And on that note, we are going to call it a night
All the big fights seem to have been worked out, which must be a sigh of relief for the government, given they did lose a vote, at least on the numbers side, on the floor of the House this afternoon.
But encryption looks to be all done but the signing, while the religious discrimination bill looks like heading the same way.
We’ve still got two days to go this sitting year, so who knows what else could end up happening.
A massive thank you to Paul Karp, Katharine Murphy and Gareth Hutchens for dragging me through another day. And also for feeding me. It is very important. And of course, to Mike Bowers, for keeping the laughs and the sparkling images flowing. We’ll all be back early tomorrow morning because you are just lucky that way.
But as always, the biggest thank you goes to you for reading and letting us know your thoughts. It really is so important that as many people as possible engage with their democracy, even when it isn’t meeting their expectations. Especially then. And we value it more than you know.
We’ll see you early tomorrow morning. In the mean time – take care of you.
Updated
Mark Dreyfus has issued his statement on the peace-in-our-time encryption legislation bill:
Labor has spent five years responsibly improving national security legislation to make Australians safer, and we have done the same thing today.
“The government have made important concessions on its earlier positions on the telecommunications and other legislation amendment (assistance and access) bill.
“It appears the government will agree to proposals by Labor that will ensure there is better oversight and limitation of the powers in this bill, and better safeguards against potential unintended consequences. These are still subject to agreement by the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, and further details will be contained in its report on the bill.
“The changes include limiting the application of the powers in this bill to only serious offences, properly defining key terms in the bill, and requiring a “double-lock” authorisation process for technical capability notices.
“Importantly, the PJCIS will continue its scrutiny of the bill into 2019, allowing for outstanding concerns to be worked on and further amendments considered in the new year if necessary.
“Following the extraordinary interference with this committee by the minister for home affairs and prime minister, Labor welcomes the constructive negotiations conducted with the attorney general over the past two days.
“Let me be clear – this bill is far from perfect and there are likely to be significant outstanding issues. But this compromise will deliver security and enforcement agencies the powers they say they need over the Christmas period, and ensure adequate oversight and safeguards to prevent unintended consequences while ongoing work continues – just as Labor proposed.
“I want to issue a call to the government – the trashing of bipartisan process and politicisation of national security that has occurred over the past month must never happen again. There is nothing more important than keeping Australians safe – the government must remember that.”
Updated
And lastly, Rebekha Sharkie has responded to the live sheep export trade:
I welcome today’s announcement by ALEC of a three-month moratorium on sheep shipments to the Middle East during the northern hemisphere summer.
The moratorium, to take effect from 1 June 2019, will mean no shipments of Australian sheep will depart any Australian port for the Middle East during the northern summer when we know these animals face the greatest physical stress.
This moratorium is the first in a series of necessary steps to phase out an unsustainable industry.
But it is just a first step and we cannot stop there.
I call on the government to allow a free vote on my private member’s bill, the live sheep long haul export prohibition bill 2018 (No. 2), which was introduced this week.
My bill is a hard-fought, reasoned compromise to phase out this declining industry over five years.
Allowing a free vote would give the government the opportunity to act on an issue which has galvanised the Australian people to a degree that cannot be ignored and will give all MPs the freedom to vote according to their convictions and represent the views of their communities.
This afternoon I received a letter from ALEC advising me that they were committed to a reform process and that the cruelty exposed in the media was not representative of their industry.
Contrary to ALEC’s statement that I have not directly engaged with the industry, I have met with the live export industry and I stand by my comments that this industry has failed to reform to the standards expected by the Australian people and that it should be phased out.
Updated
Here’s how Mathias Cormann agreed to let the Penny Wong motion through
That –
(a) the sex discrimination amendment (removing discrimination against students) bill 2018 be considered on Wednesday, 5 December 2018 from 11 am to 12.35 pm, at time allotted for consideration of government business;
(b) if, by 12.35 pm the bill has not been finally considered, the questions on all remaining stages shall be put without debate;
(c) paragraph (b) of this order shall operate as a limitation of debate under standing order 142; and
(d) the provisions of standing order 115(3) shall not apply to the bill so that the bill may be further considered even if it has been referred to a standing or select committee for inquiry and report.
Cormann:
I indicate on behalf of the government that we will be supporting this motion as amended and that the prime minister has reached out to the leader of the opposition to ensure that we find a reasonable way forward and a reasonable compromise to help facilitate what the prime minister has indicated he would like to see facilitated, and that is to remove discrimination against students before the end of the parliamentary sitting year. We look forward to genuine and good faith engagement with the opposition and also with others in the parliament in the intervening period. On that basis, we will support this motion proceeding.
Updated
And the Greens have also responded to the live sheep export news:
Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has called the announcement from live exporters that they will a impose three-month ban on sheep trade to the Middle East during northern summer as too little, too late.
In reaction to the voluntary suspension, Senator Faruqi said:
“While welcome, to be frank this is too little, too late. We know that this is the last ditch attempt for the live export to save itself before it is consigned to the history books forever.
“A voluntary and self imposed suspension over the Northern Summer is wholly inadequate and can be overturned at any time. History has shown we cannot let the industry regulate itself. The only option we have is to phase out the industry and transition to a chilled meat industry
“My bill to ban the live export of has passed the Senate. The government can stonewall and run protection for only so long. It’s time they allowed a free vote so we can end this cruel trade once and for all” she concluded.
Updated
The attorney general, Christian Porter, has confirmed the “fundamental resolution” with Labor over the encryption bill and described it as a “massive win for the Australian people” that will allow agencies to break encryption to police serious crimes.
Porter said that Labor’s previous position would have meant state police would not have access to the powers over summer, and agencies could only use them for two categories of offence (terrorism, child sex offences). Passage of such an interim bill would have been “substantially ineffective”, he said.
Some further details of the deal:
- The number of agencies that have access to powers has been reduced, with state anti-corruption bodies removed
- The threshold for serious offences is all terrorist and child sex offences and other offences with a sentence of more than 3 years in prison
- There will be a review of the powers within the first 12 months by the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security
Porter was sanguine about the extra safeguards on technical capability notices, arguing they added to the oversight of the powers without slowing the process down.
Updated
The abortion motion that Fraser Anning, Amanda Stoker and Barry O’Sullivan attempted to move was denied. An attempt to suspend standing orders was also made, and also lost.
Larissa Waters, the Greens senator from Queensland had a few thoughts:
Here is yet another LNP motion which shows complete disrespect for women.
“Perpetuating the myth about late term abortions is disrespectful to women and flies in the face of the facts.
“The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare tracks the stats, and 94.6% of abortions are performed before 13 weeks.
“Just 0.7% of abortions in Australia are carried out at or after 20 weeks.
“Termination at or after 22 weeks is extremely rare and generally occurs where continuing pregnancy would kill the mother.
“To keep claiming that an abortion can occur just days before a baby is due, as these conservative Queensland senators do, is grossly misleading, it’s insulting, and its’s disgraceful.
“I want to thank those LNP members who distanced themselves from this nonsense and voted with those of us who think women can make decisions about their own bodies. It’s very telling that there are only two women voting on the other side, amidst a handful of old white men who want to control women.”
Updated
Animals Australia have also responded to the live export moratorium:
This is a classic PR move designed to pre-empt the pending heat stress review outcome.
For decades the industry has been willing to subject sheep to intolerable suffering across this period. They haven’t suddenly found their conscience.
They realise that they are a single vote away from their industry being shut down.
This should be seen for what it is, an admission of guilt and an attempt to save their own skins.”
Just on the Anthony Albanese motion, it is worth mentioning that Julia Banks voted with Labor on that one.
And also, if Labor gets into government the High Speed Rail Authority will be one of the first things they put together.
And so has Joel Fitzgibbon:
Labor welcomes Australian Livestock Exporters Council (ALEC) decision to place a moratorium on the northern summer live sheep export trade.
It shows how out of touch the Morrison Government is when the peak industry body is moving ahead of it in response to overwhelming community concern about animal welfare breaches.
The Morrison Government must start listening to the people: the live sheep trade is acting where the Government won’t.
I congratulate ALEC on this step in the right direction however the Morrison Government must now allow the House of Representatives to express its will on the the future of the live sheep trade. A vote to phase out long haul live sheep exports must held this last sitting week.
Labor will continue to be guided by the science which says the northern Middle Eastern summer trade and animal welfare standards are incompatible.
A Shorten Labor Government will put an end to the northern summer trade at the first opportunity and phase out the balance of trade while helping sheep meat producers make the transition to more domestic processing.”
David Littleproud has responded to the live sheep export industry moratorium:
I have repeatedly asked exporters to lead.
It would have been better if industry had shown leadership across a broad range of animal welfare matters some years ago.
It’s important we respect our trading partners and make sure we work through practical solutions to ensure their food security.
We await the science regarding the heat stress model which we expect shortly.
Updated
Anthony Albanese has taken his win (even if it wasn’t an absolute majority to make it a proper win):
Federal parliament today voted in favour of creating a High Speed Rail Authority to advance plans for a High Speed Rail line from Brisbane to Melbourne via Sydney and Canberra.
I asked Parliament to facilitate debate of my private member’s bill, which would establish a High Speed Rail Authority to advance this visionary project.
My motion was seconded by the independent MP for Indi, Cathy McGowan.
The House of Representatives supported the motion by 73 votes to 72.
However, because an absolute majority was required, the government avoided a debate on my bill.
It is disappointing that the government fails to understand the potential of High Speed Rail to both revolutionise interstate travel and super charge the regional centres along the proposed route.
At a time of intense population pressure in our nation’s capital cities, we need a genuine decentralisation program that will empower regional centres to absorb some of the pressure of growth.
High Speed Rail would unlock waves of development in communities like the Gold Coast, Casino, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Newcastle, the Central Coast, the Southern Highlands, Canberra, Wagga Wagga, Albury-Wodonga and Shepparton.
