Night time political summary
- The coalition confirmed it will strip dual nationals involved in terrorist acts. There were reports of a cabinet backlash after the issue of removing citizenship from sole nationals was raised. As a result, Abbott deferred the issue. But don’t fret, it will be in the discussion paper.
- Philip Ruddock and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells have been appointed to talk about citizenship. And talk to community groups about what comes with Australian citizenship. Muslim community groups are feeling particularly marginalised.
- Bill Shorten has introduced a same sex marriage bill to take advantage of momentum after the Irish referendum.
- It was a torrid afternoon for the department of prime minister and cabinet in estimates, as officials had to answer questions around the ambassador to France Stephen Brady, the PM’s ANZAC trip and photographic gear for the PM’s embedded photographer. As intriguing as the detail was, there was no smoking gun.
Well that’s it for tonight, my friends. We will be back tomorrow but in the meantime, thanks to Mike Bowers for his lovely images. He is such a good sport, I made him write something on the PM’s photographer. And thanks too to the brains trust, Lenore Taylor, Daniel Hurst and Shalailah Medhora.
And just to keep you on the edge of your seat until we meet again, we will have small biz minister Bruce Billson at the press club tomorrow.
In the meantime, do as George Brandis does. Be alert, but not alarmed.
Good night.
If you have been following the estimates hearings, the point about the new photographic gear bought for the prime minister’s office is the relatively new practice (in Australia) of having a professional photographer embedded with the prime minister. They have been doing it in the US for years.
Don’t take my word for it. Here is Guardian Australia’s Mike Bowers, keeper of press photography knowledge.
Political pictures are all about access, the better the access the better the pictures. Having an “in house” professional photographer can be as valuable as a gifted speech writer in shaping a message for political leaders.
In the US they have understood this for decades. The white house has employed an official photographer since the Kennedy administration employed Cecil Stoughton in January 1961.
At its very best an official photographer can leave an invaluable documentary body of work. Stoughton’s picture of LBJ being sworn in as president on Air Force 1 after the Kennedy assassination remains the only record of the Johnson administration’s tumultuous beginning. At its worst an in-house photographers work can become partisan PR and a false history.
Kevin Rudd’s office had staff who were dedicated to producing both video and still pictures for use on any of the many online platforms used to get “the message”out. They were not, however, professionals who had made their living shooting either still pictures or video prior to their employment on the prime ministerial staff.
Tony Abbott is the first Australian Prime Minister to employ a professional TV cameraman. This allowed the shaping of his weekly recorded video message which was slick and high quality. The message was put out without having to run the gauntlet in the press gallery or invite all those pesky cameramen and sound people into the PM’s inner sanctum. He could take as much time as he wanted in getting it right with no risk of the outtakes appearing somewhere online.
The TV cameraman has recently returned to TV land and the Prime Minister has employed a still photographer from a major metro daily to replace him. Whether he will be able to leave a professional body of documentary work (he is a talented shooter) as a record of his prime ministership or merely a bunch of PR files remains to be seen. The danger is that the official photographs become the only source of images at the expense of the photographic professionals from the many organisations represented in the gallery. Time will tell.
Anthony Albanese spoke earlier this afternoon on same sex marriage, speaking against Tanya Plibersek’s push for a binding vote for Labor. The matter appears to have been resolved in the following fashion. Lenore Taylor reports:
Bill Shorten will move his own private member’s bill on marriage equality, seeking to use the momentum from Ireland’s historic vote in favour of same-sex marriage to force the Australian parliament to reconsider the issue.
The opposition leader has given notice that he will move his private member’s bill on Monday, seconded by his deputy Tanya Plibersek, who had herself foreshadowed a private member’s bill in 2014.
Labor has rejected Plibersek’s push for a binding yes vote on the issue, with Shorten saying Labor MPs and senators would vote according to their conscience. He said that for marriage equality to succeed, the prime minister had to also allowCoalition MPs and senators a conscience vote.
Hold the phone. The treasurer has released a statement on GST on sanitary pads.
I have asked Treasury to cost removing the GST from sanitary products.
When I receive those costings, I will write to the states for them to consider the issue ahead of our next meeting in July.
