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| Coalition to establish inquiry into section 18C of Racial Discrimination Act – politics live | Coalition to establish inquiry into section 18C of Racial Discrimination Act – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 3.06am GMT | |
| 03:06 | |
| As flagged earlier, the first government question is on refugees. | |
| Malcolm Turnbull tries to execute the political wedgie. | |
| What Labor needs to recognise is that the complacency they are exhibiting today is exactly what led [Kevin] Rudd into his mistakes some years ago. Now, during the election, the leader of the opposition said he was on a unity ticket with us in terms of border protection policies. | |
| Updated | |
| at 3.08am GMT | |
| 3.04am GMT | |
| 03:04 | |
| QUESTION TIME!!! | |
| Labor’s Anne Aly asks Malcolm Turnbull: The former prime minister, the member for Warringah, cited national security concerns as the reason for dumping charges to section 18C saying, and I quote, “When it comes to cracking down on terrorism and cracking down on things that aid and abet terrorism,the 18C proposal was becoming a needless complication.” Has the current PM sought the advice of the AFP or any other security agency on the implications of watering down section 18C? | |
| Turnbull: | |
| It is perfectly appropriate for a committee of this Parliament, the human rights committee, no less, to consider those matters. And the honourable member may reflect that only this morning the president of the Human Rights Commission, Prof Triggs, welcomed such an inquiry and recognised that there should be changes. So the fact of the matter is ... there is a broad array of opinion. | |
| Updated | |
| at 3.08am GMT | |
| 2.59am GMT | |
| 02:59 | |
| Paul Karp | |
| Paul Karp reports: | |
| The government has set up an inquiry into section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, whether it unreasonably burdens freedom of speech and how the Australian Human Rights Commission deals with complaints. | |
| The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, told the Coalition party room section 18C had become a matter of public discussion and concern. The government wanted to get the balance right between a successful multicultural society and freedom of speech. | |
| Dean Smith’s plan to refer the issue to a joint parliamentary human rights committee for an inquiry was backed by the party room, but his broader proposal to have the committee investigate free speech generally – including defamation law - was not taken up. | |
| The attorney general, George Brandis, set up the inquiry on Tuesday. The committee will report by 28 February. | |
| The terms of reference ask the committee to consider whether the AHRC should have greater powers to throw out trivial or vexatious complaints, and to review the whole part of the act, including the defence of good faith publications in the public interest contained in section 18D. | |
| Updated | |
| at 3.09am GMT | |
| 2.55am GMT | |
| 02:55 | |
| But Scott Morrison was not going prejudge the outcome of the inquiry. Orderly process. No distractions. | |
| I look forward to that. It won’t distract me or Kelly [O’Dwyer] from a day’s work as we continue through the midyear uptake and the budget next year and won’t distract the government in any way shape or form. | |
| Updated | |
| at 3.09am GMT | |
| 2.49am GMT | |
| 02:49 | |
| Scott Morrison is asked about the 18C inquiry, in terms of distraction. | |
| Q: You said a couple of months ago when 18C was being kicked around to create a single job ... it now has been referred to a committee and there will be some form of debate over the next few months and presumably after the reports, are you worried this could start to intrude on your economic message? | |
| Morrison, unsurprisingly, says nothing to see here. | |
| I don’t think so. I think the timetable and the process that the cabinet endorsed last night and went through the party room today, I think is a proper and effective process to work through this issue. | |
| Updated | |
| at 3.09am GMT | |
| 2.46am GMT | |
| 02:46 | |
| Scott Morrison confirmed that if Labor successfully amended the backpacker tax to 10.5%, the change would not be supported when the bill came back to the house. | |
| (In other words, two government MPs would have to cross the floor for that to happen.) | |
| 2.43am GMT | |
| 02:43 | |
| Scott Morrison on backpackers tax: Labor says foreign workers deserve a bigger tax cut | |
| Morrison says under the same working arrangements: | |
| In Australia, a backpacker earning $13,000 in Australia takes home $10,530. | |
| In Canada, a backpacker would take home $9,837. | |
| In New Zealand, It would be $10,126. | |
| In the United Kingdom, it’s 10,470. | |
| Scott Morrison: | |
| So the package we’ve put in, ensures that backpackers working in Australia will be at least on the same wicket as if they’ve chosen to go to one of the other countries. And Labor is saying, “No. Foreign workers deserve a bigger tax cut than that and we’re going to make small businesses in this country, and Australians who work for a living, pay for it.” | |
| 2.34am GMT | 2.34am GMT |
| 02:34 | 02:34 |
| Scott Morrison: If backpacker bills do not pass, they will pay 32.5% on January 1 | Scott Morrison: If backpacker bills do not pass, they will pay 32.5% on January 1 |
