What we learned: Monday, 18 March
With that, we will wrap up the blog for the evening. Never fear, though, the fabulous Amy Remeikis will be with you first thing tomorrow for all the latest in the world of politics.
Here were the major developments of the day:
The Senate has voted to change paid parental leave to six months (with small businesses to get a bit of help from the government after a David Pocock-Jacqui Lambie agreement).
Queensland premier Steven Miles has sensationally rejected the recommendations of an independent review, declaring “Suncorp stadium will become our Olympic stadium”.
The House was disrupted by a protest over the plight of Palestinians in Gaza in the public gallery during question time today. Protesters called “ceasefire now” and “shame” before being taken out by security.
And Uber will cough up almost $272m to compensate taxi and hire car drivers who lost out when the rideshare company “aggressively” moved into the Australian market.
Updated
BoM warns of destructive wind gusts as Tropic Cyclone Megan expected to cross northern coast of Australia
Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Megan is expected to cross the coast later this afternoon or this evening.
It is currently sitting at a category three, with sustained winds near the centre of 140 km/h and wind gusts to 195 km/h.
It is sitting 70km from Borroloola and 45 km from Port McArthur, moving at 8 km/h.
Severe Tropical #CycloneMegan is moving slowly towards the south and is expected to cross the south-western Gulf of Carpentaria coast, south-east of Port McArthur, later this afternoon or evening. Latest forecasts: https://t.co/jlOoTZL1iF pic.twitter.com/8LQpyB81vO
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 18, 2024
The Bureau of Meteorology said the warning zone included Port Roper in the NT to Mornington Island in Queensland, extending inland to Borroloola, McArthur River Mine, and Robinson River.
The VERY DESTRUCTIVE CORE of Megan, with wind gusts up to 200 km/h, is now impacting the Sir Edward Pellew Group and adjacent coastal areas between Port McArthur and the NT/Qld border.
DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS to 140 km/h are forecast to extend to adjacent inland areas near the forecast track southeast of Borroloola this evening and tonight.
Updated
Graham Quirk says Victoria Park stadium recommendations were not ‘just for the games’ and represent ‘value for money’
The former Lord Mayor of Brisbane Graham Quirk is appearing on ABC News, following the rejection of his Victoria Park stadium plan. The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, sensationally rejected the independent recommendation for the multibillion dollar Olympic stadium to be built earlier today.
Quirk says they had a “good hard look” at all sites on the table and Victoria Park was the “clear, best option” due to the legacy it would have for the Queensland community after the conclusion of the Olympics.
Anyone who reads the report will see the findings that led to our recommendations … we had not recommended anything that was just for an Olympic and Paralympic games … we have tried to avoid building something just for the games.
We’ve gone about presenting a report to the government in good faith … and that’s what we have done. They are independent recommendations based on legacy and value for money.
Updated
LNP says Steven Miles has ‘bothced’ Olympic infrastructure decisions for Queensland
Deputy LNP leader Jarrod Bleijie has promised to go back to the drawing board and ask yet another body to review planned Olympics infrastructure if elected.
But he refused to say whether his party preferred the original Gabba proposal, or Graham Quirk’s Victoria Park idea, or an upgrade of the Nathan Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre. Mostly, he just thinks premier Steven Miles has stuffed the whole thing up.
Seriously, Steven Miles must be held accountable. Steven Miles has botched this. This is costing Queenslanders billions of dollars.
If I was in the International Olympic Committee, or Olympians around the world at the moment ... I’d be looking at all these announcements - and it changes every day - and shaking my head in embarrassment for this state.
Bleijie said if the LNP are elected in October it will ask the planned Olympics independent delivery authority to decide which projects are necessary.
What we will absolutely be doing, if we’re honoured to serve in government after October, is telling the independent infrastructure delivery authority that these are your decisions; go back to the original agreement that was made with the International Olympic Committee.
Updated
TikTok embraces more gambling content despite criticism from public health experts
Social media giant TikTok has further embraced the gambling industry and accepted paid ads from lottery companies, despite criticism from public health experts.
All gambling advertising was banned on TikTok before late 2022 when the company started a trial with the online wagering giant Sportsbet. The trial was later expanded to include Neds and Dabble. These companies now target a younger audience on the platform with social media influencers.
TikTok, which is facing growing calls to be banned in Australia, has decided to also allow lottery companies to advertise on its platform. One ad seen by Guardian Australia from Oz Lotteries sells tickets to its $40m Powerball competition.
A TikTok spokesperson said:
After a carefully controlled pilot for gambling related advertising, we are now allowing certain lottery organisations to advertise on the platform. All ads are strictly monitored and are targeted at people over 18 years of age. There is an opt out feature for those who do not wish to see the ads.
Advertising from Sportsbet, Neds and Dabble is restricted to people aged 21 and older.
Lotteries are treated as a form of gambling and strictly regulated by state wagering authorities. The NSW regulator describes them as “one form of gambling that’s a source of harmless entertainment for most people - just don’t get too attached to the idea of winning”.
A parliamentary inquiry in June, led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, called for a blanket ban on gambling advertising. But in a bipartisan report, the inquiry called for lottery companies to be exempt as they “have a lower risk of gambling harm than other forms of online gambling”.
Updated
AMA says health costs of dealing with vaping will dwarf potential tax losses under regulation
The Australian Medical Association – the nation’s peak medical body – along with more than 50 specialist medical associations have met with government leaders in Canberra today to discuss system-wide health sector reform.
The AMA’s president, Prof Steve Robson, called concerns around $9bn of potential tax revenue lost in over the counter vape sales “laughable”. Robson told Channel 10 the concerns stem from people who stand to profit from vaping:
The government should absolutely stamp out vaping if it possibly can in this country. And talk by people who profit from vaping - people who want to sell vapes and make money - about taxes is absolutely laughable, because the amount of money you make from taxes will be dwarfed by the health costs of dealing with the consequences of vaping.
So that’s a silly argument, and we should see it for what it is. We support the legislation to try to control vaping going to the parliament, and we really hope it succeeds.
Updated
Hear the Gaza protestors in the House of Representatives
As we mentioned earlier, this afternoon’s question time was disrupted by a lively protest in the public gallery. Protesters shouted “shame” and called for “ceasefire now” while yelling about the experiences of Palestinians in Gaza.
We can run this footage as it is from the gallery broadcast – you can’t actually see the protestors, (just the awkward reactions of MPs), but you can hear them.
Have a listen:
Updated
Kids help hotline workers stop work
Child protection workers who answer calls on Australia’s after hours hotline for the public to report at-risk kids have stopped work this evening over what the Public Service Association (PSA) alleges is chronic overwork, arbitrary staff suspensions and unreasonable workplace directives.
The snap two-hour stop work meeting comes after call centre workers had work from home arrangements revoked, with staff reporting working in excess of 18 hours at a time to keep the hotline open.
PSA’s acting general secretary, Troy Wright, said the child protection system was “in crisis”:
We’ve been telling anybody who’ll listen the child protection system is about to collapse but no-one is listening … the after-hours response team take calls from members of the public who are worried about the welfare of our most precious resource, our children.
Already chronically overloaded case workers at the district level are now picking up the slack of the after hours response team which has them being woken up at all hours to rescue kids in need – that’s on top of their day job.
Updated
On that note, I am going to hand you over to Caitlin Cassidy to guide you through the evening. She’ll bring you more news of the day, so stick with us!
I’ll be back early tomorrow morning for day two of the sitting. Until then, take care of you Ax
Updated
Queensland will not upgrade Gabba stadium to full accessibility for people with disabilities
Let’s check back in with Queensland where the premier, Steven Miles, has conceded the government will not press ahead with upgrading the Gabba stadium so it is fully accessible for those with disabilities.
Miles said the government will allocate more than half a billion dollars to revamping the stadium but it will not receive upgrades to make it completely accessible.
I think [our proposal] is [of] great value. It delivers us three upgraded stadiums and a new arena.
His comments came after the government ditched its proposal to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games at the Gabba. The state government has also rejected an independent review’s recommendation to scrap the $2.7bn Gabba rebuild and construct a $3.4bn stadium at Victoria Park.
The government will instead hold the opening and closing ceremonies at Suncorp Stadium.
We asked Miles if he felt Queenslanders were still excited about the Olympics after several reviews, uncertainty about where the Games would be held and cost-of-living pressures. Miles:
Of course it varies [depending] where in the state you are, who you’re talking to, and how much they’re struggling. And I understand that. I believe that we can deliver a fantastic Olympic and Paralympic Games while also focusing on the priorities of Queenslanders right now. That’s the message I’ve heard from them.
Updated
Question time ends
Question time has ended.
It is 5pm. Good Dolly.
Updated
Why aren’t there any images of the House gallery protestors?
The not-allowed-to-show-the-gallery-on-broadcasts rule extends to photos: press photographers are not allowed to take photos of the public galleries, unless there is an acknowledgement from the speaker.
To take the photo, or run it, usually leads to a penalty, which includes being banned from entering the press gallery for a period of time.
