And we might leave Monday there.
I know I say this a lot - but What. A. Day.
Tomorrow probably won’t have Clive Palmer, but I can’t see if slowing down anytime soon. Mathias Cormann is still working the crossbench, while Labor is still working those same peeps to get them to split the bill.
We’ll find out more after the party room and caucus meetings.
Thank you to the Guardian brains trust for another huge day and of course to the incomparable Mike Bowers.
And as always, the biggest and last farewell to you for reading and playing along. I just saw that some of you had problems with the blog feed today - I assure you I was only hitting post once - but I will let the powers-that-be know. If in doubt, try a refresh if it happens again tomorrow.
Have a lively night - if you are in this part of the world, which houses what my dad calls ‘bullshit castle’ then I hope you stay warm.
And remember - take care of you.
A vigil is being held in parliament for Eurydice Dixon tonight.
Updated
Byelection writs announced
The writs for the byelections have been officially announced:
Federal byelections for Longman (QLD), Mayo (SA), Braddon (TAS), Fremantle and Perth (both WA) will be held on Saturday 28 July.
Australian electoral commissioner Tom Rogers said people must act now to ensure they’re enrolled and their details are up to date by 8pm local time Friday 22 June.
“Australian citizens aged 18 years and over, and who are living in any of the five federal electorates are required by law to enrol and vote in their local byelection,” Mr Rogers said.
“You can enrol or update your enrolment details online at www.aec.gov.au. If you are unsure, you can check your enrolment online or call 13 23 26. People can also go now to the AEC website to apply for a postal vote, or register their interest in working as a polling official.”
KEY DATES FOR THE 2018 FEDERAL BYELECTIONS
Issue of writs Friday 15 June
Close of rolls 8pm local time Friday 22 June
Close of nominations 12 midday local time Thursday 5 July
Declaration of nominations12 midday local time Friday 6 July
Early voting starts Tuesday 10 July
Byelection day Saturday 28 July
Return of writs on or before Sunday 23 September
Updated
So the Parliamentary Budget Office is NOT happy with how its costings have been treated by the government in its commentary today. It has just released this statement:
Earlier today, comments have been made about the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) estimates of the gains to revenue that may flow from the Australian Labor Party’s (ALP’s) policy to make imputation credits non-refundable.
“The PBO brings our best professional judgement to the independent policy costing advice we provide. We have access to the same data and economic parameters as The Treasury and draw upon similar information in forming our judgements,” parliamentary budget officer Jenny Wilkinson stated today.
“We stand behind the PBO estimates that have been published by the ALP in relation to this policy, noting that all policy costings, no matter who they are prepared by, are subject to uncertainty.” In its advice, the PBO is explicit about the judgements and uncertainties associated with individual policy costings.
The PBO confirms that it always takes into account current and future policy commitments, as well as behavioural changes, in its policy costings. In this case, as outlined at the recent Senate estimates hearings, these included the superannuation changes announced in the 2016–17 Budget and the scheduled company tax cuts. In addition, the PBO explicitly assumed that there would be significant behavioural changes that would flow from this policy, particularly for trustees of self-managed superannuation funds.
The PBO was established as an independent institution in 2012 with broad support from the parliament. A key rationale for the formation of the PBO was to develop a more level playing field, by providing independent and unbiased advice to all parliamentarians about the estimated fiscal cost of policy proposals. The purpose of establishing the PBO was to improve the public’s understanding of, and confidence in, policy costings and enable policy debates to focus on the merits of alternative policy proposals.
Updated
From Julie Bishop’s office:
Australia’s second session as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) commences in Geneva today.
Gender equality and women’s rights is one of Australia’s priorities during our three-year term, and will be a prominent feature of the 38th session.
Dr Sharman Stone, the Ambassador for Women and Girls will represent Australia, and will lead discussions on women’s participation in building resilience in small island developing states. Ambassador Stone will also deliver a statement on gender issues on behalf of a number of Pacific Island countries, elevating the voices of our Pacific neighbours at the HRC.
Australia recognises that national human rights institutions and civil society make an important contribution to the discussions at the HRC. I am pleased that we are working with June Oscar AO, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner of the Australian Human Rights Commission, to promote the rights of indigenous women and girls.
Over the three-week session, Australia will work with other UN members and civil society to protect and promote human rights worldwide.
Analysis duels part 2
Chris Bowen has released correspondence between himself and the Treasury secretary, John Fraser.
Bowen wrote to Fraser this morning after reading in the Australian that Treasury analysis had found that Labor’s dividend imputation policy will raise $10bn less over a decade than Labor believes ($45.8bn rather than $55.7bn).
Bowen wanted to know if Treasury had modelled Labor’s dividend imputation policy.
As you can see from the correspondence below, Fraser’s response was a little ambiguous.
Two points to note.
Bowen asked Fraser if Treasury was asked to provide costing advice on Labor’s dividend imputation policy
Fraser replied: “We were asked by the government to cost a policy relating to the denial of refundability of franking credits to certain entities.”
See how Fraser said “a policy” rather than “Labor’s policy”?
Bowen also asked Fraser what assumptions Treasury had made in its analysis, and Fraser replied: “In deriving the costing, a number of assumptions were made around the expected growth in franking credits and expected behavioural responses by individuals, SMSF holders and Apra funds.”
That is a politician’s answer, not the answer of someone who is being forthcoming.
Have a read of the correspondence yourself.
Bowen’s letter to Fraser:
Dear Mr Fraser,
I am deeply concerned about reports today of “Treasury modelling” being used to analyse Labor’s policy to reform dividend imputation, including the initiation of a so-called “external review”.
Using Treasury resources to analyse and commission an external review of an Opposition policy for the Government would be extraordinary and would cause significant damage to the reputation of Treasury.
If it is not the case that Treasury or a paid external party was used to model this Labor policy, I implore you to publicly correct the mischaracterisations immediately.
As I’m sure you are aware, Labor’s policy to reform dividend imputation was costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office. And as you would expect, this modelling took account of a broad range of potential behavioural responses.
I am concerned that the release of “Treasury modelling” not only undermines the perception of Treasury as an apolitical economic agency, but the exercise itself seeks to deliberately undermine the quality of costings provided by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office, a costing agency of equal standing under the Charter of Budget Honesty.
It is critical that Treasury is seen as impartial and credible and not politicised by the government of the day. By 12pm today, the opposition seeks from you answers in writing to the following questions:
- was formal Treasury costing advice provided to the Treasurer’s office on Labor’s dividend imputation policy;
- was the so-called external review commissioned at the direction of the Treasurer, the Treasurer’s office or the Treasury;
- who paid for the external review;
- what was the cost;
- when and to whom in the Treasurer’s office was this modelling and external review report provided;
- who were the participants of the external review, how were they selected, and what role if any did the Treasurer’s office have with this selection;
- what policy assumptions were made by Treasury in putting together the modelling;
- who and when were these assumptions provided to the Treasury;
- was the document ‘costing note – denying franking credit refundability’ that has been provided to journalists drafted by Treasury;
- what interaction did the Treasury have with the Parliamentary Budget Office in putting together the ‘modelling’ or the external review;
- a reassurance from you that a similar situation, where Labor policies are costed by the Treasury, will not occur again; and
- did the Deputy Secretary of Revenue Group know about this so-called modelling and supposed ‘external review’ of Labor’s policy, given repeatedly refused to answer questions in relation to this matter at Budget Estimates, instead taking them “on notice”;
- was the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet aware such ‘Treasury modelling’ and an ‘external review’ were being prepared by Treasury.