Not sure how this fits with the prime minister’s earlier comments today:
It’s certainly not something that this government has a plan to do.
Tony Abbott, Christopher Pyne and Ian Macfarlane have released the government’s national science and research priorities.
The nine cross-disciplinary priorities are food, soil and water, transport, cybersecurity, energy, resources, advanced manufacturing, environmental change and health.
The priorities will help our world-class science and research efforts to reflect the needs of industry, the national economy and the community.
The Government will work with universities, research institutions and industry to identify projects and investments to address the priority areas.
We will always make a considerable investment in science, research and innovation and continue to support a range of high-quality basic and applied research across all disciplines and in all areas.
Nevertheless, we have finite resources and need to be strategic in how we invest.
In the hot seat.
Estimates hear that prime minister and cabinet has bought more than $31,000 in photographic equipment since the beginning of last year.
Penny Wong wants to know whether any of the material generated with the department’s equipment has been used for the private purposes of the Liberal party. PM&C is not aware if it has.
Wong: Is it permissable for taxpayer funded equipment to be used for party political purposes?
Deputy secretary Elizabeth Kelly says: No.
Mathias Cormann says under the previous government, the department has spent more than $563,000 on commercial photographic services.
Albanese opposes Plibersek's binding vote on same sex marriage
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has given a speech in the Federation Chamber backing a fresh push for same-sex marriage to be legalised in Australia, after Ireland’s successful referendum last Friday.
The first of his two messages was that it was time to join countries such as UK, Canada and New Zealand “which have recognised that people should be allowed to marry the person that they love”.
Albanese’s second message was that members of all parties should be granted a free vote - cutting across fellow Left faction figure Tanya Plibersek’s push for July’s national conference to bind Labor MPs to support same-sex marriage.
Whilst I have strong views in support of marriage equality, I respect those who hold a different view. You cannot promote diversity and tolerance whilst not showing tolerance for those who disagree with you. I have argued consistently that the Coalition needs to allow a conscience vote on this issue. It is inconsistent to argue something different within the Labor party.”
Albanese said he also had a pragmatic reason to argue for a conscience vote across the parliament:
It is my judgement that there are now majorities in favour of marriage equality in both the house of representatives and the senate. There is therefore no argument to delay this reform. Let’s get this done.
Penny Wong wants to know from PM&C:
If it was such a routine event, why did Stephen Brady offer his resignation?
Elizabeth Kelly says her information from PM&C and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was that Brady’s resignation was neither offered nor tendered.
Wong is incredulous but Mathias Cormann offers:
Just because something is asserted in a newspaper, doesn’t mean its true.
Meanwhile, over in the house of reps, the government is abolishing the National Water Commission, an an independent science body overseeing water management.
Updated
Penny Wong is pushing committee chair Cory Bernardi to discover details from PM&C about where the instruction came from that Brady’s partner should wait in the car.
I have done my best to indulge some intemperance from you, says Bernardi.
Wong wants to know if there was any contact between the plane and the protocol officer.
Pip Spence confirms there was none.
Wong wants to know whether Spence was involved in drafting a statement given to the Daily Telegraph story on May 7 referring to the “dummy spitting ambassador”. Spence and deputy secretary Elizabeth Kelly saw the statement, which they characterised as simply a statement of protocol. They say the statement was provided to the journalist through the media team.
Cormann says the same protocol advice would have been given to any other ambassador. No biggie.
Pip Spence says it was a totally routine matter.
Pip Spence, of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) tells Penny Wong that ambassador Stephen Brady was advised that because Margie Abbott was not travelling with prime minister, Brady’s partner Peter Stephens was not required according to protocol.
The person who conveyed the message to Brady was a ceremonial officer. Brady raised his concerns and the matter was resolved “on the ground”.
Back to estimates and Stephen Brady, the ambassador to France mentioned earlier.
Cormann to Wong:
It does you no credit chosing to perpetuate a slur...which you know to be inaccurate.
There is nothing here.
This man is not a dentist. He is a Labor frontbencher.
While we have a lull in estimates, you may not have caught up with Lenore Taylor’s story on Gillian Triggs.