It is an archaic rule that means quite a few protests can not be shown.
Updated
Protestors removed after accusing Albanese of supporting genocide
Paul Karp was in the chamber and saw the protest (we can only hear it on the broadcast, as there is a rule about not showing the public galleries, unless someone is acknowledged by the speaker). Karp says the protesters were yelling:
You support genocide.
Albanese, your hands are red. 15,000 children dead.
There were a group of five, and as they were being removed, a seperate group of five stood up and continued the protest. They were removed in two blocks.
Updated
House disrupted by ceasefire protest
The House has been disrupted by a protest in the public gallery. Protesters are calling “ceasefire now” as question time tries to limp on.
Security are removing the protesters from the gallery, who are still yelling about what Palestinians are experiencing while Mark Dreyfus continues to answer a dixer on the AAT.
“Shame, shame,” the protesters are yelling. “Ceasefire now”.
The MPs in the chamber are doing their best not to look at the protesters.
The last protester is removed and Dreyfus says “I hope you heard the earlier part of my answer” referring to the shouts from protesters and the chamber laughs.
Updated
Murray Watt says cancelled-then-uncancelled visas the result of ‘additional information’
The emergency management minister, Murray Watt, earlier in Senate question time responded to questions over the cancelled-then-uncancelled visas for some Palestinians fleeing Gaza.
Liberal senator Dave Sharma asked how visas had been granted to Palestinians in the besieged territory, how many had been cancelled and how many had since been reinstated?
Watt didn’t offer any figures but explained the process to date:
Decisions were made to award visas to some applicants - not all. And those decisions were based on information that was available at the time those decisions were made.
Further information, in some cases, came to light. And on the basis of that information, the security advice was that some visas should be cancelled and that action was taken. And then as time progressed, additional information came to light which required the reinstitution of some of those visas that had been cancelled.
That is ordinary practice for any government of any political persuasion to make visa decisions based on information that’s available. And that is based on security advice from security agencies.
Sharma asked why some had been cancelled and then reinstated based on reporting in the media. Guardian Australia on Friday had revealed some visas had been cancelled while Australian authorities investigated the way in which they managed to leave Gaza. Some of those visas have since been reinstated.
Watt responded to Sharma, referencing his experience as an Australian ambassador to Israel:
I would expect that as an experienced member of parliament and a former diplomat you would know that governments do not provide that level of detail about security advice that they receive. And simply being a member of the opposition doesn’t automatically entitle you to ask those sorts of questions or get that sort of information.
You would surely know that governments don’t provide that kind of security information.
Updated
Independent Zali Steggal says Liberal questioning over fuel efficiency standards ‘purposeful mischaracterisation of government policy’
The LNP’s nuclear champion, Ted O’Brien, who is most famous for looking like someone drew Scott Morrison from memory, asks:
I refer to Labor’s new* family car and ute tax** and the minister’s frequent comparison to the scheme in the United States. Between 2024 and last year vehicle emissions in the US decreased at an annual rate of 1.4%.
In contrast, the Minister’s scheme requires an annual reduction of 12%. A rate nearly eight times higher. Why is the minister again fudging the numbers and punishing everyday Australians?
*The fuel efficiency standard is not in place as yet
**Not a tax
Tony Burke says it is a hypothetical because the policy doesn’t exist. Milton Dick says the minister can handle it.
Zali Steggall again tries to bring the standing orders in and wants to know why the Coalition can keep making things up in their questions:
This goes go to a question of principle of the standing orders – that there is a purposeful mischaracterisation of a government policy that is in breach of the standing orders. It either means the standing orders are pointless, or they are being belligerently ignored, on the assumption the standing orders will not be applied.
Dick says he can’t control what questions are asked. Chris Bowen takes the question – the answer is what you have heard for the last few parliamentary sitting weeks.
I thank the honourable gentleman for his question and goes to bringing Australia in line with the policies and other countries and that is a fair point for the honourable member to make, because it is a fact Australia and Russia are the only two major economies without vehicle efficiency standards in place. The US has had them in place since the mid-1970s.
Updated
Anika Wells becomes the latest Labor MP to use the phrase “every single taxpayer will get a tax cut” under the stage-three tax cut changes in a dixer, which is not true. People on jobseeker (so earning about $19,000 on the maximum) will not receive a tax cut, however they do pay tax.
It is not correct to say every taxpayer will receive a tax cut.
Updated
Dan Tehan pursues lines about ‘foreign criminals’ over high court detention ruling
OK. We are now going there.
Dan Tehan asks: How many foreign criminals over the next six months will finish a custodial of your sentence and be released into the community instead of going to immigration detention?
Andrew Giles:
I remind him and the House that what we’re talking about here arises from a decision of the high court. A decision indeed that we argued strongly against, but one that any government like any government we must obliged to follow the law and comply with the orders of the court. Which we are doing.
In relation to the question he asks a moment ago, I dealt with some of the steps ... that is why we have put in place four layers of protection.
Tehan repeats his question – he wants a number. There is a particular emphasis on the phrase “foreign criminals”. Milton Dick reminds Tehan he can’t order how a minister answers the question, just that they stay relevant.
Giles continues:
What this question shows is exactly why the shadow ministers uninterested in the legal briefing because he prefers fear factor. Fear to fact every time.
He well understands the issues he would be briefed on and that is why he is choosing not to be briefed by me.
Updated
The rukus continues and MCM repeats “a lot of worried property investors”, but he is made to sit down. Anthony Albanese uses the rest of his time to sledge MCM and we all lose another three minutes of our lives.
Sidenote: MCM’s staff have asked some journalists whether or not they rent when they ring up to ask questions, which has taken some journalists aback, but it is one way of working out the understanding of the issue.
Updated
Greens pressure Labor on property tax discounts and negative gearing: Albanese says it’s all about supply
Max Chandler-Mather has the first of the crossbench question and it is for….Anthony Albanese:
To the prime minister: why is Labor refusing to phase out the big tax handouts for property investors, including the capital gains tax discount and negative [gearing] that benefit … property investors like yourself and the 75% of Labor politicians who own an investment property?
Albanese:
I thank the member for his question and I look forward to his discussion – in the body are property developers in the Senate who are currently having proposals to carve through koala habitats in his party room, but that is fine.
(Amy note: student politicians never truly leave student politics.)
Our position with regard to housing is that the key to addressing housing shortage is supply. It is our position.
That is why we have the housing Australia future fund which was opposed by those opposite all the way through and was opposed by the crossbenches for a considerable period of time as well. Eventually they voted for it ...
Of course there is a bill before the Senate now, to help to buy a bill that is about putting people into home ownership. It is a shared equity scheme, something that the greens … party so that the last election was their policy … There were two elections and it was their policy but instead of that of course they are now opposing that move as well….
MCM has a point of order. Milton Dick warns him he can’t really be on relevance because the question was so broad. MCM says it is on relevance and the Labor caucus goes wild.
MCM:
A lot of worried property investors?
Updated
Labor refuses to apologise for UNRWA funding pause
The government’s Senate leader, Don Farrell, defended the original suspension of funding to Unrwa (which has since been un-paused). He said the Australian government stopped the $6m from going out the door “because there was good reason to make a decision to review the contribution based on evidence that had been provided”.
In response to an interjection that “there was no evidence”, Farrell said:
Well, with respect, Senator [Nick] McKim, there was evidence that resulted in this government making the sensible decision to review. But we have resumed the contribution.
The deputy leader of the Greens, Mehreen Faruqi, pressed the government to “admit your gross mistake in suspending Unrwa funding and apologise for it at least”.
Farrell replied:
No, Senator Faruqi. I won’t apologise [for] it. We took the appropriate action in the circumstances to review our humanitarian contribution to UNRWA based on the evidence that had been provided. We’ve now resumed those payments and we’ve done that with a range of other countries.
Faruqi, in a follow-up question, told the Senate that “after forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza to Rafah, having murdered over 31,000 Palestinians, Israel is now starving children to death”. She asked when the Australian government would stop supporting Israel.
Farrell replied that it was “as if those terrorists in Hamas in October last year don’t exist based on your question, Senator Faruqi”. Farrell said the Greens must understand that “innocent men, women and children on the southern border of Israel were massacred in a terrorist assault by Hamas”.
Updated
Back on the Olympic Games for a moment.
The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, has just announced;
Suncorp Stadium will be upgraded to host the opening and closing ceremonies;
The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre will be upgraded for the athletics events;
Gabba Stadium will not be demolished and cricket and AFL will continue to be played there before it is eventually upgraded;
Brisbane Arena will proceed as an events centre within Roma St Parklands;
The government will not follow a recommendation by the Graham Quirk review to rebuild a new $3.4bn stadium in Victoria Park; and
The government will explore transport opportunities to link QSAC, QEII hospital, and Griffith University with city precincts.