Your sincerely, Chris Bowen
John Fraser’s response to Bowen:
Dear Mr Bowen,
I refer to your letter of 18 June 2018 and also subsequent telephone call this morning.
I provide the following answers to your questions:
1. We were asked by the government to cost a policy relating to the denial of refundability of franking credits to certain entities.
2. There was no external review. In preparing this advice and in accordance with normal practice, we consulted some external experts on the behavioural implications of such a policy change. This is consistent with our normal practice on complex policies with uncertain behavioural responses.
3. As there was no external review, there was no cost in eliciting the views of stakeholders.
4. See above. There was no cost.
5. Formal Treasury advice on the costing was provided to the Treasurer on 7 June. It was emailed to the Treasurer’s office in accordance with normal practice around the provision of advice.
6. There was no external review.
7. In deriving the costing, a number of assumptions were made around the expected growth in franking credits and expected behavioural responses by individuals, SMSF holders and Apra funds.
8. The costing was produced on the basis of policy specifications provided to Treasury by the Treasurer’s office. The assumptions relating to the costings are determined by Treasury based on internal deliberations and informed by external consultations.
9. Treasury supplied a document to the Treasurer on 7 June advising of our costing of a policy to deny franking credit refundability.
10. Treasury had two meetings with the PBO.
11. In line with longstanding practice, Treasury responds to requests on costing and policy advice by the government of the day.
12. See above. Treasury appeared at Senate Estimates on 29-30 May. The Deputy Secretary of Revenue Group took the question on notice.
13. Not to my knowledge.
Kind regards
Yours sincerely, John Fraser
Updated
The Nationals got a little upset that a vegetarian ‘mince’ will be sold next to actual mince in the meat aisle. Calla Wahlquist has written that up here
“Mince is mince, mince is meat,” the deputy prime minister and Nationals leader, Michael McCormack, told the ABC. “That’s my interpretation of what mince is.”
Now I grew up fairly poor, so I might have to correct the Nationals leader there - not all mince is ‘meat’.
And one more for good measure
Updated
From Mike Bowers’ eyeballs to your eyeballs:
Updated
Bill Shorten has responded to Wayne Swan’s election as ALP president:
It’s a great pleasure to congratulate Wayne Swan on his election as president of the Australian Labor party
Swanny lives and breathes Labor values, he’s given our movement a lifetime of service and it’s wonderful so many true believers have chosen him to serve as our next president.
Wayne has said it will be his mission as ALP president to lead the battle against inequality – I can think of no finer mind or more determined fighter for this task.
I also congratulate Mark Butler and Mich-Elle Myers on their election as Labor’s vice-presidents.
Wayne, Mark, Mich and Claire all ran positive, ideas-focused campaigns. We are very fortunate to have people of their standing care so much about making our Labor party better.
On behalf of our whole movement, I thank Mark Butler for his service as president. Mark’s leadership was vital to the success of our 2015 National Conference and his passion for a bigger and more democratic party will continue to drive an important debate about Labor’s future.
I look forward to working with Wayne and every member of our movement in preparing the platform and policies of a new Labor government.
Updated
Just further to the “Mediscare” bill, here is some of what Christian Porter had to say in that URGENT press conference:
It is a significant day for Australia’s democracy today. I just wanted to make three comments about the significance of this bill. The first is that the integrity of the Australian democratic system absolutely relies on the proposition that we have a clear, statutory statement of principle that it is a criminal act to use modern mass communications to deceive Australian voters, and that’s what the Mediscare bill does today.
The second point about this is that the new offence, which will make it a criminal act for anyone to impersonate or contend that they are acting on behalf of a Commonwealth body, will apply to a very broad range of Commonwealth bodies, from Commonwealth departments like the department of attorney-general to Commonwealth corporations like the NBN, right through to critical service delivery agencies of the Commonwealth such as Medicare, Centrelink and the NDIS.
The third thing I’d like to note is that the bill contains a civil injunction power so that if something like the Mediscare campaign happened again, where Labor sent text messages reporting to be from Medicare, impersonating Medicare, then injunctive proceedings could be listed straight away to prevent that sort of behaviour and prevent the mass deception of the Australian voting public.
Updated
Just before question time, Bill Shorten gave a 90-second statement on Eurydice Dixon (I didn’t get around to transcribing it before QT, so here is the transcript Labor has just put out)
I offer the sympathies of this parliament to Eurydice Dixon’s family, all the people who loved her and the people she loved.
We remember that they are not mourning a statistic or a cautionary tale. They are grieving for a person: a funny, smart, clever woman with passions and opinions, friends and family.
And she wasn’t seeking to make a statement that night, she was just living her life. She had her phone with her, now full of a hundred unfinished conversations. She was happy that her comedy performance had gone well, she was messaging a friend to check-in and to let him know that she was nearly home safe.
None of that cost her life. Nothing she did or didn’t do in any way makes her responsible for what happened. Walking home should not mean that you are risking your life.
Getting an uber, a cab, catching public transport should not be a dangerous ordeal. Women’s rights in Australia must include freedom of movement. And that’s about more than better lighting and more CCTV cameras.It’s about attitudes, it’s about actions.
It’s about honesty. It’s about stopping violence and stopping the enablers of violence. It’s about deciding as a nation that violence against women is ultimately preventable. It’s about the example that we set for our sons. Our hearts go out to Eurydice’s loved ones today May she rest in peace.
Updated
And then there are some more dixers, but this Monday has already been a complete punish and listening to Paul Fletcher talk about “Team Queensland” is more lameness than I can handle right now.
Terri Butler to Malcolm Turnbull:
ABS statistics confirm company profits increased over the year, nearly three times as much as wages growth of 2.1%. Why does this arrogant and out of touch Prime Minister support further cutting the penalty rates of up to 11,000workers in Longman while giving it a tax cut to big business.
Turnbull:
The honorable member knows very well, I’m sure, because it was, as the Leader of the Opposition once said,a fact that every student of Australian economic history would be well aware of it. He said every student of Australian and economic history would be aware of the fact that reducing company tax results in higher wages, more jobs, more investment, higher productivity, all of those good things. And you know, we are starting to see them now and that’s why we have record jobs growth. It is a very competitive world out there. The honorable members opposite should recognise the world is getting more competitive than ever and what we need to do is ensure that every element of our tax system ensures that Australian businesses can compete and win. The member for McMahon set all it out in his famous book years ago. He is munching his way through one copy of it after another. He is being forced to eat his words. Talk about dry economics,very dry. Munching away through all of those books, Mr Speaker. The fact of the matter is, a more competitive corporate set results in more investment, more jobs. That is why we are seeing record jobs growth.The Labor Party should recover the economic good sense they had in the years passed and support our enterprise tax plan.
