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| Peter Dutton heads to Geneva for talks on Syrian refugee crisis – politics live | Peter Dutton heads to Geneva for talks on Syrian refugee crisis – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 11.39pm BST23:39 | |
| Speaking of jogging on the spot, the trade minister Andrew Robb is being asked whether he agrees with Josh Frydenberg’s call this morning to do more on refugees. Does Robb agree with Frydenberg’s argument that John Howard during his prime ministership made an exception for refugees from Kosovo, so Tony Abbott could do the same thing with the Syrians now? | |
| Andrew Robb: | |
| We’ll have to wait and see. We’ll do this in a considered way. | |
| 11.35pm BST23:35 | |
| Mikearoo threw in a question to our star baker about whether or not he intended to centrally approve all stunts performed by Xenophon candidates in the forthcoming federal election. This would, to our observation, be a full time gig. Xenophon reserved his position. | |
| Speaking of reserving positions and keeping options open – if you are confused by the prime minister on Syrian refugees this morning, don’t worry. | |
| Tony Abbott is in fact saying we will do more and we will not do more, simultaneously. Jogging on the spot. Keeping an eye to the prevailing winds. | |
| Yes, no, maybe. Strong and cuddly. | |
| 11.27pm BST23:27 | |
| Good morning Mikearoo, and good morning Nick Xenophon, who has whipped up a submarine cake to remind the prime minister about his pre-election promise to build submarines in Adelaide. | |
| Happy days on the doors. | |
| 11.23pm BST23:23 | |
| Shalailah Medhora | |
| Ever the optimist, assistant treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Sky just now, on the new Newspoll: | |
| There’s also a glass half full in every poll, and I can see that our primary vote has gone up in today’s poll. | |
| Phil Hudson, writing in The Australian about the Newspoll and the government’s primary vote. | |
| The poll of 1655 voters shows the Coalition’s primary vote recovered one point over the past fortnight to 39% but is 6.6 points lower than the election-winning result of 45.6%. | |
| 11.20pm BST23:20 | |
| A cunning (invisible) plan and Canberra gossip | |
| Out at potting mix central, the prime minister also got a couple of questions on polls and internals. Answering a question about the clear poll trend that shows the government would be cleaned up in any election held now, Tony Abbott offered .. | |
| We are sticking with the plan. We have a plan to get taxes down, to get regulation down, to get productivity up, to create jobs, to reduce taxes, to boost prosperity. The plan is working and we are sticking with it. | |
| (The Plan. The Plan. The Plan. If I can ever leave my desk and get to a press conference I’ll inquire what this plan actually is because it’s not entirely evident from my slightly distant live post. A cunning plan, this one.) | |
| Then about the burst of Get Hockey which I flagged first up. How frustrating are the continuing reports about Hockey’s future? | |
| Tony Abbott: | |
| I just don’t get into Canberra gossip. | |
| (Apart from suggesting none too gently on breakfast TV this morning that the treasurer may or may not be the treasurer this time next year, that is. Apart from that digression, our prime minister is a strictly gossip free zone.) | |
| In Turkey, interviewed by the ABC after a weekend G20 meeting, Joe Hockey for his part had the official talking point too. How about all this static around you and your position as treasurer? | |
| Joe Hockey: | |
| That’s just gossip. I’m focussed on doing the job the treasurer should do. | |
| I don’t respond to gossip. | |
| 11.06pm BST23:06 | |
| The assault of the open microphone continues. Tony Abbott is now outside in Pialligo flanked by about ten colleagues. He’s moved to a press conference. | |
| Abbott is asked about Josh Frydenberg’s off piste comments which I referenced in the first post – Australia can do more and should do more. | |
| Q: What would you say to him and other Liberal members that would like to see an increased intake from Syria the overall humanitarian intake from Australia? | |
| Tony Abbott: | |
| That is exactly what we are doing. Last year, the conflict in Syria and Iraq was responsible for some 30% of our overall intake. The overall intake is going up to 18,000 in the next couple of years. This is one of the dividends of stopping the boats. Because we have stopped the boats, it’s the Australian government which is now able to select people who come in under our refugee and humanitarian intake. | |
| Under the former government it was the people smugglers doing the selection. So now we are in a position to say there is a crisis in Syria. We are prepared to respond. And we will take from camps family groups of persecuted minorities. | |
| That is what we will do. | |
| Q: New Zealand prime minister John Key is going to take hundreds of extra Syrian refugees above their annual humanitarian intake of 750. Can you see any circumstance in which Australia should take increased Syrian refugees outside of the humanitarian intake that we are already taking in? | |
| Tony Abbott: | |
| I think your question says it all. New Zealand takes 700. We take 13,750 now, and we are building up to 18,000. On a per capita basis Australia takes more refugees through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees than any other country. | |
| And, yes, good on New Zealand for announcing that they’re going to take a few hundred. Australia has already taken 4,500. Australia has already taken 4,500 and, yes, we will do more. We will do more because this is an ongoing crisis. | |
| Q: If the UNHCR suggests to minister Dutton we should increase Australia’s humanitarian intake would that be considered by the Abbott government? | |
| Tony Abbott: | |
| Let’s not pre-empt the results of those discussions. | |
| What we are determined to do is to take more people from Syria and that war torn part of the world as a response to this particular crisis but again I stress we are taking people from camps because the last thing we want to do is to encourage and reward people smuggling. | |
| We are taking people from camps and we are taking family groups, our focus will be on family groups, from persecuted minorities. | |
| 10.51pm BST22:51 | 10.51pm BST22:51 |
| A morning of strong expectations and stepping up | A morning of strong expectations and stepping up |
