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Bill Shorten asks Labor to endorse Pat Dodson to replace Joe Bullock – politics live
Bill Shorten asks Labor to endorse Pat Dodson to replace Joe Bullock – politics live
(35 minutes later)
11.01pm GMT
23:01
Labor has lost the suspension.
Green-Lib gag underway in the Senate. Greens abandoning principle in pursuit of Senate voting deal. #auspol
The Senate voting reform bill will therefore come on for debate.
10.57pm GMT
22:57
JSCEM advises the government to amend the Senate voting reform bill. (Again.)
Gabrielle Chan
Just a quick clean up on Senate voting reform and the key recommendations from the JSCEM report. As we’ve already flagged, any reforms to the senate voting system should include optional preferential voting below the line, with voters instructed to number a minimum of 12 boxes, according to the bipartisan joint parliamentary committee.
The committee, headed by Liberal MP David Coleman, supported the government bill to change the senate voting system - but only if it was amended to include optional preferential voting below the line.
The existing bill abolishes group voting tickets, the party-submitted mechanism to decide how preferences flow for supporters who simply vote “above the line” rather than filling in all the candidate squares “below the line”.
The committee has also recommended a “savings provision” which would ensure any ballot paper with at least six boxes numbered sequentially from one would also be considered formal.
“Preferential voting below the line is most important to ensure that voting below the line is not an extraordinarily arduous process that it currently is and acts as a disincentive to voters to vote below the line,” said Coleman.
10.53pm GMT
22:53
Back to that point about tribalism.
Dodson optimistic on bipartisanship: " not swapping indigenous tribalism for white fella tribalism". @murpharoo
10.51pm GMT
22:51
Mike Bowers tells me that Labor MP Sharon Bird’s phone just rang in the press conference. The ring tone was the Game of Thrones theme.
I will come back to Dodson’s substantive points when there’s a slight break in the weather.
10.47pm GMT
22:47
Tools at twenty paces
Gabrielle Chan
While this press conference is underway, there’s a procedural fight banging away in the Senate about today’s order of business.
Suspension of standing orders in progress in the #Senate to bring on Business Services Wage Assessment Tool Payment Scheme Amendment Bill
Labor has attempted the suspension to bring on the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool Payment Scheme Amendment Bill.
Government business leader in the Senate Mitch Fifield has described this action as one of the strangest interventions in the Senate.
The government has previously argued the tool bill is urgent. So bring it on, says Labor’s Senate leader, Penny Wong.
Fifield says no one is fooled by Labor’s tactics. Labor didn’t accept the urgency argument last time but now they do. Fifield says he simply wanted to deal with the tool bill in this sitting. This is just a filibuster says Fifield.
(It’s a proxy fight over Senate voting reform.)
10.40pm GMT
22:40
Shorten is asked about Louise Pratt, given she’s made it known she’ll be nominating for the Bullock vacancy. He says Louise Pratt is a quality person, and has been a great Senator but ..
On this occasion though, I’ll be supporting Pat Dodson.
He says he wants a meeting of the national executive as soon as possible to sort this out.
Dodson is asked whether he accepts that aligning himself politically carries risks, like alienating people he needs to work with. Dodson says politics doesn’t have to be politics, as in constant combat. Tribalism doesn’t always serve people’s best interests.
Updated
at 10.48pm GMT
10.35pm GMT
10.35pm GMT
22:35
22:35
Bill Shorten:
Bill Shorten:
I want Labor to seize the moment. We should put aside the rough and tumble of the party system and give someone of Pat Dodson’s remarkable qualities the opportunity to serve as a senator.
I want Labor to seize the moment. We should put aside the rough and tumble of the party system and give someone of Pat Dodson’s remarkable qualities the opportunity to serve as a senator.
Dodson says some of the current problems with Indigenous policy is communities are outside the process. That needs to change.
Dodson says some of the current problems with Indigenous policy is communities are outside the process. That needs to change.
10.32pm GMT
10.32pm GMT
22:32
22:32
Shorten is telling reporters that he wants to take the opportunity of recruiting people of renown to politics.
Shorten is telling reporters that he wants to take the opportunity of recruiting people of renown to politics.
Bill Shorten:
Bill Shorten:
Pat Dodson’s CV speak s for itself. He is a person of unmatched intelligence, integrity and achievement. He’s nationally recognised and rightly admired as the father of reconciliation.
Pat Dodson’s CV speak s for itself. He is a person of unmatched intelligence, integrity and achievement. He’s nationally recognised and rightly admired as the father of reconciliation.