Bill Shorten tries again on the football coverage question:
“Is the prime minister aware that today the managing director for SBS has said about the decision to license the World Cup games to Optus, and I quote: “Had I not looked at our budgets, we probably would have retained it like we were planning to.” Therefore, when will the prime minister apologise to Australian and football fans for his cuts to the [SBS World Cup coverage]
Paul Fletcher takes the question: (representing the communications minister)
I am pleased to have the chance to respond to what is as is usually the case with the Leader of the Opposition, a misrepresentation of the facts. The SBS received about $280 million in funding every year from the government. How SBS decides to use this funding is a matter for the board and management of SBS, a fairly basic principle of governance, and I want to make the point that in exchange for sharing the World Cup rights, SBS secured some rights to the English Premier League matches. In other words, board and management of SBS made a commercial decision. On this side of the house, we believe they are best placed to make those decisions.”
Best placed, that is, unless you are AGL, in which case, the government should totally be able to tell you what to do with your assets.
It’s all cool though:
I have spoken with the Optus CEO, Allen Lew. He assures me he is giving the World Cup streaming problems his personal attention and he believes it will be fixed this evening.
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) June 18, 2018
Updated
Congratulations to @SwannyQLD on a strong campaign and emphatic victory. I reckon his former boss and Nat Prez, Mick Young, would have been proud! Best wishes for the next 3 years. https://t.co/ABSJPdbyuc
— Mark Butler MP (@Mark_Butler_MP) June 18, 2018
Greg Hunt gives a very enthusiastic answer to a dixer, which is probably not the best strategy when the last question time you featured in you had to apologise for swearing at a woman during an official government meeting.
Updated
Stephen Jones has a question to Malcolm Turnbull about warnings cuts to the SBS could result in problems in covering things like the SBS:
“Will the prime minister to apologise to any football fans who are watching second-rate coverage of the football cup.”
Turnbull - go sport team. Basically.
Updated
Peter Dutton gives his daily Labor-wants-to-open-the-borders speech.
He links that back to what he says is the Left taking over the Labor party (that would be the Left faction which just lost the presidency vote)
But I just have to point out, that at the moment, Labor policy on asylum seekers has not changed. There are policy proposal changes floating around. And unlike the Liberal party, the Labor national conference motion votes are binding. But at this stage, they are just ideas. And saying that is absolutely Labor policy is like saying a non-binding vote to sell the ABC is absolutely Liberal policy.
Labor has set up this website on Georgina Downer: www.downerfacts.com
Just a tip for anyone thinking of entering politics – buy up every domain name you can think of regarding your name.
Updated
Bill Shorten asks Malcolm Turnbull about a Natsem finding that: this new tax system from 2044- 2025 is less progressive than the current system. It means higher income inequality.
“The rich get more of the tax cuts than the poor. Prime minister, how is this fair?”
Turnbull:
It is fair precisely because it gives Australians, 94% of Australians, in fact, the surety that they will pay no more than 32.5 cents in the dollar for every additional dollar they earn. We all remember Dr Craig Emerson who used to talk great deal about effective marginal tax rate and all the problems occasioned by that. We are well aware of those issues. This gives you a 32.5 cent marginal tax rate from 41,000 through to $200,000. It ensures that you have every incentive for people to get ahead and Mr Speaker, the approach we are taking is one that provides benefits to Australians right in the heart of that little income area where Australians have had so many disincentives. It is a very positive reform and as far as the issue about inequality is concerned, I come back to this point. After the plan is fully rolled out and the people on the 45% of bracket, marginal tax bracket, that is you are earning over $200,000, will be paying a larger share of the personal income taxes take than they do today and a person on $200,000 who is earning roughly five times as much as somebody on $41,000 will be paying nearly 13 times as much tax . That is a progressive tax system.
Updated
Chris Bowen to Malcolm Turnbull:
Can the prime minister confirm that by the time they are fully integrated, stage three of the government’s personal income tax scheme and its big business tax cut will cost the budget at least $35bn a year? Why won’t prime minister support Labor’s plans for a bigger, better tax cut instead of giving $25bn per year to big business and higher income earners?
Turnbull:
I think it is worth noting that the question has been asked by the author of that famous economic tome.... Hearts and Minds [then a joke about it being available where ever great remainders are found] The honorable member wrote a book and talked about the importance of having a competitive tax rate and now, now having done that, he has been forced to eat his words and is flinging himself in the way of a competitive tax rate.
Scott Morrison then tries to yell some things, but he just doesn’t have the vocal power today.
Updated
That one time Mitch Fifield thought selling the ABC was a good idea.
Let us all take a moment to thank the internet for never forgetting anything.
Here is Mitch Fifield in 2008, addressing the Australian Adam Smith Club:
Conservatives have often floated the prospect of privatising the ABC and Australia Post. There is merit in such proposals.
But the likely strong public opposition means that any government prepared to go down that path would need to prepare the ground and make the case for the change.
A further challenge would be the widespread misunderstanding of the consequences by the public and the inevitable misleading scare campaigns mounted by privatisation opponents.
But one immediate option for privatisation is the Bureau of Meteorology. In 2007 taxpayers forked out $214m to run this agency. Yet there is clearly a market for the information the bureau collects. The bureau could be sold off, with new private owners free to collect weather data and sell it on the open market.
Taxpayers would receive a windfall gain from the sale and whilst some government agencies would need to purchase weather data and services, there would be a sizable annual saving to the taxpayer.
So far I have mentioned reducing the number of ministries and departments and embarking on a new wave of privatisation as ways of reducing the scope of government.
These ideas can be thought of as reducing the number of avenues for governments to spend our money. But perhaps the most effective barrier to impulsive government spending is to reduce the money government has to spend in the first place.”
Standard note that the government is swearing black and blue it won’t sell the ABC.
Updated
The old “human error” excuse
Palmer sprinkler mystery solved! I asked Parliament what happened:
— Bevan Shields (@BevanShields) June 18, 2018
"The system was turned on this morning in the Senate courtyard due to human error. One of the Landscape Services personnel was checking the irrigation system and mistakenly manually operated the wrong valve."
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – this is why the emus won, people.
Updated
Jenny Macklin to Malcolm Turnbull:
Can this arrogant and out of touch prime minister confirm that under his unfair budget, a banker will get a tax cut of over $7,000 a year, his bank will get a company tax cut of –$17 billion go to the big banks. Then a hospitality worker from Adelaide will only get a tax cut of $10 a week, and that is before she loses $77 in penalty rates.
I am sensing a theme here.