| Hello lovely people and welcome to Monday in Canberra. It’s only early in the parliamentary day but the immigration minister Peter Dutton is winging his way to Geneva for talks on the Syrian refugee crisis. The prime minister for his part is in Pialligo – a place of potting mix, garden ornaments, hipster pottery and smoked goods. Tony Abbott’s purpose in Pialligo is to be open for business, to have a plan, and stick to it. | Hello lovely people and welcome to Monday in Canberra. It’s only early in the parliamentary day but the immigration minister Peter Dutton is winging his way to Geneva for talks on the Syrian refugee crisis. The prime minister for his part is in Pialligo – a place of potting mix, garden ornaments, hipster pottery and smoked goods. Tony Abbott’s purpose in Pialligo is to be open for business, to have a plan, and stick to it. |
| The prime minister has done a live cross to breakfast television, where he’s asked whether Australia should boost its refugee intake to the level under the previous Labor government, not just take more people from Syria from within the current quota, which is what the prime minister has signalled his government will do. | The prime minister has done a live cross to breakfast television, where he’s asked whether Australia should boost its refugee intake to the level under the previous Labor government, not just take more people from Syria from within the current quota, which is what the prime minister has signalled his government will do. |
| Tony Abbott thinks probs not .. | Tony Abbott thinks probs not .. |
| Let’s not forget under the former government that number (the humanitarian intake) was filled by the people smugglers. | Let’s not forget under the former government that number (the humanitarian intake) was filled by the people smugglers. |
| But then again .. | But then again .. |
| We are looking at what more we can do. As well as a strong security response we need a strong humanitarian one. | We are looking at what more we can do. As well as a strong security response we need a strong humanitarian one. |
| (Separately on Sky News, the assistant treasurer Josh Frydenberg thinks Australia can do more and should do more. Separately again on Radio National, shadow defence spokesman Stephen Conroy points to Labor’s commitment to double the humanitarian intake, from 13,000 to 27,000. That is stepping up.) | (Separately on Sky News, the assistant treasurer Josh Frydenberg thinks Australia can do more and should do more. Separately again on Radio National, shadow defence spokesman Stephen Conroy points to Labor’s commitment to double the humanitarian intake, from 13,000 to 27,000. That is stepping up.) |
| Switching back to Abbott, the prime minister notes that Australia is currently involved in airstrikes against the death cult, and he reasons it is very important to do what we can over time to restore order in a difficult part of the world. (Hint hint. Better bomb Syria. Hint hint.) If your eyes have been firmly elsewhere during the non-sitting weeks, we expect the government to make a decision about whether to expand Australia’s operations into Syria this week. Labor thus far has only supported action in Iraq. (Separately on Radio National, Stephen Conroy: when it comes to Syria, we need a briefing, and we need legal advice. We want answers before we give a commitment.) | Switching back to Abbott, the prime minister notes that Australia is currently involved in airstrikes against the death cult, and he reasons it is very important to do what we can over time to restore order in a difficult part of the world. (Hint hint. Better bomb Syria. Hint hint.) If your eyes have been firmly elsewhere during the non-sitting weeks, we expect the government to make a decision about whether to expand Australia’s operations into Syria this week. Labor thus far has only supported action in Iraq. (Separately on Radio National, Stephen Conroy: when it comes to Syria, we need a briefing, and we need legal advice. We want answers before we give a commitment.) |
| Switching back to Pialligo, the prime minister is also asked about the Newspoll on the government’s second anniversary of taking power. Like the twenty nine Newspolls before it, it shows Labor would win any federal election held today at a gallop. Abbott is pointed towards his disapproval rating of 63%. | Switching back to Pialligo, the prime minister is also asked about the Newspoll on the government’s second anniversary of taking power. Like the twenty nine Newspolls before it, it shows Labor would win any federal election held today at a gallop. Abbott is pointed towards his disapproval rating of 63%. |
| Q: How does that make you feel today? | Q: How does that make you feel today? |
| There’s a sense in which politicians can never work hard enough. | There’s a sense in which politicians can never work hard enough. |
| There’s always a long way to go, but we have a plan Sam, and we are sticking to the plan. | There’s always a long way to go, but we have a plan Sam, and we are sticking to the plan. |
| Q: Will Joe Hockey still be the treasurer if the government gets a three year anniversary? | Q: Will Joe Hockey still be the treasurer if the government gets a three year anniversary? |
| That’s my very strong expectation, Sam. | That’s my very strong expectation, Sam. |
| Gulp. Again if you’ve had your eyes firmly averted during the non-sitting period, there’s been a unseemly burst of “get Joe” – colleagues briefing various reporters anonymously about the treasurer’s deficiencies. There seems to be some persistent sort of delusion in some quarters of the government that dumping Joe Hockey will solve the government’s problems. It really won’t, but by all means, dream on good peeps. | Gulp. Again if you’ve had your eyes firmly averted during the non-sitting period, there’s been a unseemly burst of “get Joe” – colleagues briefing various reporters anonymously about the treasurer’s deficiencies. There seems to be some persistent sort of delusion in some quarters of the government that dumping Joe Hockey will solve the government’s problems. It really won’t, but by all means, dream on good peeps. |
| That’s enough for a first post. Apologies for choppy opening. Our politicians are current lurching onto every open microphone available. They’ve missed you all, and I confess, so have I. Clear your throats and flex your fingers. The Politics Live comments thread is open for your business and you can find Mikearoo and I on the twits @murpharoo and @mpbowers | That’s enough for a first post. Apologies for choppy opening. Our politicians are current lurching onto every open microphone available. They’ve missed you all, and I confess, so have I. Clear your throats and flex your fingers. The Politics Live comments thread is open for your business and you can find Mikearoo and I on the twits @murpharoo and @mpbowers |
| Buckle in. Here comes Monday. | Buckle in. Here comes Monday. |