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Version 6 Version 7
Labor commits to blocking marriage equality plebiscite – politics live Labor commits to blocking marriage equality plebiscite – politics live
(35 minutes later)
2.47am BST
02:47
Defence minister Marise Payne on the restructure of ASC:
It is absolutely vital that we have the right ship building structures in place to deliver on what are very ambitious plans to deliver historic, continuous naval shipbuilding programs. It is absolutely essential. Whether it is our offshore patrol vessels, or our future frigates, or the Pacific patrol boats being constructed in advance of those. These platforms which not only for a core of our naval capability, but they provide engagement and support in our region and they will do that for many decades to come.
2.41am BST
02:41
Defence industry minister Christopher Pyne says it is a red letter day.
We will have one of the most modern and busiest shipyards in the world. Osborne North will have one of the most modern and busy submarine shipyards in the world. It will bring to Australia a significant multinationals sub contract involving DCNS. It will drive jobs and growth and create high technology advancement in jobs. The infrastructure will make Australia one of the centres of naval antisubmarine shipbuilding in the world. It will create a new export industry for our country and it is a red letter day for the defence industry.
2.38am BST
02:38
Finance minister Mathias Cormann says there will be a structural separation within ASC between ship building and submarines.
It is a structural separation which is designed to ensure that the ASC is in the best possible position. Reform is built on the successful work that we have done for the destroyer program and the sustainment reforms.
It will be completed by mid 2017.
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at 2.39am BST
2.35am BST
02:35
Malcolm Turnbull’s press conference opens with a lecture on the Country Fire Authority. Which is confusing.
But then segues onto changes in the sub builder ASC and defence generally. Turnbull is going through all of Labor’s crimes,
cleaning up that mess, making up for that neglect, commissioning the vessel and setting out in our defence white paper, our plan and a way forward to secure our future...
2.31am BST
02:31
2.27am BST
02:27
Just to a quick summary of the day ahead of the PM’s press conference.
2.17am BST
02:17
Tomorrow His Excellency Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore will visit Parliament.
Like I say, the parliamentary sitting week is getting away from us so it is unlikely that the plebiscite bill will get through both chambers this week. Next week, the senate does not sit because it will be doing senate estimate committees.
2.15am BST
02:15
Malcolm Turnbull coming up at 12.30pm with the ministers for finance, defence and defence industry. What on earth could it be?
2.13am BST2.13am BST
02:1302:13
Nice, Mike.Nice, Mike.
2.09am BST2.09am BST
02:0902:09
Finally Bill Shorten is asked about criticising Turnbull for keeping a plebiscite promise, knowing that the right wing of his party insisted on maintaining the plebiscite promise.Finally Bill Shorten is asked about criticising Turnbull for keeping a plebiscite promise, knowing that the right wing of his party insisted on maintaining the plebiscite promise.
Just because you have a few National party MPs threatening to bring down the government, that’s Mr Turnbull’s problem. But that’s not Australia’s problem and my problem. My issue is marriage equality. I don’t have to do what the extreme right of the National and Liberal Party do. Mr Turnbull made that bed a long time ago. He has to lie in it now. He signed up to Tony Abbott’s agenda, he signed up to Tony Abbott’s plebiscite. He has to live with his conscience.Just because you have a few National party MPs threatening to bring down the government, that’s Mr Turnbull’s problem. But that’s not Australia’s problem and my problem. My issue is marriage equality. I don’t have to do what the extreme right of the National and Liberal Party do. Mr Turnbull made that bed a long time ago. He has to lie in it now. He signed up to Tony Abbott’s agenda, he signed up to Tony Abbott’s plebiscite. He has to live with his conscience.
2.01am BST2.01am BST
02:0102:01
Bill Shorten says he will work with the crossbenchers, the Greens, the Liberals to have a vote in the parliament. Just not a plebiscite.Bill Shorten says he will work with the crossbenchers, the Greens, the Liberals to have a vote in the parliament. Just not a plebiscite.
