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| Version 14 | Version 15 |
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| Government outlines changes to Safe Schools program – politics live | Government outlines changes to Safe Schools program – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 4.46am GMT | |
| 04:46 | |
| A couple more for the chamber just now. I’ll summarise in the next post. | |
| 4.41am GMT | |
| 04:41 | |
| Shalailah Medhora | |
| Now the House has rubber stamped senate voting reform, time for one more piece of news. The government has left open the possibility of further amalgamations of roles at the Human Rights Commission, after advertising to fill vacant or soon-to-be vacant roles within the organisation. | |
| On Friday, the government advertised for full time disability, aged and human rights commissioners. | |
| The ad states that the Commission has a president and five commissioners. There have been six commissioners throughout most of the current government’s term, including the self-styled freedom commissioner, Tim Wilson, who resigned to pursue a political career in February. | |
| A spokesman for attorney general, George Brandis, told Guardian Australia that the government has put out a call for expressions of interest to fill the $340,000 a year positions. | |
| “Appointments are expected to commence in July 2016 and will be determined in the context of this recruitment process and the current fiscal environment,” he said. “No decisions have been made regarding the division of roles between commissioners.” | |
| 4.34am GMT | |
| 04:34 | |
| The unelected prime minister. Who, moi? | |
| 4.27am GMT | |
| 04:27 | |
| While Albanese is lambasting Malcolm Turnbull: the unelected prime minister, the appointed prime minister, through a backroom deal – it occurs to me that not once today have I had time to say what the senate voting changes actually mean. | |
| If you want to read a longer piece, The Conversation has produced a backgrounder which you can read here. | |
| A short excerpt. | |
| The general principles of the new system are: | |
| Below-the-line voters rank individual candidates in the order they prefer. The government’s changes mean you have to number at least 12 squares below the line. But your ballot will nevertheless be formal provided it shows six consecutive preferences. | |
| 4.19am GMT | 4.19am GMT |
| 04:19 | 04:19 |
| Green Adam Bandt rises to support the amendments. Labor’s Anthony Albanese rises to oppose them, and in so doing welcomes the Liberal/National/Green coalition. | Green Adam Bandt rises to support the amendments. Labor’s Anthony Albanese rises to oppose them, and in so doing welcomes the Liberal/National/Green coalition. |
| 4.13am GMT | 4.13am GMT |
| 04:13 | 04:13 |
| The Labor leader Bill Shorten isn’t in the chamber. Tony Burke is launching the response. He says imagine if your only achievement as prime minister was this: rorting the Senate vote. | The Labor leader Bill Shorten isn’t in the chamber. Tony Burke is launching the response. He says imagine if your only achievement as prime minister was this: rorting the Senate vote. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.16am GMT | at 4.16am GMT |
| 4.11am GMT | 4.11am GMT |
| 04:11 | 04:11 |
| Malcolm Turnbull says this will end the practices of back room deals and preference harvesting. He says Labor used to support this change, but has flipped because of political opportunism. Only Gary Gray in the Labor party had a position of integrity. | Malcolm Turnbull says this will end the practices of back room deals and preference harvesting. He says Labor used to support this change, but has flipped because of political opportunism. Only Gary Gray in the Labor party had a position of integrity. |
| 4.08am GMT | 4.08am GMT |
| 04:08 | 04:08 |
| Mr Speaker this is a great day for democracy. | Mr Speaker this is a great day for democracy. |
| The prime minister, launching the formalities in the House. | The prime minister, launching the formalities in the House. |
| 4.04am GMT | 4.04am GMT |
| 04:04 | 04:04 |
| Here comes the bells, here comes the House, to stamp Senate voting reform. | Here comes the bells, here comes the House, to stamp Senate voting reform. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.09am GMT | at 4.09am GMT |
| 4.00am GMT | 4.00am GMT |
| 04:00 | 04:00 |
| A couple of pictures. And education minister, trying to walk a line. | A couple of pictures. And education minister, trying to walk a line. |
| And a prime minister, trying to look historical. | And a prime minister, trying to look historical. |
| Better than hysterical. Which is where Magic Mike and I are hovering, just quietly. | Better than hysterical. Which is where Magic Mike and I are hovering, just quietly. |
| 3.54am GMT | 3.54am GMT |
| 03:54 | 03:54 |
| Christensen adds one more point. He says Birmingham has told him that if the Safe Schools coalition reject what the government’s put forward then the funding will just be suspended. | Christensen adds one more point. He says Birmingham has told him that if the Safe Schools coalition reject what the government’s put forward then the funding will just be suspended. |
| That’s my understanding from my conversation with the minister. | That’s my understanding from my conversation with the minister. |
