posts down, pointing out construction work as a whole fell 3% in December, which was worse than the 1% predictions.

Over the year, construction work (building) is down 7.1%

Private residential construction fell 4.6% in the December quarter, bringing its downward trend to 12.8% over the year.

Greg Hunt will be giving the next coronavirus update at 1.10pm.

Updated

Meanwhile, the lights keep flickering in Parliament House, which can only mean that my moods have begun to physically manifest.

Updated

Australia is also warning it will not risk the health of athletes, if the coronavirus reaches pandemic levels

Quoting an IOC official which would bring a tear to Roy and HG’s fans’ eyes, AAP reports shiz is getting real with the Olympics in general.

A senior member of the International Olympic Committee says if it’s too dangerous to hold the Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus, the event could be cancelled rather than postponed.

Canadian official Dick Pound, who has been on the IOC since 1978, estimated there is a three-month window – or even two months – to decide the fate of the Tokyo Olympics, meaning a decision could be put off until late May.

“In and around that time, I’d say folks are going to have to ask: ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo or not?”’ he told the Associated Press.

As the games draw near, he said: “A lot of things have to start happening. You’ve got to start ramping up your security, your food, the Olympic village, the hotels. The media folks will be in there building their studios.”

If the IOC decides the games cannot go forward as scheduled in Tokyo, “you’re probably looking at a cancellation,” he said.

Updated

It is very, very quiet here today.

I miss the baboons. I hope they are OK.

Updated

Mark Butler has a few things to say to Keith Pitt this morning:

This morning on ABC Breakfast, resources minister Keith Pitt, in response to a question about the government’s $4m coal feasibility study, said:

“I’m technology agnostic – if you look at HELE coal, super critical boilers combined with CCS – that is a 90% reduction on emissions from legacy brown coal power stations around the country.

“So if we want to take the opportunity to look at this with open minds I think there are opportunities for building further power stations right around the country , and we need them.”

Bloomberg New Energy Finance has estimated the cost of a HELE power station with CCS as $352/Mwh.

In comparison, Snowy Hydro are selling dispatchable renewables for $70/Mwh.

And the government has itself a target of wholesale price at $70/Mwh.

Not to mention the fact that any serious research and development into CCS technology was scrapped by this government’s cut of $400m and effective abolition of the carbon capture and storage flagships program.

Updated

Reuven Rivlin to Scott Morrison:

We appreciate your welcome and we must say, the appreciation comes from the bottom of our hearts because we know that when you are blessing us and hosting us, you are doing it from the bottom of your heart.

And I must say to you, Mr Prime Minister, Australia is a great friend of Israel, a real great friend.

Once upon a time we used to say the firm relationship of Israel is based on three principles: the relationship with the United States, second, not necessarily as important, the relationship with the United States, and the last but not least, the relationship with the United States.

Now, it’s not only that. It’s the relationship between United States and Australia.

Really, the relationship and friendship Australia comes out of the relation between people, between, really, sharing the same values that we are sharing.

You are ambassador in Jerusalem, I know Tel Aviv, but Israel is very small. I think it is very close to Jerusalem. I must say, we really salute Australians for what they have done and what they are doing just now.

For example, the ICC, the ICC is a real – you are a beacon. You are a beacon to show people all around and understand.

The Israeli army are the soldiers of our sons and daughters. And our grandsons and granddaughters.

The army of Israel is the army to defend our homes and to keep Israel as a really safe haven to everyone, but we would like to live in democracy and harmony.

Israel has been defined as a Jewish state, nevertheless it is a democratic one. It is a Jewish democratic state as much as it is a democratic Jewish state.

And I know you appreciate that and all of your government, and I know how we appreciate that.

And you are standing behind us once the political ideas of people who are taking part in the international organisations – very much cleared by you and your prime minister – saying there is no way to end date Israel once we’re talking about the unification of his, not only the duty of Israel, the right of Israel to protect its citizens and people who are living with us.

The prime minister Scott Morrison meets with the President of the state of Israel Reuven Rivlin
The prime minister Scott Morrison meets with the president of the state of Israel, Reuven Rivlin Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Scott Morrison to Reuven Rivlin:

Australia and Israel have a great friendship, and it’s a friendship between people, a friendship that has been born out of deep respect and empathy for the struggles that Israel has faced.