Gillian Triggs, the president of the Human Rights Commission, has told the Australian federal police she does not want to make a complaint or pursue an allegation that a job offer made to her on behalf of the attorney general, George Brandis, was an inducement constituting “corrupt and unlawful conduct”.
Now Wong is onto the matter of Stephen Brady, the Australian ambassador to France, who offered his resignation after refusing instructions to leave his gay partner behind in an official meet and greet.
Brady was reportedly told by the prime minister’s travelling party that his long-term partner, Peter Stephens, should not be at the airport for Abbott’s arrival at Le Bourget airport in Paris on Anzac Day.
The resignation was not accepted and Abbott says he was not even aware the event. At the time Abbott said:
My understanding is that there was some issue at the level of junior officials and I don’t concern myself with these things.
Cormann jumps ahead and anticipates Wong’s question. Estimates chair Cory Bernardi shuts down Wong and questions move to government senator Bridget McKenzie.
Move on. Nothing to see here.
Penny Wong is drilling down into the PM&C staff regarding the logistics of the prime minister’s visit to Europe for the ANZAC trip.
She is questioning Lynette Woods, first assistant secretary of the international division, is responsible for policy in PM&C.
Wong wants to know which staff accompanied Abbott on the trip, primarily his chief of staff Peta Credlin.
PM&C official Margot McCarthy says they need to consult with the PM’s office before providing travel info regarding the staff.
Everyone is prepared to talk about Peta Credlin to the papers but here why not here? says Wong.
Cormann asks you might be happy to personalise things.
Talk to Mr Hockey about that, says Wong.
Wong wants to know from Woods, who was on the PM’s plane, or whether she remembers who was on the plane. Wong protests that Credlin is paid by taxpayers and her trip was paid for by taxpayers.
Cormann covers for Woods, taking the question instead.
Wong wants to know what countries Abbott visited.
Woods says Turkey and France.
Wong wants forensic detail on the time he flew into France, which airport, who flew ahead.
Where is she going?
Joanne Ryan, Labor MP for Lalor and Graham Perrett, Labor MP for Moreton were thrown out. And that a wrap for QT.
Back to estimates.
There is a question on cuts to foreign aid to Joe Hockey and finally a question on infrastructure to assistant infrastructure minister Jamie Briggs.
Bill Shorten asks Abbott about a relatively small number of Australian children who live with a condition called inborn errors of metabolism, including PKU (phenylketonuria). It’s a rare genetic condition that requires medically prescribed food. Will the PM reconsider his budget cut of more than $250 a month that goes to each of these 900 families?
Tony Abbott says foods for people managing protein metabolic disorder are now more readily available and much cheaper than when the program began, as are medications for the conditions through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Updated
Bowen to Hockey: I refer to the PM’s own budget papers which show the cost to the budget of superannuation tax concessions outstripping the cost of the aged pension in just four years. Given most of these concessions go to high income earners, how is this either fair or sustainable?
Hockey gives a slightly different formula, revolving around lesser returns on investments.
People want stability and certainty around the rules governing superannuation. He wants to have it both ways. But for the last election he said there will be stability and certainty for five years and now for the second time he was proposing changes within that 5 year time frame. And the fact is Australian superannuants are now facing lower economic returns, lower returns on investment than they would have expected some time ago because of lower global interest rates as a contributor.
Resisting the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
A beautiful friendship.
Chris Bowen asks Tony Abbott: I refer to the fact that the government’s petrol tax hike raises $19bn over the next decade. Why does the PM think that improving the budget bottom line by $14bn over 10 years is a tax grab (Labor’s superannuation policy), but raising $19bn in new taxes from lower middle income earners is fair. Is the PM aware that $19bn is a bigger number than $14bn?
Abbott does not answer the difference between the two examples but reaffirms the fuel indexation.
We think that it should be indexed. We think that it should be indexed when fuel excise was introduced by the Hawke Government.
Julie Bishop is asked what measures the government is taking to stop young women and girls from being radicalised.
Members would be aware of the disturbing reports of a Sydney mother who it’s claimed has abandoned her two children to live under the brutal regime of Daesh and I’m deeply pessimistic about the fate of this apparently troubled young woman but I’m thankful she left her children in the safety of Australia and didn’t put them in mortal danger as others have done.
Bishop is talking about the $40m combating violent extremism.
