The House is debating the higher ed (student loan sustainability) bill while, over in the Senate, Brian Burston’s urgency motion on why some sports players and politicians feel the need to cheat, so we might just leave it there.
Tomorrow will bring more on the company tax cut front. Will Tim Storer and Derryn Hinch have a decision?
We’ll also have party room meetings and caucus – which will be Ged Kearney’s first.
Kristina Keneally will deliver her first speech. We’ll also have the latest Essential poll for you.
Tony Abbott will launch Pauline Hanson’s book, which should be fun.
And we will have all the other fun and games which go with it.
A big thank you to the Guardian brains trust for getting me through another day and to Mike Bowers for keeping me entertained (check out his juggling skills at @pyjamapolitics) as well as taking us all into the chambers and surrounds.
And, as always, the biggest thank you goes to you for reading. We have two more days of parliamentary action before they head on a five-week Canberra break, so who knows what they could get up to between now and then? We’ll be back tomorrow morning with the latest insanity.
In the meantime, have a lovely evening and take care of you.
Updated
Today I was sworn in as the Member for Batman. Thank you to everyone who helped get me here, now the real work begins. #auspol pic.twitter.com/grYF75w5p1
— Ged Kearney (@gedkearney) March 26, 2018
It took almost a whole two days, but we got there:
That time @MrKRudd was responsible for ball tampering. pic.twitter.com/iG7YjUJWzj
— Sam Dastyari (@samdastyari) March 26, 2018
Just dipping out of the day to day politics for a moment. Ben Doherty has an update on Myanmar, in the wake of Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit:
Australia has told Myanmar that international observers must be allowed into the isolated Rakhine state to monitor the situation of Rohingya still living there, and to supervise the return of any of those who have fled and wish to come back.
In its strongest statement yet against the quasi-military regime, Australia condemned Myanmar’s violence at the United Nations Human Rights Council, saying anyone guilty of human rights abuses “must be held to account”.
“Australia reiterates its deep concern about events in Rakhine state, including reports of widespread and systematic human rights violations and abuses by Myanmar security forces and local vigilantes,” the charge d’affaires of Australia’s mission to the UN, Lachlan Strahan, said in Geneva. “We also note with concern ongoing clashes between the Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups in north-eastern Myanmar and barriers to humanitarian access.”
You’ll find the whole report, here
Peter Dutton’s statement on the au pair #auspol pic.twitter.com/2MeFKUFlDn
— Michael Koziol (@michaelkoziol) March 26, 2018
From Mike Bowers’ lens to your eyeballs:
With Kearney’s swearing in, Labor now has 48% women in caucus – the closest any political party has come to gender parity.
Updated
Over in the Senate, the company tax debate has been placed on hold – which would point to the government not yet having those numbers it needs.
Updated
Tony Abbott denies he wants leader's job
The AFR has just published this story, which appears to have gotten under Tony Abbott’s nose (there has been a bit of that lately).
From Aaron Patrick’s yarn:
Former prime minister Tony Abbott is working to build support within the party to run for leader again if the Coalition loses power at the next election, say party members and supporters who know him.
The 60-year-old backbencher has said in private conservations that he regards politics as his vocation and has no intention of retiring from his Sydney seat, sources said.
Three sources who know Mr Abbott said they believed he was positioning himself to return to the leadership in opposition, making an unlikely comeback to the tough job that even his critics acknowledge he excelled at.
“All his actions indicate that’s what he would like to do,” said one Liberal party official from NSW. “That would not surprise me at all.”
More joke journalism from Aaron Patrick. A story that's not backed by a single on-the-record quote except from someone who said the story was untrue.
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) March 26, 2018
Updated
Tony Burke asks when the parliament will censure Bruce Billson following the parliamentary committee report.
The Speaker, Tony Smith, says its a matter for the House. Which puts it back in Christopher Pyne’s court.
Updated
Bill Shorten gives a statement on indulgence on the natural disasters and question time ends.
It was a miracle when you look at the fire damage in New South Wales and Victoria, or cyclone damage in the Top End, that no one was killed. Any of us who has been out there in the days afterwards, for example, Tathra, 100 dwellings were destroyed out of 500. It is a great testament to the resourcefulness of the locals, the emergency services personnel, by volunteer and professional, that there was no loss of life. But, at the same time, I think it is important this parliament [recognise] that, for a lot of people, their building task will seem very daunting. In the first 24 and 48 hours after these disasters, there is a lot of adrenaline, a lot of attention, the media is interested, there are visits ... And, after that 24 and 48 hours, as the adrenaline subsides, many of our fellow Australians will think, ‘How do we start again?’ The damage done will see a loss of school reports and photos and memories, which simply can’t be replaced. The cost of rebuilding will seem daunting and I just wanted to conclude by saying to those Australians, it is legitimate to be unsure about what to do. There is no textbook reaction on how to cope with this adversity and I say to those Australians, please ask for help. Many other people, if you see how they are coping, please ask them how they are going. Recovery is an individual matter. It is important that we encourage all Australians to look after people who have been hard hit because the recovery will take along time for some of our fellow Australians.