At Israel’s Jewish people’s worst times, Australia has been there, and will always be there to support the Jewish people. And the state of Israel as well.

And my recent remarks, our position has been very strong when it comes to defending the great democracy that is the state of Israel. A beacon in an area where democracy is something that is not as widespread, but certainly the freedom of the press and stridency of the judiciary and all of these great principles and values that underpin freedom I what the state of Israel stands for.

So it is a very easy, very comfortable, very relaxed relationship that rests in I think deep affection and also one that rests in a deep sharing of values and beliefs about what’s important.

So it’s a great honour to have you here, particularly someone not only of your very high office, but someone of your esteemed background and contribution.

The prime minister Scott Morrison meets with the President of the state of Israel Reuven Rivlin in parliament house
The prime minister Scott Morrison meets with the president of the state of Israel Reuven Rivlin in Parliament House. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

This is not the news anyone wants, given how much more fragile things got in the months after.

Updated

And Jim Chalmer’s response:

This country is crying out for economic leadership and for an economic plan and Scott Morrison is either unwilling or unable to provide either of those things. Morrison and Frydenberg had no plan before the coronavirus, they have no plan now. That’s why we’ve had disappointing growth, stagnant wages, record household debt, more than doubled public debt, and extraordinarily weak productivity and business investment.

The government needs to come up with a plan. They need to provide economic leadership which has been lacking for so long now. They shouldn’t be pretending in their seventh year of government that all of this economic weakness is somehow the product of coronavirus which hit in recent weeks. The country is crying out for leadership and a plan and Scott Morrison is unwilling or unable to provide either.

For those wondering why Labor is going so hard on this, given the outside factors, just remember that Chalmers was in Wayne Swan’s office when the GFC hit and how then Coalition opposition responded. There was no leeway there for not being able to deliver a surplus in the midst of the greatest economic challenge since the Great Depression. And there will be none here.

Updated

Here is some of what Josh Frydenberg has been saying during his “lowering expectations tour” rounds (from AAP):

“But I do know that this is going to hit the economy, and I do know that our focus has been, in relation to the fires and other shocks that we’ve faced, on getting the support to the community in need,” he told Sky News on Wednesday.

“That’s been our primary focus, not the surplus.”

He noted the government had already notched up an achievement in delivering the first balanced budget in 11 years, at the same time as it rolled out tax cuts.

“We’re back in balance, and no one can ever take that away from us,” he told ABC Radio National.

The treasurer was also coy when asked whether a recession could be on its way.

He said, “That’s not the word I would use,” before noting he’s waiting to see the figures from the December and March quarters.

Frydenberg stressed this was just the latest economic shock the Australian economy has faced, following trade tensions between the US and China, an extended drought, bushfires and floods.

The virus is also a shock beyond our control, he said.

Updated

Non-government senators are still taking up the government business time in the Senate. It’s up to two hours now.

James McGrath is only 45 years old.

That would make him Gen X.

But quotes like this:

How would it be unethical for a political party to say write to the over 65s to say this is what we’re doing with the pension and to the person under the age of 21 to say this is what we’re doing with ... I don’t know, under 21 issues, whatever they are.”

He is displaying BIG boomer energy. Proving, once and for all, that boomer is a frame of mind.

Updated

Caroline Fisher told the electoral committee that there was “a lot of concern” around political advertising and campaigning that was “less than honest, and very dubious” including Labor’s Mediscare campaign in 2016 and the anti-Labor “tax scare campaign” in 2019.

Fisher said while there was “little evidence of international interference” in the election – there were questionable claims made by political parties and “the outcome of the election seems to indicate it did have an impact”.

Labor then pursued a line of questioning about micro-targeting of voters through social media ads, which Fisher suggests may not be “ethical” because it allows parties to target people’s particular prejudices without giving everyone the same information.

JSCEM chair, James McGrath, speaks in defence of micro-targeting, noting different groups of voters have different interests. He said:

How would it be unethical for a political party to say write to the over 65s to say this is what we’re doing with the pension and to the person under the age of 21 to say this is what we’re doing with ... I don’t know, under 21 issues, whatever they are.”

Perhaps he should ask the youth minister Richard Colbeck for an example of a youth issue. He sounded *this close* to saying skate parks.

Updated

The joint standing committee on electoral matters has a hearing in Canberra examining whether fake news played a role in the 2019 election.