We estimate that about 30 to 40 Australian women are actively engaged in or supporting the terrorists in Syria and Iraq. It seems that Daesh has taken atrocities against women to a new level of violence. The UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict has recently returned from Syria and Iraq. She cited appalling cases including a 20-year-old girl who was burned alive because she refused to perform an extreme sexual act. Another who was traded by Daesh fighters over 20 times.
Pardon, Madam Speaker?
Shorten to Abbott: Two weeks ago the PM said,and I quote, “There will be no changes to super.” But last night in a discussion about changes to superannuation the Treasurer said, “I don’t subscribe to never ever.” So PM, who is really always right, the PM or the treasurer?
Abbott:
We said before the last election that there would be no adverse changes to superannuation in this term of parliament and we have absolutely kept that commitment. I have said, and let me repeat it to the parliament, that we have no plans, no plans whatsoever for any future changes to superannuation.
Labor MP Terri Butler has been sent from the chamber.
And another thing...
Out!
Mark Dreyfus gets 94a-ed....again #QT @GuardianAus @gabriellechan #politicslive http://t.co/NFjTdk2BVc pic.twitter.com/iYx8y47lCC
— Mike Bowers (@mpbowers) May 26, 2015
Barnaby Joyce is talking on small business and drought measures and “the people on the land”.
Then Chris Bowen asks:
Yesterday during question time the treasurer said we have absolutely no plans to change super. Last night when asked about superannuation, the treasurer said we’ve got to look at the future of the entire retirement income system and I don’t subscribe to never ever. Who’s right? The Treasurer after lunch or the Treasurer after dinner?
The treasurer is always right, says Hockey.
We are not going to change the rules on superannuation.
A question from Cathy McGowan (Indi) approving of the government plans on decentralisation and asking Barnaby Joyce to outline why it is so important.
I am not entirely clear what the answer was.
Labor asks about paid parental leave. Will the Treasurer now remove these references from his budget and abandon his entire plan to cut paid parental leave for new mums?
If they are being paid the same or more by their employer then they cannot access the Government scheme and in particular, for public servants, who do access a taxpayer-funded scheme, who do access a taxpayer-funded scheme, they should not be able to also access a separate scheme through Centrelink.
By the way, Essential has just released a poll and found the following:
56% approve and 27% disapprove of the government’s proposal that women who can access employer-sponsored paid parental leave schemes will lose all or part of their taxpayer-funded PPL.
Those most likely to approve were Liberal/National voters (73%), men (60%) and those aged 55+ (71%). Those aged under 35 were split 42% approve/38% disapprove.
Labor to Abbott: Has the PM told the Member for Capricornia that around 8,000 working families in her electorate will be worse off because of the budget?
Abbott:
I would never mislead the member for Capricornia.
Jenny Macklin asks a question, Tony Burke tries a tricky manoeuvre and the Speaker rules the whole question out of order. In the melee, Labor frontbencher Mark Dreyfus was thrown out.
Onto a government small business question with Bruce.
Billson.
Joe Hockey gets a government question on northern Australia. He takes the opportunity to have a dig at Labor over the upcoming Sarah Ferguson ABC series The Killing Season on the Labor leadership woes.
Shorten says across the table,
are you going to name staff members again today Joe?
Labor to Tony Abbott on Natsem modelling: (government benches crack up).
Independent Natsem modelling shows a typical family will be more than $6,000a year worse off because of the PM’s budget. Does the PM deny that families will be worse off because of his budget cuts?
Abbott says everyone benefits and then moves to the Natsem modelling, “which has been used and abused”.
As we suspected the Natsem analysis fails to take into account anyof the benefits involved in moving from welfare to work. So it’s a static analysis. It doesn’t take into account the benefits of moving from welfare to work. But there’s more. That’s point number 1. Point number 2, the modelling does not actually model this year’s budget. It does not model this year’s budget...most significantly the analysis includes measures that the Labor Party actually supports.
The modelling was presented as modelling the surviving measures of the 2014 budget as well as the 2015 budget.
Government question on small business measures.
Shorten asks if the prime minister will take GST off sanitary products in return for extending the GST on Netflix and downloads. (Which has already happened.)
