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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Amy Remeikis

Peter Dutton says bushfires not started by climate change but arsonists – as it happened

Home affairs minister Peter Dutton during question time in the House of Representatives.
Home affairs minister Peter Dutton says: ‘did the bushfires start in some of these regions because of climate change? No. It started because somebody lit a match.’ Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

That’s it from the blog today, but we will be back tomorrow for the last sitting day of this week – remember there is a whole other week to get through after this, so let’s take the time to stare at walls while we can.

Big thank yous all round as usual to Mike Bowers, Sarah Martin, Katharine Murphy and Paul Karp, as well as the rest of the Guardian brainstrust for their help in all things federal politics/keep Amy’s fingers making sense.

We will be back early tomorrow morning and we hope to see you – I truly enjoy your company and your comments (even the ones who disagree with me) and you know you can keep the conversation going on twitter or instagram if you feel the need.

Thank you again for today. We couldn’t do it without you. And please – take care of you.

Constitutional expert Anne Twomey who has questioned the constitutionality of the sports grants funding, has also previously questioned the constitutionality of ‘Stronger Communities’ grants (which is what the Cronulla Sailing Club was awarded its BBQ through, in the post with Scott Morrison’s PA)

From AAP:

Labor has failed to force the Morrison government to establish a national integrity commission before reviving a union-busting bill in the Senate.

The opposition also wanted the recommendations of the banking and aged care royal commissions implemented before the government’s “ensuring integrity” laws are debated.

The three lofty conditions were designed to ward off a vote on the legislation, which would make it easier to deregister unions and ban officials.

The Morrison government suffered a humiliating defeat last year when One Nation made the shock decision to shoot the bill down in the Senate in December.

But Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher’s motion was voted down 36 votes to 31 on Wednesday, with minor parties One Nation and Centre Alliance opposed.

Labor’s motion would have erected a parliamentary roadblock until:

* legislation to establish a national integrity commission receives royal assent

* all recommendations from the banking royal commission are legislated

* the interim recommendations of the aged care royal commission are legislated.

Tasmanian independent Jacqui Lambie, who looms as the crucial senator on the union bill, abstained from the vote.

The government has flagged it will have another crack at trying to pass the legislation, arguing the reforms would clamp down on unions repeatedly breaking the law

This is being handed down next Tuesday

Say it with me:

Police debunked the arsonist claim

Fire authorities repeatedly said their window to carryout hazard reduction burns was shortened by warmer seasons

Just because something is eligible, doesn’t mean it is all OK

Oh this is going swimmingly well

Thank you, but your application was extremely, extremely well written. And its not me who gives you money, it’s ScoMo. So vote Liberal, otherwise I won’t have a job!”

That’s the whole quote from Scott Morrison’s personal assistant, who is announced as the person who helped the Cronulla Sailing Club with its successful application in the grant connect round *

*Not Bridget McKenzie’s sport grants program

Updated

The Senate is whipping through the motions for documents:

Mehreen Faruqi’s motion to order the release of Bridget McKenzie’s emails relating to her $156k hobby report into recreational shooting just passed:

This also passed:

This is one way to paint the town red:

Mike Bowers was in the chamber for question time. Here is some of what he saw:

Michael McCormack talks to his new deputy David Littleproud during question time in the house of representatives in Parliament House Canberra this afternoon.
Michael McCormack talks to his new deputy David Littleproud during question time in the house of representatives in Parliament House Canberra this afternoon. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Prime minister Scott Morrison talks with deputy PM Michael McCormack during question time
Prime minister Scott Morrison talks with deputy PM Michael McCormack during question time Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Greens leader Adam Bandt talks with Bill Shorten during a division
Greens leader Adam Bandt talks with Bill Shorten during a division Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Barnaby Joyce during a division in the house of representatives
Barnaby Joyce during a division in the house of representatives Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Malcolm Roberts is once again displaying his complete inability to understand the difference between the weather and the climate in the Senate.

Labor has just won a vote in the Senate (37 votes to 33) to set up an inquiry into lessons to be learned from the bushfire season.

The full terms are:

Senator Watt: To move—That the following matter be referred to the Finance and Public Administration References Committee for inquiry and report by the last sitting day in 2021:

Lessons to be learned in relation to the preparation and planning for, response to and recovery efforts following the 2019-20 Australian bushfire season, with particular reference to:

(a) advice provided to the federal government, prior to the bushfires, about the level of bushfire risk this fire season, how and why those risks differed from historical norms, and measures that should be taken to reduce that risk in the future;

(b) the respective roles and responsibilities of different levels of government, and agencies within government, in relation to bushfire planning, mitigation, response, and recovery;

(c) the federal government’s response to recommendations from previous bushfire royal commissions and inquiries;

(d) the adequacy of the federal government’s existing measures and policies to reduce future bushfire risk, including in relation to assessing, mitigating and adapting to expected climate change impacts, land use planning and management, hazard reduction, Indigenous fire practices, support for firefighters and other disaster mitigation measures;

(e) best practice funding models and policy measures to reduce future bushfire risk, both within Australia and internationally;

(f) existing structures, measures and policies implemented by the Federal Government, charities and others to assist communities to recover from the 2019-20 bushfires, including the performance of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency;

(g) the role and process of advising government and the federal parliament of scientific advice;

(h) an examination of the physical and mental health impacts of bushfires on the population, and the federal government’s response to those impacts; and

(i) any related matters.

Updated

From AAP:

A powerful parliamentary committee will not consider whether Energy Minister Angus Taylor misled parliament over his use of a fake document to criticise Sydney’s mayor.

Manager of opposition business Tony Burke asked Speaker Tony Smith last December to look at whether Mr Taylor had misled parliament and should be referred to the privileges committee.

If found to have misled parliament it would constitute being in contempt of parliament.

Mr Burke had pointed to six statements Mr Taylor made to parliament, where he said his office had used travel figures downloaded from the City of Sydney’s website.

The figures used by Mr Taylor to attack Clover Moore cited travel spending of more than $15 million, when the council had spent about $6000.

Slapping down the referral to the privileges committee, Mr Smith said there wasn’t enough evidence to show Mr Taylor had misled parliament.

“I understand this matter is surrounded by differing views,” he told parliament.

“However, the matter of misleading the House is a very serious one and, rightly, there should be prima facie evidence that the House has been misled, and that the misleading has been deliberate.”

A NSW police investigation into the fake travel figures has been referred to the Australian Federal Police.

Before I run screaming from the room, here is what the police said about those arson figures in January:

From the police:

Victoria police say there is no evidence any of the devastating bushfires in the state were caused by arson, contrary to the spread of global disinformation exaggerating arsonist arrests during the current crisis.

A misleading figure suggesting 183 arsonists have been arrested “since the start of the bushfire season” spread across the globe on Wednesday, after initial reports in News Corp were picked up by Donald Trump Jr, US far-right websites and popular alt-right personalities.

The figure included statistics from some states covering the entirety of 2019, rather than just the current bushfire season, which began in September.

Peter Dutton says fires started because 'somebody lit a match'

Peter Dutton continues:

Obviously, as we’ve all pointed out, we’re experiencing hotter weather, longer summers, but did the bushfires start in some of these regions because of climate change?

No. It started because somebody lit a match. There are 250 people as I understand it or more that have been charged with arson. That’s not climate change.

Pulled up by Patricia Karvelas that the most common start to the fires were lightning strikes, not arson, Dutton says:

Nobody’s disputing that. There’s been lightning strikes for as long as there have been bushfires in this country.

I’m happy to accept the involvement of climate change but your point was about the views in our party room.

I think the views in our party room say that we want action on climate change. Yes, we’ve got that climate change action now happening. And we’re responding to it.

Equally let’s be honest about the role that the fuel load played in some of these forests.

I just think it’s, I think it’s completely disingenuous if people aren’t recognising the different elements.

There’s three elements, including people who have started fires in significant numbers.

