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| Coalition threatens to raise taxes if savings are not passed – politics live | Coalition threatens to raise taxes if savings are not passed – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 11.49pm GMT | |
| 23:49 | |
| In the senate, Derryn Hinch, who backflipped on the start date for the building code in the Australian Building Construction Commission (ABCC) laws which passed late last year. After insisting on a later date, Hinch wanted to bring forward the date. | |
| Hinch says: | |
| I changed my mind...I got some new facts...I contacted the PM....I did not horse trade...I did not hold out for any favour in return...If you are involved in something that is hurting people, then man up. | |
| Labor are opposing the amendment. Xenophon are expected to support the Hinch change which would see the building code start in nine months instead of two years. | |
| The government are attempting to push it through and move onto the parliamentary entitlements bill, assuming it passes the lower house. | |
| Once that entitlements bill comes into the senate, we are expecting to see some amendments from Cory Bernardi, LNP senator Ian Macdonald and the Greens. | |
| 11.31pm GMT | |
| 23:31 | |
| Ok in the lower house, the parliamentary debate continues on parliamentary entitlements. This dumps the lifetime free travel gold pass for longer serving MPs, senators and prime ministers. LNP MP Warren Entsch, who opposed the retrospective nature of the bill, spoke against it. He said it is not a matter of snouts in the trough, it is that it is retrospective. He reminds the parliament that he also opposed retrospective changes to superannuation under the government’s reforms. | |
| 11.26pm GMT | |
| 23:26 | |
| The social services minister, Christian Porter, has rejected Shorten’s claim that Labor ever fully costed the NDIS. He says, we all know about the Medicare levy but the other savings were nebulous. He says the document Labor uses to prove they fully costed the NDIS when in government was not a budget document but a “glossy” (which are the marketing documents which explain the budget). | |
| The problem has always been that these mysterious “other savings” of about $2.4bn in 2019-20 (the first full year of operation of the NDIS) were never identified in any meaningful way nor identified in any budget paper that linked them in any way to the NDIS. | |
| When that issue was raised in Senate estimates in June 2013, Treasury’s response, when asked whether these “other savings” measures could be listed in detail; was, “the short answer is no”. | |
| Labor at the time also variously claimed that savings made from superannuation and private health insurance changes (which was supposed to part-pay for the NDIS) would be used for budget repair or to fund dental health measures. | |
| Updated | |
| at 11.33pm GMT | |
| 11.09pm GMT | 11.09pm GMT |
| 23:09 | 23:09 |
| Chris Bowen came out a moment ago, referencing Michelle Grattan’s story in the Conversation. Grattan reported that the prime minister’s office were unhappy with the treasurer linking the omnibus bill to the NDIS. | Chris Bowen came out a moment ago, referencing Michelle Grattan’s story in the Conversation. Grattan reported that the prime minister’s office were unhappy with the treasurer linking the omnibus bill to the NDIS. |
| Grattan reports: | Grattan reports: |
| [The linking] was soon portrayed as a reprehensible use of the disabled as a bargaining chip. As the NXT said in its Tuesday statement, it was considered to be “‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ and viewed in the same way as holding childcare reforms hostage to family tax benefit cuts”. | [The linking] was soon portrayed as a reprehensible use of the disabled as a bargaining chip. As the NXT said in its Tuesday statement, it was considered to be “‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ and viewed in the same way as holding childcare reforms hostage to family tax benefit cuts”. |
| “As a negotiating tactic, this is as subtle as a sledgehammer,” Nick Xenophon said. | “As a negotiating tactic, this is as subtle as a sledgehammer,” Nick Xenophon said. |
| [Christian] Porter wore much of the public odium. But the hypothecation idea had come from Morrison. | [Christian] Porter wore much of the public odium. But the hypothecation idea had come from Morrison. |
| Interestingly, there had been some resistance from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to the timing of announcing it. | Interestingly, there had been some resistance from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to the timing of announcing it. |