Turnbull:
Under the Labor party’s proposal on tax, a public teacher in Victoria would pay between $800 and $1,200 more tax per year. A crane operator would pay between $900 and $600 more tax per year. A public school psychologist in New South Wales will pay between $2,330 and $800 more tax every year. A forklift driver would pay between $1,440 and $500 more a year. Coming to Adelaide, a Police Inspector would pay between $4,000 and $5,200 more tax every year.
You get the idea. Our tax plan is better than yours, basically.
Updated
Adam Bandt has the independents’ question:
People in Melbourne are grieving at the death of Eurydice Dixon. Melbourne is full of strong, funny women like Eurydice Dixon, and this is why it is so hard. Thousands of people will be gathering at Princes park around the country to remember Eurydice. Many people are in mourning. Many are angry, and many of us, prime minister, are agreed that whatever we are doing in Australia to change man’s behaviour, we need to do more. And we need to do more so than ever [so we] can feel safe.
Malcolm Turnbull:
Our hearts go out to Eurydice Dixon’s family and loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers are with them … Women must be safe everywhere. On the street, walking though a park, in their homes, at work. We need to ensure that we have a culture of respect for women. Not all disrespect of women is violence against women, but that is where all violence against women begins. And so ensuring that we start from the very start, ensuring that our sons and grandsons respect the women in their lives, is vitally important. We all as parents and grandparents have a duty to do that. And also we have a very profound duty to ensure that our public places, our streets, our parks, are safe places in which to work and walk. I know that we are all united in this. This is not a partisan issue. But, you know, when we sit down with state and local government and work through our city plans and city deals, the key part of that is insuring that we have an environment that is safe. And as my wife Lucy often says, in her capacity as chief commissioner, the greater Sydney commission, a measure of the livability of a city is whether women are safe to walk wherever. And that has got to be another vital priority
This is a heartbreaking tragedy. But what we must do as we grieve is ensure that we change the hearts of men to respect women. We start with the youngest men, the little boys, our sons and grandsons, and make sure that they respect their mothers and sisters and all the women in their lives. As grown men, we must lead by example and treat women with respect and we must ensure that our cities, our towns, our country, everywhere is safe for every Australian to walk and work, whether it is a park, a workplace, whether it is in their own home. That is our commitment. Thank the honourable member for her the question, and I believe, Mr Speaker, that I speak for every honourable member when I say we must never, ever, ever, tolerate violence against women. Eurydice Dixon, we mourn the loss. We grieve with her family. And we say never again
Wayne Swan has put out a release on his ALP presidency win:
It’s an honour and a privilege to be voted the next president of the Australian Labor party.
My thanks to the many thousands of Labor members who participated in this important election, and of course to all the candidates who put themselves forward for the honour and hard work of being president of our party.
My campaign was driven by the belief that Labor’s future lies first and foremost in being clear about what we stand for.
Our success won’t be determined by tinkering with internal processes or by the outcome of votes over single issues at national conferences.
To get new members coming through our door, and a new generation campaigning and voting for us, we have to show them we mean business about creating a better, more democratic and more equal society.
This means getting better at addressing the big picture. Around the world and here in Australia, democracy and equality are under threat from powerful and well-funded vested interests.
We need to take them on and beat them. Labor must be re-organised so it can better fight that battle. We have to be more than a campaign machine for winning elections; we have to be a campaign machine for winning the battle of ideas.
The idea that we live in a corporation, not a community must be defeated for once and for all, and Labor has to take the lead in defeating it.
Ultimately, Labor must restore people’s faith in the idea that collective action through government can create a better society and better lives for all of us.
Winning that battle is the starting point for having Labor governments that can succeed in office
Updated
Julie Collins to Malcolm Turnbull:
How is it fair that under this arrogant and out of touch prime minister, a banker from Point Piper, earning $1m, will get a tax cut of $7,000 a year, while a retail worker in Strahan will only get a cut to penalty rates? Is this not what happens when a former banker is running the government and a former banker, Brett Whitely, is running in Braddon?
Turnbull:
Again, here is the main bit:
So what we’re [doing] is providing the incentives, providing the encouragement for Tasmanians to invest and get ahead and they are seeing growth, especially in [Braddon], and above all, we are showing the integrity to treat Tasmanians with respect and not mislead them, as Labor is doing. We are delivering more funding into public health in Tasmania and the only reason we can do that is because of the stronger economy, supported by our economic plan
Updated
Scott Morrison sounds like he has a little bit of a cold – his voice barely gets above “wandered past the TV and my second team were up” levels for this dixer.
Updated
Tanya Plibersek to Malcolm Turnbull:
Treasury has confirmed that the entire $140bn stage three of the personal income tax scheme goes to the top 20% of income earners. How can a banker from Vaucluse earning $1m get a tax cut of over $7,000 per year while a hospitality worker from Caboolture will only get a tax cut of $10 per week and will have their penalty rates cut as well?
Turnbull:
(There’s some stuff at the beginning, but this sums it up)
What we want to ensure is for that part of the tax system, the income tax system, there is every incentive and no disincentive for people to do more, to have a go, to invest, to be ambitious, to aspire and get ahead. And the Labor party members, they seek to dismiss that in the contemptuous way the honourable member opposite did a moment ago. I say shame on the Labor party. They used to believe in workers getting ahead, they used to believe in giving people a hand. Nowadays they sound very much like a privileged elite that wants to keep the workers in their place
Updated
We then move onto the first dixer – which is on “just how strong is our strong economy”, which, after the very serious and necessary addressing of child abuse still occurring, just makes dixers sound all the more stupid.
Updated
Question time begins
Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull:
Since this house last sat, the government released its response to the recommendations to the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse. Can the prime minister please update the house on the important recommendations of the royal commission which will help address the wrongs suffered by the survivors of child sexual abuse and help keep children safe in the future.
Turnbull:
The commonwealth has accepted all of the recommendations that relate to it from the royal commission. The ... tragic events of recent times in the Northern Territory, particularly the assault on the young girl in Tennant Creek, is heartbreaking. The protection of children is our most sacred duty. I will ask the minister for social services to go into more detail about precise measures we are undertaking in the Berkeley area. I just want to say that we recognise, as the chief minister Michael Gunner has said to me, that we are dealing with very dysfunctional families facing enormous challenges of substance abuse.
The chief minister has recognised … that the government has failed these children. Their need, as he has acknowledged, to have more senior child protection officers working in the community who have greater confidence to intervene earlier – also vitally important to ensure that people with cultural, particularly speaking about Indigenous committees, people with cultural authority are engaged so that the child protection agencies are working with the Aboriginal communities and people with cultural authority to ensure that there is that support that is provided both from government and from the community when families are failing their children.