Abbott says changes to the GST are a matter for the states but if governments had their time over again, they may do things differently.
That sounds like a No.
Question time now. Phew.
It’s only accelerating here. The head of the immigration department Michael Pezzullo has told estimates there is no mechanism for counting dual citizens in Australia. So we won’t even know how effective the measure will be.
It certainly is the case that we don’t hold data on people who are dual citizens...Not all active claims for citizenship available through descent are known to us, are known to the Australian government or to my department.
Kim Carr: You also indicated that you are not aware of Australian citizens who are citizens of other countries. Is that right?
Yes, the answer is yes, because in some cases citizenship has not been enlivened. In other cases it has not been sought, in any event it is not a matter that we will be seized of.
Question time coming up but Peter Hartcher and James Massola have a story on cabinet division over the citizenship moves. Specifically,
- the idea that sole nationals could lose their citizenship, and
- that the Daily Telegraph was briefed on the decision before cabinet had held the discussion.
The Natsem report, FYI.
Lunch time political wrap
In the interests of brevity, here are the main bits:
-
Dual citizens involved in terrorism will be stripped of Australian citizenship, at the minister’s discretion, by judicial review. Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and Philip Ruddock have been appointed to head a “national discussion” on the obligations of citizenship.
-
Tony Abbott is not committing to remove tax from sanitary pads after veiled support from Joe Hockey and Labor. He said GST is a matter for the states, though Hockey has committed to raise the issue at the next Council of Australian Governments.
Talking tough.
The hoary old multiculturalism chestnut. Tony Abbott was asked about the negative view amongst some government members on the concept of multiculturalism.
This was his answer.
I know that over the years various elements of multiculturalism have been criticised by a whole range of people. If you go back far enough, someone like Stephen Fitzgerald was critical of some aspects, as it was then practiced. I think we pretty well got it right, if I may say so, in the time of the Howard government. We are very content to see people become Australian in their own way, and at their own pace. But we are absolutely determined to ensure that everyone who is here in Australia certainly - certainly everyone who has taken the citizenship pledge, understands that you’ve got to obey the law and there are some ordinary values, of human decency, which we expect you to live by.
Now to budget.
Tony Abbott gives a softer form of words on GST re sanitary items. That is, “it’s the responsibility of the states”.
He again underlines on superannuation:
- No adverse changes in this term of parliament
- No plans to make changes in subsequent terms of parliament.
Tony Abbott confirms there are no changes as yet regarding second generation Australians who are entitled to dual citizenship (as in the UK) but that will form part of the discussion paper.
On the nature of evidentiary requirements, here is Peter Dutton.
The difficulty, of course, is that if somebody is off fighting in Syria, they maybe involved in a terrorist act there, they may as we are learning from the death cult over there involving themselves in rape or blowing up buildings, other treacherous acts, it is very difficult, of course, to gather sufficient evidence to satisfy an Australian court beyond reasonable doubt that that person committed that offence in that part of the world. Now, right now, I rely on security assessments from ASIO in relation to people who come to our country and if there is an adverse security assessment, I make a judgment about whether or not that person can be released into the community.
Citizenship for dual nationals will be stripped at the minister’s discretion.
Abbott is asked whether there was any cabinet division on the issue, regarding Australian citizens.
He says he wants to have the discussion and keep Australia safe.
Abbott confirms there is a form of judicial appeal against a decision to strip citizenship. It starts in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Australian columnist, Peter Van Onselen has this to say:
PM presser about to announce a NSW religious right senator as new frontbencher responsible for improving relations with the Muslim community
— Peter van Onselen (@vanOnselenP) May 26, 2015
Tony Abbott says if foreign fighters are not dual citizens:
They should suffer the full severity of the law, if they get back alive.
That is, at this stage, the government has not announced any changes for those without dual citizenship.
No mention of the evidence test yet. #justsaying
Tony Abbott says of the 100 or so Australians fighting overseas, 40-50% are dual nationals. He knows 30 or more have been killed.
Under the legislation that we intend to introduce in the next few weeks, if the minister is satisfied of this, he may, subject ultimately to judicial review, strip the Australian citizenship from those individuals and obviously they will then no longer have an entitlement to return to Australia.