10.30pm GMT
10.30pm GMT
22:30
22:30
Pat Dodson to fill casual senate vacancy for Labor @murpharoo @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/uTPNPk29uM
Pat Dodson to fill casual senate vacancy for Labor @murpharoo @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/uTPNPk29uM
10.29pm GMT
10.29pm GMT
22:29
22:29
Dodson says recognition in the constitution and future settlements b/w Indigenous and non-Indigenous Austns vital. @murpharoo
Dodson says recognition in the constitution and future settlements b/w Indigenous and non-Indigenous Austns vital. @murpharoo
10.26pm GMT
10.26pm GMT
22:26
22:26
Dodson says Shorten's call came as a surprise and "took some deep thought". @murpharoo
Dodson says Shorten's call came as a surprise and "took some deep thought". @murpharoo
10.23pm GMT
10.23pm GMT
22:23
22:23
The presence of Pat will bring credit to not just Labor, but the parliament, shorten days. @murpharoo
The presence of Pat will bring credit to not just Labor, but the parliament, shorten days. @murpharoo
10.22pm GMT
10.22pm GMT
22:22
22:22
The Labor leader is having a press conference downstairs with Pat Dodson, a prominent indigenous leader, at the moment. My colleague Shalailah Medhora is down there.
The Labor leader is having a press conference downstairs with Pat Dodson, a prominent indigenous leader, at the moment. My colleague Shalailah Medhora is down there.
Pat's decision to stand for Labor will be a win for Australia esp with unfinished business of reconciliation, Shorten says. @murpharoo
Pat's decision to stand for Labor will be a win for Australia esp with unfinished business of reconciliation, Shorten says. @murpharoo
Updated
Updated
at 10.25pm GMT
at 10.25pm GMT
10.20pm GMT
22:20
Bill Shorten asks Patrick Dodson to stand for the Senate
Now here’s some news.
Shorten to ask Labor to endorse Pat Dodson to fill Joe Bullock's vacancy @murpharoo
Updated
at 10.24pm GMT
10.17pm GMT
22:17
It was interesting last night on the ABC’s 7.30 Report that John Howard appeared quite ambivalent about the Senate voting changes. Well, actually not ambivalent. He thought the Greens the big winner, and in Howard’s estimation, that would be close to end times.
Howard said he thought the proposal was ok.
I understand the frustration of the public with, you know, like, the Motor Enthusiasts party and the preference whispering.
There’s a but coming. You can hear that, right?
John Howard:
But people shouldn’t lose fight of the fact that the principal beneficiary of these changes is probably the Australian Greens and that is why the Australian Greens are so strongly in favour.
So I hope this doesn’t presage some kind of understanding about preferences in House of Representatives elections between the Coalition and the Greens.
(I hope the Liberal party director, Tony Basil Nutt was taking note. Nutt certainly didn’t rule out preference deals with the Greens at the forthcoming election during his appearance yesterday before JSCEM).
10.08pm GMT
22:08
My colleague Gabrielle Chan tells me JSCEM has supported the Senate voting reform bill, with a proposed amendment for optional preferential voting below the line. More on that shortly.
10.04pm GMT
22:04
Speaking of Senates, the fight over the government’s proposed reforms to voting procedures will be back on like Donkey Kong today. We expect a quickie report on the proposal from the joint standing committee on electoral matters to be tabled once the red room whirs into action.
9.59pm GMT
21:59
Not one for the world game, Senator Bill Heffernan, strolling into work.
9.56pm GMT
21:56
Here are the combatants in happier times. Magic Mikearoo tells me there was a great deal of sportsplaining going on with a certain Senator who may or may not have been highlighted in my previous post.
9.52pm GMT
21:52
Meanwhile, outside the building, bend it like ... Conroy.
9.47pm GMT
21:47
To media reform now. Readers with me yesterday will know the government brought forward its media reform legislation. The practical effect of this legislation is the incumbent media companies will be permitted to get bigger and own assets across platforms. This could mean the Nine Network pairing up with Fairfax Media, or News Corp grabbing hold of the Ten Network.
Consolidation brings obvious challenges to maintaining a diversity of voices in an already concentrated Australian media market. But this morning on Radio National, the communication minister Mitch Fifield said he was “particularly untroubled” by people who worry about a lack of diversity as a consequence of the government’s proposed ownership deregulation. There were all those blighters chirruping away online, and there was the ABC, the communications minister noted, perhaps momentarily forgetting that the government cut the ABC’s funding.
