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Labor tries to suspend debate to discuss Medicare cuts – question time live
Labor puts pressure on over solicitor general consultation – question time live
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There was a government question on energy to Josh Frydenberg, energy minister. Will the Minister update the house on developments following the extraordinary meeting of the COAG energy ministers on Friday? Is the Minister aware of any challenges facing Australia’s energy security?
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Then Labor follows up to Turnbull: During the election at a campaign rally in Adelaide, the prime minister praised SA as a leader in clean energy generation. Why did the prime minister champion renewable energy in SA before the election only to use an extreme weather event to play politics after the election? Isn’t that just another example of the prime minister following his party instead of leading it?
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[Shorten] puts his finger on the very central problem that Labor faces with this issue. That they treat renewable energy as an ideological issue rather than a technological issue.
Find a happy place.
The bottom line is simply this: There are many sources of electricity. There is intermittent renewable, there is hydro, we have many forms of fossil fuel generation. All of them have different characteristics. What we have to do is take away the ideology and the political clap trap that the Labor Party surrounds all of their policies and focus on these objectives.
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Health minister Sussan Ley gets a question on World Mental Health day.
Paul Karp
I think the key message for those listening is to look after after yourself, realise the supports are out there and you are not alone.
George Brandis has explained in Senate question time that the reason solicitor-general Justin Gleeson has said he was not consulted on the direction is because they have had a difference of opinion on what constitutes consultation.
Labor points to the fact that the legally binding direction that all advice had to come through the attorney-general was drafted on 20 April, 2016 - five months after the 30 November meeting which Brandis said constituted consultation.
Brandis explained:
I didn’t come with a pre-formed view as to how [advice] should be dealt with. The purpose of that meeting was to listen to what the solicitor-general had to say to me, so we could proceed to fix the problem.
So he’s sticking to his guns, it was a consultation, even if the fix came five months after discussion of the problem.
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Paul Karp
Labor has targeted attorney general George Brandis with its first two sets of questions in Senate question time.
Senator Jacinta Collins asked if Brandis would concede he misled Senate when he said he had consulted the solicitor general before issuing a direction that all requests for legal advice would have to go through the attorney general’s office.
Brandis said he agreed with the solicitor general that he did not indicate he was considering a legally binding direction at their meeting on 30 November, but insists he did consult because he sought Justin Gleeson’s view on “the matter” of how requests for advice were handled.
Labor senators heckled “what matter” – reflecting the solicitor general’s view the meeting was not about the direction.
Labor leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, said “he pinged you”, in reference to Gleeson contradicting Brandis’s view of the meeting in submissions to a committee inquiring into the controversy.
Then Senator Doug Cameron had a go, pointing to a letter Gleeson sent on 11 May, saying he did not believe he had been consulted on the direction. Brandis stood by his statement that he did consult Gleeson and did not mislead the Senate.
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NXT MP Rebekha Sharkie asks industry minister Greg Hunt about the automotive transformation scheme and why it is underspent by $1.24bn. She also asks why it can’t be used by businesses who want to diversify out of the car industry.
Dreyfus to Keenan: Did the attorney general provide the solicitor general with a copy of the Australian citizenship allegiance to Australia bill as presented to parliament before he advised the intelligence committee “that the government had received advice from the solicitor general that, in his opinion, there is a good prospect that a majority of the high court would reject a constitutional challenge”.
Hunt does not go anywhere near the question. We acted, we put in place a different program, it’s making a difference. But nothing about the transformation scheme.
No answer from Keenan. He will seek advice.
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Shorten to Turnbull: On Friday, more than 600 people lost their jobs in the Australian automotive industry. I note the prime minister had nothing to say about these jobs even though his predecessor did tweet his sympathies. Why did the prime minister spend last week fighting for the jobs of bank CEOs and not thousands of automotive manufacturing workers? What is the plan to help these automotive workers find new jobs?
Paul Karp
Turnbull says it was a sad day.
Attorney general George Brandis has been asked by senator Louise Pratt if he considers advocates for same-sex marriage that oppose a plebiscite “fools”.
He says Ford’s decision was made during the Gillard government and the Coalition had established a $155m growth fund to back local manufacturing.
Brandis responded:
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“I don’t. But I do think it is very foolish for those who wish to see marriage equality … to pass up the best and nearest opportunity to achieve that outcome soon.”
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Pratt followed up by asking about polls that show a parliamentary vote is more popular than a plebiscite.
A government question to Scott Morrison on how the government is progressing the national economic plan.
Brandis said that before the election 70% of Australians wanted a plebiscite, drawing jeers from Doug Cameron “they changed their mind”. Brandis explained the government won the election on the policy of a plebiscite and it “intends to keep to that commitment”.
