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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2016/dec/01/malcolm-turnbull-flags-security-overhaul-police-let-protestors-off-scot-free-politics-live
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| Asylum protests hit parliament for second day – politics live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 10.19pm GMT | |
| 22:19 | |
| I promised to bring you some of the commentary on the detail of what passed in the radically amended Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). | |
| Here is Judith Sloan from the Oz: | |
| Let’s face it, Malcolm Turnbull hasn’t the faintest clue about the rough and tumble of industrial relations. His business experience was limited to fancy deal-making and appearing in court rooms. | |
| So allowing himself to get involved in negotiating with populist, horse-trading crossbench senators about the details of the bill to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission was a big public policy mistake. But just like the boy who has his heart set on a particular Christmas present, Malcolm really, really wanted the ABCC bill to pass the Senate, and he was prepared to do pretty much anything to get it. | |
| The net effect is an appalling mishmash of inconsistent and unworkable provisions that completely undermines any benefits that could flow from the restoration of the ABCC and the associated code for government-funded building projects. | |
| Turnbull was asked about this particular column this morning and he said it was all very well to be an armchair commentator but he was in the biz of getting things done. | |
| 10.12pm GMT | |
| 22:12 | |
| Paul Karp | |
| Whistleblowers Activists and Citizens Alliance (WACA) spokesman Phil Evans said today’s action “continues the call for urgent action on refugees” including closing offshore detention camps and bringing all refugees and asylum seekers in them to Australia. | |
| Evans confirmed no charges were laid over yesterday’s protest, nor were they given any paperwork banning them from the parliamentary precinct. | |
| Asked about their treatment by security yesterday he said it was “fine ... And pales in comparison to the treatment of people on Manus Island and Nauru” who are being “tortured raped and abused”. | |
| Evans criticised Liberal MPs who turned their backs on the protest yesterday noting “protesters are part of democracy”. | |
| Before I made it to the protest Nationals MP Andrew Broad commented to me in the hallway that protesters would be fined $5,000 if they did the same thing at the MCG. | |
| 10.08pm GMT | |
| 22:08 | |
| Parliament will sit at 9.30am. | |
| Richard di Natale has told Sky News as far as he knows, there is no involvement from Greens MPs and senators in the protests yesterday or today. Though there are reports that Greens senator Nick McKim may move a motion in the senate congratulating the protestors. | |
| 10.00pm GMT | |
| 22:00 | |
| That Xenophon digit is aimed at Leyonhjelm due to a story by Tory Shepherd of the Adelaide Advertiser. | |
| Here is but a taste: | |
| A NSW Senator has compared South Australia to a stinky fat man who enjoys artificially flavoured cheesy snacks. | |
| In a sign other states are envious of the state for securing promises on shipbuilding and water, Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm said we should be stripped of some of our GST revenue and have our “bleatings” ignored. | |
| “If the South Australia Government was a person, it would be an obese 40-year-old man with awful body odour who lives with his mother, refuses to work, and plays Xbox all day,” Senator Leyonhjelm told Parliament on Wednesday. | |
| “He pauses only to demand more Cheezels and iced coffee, or to complain when the lights go out.” | |
| The state’s unemployment woes mean we’re at risk of “becoming one big, barren, candlelit retirement village”, he said, then outlined the concerns of one constituent who was hit by flooding that was exacerbated by environmental water releases in the Murray Darling Basin. | |
| 9.55pm GMT | |
| 21:55 | |
| Meanwhile... | |
| Channelling my inner libertarian, here's my (cheesy) response to Senator @DavidLeyonhjelm's pathetic bagging of SA: https://t.co/dtzgB3JZHR pic.twitter.com/gFhuETNwbf | |
| 9.54pm GMT | |
| 21:54 | |
| 9.50pm GMT | |
| 21:50 | |
| Paul Karp | |
| I’ve spoken to Zianna Fuad one of the organisers. Thursday’s refugee protest at parliament is by the same group as Wednesday’s disruption of question time - that is Whistleblowers Activists and Citizens Alliance (WACA). | |