| 3.51am GMT | 3.51am GMT |
| 03:51 | 03:51 |
| George Christensen. | George Christensen. |
| I am very surprised that [Simon Birmingham’s] gone as far as he’s gone. It is better than an inquiry. Effectively, gutting the program of all of the concerning content is what I wanted at the end of the day – or the program shut down. | I am very surprised that [Simon Birmingham’s] gone as far as he’s gone. It is better than an inquiry. Effectively, gutting the program of all of the concerning content is what I wanted at the end of the day – or the program shut down. |
| 3.50am GMT | 3.50am GMT |
| 03:50 | 03:50 |
| Conservative backbencher George Christensen is speaking to reporters, apparently suing for peace. He says the program has been gutted. | Conservative backbencher George Christensen is speaking to reporters, apparently suing for peace. He says the program has been gutted. |
| Essentially the program’s been gutted of all of the bad content that’s been in it, all of the concerning content that’s been in it, and what we’ll see in schools will be something that is truly an anti-bullying program. | Essentially the program’s been gutted of all of the bad content that’s been in it, all of the concerning content that’s been in it, and what we’ll see in schools will be something that is truly an anti-bullying program. |
| He says the Safe Schools coalition will likely reject Birmingham’s proposal. | He says the Safe Schools coalition will likely reject Birmingham’s proposal. |
| 3.46am GMT | 3.46am GMT |
| 03:46 | 03:46 |
| Shalailah Medhora | Shalailah Medhora |
| Meanwhile back in the red room, Labor and the crossbench have passed a motion making it harder for the government to call a double dissolution election by limiting its ability to recall the Senate. | Meanwhile back in the red room, Labor and the crossbench have passed a motion making it harder for the government to call a double dissolution election by limiting its ability to recall the Senate. |
| On Friday afternoon, manager of government business in the Senate, Mitch Fifield, proposed a motion that the Senate rise until Tuesday May 10 “or such other time as may be fixed by the president”. | On Friday afternoon, manager of government business in the Senate, Mitch Fifield, proposed a motion that the Senate rise until Tuesday May 10 “or such other time as may be fixed by the president”. |
| Labor, the Greens and five independent and minor party senators joined forces to pass an amendment to that, saying that the president or deputy president can only only recall the Senate with the “absolute majority of senators where the leader or deputy leader of a party in the Senate can concur on behalf of every senator in that party”. | Labor, the Greens and five independent and minor party senators joined forces to pass an amendment to that, saying that the president or deputy president can only only recall the Senate with the “absolute majority of senators where the leader or deputy leader of a party in the Senate can concur on behalf of every senator in that party”. |
| It makes it harder to sprint to an early election. It doesn’t make it impossible. | It makes it harder to sprint to an early election. It doesn’t make it impossible. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.04am GMT | at 4.04am GMT |
| 3.38am GMT | 3.38am GMT |
| 03:38 | 03:38 |
| Birmingham says the program won’t be funded past its current life, and there was never any intention to fund it in perpetuity. | Birmingham says the program won’t be funded past its current life, and there was never any intention to fund it in perpetuity. |
| The education minister is asked about advocates for the program over-egging and being ideological. He’s advised people to not to over step. (His message couldn’t be clearer: I’m trying to defend this program against a tide of internal opposition, please help me do that.) | The education minister is asked about advocates for the program over-egging and being ideological. He’s advised people to not to over step. (His message couldn’t be clearer: I’m trying to defend this program against a tide of internal opposition, please help me do that.) |
| Simon Birmingham. | Simon Birmingham. |
| Just as prosthelytising is not part of the school chaplaincy program, advocacy must not be part of the Safe Schools program. This is here to help children in their wellbeing in schools and people who might have engaged in the past as presenting themselves as representatives of the program and in doing so speaking about political matters and advocating in those political matters have frankly done themselves and the program an enormous disservice and would be well advised to keep their mouths shut on such matters in future. | Just as prosthelytising is not part of the school chaplaincy program, advocacy must not be part of the Safe Schools program. This is here to help children in their wellbeing in schools and people who might have engaged in the past as presenting themselves as representatives of the program and in doing so speaking about political matters and advocating in those political matters have frankly done themselves and the program an enormous disservice and would be well advised to keep their mouths shut on such matters in future. |