Some fires that have been put out and then restarted by people.

I think all that’s happening in our party room is that people are saying we want recognition of those three elements so that we don’t have the same intensity of the bushfires next season, but because the work of our firefighters, of people in my own department, and many other people across the commonwealth including scores of volunteers, we should pay tribute to them because I think thousands of more homes would have been lost.

Hundreds more lives would have been lost and I think the response has been quite remarkable from every element of our society. I think we should be very proud of the way in which we’ve responded as a society to deal with the bushfires and to respond in the aftermath.

Updated

Peter Dutton on the ‘non-existent’ debate on climate change within the Coalition party room.

Please make sure your eyes remain in your head and your jaw stays within catching distance:

Look, I’ve been following this debate for a long time and I’ve been in parliament for 18 years. I don’t see huge points of difference in our party room. I think the way in which the PM went through all of that which we’re doing, the targets we’re exceeding, the uptake of renewable energy, our investment in to new technologies, when you look at what he had to say the other day, I think that is absolutely reflective of the view that’s in the party room.

I think the point that is made frankly by some which maybe it’s a matter of interpretation or ways in which people want to massage this according to their own interpretation, I think people in our party room are saying we want action on climate change but in relation to the bushfires we absolutely believe that a large number of the bushfires were more intense because of the fact there hadn’t been back-burning.

Peter Dutton is apparently now #teamsourdough

Here he is on Michael McCormack:

I trust Michael McCormack’s judgement completely. I’ve got to say. I watch him in Cabinet in the NSC [national security committee] and leadership group and he has a very sound common sense decency about him.

Patricia Karvelas asks Peter Dutton about David Littleproud’s comments on 7.30 last night.

As a reminder, here they are from Paul Karp’s report:

Asked if it was right for the former sports minister to hand grants out according to a spreadsheet colour-coded by the party holding the electorate in which it was located, Littleproud replied: “Well, obviously I don’t think that necessarily getting as partisan as that is the best way to do it.”

Dutton claims that Littleproud, who said the comments directly in his own words, in response to a question, which he answered, using his own mouth, was “misrepresented”.

I didn’t see those comments from him. I was in a conversation with him this morning where it was quite clear he had been misrepresented in what he said.

But the general point is that recommendations were made in relation to sporting grants, all of the projects, those that were awarded and those that were recommended but not awarded are all worthy projects.

Peter Dutton is talking about the border force response to coronavirus on the ABC.

It includes this exchange between himself and Patricia Karvelas:

PK: China says it wasn’t given enough warning about the travel ban. Do you know when they were notified of it?

Dutton: Obviously it’s on DFAT’s side of the ledger. We’ve been very positive about the way in which China is engaged with the foreign affairs department.

But our staff in China and the ambassador there. We’ve had very productive engagement. All of us are reacting very quickly to changing circumstances, the health advice changes. We need to be malleable in terms of the way in which we respond as well.

There are decisions we’ll make which are in our country’s best interest but we’ll have a very short lead time. We gave notice to the Chinese.

We worked with them very closely around the uplift of these people and in particular in terms of the announcements that we make otherwise.

It’s important to point out that [Queensland] Premier [Annastacia] Palaszczuk, having heard the recommendation from the expert medical committee, where her chief medical officer in Queensland was part of the discussion, knew that recommendation was coming to the PM and went out there gratuitously, calling for us to stop incoming flights from China, knowing frankly that was probably the decision we were going to make.

So we need to move quickly, particularly when there’s been that sort of breach, pretty agregious breach of the committee’s work and Premier Palaszczuk still hasn’t apologised for that.

PK: [Are you alleging] Queensland premier gaming the system, using confidential information to try and get political capital out of it?

Dutton: I don’t think it’s any allegation. It’s what happened. That’s exactly what happened. I think the premier of Queensland has got a lot of explaining to do, to be honest. All of these factors will lead into those decisions.

Just for context - the Queensland election is in October.

Updated

Paul Karp has the terms of reference for that inquiry:

That a select committee, to be known as the Select Committee on Administration of Sports Grants, be established to inquire into and report on the administration and award of funding under the Community Sport Infrastructure Grant Program, with particular reference to:

(a) program design and guidelines;

(b) requirements placed on applicants for funding;

(c) management and assessment processes;

(d) adherence to published assessment processes and program criteria;

(e) the role of the offices of the Minister, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, and any external parties, in determining which grants would be awarded and who would announce the successful grants;

and (f) any related programs or matters.

(2) That the committee present its final report on or before Tuesday 24 March 2020.

(3) That the committee consist of 5 senators, as follows:

(a) 2 nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate;

(b) 2 nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate;

and (c) 1 nominated by the Leader of the Australian Greens.

Sports grant Senate inquiry established

The Labor [and Greens] motion to establish a Senate inquiry into the sport grant affair has passed the Senate – and in the end, the opposition did not need the crossbench.

It seems like not even the government senators (of which Bridget McKenzie leads the Nationals in that chamber) opposed it.

Updated

Joe Hockey will be the 7.30 guest tonight.

I assume he will be wearing a shirt (see his instagram if you need the context)

For those who want to see all the MPI, you can watch parliament live, here.

Updated

Anthony Albanese has the matter of public importance today.

It’s on ‘the failure of the government to provide leadership’.

Albanese:

Everyone knows that this has been a summer of disaster. For the prime minister and this government though, it has been a summer of complacency.

It has been one whereby their arrogance and their hubris has been on full display before the Australian people.

One in which the prime minister refuses to ever admit that he made a mistake.

One in which facts are twisted to suit the prime minister’s own political position.

One in which he has been exposed as an ad-man without a plan.

Updated

On the matter of deliberately misleading the house, Tony Smith says there is not a prima facie case that he did.

Therefore, it will not be referred to the privileges committee.

Updated

Tony Smith is dealing with the issue Tony Burke raised in the last sitting year of whether or not Angus Taylor deliberately misled the House.

Updated

There is one last question on the new veterans commission and the first question time of the year is done.

Here is where Scott Morrison says “hazard reduction is important, if not more important, than emissions reduction when it comes to protecting people from fire and hotter, drier, longer summers in the future”.

But given the window to complete hazard reduction burns is rapidly shortening because of those “hotter, drier, longer” summers – when are we supposed to do the hazard reduction burns safely?

And that’s a point which has been raised by the current fire chiefs Morrison says he listens to, not just the former fire chiefs.

Updated

Exactly

And it’s back:

Updated

Matt Canavan has been allowed to speak in the Senate:

We are at the swap chamber sides of the motion death gurgle.

Updated

Richard Marles manages to get out “corrupt sports rorts” (which he repeats) before he is shut down (he doesn’t care, he said what he wanted).

Updated

While the MPs are moving around the motion of not passing motions, the new Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has taken the time to tweet and delete:

Updated

From AAP:

A man has been arrested, the bomb squad are attending the scene and multiple busy streets in Melbourne’s CBD have been locked down.

Police shut down the Flinders and William streets intersection on Wednesday afternoon following the arrest.

The closed-off area was expanded to include parts of King, William, Market and Queensbridge streets.

Trams are being delayed because of the arrest, but trains have resumed after initially being told to stop.

Updated

Scott Morrison, who has repeatedly said he won’t be told how to govern by the people on Twitter, is now doing tweet threads (or some poor person in his office is):

Updated

Christian Porter has moved that Anthony Albanese will no longer be heard, which will win, and then a second Labor MP will attempt to move the motion.

Then that will be shut down.

The first motion from Anthony Albanese:

That this House one, notes the prime minister:

a) has repeatedly refused to admit his failings in handling the ongoing bushfire crisis.

b) has tried to cover up his failings with a series of false claims.

c) is ignoring the damning report of the independent auditor general concerning his corrupt sports rorts scheme, and is instead relying on a secret report by his former chief of staff.

d) refuses to give straight answers to simple questions.

e) has no plan for this country, only a marketing plan for himself.