While the former Labor government completed a positive feasibility study and commenced initial planning for High Speed Rail, the Coalition has run dead on the project for five wasted years.
Based on the support for action expressed in parliament today, prime minister Scott Morrison should think again and act in the national interest.
The proposed High Speed Rail Authority would be tasked with working on detailed planning with the Queensland, NSW, ACT and Victorian governments.
Critically, it would also begin to preserve the corridor for the project to prevent it being built out by urban sprawl.
Creation of the proposed authority was the key recommendation of an independent panel established by the former Labor Government.
The panel included former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, the Business Council of Australia’s Jennifer Westacott and the late Bryan Nye, who was head of the Australasian Railway Association.
Updated
On the divesture laws, Mark Butler won’t say if Labor, if in government, would repeal them if passed, but he repeats Labor is opposed to it.
Christian Porter will be holding a quick press conference at 5.15pm to talk encryption laws
Updated
Christian Porter’s answer on the committee statement is below:
Thank you Mr Speaker. Not unlike the shadow attorney general to only read half the provision. So … 9 (2) says sub clause one does not apply to the disclosure or publication by a person of a matter of which the person has become aware otherwise than because of the giving of any evidence before or the production of any documents to the committee.
“… Yesterday Mr Speaker we were asked by the shadow attorney general whether we were aware of a newspaper article that in his words appears to quote from what may or may not have been a confidential submission to the joint committee. And Mr Speaker appearances are never more deceiving when they are apparitions of the shadow AG. And last night, last night I did speak with the commissioner of the AFP and further I also sought summary information around the prior circulation of the material that later came to be submitted in a letter by the commissioner to the joint committee. The commissioner confirmed that the submission was not potentially or operationally sensitive or security classified, the material contained in the letter was material that received circulation before it was produced as a document to the committee. So it would actually …”
Tony Smith:
If the attorney general would just pause for a second. Members, members on both sides. Not only am I trying to hear, the vast majority of members of this place are trying to hear the attorney general’s answer. I’m trying to listen carefully. Members need to cease interjecting. The attorney has the call.
Porter:
Despite, Mr Speaker, how it appears to the shadow attorney general, it actually appears that given the nature and prior circulation of the material in question that any subsequent dealings of it would never fall within the scope of provisions in the Intelligence Service Act or the Crimes Act.
“But of course if the shadow attorney takes a different view, he can of course refer the matter if he feels fit. But the larger question, I think Mr Speaker, is how much more constructive could the shadow attorney general be if he put his considerable legal skills to reading the submissions, understanding what they say, and acting on them appropriately and passing this counter encryption bill this week.”
But he doesn’t say how the letter was circulated before it was produced as a document or when.
Updated
The motion to suspend standing orders ended up at:
Ayes 73
Noes 72.
So the government lost the vote, but a suspension of standing orders needs an absolure majority, which is 75 plus one.
So Albo wins the battle, but not the vote.
No live sheep exports to the middle east this northern summer
On the live sheep export three month moratorium, the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council has released a statement (Simon Crean was seen walking the halls today, so this was bubbling along for a while):
Australian livestock exporters have today written to Western Australian sheep producers, advising of a new three-month moratorium in sheep shipments to the Middle East during the Northern hemisphere summer.
The moratorium, to take effect from 1 June 2019, will mean no shipments of Australian sheep will depart any Australian port for the Middle East during the highest heat stress risk period of the northern summer.
Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council independent chairman Simon Crean said the moratorium would provide certainty to sheep producers who supply the trade, and was just one initiative which was part of wider ranging industry reforms.
“This is about maintaining and growing a strong, viable nine-month-a-year live sheep trade and, more broadly, securing the future of Australia’s livestock export industry,” Mr Crean said.
Exporters will observe the moratorium while the industry develops new technology which could, in the future, address the heat risk challenges associated with shipments in June, July and August.
“Potential solutions being developed by the export research and development corporation, Livecorp, include improved detection and avoidance of temperature extremes, and on-board dehumidification,” Mr Crean said.
It goes on – you can read the whole thing here.
Updated
Independent MP Kerryn Phelps has cautiously welcomed Labor’s indication it will support her bill on medical transfers of refugees and asylum seekers in offshore detention with three amendments.
Phelps:
I’ve been speaking to a range of doctors including some who have spent nearly a year treating patients on Nauru. What is clear to me is that we have a medical and humanitarian criss on our hands and something needs to change.
“I think we need to put medical decisions for asylum seekers into the hands of clinicians rather than bureaucrats. There is a role for ministerial oversight but it needs to be well-defined.”
Updated
Anthony Albanese has called for a proposed suspension of standing orders on this issue:
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent private embers’ business order of the day No. 8 relating to the High Speed Rail Planning Authority Bill 2018 standing in the name of the Member for Grayndler being called on immediately and being given priority over all other business for passage through all stages by 1.30 pm today.
Updated
#BREAKING Australia's live export industry will not export live sheep to the Middle East during the northern hemisphere summer next year. @KathSully confirms the industry will self-impose a three-month moratorium for the dangerous exporting months #auspol
— Brett Worthington (@BWorthington_) December 4, 2018
The Australian Energy Council is still not totally into the government’s divesture proposal:
The Australian Energy Council welcomes the federal government’s agreement that any divestment power must be consistent with the constitution but remains alarmed at the government’s intention to legislate an onerous and unprecedented set of government market interventions which will only increase risk to investors and costs for consumers.
The ACCC report specifically recommended against the need for a divestiture power and did not find misconduct in the market, rather recommended welcome reforms to improve its transparency and operations. The ACCC correctly identified the primary drivers of high prices – cost pressures across the supply chain and the policy vacuum.
The industry recognises that customers need support in an environment of high prices, and is already working with the regulator to implement those recommendations which will assist consumers to get a better deal.
The Australian Energy Council’s Chief Executive, Sarah McNamara, said that the energy sector was yet to see the revised bill and looks forward to sitting down with government to work through the detail.
“To date there has been only a token consultation over a three-day period on an earlier version of the bill. It appears that many significant questions raised through the submissions process remain unanswered.
“Once we see the revised bill, we will consider it and respond in good faith.
“Divestiture powers are an extreme measure in any market and deserve thorough economy-wide consultations and cost-benefit analysis. This bill differs markedly from its equivalent in the US, which is economy wide and aimed at monopolistic behaviour, and in the UK divestment powers under its Enterprise Act are also economy wide and subject to very strong prescriptive measures and processes focussed on ensuring natural justice.
“The only thing that is certain is that this Bill increases the risk profile of investment in the energy market for would-be investors. This can only increase costs for market participants, and accordingly the price for Australian families and small businesses.
“We continue to urge the government to work with the business community on reform and policy options which enhance Australia’s economic stability, encourage investment and deliver better outcomes for customers. If the government insists on progressing this bill, we support careful consideration of the detail and a proper consultation process to reflect the unprecedented nature of the interventions it proposes.”
Updated
Labor and the government come to terms on encryption
Labor and the government have come to in-principle agreement on the Coalition’s encryption bill. The deal will have to go to the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security but this clears the way for it to be legislated this week.
Labor highlights a number of concessions from the government including limiting the powers in the bill to serious offences only and to provide a definition of “systemic weaknesses” to limit backdoors that tech companies can be required to build into their products.
Law enforcement agencies would also require both the attorney general and the minister for communications before they can demand companies build a backdoor.
Disputes over whether technical capability notices create a “systemic weakness” would be determined by a former judge and a person with appropriate technical expertise.
The shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus:
Labor has spent five years responsibly improving national security legislation to make Australians safer, and we have done the same thing today.
The government have made important concessions on its earlier position on the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) bill. It appears the government will agree to proposals by Labor that will ensure there is better oversight and limitation of the powers in this bill, and better safeguards against potential unintended consequences.
Importantly, the PJCIS will continue its scrutiny of the bill into 2019, allowing for outstanding concerns to be worked on and further amendments introduced in the new year if necessary.
Following the extraordinary interference with this committee by the minister for home affairs and prime minister, Labor welcomes the constructive negotiations conducted with the attorney general over the past two days.
Let me be clear – this bill is far from perfect and there are likely to be significant outstanding issues. But this compromise will deliver security and enforcement agencies the powers they say they need over the Christmas period, and ensure adequate oversight and safeguards to prevent unintended consequences while ongoing work continues – just as Labor proposed.
I want to issue a call to the government – the trashing of bipartisan process and politicisation of national security that has occurred over the past month must never happen again. There is nothing more important than keeping Australians safe – the government must remember that.
Updated
From Mike Bowers, to you:
Updated
Labor and the government have come to an agreement on the encryption laws. We’ll have more for you in just a moment.
Religious discrimination bill back on the table
The religious discrimination bill is once again alive, after Penny Wong successfully moved this motion:
That –
(a) the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Removing Discrimination Against Students) Bill 2018 be considered on Wednesday, 5 December 2018 from 11am to 12.35pm, at time allotted for consideration of government business;
(b) if, by 12.35pm the bill has not been finally considered, the questions on all remaining stages shall be put without debate;
(c) paragraph (b) of this order shall operate as a limitation of debate under standing order 142; and
(d) the provisions of standing order 115(3) shall not apply to the bill so that the bill may be further considered even if it has been referred to a standing or select committee for inquiry and report.
Updated
Penny Wong and Mathias Cormann are both back in the Senate chamber.
Given the amount of business they both have to attend to, they usually skip the motions to take note of answers.
So the fact they are both in the chamber means shiz is about to get real on the religious discrimination bill.
Just for context on Jim Molan – he was originally seventh on the NSW Senate ticket for 2016.