He then calls on Dan Tehan to talk some more:
As the prime minister has said, there were specific recommendations, which we are working with the Northern Territory government on. The most important of which is that joint review of children and families, funding and services. We are establishing a commission. That commission will meet in the coming weeks. We are finalising the terms of reference with the Northern Territory government on that commission. Obviously, we are trying to expedite those terms of reference as quickly as we possibly can and we look forward to the first meeting in the coming weeks so we can get on implementing all of the important recommendations which were made by the royal commission.
Updated
'Sick and tired of the modelling games'
Back to the story in the Australian this morning, regarding Labor’s dividend imputation policy.
These types of stories have a habit of recurring in Australian politics, like cycles of the moon.
Remember in 2013 when Kevin Rudd was prime minister?
Rudd claimed Tony Abbott, the then opposition leader, was incorrectly boasting about having found $30bn in savings when Abbott’s own figures showed he’d only found $20bn.
“It is quite clear that there is now a massive $10bn hole in the $30bn that they are claiming,” Rudd said of Abbott’s opposition at the time.
Now it’s the Coalition’s turn.
In today’s story, the Coalition asked Treasury to look at Labor’s dividend imputation policy to see what behavioural impacts it will have on shareholders and how much revenue it will generate after shareholders have responded to it.
It calculated Labor’s policy will raise $10bn less over a decade than Labor has claimed ($45.8bn rather than $55.7bn).
Treasury came up with that figure by assuming many shareholders will respond to Labor’s policy by rebalancing their portfolios away from franked dividend-paying shares, and that the size of their behavioural response will differ depending on the source of the franked dividend and the size of the refund.
There’s nothing wrong with that assumption. Research shows people are highly sensitive to tax rates on different savings options, and that people do tend to shift their savings towards tax-preferred vehicles. If Labor does eventually remove refundable imputation credits then some people will shift their investments away from high-yielding Australian equities into other things.
But the real question is what the revenue impact will be on Labor’s budget bottom line after shareholders have changed their behaviour.
The problem is, we don’t really know. That’s because Labor’s policy was modelled by the Parliamentary Budget Office, and the PBO said it took behavioural changes into account but we don’t know what those assumptions are because Labor has refused to release the modelling.
So, the Coalition is essentially using today’s story to try to force Labor to release the assumptions underpinning its PBO modelling.
It’s all pretty messy, and tedious. Surely voters are sick of these games.
Labor’s responded by questioning the legitimacy of the Treasury analysis because it turns out the analysis was put together by a Treasury official who used to be a staffer for Kelly O’Dwyer and Mitch Fifield, and who was also a former vice-president of the Young Liberals.
And now Chris Bowen, the shadow treasurer, has written to Treasury secretary John Fraser asking him to explain what the Treasury “analysis” is all about.
He asked Fraser if Treasury has even modelled Labor’s policy, or if it simply modelled a policy that shared characteristics with Labor’s policy.
“He replied that [Treasury was] asked by the government to cost a policy relating to the deniability of refundability of franking credits to certain entities,” Bowen said.
Brendan Coates, from the Grattan Institute thinktank, says Labor and the Coalition need to release the assumptions underpinning their various modelling exercises for transparency’s sake.
“We simply don’t know what assumptions the PBO and Treasury have made,” Coates told Guardian Australia.
“The behavioural responses are very complex, so there’s significant uncertainty regarding the revenue that will be collected from the policy change.”
Updated
The votes for the Labor presidency were:
Wayne Swan – 46.94%
Mark Butler – 37.69%
Mish-Elle Myers – 10.94%
Claire Moore – 4.3 %
Myers, a Maritime Union officer, was put forward in a move seen as an attempt to divide the left vote – and it looks like it worked. Her 11%, assuming it all went to Butler (and for left unions, it most likely would have) would have just got him over the line.
Butler had talked about reform of union powers in Senate selections and the like, while Swan ran a campaign based on inequality.
It’s largely a ceremonial position – but is on the national executive so the president is powerful, from an institutional point of view.
Updated
Wayne Swan wins ALP presidency
The votes are in – and Wayne Swan will take over as ALP president from Mark Butler.
I’ll bring you some more on that as soon as I can.
Updated
I am hearing that the government is blocking attempts to have the Greens axe the tampon tax legislation (which passed the Senate on the voices) debated in the house today.
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Soooo, things are going well then:
.@The_Nationals does not, and has no intention of ever supporting the privatisation of the #ABC. #auspol pic.twitter.com/Op4YcNPcOX
— Michael McCormack (@M_McCormackMP) June 18, 2018
Side note – does anyone think the continual attacks on the ABC by our politicians may have led to the idea that the government privatising the broadcaster is actually something people might believe?
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Chris Bowen is addressing the Treasury analysis Scott Morrison was talking about this morning (that was on Labor’s franking credits, which found there was a $10bn black hole, because it didn’t take into account changing investment behaviour. Labor received its costings from the Parliamentary Budget Office – which is independent)
This morning I wrote to the secretary of the Treasury, seeking more information. A short time ago the secretary of the Treasury responded to me. I asked him whether the policy costed was Labor’s policy. He replied that we were asked by the government to cost a policy relating to the deniability of refundability of franking credits to certain entities. I asked for details of the external report that was referred to in several newspapers this morning. The secretary of the Treasury informs me, and I quote, ‘There was no external review.’
Now, it’s time for the treasurer to stop these silly games. The treasurer won’t even release the10-year costs of his corporate tax cut plan and yet he’s encouraging the Treasury to cost Labor’s policies over the decade. I spoke also today to the parliamentary budget officer, who has informed me that the Parliamentary Budget Office stands by their costing of Labor’s policies, and the Parliamentary Budget Office may well have more to say in their own right.
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Good Beyoncé – I just looked at the clock and realised we haven’t even had question time yet.
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As for whether Clive Palmer can register his party name or not, here is what a spokesman for the AEC had to say when I asked them:
Whenever a writ has been issued for a federal election the register of political parties is frozen. What this means is that any party registration applications received prior to this point are not taken forward until after the writs have been returned.
I cannot say whether or not we have received an application for UAP yet but regardless, with writs issued for the byelections on Friday the register is currently frozen. The timing for an application depends on a few factors –primarily whether or not correspondence needs to occur to ensure the applicant has a valid constitution or details the sufficient sitting MP or 500 members of the party – an application cannot progress further without meeting this criteria. Then the application is advertised for a period of a month to allow for people to object. Again, timing depends on the number and nature of objections received.
The Uniting Australia party is no longer of the federal register of parties. My understanding is that similarities to this party name was behind his switch to the PUP last time.
More info on registering parties federally can be found here.
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Sarah Henderson, who worked for the ABC about a decade ago, was asked on Sky News whether she believed the ABC was biased:
“I certainly do think that the ABC has to be very, very careful about giving equal and balanced coverage and I think they do go off the rails from time to time but then they are not the only media organisation to do that.”
Asked for an example:
“I can’t think of anyone in particular right now ... I think there are times where we see there’s probably not enough balanced coverage.
“And I saw it firsthand, that was a while ago clearly, when I worked for the ABC, but let me say the ABC has some great journalists who do some great work. I would like to see the ABC put money into regional Australia. That is a really big problem.”
