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Bill Shorten expected to tell Labor MPs to block marriage equality plebiscite – politics live Malcolm Turnbull presents marriage equality bill to parliament – politics live
(35 minutes later)
3.49am BST
03:49
Happy anniversary Malcolm.
This was during the Bandt-Wilkie incursion on the budget bill. The PM was waiting for the budget bill to pass but the argy bargy meant it went on longer than expected. Eventually he left and came back later. Slowly, government MPs entered the chamber as he began speaking on the marriage bill.
The chamber filled.
Finally, a late arrival.
Labor was largely a no-show for the marriage bill.
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Meanwhile, backstage ...
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(Un) holy alliance.
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The crossbench and their friends.
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Mr Omnibus.
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Now its time to catch up with some wonderful photos from Bowers from the omnibus bill and the plebiscite speech. After that, a summary. After that, hopefully, lunchette.
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So that is it and the bill is left for another day.
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Malcolm Turnbull has questioned the opposition of Julia Gillard to same-sex marriage and her comments at that time. He asks why Labor did not denounce her as homophobic.
Turnbull outlines the details which were released yesterday, relating to the public funding, the question and the yes and no committees. He finishes on the mandate point.
We took this to the election and we won the election. There was no doubt about our policy. There was no doubt about our platform. This was prominently debated every day of the election campaign, every Australian who took any interest in the election knew that was our policy. We have a mandate for it and the opposition should respect it. I ask the leader of the opposition today to support this plebiscite. This plebiscite will give the Australian people the say on this. I ask Labor to respect the people they represent.
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Turnbull says the arguments against the plebiscite have fallen into two categories.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”.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”.But he says the argument that the debate will be not be civil “insults the Australian people”.
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Turnbull: It is a matter of conscience and we should respect it.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.BTW, Bill Shorten is not in the house because he has flown to Canada to meet Justin Trudeau.
Turnbull: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.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.
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Malcolm Turnbull: I support same sex marriage because I am a conservativeMalcolm Turnbull: I support same sex marriage because I am a conservative
Turnbull: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 ...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 ...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.”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.So that is where I stand, that is where Lucy stands.
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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.
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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.
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The budget bill has passed.
We are onto the same-sex marriage plebiscite. Malcolm Turnbull is on his feet.
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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.
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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!
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It looks as though the plebiscite bill is not going to get to the plebiscite before question time.
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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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.
Bandt, Katter, Wilkie & McGowan vote against the Govt. & Opposition on the omnibus bill @gabriellechan @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/TqK1OSNjur
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02:25
The House is dividing still on the Greens’ amendment to the budget omnibus bill.
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