Updated
Michelle Rowland to Malcolm Turnbull on whether or not the prime minister is going to stick with HFC or switch to copper.
Turnbull:
I remind her, she has obviously forgotten what I said and we were last together, that HFC stands for hybrid fibre coaxial and the actual coax cable is made out of copper. Just make that point to the honourable member for future reference.
Updated
Peter Dutton on au pair
Josh Frydenberg gets a dixer on Snowy 2.0 (because it has been a while since we have heard that phase) and then we move to Peter Dutton.
(FINALLY)
Shayne Neumann:
I refer to concerns raised in the media today relating to the minister’s use of his ministerial discretion to grant a tourist visa to an au pair. Was his decision based on departmental advice? If not, what prompted the minister to intervene and will the minister undertake to provide the opposition with a departmental briefing at the earliest opportunity so the facts can be made clear?”
Dutton:
Well done. Finally you have risen to the top of the pile [for questions]. [Three past the hour] You have missed out on television but nonetheless. Throw the dog a bone, I guess. There are reports around today which talk about a decision I made in relation to a visa. [There are] defamatory parts of that article, [which I am] going to address with that journalist. Our family does not employ a nanny. My wife takes very good care, in my absence, of our three children. We have never employed a nanny. I have instructed before that story is completely false and yet it still continues to be published. In relation to the matter otherwise, and I release more details as I put it together at the moment, as I say it is defamatory and I won’t tolerate it being printed again. I make decisions … I won’t. I won’t have my family … I won’t have details, false details, as the leader of the opposition would appreciate. I won’t have false details about my wife and children printed and I won’t stand for it. That is the reality. I make hundreds of decisions each year in relation to ministerial discretion under the Migration Act as has been the case with many ministers past. Members of this parliament in relation to individual cases. I look at the individual circumstances around each matter and if I determined there is an interest in me intervening in those cases, I do. In many cases, I look at facts – for example, the honourable shadow treasurer nodding away – and if in the circumstances to be appropriate, I intervene.”
The version of the AAP story I read didn’t say who the au pair was working for, and carried the denial from the department that it was anyone related to Dutton. We will keep you posted.
Updated
After a few more #deathtodixers Jenny Macklin has some questions for Dan Tehan, who seems to be much better prepared for this, than the last time she targeted him.
Macklin: “How many families are worse off today because of this government’s changes to the pension assets test?”
Tehan: “I thank the member for her question. And I would like to point out that since the Coalition formed government in 2013, pensions have increased by $86 a fortnight for singles, and about $130 a fortnight for couples. Pensions continue to rise twice a year and the aged pension is paid at the highest rate of income support payments in Australia’s social security system. Now, on 1 January 2017, the pension assets test and taper rate was rebalanced to make the system better targeted and more sustainable into the future. Around 165,000 Australians received a higher pension as a result of changes to the assets test from 1 January 2017. This includes about 50,000 people who move to the full pension. Around 90% of pensioners are either better off or have had no change to their pension under these measures, and you supported it.”
And later..
Macklin: “Can the minister confirmed that this government is cutting the energy supplement for 400,000 pensioners, increasing the pension age to 70, did a deal with the Greens political party which meant 92,000 pensioners lost their pension, and left a total of 370,000 pensioners worse off, and has included cuts to pensioners in every single budget it has handed down? Every single one?”
Tehan: “What I can confirm to the shadow minister is that this government has, from the word go, started repairing the mess that this Labor party left for us. Now, we have had to make some tough decisions. That you were so, so desperate when you were last in government, you put 80,000 single mothers on to Newstart. We want to … make sure we don’t have to do that again. So when it comes to welfare, we are making sure we are creating 1,100 jobs a day, because that means that people will go off welfare into work, and we all know that that is the best thing that we can do for people.”
I mean, he is not answering the questions (that is to be expected, this isn’t answer time) but he’s at least making words which form sentences. And that, in this place, is quite the accomplishment.
Updated
Justine Elliot to Malcolm Turnbull:
How is it fair that this prime minister is making it even harder for pensioners who are struggling with their power bills by cutting the energy supplement of $14 a fortnight while giving a $65bn handout to big as this?
Turnbull: #theministerdoesnotanswerthequesiton
Updated
Was Malcolm Turnbull even a member of the Liberal party in 1998?
Updated
Chris Bowen to Malcolm Turnbull:
How is it fair that the prime minister is hitting ordinary workers with a $44bn tax increase to pay for his $55bn the business tax cut?
Scott Morrison takes it: “I will add to the member’s question with his own words. Which were, as we recall, he was talking about disability care, a scheme which is overdue in Australia. ‘I’m glad the opposition be given credit to come on board and supportive.’ He was referring to us when we were in opposition. It was not easy to introduce … The Productivity Commission, they gave a report on how it should be done and we said we did have to pay for it, to increase the Medicare levy. That is something that was a controversial when we did it, but I think the right thing to do because all Australians would recognise that as a decent, compassionate nation, it is the right thing to do now. It is overdue. What a hypocrite the shadow treasurer is. What a pathetic hypocrite.