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Who turned on the sprinklers (apparently it was automatic)?
We may have our answer.
— Pauline Pantsdown (@PPantsdown) June 18, 2018
Christian Porter’s office has issued an URGENT media alert (from his statement):
Australians will be protected from the deliberately deceptive behaviour seen during the 2016 election campaign – the so-called Mediscare campaign.
Attorney general Christian Porter said parliament today passed laws to make it a criminal offence to impersonate a commonwealth entity, company or service, such as a government agency or department.
“We all saw during the last election the deliberately deceptive behaviour where Labor sent text messages purporting to be from Medicare but which were actually direct political propaganda from Labor designed to deceive and scare voters over the future of Medicare,” the attorney general said.
“Under this legislation, it would be a criminal offence to undertake such deceptive activities, with those responsible facing penalties of up to five years imprisonment.
“Whilst it was already a criminal offence to impersonate a commonwealth official, these new laws put beyond doubt the ability prosecutors [have] to deal appropriately with those who pretend to be, or be acting on behalf of, a government body.”
The attorney general said it was important that the Australian community could have and maintain confidence in their major institutions.
“The passage of this legislation ensures that our institutions cannot be misused by those with other agendas and protects the community from criminal misrepresentation of those institutions,” the attorney general said.
“The legislation includes safeguards to ensure the new offences do not limit freedom of expression or stifle public debate. Specific protections are included for artistic or satirical misrepresentations of government. These protections ensure Australia’s longstanding and celebrated tradition of satire and artistic freedom continues, whilst protecting people from deliberate deception for specific purposes.”
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Malcolm Turnbull says the ABC will never be sold.
The ABC will always be in public hands, it will never be sold, that is my commitment, it is a public broadcaster
“It always has been and it always will be.”
It sounds like this one has had some practice.
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On how the government negotiations with the crossbench are going with its income tax bill, Malcolm Turnbull had this to say:
We’ll be engaging, as we always do with the crossbench, respectfully and as persuasively as we can, not through the medium of a press conference.”
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Rare footage of the Titanic II going down (from the genius that is Mike Bowers)
And now we are back to trade talks.
Labor attempts to suspend standing orders
So it looks like the reason Steve Ciobo and Malcolm Turnbull had to run was because Mark Dreyfus is attempting to suspend standing orders to vote on this motion:
That the house resolves that it will never support the privatisation of the ABC and calls on the government to reverse its latest damaging $83 million cut to the ABC
Ayes – 63
Noes – 73
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And in the great tradition of today, the prime minister’s press conference has just had the pause button pressed by the ringing of the bells in the lower house.
With just a one-seat majority, you have to get your running shoes on, if you are a government MP.
Cecilia Malmstrom was left alone at the podium before someone remembered she may not have a clue what was going on and came to her rescue.
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A small side note. When Clive Palmer had his first go around at politics in 2013, he tried to launch it as the United Australia Party but then had to change it to the Palmer United party after a battle with the electoral commission.
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Malcolm Turnbull is in the blue room with the EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom.
He says trade talks will begin for a new Australia-EU free trade agreement.
LIVE now with @StevenCiobo. https://t.co/XgAEC8OunH
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) June 18, 2018
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Mike Bowers was down at the Clive Palmer press conference and said he heard one of the gardeners on the phone madly trying to get the sprinklers turned off, as they had started automatically.
Clive Palmer and Brian Burston at a press conference to announce that former One Nation senator would be joining his United Australia party, the auto sprinkler system came on and cut short the event @murpharoo @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/KTt02YXeHI
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) June 18, 2018
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And the Clive Palmer press conference started so well:
My exchange with Brian Burston and Clive Palmer a few minutes ago...#auspol pic.twitter.com/8v0NFIER98
— Bevan Shields (@BevanShields) June 18, 2018
Just a small correction – Senate Greens put through the axe-the-tampon-tax as a bill, not a motion.
But with the House numbers as they are, it won’t get a pass.
Updated
Siiiiigggghhhhhh
STATEMENT: Senator Brian Burston to lead United Australia Party in the Senate #auspol pic.twitter.com/levWRTNC25
— Political Alert (@political_alert) June 18, 2018
Also sidenote - press conferences are held in the Senate courtyard all the time. And I have never seen the sprinklers go off. Especially not at 11am on a Monday morning.
So who turned them on?
And despite Sarah Vogler from the Courier Mail reporting overnight that Brian Burston would be joining Clive Palmer’s party, Burston claims he didn’t make the decision until 10.30 this morning.
That is because he told the Senate at 10am he was standing as an independent. Which he is not. He’s standing as a United Australia Party. By stating he didn’t make the decision until 10.30, he has not, technically, misled parliament.
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But before it all ended, Clive Palmer, who has not paid his sacked workers their entitlements, said he would be using the money his companies raise, to fund his political party comeback:
Course the money from my companies that I own 100% will be supporting political lives in Australia. You people seem to think if I have got money that I own I can’t spend it as I want to. That is a freedom in this country.”
The Senate courtyard sprinklers just brought that press conference to an end.
Probably because it resembled a flaming trash heap and the sprinklers got confused.
Labor MP Cathy O’Toole turned up to Clive Palmer’s press conference. She represents north Queensland seat of Herbert, which is where Palmer shut down his nickel refinery – the region’s biggest employer:
Here is the exchange:
O’Toole: Why aren’t you paying the workers in Herbert district in Townsville the money they are owed? I have got John who is owed $10,000 by you.
Palmer: Let me answer your question.
O’Toole: Laura $7,000, Chris from Bushland Beach $10,000. These people are doing it tough, Clive.
Palmer: We have got to do something – can I answer your question, please? First of all, I announced last week we are reopening a refinery and the Townsville Bulletin ran a poll in Townsville and found that 70% of people supported my plans of doing that. Secondly, I do not owe anyone anything in North Queensland.
O’Toole: They think differently.
Palmer: It is not true.
O’Toole: It is their back pocket. They are not wealthy like you that is the sad thing.
Palmer: What we have to do is look to the future and get jobs for the country. I sympathise with all people in North Queensland.
O’Toole: Sympathy doesn’t pay their bills.
Palmer: It is not my responsibility to pay the people’s bills.
O’Toole: It is your responsibility to pay your workers their entitlements.
Palmer: I didn’t sack anybody in North Queensland.
O’Toole: They are not seeing it. These people do not have a job.
Palmer: That is not true. If they haven’t got a job after three years ...
O’Toole: We have huge unemployment. Imagine taking 850 jobs out of our community – it nearly killed our community.
Palmer: 70% of people supported us in Townsville to reopen it. We have got to get more jobs open in this country. Another question?
Updated
Palmer announces Brian Burston as Senate leader for new party
Clive Palmer has just announced Brian Burston is the Senate leader for the United Australia Party.
Palmer says Burston has shown a courage not often seen in Australian politics.