And two, therefore calls on the prime minister to stop acting in his own interest and start acting in the national interest.

Updated

While we go through the motions of not having a motion, David Littleproud and Michael McCormack are looking very concerned over some document in their hand.

I assume it is not a hardcopy of the blog. There’s an app for that.

Leave is not granted.

We move on to the next part (which will also not be granted).

Updated

Anthony Albanese is seeking leave to suspend standing orders to move a motion on the prime minister being terrible (my take of what Albanese is saying).

This will fail.

Updated

I was just about to do a post on this, but now I don’t have to (my boss is always a million steps ahead of me):

Updated

Sarah Martin, who is in the chamber, tells me a protester stood up to yell “what would it take for the prime minister to declare a climate emergency”, which received applause from others in the public gallery.

He was removed.

The member for Solomon, Luke Gosling, was asked to withdraw an unparliamentary remark.

“Which one,” he quips, before withdrawing.

Updated

Scott Morrison continues that answer (which shows you how under pressure the government feels on this):

So the minister who had the authority to make those decisions made those decisions and as she made very clear in her own statements at the time, she was seeking to make those decisions in the best interests of that program, what it was seeking to do.

The point I was making is that the commonwealth government rules and grants rules and guidelines are there to ensure that where a minister may take a view about what she believes is a project with greater merit, there’s a process for setting out how it’s different to the recommendations received.

The auditor general report did not find that elected members of this House, it did not find that ministers should not be making decisions about the expenditure of public monies to suit the programs that have been established.

The process is to ensure you get good advice, and you can consider that advice, but ministers must make decisions.

If those opposite think that ministers should be audit takers from public officials, that’s for them to say.

I believe that each member advocates for the needs of their community. And these members advocated for the needs of their community.

And the minister made decisions, all eligible projects, and made the final decision as was her authority under the program as it was established. Where there are improvements to be made to that program in the future, they have been accepted.

Updated

Tony Burke to Scott Morrison:

In his previous answer, the prime minister failed to endorse decisions made by his own government to reject projects that were assessed above 90 out of 100 for merit. Were the projects that received money under the Community Sport Infrastructure scheme the ones that had the most merit?

Morrison:

As the member knows, the program was set up that gave total authority to the minister, to make decisions ...

... I’m only referring to the findings of the auditor general’s report.

That report articulated, Mr Speaker, that the authority to make those decisions was by the minister, Mr Speaker, and the auditor general’s report made a very important recommendation, which the government accepts.

And that recommendation was recommendation four, which deals with the issue of the application of the commonwealth grant rules and guidelines, Mr Speaker.

Now, as the auditor general’s report outlines, which we accept, it says that those guidelines should be applied in the future, by organisations such as Sport Australia.

The government has accepted that recommendation and we believe that will assist these ...

Burke interjects:

The question does not go to future programs. The question goes to decisions made by this government and whether or not the prime minister believes those decisions were made on merit.

Tony Smith allows Morrison to go on:

The point I was seeking to make, the minister made the decisions about where the projects should be supported, Mr Speaker.

Based on her assessment, based or her assessment that what would be the projects of greatest support and merit in the community. She had the authority to do that.

Updated

Pat Conroy to Scott Morrison:

Are the projects that received money under the Community Sport Infrastructure scheme the ones that had the most merit?

Morrison:

I believe funding community sports infrastructure always has merit.

As much merit as most on the frontbench, I would say.

Updated

Peter Dutton makes an appearance to tell you how safe you are from coronavirus.

As safe as the government can make you.

He is missing his usual Dutton-ness.

Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:

Will the prime minister fund all projects recommended by Sport Australia under the Community Sport Infrastructure scheme, but not funded by this government?

Morrison:

Funding these important infrastructure projects is and has been a priority of this government.

We have – the program received applications for some $400m, $400m, Mr Speaker. And we allocated $100m. As I said last week, we think this infrastructure is important to local communities.

And I did say, at the press club last week, I’ll be working with the treasurer as we prepare for this year’s budget to see how we can provide further support for this important infrastructure that brings communities together.

He is asked for relevance, but he has concluded his answer.

Updated

Sidenote: we are getting a few more mentions of the “Morrison-McCormack government” today, a phrase which was previously only trotted out when Michael McCormack was being asked a question. Seems like this is one of the bones the Liberals are throwing to McCormack, as they try to remind people he exists.

Updated

Joel Fitzgibbon, who was being touted as the perfect leader of the Nationals yesterday, has a question for Michael McCormack:

My question is to the deputy prime minister. Why is it that yesterday when the rest of the parliament was focused only on memorialising bushfire victims, National party ministers and members were more focused on fighting amongst themselves?

It is ruled out of order, but not because it would bring McCormack back to the dispatch box. Only the prime minister can answer questions about everything. Other ministers only have to answer on their portfolios.

Updated

We’ll get through coronavirus, says Greg Hunt.

Richard Marles to Scott Morrison:

Can the prime minister explain how his entire office found time to attend a marketing seminar run by adman Russel Howcroft on a catastrophic fire day in December? Why did he refuse to meet with the 23 former fire chiefs pleading for the government to take this bushfire season seriously?

Morrison:

Well, Mr Speaker, the meeting you refer to was not a meeting that I attended. Mr Speaker ...

The meeting that you also said was requested and was well publicised, related to former fire chiefs. I engage with current fire chiefs, Mr Speaker.

And the current fire chiefs have provided the advice going into this fire season was the same fire advice that was provided by Emergency Management Australia, when I asked Emergency Management Australia to come and brief cabinet well, well before the fire season, Mr Speaker.

Last year, to advise us what was necessary and to ensure we were compliant and we were taking action to ensure the commonwealth’s position was in the best position it could be to support state and territory authorities as they moved through this devastating fire season.

That included the additional funding that we announced that I referred to earlier in response to the member for Gilmore’s question, to provide the additional support for the aerial bombers.

It ensured in November the government undertook a trial program for the compulsory callout of reserves to ensure in the event we would move to that situation it would be done seamlessly.

This has been one of the most significant responses of the government to ensure we went from a situation of around 895 defence force personnel on the ground in December, to 6,500 and more on the ground in January.

That changed because the government changed the disposition of the commonwealth’s deployment of defence forces on the ground. Not to respond to requests, but to take this to the extreme of the constitutionality, Mr Speaker.

The extreme of constitutionality to respond, Mr Speaker, to the situation that emerged that week, where on the Thursday it was the first day the national state of disaster was declared in Victoria. That hadn’t occurred before.

That happened on the Thursday. There was the compulsory callout on the Saturday and the preparations for that compulsory callout were already under way when Victoria made that declaration.

Mr Speaker, those opposite in the questions today are seeking to politicise this disaster and it’s very disappointing.

Updated

The second set of Labor questions in Senate question time is again to Richard Colbeck on sports rorts – and the auditor general’s finding that funding went to target marginal seats.

At first, Colbeck deploys the reverse-pork barrelling defence that Bridget McKenzie’s intervention lifted the proportion of projects in Labor electorates from 26% to 34%.

Then, he quoted a 2010 auditor general’s report that found an aspect of Labor’s fiscal stimulus program “disproportionately favoured ALP held seats”.

Anthony Albanese defended the program at the time by noting: “The allocation of funding across federal electorates was in line with the political makeup of the House of Representatives. Put simply, Labor MPs held 55.3% of the electorates and their local councils secured 56.7% of the funding from the program’s Strategic Projects component.”

Updated

'Hazard reduction...more important than emissions reduction' on protecting Australians from 'hotter, drier and longer summers' says Morrison

Just a bit more on what Scott Morrison said in answer to Zali Steggall (and why, no matter how they brand it, or what words they choose to market it, or if they even decide to appoint a minister to directly deal with it, ‘climate action now’ is just hollow doublespeak that won’t lead to any actual changes):

Of course, Australia must continue to table the actions if we are to meet and beat our emissions reductions target, which have already seen us reduce emissions, Mr Speaker, by 12.8% since 2005.