Philip Ruddock notes Australia has the third largest number of overseas born people of any country in the world.
We offer people respect for their race, their country of origin, their religion, their cultures, but we do have expectations that all who make a commitment to this nation and its future, will observe the laws of Australia. There is nothing new in that. It’s been part of the national agenda for a multicultural Australia over a long period of time.
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells:
I have lived the journey of migration. Citizenship is a very important step in a migrant’s journey, and so it’s very appropriate that today we have a conversation about citizenship.
Immigration minister Peter Dutton said they looked closely at the UK model.
If we start with the overriding and most important principle, and that is that somebody can’t be rendered stateless, the minister has the discretion, if somebody has engaged in activities that may constitute an offence in our case under the criminal code relating to certain sections, if that is the case, they are a dual citizen, they are not going to be rendered stateless, we can revoke their Australian citizenship.
Ruddock and Fierravanti-Wells to work on citizenship pledge
Philip Ruddock will “lead the national conversation” on citizenship and specifically the pledge, with Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
This is all about combating terrorism. We had an excellent discussion in the party room this morning...Everyone who spoke supported the government’s intentions in this matters.
The decision to strip dual citizenship will be subject to judicial review.
Dual citizenship measure announced
Tony Abbott confirms he will strip dual citizens involved in terrorism of their Australian citizenship.
A politician must always be en pointe.
As we await Tony Abbott’s joint press conference, I note the government is planning a new citizenship pledge of allegiance. The Tele reports the draft pledge will be put out for public consultation, which sounds like it could be a very polarising debate.
Submissions to #politicslive welcome.
Prime ministerial press conference coming up at 1pm.
Citizenship issues are coming up later this afternoon at senate estimates. In the meantime, Muslim community leaders have urged the government to consult more with the people it hopes to recruit in anti-radicalisation measures.
Lydia Shelly from the Muslim Legal Network told ABC Radio that the government’s consultations with the community so far have been “appalling” and “chaotic”.
She thinks anti-radicalisation programs which focus solely on Muslim groups won’t work.
Joe Caputo, head of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia said the government needs to be “more realistic” in the way it funds the existing Countering Violent Extremism program, saying the money allotted to individual groups is “a pittance”.
The amount given is very small. It’s chicken feed compared with what we’re spending [overall] on counter-terrorism.
Stop the tax and the question that sparked it.
#ICYMI @JoeHockey responds to a question regarding tax reform on tampons & other sanitary products #QandA http://t.co/QJIK4VrsBl
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) May 26, 2015
Labor agrees. As do the Greens. Sounds like consensus.
Labor caucus is on this morning, as is the coalition party room meetings.
A Labor member also raised the plight of the Rohingya asylum seekers and potential resettlement.
Immigration shadow Richard Marles told caucus:
Resettlement is a question for another day. The immediate issue is averting the humanitarian crisis. Resettlement should be done on advice from the UNHCR with a regional approach.”
Which sounds like another dead bat.
Also in caucus, Shorten talked about “jobs, families and the future”.
Which sounds dangerous close to a three word slogan.
Two Labor members reported they were overwhelmed by responses to part pension changes in the budget, which reduced access for wealthier pensioners.
Jenny Macklin told the meeting Labor is still working through the detail of Coalition’s budget measure.
Which sounds like Labor could support it.
Three members asked about the case of animal welfare for Australian live cattle in Vietnam.
Joel Fitzgibbon told members additional monitoring resources have not been provided as the trade to Vietnam has increased recently. His answer was there could be quarterly reports to parliament about animal welfare.
One member also raised the government’s decision to name Shorten press secretary Ryan Liddell yesterday over the Natsem report in question time. Those with me yesterday will know that Liddell was named by Joe Hockey as the author of the Natsem briefing notes distributed to the media. Which makes sense as he is a press sec. The issue was the full Natsem report was not distributed.
Anyway, the Labor member said given the restraint shown by Labor on Tony Abbott’s chief of staff Peta Credlin, isn’t it a bit rich?
Manager of opposition business Tony Burke said existing convention was important and we should continue to uphold it even if they don’t.
It should be said though that Credlin is regularly photographed in the parliamentary chamber and mentioned in the media.