After Fiona Nash was ruled ineligible for dual citizenship, Hollie Hughes was meant to step in, but was also ruled ineligible because she had been parked in the AAT by George Brandis while she waited for the next election. Next in line was – Jim Molan.
But he was never meant to even reach the Senate. So when the NSW Senate ticket came round again, Andrew Bragg, who gave up Wentworth (having been basically told he’d get the Senate spot) and Hughes got the winnable spots.
Updated
Jim Molan will NOT be saved by a special intervention:
#auspol pic.twitter.com/VKTzumxpJi
— Senator Jim Molan (@JimMolan) December 4, 2018
Updated
Following #QT, the Speaker responded to a question on the standard of dress for journalists in the House Press Gallery. Watch his statement below. pic.twitter.com/qn6ebtAUoU
— Australian House of Representatives (@AboutTheHouse) December 4, 2018
Question time ends.
Tony Smith responds to Tony Burke’s request from yesterday that he look into why ABC journalist Patricia Karvelas was asked to leave the press gallery for wearing a shirt that showed her arms.
Smith says “she should not in hindsight have been asked to leave”.
The standard of dress for members in the chamber is a matter for the individual judgment of each member, although ultimate discretion rests with the Speaker and for those who queried that, it is very well written up in practice. I am sorry if it is news to you.
“Previous speakers, have said that members should dress in a formal manner in keeping with business and professional standards. These standards have been codified in the media rules for journalists attending the chambers and they have been published and indeed, tabled.
“Paragraph 5.1 (4) of the media rule states, that when in the chambers, press gallery members should maintain the standards of dress adopted by the majority of senators and members. The rules continue and state: ‘in the House of Representatives, this may include a shirt with a collar, jacket and trousers for men, and a similar standard of formality for women.
“Questions about whether dress meets the standard are inevitably matters of judgment. In this case, and having regard to the attire of members’ generally, the journalist in question was attired in a way which would be reasonably considered professional business attire.
“She should in hindsight not been asked to leave. Any future review of the media rules may wish to reconsider the best way to describe the chamber dress code for journalists. In the interim I have asked the definition of formal business attire for female journalists in the chamber, having regard for members generally.”
Christopher Pyne:
Thank you for your remarks in relation to this matter...given your statement, I would like to apologise on behalf of this side of the House, to Ms Karvelas, being ejected yesterday from the press gallery.
Updated
The Australian Council of Social Services has come out very strongly against the wait time changes for new migrants that were passed after a deal between the government and Labor
“The Australian Council of Social Service has today condemned the parliament’s decision to cut $1.2bn from social security for recent migrants.
“This decision will hurt people and their children trying to build a life in Australia. Our social security system should be built on equality,” said Dr Cassandra Goldie, Acoss CEO.
“We know that migrants make a huge contribution to the community. The government’s legislation that passed the parliament last night, with the support of the Australian Labor Party, One Nation, Derryn Hinch, Brian Burston and David Leyonhjelm, says to migrants that you are not as valued as the rest of us. This policy will hurt people for a long time to come.
“Instead of making life harder for people, our parliament should focus on how to reduce poverty and inequality to ensure all of us can thrive. Our parliament should focus on reducing division in our communities, and develop policies based on compassion and respect.”
Updated
Cathy McGowan gets another question – the crossbench have been receiving at least two questions a QT since Julia Banks joined their ranks.
Michael McCormack once again Michael McCormacks.
Mark Dreyfus asks about the AFP submission quote which appeared in a newspaper report yesterday, despite not having been made public by the intelligence committee:
Christian Porter:
The transcription service has once again gone on the blink. But Porter basically says that the submission was deemed not to have been confidential or operationally sensitive by the AFP quoting this law:
2) Subclause (1) does not apply to the disclosure or publication by a person of a matter of which the person has become aware otherwise than because of the giving of any evidence before, or the production of any document to, the committee.
And also mentions that it has been circulated before it was sent to the committee.
But he doesn’t say when it was circulated, or how.
Updated
The Reserve Bank has kept the official cash rate unchanged at 1.5%, again.
The cash rate has been sitting at the same level since 3 August 2016.
To put that in perspective, the 2016 federal election (which Malcolm Turnbull helped to win for the federal Coalition with a personal $1.75m donation) was in July 2016.
The Reserve Bank says forces emanating from the global economy are mixed.
There are signs of a slowdown in global trade, partly stemming from ongoing trade tensions (read: US-China trade war), and growth in China has slowed a little, with Chinese authorities paying close attention to risks in their financial sector.
In Australia, business conditions are currently positive and higher levels of public infrastructure are supporting the economy, as is growth in resource exports.
However, wages are not growing much, household debt levels are high and house prices have declined. It means the outlook for household consumption is uncertain.
The RBA says the outlook for Australia’s labour market remains “positive” with the unemployment rate at 5%, the lowest in six years. Unemployment is expected to continue falling in coming years. The ongoing improvement in the economy is also likely to see wages pick up eventually, though the process will be slow.
However, conditions in the housing markets in Sydney and Melbourne are continuing to “ease”, and nationwide measures of rent inflation remain low. Borrowers are finding it harder to secure credit from banks, with some lenders having a “reduced appetite to lend.” The demand for credit by investors in the housing market has slowed “noticeably.” And growth in credit to owner-occupiers has slowed to an annual 5-6%.
Mortgage rates remain low, and banks are competing for borrowers with higher grade credit.
Economists say it appears as though the RBA is becoming increasingly cautious, particularly due to conditions in the housing market.
It means interest rates may not rise for another two years at least, and they may well have to drop at some stage, if circumstances demand it.
Brendan O’Connor is very much enjoying Barnaby Joyce and other Coalition MPs supporting traditional Labor policy against casualisation.
Joyce leads the committee O’Connor is talking about in his statement here. But this is a pretty big issue in regional and rural communities, and the Nationals tend to be a little more in lockstep with Labor on these issues when it comes to farm and land workers:
In another example of a divided government, a parliamentary committee dominated by members of the Coalition has followed Labor’s lead on the serious need to deal with issues around casual work, labour hire and insecure work.
“The House standing committee on innovation, industry, science and resources identifies the challenges associated with insecure work, particularly the misuse and overuse of casuals and labour hire.
“As Labor leads on policies for decent jobs, higher wages and secure work, Scott Morrison is stuck dealing with his divided and dysfunctional government as the government members break away from his stance on industrial relations.
“The Coalition committee members must now do more than simply pay lip-service to these issues and urge Scott Morrison to put workers first for once. For five years now, this government has done nothing for workers.
“Labor won’t be surprised if the Coalition members of the committee use this report to say one thing in their electorates pretending they care, and yet do absolutely nothing in Canberra. We’ve seen this again and again with the member for Dawson, George Christensen.
“Labor doesn’t want to wait until Scott Morrison calls an election to ensure workers are treated fairly, we want action now.”
Updated
The cause of Liberal senator Jim Molan – who has fallen to an unwinnable spot on the Senate ticket – has been taken up by an unlikely supporter. In Senate question time
Labor’s Malarndirri McCarthy asked why Scott Morrison intervened to save Craig Kelly’s preselection but not Molan’s.
Mathias Cormann:
The prime minister holds Molan in very high regard, he has regular meetings with Senator Molan. The breaking news is that Labor is preparing to write a reference for Senator Molan ... Labor doesn’t quite understand how democracy works. Senator Molan is an endorsed Liberal candidate at the next election.”
Cormann suggested that if Labor is so keen to see Molan re-elected it should join the Coalition and help get four Liberal candidates elected in New South Wales.
Molan is laughing, he seems to appreciate the cut and thrust of Senate question time even if this is a very live and awkward issue for the Liberal party.
Updated
Claire O’Neil to Stuart Robert, following on from Latika Bourke’s story:
The assistant treasurer ... is responsible for financial services, including the big banks. Can the assistant treasurer confirmed that, instead of cracking down on misconduct in the banking sector, he voted against the royal commission 26 times? And how it he is now exploiting the victims of the bank misconduct by using the royal commission as an excuse to raise funds for the Liberal party?
Christopher Pyne:
I think the phraseology of the member for Hotham should be withdrawn. It was a slur on the assistant treasurer, and the second half of the question is not within the assistant treasurer’s responsibilities, and therefore it’s not in order.
Tony Burke:
The question go directly to the use of the minister’s ministerial authority and the role that he has with financial services. They refer to him using that office, with respect to the royal commission, quite specifically for a fundraiser. This has also appeared online as an article … Quite simply, what the question asks is whether or not he has used his ministerial authority in this way instead of looking after the victims of the banks.”
Pyne again says it is a slur.
Tony Smith rules the first part of the question is in order, but he is uncomfortable with the language of the second.
Robert immediately launches into answering the part of the question which was ruled out of order.
Smith: “If the assistant minister wants to refer to the matter is that I’ve ruled out of order, I don’t think that’s a good idea … I ruled them out of order quite deliberately because of their language, and because of the motives or the improper motives that are implied.”
Robert: “This is the government that instituted the banking royal commission.
“... What this government has done is legion.”
I am not making this up.
Updated
Chris Bowen to Scott Morrison:
Does he deny reports that a significant delegation of government members urged the government to abandon its discredited divestments policy, including the member for Curtain and Reed and McMillan? Given the prime minister has already turned his big stick into a toothpick, will he now abandon his discredited divestments laws which even his own members do not support?”
Morrison (again in the key of LOUDEST NOISE POSSIBLE):
That’s something coming from the biggest wet newspaper in the parliament, Mr Speaker.
(This may be the lamest burn I have ever heard in my life.)
This is a form of Blue Steel, with his sharp suits and his slick look, swaggering around the electorate ... Measuring up the curtains to the treasurer’s suite, thinking he’s already there.
“Mr Speaker, this is a shadow treasurer that, when he was treasurer, was presiding over economic wreckage and a budget that was forever in deficit.