| The PMO urged caution. It was felt that the government’s selling of the childcare package was going well – so why introduce this new element now? But Morrison, for whatever reason, was insistent. | The PMO urged caution. It was felt that the government’s selling of the childcare package was going well – so why introduce this new element now? But Morrison, for whatever reason, was insistent. |
| Chris Bowen calls the omnibus bill a slow-motion train wreck. | Chris Bowen calls the omnibus bill a slow-motion train wreck. |
| It is an extraordinary thing. Does the prime minister have confidence in Scott Morrison? I wouldn’t blame him if he has lost confidence, but if he has lost confidence, he should say so. His office, Malcolm Turnbull’s office, briefing backgrounding, undermining the treasurer, says it all about this government. | It is an extraordinary thing. Does the prime minister have confidence in Scott Morrison? I wouldn’t blame him if he has lost confidence, but if he has lost confidence, he should say so. His office, Malcolm Turnbull’s office, briefing backgrounding, undermining the treasurer, says it all about this government. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.14pm GMT | at 11.14pm GMT |
| 10.58pm GMT | 10.58pm GMT |
| 22:58 | 22:58 |
| This morning, with Sabra Lane, Bill Shorten was repeatedly pressed over how much the renewable energy targets would cost. He mentioned a market trading scheme, an emissions trading scheme, looking at the rate of land clearing and further investment in in solar power. But he did not answer the question on cost. | This morning, with Sabra Lane, Bill Shorten was repeatedly pressed over how much the renewable energy targets would cost. He mentioned a market trading scheme, an emissions trading scheme, looking at the rate of land clearing and further investment in in solar power. But he did not answer the question on cost. |
| For me the answer to the question about cost is that there is a cost in not acting. | For me the answer to the question about cost is that there is a cost in not acting. |
| Sabra Lane: Consumers are entitled to know how much it will cost them. | Sabra Lane: Consumers are entitled to know how much it will cost them. |
| Well, consumers are already voting with their feet with the expansion of solar panels. | Well, consumers are already voting with their feet with the expansion of solar panels. |
| Lane: And they’re entitled to know how much a 50%, you know, a 50% target will cost them? | Lane: And they’re entitled to know how much a 50%, you know, a 50% target will cost them? |
| Our answer is very, very straightforward. We think the cost of not acting is far greater. We don’t think we could sustain the cost as the Liberals are saying, of building new coal-fired power generation on the scale which Mr Turnbull is saying and we don’t think that from insurance to drought to extreme weather events, that we can simply go business as usual. | Our answer is very, very straightforward. We think the cost of not acting is far greater. We don’t think we could sustain the cost as the Liberals are saying, of building new coal-fired power generation on the scale which Mr Turnbull is saying and we don’t think that from insurance to drought to extreme weather events, that we can simply go business as usual. |
| Turnbull used the press conference with the Sri Lankan prime minister to attack Shorten. | Turnbull used the press conference with the Sri Lankan prime minister to attack Shorten. |
| You saw Mr Shorten this morning in what must have been a real – a triple train wreck of an interview. He was unable to say how the NDIS would be paid for – this is our big national disability insurance scheme – and he acknowledged he had no way of paying for that. | You saw Mr Shorten this morning in what must have been a real – a triple train wreck of an interview. He was unable to say how the NDIS would be paid for – this is our big national disability insurance scheme – and he acknowledged he had no way of paying for that. |
| He acknowledged he had no idea what his reckless renewable energy target would cost, or what its consequences would be, so he confirmed precisely the criticism that we’ve made about Mr Shorten, that he is literally clueless on this subject, mindless, just like South Australia has been. | He acknowledged he had no idea what his reckless renewable energy target would cost, or what its consequences would be, so he confirmed precisely the criticism that we’ve made about Mr Shorten, that he is literally clueless on this subject, mindless, just like South Australia has been. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.02pm GMT | at 11.02pm GMT |
| 10.46pm GMT | 10.46pm GMT |
| 22:46 | 22:46 |