The man has a plan. He says it includes:
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Catherine King to Malcolm Turnbull: Why has the prime minister failed to abandon the freeze on Medicare rebates, which will mean Australians will pay more every time they go to see a doctor?
The man of the moment.
Turnbull:
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It’s interesting to see how the Labor party’s indignation boils down to the indexation freeze ... a freeze which Labor imposed.
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Which is correct. Labor first introduced the Medicare rebate freeze in 2013 as a temporary measure. The Coalition extended it.
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie asks foreign minister Julie Bishop a question on the security situation in Afghanistan.
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Labor’s Dreyfus asks Michael Keenan again: Did the attorney general provide the solicitor general with a copy of the legal services direction before he tabled it in the Senate on 4 May 2016?
I’ll seek advice, says Keenan.
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The government question is on the CFA legislation.
A government question from George Christensen to agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce: Will the deputy PM update the House on the rollout of the national water infrastructure development fund? How will this fund benefit the nation, including my constituents in Dawson?
Labor stands with militant unions, the Coalition stands with volunteers, says the PM.
Joyce spends the whole time talking about the Greens and Labor in Queensland and people getting stuck in lifts in South Australia during the storm.
The Leader of the Opposition and his party are tied up with another militant union seeking to undermine the independence of the volunteers,seeking to disrespect them, to remove their autonomy, to undermine their independence and, in doing so, undermine their very ability to recruit. Who do they think stands between them and their homes this summer? Who will it be? It will be the volunteer firefighters of Victoria. The volunteers.
It is very good for the Australian people to see what power looks under Labor. Power under Labor is a blackout, absolute chaos.
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First question from Shorten to Turnbull on Medicare.
There is a question to Peter Dutton on the government’s border protection policies so that he can talk about Labor’s previous border protection policies.
Shorten: Immediately after the election, the Prime Minister promised that he’d learnt his lesson on Medicare but today in the parliament the prime minister voted against Labor’s motion to keep Medicare in public hands, reverse the freeze on Medicare rebates, and his costs will drive up the costs of blood tests, MRI and X-rays. Doesn’t this show after 100 days the prime minister still hasn’t learnt anything about Medicare?
Then Labor’s Mark Dreyfus asks Michael Keenan, justice minister, about the solicitor general.
Turnbull says he is pleased to remind the parliament of the “deceit” perpetrated by Labor at the last election, namely the texts to voters on the eve of the election.
The explanatory statement to the legal services direction in relation to the solicitor general tabled by the attorney general in the Senate on 4 May 2016 states “The attorney general has consulted the solicitor general”. Did the attorney general provide the solicitor general with a copy of the legal services direction before he tabled it in the Senate?
If that had been done in a commercial matter, if that had been done by a business, the people responsible would be facing criminal charges today and the opposition know it.
Keenan does not answer the question.
He says his government was spending record levels of investment on Medicare.
The attorney general has changed guidance note No.11 to clarify the procedure for briefing and seeking options from the solicitor general. This change is purely administrative. It does not restrict the independence of the solicitor general and is consistent with the law and historical practice.
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Senate votes 38-33 to move on to third reading of CFA legislation.
During a question on Medicare, Turnbull accused Labor of a scare campaign. Shorten played the violin.
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Bill playing the violin #qt pic.twitter.com/YBBZTjxZi0
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First up in the house, there is a condolence motion for Shimon Peres.
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In the Senate, Labor is questioning the attorney general, George Brandis, on the solicitor general, specifically his contradiction of the solicitor general’s statement. Brandis says the proper consultation was undertaken over his regulation which requires the AG to be informed if any department is seeking legal advice from the SG. Labor urges him to admit he has mislead the Senate. He declines.
Chris Bowen asks Scott Morrison: What discussions has the treasurer had with the CEOs of the four major banks about a royal commission into the financial services industry? When did the treasurer first discuss the idea of a banking tribunal with these CEOs?
Der. We talk to the banks all the time, says Morrison. But he does not answer the question as to what discussions were had on a potential royal commission.
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Question to immigration minister Peter Dutton earlier this morning:
Labor’s Tim Watts makes a relevant point.
Donald Trump’s comments, your reaction to those over the weekend?
Frydenberg talking about the "suite" of Coalition renewable energy policies - names 4 initiatives.. 2 of which the Govt tried to abolish #qt
Dutton:
The Coalition tried to abolish the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
I don’t have any comment to make in relation to the US election.
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The Senate is dividing on the CFA bill on the edge of question time.
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Mike Bowers is up to his old tricks again with the Brick Parliament. This time he has turned his attention to Liberal senator James Paterson, who suggested the $350m Blue Poles painting by Jackson Pollock should be sold off to pay off the national debt.