He withdraws.
“But you can’t run or hide from the fact, Mr Speaker, you cannot run or hide from the fact, Mr Speaker, that the shadow treasurer on this matter has had more faces on this than even the leader of the opposition. They are all around, Mr Speaker. They look in every direction, every single direction. What the shadow treasurer is seeking to do to the Australian economy is to tax it within an inch of its life, more than $200bn in higher taxes. I have only just talked about the ones they have announced so far. A notice today, Mr Speaker, that the shadow treasurer is out there quoting Per Capita research today on the cost of privilege, it is called, where he basically says that, and a person owning an investment property – one in five police officers, 38,000 nurses – that they are engaged in some sort of tax rort. But if a retiree, if a retiree is simply getting a tax refund because of the dividend, then apparently this is a big rort. The insult from the leader of the opposition in the shadow treasurer is to treat these Australians with contempt and tell them that they are somehow cheating the tax system. What he doesn’t refer to in the research today is that that research that he is referring to, which is apparently the cost of this great privilege and loophole, includes an estimate of the cost of the CGT exemption for family homes.”
Updated
Could I just say, as a sidenote, there is a real habit in politics in this country, to not allow any new ideas, because it was not something that you have always supported.
We saw it in the marriage equality debate, and we see it whenever a new idea is floated.
Political parties don’t always get it right. Politicians don’t always get it right. But circumstances change with the times, and we should be grown up enough to have that debate without constantly throwing back to something previous.
I used to think placing glitter butterfly clips all over my head was a good idea. I’ve moved on.
Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull:
How is it fair that the Prime Minister is hitting 7 million working Australians with a tax increase while he is given a $65m handout to big business including a $9.5m handout to the big banks?
Turnbull: I think the honorable member for his question and it gives me the opportunity to continue with my consideration of the 2010 Labor budget, because this was such an enthusiastic endorsement of a relatively small cut in company tax, it was only 1%. That actually booked a $600m reformed dividend in additional revenue as a result of it. Mr Speaker, they said here in their budget papers, the government’s tax plan will promote growth across the entire economy. Independent modelling of the plan indicates it will deliver a reformed dividend of 0.7% increase in GDP in the long run, which over time, can be expected to flow through into taxation revenue, which is why they booked the dividend. The reduction of the company tax rate is expected …
(Shorten interrupts to ask about the 2017 budget. Turnbull goes on as if he has not been interrupted.)
PM Turnbull now talking about 2010. Wondering if he’ll later listen to Empire State of Mind before watching a bit of Masterchef Season 2. #qt
— Terri Butler MP (@terrimbutler) March 26, 2018
Turnbull: I go on. It said in the 2010 paper, the reduction in the company tax rate expected to increase GDP by 0.4% in the long run. So, Mr Speaker, that was just a 1% cut in company tax. That is what Labor said, the advice I got from Treasury. They put it in the budget papers. It was not a political speech, it was right there in the papers, signed by the treasurer and the minister for finance at the time. The logic remained precisely the same. The reason we are, we have cut company tax up to $50m turnover businesses and we are seeking to cut it for all businesses is precisely the same logic that Labor advanced in 2010, it increases investment, increases productivity, increases wages and, of course, that has a result, increases government revenues and you can see how much Labor thought it would do there. In terms of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Mr Speaker, the very simple fact is that Labor was dripping with compassion, talking about the NDIS, claiming it is a great Labor enterprise, a great Labor achievement, but did not fund it. They did not fund it. You can have all of the compassion under the sun, but you cannot look into the eyes of a mother with a disabled child and say, I want to look after you, and they’re not provide the funds to do so. So that’s what we’re doing with the Medicare levy and Labor should stop their hypocrisy, stop all the bogus compassion and get behind it and make sure that we pay for that great national enterprise of the NDIS.”
Updated
Scott Morrison has the next #deathtodixers and I would love to tell you what he is saying, but he is yelling so loud it is all just LOUD NOISES and TAX and that’s about all I can catch.
Cathy McGowan has the crossbench question today. It’s for Josh Frydenberg:
“Last week I was pleased to welcome you to Indi to meet with communities embracing renewable energy, pumped hydro and battery storage, and you noted a massive transformation taking place in Australia’s energy system, a once-in-a-lifetime transformation. As we move into the world of micro-grids, demand management, pumped hydro, rooftop solar and battery storage, would you agree that partnerships in upskilled communities and building capacity can help deliver affordable, reliable and secure energy, and can the minister please outline to the House how micro-grids will provide energy security under the government’s national energy guarantee?”