| There are 13 protesters in the fountain, dyed red to symbolise blood. They are carrying signs singling out the Liberals as “world leaders in cruelty” and Labor for providing “no opposition to cruelty”. | |
| Two professional climbers are hanging from the edifice of parliament with a “Close the bloody camps now #justiceforrefugees” sign. One of the climbers climbed the Melbourne arts spire as part of a similar protest earlier this year. | |
| Police are on scene but there has been no attempt to move the protesters on yet. | |
| Updated | |
| at 10.12pm GMT | |
| 9.47pm GMT | |
| 21:47 | |
| Protestors in the fountain out the front of Parliament House @gabriellechan @GuardianAus #Panorama #politicslive pic.twitter.com/O0wB4rD8yh | |
| 9.40pm GMT | 9.40pm GMT |
| 21:40 | 21:40 |
| Protestors on the forecourt of Parliament House in Canberra @gabriellechan @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/cvpT0NuWrg | Protestors on the forecourt of Parliament House in Canberra @gabriellechan @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/cvpT0NuWrg |
| 9.39pm GMT | 9.39pm GMT |
| 21:39 | 21:39 |
| There are lots of pictures coming now of the protest. Here are some from Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young. | There are lots of pictures coming now of the protest. Here are some from Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young. |
| Powerful peaceful protest happening outside the people's parliament right now pic.twitter.com/HmMArInbkB | Powerful peaceful protest happening outside the people's parliament right now pic.twitter.com/HmMArInbkB |
| The Greens supported the protestors by the government and Labor have been critical of the protests in the public gallery. | The Greens supported the protestors by the government and Labor have been critical of the protests in the public gallery. |
| Barnaby Joyce, deputy prime minister and Nationals leader, was critical of the Greens support including Greens leader Richard Di Natale, who hugged protestors yesterday. | Barnaby Joyce, deputy prime minister and Nationals leader, was critical of the Greens support including Greens leader Richard Di Natale, who hugged protestors yesterday. |
| Q: What sort of questions do you hope are answered in an investigation that will now ensue? | Q: What sort of questions do you hope are answered in an investigation that will now ensue? |
| Did they have any affiliations with any groups? It was obviously organised so under what banner was it organised. I really question the Greens going down and congratulating them. Are you congratulating them for shutting down our nation’s parliament? Have you completely and utterly lost the plot Richard Di Natale? Why would you do that? | Did they have any affiliations with any groups? It was obviously organised so under what banner was it organised. I really question the Greens going down and congratulating them. Are you congratulating them for shutting down our nation’s parliament? Have you completely and utterly lost the plot Richard Di Natale? Why would you do that? |
| Now there is a security investigation of parliament today as more protests ensue. | Now there is a security investigation of parliament today as more protests ensue. |
| 9.28pm GMT | 9.28pm GMT |
| 21:28 | 21:28 |
| Lots of police, as you'd expect. pic.twitter.com/07OXNgafvI | Lots of police, as you'd expect. pic.twitter.com/07OXNgafvI |
| 9.25pm GMT | 9.25pm GMT |
| 21:25 | 21:25 |
| Mike Bowers is out the front of parliament. There are more protestors outside. They have hung the sign on the building and dyed the fountain red. People are standing in the water with signs. | Mike Bowers is out the front of parliament. There are more protestors outside. They have hung the sign on the building and dyed the fountain red. People are standing in the water with signs. |
| Close the camps now! @gabriellechan @GuardianAus @mpbowers @smh @theage @abcnews @SBSNews @BenDohertyCorro pic.twitter.com/aLM86FpYa8 | Close the camps now! @gabriellechan @GuardianAus @mpbowers @smh @theage @abcnews @SBSNews @BenDohertyCorro pic.twitter.com/aLM86FpYa8 |
| 9.18pm GMT | 9.18pm GMT |
| 21:18 | 21:18 |
| They're back #refugees #naru #Manus #auspol pic.twitter.com/JcG4u871bC | They're back #refugees #naru #Manus #auspol pic.twitter.com/JcG4u871bC |
| 9.14pm GMT | 9.14pm GMT |
| 21:14 | 21:14 |
| Malcolm Turnbull: protestors were interrupting democracy | Malcolm Turnbull: protestors were interrupting democracy |
| Good morning, | Good morning, |
| Today, I am feeling lucky. It is the last day and I am almost done. You could say, I might get out scot-free. Because scot-free is the term of the day. | Today, I am feeling lucky. It is the last day and I am almost done. You could say, I might get out scot-free. Because scot-free is the term of the day. |
