This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2016/sep/14/malcolm-turnbull-same-sex-marriage-plebiscite-bill-labor-coalition-politics-live
The article has changed 21 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 7 | Version 8 |
---|---|
Bill Shorten expected to tell Labor MPs to block marriage equality plebiscite – politics live | Bill Shorten expected to tell Labor MPs to block marriage equality plebiscite – politics live |
(35 minutes later) | |
3.20am BST | |
03:20 | |
Turnbull says the arguments against the plebiscite have fallen into two categories. | |
He says those two arguments are valid but the government has decided on the plebiscite so they have “decided to proceed”. | |
But he says the argument that the debate will be not be civil “insults the Australian people”. | |
3.15am BST | |
03:15 | |
Turnbull: It is a matter of conscience and we should respect it. | |
BTW, Bill Shorten is not in the house because he has flown to Canada to meet Justin Trudeau. | |
Turnbull: | |
But there are many other Australians who are equally filled with love, equally respectful of gay couples, equally respectful of the families, of gay couples, of same-sex couples, who will, in thoroughly good conscience, vote no. And they will do so not because they disrespect gay couples, not because they disrespect the couple that was in the house yesterday with their little boy, they will do so because of a deeply felt conscience. It is a matter of conscience and we should respect it. | |
Updated | |
at 3.19am BST | |
3.12am BST | |
03:12 | |
Malcolm Turnbull: I support same sex marriage because I am a conservative | |
Turnbull: | |
We have to respect there are sincerely held views on this issue. They are views very often informed by deeply felt conscience, informed by religious commitment very often, informed by faith. It is we have to respect and we must respect – and I can say the government respects, the diversity of views on this issue ... | |
From the bottom of my heart that our society was stronger if more people were married and there were fewer divorces. If there was something we could do to make families happier, it would be a wonderful thing. We know that the breakdown of the family unit is one of the great causes of hardship, of poverty, of so many of our social ills ... | |
And sticking together and working hard and supporting their children and their families and enabling their dreams. And that is why I support same-sex marriage. David Cameron summed it up very well some years ago when he said, “I support same-sex marriage, not despite being a conservative, but because I am a conservative, because we value commitment.” | |
So that is where I stand, that is where Lucy stands. | |
Updated | |
at 3.19am BST | |
3.09am BST | |
03:09 | |
Malcolm Turnbull harks back to the change in attitudes on the issue. He remembers speaking to George W. Bush in 2007 about the issue of superannuation changes relating to same-sex couples. | |
I remember discussing this point with President Bush many years ago, at the time of Apec in 2007, when we were discussing what were the big moral issues in Australian politics, and we talked about this issue of equal access to superannuation, and I remember the president said: “Well, those are all issues of finance. The big moral issue is the one about marriage.” And we have to respect that it is a very big moral issue. | |
Updated | |
at 3.17am BST | |
3.06am BST | |
03:06 | |
Turnbull on the plebiscite bill: | |
I present to the House today the commitment that we made in the election campaign to put the question of whether same-sex couples will be allowed to marry under Australian law to the Australian people in a plebiscite. Now, we believe that that commitment is one that all members of this parliament should support and respect. It is thoroughly democratic. It is thoroughly democratic. Every Australian will have their say and, if the opposition support the plebiscite in the Senate, the plebiscite can be held on 11th February, which is the soonest practicable date. | |
Updated | |
at 3.17am BST | |
3.05am BST | |
03:05 | |
The budget bill has passed. | |
We are onto the same-sex marriage plebiscite. Malcolm Turnbull is on his feet. | |
Updated | |
at 3.05am BST | |
3.03am BST | |
03:03 | |
Christopher Pyne has moved to shut down the debate, given Bandt and Wilkie have had a fair go. Andrew Wilkie has asked that his and Bandt’s dissent be recorded. | |
3.01am BST | |
03:01 | |
The Greens MP Adam Bandt says if we can find this tricky deal in 20 minutes of debate, what else will we find in the budget omnibus bill agreed to by the Coalition and Labor? | |
I for one am not prepared to wave it through? | |
The clue to your job is in the title - TO OPPOSE! | |
Updated | |
at 3.06am BST | |
2.59am BST | |
02:59 | |
It looks as though the plebiscite bill is not going to get to the plebiscite before question time. | |
2.58am BST | |
02:58 | |
Bandt on Arena: they are robbing Peter to pay Paul | |