Frydenberg: “It was a real pleasure to join her and the local communities in her electorate last week, including many representatives from Albury Wodonga, from Wangaratta, and in another town. And there, the local community has put in place a 90 kilowatts solar system which will save $1m over the life of that project for the community. And we also went to the Winton wetlands. And these are local communities taking responsibility for their own power generation, and in doing so reducing their power bills and helping Australia transition to a clean energy future. And as the member rightly says, we are going through a once-in-a-century transition in our energy system. From a centralised system with traditional, synchronous sources of generation, to one with much more distributed generation and micro-grids and renewables and storage, Mr Speaker. And we are helping, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, to support the rollout of these projects. And while I was in Indi, I spoke about the $12.5m funding round that the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has announced, where it will support pilot projects in local communities like those in Indi, that bring together renewables and storage, and it could be batteries, it could be as they are looking at in this community, pumped hydro storage, converters and other smart control systems, Mr Speaker, and other projects that government and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency continued to support, including the Garden Island micro-grids, which bring together wave energy and storage and solar in Western Australia. In Coober Pedy, in South Australia, again, wind, solar, batteries and reducing the reliance on diesel. And the storage and solar project in northern Queensland, Mr Speaker. The member for Leichhardt’s electorate, megawatt solar project and 1.4 megawatts battery, Mr Speaker – And all of this is coming under the recommendation from the Independent Energy Security Board, which is a key opportunity which we cannot allow to pass, to properly integrate energy and policy, to ensure more reliable and affordable system. Australian households will be $300 a year better off than they would have been under the Labor party’s plan.”
Updated
Jim Chalmers to Malcolm Turnbull: How is it fair that under the government’s policies, a wealthy retiree couple would get a tax bonus on dividend imputation despite the fact that they have $3m in super, owned their own home, have $200,000 in Australian shares outside super, draw $130,000 per year in super income, received $15,000 a year in dividends income and paid no tax?
Turnbull: The honourable member overlooks in his question that what his party is seeking to do is to prevent any Australian, no matter what their financial status is, from getting the cash from a franking credit that they have not been able to offset against other income. And Mr Speaker, the justice in allowing self-funded retirees and pensioners and people on low taxable income is to do this is very apparent. Look at the outrage. The indignation from the Labor party when I make that point. Mr Speaker, Mr Speaker, I want to delve into recent history.
(“You’ll regret it,” someone yells)
“Yes, you are right. You will regret this,” Turnbull responds.
I regret every life decision which has led me to this moment.
(Also, the recent history was from 20 years ago, so I would hate to see what Turnbull considers to be actual history)
Updated
Because this Leader of the Opposition is addicted to tax, because he is addicted to spending, and nothing can control him other than the Australian people, by ensuring that this Leader of the Opposition can never get his grubby hands in the hard earned earnings of retirees around this country,” Scott Morrison says.
Not quite as catchy as a Robert Palmer ditty, but I guess we can’t all be totally addicted to love.
Tanya Plibersek to Malcolm Turnbull:
Over the last two years, wages have grown by only 4% while company profits have increased by a very substantial 32%. When companies are already pocketing massive profit, which they haven’t passed on to workers, why should Australians believe that a $65bn handout to big business will mean higher wages for them?
Turnbull: The national accounts data show that over the past year, private sector company profit grew by 5%, while compensation of employees grew by 4.8%. So the premise of the honorable member’s question is wrong. ABS business indicators data shows over the past year, aggregate wages and salaries and company growth operating profits grew by 4.3%. Now, Mr Speaker, even if we were to accept Labor’s two-year time period, it ignores the fact that in the four years prior to that, company profits have been declining and, Mr Speaker, indeed, over the past six years,compensation of employees has grown by 21.8% while company profits grew by 13.7%. So the whole proposition that companies are making gigantic profits that are ever-increasing and employees wages are not keeping up is completely and utterly false and the figures I’ve just quoted proved that very point.
He goes on to repeat the same lines we have heard over and over and over again. And we will hear over and over and over again up until the budget on 8 May.
We move to another dixer – this time about “Tony” a self-managed super fund user from Julia Banks’ electorate. Scott Morrison comes out straight out of the box with his “Sharks-are-five-away-from-the-win-and-desperate-for-the-line” voice. Which, as we know from Morrison performance ratings, is about a five on the yell-o-meter.
Updated
The first question is on … company tax cuts.
Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull:
Working Australians are already doing it tough, with this prime minister presiding over the low wages growth on record. So how is it fair that this prime minister is giving a $65bn handout to big business while flooding workers with a $300 tax increase?
Turnbull: The honorable member knows very well why are we are supporting reductions in company tax. The argument was made by him a few years ago. He stood at the dispatch box and said, lower company taxes result in more investment, higher productivity and higher wages. That is what he said as he made that case, and that was orthodox economics, Mr Speaker, it was literally accepted from both sides of politics that are lower taxes result in more investment and higher wages and more employment. Mr Speaker, we managed to secure, despite the ferocious opposition of the Labor party, cut up to $50m, the last group up to $25m starting on July 1 this year. That is small and medium businesses have tax cuts under our government. Overwhelmingly Australian-owned, overwhelmingly family-owned and we are seeing the growth in those businesses in the jobs numbers, 420,700 jobs in the last 12 months. That is the highest annual jobs growth in our history.”