Updated
Labor says renewed funding of Unrwa shows commitment to preventing starvation in Gaza
After the Senate exchange between the Coalition and the government over Unrwa funding, the next questioner was the deputy leader of the Greens, Mehreen Faruqi. Faruqi told the Senate:
Under intense pressure from the community and the Greens, the Labor government has been forced to reverse its disgraceful suspension of Unrwa funding. It is clear funding was suspended by Minister [Penny] Wong without any evidence and compounded starvation and suffering for Palestinians. The Human Rights Watch, Oxfam and others, have said Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war. At least 23 children in northern Gaza have died from malnutrition and dehydration …
There were quite a few interjections, prompting the Senate president, Sue Lines, to say Faruqi had the “absolute right to ask her question in silence – from both sides of the chamber”. Faruqi continued:
At least 23 children in northern Gaza have died from malnutrition and dehydration, adding to over 13,000 already killed by Israel. In a world where Palestinians’ lives mattered to the Labor party, it would be an absolute political scandal for a sitting minister …
The time for asking the question expired. Faruqi complained that this was because some senators were shouting. Lines said it was an “extremely long” question.
The government’s acting Senate leader, Don Farrell, responded:
Well, of course, the Labor party doesn’t want to see anybody starving. And that’s the case in respect of the Gaza [Strip]. And that is why Australia has committed $52.5m in humanitarian aid. And that’s why Australia has resumed its contribution towards Unrwa and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance where it’s needed in Gaza. I mean, the circumstances in Gaza are terrible. We all know that.
Updated
Giles says government position on long-term detainees will be defended before high court
Back to the House questions and Dan Tehan:
The solicitor general told the high court on 8 November 2023 that up to 340 people in long-term detention could be released as a result of the NZ-YQ case. [Is] that the number of criminals that the government expects to release, as referred to in its secret briefing to journalists on Friday?
Yes, so secret it was reported.
No numbers were reported in the off the record briefing, where they took questions, but still didn’t provide answers.
Andrew Giles:
I thank the shadow minister for this question and his apparent new-found interest in legal matters. Today is 105 days since we offered a legal briefing on the issues going before this …
Now, at the time it was offered, [the opposition] were too busy, to be fair. One of the shadow ministers was at Harvard on a study tour, another one could not escape the Sky studios, another was at the races. Now, as for the 104 days since then, I don’t know what they’ve been doing …
Tehan uses his very serious voice to be very serious in a point of order, which is not a point of order. Giles continues:
[Tehan] seems well acquainted with his secret briefing. I would encourage him to be briefed on the real legal issues going to these issues so that he can make a constructive contribution to community safety.
That he chooses not to do is inexplicable, other than if he wants to retain some licence to free-range on issues that he knows he’s in the wrong on.
I can’t get into the details of cases before the high court. I won’t. But I will say this – the government believes that these individuals, those who are not cooperating with their removal, should be removed from Australia as a priority and if, while they are not, they should remain in immigration detention.
This is the position that was successfully defended before the federal Court. We will be vigorously defending this before the high Court.
Updated
Labor says NZ is ‘our most trusted ally’ after Liberal questioning over Unrwa funding
Still in Senate question time, the shadow assistant foreign minister, Claire Chandler, demanded to know whether the Australian government consulted “with the United States prior to announcing the resumption of finding to Unrwa”.
The government’s acting Senate leader, Don Farrell, didn’t give a direct answer, saying only that “we make our own decisions about who we make humanitarian grants to”. Chandler followed up with the question:
Why is the Albanese Labor government acting in opposition to the US, our most trusted international partner, who await the outcomes of the investigation into UNRWA and in the interim is pursuing alternate means of delivering more humanitarian assistance?
Which prompted a somewhat curious response from Farrell, who is minding the fort for Penny Wong (she’s expected back tomorrow):
Well, I take issue with your first statement there. I’m not sure that the United States is our most trusted ally. I would have said New Zealand, in the whole history of time.
(This sparked quite a few interventions and the Senate president called for order.)
When the chamber quietened down, Farrell maintained that he “would have said our closest international ally is New Zealand”. Farrell - who is from the right of the Labor party, a faction not known for any hostility to Australia’s relationship with the US - added:
We are very close to the United States – I freely concede that. And we’ll continue to work closely with the United States on a range of international issues.
Updated
Question time begins
We then get the whiplash vibe change with the first question from Dan Tehan:
Last week the minister claimed charges against hardcore criminals released from detention were dropped for a technical issue “first identified late on Sunday 10 March”.
Can the minister confirm the [issue] was resolved by regulation on 8 December last year and the minister’s subsequent failure to reissue valid visas for more than three months has led directly to dangerous criminals being released from prison?
Andrew Giles:
I say to him and every member of this House, that every affected individual has been granted a visa with strict conditions and I say to him and everyone here that there was no lapse in monitoring or coverage in respect of any individual.
No change to our system of strict visa conditions. As he says, in his question, the issue was a technical one, which we have resolved. The issue dates back to 2013 and existed for nearly a decade under the former government who failed to fix it.
Worse, they are playing politics as we get on with the job of fixing up the mess.
Updated
Condolence motion to Fitzgibbon family to be held Thursday
Anthony Albanese thanks the speaker, Milton Dick, for delaying question time so that MPs could go to Jack Fitzgibbon’s funeral.
A condolence motion will be held on Thursday, when the Fitzgibbon family will be present.
Updated
Memorial speeches for Linda White conclude
Sussan Ley delivered a speech and the rest will move to the federation chamber. The house rises for a moment of silence. The house should now move to QT.
Updated
Greens and Liberals pressure Labor over suspension – and unsuspension – of Unrwa funding
In Senate question time, both the Coalition and the Greens have sought to put pressure (from different directions) on the government over its handling of the suspension and then resumption of $6m in funding to the aid agency Unrwa.
A quick recap: the foreign minister, Penny Wong, announced on Friday that the Australian government would “un-pause” the funding, as an updated agreement with Unrwa would include guarantees of staff neutrality and other measures to improve confidence in supply chains.
Australia was among more than a dozen donor countries to suspend funding to Unrwa in late January, after the Israeli government alleged that 12 Unrwa staff members were involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel. Friday’s decision to reinstate Australian funding follows similar moves by Canada, Sweden and the European Union.
The Coalition senator Claire Chandler began by pressing the government to release the advice surrounding the reinstatement of funding, and to outline what undertakings had been given.
The government’s acting Senate leader, Don Farrell, said:
The allegations against UNRWA were obviously serious, they were grave and they warranted an immediate and appropriate response.
Farrell said “a number of countries” including Canada, Sweden, and the EU had since taken the decision to resume funding.
Updated
Jodie Belyea’s first day in parliament: in pictures
Our own Mike Bowers, photograher at large, was there for Jodie Belyea’s first steps into the chamber:
Updated
David Littleproud and the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, who was close to Linda White, have also spoken on the condolence motion.
Updated
Labor trolls Liberals over gender issues in Senate question time
Over in Senate question time, Labor is poking a little fun at the Liberal party about its gender representation woes.
On Saturday, backbench senator Alex Antic snatched the top spot on the Liberal party’s South Australian upper house ticket from the shadow health minister, Anne Ruston. It’s reignited concerns the party is not tackling its women problem.
In a dixer from Victorian Labor senator Jess Walsh, the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, is asked: why is it important to listen to women? And what difference does it make having women at decision-making tables?
Gallagher gave this tongue-in-cheek response:
I’m very proud, along with all of my colleagues in the other place, to be a member of the first federal government that has a majority of members who are women. And that hasn’t happened by accident.
And we know there’s still some political parties that struggle with the role they want women to play in their political party. But we have made a very clear decision to increase the number of women and it’s paid off.
The emergency management minister, Murray Watt, who is known as a bit of a troll in the upper house’s question time, repeats: “Who could that be?”
The opposition benches erupt in heckling. Watt knows his audience.
Updated
Marles says Linda White’s legacy is gender equity in the Labor caucus
Richard Marles is next to speak on Linda White, who he knew for 25 years:
Because of Linda, there are now thousands of women in this country who are paid more, who enjoy conditions of employment such as paid parental leave which enable them to balance work and family much better.
They are the beneficiaries of her work, but so is our nation. Because the innate dignity of their work - which Linda always understood - because of her work is now much better honoured in the Australian workplace.
And in the ALP, Linda brought an eye to detail. To finances, to government, to administration that our party is well-run is wholly unremarkable, but everybody in this chamber knows that, when the reverse is the case, it can be disastrous.
But I think Linda’s greatest achievement is her commitment to, her championing of, her defence of, the ALP’s affirmative action targets. And the legacy of her work is sitting behind me now – a caucus which is now made up of equal numbers of men and women. In fact, slightly more women than men.
And having been a member of this caucus since 2007, I cannot overstate how much better it is that we are a caucus which properly represents those who vote for us. We are able to harness the full talent of our base.
And the issues that we speak about and the way in which we speak about them is completely different, and the outcomes are there for everyone.
Updated
Dutton joins rememberance of Labor senator Linda White
Peter Dutton is also delivering a speech in honour of Linda White:
During the time in which we all serve in this place, we all see many colleagues exit the political arena. Some call time on their careers. Others leave in the defeat which comes from the democratic process. But in both cases, our former colleagues get to know life away from politics. And that life affords time for reflection.