We have a reduction target we took to the Australian people out to 2030 that will see emissions per capita fall by half. We are ahead of countries like New Zealand, ahead of countries like Canada in meeting and beating our targets, some 411m tonnes we will have beat our Kyoto emissions target.

At the same time, our renewable energy, Mr Speaker, per capita is half what it’s been – is double, I should say, more than double what’s being achieved in Germany, and in many other countries around the world and we have one of the highest levels of investments in renewable energy anywhere in the world. In the developed world.

We have one of the highest – in fact, we have the highest target of emissions reduction now to 2030 in Asia compared to those nations.

Emissions reduction is important. We’re acting on that reduction. I can tell you also resilience to climate is also important.

Hazard reduction is important, if not more important, than emissions reduction when it comes to protecting people from fire and hotter, drier, longer summers in the future.

Also, in a country ravaged by drought, and the impacts that we have experienced, and that drought continues, building dams is climate action now.

There you go. Burning the trees that help to create clean air and create rainfall, is EVEN MORE IMPORTANT in protecting you from the longer, hotter, drier summers than emissions reduction.

Updated

The next dixer is on why the budget might be looking a little sad, because of the summer – plus drought, plus coronavirus, plus those pesky global headwinds.

“Unprecedented” is being thrown around again.

It’s almost like surprises can happen that you can’t prepare for – like the global financial crisis – which impact your bottom line.

Sidenote: Josh Frydenberg still hasn’t worked out how microphones work. Pro tip: they amplify your voice so you DON’T HAVE TO YELL.

Updated

The member for Gilmore, Fiona Phillips, to Scott Morrison:

Why does the prime minister claim he always acted on the advice of fire commissioners when he ignored for two years their advice to provide a permanent boost to Australia’s aerial firefighting capability?

Morrison:

I thank the member for her question. And can I, through her, pass on again my sincere condolences and sympathies and support to all those members in her electorate.

I have members of my own family who live in your electorate. I want to thank you for the work that you have done, as all members have done, over the course of this bushfire season in supporting their local communities.

I would be grateful if you could do that, if you have the opportunity.

The member has raised the matter of the recommendations that were made through fire chiefs regarding the aerial firefighting assets.

And what the government had done was respond to that, with two separate tranches of funding, which matched what they originally asked for. I dealt with this matter during the course of the bushfire season, but in addition to those two funding allocations of $11m, on top of that we announced a further $20m.

That was over and above the $15m that was being provided each and every year as part of the arrangement that we had. We were pleased to do that. I also noted that the ongoing funding, which was being sought, would be addressed in this year’s budget.

Updated

“Build back better” is not a personality.

Labor’s Josh Burns becomes the second MP thrown out this year.

Lucky him.

Updated

The sentient sourdough loaf serving as the deputy prime minister is doing his best to string words together about resilience and regional Australia, but it’s hard when you are still fermenting.

Updated

Keith Pitt inflicts Michael McCormack on us for the first question time of 2020 – almost a sure sign that he is in the ministry.

And maybe his biggest sin so far.

Labor’s Terri Butler becomes the first MP to be kicked out for 2020.

Updated

Zali Steggall asks about what the government is doing about emissions reduction and the answer is so depressing (you have heard it all before – Australia is doing amazing, sweetie) and I want to stab myself in the face with a fork.

Oh – and also hazard reduction and “building dams is climate action now”, according to Scott Morrison.

You can build all the holes in the ground you want. It won’t make it forking rain.

Updated

Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:

I refer to his previous answer where he suggested that it was necessary to have a Liberal party authorisation on his ad which had a Liberal party donation button attached to it. Isn’t it a fact that only electoral matter requires party authorisation and there is long precedent for government information which is not party political to not require such an authorisation? The only reason why it was authorised by the Liberal party is because it was so political.

Morrison:

The video presentation was posted on my Facebook page, Mr Speaker. And that requires an authorisation and that is the advice that is provided to me.

That is the same as is practiced by the leader of the opposition and I table, Mr Speaker, his tweet that says:

“Listening to people, respecting people, putting forward practical suggestions that would make a difference – that’s what I have been focused on. That is what I will continue to do. Authorised by Anthony Albanese, ALP, Canberra.”

I have followed the practice in communicating with the Australian people. To the Labor party, to characterise it in the way they have is simply false and a misrepresentation by a Labor party leader who wants to politicise the bushfires.

Except one is from an opposition leader and one was about the Australian government response to a national emergency. Which was not on behalf of the Liberal party, but at the behest of the Australian government, using Australian resources.

But you can see where this is going.

Updated

The sport minister, Richard Colbeck, has been asked about the sports rorts program – specifically whether he has seen the colour-coded spreadsheet from which former minister Bridget McKenzie selected projects.

At first, Colbeck takes the chance to “extol the virtues of the program” that gave $100m to 684 sports clubs in the form of grants.

After numerous points of order, Colbeck finally answers that he hasn’t “seen that document because the ABC hasn’t published it” – he has only seen excerpts of the spreadsheet.

Asked about a probe into whether the health department of Sport Australia was the source of the leak, Colbeck replies there is “no issue” with the department, it is confident it was not the source of the leak.

But he has not received advice from Sport Australia, which had “already commenced a process to satisfy themselves” before Colbeck asked.

Updated

Next dixer is on the government’s new commission into veterans’ suicides and mental health.

• For information and support in Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:

Does the prime minister regret using his official resources to create and launch a party political advertisement on a catastrophic day at the height of bushfire crisis, which included defence imagery, a jingle and a link to a Liberal party donation button?

Morrison:

The leader of the opposition has come to that dispatch box and told a complete falsehood.

The government and the members opposite know ... (INTERJECTIONS) ... on any ... I note the constant interjections on matters of bushfires, Mr Speaker, from those opposite.

But on every piece of communication that you provide in video, the advice is that that material must be authorised, Mr Speaker, and I have noted that the leader of the opposition ...

(Tony Smith tells the house to settle down)

Morrison:

Those communications require an authorisation to be compliant, and that’s what the government has done.

That’s what the leader of the opposition has done, Mr Speaker, with his video communications on these types of issues.

Mr Speaker, the only people trying to politicise the response to the bushfire crisis is the leader of the opposition.

Except this was an Australian government announcement, which was authorised by Scott Morrison of the Liberal party, not the Australian government, and it did, when first launched, go to the Liberal party site, where it asked for donations to the Liberal party.

Updated

The first dixer is on how amazing the government’s bushfire response was.

Biggest take away – Scott Morrison really, really wants to be able to brand the past few months ‘Black summer’.

It’s up to you if you let him.

Just a reminder that Scott Morrison put out what was basically a Liberal party ad as the climate fires reached their zenith – but is now accusing the opposition of politicising the bushfires.

Updated

Question time begins

Anthony Albanese kicks off the first question time of the year with a question on why Scott Morrison didn’t call together Coag when the fire emergency began in November:

Why did the prime minister summarily dismiss Labor’s constructive proposals by rejecting a national approach to the crisis saying, “Coag might meet later”, quote, “should the need arise”.

Morrison:

I am sure the House won’t be surprised that I don’t accept the leader of the opposition’s characterisation of these issues.

What I can tell the House ... I can tell the House is that government’s response to the national bushfire emergency over this black summer has been, Mr Speaker, unprecedented.

Unprecedented with the compulsory callout of the defence force reserves, which is the first time, Mr Speaker, the first time that has occurred in the response to a national disaster of this kind. (Kevin Rudd called in the reserves, but it was not compulsory.)

In addition to that, Mr Speaker, we moved quickly to establish the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and to appoint Andrew Colvin, the former head of the Australian federal police, which I thought those opposite supported these measures, but they come in here on the first question of the day, and seek to politicise the bushfire response.