Updated
Labor backs tampon tax
From caucus, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen, has backed the removal of the GST on sanitary products. He told caucus this morning:
“We are agreeing with Joe Hockey and supportive if the government has a way of fixing this with the state treasurers.
Labor’s Stephen Conroy is pressing Mathias Cormann the former defence minister’s chief of staff Sean Costello, who has subsequently moved to DCNS, the French submarine builder.
Conroy says Costello, as chief of staff, was “directly involved” in working on the government’s tender process for the submarines before he left in January 2015. Now Costello is chief executive of DCNS, one of the three companies invited to tender for the subs. Conroy’s contention is that Costello knows the ins and outs of the government tender, given he was involved and therefore it could constitute a conflict of interest.
Cormann counters that Labor wrote the lobbyist rules and Costello’s position does not fall under the definition of a lobbyist.
Labor senator Penny Wong is onto the budget process in estimates. She wants to know when budget planning began, given comments by the treasury secretary John Fraser in the Fin Review.
In a wide-ranging speech after four months in the job, Mr Fraser also said he planned to begin preparations for the 2016 budget sooner than this year’s because it “shouldn’t be something that we start to think of seriously in February”.
PMC official Rebecca Cross says it began last year and Mathias Cormann says the government “started to think about it very seriously in the second half of last year”.
At which point Wong asks when he decided to become the “biggest spending finance minister”. This goes to an on-going battle between Cormann on former finance minister Wong as to who is the biggest spender.
Behind a press conference. Sarah Hanson-Young by Mike Bowers.
Jacqui Lambie learning the dark arts of senate estimates.
Double dipping is not appropriate. Hmm...
Senator Jacqui Lambie wants to know if crossbench senators can see the interim report regarding the Royal Commission into trade unions. She is concerned with the one volume of the royal commission’s interim report which has been kept confidential because it deals with serious threats to witnesses which it says amount to “grave threats to the power and authority of the Australian state”.
Lambie suggests crossbenchers could see it “behind closed doors” and sign a confidentially agreement as had happened in the past. Deputy secretary in PM&C Elizabeth Kelly said she could not make the judgement as she had not seen the report herself.
Although I am a regular Q&A watcher, I had to turn off last night for lack of reception. I am not entirely sure whether it was due to technical issues in my post-blog bat cave or a wider problem but I could not muster the will to persist.
Therefore I am late to the tampon tax debate, which revolves around GST on tampons, which are considered a luxury item. Hockey was asked if he thought sanitary products were an essential health good for half the population.
Do I think sanitary products are essential? I think so, I think so.
Q: Do you think the GST charge on sanitary products should be removed?
It probably should, yes, the answer’s yes.
Hockey congratulated the campaigner Subeta Vimalarajah for raising the issue and he committed to discuss it with the states at the Coag love-in/retreat in July. (He needs the states to agree to changes on the GST.)
Senator Cory Bernardi is chairing the finance and public administration estimates committee. It may not sound exciting but finance minister Mathias Cormann is in the chair defending the government’s backflip on paid parental leave. Penny Wong and new Labor senator (former ACT chief) Katy Gallagher are questioning.
Cormann is going through the reasons for overturning the policy - that there was widespread opposition in the parliament to the Abbott signature scheme. (Among the government’s own backbench as well as Labor.) He explained the government’s judgement was that it was not appropriate for the taxpayer to fund women for government PPL if they have it from their employer.
DOUBLE DIPPERS!
He dead bats questions on the language of rorts.
Updated
Thanks to James.
I understand Ruddock's role will be separate to Fieverranti-Wells - ping @gabriellechan
— James O'Doherty (@jmodoh) May 25, 2015
The whole reaching out to the Muslim community is a great idea. The problem is that the government’s language in this debate has been inflammatory. The message the communities keep getting is that they are feared and not to be trusted, making the conditions ripe for radicalisation .
There is no doubt it is a tricky line the government is walking, particularly after the Martin Place siege.
But Islamic leaders have been warning for the past two years that more needed to be done on community programs and de-radicalisation and the combating violent extremism program was poorly funded to begin with and then slow to roll out.
Just before he retired last year, the former head of Asio David Irvine said:
I can say this on behalf of the whole Australian government, and I suspect all state governments as well, the message is we are not fighting Islam.