“That was his form when he was treasurer of this country, but we know he had a few other jobs when he was in government. He had a few other jobs, Mr Speaker, and I’ll come back to those after I’ve had the opportunity to address what the member has addressed. Our government is supporting tough new laws to ensure that the big electricity companies are held to account, and we would call on the Labor party when those laws are introduced to support them, and to do so this week, and failure to do so will tell every single electricity customer in Australia today that the Labor party is for higher electricity prices and letting the big electricity companies off the hook.
“Our government is united, Mr Speaker, on the issue of getting electricity prices down.
“In standing up to for Australians against higher electricity bills. We are united on the point of ensuring those big electricity companies are held to account for what they do to Australian customers. That’s what we will be bringing to this house, and you’ll have plenty of opportunity, and my challenge to the Labor Party is this – whose side are you on? Australia’s electricity customers, who want lower prices, or the electricity companies who want to take the money for themselves?”
Updated
Question: Can you be “union bred, led and fed” if you are also on the side of big power?
Angus Taylor takes a dixer answer where he forces himself to say:
“As we said today, this week we will introduce our big stick legislation.”
Labor goes nuts.
Ged Kearney to Scott Morrison:
Why does the prime minister always choose the worst and weakest policy option on climate change? Is it because, as Malcolm Turnbull has said, there is a significant percentage of his government that does not believe climate change is real. Is this why Malcolm Turnbull is no longer prime minister?
Morrison: (who is back to being Shouty McShoutface, but only because he is shouting for you)
“The weakest and worst option for the Australian economy is the Australian Labour Party. That is the weakest and worst option, MrSpeaker, and I can advise the house...
“And I can advise the house that is based on their form, when they’ve been in government, Mr Speaker.
“Captain Risky when it comes to the Australian economy over here, Mr Speaker. The risk of the Labor party poses to our economy puts all of what we’re able to achieve, in terms of funding for the essential services that Australians rely on, Mr Speaker, in doubt. I noticed the hubris I’m hearing from the Member for Eden-Monaro –
“He thinks it is over but I can assure the Member for Eden-Monaro that you are in for a big fight.
“The Australian people do not want $200 billion of higher taxes on them in the mortgage belt of Queanbeyan and not the south coast of New South Wales. Those retirees throughout your electorate who you are going to rip thousands of dollars from out of their pockets, Mr Speaker.
“The member for Eden-Monaro is a risk to his own constituents when it comes to the taxes he seeks to impose on them, Mr Speaker. I can assure the Labor party members opposite that on this side of the house, we’re going to fight for a stronger economy, we’re going to fight for lower taxes, Mr Speaker, we’re going to fight for small and family businesses, we’re going to fight for mums and dads, we’re going to fight for those Australians who haven’t got the time to go around and get on Twitter and turn up at protests, Mr Speaker.
“We’re going to fight for the Australians who are out there putting their kids through school. Running their businesses, Mr Speaker, getting their kids educated, ensuring they’re supporting their communities and running their sporting organisations, Mr Speaker. That’s what we’re fighting for, Mr Speaker.”
Please read this in LOUD NOISES
Updated
Tanya Plibersek to Scott Morrison:
Malcolm Turnbull said today about ‘the national energy guarantee, it’s been abandoned by the federal government, I regret that, naturally, as indeed I think just about everyone in the federal government’. Does the prime minister also regret abandoning his own national energy guarantee, which he promised would bring down power prices?”
Morrison:
Please refer to the previous answers.
Updated
Meanwhile, in the Senate, Mathias Cormann seems to be thanking the Greens and Kristina Keneally appears to be agreeing with Cormann:
In Senate #qt @MathiasCormann tells the Greens
— Kristina Keneally (@KKeneally) December 4, 2018
“You voted with the Liberal & National Senators against Labor’s CPRS. If you hadn’t, it would have been very hard for us to unscramble that egg.”
Update to the Pollies v Press carol sing-off: Katie Purvis was right, Andrew Leigh’s office now tells me. It was to the tune of Ding Dong Merrily on High.
Leigh’s staffers are now stuck listening to Britney Spears sing Jingle All the Way on repeat as punishment.
My apologies to the good carollers of Parliament House.
I believe the tune would be ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’, not ‘Angels We Have Hesrd on High’. Different carols. 😀
— Katie Purvis (@katiemelb) December 3, 2018
Updated
Straight after Senate question time, Fraser Anning, Amanda Stoker and Barry O’Sullivan have come together to move this motion:
To move that the Senate –
(a) notes that the Queensland Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 commences on 3 December 2018;
(b) condemns the fact that, as a result of this act, from that day late-term abortion is lawful in Queensland, despite the fact that it involves the killing of children otherwise capable of survival outside of the womb;
(c) recognises that, given killing a child is a crime punishable by imprisonment for life, it is repugnant to treat killing a child only days before its due date as anything less than a crime; and
(d) strongly condemns the Queensland government for its new abortion laws, and calls on the Liberal National party opposition to commit to repeal them when elected to office.
But Anning, the man with the biggest family travel bill in the parliament, (almost $20,000 in the last quarter, the Courier Mail reports) is not done – he also wants to introduce a bill to save couples who were married before marriage equality was legal and now feel like they have to divorce to protect the sanctity of hetero-marriage. Or something. I can’t keep up. All I know is that a lot more people are happy, there are a lot more wonderful weddings to attend and as far as I know, no one has married a bridge.
Anning:
To move that the following bill be introduced: A bill for an act to amend the law relating to sex discrimination and marriage, and for related purposes. Sex discrimination and marriage legislation amendment (protecting supporters of traditional marriage) bill 2018.
Updated
Mark Butler to Scott Morrison:
Does he agree with the recently retired former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who said today, ‘at the moment, the cost of intermittent renewable generation is coming down dramatically, with improvements in technology? As is the cost of battery storage. So it’s hardly surprising that new coal-fired generation simply cannot compete’.”
Morrison (paraphrasing):
Here are somethings I do agree with.
My policies.
He finishes with this:
We will be introducing as the energy minister’s outlined, our legislation to have available to the government a big stick to deal with the big energy companies.
It’s the – I hear them mock and jeer, as they do, every time we mentioned the fact that we are prepared to actually take on the big energy companies. Mock all you like. Sneer and the rest of it, but understand this – every time you say this, you are thumbing your nose at the Australian customers of energy in this country. You are saying, the Labor party is choosing the big energy parties, gouging customers, over mums and dads, pensioners of this country.
“We are not afraid to say we will take a big stick to the energy companies. We are not afraid to say that we will put these powers in place to even up the score for electricity customers.
“What I do know is that the Labor party will continue to oppose this legislation. They do not want the powers introduced to this parliament that will enable us to even up the score for customers, and as a result, they will run away with the energy and police and cuddle up to them, but I can tell you that our government won’t.
“When we have met with the electricity companies, we’ve had one simple message, drop your prices, bring them down.
“That’s what the Australian people want, what their customers want. As their profits have increased, so have prices, and we don’t think that’s fair, so we will introduce legislation to this parliament that puts pressure on the energy companies to do the right thing by their customers, and the Labor party is going to oppose it. They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Just a reminder that the “big stick” has been blunted, because of threats of legal action, party room disquiet and the basic Liberal belief that the government shouldn’t have control over private companies. So the big stick is now a roll of Glad Wrap that the government has to ask the federal court to use.
Updated
On Monday Centre Alliance voted with the government to delay a scheduled vote on Labor’s bill to repeal religious exemptions that allow schools to discriminate against LGBT students.
Today after question time there will be two motions on this issue: the government will try to send the bill to committee; and Labor’s Penny Wong will push for the bill to be voted on on Wednesday. It sounds like Centre Alliance could help the bill come to a vote this week.
Senator Rex Patrick told Guardian Australia:
The 24 hours has provided us with clear air and has been very helpful. We are close to determining a position that might see a vote tomorrow.”
Patrick said the party was still weighing “the right landing point” to ensure “no discrimination but with appropriate religious protections”.
Updated
2018 House of Reps class photo @AmyRemeikis @murpharoo @GuardianAus #PoliticsLive https://t.co/OQvAblZlh3 pic.twitter.com/6OKT9Tt6TX
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) December 4, 2018
The class of 2018 - Auspic have captured some group photos of Members of the House of Representatives in the 45th Parliament. pic.twitter.com/1DEZaoP3l8
— Australian House of Representatives (@AboutTheHouse) December 4, 2018
Updated
Rebehka Sharkie to Michael McCormack:
There have been three deaths in Mayo in the last fortnight. South Australia has 7% of the nation’s population. South Australia received supplementary road funding which was cut by the Abbot government in 2014. Centre Alliance successfully negotiated with the Turnbull government to reinstate $40 million’ supplementary road funding over two years but that will end in June 20 19. Will you commit to extending the road funding beyond June 2019 so we can have an equitable share of the federal road funding?”
McCormack talks about wanting to bring all road deaths to zero and says the government will consider it.
That gives him another three minutes to Michael McCormack the chamber on road funding.
In Senate question time Labor’s Kimberley Kitching has asked about this statement in November from Scott Morrison ruling out a change in leadership rules:
John Howard also had this strong view and it is that we represent our elected members of parliament, they go to parliament and they elect who their leader is to run their parliamentary party … So we don’t have any plans to change our processes.”
The finance minister Mathias Cormann explained the prime minister’s change of heart:
The leadership team have had a number of conversations [to ensure] the Australian people can be confident if Scott Morrison is successful at the next election he will remain the prime minister until the election after that.”
Kitching also noted that in August Morrison said “regulating for culture is never effective”.
Updated
Bill Shorten comes back with some more Malcolm Turnbull. I don’t think Turnbull has ever been so popular in the chamber before.
Shorten:
Does the current prime minister agree with the recently retired former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who said today there’s never been a national energy policy that has had more universal support than the national energy guarantee? And why won’t the prime minister implement a national energy guarantee with his own energy targets?