Updated
I just ... ugh. Mark it down. It is 11am on the first sitting of the new parliament and I CAN NOT EVEN:
Barry O'Sullian just told the Senate he's in love with one of Derryn Hinch's former wives - Jackie Weaver - and doesn't want to ruin his chances of meeting her in the future by speaking too strongly against Hinch's live exports ban.
— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) June 18, 2018
Australian politics wtf
Updated
That awkward moment you run into your ex at the shops:
Peter Georgiou and Brian Burston after the Senate resumed sitting in parliament house Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
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Greens' tampon tax bill passes Senate
The end-the-tampon-tax-god-damn-it bill just passed the Senate on the voices.
The House can, and will, choose to ignore that though.
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So now that the Senate musical chairs have calmed for just a moment, here is what Mathias Cormann is working with, if Labor and the Greens oppose government legislation:
He needs eight of the remaining 10 crossbenchers. So, now that Pauline Hanson has lost her voting bloc of three – and effectively, her balance of power, here is the puzzle the government has to put together.
- Option one:
One Nation, Centre Alliance and four of the remaining six crossbenchers: Tim Storer, Derryn Hinch, and the loose conservative alliance of Brian Burston, Fraser Anning, Cory Bernardi and David Leyonhjelm.
- Option two:
One Nation and every single crossbencher
- Option three:
Centre Alliance and every single crossbencher
- Option four:
The conservative crossbench and either One Nation, Centre Alliance or Hinch and Storer.
Updated
This morning @WilkieMP is introducing the Refugee Protection Bill 2018 in the House of Representatives. I will be seconding and speaking to the Bill. #RefugeeWeek2018 #auspol
— Cathy McGowan (@Indigocathy) June 18, 2018
Palmer to hold press conference at 11am
Clive Palmer will be holding a press conference at 11 in the Senate courtyard.
So, yup. He’s back.
Updated
Independent senator Tim Storer confirms again he wants the tax bill split, but also won’t be horse trading.
This is now officially in the Hansard:
"If men bled every month - do you think the GST would be added to sanitary products?" @janet_rice tells the Senate.
— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) June 18, 2018
Keeping up with the Crossbenchers. Season 14
Fraser Anning has advised the Senate he has joined Katter’s Australian Party.
Brian Burston says he will be sitting as an independent Senator. He also wants to be a whip.
Cory Bernardi is sitting behind him and looks like he is having the time of his life. He’s watching the proceedings like he’s just seen Clueless for the first time.
For those attempting to keep up with the Senate, my wonderful colleague Nick Evershed has created this, which is much more fancy than the blackboard I have to keep updating in the office.
Updated
Brian Burston will probably make a statement to the Senate about his switched allegiances.
I think we can all agree the real tragedy here is that Pauline Hanson will no longer have anyone to wear a NSW jersey to set off her Maroons jersey for State of Origin photo stunts anymore.
Updated
David Smith is being sworn into the Senate, as a replacement for Katy Gallagher.
Gallagher, of course, announced last week that she would be running for the Senate again. Smith has indicated he wants to hold on to the seat.
Fun times ahead for the ACT Labor branch then.
Jordon Steele-John will be introducing a bill in the Senate to lower the voting age to 16:
If the Australian political establishment actually listened to young people and looked past the three-year election cycle then we would see real action on these issues, but instead they continue to lock us out. Young people care deeply about our future and the world around us and yet we rarely get a seat at the table in making those decisions.
Lowering the voting age to 16 also represents an exciting chance to reinvigorate the way we teach civics education by bringing democratic participation into the classroom in a tangible new way and helping young people to form good voting habits early from a sound understanding of our electoral processes, not just however their parents vote.
Updated
Clive Palmer 'promises candidate in every lower house seat'
Sigh.
Palmer is planning to run a candidate in every lower house seat at next election. Brian Burston will be joining his UAP team @SkyNewsAust
— Ashleigh Gillon (@ash_gillon) June 17, 2018
I’ve been told Clive Palmer himself won’t be among those.
He might be too busy, given the court cases he also has to juggle at the moment.
Updated
Tony Abbott is speaking to Ray Hadley on 2GB. The presenter lines him up to smash Malcolm Turnbull by pointing out that the prime minister has now beaten Julia Gillard’s record of most consecutive Newspoll losses (33).
Abbott has a chuckle and says this is why he never thought Newspoll should be “the be all and end all”.
“But obviously, if you do lose two years of Newspoll, that does tell you something,” says the man who lost almost two years of Newspolls.
“And what I think it tells us, as the government, is that we have to do something different.
“And as I used to say in a different context, you don’t need to change the leader, but by God you need to change the policy.”
This is why Abbott, who voluntarily signed Australia up for the Paris agreement, says he has been “banging the drum for a long time now” to get more coal-fired power into the system.
So the energy wars are going great in the party room then.
Updated
While the Treasury analysis can be argued with both sides – one thing seems clear to me (and let’s be clear, I am not an economist): setting budget predictions out across 10 years seems bupkis for exactly the reason the analysis the government is spruiking sets out – behaviours change and you can’t necessarily always predict how.
So setting a tax plan out across 10 years, based on assumptions of revenues and behaviours, might be a little unreliable – because of reasons we have just seen laid out by the government.
There is nothing wrong with doing the analysis – but it just proves that wider point. (At least to me)
As one gallery wag just came in to tell me – the $10bn “blackhole” works out to be about 0.2% of total [estimated) government revenue over the next 10 years, or “a fiscal bees dick”
Updated
The West Australian had an interesting story during the weekend, about a state byelection – which the state Labor government looks like winning despite, a) being the government and, b) causing the byelection after its MP turned out some batshit chicanery usually reserved for Queensland MPs:
WA Labor is on track to retain the seat of Darling Range in next Saturday’s by-election despite the scandal surrounding disgraced former MP Barry Urban, with more than half of voters in the area saying the scandal would not affect their vote.
In a boost for the state government, a ReachTel poll of more than 600 voters, commissioned by The Weekend West, found Labor’s Tania Lawrence is set to claim the seat with a two-party preferred vote of 54% to Liberal Alyssa Hayden’s 46% — a swing against the government since the election of less than 2%.
Primary support for Labor has fallen four points since last year’s state election, but an increase in the Liberal vote of less than one percentage point, to 31%, has cemented the party’s poor performance.
Why is that important? Well, if Labor can win a byelection it sparked after its MP was alleged to have forged a university degree, among other things, while bucking history and doing it while in government, then that gives you a taste of just how on the nose the Liberals STILL are in Western Australia. You know, where Christian Porter, Andrew Hastie, Ken Wyatt and Steve Irons are all in danger of losing their seats at the next election.
Updated
The Senate starts at 10– and a little bit later it will deal with the legislation which will stop political parties from being able to send communications out as if they were from a federal body.
That is known as the “Mediscare bill”.