Time for new opportunities. And most importantly, more time with those whom we love and cherish the most.
Death is, of course, the most unfair exit from this place, because death deprives our colleagues of these times. Our hearts break whenever fate thrusts an unfair exit on our fellow parliamentarians, regardless of their political stripes.
In this 47th Parliament, fate has been thrust unfair exits on Jim Molan, Peta Murphy, and now on Linda White.
In Linda’s maiden speech, she said she was saving many stories for her memoirs. And while those stories will sadly not be written, Linda’s stories will live on in the memories of her colleagues and friends, especially those opposite me.
Updated
Albanese remembers Linda White as ‘strong, brave, extraordinary’
Anthony Albanese continues:
When I visited her in hospital weeks before her passing, Linda was in good spirits.
She was focused on the Dunkley byelection and even apologised for not being on the ground campaigning.
She had so much more to do. I take the opportunity to thank the leader of the opposition for the discreet way in which Linda’s health issues were handled in this place and in the other.
Linda was determined to not let people know just how sick she was – and very few people were aware, which is why her passing has come as such a shock to so many in the Labor family.
It said a lot about her and her character that she didn’t want people to make a fuss. She just dealt with it as the strong, brave, extraordinary person that she was.
Updated
The house is holding a condolence motion for Labor senator Linda White, who passed away last month.
Anthony Albanese:
The day that Linda entered the parliament was a good day for the Australian Labor party, for the Senate but, more importantly, for the nation.
A perfect picture of the new senator was provided by her extraordinary and varied group of supporters packing out the public gallery for her first speech to the Senate.
What they heard that day was someone with a full appreciation of the privilege and the responsibility of elected office, and how the need to listen is as powerful as the need to act. In Linda’s words, there’s no doubt in my mind that governments change lives.
That strong, progressive Labor governments change them for the better. But sometimes, governments need a helping hand to stay on track. As I often say - sometimes, we need someone else to show us our best selves.
Sadly, Linda was not destined to be in the Senate for long, but she made powerful use of the brief time she had, making a profound impact on matters of significance, including the National Anti-Corruption Commission, better access to superannuation for women, and the important check on executive power, the scrutiny of delegated legislation committee.
She may well have been the most senior new backbencher to have ever existed.
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Steven Miles rejects independent review recommending new $3.4bn Brisbane stadium
Queensland premier Steven Miles has sensationally rejected the recommendations of an independent review, declaring “Suncorp stadium will become our Olympic stadium”.
Former Liberal lord mayor Graham Quirk – who conducted the review of Brisbane’s billions in planned games infrastructure – recommended the centrepiece $2.7bn Gabba project be scrapped. But he instead suggested an even more expensive alternative: a $3.4bn new stadium in inner-city Victoria Park. Miles:
I don’t agree with that recommendation. When Queenslanders are struggling with other costs I cannot justify spending $3.4bn on a new stadium.
I’m ruling that out.
Miles instead threw his support behind a cheaper plan presented by Olympics boss John Coates, who recommended using existing infrastructure; Suncorp Stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies and the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC) in Nathan for athletics. QSAC hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1982.
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Labor’s Jodie Belyea, winner of Dunkley byelection, sworn in
Labor’s newest MP, Jodie Belyea, has been welcomed into the chamber as the newest member for Dunkley.
She is sworn in and receives a standing ovation.
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Greens indicate they will fight gas project changes ‘tooth and nail’
The Greens leader Adam Bandt has accused Labor of “shameful” conduct around a plan that could reduce consultation with First Nations communities on gas projects, saying his party would fight it “tooth and nail” in parliament this week.
The party’s First Nations spokesperson, Dorinda Cox, claimed the proposed change would constitute “denying us a voice”, raising alarm about the effect of the changes on sea country.
Bandt claimed the bill could be potentially “the most significant bill” of this parliament. Paul Karp has been reporting on this extensively, with concerns raised by some MPs and Indigenous communities about whether their voices may be shut out of consultation on new resources projects.
In a press conference this afternoon, Bandt accused the government of a “broken election promise”, and urged the government to work with the Greens instead of the Liberals on the plan. The Greens have offered to pass the government’s fuel emissions standards if Labor instead drops the gas changes.
Cox, a Yamatji-Noongar woman, was scathing of the potential changes and its possible impact on Indigenous communities.
“We as traditional owners stood beside the Albanese government during the voice referendum campaign, invested all of our power in a government that said they wanted a voice to parliament to tell them how the system was broken,” she said.
“It is this government who are driving a stake into First Nations people’s hearts by denying us a voice of opposition to gas projects on sea country.”
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Medical association calls for independent health workforce planning agency
As we mentioned earlier in the morning, peak medical body the Australian Medical Association, along with more than 50 specialist medical associations – everyone from the Hand Surgery Society to the Gastroenterological Society - are meeting with government leaders in Canberra today to discuss system-wide health sector reform.
The AMA’s pre-budget submission is asking for a $1bn commitment to create an independent national health workforce planning agency. Its president, Prof Steve Robson, says it’s needed to guide a workforce that has “essentially been a rudderless ship for a decade now”. Robson told Channel 10:
The old agency that looked after the healthcare workforce in Australia was disbanded a decade ago. And really, nobody has had oversight.
And I think that’s a big part of the reason we’ve ended up in the problems that we are, with big shortages of specialities like general practice, psychiatry and others … you can’t see a lot of doctors in rural Australia.
It’s absolutely time that the Government stepped up, create a workforce agency that can look at the healthcare needs of Australians, where they are and what care they need, and plan a workforce.
If we don’t do that, we’re not going to get out of the mud that we’re stuck in at the moment.
Dr Astha Tomar, the president-elect of the peak body of psychiatrists, says they are requesting 45 extra training places for more doctors to be able to pursue the specialty.
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Crossparty-supported Rohingya refugee event to follow QT
A little after question time, Craig Foster will join representatives from Amnesty International and Médecins Sans Frontières to give an update on what Rohingya refugees are experiencing.
The delegation wants the Australian government to take a lead in the resettlement of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, establish a targeted quota for refugees from Myanmar to be resettled in Australia and to increase Australia’s humanitarian intake to 40,000 places a year.
Also speaking at the event is Amnesty International’s refugee rights advisor, Graham Thom, and Médecins Sans Frontières Australia’s executive director, Jennifer Tierney, as well as Kylea Tink MP, Bridget Archer MP and Senator Janet Rice. Foster:
Late last year I travelled to Cox’s Bazar [in Bangladesh] to see firsthand the situation facing nearly one million Rohingya refugees and to take their stories to decision-makers in Australia on their behalf.
The scale of human tragedy, right on Australia’s doorstep, is impossible to capture in words alone. Crisis, catastrophe, unfathomable suffering, none of these words can truly speak of the anguish, pain and desperation of a million people trapped in these refugee camps.
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Question time looms …
The house has moved on to the airing of the MPs’s grievances – the 90-second statements.
QT will begin in about 15 minutes.
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Funeral for ADF member Jack Fitzgibbon has concluded
Politicians are returning from Cessnock where the funeral for Joel Fitzgibbon’s son, Jack was held. Fitzgibbon pre-recorded his eulogy, which was played at the funeral.
As AAP reports – and as you would expect – it was a deeply emotional affair.
Cpl Fitzgibbon also deeply loved his family. We are in no doubt about that. (Breaking into tears)
… This is why I’m not doing this live.
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Angus Taylor attempts to amend superannuation bill to highlight Labor’s ‘broken promise’
Because there is a bit of extra time in the chamber today for debates, there are a few amendment attempts getting a little more attention than usual.
Angus Taylor has moved an amendment on a superannuation bill Jim Chalmers has introduced into the house. Taylor wants the house to acknowledge:
(a) the former government delivered major reforms to superannuation that supported better member outcomes, better performance, and transparent governance, and that were driven by the clear understanding that superannuation is Australians’ money;
(b) the prime minister and the treasurer promised no changes to superannuation prior to the election and the prime minister promised “no major changes” to superannuation in February 2023, but have since broken that promise by introducing a new superannuation tax on unrealised capital gains, which is a world-first wealth tax that will hurt farmers and family businesses and force Australians to pay tax on money they have not earned; and
(c) that the government’s failure to index their new superannuation tax means up to two million young Australians earning average wages today will face a wealth tax, according to analysis of Treasury modelling published in the Australian; and
(2) calls on the government to abandon its broken promise on taxing superannuation
Pretty sure I can say the government is not going to support that one.
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China’s foreign minister in NZ
Wang Yi is on his way to Australia – but first, China’s foreign minister has stopped off for a meeting with New Zealand leaders. As AAP reports:
China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, has begun his diplomatic tour of Australia and New Zealand, meeting with his Kiwi counterpart at Wellington’s Parliament House. The deputy PM and foreign minister, Winston Peters, greeted Wang, who is the most senior Chinese politician to visit NZ since his last trip in 2017. Peters:
We are honoured to host you here in the Grand Hall at the New Zealand parliament, the heart of New Zealand’s democracy.