Caroline Fisher, from the News and Media Research Centre, said Australians are the “lightest” consumers of news in the world:

  • Almost half of all Australians only get news once a day or less.
  • Two thirds are concerned if news is fake but only one third did any fact checking.
  • 60% are interested in news but only one third in politics – meaning 65% said they had no to low interest in politics.

Fisher said that “of most concern” is the fact that those who don’t know their political orientation and aren’t interested in politics do not engage in fact-checking.

She said: “These less engaged consumers are more likely to be female, younger and less educated. In an environment of tainted information, they fact-check the least. This group is possibly aligned with undecided voters, and if so they are voting based on the fewest news sources. This represents a significant population of disengaged voters, who are more vulnerable to misinformation.”

Michael Jensen, associate professor at the University of Canberra, said he did not see evidence of “sizeable or sustained effort by Russia or China to sway the Australian federal election”.

For Russia, there was “little difference” between the Coalition and Labor to their strategic interests. For China, there was “clear evidence the CCP is opposed to this government and believe it is especially hostile to its interests”. He cited an article in propaganda outlet the Global Times that Labor “might change Australia’s attitude to Washington and be more favourable to Beijing”. But China did not intervene, he said, perhaps because it was a high-risk low-reward proposition, and perhaps because they believed Labor would win anyway.

Jensen said both are engage in political interference on particular issues including in favour of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Huawei’s involvement in the 5G network; and for Russia, in undermining faith in institutions generally.

Updated

Today is going really, really well for everyone.

Updated

Michael McCormack continues his attempts at a personality. Here he was this morning.

Honestly. Four-day-old oats have more appeal:

A surplus is a number that I know that is in important to get the books back in balance and that is what we have done. Labor, well, they wouldn’t know what the definition of a surplus was, they haven’t produced one since 1989 when Cher was singing If I Could Turn Back Time, of course we all remember that vision of her on that navy ship, and there you go again, Labor didn’t even build a navy ship and they had six years, six years of opportunity, didn’t give a ship, didn’t give a ship at all, about making sure that we built the infrastructure to increase defence capability.

If Labor could only turn back time who knows what might happen.”

But we also get a sportsball (that’s what the people like, right? Sportsball) reference, when asked if the surplus is sunk.

I don’t believe so, and you’ll have to wait until May. It’s like suggesting that Hawthorn’s not going to win the premiership and it’s only February. I am hoping that Hawthorn will win the premiership, they’ve lost a trial game the other day, you know, it’s early day.”

So, obviously, Hawthorn is now cancelled. And I don’t just say that as a Collingwood supporter.

Anyways, Matt Canavan then turned up and the Curb Your Enthusiasm music began playing in all our heads:

(apologies Melbournites for the extra e. I am tired. And now obviously hate Hawthorn)

Updated

I can’t imagine that the extradition of Malka Leifer won’t come up in some way today.

Josh Burns and Dave Shama are on a bipartisan unity ticket when it comes to this, pushing for Leifer’s return in order to face the abuse allegations levelled agains her.

Everyone is allowed to be aspirational apparently, except for the National Farmers’ Federation, when it comes to looking at carbon neutrality, says the man who is somehow the nation’s deputy prime minister and supposed advocate for farmers.

Here he is this morning, as reported by AAP:

Nationals leader Michael McCormack has cast aspersions on the farming sector’s aims to cut emissions over the next decade.

The National Farmers’ Federation has had a policy for almost two years for the sector to be “trending towards carbon neutrality by 2030”.

Its 2030 roadmap also says Australia could become a global leader in low-emissions agriculture, although cautions a poor policy response “could saddle farm businesses with additional costs”.

The move towards carbon neutrality has been seized by Labor to back its commitment to bring Australia down to net zero emissions by 2050.

But the deputy prime minister is sceptical about the NFF aims.

“Trending towards and actually achieving might be two different things,” McCormack told Sky News on Wednesday.

“What the Nationals support is jobs in regional Australia and jobs in agriculture.”

Asked whether he backed the NFF’s plans, he said only that it was aspirational.

“It’s aspirational by the NFF, good on them, and I support Fiona Simson and what the NFF stand for,” he said.

“But the fact remains we want to make sure we grow agriculture.”

Unless of course, we need water for irrigators. Or if a mine needs to go in a food bowl.