Updated
Angus Taylor was on Sky News and was asked about the author of the Treasury report:
The first point I would make is this is a very clear blackhole in Labor’s franking credit policy and more importantly, it is a blackhole in Bill Shorten’s economic leadership. It is very clear that when you look at the numbers – Labor has ignored the fact that people will adjust their behaviour.
Who did the technical work probably doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, it was signed off by Treasury and it may make intuitive sense. If you have a policy where you ignore the fact that people are going to change their behaviour, then of course you are going to end up with a blackhole and that is exactly what is happening here.
Updated
The Australian has a story on Labor’s dividend imputation policy (the one which will scrap the franking credit refunds on super) based on a Treasury study, which it says shows a $10bn blackhole over the decade, raising $45.8bn instead of $55.7bn.
From the Australian:
The Treasury modelling, based on a two-month external review of the policy, revealed that the behavioural shift expected from the impact of the policy on investors and retirees would be $1bn less over the budget forward estimates than the opposition had banked on.
Labor has pointed out that the document was put together by a former staffer for Kelly O’Dwyer and Mitch Fifield, who was also a former vice-president of the Young Liberals.
Always de-identify your pdfs, kiddos.
Updated
For anyone watching the outcome of the Labor presidency ballot – a result should be known by mid-morning.
On the last information (which was late last night) Wayne Swan was ahead – but they were yet to start counting the electronic votes.
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The Nationals also had their national conference at the weekend. Here’s a snapshot:
I have to say, I love that everyone's response to this pic is pointing out the lack of women #auspol #NatConf18 https://t.co/wKwrUEdykc
— Natalie Kotsios (@NatalieKotsios) June 15, 2018
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Scott Morrison was on Radio National this morning – this is what he had to say when asked if he thought the ABC was impartial:
That’s the ABC’s job. It is not for me to defend the ABC or promote the ABC: I fund the ABC and I think there are concerns out there in the Australian public. I think it is for the ABC to demonstrate to the Australian people that they are not doing that. I’m not saying they are. I don’t think you are and I don’t think you do on this program. I think this program is a good example of unbiased nature of the ABC.
It never seems to be the program they are on that is the problem. Worth noting though that Mitch Fifield has made six complaints to the ABC in about six months.
Updated
Just on the tampon tax, here is what Tanya Plibersek had to say about it last night:
If the Liberals actually care about a fairer tax system, they should vote with Labor and others in the Senate today to abolish the tampon tax.
It’s time this arrogant and out-of-touch prime minister gave women a tax cut, instead of his mates at the big banks.
The Liberals talk about doing more for women, but never do – today Malcolm Turnbull has a chance to change that.
Or does Mr Turnbull agree with Tony Abbott, who says scrapping the tampon tax is a “politically correct mistake”?
Or does he agree with his Liberal colleague Stuart Robert that it’s more important to abolish the GST on superyachts than on tampons and pads?
Malcolm Turnbull reckons the tax system is gender neutral, but tampons are taxed, while Viagra isn’t.
Back in April, Labor announced that we would end Australia’s unfair and discriminatory tampon tax by partnering with the states and territories to remove the GST on women’s sanitary products.
Scrapping the tampon tax will make sanitary products more affordable – but just as importantly, it will be an important step forward in gender equity.
The tampon tax is a tax on women.
Australian women spend around $300m on sanitary products – tampons and pads – each year.
Currently, every single one of these products is hit with the 10% GST – around $30m a year in tax – because they are not considered necessities.
At the same time, products such as incontinence pads, sunscreen and nicotine patches are exempt from the tax.
The tax shouldn’t have been applied in the first place – there is no question that sanitary products aren’t a luxury item. They are necessary for reproductive health and hygiene.
That’s why Labor is leading the way to abolish this tax on sanitary items.
Labor is offering a real solution and there is no reason for Malcolm Turnbull to refuse it – it’s a well-designed plan that’s fully funded. And there’s no reason for the Liberals to vote against scrapping the tampon tax in the Senate today.
Under Labor’s proposal, the loss of revenue to the states from GST on sanitary items, would be offset by applying the GST consistently to 12 natural therapies that are sometimes GST-free, such as herbalism and naturopathy.
These natural therapies are not supported by clinical evidence, as the commonwealth’s Chief Medical Officer and the National Health and Medical Research Council found in a review in 2015.
At a time when government budgets are tight, the GST health exemption should only cover items with proven clinical effectiveness.
Ensuring the GST is applied to these therapies will also bring their GST treatment into line with bipartisan policy to remove the private health insurance rebate from them.
Updated
Good morning
Well, it has been QUITE the break, hasn’t it?
Just when you thought Australian politics was settling down, we get the last two weeks.
In case you missed it, Barnaby Joyce has a book coming out – a “warts and all” tell-all – but still, privacy please.
Lucy Gichuhi’s travel is in the news – particularly a 56th birthday bash, with a 50th theme, for which she has had to pay back family flights she charged to the taxpayer (she said she misunderstood the rules). But then there is also the clip from a Kenyan TV appearance in which she says her salary – A$200,000 – is not a lot of money for a year.
Regarding the media reports about my travel expenses, this was an administrative error involving misunderstanding of travel rules.
— Lucy Gichuhi (@senatorlucy) June 17, 2018
I’ve raised an invoice from the department to pay the costs of $2139 in full.
Brian Burston officially quit One Nation, and now looks likely to help Clive Palmer register his latest go-around in politics by joining the United Australia Party. Sigh. I’m sure the people of Townsville, particularly those who were left without jobs and their entitlements after his nickel refinery shutdown, are just THRILLED that Palmer is back.
Oh, and then the Liberals managed to score a pretty spectacular own goal in the world of deft-politics when their national council voted to privatise the ABC. The Liberals have been quick to point out that their national council motions are not binding and it is only the parliamentary team which makes policy.
But given the big deal the government has made out of Labor’s upcoming national conference battles (asylum seekers being the main one), the government might not find it so easy to say the desires of the council don’t count. Particularly since no one spoke against the motion. Malcolm Turnbull wasn’t in the room at the time, and Mitch Fifield gave a “we’re not going to do it” speech, but still. Given all the cuts to the ABC, it’s not great timing, let alone great politics.
Mitch Fifield’s transcript from yesterday’s ABC motion for those who are interested #auspol pic.twitter.com/Domk61B4ct
— Amy Remeikis (@AmyRemeikis) June 17, 2018
But it is all about tax, tax, tax on the policy front, as the government looks to get its income tax cuts bill across in one hit, and Labor works to split it. The Greens will be key to Labor’s success here – if those nine senators don’t vote yes, then the amendment plan is dead in the water. Speaking of the Greens, the party wants the Senate to vote to do away with the tampon tax. And Mathias Cormann still has hope he’ll get the company tax plan through, despite sitting at four votes short.
So let’s get in to it! Mike Bowers is out and about – you can find him at @mpbowers and @mikebowers and hanging out with me on the story at @pyjamapolitics. You can catch me in the comments, and also @amyremeikis.
I hope everyone has had their Weeties.
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