There have been some significant developments since we last met, not least a global pandemic that impacted both our countries. Today is a valuable opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that are now before us.
NZ and Australia are formal allies, but the two countries have distinct relationships with Beijing.
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Just a reminder that question time will be held at 3.30 today to accommodate Jack Fitzgibbon’s funeral.
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Palestinian ambassador calls initial refugee visa cancellations ‘regrettable and disappointing’
Palestine’s ambassador to Australia says it was “regrettable and disappointing” that the government cancelled some visas of people who escaped from Gaza, and has called for more consular assistance for those people who haven’t been able to leave the war zone yet.
The government announced overnight that some Palestinians who had been granted Australian visas, and subsequently had those visas cancelled, would now be free to travel after all.
Izzat Abdulhadi, the head of the general delegation of Palestine, said he welcomed the reinstatement of some visas but said Australia should also restore the remaining ones.
“It is regrettable and disappointing that the Australian government decided to cancel a number of visitor visas (subclass 600) held by those who, after extreme and exhausting difficulties, were finally able to leave Gaza through Rafah and were already en route to Australia,” he said in a statement.
The justification provided by Home Affairs for the sudden cancellation of these visas was neither convincing nor sufficient, having left people stranded in transit countries where they can only stay for a limited time, suddenly unable to travel onward to the family and safety waiting for them in Australia.
A spokesperson for the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, said last week that visa applicants “are subject to ongoing security assessments” and that the government “reserves the right to cancel any issued visas if circumstances change”.
If people make it out of Gaza without explanation, or their circumstances change in any meaningful way, we will take the time to understand those changes before proceeding.
Abdulhadi said he was concerned about people who may be forced to return to Gaza.
The general delegation further calls on the Australian government provide consular services to assist those still in Gaza holding Australian visitor visas to leave and come to Australia.
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Senate votes to extend paid parental leave to six months
The Senate has voted to change paid parental leave to six months (with small businesses to get a bit of help from the government after a David Pocock-Jacqui Lambie agreement).
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Karen Andrews moves into Scott Morrison’s old office
For those who like to keep an eye on some of the inside baseball events in this place, you may be interested to know that there is a new tenant in Scott Morrison’s backbencher office.
Morrison had the office right near the House of Representatives coffee cart. People who went to the cart were stared down by a Morrison lookalike garden gnome (complete with glasses) that had been stationed in the window.
The gnome exited the window once Morrison completed his final speech – it was how people knew he had finally left the building himself.
Now we are told the former home affairs minister Karen Andrews, who was the only Morrison minister to actually call out the former PM for secretly swearing himself into five other portfolios, including her own, has now moved into the office.
In what is a fairly new event, former PMs who move to the backbench are offered offices with a slightly larger meeting room (just a bit more square footage to help salve the pain). We are unaware whether Morrison’s former office was one of the sought after spaces, but there is a certain lovely irony in Andrews moving into Morrison’s old space.
(The gnome has been replaced by vases and a pot with butterflies on it)
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Katter advocates for more cancer types to be included in PBS
Bob Katter is using his platform to raise the plight of a constituent who is ineligible for a potentially life-saving cancer treatment through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme because she has the “wrong” kind of cancer.
Lisa Laird is on a “final option for treatment”, a drug called trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu), which was listed on the PBS by Mark Butler recently, but only for people diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer, not HER2-negative breast cancer.
Laird, whose cancer has spread to her bones, lungs and stomach, falls into the second category. If you don’t meet the requirements for the PBS cover, then the drug is $13,000 a treatment. Most people need multiple treatments, and Laird needs at least five, which would be $60,000.
Katter has written to Butler’s office to have the drug made available to patients with HER2-negative cancer.
The PBS committee is considering the listing, with the result to be made public later next month.
Katter says he will continue to advocate for Laird and others in her position.
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Free makeup anyone?
For reasons unclear, there is a giant L’Oréal stand in parliament’s Mural Hall, where samples of makeup and skin care are apparently being handed out.
For reasons also unclear, former Coalition defence minister Christopher Pyne has been spotted at the event.
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Albanese government to argue for right to keep people in detention in high court appeal
In February Guardian Australia revealed the Albanese government is facing an appeal that seeks to extend the high court ruling that indefinite immigration detention is unlawful to a cohort of people who can’t be deported in part because of their lack of cooperation with authorities.
The case, brought by an Iranian man known by the pseudonym ASF17, will be heard in the high court on 17 April. ASF17 can’t be deported because he refuses to meet Iranian authorities. He has said he “fears for his life if he is removed to Iran” because he is bisexual, Christian, a Faili Kurd and because he had opposed “the mistreatment of women by the government in Iran”.
As expected, the government will be arguing for the right to keep non-citizens in detention.
The immigration minister, Andrew Giles:
The government believes these individuals should be removed from Australia as a priority. Individuals who do not cooperate with their removal should remain in immigration detention. We successfully defended this position in the federal court and will vigorously defend this in the high court.
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Monique Ryan’s Hecs petition attracts tens of thousands of signatures
The independent MP Monique Ryan has set up a Change.org petition calling on the government to change how people pay back their Hecs debt.
More than 50,000 people have signed it in just a few days.
Last night, I put a video up on Instagram asking people to sign my petition to make HECS debts fairer.
— Dr Monique Ryan MP (@Mon4Kooyong) March 14, 2024
In half a day, 16,000 people have signed it.
Young people face a cost-of-living crisis, a housing crisis and a climate crisis. We shouldn't give them a HECS crisis as well.
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The Australian should be ‘contemptuously ignored’, Keating says
Paul Keating ended the statement with a sting:
The Australian newspaper, for its part, remains trenchantly anti-Chinese. So it is no surprise that such a distorted report should appear in today’s edition. The Australian prosyletises that Australia either is or could be a Chinese military target. But the same newspaper urges Australia to sell the Chinese ever more tonnages of iron ore, presumably so that China would have no trouble putting together the armaments of
scale necessary to actually attack and damage us.This is how mixed up The Australian’s editorial policy is and why it should be ignored. More than that, contemptuously ignored.
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Paul Keating went on to say it was normal practice for “former Prime Ministers of all countries [to] meet ministers of other countries most if not all the time”. He said:
This is the normal intercourse of national and international discussion that takes place across the world.
Despite his recent strong criticism of Aukus, Keating sought to minimise points of difference with the government in his latest statement:
As to the Australian government, I have strongly supported the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his desire, in his words, to re-anchor Australian foreign policy in the region. Or as the Prime Minister put it last week at the ASEAN Summit, his commitment to Australia ‘finding its security in Asia not from Asia’.
As I have supported Foreign Minister Penny Wong in her attempts to lower the loud hailer and ‘stabilise’ relations with China.
And, given the chance, I will be emphasising these points to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Australia has moved substantially from the counterproductive baiting policy the Morrison government applied to China to now something much more civil and productive.
A reminder of Keating’s previous interventions on Aukus:
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Keating scathing of The Australian's reporting of meeting with China’s foreign minister
The former prime minister Paul Keating has defended plans to meet with China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, in Sydney this week, while taking aim at the Australian newspaper for describing this as a “jarring addition” to the top Chinese diplomat’s trip.
Keating has issued a statement saying that Wang’s visit to Australia this week, for talks with the foreign minister, Penny Wong, in Canberra on Wednesday, was “a good development and very much to be supported”.
Keating said:
While observing the reporting of this upcoming dialogue from the distance of my office in Sydney, last week I received an unexpected invitation from the Chinese Foreign Ministry for me to meet the Foreign Minister at the end of his visit should I have the time.
Within a day, I also received a communication from the Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet offering to facilitate the meeting and to make appropriate arrangements.
Hardly an ‘extraordinary intervention’ as reported in today’s Australian.
Extraordinary apparently, that the host department of the host country, proposes to facilitate a meeting, in this case, between me and its national guest.
As a matter of courtesy, let alone anything else, I was happy to advise the Chinese Foreign Ministry that, given I had the time, I would be pleased to sit down and discuss international matters with the Foreign Minister.
Yet, the Australian newspaper this morning describes the Foreign Ministry invitation as a ‘jarring addition’ to Minister Wang Yi’s trip*.
What could be ‘jarring’ when meetings with the Australian Foreign Minister will have concluded and where the Australian government itself is offering to facilitate the meeting?
Would The Australian so describe as ‘jarring’ and ‘extraordinary’ a similar invitation from the British Foreign Secretary to former Prime Minister Tony Abbott or Scott Morrison? Of course not.
(* Analysis: The Australian presumably described it as jarring because Keating has been one of the most outspoken and strident opponents of the Aukus pact, and has been very critical of Penny Wong’s performance as foreign affairs minister.)
Updated
As expected, the Greens lost that division, six to 63.
The chamber is dividing. Again, there are many MPs who are in Cessnock, attending the funeral of Jack Fitzgibbon so it won’t be a full cohort, but Labor and the Coalition will vote against this.
'Time to stop the invasion' in Gaza, Adam Bandt tells parliament
Adam Bandt just spoke in the House of Representatives on his motion and the response to previous motions the Greens have put forward, which didn’t mention the events of 7 October.