Scott Morrison: (while the backbench pretend to be interested)
The leader of the opposition may not be aware that the former prime minister has just tweeted: “I have not endorsed Labor’s energy policy. Labor have not demonstrated that their 45% emissions reduction target will not push up prices.” That’s what the former prime minister said, and he is absolutely right. Labor have not and they cannot demonstrate that their reckless 45% economy wrecking, as the Business Council has said, emissions reduction target of 45% will not increase power prices, because of course it will increase power prices. Our target of 26% has been clear for years. It is unchanged. The whole purpose of the design of the original national energy guarantee ...”
Shorten:
On direct relevance. I asked thePrime Minister about former Prime Minister Turnbull’s comments on the national energy guarantee, and then I asked him, why won’t the Prime Minister implement them with his own emissions targets? The Prime Minister has studiously avoided dealing with Prime Minister Turnbull’s comments on the Neg.
Morrison (effectively)
We have targets and we are meeting targets and we will smash Kyoto 2.
“We will meet our 2030 target, Mr Speaker.”
Ummm, I interject to say, no, it doesn’t actually, on the facts, look like we will be meeting our 2030 targets. As Greg Jericho reports:
On Friday the government released the latest quarterly greenhouse gas emissions figures. For once the government did not try to bury the news, but they certainly were not eager to highlight the figures which show that our emissions continue to rise and that we are nowhere near a path towards reaching our Paris commitment to reduce emissions by 26% from 2005 level by 2030.
“The way the government releases greenhouse gas emissions data gives a pretty good insight into the low regard they have for the issue of climate change.”
Updated
Andrew Gee provides the runway for more Michael McCormack.
Excuse me while I go make a cup of tea.
And Scott Morrison answers with this:
The policy that was being pursued by the government did not include a 45% emissions reduction target. As a result, Mr Speaker, when we pursued this policy, it was not with the policy being suggested by the Labor party.
“The Labor party refuses to be honest with the Australian people, that a 45% emissions reduction target, which is the centrepiece of their national energy guarantee, a 45% emissions reduction target that will wipe-out smelting industries, that will wipe out steel industries, Mr Speaker, which will wipe out agriculture...
“... Which of these industries will go first under the Labor party with their economy-wrecking 45% emissions reduction target?
“The Business Council of Australia made it pretty clear, the emissions target of 26%, they said, that’s their words, if you’d like to reread it for them ... The emissions target of 26% reduction is achievable. That’s what we’re doing and that’s what we’re committed to.
“They said a 45% emissions reduction target is, I quote, an economy-wrecking target, Mr Speaker. That’s what the Labor party is proposing if their elected. Make no mistake, if the Labor party is elected, they are promoting and proposing dramatic and wide scale changes to the economy of this country.
“They are looking to change it all, Mr Speaker, when it comes to the economic management of this country. That is exactly what they did back in 2007. In 2007, they pretended to be fiscal conservatives, and we all know that that was a big fat lie, Mr Speaker, and they sought to hoodwink the Australian people back in 2007.
“Following the election of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government at that time, they pursued reckless economic policies that drove the budget into deficit, which drove the economy to its brink, Mr Speaker.
“For the last period we’ve cleaned up their wreckage. Next April we will bring surplus for the first time in more than a decade because of sensible, rational economic policies. The Labor party wants to put up taxes. More than $200bn worth of higher taxes on the Australian economy.
“That will throw a wet blanket on jobs, Mr Speaker, and it will drive up the cost of living for Australians, whether they’re pensioners, mums and dads, paying school fees or just trying to get ahead, Mr Speaker. The Labor party is proposing radical change to the economic management of this country and that spells a weaker economy and higher taxes under the Labor party.”
The Rudd-Gillard-Rudd attack was much more effective when it wasn’t Abbott-Tunbull-Morrison.
Updated
As Bill Shorten asks this:
Does the current prime minister agree with the previous prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who said today about the national energy guarantee, and I quote, there was a minority of Coalition MPs who effectively torpedoed what was fundamentally a very good technology agnostic energy policy which united climate and energy policy and would enable us to bring prices and keep the lights on.
Turnbull tweeted this:
I have not endorsed “Labor’s energy policy”. They have adopted the NEG mechanism ✔️ but have not demonstrated that their 45% emissions reduction target will not push up prices. I encouraged all parties to stick with Coalition’s NEG which retains wide community support.
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) December 4, 2018
Updated
Bert van Manen gets the first dixer and Scott Morrison is very happy to talk about how great the government is.
Updated
Question time begins
We get a reminder that Peter Dutton is still on medical leave and then get straight into it.
Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison:
Does the current prime minister agree, with the recently retired former prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, who said today about the national energy guarantee, and I quote, ‘it was a vital piece of economic policy. It had strong support, and none stronger, I might say, than that of the current prime minister and current treasurer’.”
Morrison:
The proposal, Mr Speaker, that was considered by the government that the former prime minister had brought to cabinet, and had been considered by that government, had a 26% emissions reduction target, a 26% emissions reduction target.
“What the Labor party is proposing is to legislate to make law a 45% emissions reduction target. This side of the house do not support a 45% emissions reduction fund get, which is part of the Labor party’s plan.
“They might like to dress up their 45% emissions reduction target as a national energy guarantee, but what it is is a 45% emissions reduction target, which is a thumping big electricity tax, Mr Speaker. It will force up electricity prices, whether you’re a pensioner, householder, raising kids, small or family business, Labor’s policies will meanAustralians will pay more.
“They will pay more in taxes, more for their electricity and private health insurance. They will pay more under what Labor is proposing because Labor only thing the only way to run a government is to make everything cost more, to put your taxes up, Mr Speaker.
“You know why they do that? Because they don’t know how to run a strong economy, they don’t know how to manage a budget. That’s their history every time they get into government and the people know it. They know the leader of the Labor party and all of the Labor party members cannot manage money, and they cannot manage a budget and that’s why they can’t be trusted in government to run a budget. Because if you can’t run a budget, you can’t run an economy, you can’t guarantee essential services.”
Tony Burke interrupts to say Morrison has spent two minutes talking about the Labor party but did not actually answer the question.
Morrison continues, but does not answer the question.
Updated
Question time is about to begin.
It is time for Who’s that MP – and it is Craig Kelly.
Updated
This seems a very bad idea no matter how you look at it – Latika Bourke from Fairfax reports Stuart Robert plans on headlining a Liberal party fundraiser about … the banking royal commission.
Assistant Treasurer Stuart Robert will headline a Liberal Party fundraiser that promises political donors an insight into the government’s potential response to the banking royal commission.
“The lunch, hosted by Liberal National Party backbencher Andrew Wallace, has been slammed by Labor as a crass attempt to capitalise on an explosive probe the Coalition had long opposed.”
We could save you some money.
The government voted against it almost 30 times, then were forced into it after the National party began to revolt. Then the banks, trying to end the endless bad publicity, called on the government to call one.
And then we got the Hayne review.
Updated
The three stages of not being able to catch a break
Updated
So to pass the divesture legislation, the government needs two more votes.
Bob Katter would be a yes. But they need one more crossbencher to come across to pass the legislation.
The committee looking at increasing Asis officers’ use of force have tabled its report:
The committee supported the two main aims of the bill which were to:
- enable the minister to specify additional persons outside Australia who may be protected by an Asis staff member or agent, and
- provide that an Asis staff member or agent performing specified activities outside Australia will be able to use reasonable and necessary force in the performance of an Asis function.
In its report the committee noted the extensive consultation process that Asis undertook with the inspector general of intelligence and security (Igis) in the drafting of the bill.
In judging the legitimacy reasonableness and transparency — including appropriate oversight — of the bill the committee had regard to the:
- comprehensive consultation and decision making process that must be undertaken by the minister before authorising the use of these powers,
- guidelines surrounding the use of these powers, and
- oversight provided by referral of these guidelines to the Igis and this committee.
The committee noted that the oversight requirements in the bill replicate existing oversight requirements and provide an appropriate level of transparency recognising the necessary sensitivities of Asis activities.
The committee was satisfied with the provisions contained in the bill and recommended that the intelligence services amendment bill 2018 be passed.
The PJCIS chair, Mr Andrew Hastie MP, said the tabling of this report is an example of the non-partisan and consultative manner in which the committee are able to scrutinise national security legislation.
Further information about the inquiry can be accessed via the committee’s website at http://www.aph.gov.au/pjcis.
Updated
Mike Bowers has also had some fun with the light in the press gallery today.
Updated
John Howard gets a library, as seen by Mike Bowers.
Updated
We are approaching full inception.
Here’s @mpbowers lying down on the job just behind Josh Frydenberg and Angus “Biggus Stickus” Taylor pic.twitter.com/HsQrxpGEs4
— James Jeffrey (@James_Jeffrey) December 4, 2018
Updated
Here is how the government are explaining the changes:
The Liberal National Government will introduce legislation which will provide a range of penalties and remedies for companies that engage in misconduct.
The legislation follows a review conducted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which identified problems in the retail, wholesale and the contract market calling the situation “unacceptable and unsustainable.”
The Treasury Laws Amendment (Prohibiting Energy Market Misconduct) Bill 2018 will amend the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA) to define the energy market misconduct to be prohibited and to provide a series of graduated and targeted remedies.
Prohibited misconduct in the electricity sector includes:
· A retail pricing prohibition focussed on conduct by retailers where they fail to reasonably pass through sustained and substantial electricity supply chain cost savings to end consumers.
· A contract liquidity prohibition to prevent energy companies from withholding hedge contracts for the purpose of substantially lessening competition.
· A wholesale conduct prohibition to stop generators from manipulating the spot market, such as withholding supply.