Because no one in politics is allowed to change their mind ever.
We move on to a dixer on the same topic, where Turnbull gives the same answer.
Side note – the amount of dixers and appearances Ann Sudmalis has made lately has to point to just how worried the government is about whether or not she will keep her seat. She is not only marginal, Gilmore is also one of those seats the ACTU has said it is targeting. It must be working on at least some scale.
Updated
Question Time begins
The new member for Batman is sworn in and the cameras go nuts.
There is laughter about “getting the shot” and then Gerardine Mary Kearney is officially a House MP.
Llew O’Brien has been made Nationals Whip.
Ged Kearney has just been admitted to the House of Reps to a standing ovation from Labor and polite applause from the government.
It is almost question time! George Christensen is obviously excited, because who wouldn’t be?
Cory Bernardi, who is on sick leave and not in Canberra (he has injured his ankle, from memory) is speaking from Adelaide where he says Dennis Hood is the only one who can explain Dennis Hood’s decision:
I think it is a matter for Dennis to explain his actions. Let us be clear. Politics is a pursuit for adults and all of us make decisions, some are right and some are wrong but we are all individually accountable for them. In the bright glare of post-election politics you can put a great deal into perspective and this decision today provides a little bit more clarity to me about some of the decisions that have been taken previously.”
He said he received a text message from a “friend of mine in the Liberal party” alerting him to Hood’s defection, and then called Hood.
But Bernardi can’t really go that hard against Hood, given he did the same thing – except in reverse.
Updated
Cory Bernardi will be having a chat about this – how Dennis Hood did a Bernardi in reverse (elected as an Australian Conservative before defecting to the Liberals).
Thrilled to welcome @dennishood to the Marshall Liberal Government, adding depth to our team & strengthening our presence in the Upper House pic.twitter.com/kelpzdMEYP
— Steven Marshall, MP (@marshall_steven) March 26, 2018
Updated
The chair of the house privileges committee, Liberal MP Ross Vasta, has just tabled a report recommending that the former small business minister Bruce Billson be censured because he failed to declare the Franchise Council of Australia employed him before he left parliament.
Billson took a $75,000 a year role as executive chairman and independent director in March 2016, before leaving parliament on 9 May – and the committee also discovered he provided advisory services through his company Agile Advisory.
Vasta said the committee had found Billson “had failed to alter his statement of interests” relating to the jobs and receipt of payment. Billson blamed his failure on “error and oversight”.
Vasta: “The committee’s view is that it would have been more appropriate to wait until he was no longer a member before seeking employment ... [and this] acceptance falls below the expected standard of a member of this house.”
Vasta said the committee found the House should censure Billson, and add to standing orders to expressly prohibit lobbying for reward because it is “highly inappropriate” to represent a private interest when a parliamentarian’s primary consideration should be the public interest.
The committee concluded his failure to comply did not amount to “any intention to interfere with free exercise” of functions of the house and there was no evidence he had been improperly influenced. Therefore the committee did not find him in contempt of parliament.
The deputy chair, Labor’s Pat Conroy, said it was very clear that Billson’s behaviour “generated a perceived conflict of interest”.
He expressed disappointment at the way Billson had interacted with the inquiry, and noted that his lawyers had reflected negatively on the parliament’s ability to manage its own affairs by suggesting the “fractious nature” made it hard for MPs to sit in judgment of each other, which he called a “slur on the House”.
Updated
Kristina Keneally is due to deliver her maiden speech tomorrow at around 5.
And I believe Ged Kearney will be sworn in just before QT:
Welcome to Canberra @gedkearney, we’re lucky to have you here. #laborwomen pic.twitter.com/cwxjmN8URW
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) March 26, 2018
The parliamentary committee looking into Bruce Billson (remember him?) and his decision to take a lobbying job while still a MP has been handed down – and its recommended he be censured.
The bipartisan committee has found he did not meet the expectations of a MP in taking the job, while still a representative - and he absolutely should have declared his income.
Updated
The Senate has turned its attention back to the company tax cuts debate.
Still no word on which way Tim Storer or Derryn Hinch will go.
“Success is not going to happen overnight”,” says Cory Bernardi, in response to losing his last sitting member in the SA parliament (his home state)
Senator @corybernardi responds to @DennisHood's decision to defect and join the SA Liberals #SAparli #auspol #abetterway pic.twitter.com/aLKQUESNPJ
— Aust Conservatives (@AuConservatives) March 26, 2018
Updated
So yup – it is a complete carve out – all pensioners are out. That takes in the 237,000 part-pensioners, as well as the full pensioners. (Labor had it as 214,000 pensioners in total)
Again, it depends on how these people arranged their assets, but you could have a taxable income of less than $18,200, which included any pension, as well as income from your super fund which was not taxed.