Let’s be crystal clear about this. This parliament has already made its view clear about that. There is agreement unanimous agreement to call for the immediate release of the hostages. And there has been unanimous condemnation of attacks on civilians. Everyone has done that.
That is not a reason not to vote for this motion because that will stand on the parliament’s record and enjoy the unanimous support of people here.
What this motion is about is one thing and one thing only whether you now knowing that over 30,000 people have been killed and 100,000 people have been killed or are missing or injured still continue to back the invasion of Gaza.
That is what this motion is about. And this is a motion for me this is a moment for everyone in this parliament. Knowing what has unfolded since October 7 and seen the devastating toll it has taken on civilians, whether you still back the invasion or not. Even if you have a different view that I do and that the Greens do about this being the time to start putting sanctions on this extreme war cabinet, their prime minister Netanyahu and to stop arming Israel, even if you have different views about those things.
Even if you think the invasion was justified back then, there is no justification for continuing to back the slaughter of thousands of people who are walled into an area half the size of Canberra with nowhere to go.
When prime minister Netanyahu says I’m going to invade Rafah no matter what you say. Now is the time to say unequivocally we’re going to stop backing the invasion. This is the time for every member of parliament to make the vote counts. Everyone in this country will be watching which members of parliament have the courage to line up and say it is time to stop the invasion and it is time for a full permanent and immediate ceasefire.
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The funeral for Jack Fitzgibbon, the son of former Labor defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon, is under way in Cessnock.
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Bandt urges MPs to condemn Israel’s attacks on Gaza
Greens leader Adam Bandt has moved to suspend standing orders in the house with a very similar motion to the one Jordon Steele-John moved a little earlier in the Senate.
That the House:
(1) notes that since the House resolution of 16 October 2023 concerning Israel and Gaza, which supported the State of Israel’s looming invasion of Gaza by stating that the House ‘stands with Israel’, the following have occurred:
(a) an appalling and increasing toll of deaths and injuries caused by the State of Israel’s bombing and invasion of Gaza;
(b) a growing humanitarian catastrophe caused by the State of Israel’s blockade, bombing and invasion of Gaza; and
(c) the State of Israel is the subject of recent International Court of Justice orders in South Africa’s case regarding the prevention of genocide;
(2) therefore does not support the State of Israel’s continued invasion of Gaza and calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire; and
(3) calls on the Australian Government to end its support for the State of Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
It will see the same result – Labor and the Coalition will not support this.
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Could a different Parliament House design promote bipartisan collaboration?
Just on Zoe McKenzie’s contribution – we saw a very similar day of bipartisanship after the death of Labor MP Peta Murphy, with MPs from across the chamber coming together to mourn a colleague who had friends on all sides of politics.
I remember speaking to an older parliamentarian who worked at Old Parliament House and mourned the collaborative nature the old building created.
Before new parliament house was opened in the late 1980s, MPs worked out of the building which had been opened in 1927. Now, there were a lot of issues with that building (it’s size, the lack of female toilets, because why would women ever be in the nation’s seat of power, etc) but there were benefits – the offices for MPs were pretty much a couple of desks. If they wanted to eat, they had to go into the common areas and if they wanted to go to the bathroom, they had to head to shared facilities. All of this naturally meant there was a lot of interaction between MPs from different parties, because they were forced to interact on a daily basis.
Many a bill was debated at the urinal, apparently (which is not an image I think any of us ever needed) but it meant that MPs were better across their opponent’s positions. And it led to more cooperation on policy. Compromises. And actual bipartisanship when it mattered. It seems hard to believe now, but there was a time when the parliament was in lock step about raising the budget deficit to build more homes.
When the new parliament opened, MPs saw their offices become self contained suites, with individual toilets, and kitchenettes. A MP can come into the building and see no one else except their office and those they encounter on the way through to the chamber if they wish.
Not sure if our politics has benefited from such insulation.
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Stop the character assassinations and work together, Liberal MP says
You may remember a quite ridiculous hoo-ha over the Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie posting a photo of her with Labor’s newest MP Jodie Belyea after Belyea’s election as the Dunkley MP, captioning it:
Congratulations
You have been a good friend to women across the Mornington Peninsula. Look forward to working with you in looking after paradise!
Which caused anonymous MPs to tell The Australian newspaper that McKenzie had committed “an absolute act of naivety” and an “unforgivable” act against the party by welcoming a new MP, who will cover part of her patch, to the parliament.
McKenzie has delivered a speech to the federation chamber (the spill over chamber for the House of Representatives) reminding those very brave anonymous MPs who spoke to The Australian that she is actually following in the footsteps of some of the Liberal greats who believed in the parliament working together to better the lives of their communities. Even when working together meant working with people from different political persuasions.
McKenzie said she was in her 20s when she first came to work in the parliament, as an adviser with the Howard government, when Labor MP Greg Wilton died by suicide.
I listened to the condolence motion throughout the day. Question Time was canceled, and the speeches rolled through the afternoon and into the evening. In those speeches, I saw something of the character of the men and women I so greatly admired. In this place at that time, John Howard, John Anderson, Tony Abbott, among others. And that day they spoke of their affection for Wilton, a Labor man through his bootstraps, who had served the ASU.
… The speeches that day were not just a reflection on Wilton, or the odd bite of bipartisanship required to get stuff done here. They were also a reflection on this place. And how at its core set of compassion, empathy, goodwill and gratitude towards the 180-odd people who’ve been elected to it.
Tony Abbott’s words in that condolence motion were particularly strong when he said Greg Wilton came with high hopes to what he regarded as the greatest institution … for helping people. And yet, he died of a broken heart. He hated the character assassination, which sadly is so much part of the public discourse and the private conversation here, and for which all of us bear a heavy responsibility.
We often complain about the low public standing of politicians but other people take us at our own estimation, and we are always running each other down. Of course, there is a place for judgment and sometimes there is a place for furious denunciation. But I think Australia would be better off without a feral quality that so often contaminates our public lives.
McKenzie then turned to the criticism her party room colleagues had turned towards her:
A few weeks ago in the pages of the Australian newspaper, I was referred to as a new breed of Liberal. I can assure the good folk of Flinders, I am a very much an old breed of Liberal, formed in this place where many of its current inhabitants were still in short pants.
And it was here I learned the values and practices which has been stable, mature, responsible and strong leadership in this country for over a decade from the most successful Coalition government this country has ever known.
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(Continued from previous post)
The opposition knows this – they were in government until quite recently and they know exactly what steps have to be taken in order for preventative detention to be accepted by the courts. But for political reasons, there is wilful ignorance that it will be quite easy.
Here is Jane Hume speaking to Sky earlier today:
Quite simply, if the bar is too high, the Coalition will come to the party and help them lower that bar, but we haven’t seen any amendments presented. It’s ridiculous. The government is simply shrugging it’s shoulders rather than doing something. Don’t point to the fire. Put it out.
So, how exactly, should that bar be lowered?
Hume:
It is entirely up to the government to move those amendments. They are the ones that are dealing with the high court’s decision and the inability to put to do create preventative detention orders, that would be legally binding.
The key phrase there is “legally binding” so in a sense Hume pointed out herself how ridiculous her call to “lower the bar” actually is, because the high court has already said yeah, big nah to that. And any attempts to “lower the bar” through legislation would be seen through the recent decisions of the high court. And there is very little point in creating legislation you know will be constitutionally unsound.
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The legal quagmire created by the high court’s detention ruling
The high court’s decision that indefinite detention is unconstitutional has created what is considered an “unsettled” legal quagmire. Basically, the court has reminded the parliament it is not constitutionally able to punish people. That’s the job of the courts (it’s that whole separation of powers thing that some people find so pesky when trying to make laws to lock people up).
What that means is that the parliament, in making laws, has to make them within the boundaries this high court bench has set.
That includes with preventive detention. Because you can’t just lock someone up once they have served their time on the basis that they may commit another crime (Philip K Dick covered a lot of the ethics on preventive detention off in his short story The Minority Report. Legally, it is possible, but it requires a very high bar for a reason).
There is a precedent for preventive detention but if a court is going to lock someone up without a new crime, on the basis that preventively detaining them is the only way to keep the community safe, then it is going to need a lot of convincing.
So the government is working through that. (There was a background briefing of the steps the government needed to work through, which is off the record, but essentially is “this will take time, and we need to get it right for it to work”).
(Continued in next post)
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Helen Haines calls for cost-of-living help for renters and small businesses
It is budget submission season (when groups put forward their submissions to the government on what they believe should be funded) and independent MP Helen Haines has added her submission to the list.
Haines has prepared a pre-budget submission on what projects she believes needs to be funded for her electorate – as well as general things she believes should be funded for the nation at large.
These measures include:
• substantially increasing the rates of income support payments and rent assistance
• funding initiatives that reduce energy costs for households and small businesses
• more primary health care relief to lower healthcare expenses
• the continuation of fee-free TAFE
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MPs debate Liberal’s internet age assurance motion
The House has moved on to debating a motion from Liberal MP David Coleman as part of his ongoing campaign to have mandated age assurance technology (proving that someone is over the age of 18) on internet sites.