Where prohibited misconduct is found by the ACCC to have occurred, the following remedies will be available:
-
ACCC issued warning notices and infringement notices.
-
Court-ordered civil penalties up to the greatest of: $10 million; three times the value of the total benefit attributable to the conduct or 10 per cent of the annual turnover of the corporation in the 12 months before the conduct occurred.
- On the recommendation of the ACCC, Treasurer-issued Contracting Orders that will permit the Treasurer to require electricity companies to offer electricity financial contracts to third parties.
- On the recommendation of the ACCC, and following an application by the Treasurer, Federal Court issued Divestiture Orders relating to misconduct in thewholesale market.
Under the legislation court ordered Divestiture Orders can only be made where the corporation’s conduct is fraudulent, dishonest or in bad faith, for the purpose of distorting or manipulating prices, and the Divestiture Order is proportionate and targeted to the conduct. The Treasurer can only make an application to the court where both the ACCC and Treasurer are satisfied the order would result in a net public benefit.
The legislation will apply to government owned enterprises. In such cases any divestiture may be made to another government owned energy company where the two entities genuinely compete with one another.
The legislation will sunset in 2025, at the conclusion of the ACCC monitoring inquiry. There will be a Government led review of the legislation in 2024.
The Government’s legislation as it applies to divestment is industry limited, sunsetted and requires a court order. It is consistent with similar laws in the United Kingdom which permit divestiture under the Enterprise Act and the United States which permits divestiture under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
Introducing legislation to hold energy companies to account for misconduct is part of our plan to deliver a more affordable and reliable energy system and a stronger economy.
Lyndal Curtis, a legend around these press gallery halls, is doing a little photography work experience with Mike Bowers today.
Former PM John Howard walks past his old work place on the way to opening the John Howard Library at Old Parliament House (deleted first tweet because of typo 🤓) pic.twitter.com/TOOiwPdCGP
— Lyndal Curtis (@lyndalcurtis) December 4, 2018
Updated
The sky writer doesn’t seem to agree with Angus and Josh @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus @murpharoo #PoliticsLive https://t.co/OQvAblZlh3 pic.twitter.com/hfouTC6SY8
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) December 4, 2018
So basically the changes boil down to the ACCC pinging the company for being on their radar for bad behaviour. If it doesn’t change its behaviour, then it can let the treasurer know. The treasurer can then put together a proposal for divesture which the federal court can then rule on.
The old proposal was the treasurer would have the final say.
So the big stick now has a hell of a lot of bubble wrap around it.
Updated
So the potential legal challenges, and the discomfort from members of the party room, has seen Josh Frydenberg confirm a watered-down version of the divesture legislation.
The backbench got everything it wanted, in short.
But the biggest star of the press conference was the sky writer who was busy constructing a giant NO just above Frydenberg and Angus Taylor as they spoke.
Updated
Greens to issue challenge to Labor on Adani mine
The Australian Greens held their party room meeting this morning.
During the meeting, the WA Greens senator Rachel Siewert stood aside as co-deputy leader and Larissa Waters, the recently returned to parliament Queensland Greens senator, was unanimously re-elected as co-deputy leader.
The Greens plan to introduce a motion in the Senate today saying “the Adani Carmichael coalmine should not go ahead”, to see how Labor votes on it. They say they’re sick of Labor trying to have a bet each way on the Adani mine and it’s time it picks a side.
Waters wants to bring on her “Stop Adani” bill for debate in the Senate on Thursday afternoon, in general business time, assuming that the government doesn’t modify the Senate schedule.
The Greens also want to introduce a bill to the Senate tomorrow saying the Galilee coal basin should not be opened up for coalmining.
The Greens say Bill Shorten could stop the mine tomorrow by announcing that he’ll place all the environmental approvals under review. They say the Franklin River Dam campaign was won with a Labor leader from opposition saying he’d stop the project if elected, so if Shorten made a similar announcement today the whole thing would grind to a halt.
On encryption, the Greens say it doubts Labor has the spine to stand up to the government on this. It says if Labor begins trumpeting a compromise, you can be you’ll need to be extra careful about the detail.
Updated
As reported by Katharine Murphy last night, (and hinted at in her column on Saturday) the government was looking at major changes to its divesture policy after a group of dissenters starting raising objections to the very un-Liberal idea of splitting up private companies.
Angus Taylor, biggus stickus himself, and Josh Frydenberg have just called a press conference.
Updated
Labor’s caucus met this morning, and the main items of business were a series of private member’s bills being pushed by the newly emboldened crossbench.
Labor agreed to support the Greens’ bill to prevent public funds being used to indemnify new coal power plants. Labor will support Rebekha Sharkie’s live export ban bill.
It will not oppose the national integrity commission bill, and noted that it has already been referred to a Senate inquiry.
Labor will support Kerryn Phelps’ bill for medical transfers from Manus and Nauru subject to three conditions:
- The minister or his/her delegate must have signoff on all medical transfers.
- If a transfer is refused the minister must provide a statement of reasons to parliament.
- The establishment of an independent health advice panel.
All speakers were supportive of the bill: one was pleased it extends to adults; another said the minister must retain responsibility in order for there to be proper merits review of decisions.
Updated
John Howard has a library:
Mr Howard, I want to thank you for your friendship and advice over a long period of time. I want to thank you both for your lifetime of service that continues.
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) December 4, 2018
It is an honour to open the Howard Library.
MORE: https://t.co/ikBy3bk5d1 #SkyLiveNow pic.twitter.com/oxz9Tjc7mZ
Labor will support Phelps bill for medical transfers from Nauru subject to 3 conditions - minister gets sign-off on transfers, must table reasons if they refuse and establish a health advice panel. Sounds like they want to preserve discretion to refuse transfers. #auspol
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) December 4, 2018
And on his comments that members of the party room were prepared to blow up the government to stop the Neg, Malcolm Turnbull says he has done nothing more than lay out the facts:
They’re factual. The events around the national energy guarantee everybody saw. They played out in the public gaze. So, you know, there’s no point pretending it didn’t happen. There’s no point pretending the national energy guarantee wasn’t a policy of the government that had just about universal support in industry and business, had overwhelming support of the party room, and there’s no point denying the fact that it was derailed by a determined minority who are not prepared to go along with the views of the majority.
This is a fundamental problem that you face in a political party where there is a premise that everybody accepts the consensus, goes along with the majority, that’s the way it’s got to work. If you have a group who are prepared to threaten to blow the show up if they don’t get what they want, then it becomes very hard to work. And the Neg was a casualty of that. And that’s ... that is a fact. I’ve stated no more than the facts.
So does he support Bill Shorten’s battery plan, which is what Steven Marshall in SA is also planning on doing?
Well, I certainly support Steven Marshall’s policies. I think he’s given ... He is just an extraordinary breath of fresh air for South Australia. And what he’s doing is making sure that South Australia, which has, as we heard in the presentations today, you know, an incredible renewable energy resource, huge wind resource, has the storage and the back-up to make sure that it’s reliable and I think, you know, with the benefit of hindsight, I think even the most devoted supporters of the Labor party in South Australia would say that it should have been done earlier but, just as I said earlier, you can’t live your life backwards, so Steven is getting on with the job and doing a great job in South Australia.
Updated
On the reports that Scott Morrison is planning on “taking the gloves off” when dealing with him and “threats” to expel him from the party, Turnbull says:
No one has made those threats. I think that would no doubt delight you to have more conflict in the Liberal party, but Scott has my support and he’s ... I regularly give him the benefit of my advice which, of course he’s free to take or not as he sees fit.
Updated
We are still on Malcolm Turnbull, because he is now holding a press conference.
On his intervention which ended with Craig Kelly absolutely being saved, because once it was public that he wanted it and was gainsaying Scott Morrison, then the party executive was forced to fall into line, even if not all members want to (that’s politics, folks, and I think we can all agree that was one part of being a politician Turnbull was never great at), the former prime minister says this:
Look, I made ... the background to that was on Sunday I spoke to a number of members of the state executive. And as I’m entitled to, as anyone is entitled to, particularly as a member of the Liberal party, and I said the pre-selection process should go ahead in the electorate of Hughes and the Liberal party members of Hughes should have their say as to who their candidate should be.
Right? That was my view.
Now, those were private discussions. At least one of the people I spoke to, chose to share a very colourful and not entirely accurate version of that discussion with the media.
Which then put me in the position where I either allowed that to be verballed by that, or to set out clearly, calmly, cogently, what my position was, which is what I did. So that’s, you know, my intervention – so-called –was, in fact, a series of private discussions, the reason they get into the public domain was because of the indiscretion of at least one of those people I spoke to.
Asked if this means that threatening to cross the floor or sitting as an independent now means the party will step in and save someone from a preselection loss, Turnbull says:
You may very well say that but I couldn’t possibly comment. In fact, you know I have exactly commented on that in my remarks yesterday, but I don’t, I really don’t need to add to them.
The decision has been taken by state executive and those responsible, the prime minister and those people that supported it will obviously ... they have to ... they’re accountable for their decisions, as we all are.
Just in case you needed the reminder, yesterday, Turnbull’s comments were that this would be the “worst and weakest response” to that sort of threat.
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The Greens have elected Larissa Waters as the co-deputy of the party:
Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale has congratulated Sen. Larissa Waters on her return to the position of Co-Deputy Leader of the Greens, a position she vacated as a result of her resignation from the Parliament over questions of eligibility under Section 44 of the constitution.
“It’s wonderful to see Larissa resume her role as Co-Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens. Losing Larissa was a huge blow to the party and to the Parliament, so it’s wonderful to be able to welcome her back to this leadership position and put that chapter well and truly behind us.
“Larissa brings a wealth of experience to the parliamentary leadership team, as well as a long a distinguished track record as an advocate for the environment, women and transparency in Government. I’m confident that she’ll bring her unique voice to the position and that our party room will be richer for it.