Now I find that disappointing. I’m happy to inform the member that we not only provided additional support for aerial firefighting assets. That is the waterbombers. But we actually provided a further $20m ...

Albanese interjects on relevance, but Morrison is allowed to go on.

Morrison:

We provided the additional funding for those waterbombers and then we provided additional funding on top of that in response to the requests from the fire chiefs, who had sought that additional support. They sought one extra. We provided four extra, Mr Speaker.

I note the constant interjecting from the leader of the opposition. And he’s been very chatty on this issue today.

... I would have thought he would be supporting these measures. If he wants to politicise bushfires, that reflects more on him than it does on the government.

Updated

We might see Peter Dutton for the first time since the summer began.

Updated

First we have a few condolence motions to get through.

Question time is due to begin.

Labor, led by Kristina Keneally on this, has responded to Christian Porter’s announcement the commonwealth parental leave scheme (12 months unpaid leave) will now include premature and stillborn babies – but it is hoping the private sector gets on board.

Parents of stillborn babies already have the same access to paid parental leave under the commonwealth scheme. These changes mean parents who devastatingly lose a child due to stillbirth or infant death will be entitled to a maximum of 12 months unpaid leave.

However – whilst there has been some progress – too many private companies have yet to make both these changes.

The bipartisan Senate Stillbirth Inquiry recommended changes to both the Fair Work Act and the National Employment Standards to provide consistency across all employers and employees in Australia. Labor looks forward to the government making these amendments.

Last year the Senate also passed a motion calling for the equalisation of bereavement payments for parents who experience a stillbirth.

Currently, parents are only eligible for this payment if a baby’s heart beats after birth. If it beats once, you receive a payment, if your baby is born without a heartbeat, you don’t.

It’s only fair that the bereavement payment for parents of stillborn children is equal. Likewise, it is only fair for subsequent stillborn baby payments for subsequent stillbirths to be equal. We look forward to the government making these announcements in the near future.

Stillbirth is the biggest cause of infant death in our country today and the rate of death from stillbirth is higher than the national road toll. We must do everything to support families through the devastation of such heartbreak.

Updated

Labor’s social team has been hard at work this morning

It is just before question time, where MPs make 90-second statements.

Every single Labor MP is speaking on the sports grants affair. All of them.

Updated

I missed this, this morning – but it’s a new contender for favourite quote of the day.

Michael McCormack was asked about how close the leadership spill vote count was yesterday (11-10 if you believe Barnaby Joyce’s camp, 15-6 if you believe McCormack’s, with the truth, as always, probably somewhere in the middle) and he had this to say:

Just how close I am not sure.

It is National party convention not to reveal the votes and at the end of the day, the votes do not count.

What counts, for me, is regional Australians.

At the end of the day, the VOTES DO NOT COUNT.

Mate. The votes obviously count, because they are the whole reason you are still in your fricking job.

Ladies and gentlemen: Australia’s deputy (and sometimes acting) prime minister. Long may he beige.

Updated

It seems John Alexander has learned a few things since last year when he said this about our pacific neighbours (this is not a criticism, merely noting that he has actually moved on this issue and that’s a good thing):

Speaking at a forum last week, Alexander reportedly noted Frank Bainimarama’s repeated call for Australia to stop burning coal and developing new coalmines but said the priority should be to help people to move their settlements to higher ground. According to Nine newspapers, he said: ‘It’s very much like your house is on fire, your children are in the house – should you call the fire brigade and get the children out of the house?’

The Bennelong MP later told ABC radio his point was that adaptation was a priority but ‘we must also act to prevent further damage to our planet’.

Updated

For those who missed the speech:

Pretty sure David Littleproud doesn’t have a degree in agriculture or emergency services either, and yet he managed to accept those concepts pretty easily.

Bushfires and drought are weighing on an already sluggish Australian economy, while the coronavirus epidemic may inflict further pain, the Reserve Bank governor says.

Speaking to the National Press Club in Sydney, Philip Lowe also defended the bank’s decision to cut official interest rates to a historic low of 0.75% against charges that it has spooked consumers into closing their wallets.

Instead, Australians were adapting to a period of consistently low wages growth, high household debt and a fall in home prices by paying down their mortgages instead of going to the shops, he said.

He said the economy was going through “a gentle turning point for the better”, predicting modest increases in growth and consumer spending over the coming two years.

The RBA expects the ongoing drought to cut 0.25 percentage points from growth this year.

Lowe said the economic impact on bushfire areas was “very large” due to the “large-scale destruction of homes, farms and businesses as well as public infrastructure”. He said that, taking into account the expected rebuilding effort, government grants and insurance payouts, the fires would not affect economic growth across the whole year.

However, the fires would cut economic growth by about 0.2 percentage points in the December quarter and the current quarter.

He said the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on the Australian economy could be worse than that of the 2003 Sars epidemic because “China is a larger part of the global economy and it is more closely integrated, including with Australia”.

Updated

Labor has just called for a quorum in the house of representatives.

There are not enough government MPs in the house.

It is a very busy week for Philip Lowe.

Updated

If you are following the coronavirus story, you may have already seen this, but it seems not just China is annoyed at Australia now:

The New Zealand foreign minister, Winston Peters, said Australian officials did not ask to use Auckland base for quarantining.

We didn’t make the offer because the Australians had already said what they wanted us to do.

We’re a small country doing the best we can with lesser resources than big countries have.

Updated

Liberal MP: 'These fires are climate change'

John Alexander was making his condolence speech on the fires (the leftover ones have moved to the federation chamber). Here is what he had to say:

The elephant in the room, of course, is climate change. Today is a day for commemoration, not politics. But one thing I would like to say is the need to recognise that these fires are not a warning about climate change – they are climate change.

The leader of the opposition said that ‘this is not normal’. I fear this is actually the new normal.

In focusing on saving this country for our grandchildren, we risk forgetting we need to save our neighbours. We must obviously mitigate future risks and change our ways, but we also must adapt because these longer, hotter summers will be our new normal.

If we are to be a mature nation, we must be proactive in adapting our local infrastructure and the way we live, lest we risk succumbing to this new normal.

Let’s remember Alexander is saying this at the same time the prime minister isn’t budging on anything other than “not being bullied” into something no one is bullying him on, and Barnaby Joyce – one of the most vocal members of the Coalition party room – is dumping all over wind power, because windmills look bad.

Updated

Maybe JA should have another chat to his leader, given this was Scott Morrison on the Nine Network this morning:

And it’s important to listen to everybody but take people forward on practical, balanced action that doesn’t go and write people’s jobs off, or industries off; that doesn’t go and put taxes on people.

I mean, action on climate change does not mean taxing people. It’s about technology, not taxation.

So we won’t be bullied into higher taxes or higher electricity prices. What we’ll do is take practical action that deals with these challenges. And that challenge is living in a hotter, drier and longer summer where these risk of these bushfires we need to be more resilient to.

So I’m going to focus on the stuff that works – the stuff that actually reduces risk and the stuff that ensures that people can be safer in summer.

Who on Lizzo’s green earth is bullying the prime minister into higher taxes? The man has been part of a government which has been in power since 2013. He was literally in charge of the treasury decisions for a decent chunk of that. He now leads the government and decides its policies, including taxes. Which he cut.

It’s like saying Grandpa Joe was actually bedridden.

Updated

Liberal MP John Alexander was just in the federation chamber (where speeches go to die) talking about climate change.

This is noteworthy, because he was speaking about how the bushfires are actually climate change in action and present the danger of Australia’s “new normal” if action isn’t taken.

Meanwhile, in the Coalition party room, there are many, many members still arguing about how climate change isn’t an issue in their electorates.

Updated

Barnaby Joyce says public as angry about wind power as nuclear

And then we get to the truly Barnaby:

We have to recognise that the public acceptance of wind towers on the hill in front of their veranda is gone, and the public dissonance on that issue is as strong as any other environmental subject.