Labor has decided the easiest way to cut through the government’s attack, is just to exempt pensioners. Given the government was ramping up its campaign on this, which included the round-table we saw in Port Macquarie last week, Labor is working on nixing that very quickly.
This is on the back of Labor gaining ground in the latest Newspoll despite having announced the policy, which came as a surprise to the government.
Updated
Labor to alter tax plan
Sky News is reporting Labor plans on exempting all pensioners from its tax imputation policy – so not just the 14,000 or so full pensioners who would have been affected, but all 200,000 or so part pensioners as well.
Labor has been hinting it had a plan for pensioners in recent weeks – there were a few options it could have gone with, including boosting the pension, or putting in a cap, but it looks like it is opting for the easiest way to undermine the government’ attack, and just carve out all pensioners.
The plan still has to go to shadow cabinet tomorrow – but take the announcement as an indication this change is coming.
Updated
Dipping into state politics for a moment, and the Australian Conservatives is about to lose its sitting SA member.
Dennis Hood, who became part of Cory Bernardi’s team when Family First merged with AC, looks set to join the Liberal party. Given Robert Brokenshire doesn’t look like having won his seat, that is a bit of a blow to Bernardi in his home state.
Australian Convertives had a shocker in SA election. Lost half the vote (compared to previous incarnation as Family First) and one MLC. Now the last man standing has defected. https://t.co/2f6B7VDp2K
— Daniela Ritorto (@danielaritorto) March 26, 2018
Updated
Here is what Malcolm Turnbull had to say about why Tim Storer and Derryn Hinch should come over to their side of the company tax cut debates:
The way it works is if you have a better return on investment, you get more investment into companies. If you get more investment, you get more jobs, you get more employment. That’s why company taxes have been coming down all around the world.
“The rest of the world is not stupid. Company taxes are coming down. It’s the reason Paul Keating and Peter Costello brought down company tax in Australia years ago.
“We used to be one of the lowest company tax countries in the OECD. Now we’re one of the highest. The US has gone to 21%. Obviously, if you invest in the US, you’ll get a better return after tax. We’ve got to be competitive, so what we’re doing is enabling Australian companies to invest and employ and do their best.”
Updated
Eric Abetz is QUITE upset over the cricket:
It has brought our nation into disgrace and it is something that Cricket Australia needs to take exceptionally seriously. And I wish Tim Paine, a fellow Tasmanian all the best as he takes on the role of captaincy, it is a very difficult time for him and I think will show his leadership qualities.”
The only thing he is more upset about, is Labor’s tax policy.
“Look, the polls speak for themselves, the interesting thing is that, 50% of our fellow Australians reject the Labor party policy in relation to imputation credits and franking credits on share holdings and I think that is a very important platform for the Coalition to launch and remind our fellow Australians that the Labor party will seek to tax us out of existence. They do not see a tax opportunity that they do not like.”
Updated
The one thing our politicians have been in agreement on, is the Australian cricket team scandal.
Everyone is in agreement that they did a very bad thing.
Anything else though, it is open season.
It's official. Vikki Campion is now Barnaby Joyce's partner. pic.twitter.com/Zt9mvkJdHF
— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) March 25, 2018
The crossbench is keeping busy in the House.
Adam Bandt is introducing two bills – the fair work amendment bill (better work/life balance) which would give flexible workers more enforceable rights, and the fair work amendment bill (tackling job insecurity), which would give casual workers the ability to roll over into secure employment.
That’s on the back of the Greens announcing its support for Sally McManus’s campaign to tackle inequality and the casualisation of the workforce.
Cathy McGowan has also introduced a new bill:
Independent @Indigocathy introduced Higher Education Support Amendment (National Regional Higher Education Strategy) Bill 2018 https://t.co/n73P2t4nti #auspol
— Political Alert (@political_alert) March 25, 2018
Updated
Mike Bowers was at the prime minister’s press conference this morning. Here is how he saw it:
Updated
Nasty piece from Amanda Vanstone today. What would she know about my office. She never ever dealt with it.
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) March 25, 2018
You can find that “nasty piece” here , but essentially, Amanda Vanstone argues the 30 Newspoll markers is not what lost Tony Abbott the leadership - his leadership is what lost him the job.
From Vanstone’s opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald:
Australia had a budget in need of repair and no clear narrative on how to get the economy into better shape. The prime minister was indulging himself, big time, and riding roughshod over cabinet with his now infamous captain’s picks. Worse, Abbott was blind to the problems. He never really grasped the horror he created. He still doesn’t.
His own office was a key part of the problem. To say the chief of staff was disliked by cabinet members and the party room is to grossly understate the problem. That’s what happens when cabinet ministers, members and senators get chewed out by unelected people. A prime minister obviously needs strong staff. Doesn’t everyone?”
Updated
Australian Associated Press has just published a story on Peter Dutton using his ministerial powers to grant a visa to a foreign au pair using the “public interest” excuse, after she was detained at the Brisbane international airport in 2015.