“I’d like to thank Sen Rachel Siewert for all her hard work in the role, which she took up in addition to her duties as Party Whip. Rachel is a tireless advocate for Australia’s first peoples, as well as for the millions of Australians receiving Government support, and she has elevated their voices in our party room.”
“I’m so honoured to be returning to the Co-Deputy leadership of the Greens, a party with the vision and commitment for a fairer and more sustainable future for all of us. I’m pleased that the women’s portfolio is now back in party leadership at a most pivotal time for women, not just in politics in Australia but across a range of issues impacting women’s equality around the world,” Sen. Waters said.
Adam Bandt MP will remain in his position as Co-Deputy Leader.
Sen. Rachel Siewert continues as Party Whip.
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John Howard had a chat to Sky News before accepting his library.
He’s a fan of the Liberal leadership rule changes which, just a short while ago, he did not think were necessary.
“They preserve the authority of the parliamentary party completely when it comes to choosing a leader,” he says. “They just deal with the process with which that occurs.
“I’ve got nothing to say about that [Malcolm Turnbull not being consulted]. I am just reporting what happened in relation to me and I have no comment on that.”
And on Craig Kelly: “I think Scott has handled himself correctly, appropriately and effectively in relation to this. There is nothing unusual about a prime minister getting involved in an appropriate way, in procedures surrounding preselection. It happened years ago with Bob Menzies. I was aware of it when I sat on the NSW state executive of the Liberal party. It happened when I was prime minister. What Scott has done is not in anyway out of the ordinary. It is entirely consummate with the Liberal party.”
Also despairing Liberals – Pip, pip. Chin up and all that.
“I am optimistic about our prospects. We have a very strong economy, it is a stellar economy, by world standards. We are once again demonstrating we are on national security, this encryption issue, that we are the strong protagonist on national security and the Labor party is getting wobbly on that, which it has done in the past and, on top of that, there is no ‘it’s time’ factor.
“This government has only been in power for five years and we don’t have the ‘it’s time’ factor that existed way back in 2007.”
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The attorney general, Christian Porter, and Labor’s Mark Dreyfus are still negotiating on the government’s telecommunications assistance and access bill, known as the encryption bill.
Expectations of a bipartisan deal have been raised by the fact that the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security has cancelled today’s scheduled public hearing.
On Monday there was a public disagreement between Labor – which wants an interim bill limiting new powers to break encryption to terrorist offences and child sex crimes – and Porter, who wants a whole bill passed this week.
The government is looking to introduce a bill on Wednesday, suggesting the parties are getting closer but they’re still not there yet.
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And why is energy and climate policy so difficult to get through the Coalition party room?
Well, according to Malcolm Turnbull, it’s because there’s a “significant” group in their membership who just don’t believe climate change is real. And then he throws shade at Barnaby Joyce, because, well, now he can.
“The challenge is, that in the Coalition, there is a huge gulf between members, people on their views on energy. There is a significant percentage of the Coalition members who do not believe climate change is real, who think we should get out of Paris, for example, who would rather, even some, who would rather the government, instead of building Snowy 2, built a new coal-fired power station.
“You may remember Barnaby Joyce made that helpful suggestion in the last week of the Wentworth byelection.
“So you’ve got a very entrenched difference of opinion and the people who hold those views, have been, as you’ve seen with the Neg, are prepared to cross the floor, blow up the government, in order to get their way.
“So it is, at the moment, given the politics in the respective party rooms, it is very hard to reach a resolution on this.”
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Malcolm Turnbull said it was no longer the case that having more renewables meant higher power prices.
But then he brought up those in the party room, and the cabinet, who were prepared to embrace coal – no matter what – and how difficult that makes getting energy policy through the party room:
Part of the problem with the politics of energy, at least at the federal level, is it has been bedevilled by what I would call ideology and idiocy. I mean I would ... there are people who would look you in the eye and say, ‘Coal-fired power is cheaper,’ ‘New coal is cheaper,’ and I’d say, ‘OK, what price of coal are you assuming?’
Crickets.
‘How much coal do you have to burn to generate a megawatt of power?’ Crickets. ‘What’s the coal plant going to cost to build and operate?’ More crickets.
This is not a religious issue. This is an issue that has to be grounded in engineering and economics. We know that we need to decarbonise.
And, by the way, we have the opportunity to decarbonise and deliver cheaper power as well. So how good a deal is that?
So that is what we need to do and that is why the technology-agnostic policies my government delivered, or proposed in the form of the Neg, were able to do that.
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During the Q&A session after his speech (with the questions being asked by the “smart energy” people in the room), Malcolm Turnbull spoke about how difficult it was to get energy policy done in the party room.
“I have to say, I gave this my best shot. With the national energy guarantee, working with Josh and with Scott, and the cabinet, we got support from the states, we got support from the industry, we got support from obviously the cabinet, but support form the party room, on three occasions. Majority support. Never unanimous support. But in a House of Representatives where we had a majority of one, which is what we had at the time, obviously a small minority can effect enormous leverage. And that is a candid explanation of the challenge.
“I have to say that business, and indeed state governments, whether they are Liberal or Labor, are taking a completely different approach. They are getting on with the job and recognising that this transition to a clean energy future is one that we have to embark on, and you need certainty of investment.
“My regret about the Neg not going ahead is that, we came so close to having, for the first time in a long time, a consensus on a national energy policy. And that provides the certainty which allows investment to occur.”
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New law extends waiting time for migrants to get welfare
Laws extending the waiting time for migrants to receive welfare payments have passed parliament, after the Morrison government cut a deal with Labor.
The Australian Council of Social Service and the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia had urged Labor to vote down the bill on Monday, once it had become clear there were enough crossbenchers opposed to block the legislation.
But Labor, which said it had won concessions from the government to soften the bill, sided with the Coalition on Monday night. The opposition argued it had cut a deal to avoid the government later negotiating even tougher measures with parties such as One Nation.
“Let’s make one thing clear, we had the numbers to block this – if Labor had bothered to even ask the Greens and the crossbench,” the Greens senator Rachel Siewert said.
“But that’s not what they wanted. They thought they could get stakeholders to back them in, do a deal with the government so that they will have $1.3bn in ‘savingss if they win government next year, and then pretend that’s what the sector wanted.”
The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia initially backed the bill but pulled its support when enough crossbench senators said they were willing to block it.
The changes mean migrants will have to wait four years, rather than three, to receive payments such as Newstart, Youth Allowance and Austudy, as well as one year for parental leave and one year for family tax benefit A.
The government had wanted a blanket four-year wait time but agreed to shorter periods after negotiating with Labor.
Wait times will not apply to single-parent migrant families or those with one income earner.
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Malcolm Turnbull urges the government to revive the Neg
Malcolm Turnbull finished his speech by talking about the Neg and how its downfall was linked to his own:
“There was a minority of Coalition MPs who effectively torpedoed what was fundamentally a very good technology-agnostic policy, which united climate and energy policy, and would enable us to bring down prices and keep the lights on.
“I just want to note, I did not abandon the Neg as our policy. But in fact, it remained, but in the frantic last week of my prime ministership and the insurgency which, of course, undermined it and ultimately brought it to an end, the cabinet resolved not to introduce the legislation until we were confident we could secure its passage.
“Anxious to keep the government together, I didn’t want to see an important piece of economic legislation being defeated on the floor of the House.
“Anyway, that was very disappointing and I want to give great credit to Josh Frydenberg; he did a huge amount of work with his state colleagues to put it in place, the Neg, there has never been a national energy policy, I think, which has had more universal support.
“And, like Julie Bishop and many others, I would encourage at the risk of being criticised for speaking about politics, which apparently former prime ministers aren’t allowed to do, according to some in the media, I strongly encourage my colleagues to work together to revive the national energy guarantee.
“It was a vital piece of economic policy; it had strong support, and none stronger, I might say, then that of the current prime minister and the current treasurer.
“Let me simply conclude by saying that while the abandonment of the national energy guarantee obviously creates a vacuum of energy policy at the federal level, of course that provides the opportunity for the states to get on and lead, and that is what NSW is doing.
“It is important to recognise the other very considerable achievements in energy that have been made, by the Coalition government, including during the time I was prime minister.
“We ensured that we set up an ACCC inquiry into the electricity and the retail sector, retail electricity prices and out of that came some very valuable recommendations ... underwriting firm generation on a technology-agnostic basis for commercial and industrial users. We have advanced almost all of the recommendations of the Finkel review.
“We secured agreement from energy retailers to get a better deal for 2m households and we were able to abolish the limited merits review process, which had allowed network companies to game the system at the expense of Australian and consumers.
“Had it been done earlier, consumers would have been over $6bn better off ... it was a very important reform and I have talked about Snowy 2 and I have talked about the battery of the nation and, of course, the rather, what would I say, it was rather blunt intervention I had to make in the gas market, which I felt a bit uncomfortable as a Liberal prime minister, threatening to limit exports, but it worked and we were able to secure more gas on the east coast and that obviously has been very significant both for industry and households.”
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Malcolm Turnbull has begun his speech a the NSW Smart Energy Summit.
He mentions how he spent his summer reading up on hydro electricity, and again, how you need something for when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.
Like batteries?
John Howard is in the house – Old Parliament House, that is.
He is getting a library named after him.
Mike Bowers is there. Well, he’s almost there. He’s packing up his gear.
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The party room meetings are beginning – the last scheduled ones for the year.
I am sure the Liberal party is joining hands to sing “We are one, but we are many”, play pin the blue tie on the true Liberal and just take an Oprah moment to acknowledge they made it through the year.
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Oh look.
Roman Quaedvlieg wrote a book. And it is coming out just before the election. I wonder what could be in it?