We have to understand that there is no sure thing in a political debate. If zero emissions are the goal then surely nuclear energy should be supported, but it is not. If wind towers are a moral good and environmentally inoffensive, why can’t we have them just off the beach at Bondi so we can feel good about ourselves while going for a surf? It would cause a riot. Do you want a 3,000ha solar farm next door to you? Lots of glass and aluminium neatly in rows pointing at the sun. I am not sure others will want to buy that view off you when you go to sell your house!

The weather has determined the political climate and everyone is manipulating the recent calamitous events to push their own particular barrow. Whether there is unanimity of people’s political views on the fire ground or feeding stock in drought as to what we can do to change the weather is as unlikely as to unanimity to their favourite song. When politicians do stand behind a global climate policy, the only certainty is that it will be the policy that has the least direct effect on them. Wind farms are for your backyard not mine, zero emission nuclear is for France, only support banning coal mines if the coal mines aren’t in your electorate, and try not to get caught on a sticky question of what replaces our nation’s largest export. There is a desire for intermittent power generation such as solar but an inability to afford the pump hydro to make it dispatchable. Simple answers are generally wrong.

So 2020 has started with quite some colour politically and tragedy nationally. The art form of politics will be the cogent response that the parliament can show the Australian people in two years’ time.

Updated

Barnaby Joyce goes on:

Now, my first attentions go back to where they were before this week: the New England, drought, fires and now the threat of coronavirus. We arrive now at the period two years prior to the next election. This period is vital in setting the agenda that the Australian people will make their judgement on as to whether we remain with the reigns of the nation in two years’ time after the next election. There is difficulty in standing behind a promise; it is so much easier to stand beside delivery if you want to get re-elected.

I have disdain when the term “learnings” is used. Leaning is a verb, knowledge is a noun and “learnings” is nonsense. The knowledge we have attained from the bushfires and drought has to further develop our policy of building resilience into the future.

As a government we have to deliver on what we have learnt from these natural disasters and be standing beside them by the time of the next election.

For fires, better access to reliable water supplies to fight fires, clearing of road corridors to get access in and out safely to the fire grounds, communication facilities that can stand the challenge of fires, hazard reduction and upgrade of fire trails. This is to name but a few.

If you want a macro climate policy to show the world our leadership on reducing carbon emissions then we must bring in nuclear power and development of the most efficient coal power technology that uses the least units of coal for the greatest output of power. Wanting to develop the most efficient coal fired power technology in the world is not disavowing the realities of climate change, it is actually something that could be provided to substantially curtail emissions.

Michael McCormack in the SMH and the Age today:

I didn’t get blasted out. You always take learnings. I’ll take on board what my colleagues said [but] I don’t agree necessarily with everything the media has written about this latest attempt.

Updated

Barnaby Joyce has a few things to say on Facebook:

Firstly I would like to congratulate Michael McCormack on winning the leadership ballot and by so doing acknowledge the re-endorsement of his position as leader of the Nationals party.

It is appropriate that if a political issue needs resolving to put aside contentions held by some, a process is there to allow the clearing of the air. That process has been followed and the issue is finalised.

Our nation does not have a president nor are we cursed with a tyrant. We have a free media, transparency in government and as recent events have shown, problems don’t happen with such things as sports grants that you will not later hear of in the public forum.

One of the conditions of this freedom in our nation is the capacity for members of parliament to challenge their political office holders, if so desired, in the party room. For the Nationals this process was made as brief as possible, prior to the first sitting of parliament for the year. There was a spill of positions, I stood and I lost. I respect and support the vote of the room and will strive for the re-election of a Morrison McCormack government.

(You may remember Michael McCormack hit out at the media yesterday, in his “everything is fine, I’m not angry, you’re angry” press conference immediately after the spill.)

Updated

Scott Morrison on why he has set up a permanent commission looking into veterans’ mental health and not a royal commission:

There were many issues to consider. I didn’t think a one-off review into the past informs enough, because the challenge we have is ongoing, each and every single day.

A royal commission that looked into those past cases was not enough. Because, sadly, we know there will be more. We needed a solution. We needed a response that was ongoing. If you go to any RSL around the country, you will see the plaque ‘the price of peace is eternal vigilance’.

We must be eternally vigilant about the welfare and care of those who’ve served in uniform, even more so when they leave their service and they leave the protection and supports that often exist within our defence forces and they go on to the next phase of their life.

And let me stress this: those men and women go off to lead successful, vibrant, positive, major-contributing lives.

Let’s not for a second conflate the issue and the tragedy of the terrible outcomes of veterans’ suicide with the suggestion that veterans are broken. They’re not. They’re champions. They’re heroes. But some struggle. Some are in a daily battle. And they’re the veterans that we have in mind here in the announcements that we’re making today.

Updated

Anthony Albanese:

You don’t get to say that you’re drawing a line under an issue just because you say it’s over. This government is shambolic.

It’s moving from one mess to another, whether it’s the challenge yesterday of Barnaby Joyce to the deputy prime minister’s leadership, and then a ballot for deputy leader of the National party on a day that we were supposed to be devoting to the bushfire crisis.

That underlined what is an ongoing theme of this government – that it’s all concerned about itself and politics and not concerned about the national interest.

This morning I attempted to move in the parliament a debate which would see those organisations where volunteers spent hundreds of hours putting in applications in good faith, thinking that there was a level playing field, thinking that there was a fair umpire and that umpire was called Sports Australia, under the legislation in which this $100m was allocated, and finding out something very different.

Finding out this was a match that was fixed from the beginning. Match fixing that went to not just Bridget McKenzie, who has been thrown under the bus. They had the prime minister’s office staff sitting in Bridget McKenzie’s office.

They had emails that clearly link the prime minister’s office to the decisions asking that grants be given to clubs that didn’t get as high a score as those clubs which received. I mean, here you have quite a farce.

Updated

Labor to start sport grants Senate inquiry

Don Farrell:

I’m here with the leader today to report to you the decision by Bridget McKenzie to resign doesn’t mean it’s the end of the sports rorts scandal that we’ve seen over the January period.

Our intention this afternoon is to move in the Senate for an inquiry into what’s gone on here. We wish to investigate what the minister did, the relationship between her office and that of the prime minister, and to find out why there was no accountability and no transparency in the awarding of these grants.

Thousands of clubs made applications to what they thought was a dinky-di process, an on-the-level process.

What they found was that it was nothing of the sort, and they had no chance right from the start of getting any of the money.

We believe we’ve got the support of the crossbench for the Senate inquiry, and one way or another, we’ll get to the bottom of what’s happened here and we’ll get some accountability, some transparency into this grants process, to make sure that this never happens again.

Labor is also calling for the clubs who missed out on grants to get the money (which doesn’t actually fix the problem).

Updated

Don Farrell is trying very hard to lead a press conference and, well, there may be a reason why Don Farrell doesn’t get to lead press conferences very often.

Updated

On the failed division Labor called on the sports grants affair, all the independents voted with the opposition (except for Bob Katter, who was not in the chamber, because it is a day ending in y and there are enemies to be slain somewhere, or something).

Updated

I mean, is that something a prime minister actually has to learn? Really? TO ALWAYS SHOW UP?

FFS.

Updated

What has Scott Morrison learned about leadership over the summer?

Always to listen, always show up and always put Australians first.

And Gladys Liu is officially out of the freezer, with a special mention from the prime minister.

Scott Morrison:

I want to say thank you to the Australian Chinese community. I want to say in particular thank you to Gladys Liu, who has been a leader in getting information to people on this issue and providing them support in her community down there in Box Hill. I know that’s being done by other members.

We then get some damage control in terms of China, which yesterday, quite publicly, said it was annoyed at Australia’s response to the coronavirus outbreak (shutting the borders).