| And so it is with the PM, who had rather a turbulent day - punctuated by protestors in the public gallery. They were protesting against the asylum seeker policies on both sides. | And so it is with the PM, who had rather a turbulent day - punctuated by protestors in the public gallery. They were protesting against the asylum seeker policies on both sides. |
| Turnbull told Kochie Sunrise they were interrupting democracy. | Turnbull told Kochie Sunrise they were interrupting democracy. |
| I wasn’t concerned for my personal safety but I was concerned that the parliament could be in trouble like that. The demonstrators, who rioted in the gallery, were interrupting the people’s house. They were interrupting democracy. | I wasn’t concerned for my personal safety but I was concerned that the parliament could be in trouble like that. The demonstrators, who rioted in the gallery, were interrupting the people’s house. They were interrupting democracy. |
| It’s not for me to press charges, Kochie. That is a matter for the police. They let them off scot-free. The security needs to be looked at. | It’s not for me to press charges, Kochie. That is a matter for the police. They let them off scot-free. The security needs to be looked at. |
| But he baulked at trade minister Steve Ciobo’s musings that perhaps, the public galleries should be glassed off. He was asked if he would look at closing the public gallery. | But he baulked at trade minister Steve Ciobo’s musings that perhaps, the public galleries should be glassed off. He was asked if he would look at closing the public gallery. |
| We should never do that. This is the people’s house...Our forebears fought very hard over centuries to secure Parliamentary democracy to have their elective representatives come together and speak their mind. Interrupting that, is a denial of democracy. | We should never do that. This is the people’s house...Our forebears fought very hard over centuries to secure Parliamentary democracy to have their elective representatives come together and speak their mind. Interrupting that, is a denial of democracy. |
| Mind you, he did have a win on the Australian Building Construction Commission (ABCC), celebrated with an exuberant lung-crushing hug from the employment minister Michaelia Cash, caught by Mike Bowers. But commentators are not pleased. I will bring you some of their commentary in a moment. | Mind you, he did have a win on the Australian Building Construction Commission (ABCC), celebrated with an exuberant lung-crushing hug from the employment minister Michaelia Cash, caught by Mike Bowers. But commentators are not pleased. I will bring you some of their commentary in a moment. |
| But he had a loss on the backpacker tax and this morning the National Farmers Federation have described the state of affairs as a disgrace. Derryn Hinch, having voted for 19%, and against 15%, is now proposing a 13% rate. | But he had a loss on the backpacker tax and this morning the National Farmers Federation have described the state of affairs as a disgrace. Derryn Hinch, having voted for 19%, and against 15%, is now proposing a 13% rate. |
| #BREAKING Derryn Hinch says he will support a backpacker tax rate of 13 per cent, says Rod Culleton also on board. https://t.co/sGwWrXIh91 | #BREAKING Derryn Hinch says he will support a backpacker tax rate of 13 per cent, says Rod Culleton also on board. https://t.co/sGwWrXIh91 |
| Turnbull is out doing a lot of interviews this morning. He hopes to have the backpacker tax resolved today but is not prepared to compromise because he says the 15% rate is fair. He notes the rate for Australians - after the tax free threshold - is 19% and the rate for Pacific Island temporary workers is 15%. | Turnbull is out doing a lot of interviews this morning. He hopes to have the backpacker tax resolved today but is not prepared to compromise because he says the 15% rate is fair. He notes the rate for Australians - after the tax free threshold - is 19% and the rate for Pacific Island temporary workers is 15%. |
| Labor want our rich kid from Germany, from Norway to be paying less tax than someone from one of the poorest countries in the world. | Labor want our rich kid from Germany, from Norway to be paying less tax than someone from one of the poorest countries in the world. |
| I will start with that much breakfast news and crack on with this monster. Talk to me in the thread or on the Twits @gabriellechan or on Facebook. | I will start with that much breakfast news and crack on with this monster. Talk to me in the thread or on the Twits @gabriellechan or on Facebook. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.17pm GMT | at 9.17pm GMT |