Answering the crossbench queries, Chris Bowen says we have an agreement to work together to ensure the deal for $800m for Arena. | |
Bandt says the fact that neither Bowen nor Morrison answer the question properly suggested they had been caught out. | |
He says the $800m to “save” Arena was taken out of another government “clean energy bucket”, according to the bill’s explanatory memorandum. | |
So to be clear, Cormann said yesterday the $800m to “save Arena” would be taken from the Clean Energy Innovation Fund. | |
Labor then denied that was part of the deal this morning. Again, from the Guardian story: | |
A spokesman for Mark Butler, Labor’s climate and energy spokesman, told Guardian Australia he was confused and surprised by Cormann’s comments. | |
“Our understanding and expectation is that he is not cutting CEFC,” he said. “The government’s clean energy innovation fund was never the subject of negotiations. | |
“The discussion was progressed on the basis that any save that fell short of what we needed would be made up for by some other area, and that’s exactly what happened. So no cut to the Clean Energy Innovation Fund is needed. | |
So both Bandt and Wilkie are questioning this, given it is contained in the explanatory memo for the bill. | |
The clerk of the house is rushing around with a new memo. The revised memo takes out the reference. To which, Wilkie says, where is it coming from then? | |
Bandt: | |
They are robbing Peter to pay Paul ... this is what happens when you do dirty deals. | |
Updated | |
at 3.07am BST | |
2.41am BST | 2.41am BST |
02:41 | 02:41 |
OK, Bandt’s amendment was voted down. Now the house is moving onto the amendments agreed between Labor and the Coalition. | |
Adam Bandt is asking the treasurer about the Clean Energy Innovation Fund, quoting Mikey Slezak’s story this morning. | |
The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, has said the Coalition’s deal with Labor to save some funding for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) will be balanced by a new cut to the Clean Energy Innovation Fund – but Labor has denied that was the agreement. | The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, has said the Coalition’s deal with Labor to save some funding for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) will be balanced by a new cut to the Clean Energy Innovation Fund – but Labor has denied that was the agreement. |
Speaking on Sky News, Cormann said: “Labor has asked for us to restore $800m of that for grants funding so we will do that but the capital available to the Clean Energy Innovation Fund will be reduced accordingly.” | Speaking on Sky News, Cormann said: “Labor has asked for us to restore $800m of that for grants funding so we will do that but the capital available to the Clean Energy Innovation Fund will be reduced accordingly.” |
It is understood that would in effect be cutting the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) by $800m, because the innovation fund is part of the CEFC. | It is understood that would in effect be cutting the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) by $800m, because the innovation fund is part of the CEFC. |
He also stated that the proposed $1.3bn in cuts to Arena were actually going to be diverted from Arena to the innovation fund, suggesting that the new deal is reversing that move. | He also stated that the proposed $1.3bn in cuts to Arena were actually going to be diverted from Arena to the innovation fund, suggesting that the new deal is reversing that move. |
Bandt wants to know where the money is coming from to save Arena. General confusion ensues. | Bandt wants to know where the money is coming from to save Arena. General confusion ensues. |
Updated | |
at 3.00am BST | |
2.29am BST | 2.29am BST |
02:29 | 02:29 |
Adam Bandt, Bob Katter, Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan voted against the first of many procedural questions on the budget omnibus bill. The fifth crossbencher, NXT MP Rebekha Sharkie, is the only crossbencher not there. | Adam Bandt, Bob Katter, Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan voted against the first of many procedural questions on the budget omnibus bill. The fifth crossbencher, NXT MP Rebekha Sharkie, is the only crossbencher not there. |
Bandt, Katter, Wilkie & McGowan vote against the Govt. & Opposition on the omnibus bill @gabriellechan @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/TqK1OSNjur | Bandt, Katter, Wilkie & McGowan vote against the Govt. & Opposition on the omnibus bill @gabriellechan @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/TqK1OSNjur |
Updated | Updated |
at 2.41am BST | at 2.41am BST |
2.25am BST | 2.25am BST |
02:25 | 02:25 |
The House is dividing still on the Greens’ amendment to the budget omnibus bill. | The House is dividing still on the Greens’ amendment to the budget omnibus bill. |
Updated | Updated |
at 2.41am BST | at 2.41am BST |