Scott Morrison:

Can I say thank you to the Australian Chinese community – you are magnificent. The way you have supported each other, the way you have acted in such a responsible fashion, on occasions with great provocation, which I’ve found reprehensible.

You are observing and taking so seriously your responsibilities, together with all Australians, to ensure that we’ve been so far quite successfully able to contain the impact of the coronavirus within Australia.

We have 13 confirmed cases, three of which have now left hospital and gone about their lives.

So we’ve actually seen a net reduction in recent times of those cases, so I say to the Chinese community in Australia: thank you, thank you for the way that you have engaged.

The whole point of the quite proactive decisions that the government has taken in relation to containing the coronavirus – and we moved so much more before many other countries – was to ensure that Australians could go about their daily lives, and going about your daily lives means going where you’d normally go, because Australians are taking the necessary precautions, and that includes our Chinese community.

Updated

On the question of Australia going carbon neutral, Scott Morrison says:

I’ll give you the same response I gave you at the Press Club a week ago. That’s a matter – the 2050 request that we undertook to look at in our commitment through the PIF process, and that’s what I intend to do.

What I said was I would never make a commitment like that if I couldn’t tell the Australian people what it would cost them. And I wouldn’t make a commitment like that if I couldn’t tell them what it would cost them.

I don’t believe the action you need to take in this area is about putting taxes on people, putting their electricity prices up or driving industries out of regional areas ... That’s what I took to the last election, that’s what Australians endorsed, and that’s what I’ll do as prime minister.

Updated

My daily correspondence with the AFP has been completed – it has still not decided whether or not to investigate Angus Taylor.

Scott Morrison’s press conference is back on.

It’s on the new commission on veteran suicide prevention.

It was Stuart Robert who shut down that motion, fyi.

I think we can all guess what Labor’s 90-second statements will be on.

If you want to know where question time will go (apart from the climate fires), here is what Anthony Albanese managed to get out before his motion was shut down by the government:

I move that so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the leader of the opposition from moving the following motion – that the House calls on the government to fund all projects recommended by Sport Australia under the community sport infrastructure program but not funded by the Morrison government.

The Sports rorts saga characterises everything that’s wrong about this government. A government [that] doesn’t represent the Australian people. A government that’s obsessed just by representing its own interests. This is a corrupt scandal that goes to the very top.

Updated

This is a win – and a bipartisan one at that. Kristina Keneally made this one of her big priorities when entering the Senate, and I am glad to see the change.

From Christian Porter’s release:

The Morrison government will improve parental leave entitlements to help support families dealing with traumatic situations such as stillbirths, infant deaths and premature births.

‘The government understands how devastating losing a child can be and recognises that the current entitlement to just six weeks of guaranteed unpaid parental leave is insufficient for many parents who need more time before they return to work,’ attorney general and minister for industrial relations, Christian Porter, said.

‘That is why we want to increase the entitlement for those who’ve experienced a stillbirth or infant death to a maximum of 12 months – the same amount of unpaid leave parents of healthy babies can access.

‘While not all parents will want to use the full 12 months, it is important that the option is available to them should they need it.’

For parents of premature babies, or babies that experience birth-related complications that result in immediate hospitalisation, the government will also remove the barrier that currently prevents parents from going back to work and restarting their leave when their baby is ready to go home ...

Parents will be allowed to use up to 30 days (six weeks) of their 12-month unpaid leave entitlement flexibly, up to the child’s second birthday. During this time, they will also be able to choose to claim part of their 18-week paid leave entitlement.

While employers and employees will remain free to agree on arrangements that suit their specific circumstances, these changes will provide Australian families with an improved minimum safety net that offers greater certainty during times of tragedy and more choices about how to structure work and family arrangements.

Legislation to enact the changes to unpaid parental leave will be consulted on in the coming weeks ahead of its expected introduction to parliament in the autumn sitting period.

Updated

These divisions are reminding me why I hear the lambs screaming in my sleep.

Updated

A division has postponed the prime minister’s press conference – it’s a motion to suspend standing orders over the sports grants.

It will fail.

Updated

Anthony Albanese will hold a press conference at 11.30.

It’s with Don Farrell (the shadow minister for sport – who knew?) so I think we can guess what it’s about.

Updated

It’s early, but my favourite quote of the day so far is this from Scott Morrison on the Nine Network today:

And we’ve got back straight on the job as we never departed from, as in the government.

Because yes, war is peace. And if you want to keep a secret, best to also hide it from yourself.

Updated

The prime minister will hold a press conference on the new commission at 10.30.

Updated

PM announces inquiry into veteran suicide

Scott Morrison has announced an independent commissioner will look into the mental health of veterans. It will have some of the powers of a royal commission, but it’s not a royal commission. From the release:

The Morrison government will establish a permanent national commissioner for defence and veteran suicide prevention.

The national commissioner will have the enduring power, scope and resources to investigate suicides and related issues as they arise, rather than being restricted by a one-off review looking at past practices.

The national commissioner for defence and veteran suicide prevention will be empowered to perform two roles:

  • The commissioner will be an independent and permanent public accountability body, with the same powers of a royal commission to compel the production of evidence and summon witnesses, and make findings and recommendations to government.
  • The commissioner will also provide an ongoing investigative function of individual cases of suicide, working with each state and territory coronial office, making recommendations to government.

The government will invest an initial $40m to support the commissioner’s work and this will be expanded to ensure they have whatever resources they need.

The government will also establish an immediate, independent review of historical veteran suicide cases, conducted by the commissioner, focusing on the impact of military service and veterans’ post-service experience.

An interim report will be delivered within 12 months. Families will be engaged in this process if they wish, with an opportunity to participate and tell their stories openly and safely.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, along with coronial and legal experts, will provide technical expertise in support of this work.

Updated

Thank you to AAP for this summary:

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN FEDERAL POLITICS?

  • Scott Morrison has announced an inquiry into veteran suicide with the powers of a royal commission.
  • The prime minister has promised a national inquiry into the bushfire season will be finished by August.
  • Nationals MPs Darren Chester and Keith Pitt are expected to be elevated to cabinet in a ministerial reshuffle.
  • The junior coalition partner is also trying to move on from a failed coup against Michael McCormack launched by former leader Barnaby Joyce.
  • Legislation is being debated in both houses of parliament for the first time this year, after Tuesday was taken up with tributes to bushfire victims.
  • Labor is expected to pursue the sports rorts scandal during question time on Wednesday.
  • The government is also expected to cop questions over its response to the bushfires.
  • Climate protesters continue their action outside Parliament House.
  • It’s been announced Indonesian president Joko Widodo will address parliament next week.

Updated

So what can we expect today, given that parliament is officially back and the climate fires have been acknowledged?

Well, probably an end to what has been described as the “sombre bipartisanship” between Labor and the Coalition.

Awwwwww. I bet he still believes in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and that the Great Barrier Reef can be saved too!

Here’s Scott Morrison on Barnaby Joyce and the Nationals on the Nine Network this morning:

Morrison: I was happy to see the Nationals deal with these matters as quickly as possible, as they did, so we could get the focus very quickly back on to the importance of yesterday, which was to honour certainly, and firstly, those who lost their lives in these terrible fires. And many of the families of those who’d fallen in Australia’s name were able to be there and get that comfort and support. But also to honour all of those who certainly continue to serve to this day, that Michael McCormack has made it clear this morning that he, you know, he’s apologised, that there was that event yesterday morning, but they dealt with it quickly. And we’ve got back straight on the job as we never departed from, as in the government.

Host: I mean, it was an ugly distraction yesterday. Prime minister, you know he’ll be back.

Morrison: No, he said he’s not challenging again. So I think that issues -

Host: Because that never happens in politics.

Morrison: Well, look, the media might want to talk about it, but I think Barnaby ruled a line under that pretty clearly yesterday. So we just get on with the job, which is what Australians expect us to do.