And Tony Abbott has said similar things. But at the same time, we have the Team Australia rhetoric, with Abbott the self-declared captain.
Then in February, the prime minister called on immigrants to Australia to “be as tolerant of others as we are of them” and called on Muslim leaders to proclaim Islam as a religion of peace “more often, and mean it”.
And the rhetoric keeps ramping up.
There was “spot the Jihadi” on the weekend, revealing federal plans for teachers and students to be taught how to spot potential jihadis in schools and including lessons in the school curriculum.
Labor’s Jason Clare, whose western Sydney electorate has a high Muslim population, said this morning that police officers find the government’s rhetoric is making their job more difficult.
Connie can’t fix that, only the prime minister can fix that.
Concetta or Philip Ruddock? Two roles. One role?
Father of the house @philipruddockmp will be given a new role in community consultation about citizenship @SkyNewsAust
— James O'Doherty (@jmodoh) May 25, 2015
So justice minister Michael Keenan has a new role. And counter terrorism coordinator Greg Moriarty.
At this rate there will be a sizeable national security faction.
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Attorney general George Brandis is the carrier of the message this morning.
He has been on Sky News and at the senate doors, discussing the government plans for a conversation with the Muslim community regarding the citizenship laws. Kieran Gilbert asks him about plans to follow the UK model and remove Australian citizenship, even when they don’t have guaranteed citizenship with another country.
We are not going to render anyone stateless. Nobody has proposed that. Everything we do will be compliant with the rule of law and proper rule of law principles. Heavens above, in the next fortnight we are celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.
Brandis is asked about the proposed frontbench role to reach out to the Muslim community.
The government does intend to lead a conversation with the Australian community about what are the rights and obligations that are attached to citizenship and what are the consequences for people who do things that are basically a violation of their obligation and loyalty to Australia.
Here is one take from a young Australian Muslim, Fahim Khondaker, who organised a Walk Together community cohesion event in Brisbane.
@gabriellechan it's because they love us more.
— Fahim Khondaker (@Fahim_Khondaker) May 25, 2015
Another door opens on superannuation
The government has been keen to make superannuation an issue after Labor unveiled their policy to wind back generous concessions for high income earners, which would raise $14bn in revenue over 10 years.
Abbott was asked about it in question time yesterday and he maintained his opposition to any changes. Joe Hockey, however, was a little more open last night on Q&A.
Our view is, in the current environment, given you have got very low returns on superannuation, it is not the time to introduce new taxes on superannuation, it is not the time to change the rules for superannuants. We want to give stability and certainty. That is a stark contrast with our political opponents who want to impose a new tax on super.
Semantics?
Double shot morning politics
Good morning drivers,
It’s all about national security again today and you can reasonably expect it will continue in this vein for the next two weeks that parliament sits. This morning’s News announce-able is a frontbench role – coming within days – to combat Islamic radicalisation. It would appear from the entrails that the Coalition have cottoned on to the fact that the Muslim community feel a tad cranky and marginalised. So there are lots of television shots around of Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who is a parliamentary secretary and is the go-to woman in the government on multicultural affairs. It might be a sign. It might not be.
In the meantime, we are still waiting for the details on the new citizenship laws. No one is actually providing any facts but it is reported on ABC radio that the laws are expected today. Like they were yesterday. The latest iteration is that the government wants to strip dual nationals of their Australian citizenship and is also looking for a way to deal with the citizenship of those without dual passports. Without leaving them stateless. But it sounds like it leaves them stateless. Luckily, my better self, Katharine Murphy, analysed these issues last week.
The other moving part this morning is the budget. Remember that? The social services minister, Scott Morrison, has opened the door – just a crack – on Senate negotiations. David Crowe at the Oz reports that he will consider lifting the age of children at which the family tax benefit B cuts out. The government plan last year was when the youngest child turns six, instead of the current age of 16. The Senate knocked it back. Morrison is talking 10-12 now. Who said he was the hard man of the Abbott government?
We are turning over the ignition on this frosty morning in Canberra and the engine is warming up slowly. Stick with me @gabriellechan and @mpbowers. It’s Tuesday!
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