It’s so difficult being a Nat these days.

Updated

In case you haven’t seen it yet, Anne Davies has this story this morning:

The federal government is spending up to $2m buying water from Queensland agribusiness Eastern Australia Agriculture in a bid to keep an internationally significant wetlands from dying, despite paying $80m to the same company three years ago for water rights for the same purpose.

The $80m purchase of overland flows from Eastern Australia Agriculture has been controversial and is now under scrutiny by Australian National Audit Office.

Updated

Secret Nationals business, as captured by Mike Bowers.

Damian Drum and Keith Pitt as the house resumes
Damian Drum and Keith Pitt as the House resumes. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Here is what Zali Steggall was seeing when she tweeted asking where the government MPs were.

Emergency Services minister David Littleproud as the house resumes sitting this morning
Emergency services minister David Littleproud as the House resumes sitting this morning. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Keith Pitt on ABC Breakfast this morning, once again talking about the government’s technology roadmap.

No one is really clear on what that actually means just yet, but it’s something to do with the technology the government is looking at for energy security moving forward.

Anyways, Pitt has discovered the word commitment and he’s not afraid to use it.

We made a commitment internationally. We will meet our commitment. We took that proposal to the election. I’m a member of the government. I support what we are doing. We took a balanced proposition, it was accepted by the Australian people at the election.

They clearly rejected what was put forward by then Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten. Although I see Mr Anthony Albanese has decided he wants to head down the same track, uncosted an unplanned targets.

I don’t think people will fall for it. We’re looking at a technology road map as you know. We’re looking for opportunities into the future.

I’m sure those shareholding ministers that have responsibility for that area will be making statements later in the year.

But right now we’re committed to 2030. We’ll deliver on our commitments, we’ll do what we said we would.

We have taken a balanced proposition to the Australian and it has been accepted. Up to $4 million for the feasible study.

It was an election commitment. We deliver on our election commitments. And feasibility studies determine feasibility, that’s what they’re for. As an engineer I wait to see the results.

The Greens senator Janet Rice is up in the Senate, chasing the Phil Gaetjens report into the sports rort affair.

The government once again came back with a public interest immunity claim to avoid having to bring in the report (they have declared it cabinet in-confidence, despite previous reports like this being made public) so non-government senators are now taking up the government’s business time this morning.

Depending on how many senators join in, the government could lose a couple of hours of business time here.

Rice’s motion:

Mr President
I give notice that on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

(1) That there be laid on the table by the minister representing the prime minister, by no later than 7:20pm on Tuesday 25 February 2020, the final report provided by the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Mr Phillip Gaetjens, to the prime minister in relation to the application of the statement of ministerial standards to the former minister for sport’s award of funding under the Community
Sport Infrastructure Program.

2) In the event the minister fails to table the report, the Senate requires the minister representing the prime minister to attend the Senate on Wednesday 26 February 2020, prior to government business being called on, to provide an explanation, of no more than 10 minutes, of the government’s failure to table the report.

(3) Any senator may move to take note of the explanation required by
paragraph (2).

(4) Any motion under paragraph (3) shall have precedence over all government business until determined, and senators may speak to the motion for not more than 10 minutes each.

Updated

....SQUIRREL!

This issue has come off the boiler – but will no doubt start ticking away again when a distraction is needed.

Updated

Even though it seems like 600 days ago, it was only yesterday that Peter Dutton defined “leftwing terrorism” as Islamic terrorism, for reasons only he can explain – but won’t.

In the midst of that word vomit, you may have missed this from Katharine Murphy:

While the debate about false equivalence played out in public, Guardian Australia has also confirmed that one of the minister’s advisers cited the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion as an example of a troublesome leftwing organisation during a telephone conversation with a member of the public who sought to query Dutton’s controversial intervention in the debate.

Matthew Noel, an engineering student from New South Wales, says he rang Dutton’s ministerial office in Canberra on Tuesday morning.

Noel says he telephoned to try to establish exactly who the minister was referring to when he raised the spectre of leftwing terrorism.

The student says he spoke to an adviser who identified himself as Mark. Noel says the adviser over the course of the call identified the group Extinction Rebellion as an example of leftwing terrorism. Noel says he said to the adviser: “Are you saying Extinction Rebellion are a terrorist group? [The adviser] replied, yes.”