He wants the House to condemn the government for:
(a) its refusal to support the recommendations of the eSafety Commissioner to support a mandated trial of age assurance technology; and
(b) failing to support the Opposition private Member’s bill for the introduction of such a trial; and
(4) calls on the Minister for Communications to:
(a) reverse her position on an age verification trial and support the Opposition’s plan to implement a trial;
(b) announce plans for a new trial within 30 days; and
(c) commence a trial of age verification technology within three months.
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Labor MP says cost of groceries putting Australians ‘under the pump’
Over in the House, the chamber is debating a cost of living motion put forward by Labor MP Matt Burnell. The proposal reads:
That the House:
Acknowledges that cost of living pressures, including the cost of groceries, are putting Australians under the pump;
(2)notes that to ensure that Australian consumers and suppliers are getting a fair deal, the Government has:
(a)directed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to conduct a pricing inquiry into the competitiveness of retail prices and allegations of price gouging in the supermarket sector;
(b)commenced an independent review of the Food and Grocery Code led by Dr Craig Emerson, which will examine whether the code is effective in ensuring Australian suppliers and farmers are getting a fair go; and
(c)partnered with consumer advocacy group CHOICE to regularly provide shoppers with better information on the comparative costs of grocery goods at different retailers; and
(3)recognises these measures are further examples of the Government ensuring everyone is doing their bit when it comes to easing the cost of living crisis.
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As expected, the noes won that motion Jordon Steele-John put up – final vote 30 noes to 11 ayes.
The Senate moves on to the paid parental leave amendment.
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The Senate is dividing – the chamber is fairly empty. There are a lot of MPs across both chambers who are attending Jack Fitzgibbon’s funeral, so there won’t be a lot of people around in general.
But the Labor and Coalition senators who are here are voting against the motion.
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Greens senator on Israel: ‘These cruel acts must be condemned’
Jordon Steele-John spoke on his motion in the senate:
The Australian Greens do not stand with the policies of the state of Israel.
We do not stand with the civilian bombings of the people of Gaza, perpetrated by the state of Israel. We do not stand with the war crimes committed by the State of Israel. We do not stand with the crimes against humanity, humanity committed by the State of Israel.
The children of Gaza, are being starved to death by the policies of the state of Israel. The children of Gaza are losing their fathers and their mothers, their brothers and their sisters, their grandparents, their entire families, their homes and communities because of the invasion by the State of Israel of Gaza.
These crimes, these cruel acts cannot continue to be perpetrated with the support of the Australian parliament. These crimes, these cruel acts must be condemned.
The government must now take the opportunity, the opposition must now take the opportunity to join with the Greens and to join with a vast majority of the Australian community who say not in our name.
Not now, not ever.
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Here is the whole text of the motion Greens senator Jordon Steele-John wants the Senate to debate:
That the Senate
(a) notes that, since the Senate resolution of 18 October 2023 concerning Israel and Gaza, which supported the state of Israel’s looming invasion of Gaza by stating that the Senate ‘stands with Israel’, the following have occurred:
(i) an appalling and increasing toll of deaths and injuries caused by the state of Israel’s bombing and invasion of Gaza,
(ii) a growing humanitarian catastrophe caused by the state of Israel’s blockade, bombing and invasion of Gaza,
and (iii) the state of Israel is the subject of recent International Court of Justice orders in South Africa’s case regarding the prevention of genocide;
(b) therefore does not support the state of Israel’s continued invasion of Gaza and calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire;
and (c) calls on the Australian Government to end its support for the state of Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
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Jordon Steele-John pushes for debate on Gaza in Senate
Over in the Senate, the Greens senator Jordon Steele-John is attempting to suspend standing orders to debate a motion calling on the Australian government to “end its support for the state of Israel’s invasion of Gaza”. The Greens have attempted various motions along these lines for the last few months, but they do not receive the support of either the government or the opposition. This one is likely to go down the same path.
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While the nation’s lawmakers are looking at TikTok and what is next for the social media giant, the tech world is watching the Australian courts where gaming company Epic Games takes on Apple and Google. It is worth paying attention to what happens in this space – it has a habit of spilling over into the federal political sphere:
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Sweeping changes to youth justice laws under scrutiny in NSW
Civil society groups and more than 500 lawyers, academics and community workers have signed open letters to the Chris Minns NSW Labor government urging it not to move forward with sweeping changes to youth justice laws.
You can catch up on the changes here:
Youth crime has once again become a hot-button issue in the states (it is one of the issues the LNP have used in Queensland to take hold of the political agenda – so much so that people working on the local government election booths reported voters raising it as one of their biggest issues, despite councils not having any power over justice laws).
NSW is the latest to respond but those who work in the sector and who study it say it will be “devastating to Aboriginal children and other vulnerable groups” in the state and not actually address the root causes.
One letter takes aim at the government for “turning its back on Closing the Gap”:
Your new policy to increase youth incarceration:
is a betrayal of your Closing the Gap commitments
ignores decades of evidence on how to reduce youth crime
prioritises punishment over investment in the proven prevention strategies that you promised to implement
will cause crime to get worse
will delay measures that could reduce crime.
A second urges the government to adopt measures which will actually address the issues which lead to children becoming enmeshed in the incarceration system.
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Independents trumpet paid parental leave changes
Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock have held a quick press conference on their support for the paid parental leave changes – paid super from 2025 – after securing an agreement from the federal government to help small businesses pay for it.
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Jenny McAllister pays tribute to ‘fierce advocate for affirmative action’ Linda White
Labor senator Jenny McAllister has spoken on the loss of her colleague Senator Linda White, who died last month:
This week in the Senate, we’ll also have our opportunity to say our goodbyes. Much has already been said about Linda’s wit, her generosity, her fierce intelligence, and her dedication to make the world a fairer and a more just place. I’m sure that the stories tomorrow in the Senate will be important stories – sometimes funny stories – but stories that overall, reflect the immense contribution that Linda made to this place and to the country more generally.
I just wanted to reflect briefly on the work that she did for Australian women. There is almost no area of women’s policy where Linda White was not active. She was active on questions of equal pay. She was a fierce advocate for affirmative action. And, of course, she was a keen collaborator on the project to ensure that the super gap was closed, and that superannuation would be paid on paid parental leave. And I think she’d been pleased too about one of the key reforms that will be brought into the Senate this week.
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Campaign calls for Australia to give more to international development and aid
Leaders in the health, business, aid and trade union sectors have come together to urge the government to invest more in overseas development to “prevent the world slipping towards crisis points that threaten our stability and prosperity”.
Zoe Daniel launched the Safer World for All commonwealth investment case with Caritas chief executive Kirsty Robertson, ETU national secretary Michael Wright and Burnet Institute director Prof Brendan Crabb.
The paper notes that “on present trends, by 2030, about seven per cent of the world’s population (575 million people) will live in extreme poverty with 600 million people chronically undernourished. Approximately 84 million children will be out of school, 660 million people will not have access to electricity and the cost of supporting nations to deal with the impact of climate change will balloon to USD $671 billion”.
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Uber to pay out taxi and hire car drivers almost $272m
For those who have been paying attention to market disruption through new tech, there has been a result in the Uber class action, as AAP reports:
Uber will cough up almost $272m to compensate taxi and hire car drivers who lost out when the rideshare company “aggressively” moved into the Australian market.
A class action against Uber was expected to go to trial at the supreme court of Victoria on Monday but Maurice Blackburn Lawyers said it would be abandoned after the rideshare giant agreed to the mammoth settlement.
It was the fifth-largest class action settlement in Australia’s history and holds Uber to account, five “gruelling” years after lawyers launched the action on behalf of more than 8,000 taxi and hire car owners and drivers, the law firm said.
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Majority of Australians favour scaling back investor tax breaks, polling shows
Housing is, of course, still on the agenda. Labor in Queensland received a shock when its vote bled to the Greens at the byelection and there is evidence that will continue in the federal sphere, as renters turn their anger towards the major parties.
That means that negative gearing and capital gains tax are once again in the spotlight. AAP reports on new polling showing voter attitudes on the tax breaks:
Three in five Australian voters favour scaling back negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, new polling suggests.
One in five want investment property tax breaks to stay the same, according to the polling by independent consultancy RedBridge Group on behalf of national housing affordability campaigners Everybody’s Home.
A further one-fifth of those surveyed were unsure.
Negative gearing allows investors to claim deductions on losses, while the capital gains tax discount halves the amount of excise paid by people who sell assets they have owned for 12 months or more.
Investor tax breaks are back in the headlines since the Greens promised to vote against Labor’s shared home equity scheme without substantive changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount.
The federal government has ruled out such changes, leaving the future of its help-to-buy scheme in doubt.
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Medical staff shortages top of agenda as health bodies meet in Canberra
The peak medical body, along with more than 50 specialist medical colleges, associations and societies, are meeting in Canberra today to set their agenda for system-wide health sector reform.