The news wire reports Dutton has attempted to suppress details of the case and the reason for allowing her entry, after her visa was cancelled at the airport, but was later allowed into the country with AAP reporting:
AAP understands she made a phone call to a contact while detained at the airport and was “quickly” granted a new visa which allowed her to lawfully enter Australia.
A document tabled in parliament shows the woman was granted a tourist visa (subclass 600) after Mr Dutton used his ministerial discretion to intervene in the case.
“Having regard to this person’s particular circumstances and personal characteristics, I have decided to exercise my discretionary powers ... as it would be in the public interest to grant this person a visa,” the parliamentary document says.
“I have decided that as a discretionary and humanitarian act to an individual with ongoing needs it is in the interests of Australia as a humane and generous society to grant this person a [visa].”
BREAKING news from @AAPNewswire Au pair visa in public interest: Dutton https://t.co/CbTLanZpRJ #auspol
— Paul Osborne AAP (@osbornep) March 25, 2018
But of course, a 10-year-old at risk of suicide on Nauru is a completely different matter.
Updated
Tony Abbott is scheduled to launch Pauline Hanson’s new book – Pauline, In her own words – tomorrow. The book, written with Tom Ravlic, is a collection of Hanson’s parliamentary speeches.
Updated
The bells have rung for the Senate, but government business isn’t up until after lunch. And by government business, I mean the company tax cut.
After question time, Brian Burston will take the floor for today’s urgency motion, which is on “The need to understand why some politicians and professional sportsmen feel the need to cheat.”
So strap in for that.
Updated
Maybe not the most relatable take:
Why would Steve Smith go when the example set by Victoria's Premier is that it's ok to break the rules and cheat. No leadership.
— Matthew Guy MP (@MatthewGuyMP) March 25, 2018
Speaking of jobs, the Brotherhood of St Laurence have released research showing the 20 worst spots in Australia for youth unemployment. (You can find the full report, here)
From their statement:
The data analysis finds 55 of the total of 87 regions in Australia are burdened by youth unemployment rates above 11%. This stands in contrasts to the overall national unemployment rate of 5.5%, which includes all age groups.
Striking locational differences have emerged. In five regions – all outside capital cities – youth unemployment among 15- to 24-year-olds in the labour force surpassed 20%.
20 worst hotspots named
The Brotherhood report, titled An unfair Australia? Mapping Youth Unemployment Hotspots, identifies the 20 hotspots that have the highest youth unemployment rates in Australia from ABS data:
· 67.1% in the Queensland outback region, including Cape York, Weipa, Mount Isa, Longreach
· 28.9%t in the Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, including Nowra, Mittagong, Ulladulla
· 27.7% in the Wide Bay region of Queensland, including Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Maryborough
· 21.8% in the Tasmania south-east region, including Bruny Island, Southern Midlands, Derwent Valley
· 21.5% in the Murray region of NSW, including Albury, Tocumwal, Jerilderie, Deniliquin
· 19.8% in the Coffs Harbour-Grafton region of NSW, also including Bellingen, Dorrigo
· 18.7% in the Melbourne west region, including Sunshine, St Albans, Footscray, Melton
· 18.6% in the NSW central coast region, including Gosford, Woy Woy, Wyong, The Entrance
· 18.4% in the Adelaide north region, including Elizabeth, Salisbury, Parafield, Gawler
· 18.1% in the Townsville region in Queensland, also including Ayr, Charters Towers, Ingham
· 17.7% in the Mandurah, WA, region, including Pinjarra
· 17.5% in the Melbourne north-west region, including Keilor, Sunbury, Broadmeadows, Craigieburn
· 17% in the Adelaide west region, including Port Adelaide, Fulham, Henley Beach, Plympton
· 17% in the Logan-Beaudesert region in Queensland, also including Beenleigh, Springwood
· 16.9% in the Adelaide south region, including Hallett Cove, Christies Beach, Morphett Vale
· 16.6% in the New England north-west region of NSW, including Armidale, Moree, Tamworth
· 16.3% in the South Australia south-east region, including Victor Harbour, Mount Gambier
· 16.2% in the Bendigo region of Victoria, also including Castlemaine, Kyneton, Heathcote
· 16.1%t in the Shepparton region of Victoria, also including Cobram, Yarrawonga, Echuca
· 16% in the Perth north-west region, including Joondalup, Stirling, Wanneroo, Scarborough
Updated
Malcolm Turnbull has a new tactic for dealing with journalist’s questions, apparently – just talking over them.
Asked about the loss of his 29th Newspoll and it “not being good news”, Turnbull cuts the reporter off with:
Why are you smiling if it is not good news? You are so pleased. You are so pleased. I know why because you are so happy about all of the jobs we have created because you are not distracted by polls. You know that we have created 420,700 jobs in Australia in the last year
... You know that is the number we are focused on. We are focused on creating opportunities forAustralians. We are focused on getting taxes down. We are seeking to reduce business taxes to allow Australian businesses to invest and compete and create even more great jobs that will make you smile even more and that is what we are doing. That is our commitment.