Dutton’s office has confirmed the call took place. But a spokeswoman disputes some of Noel’s recollection of the conversation.

Dutton’s spokeswoman told Guardian Australia: “The allegation that a member of staff nominated Extinction Rebellion as an example of a leftwing terror group is completely false.

“When asked by the caller, the staff member advised that the group is an example of a leftwing extremist group, not a terrorist group.”

Asked whether the adviser was reflecting the minister’s view during the conversation, the spokeswoman said: “The minister does not believe this group is a leftwing terror organisation.”

Updated

Parliament starts at 9.30am this morning.

Just in case anyone was wondering.

Updated

Resources minister Keith Pitt was asked what the problem with a net zero 2050 target was, while speaking to ABC TV this morning.

The fact that he didn’t outright slam it, is very telling.

We’re looking at a technology road map, as you know. We’re looking for opportunities into the future and I’m sure those shareholding ministers that have responsibility for that area will be making statements later in the year. But right new we’re committed to 2030. We’ll deliver on our commitments.

We’ll do what we said we would. We have taken a balanced proposition to the Australian people and it’s been accepted.

It’s not just Malcolm Turnbull – facing the reality of climate change is something more and more of Australia’s sectors are turning their mind to.

Someone who is enjoying the treasurer’s discomfort though, is his shadow counterpart and former adviser to Wayne Swan, Jim Chalmers.

Speaking about Josh Frydenberg’s Fran Kelly interview this morning, Chalmers could barely contain his glee: “Josh Frydenberg’s interview on radio this morning had all of the coherence of a Sydney baboon rampage.”

Updated

Josh Frydenberg’s “managing expectations” tour has continued. He has been on Sky News, ABC radio and Sydney radio 2GB today.

After spending the better part of the last eight years smashing up Wayne Swan for promising a series of surpluses and then failing deliver (because of that little thing called the global financial crisis), the Morrison government is attempting to get out ahead of it’s own potential failure by reminding everyone they can find that the world economy is under quite a bit of pressure.

If the surplus disappears, which, Frydenberg and Scott Morrison’s language makes clear is a real possibility, given the bushfires, drought and now coronavirus impacts, it’s a little more embarrassing given there was an entire advertising campaign dedicated to moody, slightly smug, black and white portraits of the government’s leaders declaring the budget was BACK IN BLACK. There are coffee mugs. MUGS. There was the “I said we brought the budget back to surplus next year.”

So what does Frydenberg say to that?

“We’re back in balance and no one can ever take that away from us,” the treasurer told ABC’s Fran Kelly.

“I made a very clear statement based on the best advice available to us knowing that Australia is now living within its means.”

Updated

Good morning

We’ve got to stop this false debate, this misleading debate about whether getting to net zero emissions by 2050 ... is something that’s optional.

Well, I suppose it is optional, but it’s an option you don’t want to miss, because if we do miss it we know what the consequences are.

The fires of this last summer will seem like a very, very mild experience compared to what a 3C [warmer] world will look like.”

That’s Malcolm Turnbull there, as reported by David Crowe in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age, speaking to an energy executive conference in Sydney yesterday.

The former PM, who was dumped by his party over energy and climate policy, is now leaving it all on the floor. After a tweet storm on Sunday during Insiders:

Turnbull is now taking every opportunity to remind people of what the cost of inaction is. As Crowe reports:

There is no economic case for building a new coal-fired power station in Australia anymore, regardless what you think about carbon policy – and everyone in the energy sector knows that.

But if you read the News Limited newspapers and listen to debates in Canberra, it’s a parallel universe.

As to the future of the coal industry, we should all hope that thermal coal is going to go out of business, not just in Australia but around the world.

Because if it doesn’t, and we’re still burning coal to generate energy in 30 or 40 years, we’re moving into a 3C environment, which is catastrophic.”

Meanwhile, Josh Frydenberg is having to explain how he is not embarrassed about the government getting so excited about the possibility of a surplus it launched a “back in black” advertising campaign – and $35 souvenir mug – when it is looking increasingly likely the surplus is gone, and avoiding negative growth will be lineball.

We’ll bring you that, and everything else as it happens. You have Mike Bowers, Katharine Murphy, Sarah Martin and Paul Karp as well as a one coffee me.

Ready?

Let’s get into it.

Updated

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