| Scott Morrison is asked, “If I’m a Swedish backpacker, what tax rate will I be paying if I’m here for a year starting January 1. I have an option of 32, 19, 10.5?” | |
| You have to ask Joel Fitzgibbon because we’re offering 19 cents. Under the Labor party they’ll be paying 32.5. At the moment it is 32.5. If these bills are not passed then what they will be paying is 32.5. | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.45am GMT | |
| 2.28am GMT | 2.28am GMT |
| 02:28 | 02:28 |
| Scott Morrison is continuing apace so hopefully I can cover most of it. | Scott Morrison is continuing apace so hopefully I can cover most of it. |
| Remember that when Labor and the Coalition did the deal on the some $6bn of savings, a month or so ago, there was great hope in government ranks that Labor would do a deal on superannuation – given Labor supports limiting generous superannuation concessions. | Remember that when Labor and the Coalition did the deal on the some $6bn of savings, a month or so ago, there was great hope in government ranks that Labor would do a deal on superannuation – given Labor supports limiting generous superannuation concessions. |
| Morrison is asked about his discussions with the crossbench. | Morrison is asked about his discussions with the crossbench. |
| Discussions have been going on for some time in this issue. Remember, Labor only raised one concern with this package and that was on the issue of the lifetime non-concessional cap. That was the only issue. | Discussions have been going on for some time in this issue. Remember, Labor only raised one concern with this package and that was on the issue of the lifetime non-concessional cap. That was the only issue. |
| If you go back to the budget-in-reply, that was the matter that was raised by the leader of the opposition and that matter has been totally dealt with. So, all I can assume, from this latest announcement, is that Labor, once again, is choosing to play politics with a very serious issue, not addressing the substance. | If you go back to the budget-in-reply, that was the matter that was raised by the leader of the opposition and that matter has been totally dealt with. So, all I can assume, from this latest announcement, is that Labor, once again, is choosing to play politics with a very serious issue, not addressing the substance. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.29am GMT | at 2.29am GMT |
| 2.20am GMT | 2.20am GMT |
| 02:20 | 02:20 |
| The treasurer, Scott Morrison, and the assistant treasurer, Kelly O’Dwyer, are doing a press conference, pushing back at Labor over their superannuation overnight, which winds back some of the government’s latest package. | The treasurer, Scott Morrison, and the assistant treasurer, Kelly O’Dwyer, are doing a press conference, pushing back at Labor over their superannuation overnight, which winds back some of the government’s latest package. |
| Just to recap, Labor had yet to decide on its final position. | Just to recap, Labor had yet to decide on its final position. |
| Overnight, Labor proposed lowering the annual cap on non-concessional contributions to $75,000, lowering the high-income superannuation contribution threshold to $200,000 and opposing two other “loopholes”. | Overnight, Labor proposed lowering the annual cap on non-concessional contributions to $75,000, lowering the high-income superannuation contribution threshold to $200,000 and opposing two other “loopholes”. |
| The first “loophole” is the ability to make catch-up concessional contributions, which would mean that if individuals do not reach their $100,000 cap in any given year they can access their “unused” cap space on a rolling five-year basis. | The first “loophole” is the ability to make catch-up concessional contributions, which would mean that if individuals do not reach their $100,000 cap in any given year they can access their “unused” cap space on a rolling five-year basis. |
| The second is a change the government proposed in the 2016 budget to allow all individuals up to age 75 to claim an income tax deduction for personal superannuation contributions. In September the government moved the start date of the deduction to 1 July 2018. | The second is a change the government proposed in the 2016 budget to allow all individuals up to age 75 to claim an income tax deduction for personal superannuation contributions. In September the government moved the start date of the deduction to 1 July 2018. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.27am GMT | at 2.27am GMT |
| 2.12am GMT | 2.12am GMT |
| 02:12 | 02:12 |
| The Coalition will establish an inquiry into section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act by the parliamentary human rights committee. | The Coalition will establish an inquiry into section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act by the parliamentary human rights committee. |
| This has been flagged for the last few weeks. Malcolm Turnbull has pretty clear about it. | This has been flagged for the last few weeks. Malcolm Turnbull has pretty clear about it. |
| The Institute of Public Affairs is quick out of the stalls. | The Institute of Public Affairs is quick out of the stalls. |
| IPA welcomes inquiry on free speech #18C #auspol pic.twitter.com/9mrnvZvvMT | IPA welcomes inquiry on free speech #18C #auspol pic.twitter.com/9mrnvZvvMT |