Updated

An Air New Zealand evacuation flight has left Wuhan carrying a total of 193 passengers: 100 New Zealand citizens and permanent residents, 23 Australian citizens and 70 foreign nationals, predominantly from Pacific Island countries including Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga, Fiji and the Federated States of Micronesia.

On board the flight is one doctor and two paramedics from St John.

When the flight arrives in Auckland at 6.30pm today, the Australian passengers will be directly transferred to a flight bound to Australia, while the New Zealanders and other nationalities will be quarantined for two weeks at Whangaparaoa airbase.

Updated

The bells are ringing.

May Lizzo have mercy on my decaffeinated soul.

When I say Australia is wayyyyyyyyy behind on the climate conversation, I mean really, really behind. Like Warwick Capper-runs-for-politics levels of behind.

Here is Boris Johnson overnight:

I hope that we can as a planet and as a community of nations get to net zero within decades,” Johnson said at the COP 26 launch on Tuesday.

We’re going to do it by 2050, we’re setting the pace, I hope everybody will come with us. Let’s make this year the moment when we come together with the courage and the technological ambition to solve man-made climate change and to choose a cleaner and greener future for all our children and grandchildren.

Updated

He worked out it was a parody account. Still, I appreciate the wholesomeness.

Still on Michael McCormack, who is desperately attempting to go from whitebread to at least sourdough in an attempt to keep his job beyond the next six months – he was asked about his new deputy David Littleproud’s comments on 7.30 last night regarding Bridget McKenzie and the sports grants affair. As Paul Karp reported:

Asked if it was right for the former sports minister to hand grants out according to a spreadsheet colour-coded by the party holding the electorate in which it was located, Littleproud replied: “Well, obviously I don’t think that necessarily getting as partisan as that is the best way to do it.”

McCormack, though, is sticking to the report which cleared it – the PM&C report written by Scott Morrison’s former chief of staff Phil Gaetjens (who was also Peter Costello’s former chief of staff), despite the independent auditor general’s report raising some very serious questions over the process.

Added bonus – we don’t get to see the Gaetjen’s report, because it is cabinet-in-confidence, and as such will be locked up for 20 years. So we only have what the prime minister says it said, and we are told that is enough and every Coalition MP is using that as a get-out-of-jail-free card. Again, don’t you worry about that.

Anyway, it is all fine, says McCormack, because every one of the clubs which got money was eligible:

We can take learnings from what the report has decreed. Phil Gaetjens has also said, the secretary, that there was no bias towards targeted or marginal seats.

He has said that. And yes, we can take learnings from what the ANAO report has said, and from Mr Gaetjens and what he’s also found – no bias. All projects eligible, and I’m proud of the fact that we’ve got a set of books which are balanced, which are coming into surplus, and which provide the ability for the government, through the expenditure review process, through the budget process, to be able to fund even more rounds of these programs.

Particularly important for regional Australia. And let me tell you, when you’re out in regional Australia and you’re a young woman and you’re wanting to play netball or AFLW or soccer or whatever the case may be, you shouldn’t have to be getting dressed behind a car. You shouldn’t have to be getting dressed behind a tree. You should be able to have the same sorts of facilities that the boys have always enjoyed. And that’s what I’m particularly pleased about with this program. Well done to Bridget McKenzie for doing just that.

Reminder: we have no idea what Gaetjens has said. The spreadsheet was colour-coded according to party. It targeted marginal seats and those the Coalition wanted. And talking points are not policy.

Updated

Mike Bowers has just walked into the building. I’ve sent him for coffee.

I mean, even putting aside BlackRock’s announcement it was getting out of thermal coal investment – which, as the largest fund manager in the world is a pretty big deal – because you know that’s absolutely a financial decision, let’s remember that we seem to be the only democracy in the world still arguing over this stuff.

Everyone else has moved on. And yet our politics still has us mired in the muck of “but the jobs”, which is exactly the same argument which has been used in every single other massive change (tobacco advertising bans anyone?) and the country has not only survived – new industries have created new jobs. We are seeing it all over the world. Except for here.

Updated

Much like someone who mistakes loud tropical shirts as a personality, Michael McCormack has decided that talking VERY LOUDLY about coal will substitute for policy and solutions.

In response to questions from Michael Rowland on ABC Breakfast about Anglo American (a massive mining company) chief executive Mark Cutifani’s comments about climate change as well as his announcement he wants out of thermal coal in the next five years (which is also an economic decision, let’s be real), McCormack said:

Fantastic, good on him. And he’s probably done very nicely, thank you very much, out of the coal industry. Very, very nicely, and – but coal is providing for two-thirds of Australia’s energy needs, power needs, it’s providing for $62bn of exports, it’s providing 55,000 jobs.

We are a government which is looking at all forms of technology to be able to power this country. I’m glad that we have just gone into an agreement with New South Wales.

We need to use more gas, we need to actually get more gas and put it into the system. I know that Angus Taylor and others are doing very hard – working very hard to make sure that we bring power prices down for Australians, that’s one of the most important things for them – is their energy bill and making sure that it’s affordable. That’s what we’re doing.

Updated

Samantha Maiden of the New Daily has an update on Scott Morrison’s Hawaiian holiday – you’ll never learn how much it cost taxpayers.

Voters will never be told the taxpayer cost of the Scott Morrison’s private holidays to Fiji and Hawaii, including flying AFP officers overseas to guard his family, after a freedom of information request was dismissed on the grounds it was not in the public interest and could harm international relations.

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has exempted all documents relating to the controversial trip that Mr Morrison took to Hawaii as bushfires raged across Australia, effectively slapping a suppression order on the taxpayer cost.

While the prime minister paid for the flights privately, there was a taxpayer cost incurred in flying security guards overseas for the family trip, a highly unusual act by a national leader.

You can read that report, here.

Updated

Michael McCormack was on Sky this morning, promising his party will focus on its constituents from now on.

You know – those people who are among the poorest in the country, and have suffered through one of the worst droughts this nation has seen, as well as the climate fires, and water issues, and continued simmering trade tensions in an already shaky economy. Those constituents.

I appreciate that yesterday was probably necessary to take place, it has taken place.

Barnaby has pledged his loyalty, he said he won’t re-challenge.

We now need to draw a line under it and move on and make sure as members of the National party we concentrate on the people who matter most, and that’s the people we serve.

Pretty sure we have heard that before.

Updated

Parliament is due to start at 9.30am this morning.

As promised in the government talking points, we have legislation – the government will be putting through a treasury laws amendment (to ensure the bushfire assistance is tax-free) as well as two more bills related to the banking royal commission, which was handed down about a year ago.

Updated

Good morning

It’s the first official day of parliamentary proceedings – which you can tell, because every politician and their dog has been on the breakfast TV shows this morning, telling us it is a brand new year.

Let’s try and forget for a moment that the ridiculous drama of yesterday was entirely brought on by the National party itself, and had nothing to do with anyone or anything else – you don’t get to “draw a line” under something just because you decide it’s over.

Scott Morrison has been out this morning talking about the new frontbench coming – as well as the independent commissioner into veteran suicides.

Darren Chester will be returning to the cabinet – that much is sure. Keith Pitt will probably get a guernsey as well – he is steady, hasn’t screwed up his media appearances, and well, Michael McCormack owes him. Michelle Landry is also in line for a promotion – she was a steadfast McCormack supporter since his leadership emergence two years ago, and didn’t budget. David Littleproud will also most likely get what he wants.

But all of that doesn’t change that the government doesn’t get to “draw a line” under the summer – and what’s happened since they got back – just because they want to.

The sports grants affair, the Nationals, the coming audits, Angus Taylor, the response to the climate fires, water, the economy – all of that doesn’t go away, just because someone wants to get a stick out and draw a line under something.

You have one-coffee Amy (hence the crankiness), Sarah Martin and Paul Karp with you today – with Katharine Murphy and Mike Bowers working off-site.

Ready?

Let’s get into it.

Updated

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