The test invoked this morning for whether it was ok to deregulate was whether young people would understand the current restrictions. I laughed at that formulation, imagining the conversation with my 16 year old. “Love, are you happy with BuzzFeed and Junkee and Rookie?” “Yes, Mum, thanks.” “Love would you like an Australian version of Fox News on free to air television?” “Good times Mum, except which sad sods even watch free to air television?” You can see this is an interesting test: a valid one given children being our future and all that, but a less than comprehensive one I’d suggest.
The shadow communications minister Jason Clare told the ABC he has an open mind when it comes to ownership, however he noted (correctly) that most of the expansion of media activity online in recent years is the existing media companies exploring digital strategies, not new entrants.
Rather promisingly to my ear at least, Clare said he knew very well what the media companies wanted. (Media companies, I’d note by way of background, are never shy about rent seeking.) Now, Clare wanted to know what the Australian people wanted. He pointed to an upcoming parliamentary inquiry into the legislation as an opportunity for people to make their views known.
Jason Clare:
I think it’s time the Australian people had their say.
9.22pm GMT
21:22
Both the communications minister and the shadow communications minister have been on the wireless speaking about media reform. More of that shortly, but sticking with Joe Bullock, I gather Louise Pratt has her hand up for the Senate spot. Pratt was in the Senate before losing out to Bullock after a bruising preselection process in the west which caused all sorts of ructions nationally.
The shadow communications minister Jason Clare has just told the ABC no-one need worry about the stampede of WA Labor MPs out the door.
Jason Clare:
We’ve got some good MPs in the winds ... there’s lots of talent in WA.
Don’t you worry about that.
9.00pm GMT
21:00
Happy super (Wednesday)
Good morning good people and welcome back to politics live. Today will be hyoge (as Bernie Sanders might say.) As well as the million things on in our madhouse, it’s super Tuesday in the United States. I’ve broken out my Trump “Making America Great Again” mug to honour the milestone.
Turning back home, two significant developments overnight. The Labor Senator Joe Bullock announced that he was bowing out of politics because he couldn’t support his party’s position on “the homosexual marriage question.” If this language seems a little quaint, some context. Bullock hails from the right wing “shoppies” union, a bloc within the ALP that leans socially conservative.
Bullock told the Senate last night the 2015 national conference decision allowing Labor MPs a conscience vote on marriage equality for the next two parliaments, but then a bound vote after that, meant he had left the conference “shocked, alone and in deep despond”.
Joe Bullock:
How can I, in good conscience, recommend to people that they vote for a party which has determined to deny its parliamentarians a conscience vote on the homosexual marriage question – a question which I regard as having a fundamental significance to the future shape of our society? The simple answer is that I can’t.
Bullock says he was unable to campaign positively on a bound vote, therefore he was unable to remain a Labor Senator. He didn’t intend to trouser the prize (being the Senate spot) and not represent the Labor party’s position. Bullock’s departure basically clears the field for Labor in the west for the coming election. Three lower house MPs, Melissa Parke, Gary Gray, and Alannah MacTiernan, are also bowing out at the coming election.
Bowing out brings me back to Tony Abbott, who is currently inclined to strategic interventions, rather than dignified silence. It’s full tilt legacy activism right now. Yesterday we saw the extravagant fake compliments session in the Coalition partyroom – which was an effort by Abbott to drag Malcolm Turnbull back into line with his failed budget strategy. This morning he’s had a chat to Greg Sheridan, the foreign editor of The Australian, about submarines.
Sheridan reports that Tony Abbott as prime minister had been determined to build the first new submarine by 2026-27, whereas last week’s defence white paper unveiled by Malcolm Turnbull delays the proposed build by at least half a decade, but more likely by nearly 10 years.
Tony Abbott:
I’m not just disappointed, I’m flabbergasted at this decision.
Now a couple of points on this. One of the reasons for delaying the submarines acquisition will be budgetary: the delay has the handy effect of pushing the red ink out well beyond the current forward estimates (helpful when you’ve promised both a big increase to defence spending and fiscal restraint, something that’s hard to deliver in tandem). And wasn’t Tony Abbott in the party room yesterday urging Turnbull to deal with the current budgetary pressures by cutting spending rather than increasing taxes? Evidently some spending is more equal than others.
Now let’s get cracking. The comments thread is wide open for your business. Magic Mikearoo and I are up and at ‘em on the twits. He’s @mpbowers and I’m @murpharoo