Prof Steve Robson, president of the Australian Medical Association, says workforce issues will be top of the agenda:
Everyone, including Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler, who will speak at the meeting, acknowledges the health workforce shortages facing the country, with access and lack of planning continuing to be a problem.
Robson said while the federal government’s significant investments in health over the last year were welcome there was more to be done.
The AMA’s budget submission calls for a national health workforce planning agency to be established to provide evidence-based solutions to address workforce maldistribution and shortages.
Reform of the private health system will also be on the agenda, with the AMA’s pre-budget submission calling for an independent private health system authority to oversee the sector and create a platform for reform.
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Labor pushes for NSW high-speed rail business case
We are still apparently doing high-speed rail in NSW.
Infrastructure minister Catherine King wants to find some experts (I suppose all the experts relied on previously for this project will have retired, given this is something Australia has been looking at for decades):
The High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) is seeking world-leading experts to help develop and plan Stage 1 of an east coast high-speed rail network between Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle.
The Government is seeking tenders for eight work packages that will support the HSRA deliver a business case for the Sydney to Newcastle section of the high-speed rail network by the end of 2024.
The eight packages include Project controls (costs, schedule and risk), Rail Operations Planning, First Nations Participation and Engagement, and Commercial, Delivery Strategy and Industry Engagement.
This critical work will help inform important elements of the business case including proposed alignment, station locations, fleet, cost estimate and future construction timeframes.
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The parliament sitting doesn’t begin until 10am this morning, so don’t expect to hear too much from the MPs until mid-morning.
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‘There’ll be a lot of people grieving today’
Both Barnaby Joyce and Tanya Plibersek were asked about soldier Jack Fitzgibbon, the son of former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon.
Joyce:
The Fitzgibbon family are a family of honour. Jack died in service to our nation. Joel has served our nation. The family will be absolutely grieving. We hope and pray Jack is with our maker, give comfort to them. You’ve seen the Fitzgibbons, you’ve watched them on television. They’re a great family. He is also my mate. We’ll turn up and give what support we can to Jack’s family.
Plibersek:
It’s just the worst thing that any parent can imagine and so our hearts go out to Joel and Diane and their family and the friends and comrades that Jack had in the service as well. We know there’ll be a lot of people grieving today.
Today is going to be a somewhat quieter day in the parliament. Many parliamentarians are travelling for Jack’s funeral and events like QT will be delayed to accommodate it.
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Plibersek says government will listen to expert advice on TikTok
Tanya Plibersek was also asked to weigh in on the push to ban TikTok in Australia, if the platform’s Chinese owner ByteDance doesn’t sell to another owner. That follows the latest US push to ban the app there (it is not the first time that has happened – Donald Trump also tried and the Chinese government went “bet” and slapped tech sanctions on US imports).
Plibersek says:
Well, first of all, of course it’s not on government devices in Australia either. We’ve got a ban here in Australia on government devices. But there are 8.5 million Australians who are using it.
We’ll take the advice of our security and intelligence agencies on anything we need to do around TikTok. I think people should be careful of the data that they put online in general. Like I say, if the security and intelligence agencies give us advice on TikTok, we’ll take it.
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‘Don’t think you have it in the bag’: Joyce on Labor after Queensland byelection
Barnaby Joyce had thoughts about the Queensland byelection results.
He told the Seven Network:
There are two things that lose you an election. Incompetence and arrogance. I was about to say they would have had the arrogance knocked out of them after that but listening to Tanya [Plibersek] then and trotting out the lines, seems like arrogance and incompetence is still there.
Law and order is a big issue up there. Massive issue. If you can’t feel safe on the streets, you will change the government.
The cost of living, of course, is a massive issue but that goes over to the federal sphere. While you’re concentrating on windfarms, solar factories and transmission lines, people are getting poorer to pay for fuel or power.
It doesn’t matter what the rhetoric is, what matters is what’s in my wallet and it is getting less and less because I can’t afford to get through my life.
That’s an issue. That issue will go over to the federal election but a lot of work for the state guys to do between now and the election. Don’t think you have it in a the bag.
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Federal attention is also turning to Tropical Cyclone Megan, which has the potential to devastate Indigenous communities in the Top End.
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There is a little bit of federal attention on Queensland after the worst byelection results for state Labor in decades. There is a general election in Queensland in October, where the polls are pointing to a whitewash for Labor, with the LNP in the box seat for its third Queensland government since 1989.
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David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie will be holding an early morning press conference to speak on the PPL agreement they have made with the government (Sarah reported on it just a few posts down).
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AI and internet search to come under microscope of ACCC inquiry
The impact of generative AI on the search industry will be put under the microscope in the competition regulator’s next digital platforms inquiry.
The next instalment, announced today, will look at how internet search is changing, and the state of competition between internet search services in Australia.
The review will consider whether choice screens – which allow users to choose which search site to use in their browser – have had an impact overseas, and whether generative AI is changing the way people search online.
ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said:
Significant changes have occurred since the ACCC last examined search services in 2021. We’ve seen new laws introduced overseas that place obligations on so-called gatekeeper search engines and the emergence of new technologies, like generative AI, that have changed the way consumers search for information online and may be impacting the quality of the service they are receiving.
The ACCC wants to understand the impact of these developments on general search
services and, ultimately, how they affect competition and consumers.
The regulator had previously reviewed general search and browser competition in 2021. The government in-principle supported recommendations for a mandatory code for consumer choice in these products but the issue has not advanced further.
People can make submissions to the inquiry by 17 April 2024.
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Small businesses get extra help in rolling out expanded paid parental leave
Small business owners will get extra help with handing out Labor’s new paid parental leave arrangements after a deal was struck with independent senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie.
The new paid parental leave scheme will add two weeks a year from this year until it reaches a total of six months by 2026. The leave can be accessed by either of the newborn’s parents.
But a parliamentary inquiry heard many small business owners weren’t equipped to handle the extra costs associated with handing out paid parental leave.
In response the government agreed to pour in $10m over the coming four years to help small businesses with the new arrangements.
Pocock said:
We need to be making it easier, not harder, to run a small business in Australia. I can’t see any downside for small businesses being free to choose whether or not to administer a scheme the government can administer itself, and already does in over a third of cases currently.
The two senators will work on additional arrangements with other crossbenchers, including making the administration of payments opt-in or opt-out.
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Greens push to ditch Harmony Week and have ‘honest reckoning’ with racism
The Greens are urging the Albanese government to dump references to “Harmony Week” once and for all, saying the name whitewashes the international day set aside to get rid of racism.
The NSW Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi wrote to immigration minister Andrew Giles last Thursday calling for the week to be renamed “anti-racism week”.
Harmony Day was first established in 1999 under the Howard government to replace the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The international day was first observed in 1966 in remembrance for the 69 killed in the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa six years earlier. The mostly black protesters had been shot at by police as they attempted a peaceful protest against apartheid.
Last year the government dropped references to Harmony Day in favour of its original name. But it continues to use the full week’s title, Harmony Week.
Faruqi said:
Last year the government ditched Harmony Day after our campaign. The next step is to get rid of Harmony Week and Australia’s racism blindspot with it. It’s time for an honest reckoning with white privilege and systemic racism, rather than tokenistic celebrations of skin deep multiculturalism.
Asked whether the government was considering dropping all references to the day, Giles said:
This week provides all of us with an occasion to celebrate our vibrant multiculturalism and reflect on how each of us, and more of us, can do more to help stamp out racism in our communities ... With the release of the Multicultural Framework Review in the near future, the Albanese Labor government is working to ensure that no matter where you’re born or the language you speak, everyone in Australia feels as though they belong.
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Good morning
Hello and welcome to the final sitting fortnight before the autumn break – once this sitting adjourns, parliament won’t sit again until the budget is handed down in May.
There is a small amount of legislation the government wants to tidy up before it moves into budget mode – and narrows its focus to the cost of living – before May, and this fortnight will see most of that happen.
You can also expect religious discrimination to once again rear its head.
But it is a sombre start to the week. Many parliamentarians, including the prime minister, will be attending the funeral of ADF soldier Jack Fitzgibbon – the son of former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon – who died after a parachute incident during training last month.
Question time will be delayed until 3.30pm to accommodate those attending. It’s hard to see how MPs will go from something like a young man’s funeral to arguing over fuel efficiency standards in question time, so I would expect a more muted affair today.
Labor’s newest MP, Jodie Belyea, will be sworn in and will take her seat as the MP for Dunkley.
The Liberals are still grappling with their men problem, with conservative warrior Alex Antic winning the top SA Senate spot from one of the Liberal’s most senior women, Anne Ruston.
All this is to say it’s going to be a strange fortnight. And that is before you get to the visit from China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, which is scheduled for later this week.
We’ll be covering it all – you have Karen Middleton joining you this week, as well as Paul Karp, Sarah Basford Canales, Josh Butler and Daniel Hurst.
Mike Bowers will be there to take you to all the action and you have Amy Remeikis on the blog.
Ready?
Let’s get into it.
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