Former Australian Border Force Commissioner @quaedvliegs to publish explosive memoir ‘Tour de Force’. Out 5 March 2019. https://t.co/jSlfSv9A6J#NewRelease pic.twitter.com/aS94OcNbvC
— Melbourne University Publishing (@MUPublishing) December 3, 2018
Told by (I think it was a Sky reporter) that the new leadership rules would have saved his prime ministership, Malcolm Turnbull replies:
That’s true. That’s a good point. A very good point. Perhaps you could say better late than never.
Updated
Malcolm Turnbull welcomes leadership rule changes
Malcolm Turnbull, whose leadership of the Liberal party would have been saved by the new rule changed announced by Scott Morrison overnight, has embraced the change.
People will welcome the prospect of there being, you know, fewer – well, less of the, sort of, revolving-door prime ministership, which I think was the way Scott Morrison referred to it last night. So, I think it’s a welcome reform. Of course, how effective it will be, time will tell.
That time-will-tell bit is because changing the rule only requires a party room vote of 50% plus one. And, on top of that, we don’t actually know the mechanics of this rule change – is it a constitutional change, or is it just someone stood at a podium and declared it so? Does each state branch have to ratify it? How does that happen? What happens if one of the states doesn’t pass it?
Labor makes nods towards the party room rules in its constitution, but it is not spelled out, making it easy, if necessary, for the party room to change those rules without changing the constitution.
But we are yet to learn how the Liberal party plans to make these new rules concrete.
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Steve Ciobo was on Sky this morning with the latest incarnation of Don’t Dream It’s Over:
My focus is upon those issues that matter to Australians, how the economy is going, what we doing to create jobs, what we are doing to get tax rates down, how we are balancing the budget, the first surplus budget that Australia’s have had now, since the Coalition was last in power …
The government’s moved, we have moved swiftly, we have heard what Australians have said. We have implemented this change and this brings assurance to Australians that who they vote for will be the one [to lead the party] …
What we’ve got to do is get on with the job. We’ve got a lot to deal with.
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Andrew Leigh’s office has just passed along the lyrics to the Christmas carol the politicians sang in the sort-of-annual-but-always-interrupted Pollies v Press Christmas carol sing-off. I am told it was performed to the tune of Ding Don Merrily on High*.
Ding dong, election day is nigh
Your local MP’s calling
Ding dong, how ya doing, hi
It’s promises we’re bringing
To Victoria, or whatever your state is.
Victoria, or whatever your state is.
Shorten and Morrison will vie
That pendulum is swinging
Hoping soon to be the guy
With flagpins and with zingers
In Victoria, or whatever your state is.
Victoria, or whatever your state is.
Journos roll a cynic’s eye
Their hands are always wringing
Would be nice to see them try
To dodge all that mudslinging
In Victoria, or whatever your state is.
Victoria, or whatever your state is.
*the carol tune has been corrected.
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Coalition members and staff – Nola Marino wants you to know that a party room meeting has been called for all of you this morning at 9.30. It’s in the government party room.
Doug Cameron also stopped by doors this morning. He had this to say about the Liberals change of heart over leadership rules:
Look absolutely too little too late. This Coalition is absolutely consumed by their own internals.
Malcolm Turnbull, if that rule was in, would still be the leader. No one can explain why Malcolm Turnbull had to go.
The polls are still tanking for this mob and no wonder the polls are tanking. They have got no environment policy, they have no economic policies, all they want to do is attack those that are the weakest in our community. So time for them to go.”
Updated
This has been a very important inquiry which hasn’t always got the attention it deserves, despite impacting so many Australians.
Reminder: The Senate Select Committee on Stillbirth Research & Education tables its final report today (Tues 4 Dec) at 3:30pm Canberra time. Livestream available via inquiry webpage: https://t.co/miiNZAioS9#StillbirthSenateInquiry #SenateInquiryStillbirth pic.twitter.com/LC04N3Rpnb
— Stillbirth CRE (@CREStillbirth) December 3, 2018
Malcolm Turnbull is talking energy this morning in Sydney, and has very handily tweeted his plans for all to see.
Looking forward to the @SmartEnergyCncl conference today - conveniently held at Pyrmont a short walk from a ferry wharf. So after enjoying @GladysB public transport service can then hear her energy minister Don Harwin on NSW plans for transition to cleaner more affordable power. pic.twitter.com/jyZtKLvESc
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) December 3, 2018
The latest Essential poll is out and Labor has increased its two-party-preferred lead over the Coalition by two points.
As Katharine Murphy reports:
Labor has extended its lead over the Morrison government after a horror political fortnight, and the Coalition’s trenchant campaign against key opposition revenue measures, such as negative gearing and dividend imputation, does not seem to have gained much traction with voters.
The latest Guardian Essential poll shows Labor’s two-party-preferred lead over the government has blown out again to 54% to 46%. A fortnight ago Labor was ahead 52% to 48%, which suggested a tightening in the contest.
In the latest survey of 1,032 respondents, which follows a thumping electoral loss for the Liberals in the recent Victorian state election, and the defection of Julia Banks to the crossbench, Labor’s primary vote sits on 39% and the Coalition is on 38%.
Despite the latest poll indicating Labor would easily win an election held today, Morrison remains 11 points clear of the Labor leader Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister, with 40% of the sample rating him ahead of the Labor leader, and 29% backing Shorten.”
Updated
Tanya Plibersek was out on doors just a few moments ago with a few things to say about the leadership changes:
If Scott Morrison was really interested in stability, he would explain why he knifed Malcolm Turnbull, or he wouldn’t have done it in the first place. Nothing says stability like an emergency meeting of the Liberal party in the dead of night. And this government has now reached such crisis in the government that nobody believes that a simple rule change will actually bring certainty to the federal Liberal party.
What Scott Morrison’s got to watch is someone putting their arm around him and saying, “My ambition is for him.” This party is in chaos at the moment. All sorts of people are speculating that Julie Bishop is on the march. Who knows? I mean, is he really worried about his job, or does he have nothing better to do than try and shore up his leadership in the final weeks and months of this parliament?”
Updated
Mathias Cormann has been on ABC breakfast TV and held a small press conference in Parliament House to promote the government’s leadership rule change last night.
ABC host Virginia Trioli did her best to encourage Cormann to share interesting details about the conversation in the party room. She should know that’s like trying to turn a desert into an ocean. It never makes interesting TV.
Trioli: Did many speak out against the idea?
Cormann: Well this was definitely carried with overwhelming support. There was discussion about aspects of it, questions were asked, as you would expect in a meeting of this nature with a proposal of this nature ...
Trioli: I’m going to go back to my question. Did many speak out against the idea?
Cormann: I’m not going to give you a blow-by-blow description of the party room.
Trioli: Just after one blow.
Cormann: Well the one blow is that there was overwhelming support for the proposal that was put forward with the unanimous endorsement of the Liberal ministers in the ministry.
Sigh.
Updated
As was pointed out for Labor, and now, for the Coalition, one of the issues with the two-thirds rule, is that it doesn’t take two-thirds of the party room to change a rule.
So say you wanted to get rid of a leader. And say half the party room was in agreement with you, but you didn’t have two-thirds of the room on your side, you still have enough people to change the rule which stops you from being able to do what you want.
Labor has that issue too. These rules are made by people who know, that if necessary, they are made to be broken. I’m not saying it is going to happen. But if you have lost the support of half of your colleagues, you are in trouble, no matter what the rules say.
Updated
Good morning
Well, less than a month after telling Studio 10 this about why the Liberal party didn’t need leadership rules like the ones Labor put in place after Rudd-Gillard-Rudd:
We have a parliamentary democracy in Australia, it’s not a presidential system. John Howard also had this strong view and it is that we represent our elected members of parliament, they go to parliament and they elect who their leader is to run their parliamentary party. That has been the case since federation began and that is what a representative parliamentary democracy is, not just here or any other part of the world where that’s done. So we don’t have any plans to change our processes but what we have plans to do, is just get on with the job of governing.”
Last night, Scott Morrison said this:
Tonight our party made an historic decision, it is the biggest change to how our party deals with these issues, in 74 years. We understand, our entire party, the frustration and the disappointment that Australians have felt when governments and prime ministers that they have elected under their authority, under their power, has been taken from them with the actions of politicians here in Canberra. We’ve seen it on both sides of politics and the Liberal party has done it also as you all know. We understand that frustration, we understand that disappointment, we acknowledgment it and we take responsibility for it.
Tonight the Liberal party in acknowledging this, has made a decision. That decision is that an elected Liberal party leader who goes to the election, wins that election and becomes prime minister, they will remain prime minister for that full parliamentary term. They will not be able to be removed from that office. The only safeguard that is put in place is the very high bar of a special majority; that for that rule to be changed, it would require a two-thirds majority of the parliamentary party. Now in my experience around this place, such a majority is rarely if ever achieved when it comes to these matters. What this is doing is, the parliamentary Liberal party acknowledging that it’s own conduct over this period of time needs to be changed. It needs to be changed by that party limiting itself. Of course the Liberal party remains sovereign in how it makes these decisions and it has elected tonight, it has determined tonight that it has listened to the Australian people. It is willingly and enthusiastically putting this constraint to return the power of these decisions about who is prime minister in this country, to the Australian people.”
It’s the new, new Liberal party.
So with that behind it, Morrison is hoping to finally move on from August. Will it work? Well, it didn’t for Kevin Rudd. Just sayin’.
And there are also the party room meetings today, where Katharine Murphy has outlined the latest issue for the Liberal and National parties – the divesture legislation.
So energy is still bubbling along.
In other news, the government and Labor look like inching closer to a compromise on the encryption laws.
And there are still three days left.
Mike Bowers and the Guardian brains trust is on deck for you, and I’ll be bringing you their work throughout the day. You’ll find me on Twitter and the comments, when I get a moment. I can already tell this is going to be a four coffee day.
Ready?
Let’s get into it.
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