We will work with anyone to achieve marriage equality. We will work with the Liberals to have the vote but the point about it is a plebiscite is the wrong path to achieve marriage equality.We will work with anyone to achieve marriage equality. We will work with the Liberals to have the vote but the point about it is a plebiscite is the wrong path to achieve marriage equality.
1.57am BST
01:57
Shadow attorney general Mark Dreyfus goes into the draft marriage amendments which exempt both religious organisations and civil celebrants from performing marriage ceremonies for same sex couples.
Dreyfus has a problem with the civil exemptions.
Labor has always said that no minister of religion should be compelled to perform a religious ceremony against the tenets of their faith. That should go without saying. But civil celebrants are licensed by the commonwealth of Australia to carry out civil ceremonies which don’t have a religious component. That’s the basis of them being civil celebrants. That’s why 70 % of Australians choose civil celebrants because they don’t want to be married in a religious ceremony.
1.53am BST
01:53
Bill Shorten is rolling out the reasons why Labor is not supporting the plebiscite and we are all familiar with these. And he says the latest release by Brandis of amendments shows Labor was right not to rush into supporting the plebiscite bill because the government keeps changing the goalposts.
Imagine if we had been foolish enough to rush into this decision and support a plebiscite then we find out that the plan which Brandis and Turnbull had, again caving in to the right, is to water down discrimination laws. Of course Labor supports religious freedom in this country but there are already laws in place to prevent discrimination. What sort of case are Turnbull and Brandis putting up when they are asking us to agree to their legislation, then at 11pm, the night before, they drop out legislation changing the rules of the game mid-game?
Updated
at 1.55am BST
1.47am BST
01:47
Shorten's surrounded by families at his presser. He says he couldn't look at families & say the plebiscite was good for them @gabriellechan
1.46am BST
01:46
Shorten says he could not in good conscience recommend Labor support the plebiscite #auspol @gabriellechan #PoliticsLive
1.45am BST
01:45
Bill Shorten has also made some changes to his shadow cabinet following Stephen Conroy’s retirement.
Following this morning’s caucus meeting, I have appointed senator Don Farrell as the deputy leader of the opposition in the Senate.
Senator Farrell will also take on shadow cabinet responsibilities of shadow special minister of state and shadow minister for sport.
Senator Farrell is an experienced member of Labor’s senate team and a passionate advocate for South Australia. Our team will benefit greatly from Senator Farrell’s steady hand and his calm resolve.
In addition, Ed Husic will add digital economy and future of work to his current responsibilities.
“Steady hand and calm resolve”.
Qualifications? “Godfather”. Powerbroker. Faceless man. He rose without a trace.
What a message to send to young up-and-comers in the Labor party.
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1.30am BST
01:30
Since the Labor decision, I am chasing whether the plebiscite bill will still be debated in the House today. It was go to the House this afternoon and the Senate tomorrow but the Senate and the House will be taken up mid-morning tomorrow with a visit from the prime minister of Singapore.
If you were Malcolm Turnbull, you would want the issue to go away, given it is 17 types of hard. We await the Coalition’s reaction. In the meantime, we can only hear the birds chirping.
As an aside, are these:
a) crows
b) ravens
c) currawongs
d) other.
Updated
at 1.39am BST
1.12am BST
01:12
While I hate to send you in a different direction, my colleague Helen Davidson is doing the live blog of the Northern Territory’s royal commission into juvenile detention.
And, for those who follow state politics, it has been confirmed that the New South Wales premier, Mike Baird, has backed down on the greyhound racing ban.
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1.09am BST
01:09
So where are we at? We will have no movement on marriage equality for some time to come. As the National MP Andrew Broad broadcast this morning, the conservative end of the Coalition will not cop a free vote in the parliament.
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at 1.23am BST
1.07am BST
01:07
The Greens are also coming up at 12.30pm.
1.03am BST
01:03
Here is one Mike Bowers prepared earlier.
Updated
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