He took three questions and then ended the press conference.
Makes a change from interviewing friendly business owners and backbenchers, I suppose.
Updated
While the tax debate goes on, Andrew Leigh has given his contribution in the form of a research paper he has just had published:
Is this the first time a sitting politician anywhere has published an academic paper in a serious journal going to the heart of an important live policy debate? https://t.co/NtY7SxExYt
— Matthew Knott (@KnottMatthew) March 25, 2018
Paul Karp has had a read - you’ll find that story, here
The Institute of Public Affairs has sent a parliamentary research brief to MPs today, which it says shows “five reasons Labor’s superannuation changes would damage Australia”.
Those who receive a tax refund are doing so because they have paid tax which is in excess of their legal liability. This is no different to those millions of Australian who receive a tax refund on the income tax they have paid – they have been taxed in excess of their legal obligation and, rightly, receive a compensatory refund,” IPA research fellow Daniel Wild said in his statement.
The explicit objective of the superannuation system is to encourage people to save for their own retirement, Labor’s changes could force even more Australians on to the pension.
Reducing the refundability of dividend payments will reduce the expected return of investing in Australian firms. This will increase the cost of capital in Australia as investors will demand higher returns to compensate for the loss of investment income, and hence the volume of investment will decrease.
Updated
How does the government plan on dealing with 30 Newspoll losses in a row?
Well, Mitch Fifield gave us a clue this morning:
There are a number of other things that he [Malcolm Turnbull] mentioned at that time as reason for change in which me and my colleagues in the party room wholeheartedly agreed with. The reason why we effected the change in 2015 is because we wanted to win and every electoral outing Malcolm Turnbull has led us on, we have won.”
In short, the switch to Turnbull from Tony Abbott was not just about losing polls. Still, I would imagine that Abbott has quite a number of engagements scheduled for when the next Newspoll is due (sometime in the next couple of weeks).
Doug Cameron also had some advice for Derryn Hinch.
The Victorian senator is Labor’s focus, because a) we have been here before and b) because he has brought up his reservations with the policy.
Well, Derryn Hinch should sit down and look at all the issues that are facing Australians in this country. And the issue that’s not of importance to ordinary Australians is a tax cut to big business. These are other issues [that] can be dealt with by properly dealing with the rorts in the tax system. Never mind handing another $65bn to big business including multimillions of dollars to the banks. I mean, Derryn Hinch, if that’s his approach, has got it all wrong. There needs to be a systemic look at the tax system. There needs to be a look at what are the issues that are important to ordinary Australians, and if Derryn Hinch is trying to get some sort of bauble in return for his vote, then he’s doing the wrong thing.”
Updated
Wayne Swan doesn’t seem to think Derryn Hinch will hold out against the company tax cuts:
Look, Derryn Hinch cannot be taken seriously. How can anyone who pretends to stand up for pensioners and people on low incomes be supporting a proposal in any way which makes our tax system much more regressive and less progressive and ultimately increases the burden on pensioners and low-income Australians? I mean, it’s just a farce. He must be completely out of his depth to actually seriously consider a two-sentence letter from these chief executives. As I said: more signatures than substance.”
The government’s company tax cuts are all down to Derryn Hinch and Tim Storer.
Storer has kept his cards VERY close to his chest, while Hinch has been open with needing more convincing. Mathias Cormann and Scott Morrison have not been shy about wanting everything in the bag this week. That’s because there is a five-week break before the budget and the government wants to know what it is doing.
But it needs both Storer and Hinch. We have been here before with the backpacker tax, and we know how that ended. Will it be the same?
Updated
Good morning and welcome to day 17
It’s a short week ahead of Easter, with the parliament rising on Wednesday.
But there is a lot to do in the next three days. Not least of which is see if the crossbench holdouts, Tim Storer and Derryn Hinch, can be convinced to support the company tax cuts.
But the government does it in the shadow of its 29th Newspoll loss in a row under Malcolm Turnbull, just one survey short of the marker he used to topple Tony Abbott in 2015.
Labor increased its primary vote to levels not seen since 2015, with the latest poll showing it sitting ahead of the Liberal party on 39%. That’s after it released its tax dividend policy, which has come as a little surprise to the government.
It is within the margin of error, but the point is, Turnbull made 30 Newspoll the marker and he is just one away from meeting it. While the rest of the nation is talking about the ball-tampering scandal, the government is hoping for a win as it heads into the Easter break.
So let’s get into it.
Mike Bowers is out and about looking for Turnbull, so make sure you follow him at @mpbowers and @mikepbowers. He’ll also be popping up at @pyjamapolitics, where you can see a bit of our day.
I’ll be in the comments, as well as @amyremeikis if you have some burning thoughts.
I’m on coffee number two, so I hope you have yours at the ready!
Updated