| Apologies readers. Having terrible tech difficulties this morning. More content coming shortly, including remainder of PM’s press conference and Labor’s Chris Bowen. | Apologies readers. Having terrible tech difficulties this morning. More content coming shortly, including remainder of PM’s press conference and Labor’s Chris Bowen. |
| 10.40pm GMT | 10.40pm GMT |
| 22:40 | 22:40 |
| Malcolm Turnbull says the treasurer’s suggestion of tax increases if the savings measures fail was a statement of the obvious. | Malcolm Turnbull says the treasurer’s suggestion of tax increases if the savings measures fail was a statement of the obvious. |
| The point that the treasurer is making is what my father-in-law would describe as a penetrating glimpse of the obvious, is that those who oppose savings measures by definition are supporting tax increases – if you assume that they want to bring the budget back into balance. | The point that the treasurer is making is what my father-in-law would describe as a penetrating glimpse of the obvious, is that those who oppose savings measures by definition are supporting tax increases – if you assume that they want to bring the budget back into balance. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.44pm GMT | at 10.44pm GMT |
| 10.37pm GMT | 10.37pm GMT |
| 22:37 | 22:37 |
| Wickremesinghe says it is quite safe for Sri Lankan asylum seekers to return. | Wickremesinghe says it is quite safe for Sri Lankan asylum seekers to return. |
| It is quite safe in Sri Lanka. We just started a missing persons office. It is quite safe for them to come back. Some of them have left from places where conflict didn’t even take place. All of them are not even Tamils and even we want all the Tamils to come back. We should not make a mess of ourselves like they’ve gone and done in Europe and the Middle East. | It is quite safe in Sri Lanka. We just started a missing persons office. It is quite safe for them to come back. Some of them have left from places where conflict didn’t even take place. All of them are not even Tamils and even we want all the Tamils to come back. We should not make a mess of ourselves like they’ve gone and done in Europe and the Middle East. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.39pm GMT | at 10.39pm GMT |
| 10.33pm GMT | 10.33pm GMT |
| 22:33 | 22:33 |
| Sri Lankan prime minister: asylum seekers can come back but they broke the law | Sri Lankan prime minister: asylum seekers can come back but they broke the law |
| Q: What about people who have already gone and have been turned away and have been sent to these island camps and there have been certain human rights allegations as well? | Q: What about people who have already gone and have been turned away and have been sent to these island camps and there have been certain human rights allegations as well? |
| Wickremesinghe: | Wickremesinghe: |
| Well, they left Sri Lanka illegally. They are welcome to return to Sri Lanka and we won’t prosecute them, so they can come back to Sri Lanka, and we will have them, but remember, they broke the law in coming to Australia, attempting to come to Australia. | Well, they left Sri Lanka illegally. They are welcome to return to Sri Lanka and we won’t prosecute them, so they can come back to Sri Lanka, and we will have them, but remember, they broke the law in coming to Australia, attempting to come to Australia. |
| 10.31pm GMT | 10.31pm GMT |
| 22:31 | 22:31 |
| First off the bat, Wickremesinghe is asked whether there have been talks on asylum seekers, given many refugees have come from Sri Lanka. | First off the bat, Wickremesinghe is asked whether there have been talks on asylum seekers, given many refugees have come from Sri Lanka. |
| We are looking at investment to further develop Sri Lanka. There are no need for people to be coming in here. | We are looking at investment to further develop Sri Lanka. There are no need for people to be coming in here. |
| 10.27pm GMT | 10.27pm GMT |
| 22:27 | 22:27 |
| The prime minister is speaking now with the prime minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe. | The prime minister is speaking now with the prime minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe. |
| Turnbull mentions the links in education, sport and other areas. | Turnbull mentions the links in education, sport and other areas. |
| Wickremesinghe says Australia and Sri Lanka have signed two agreements. | Wickremesinghe says Australia and Sri Lanka have signed two agreements. |
| We signed two important agreements today, one on economic development, but that was not complete without the one on sports. So, Sri Lanka and Australia have shared a common past. There are many values we inherited from the British empire to which we added our own values, and Australia today is one of the leading members of the Asia-Pacific region. | We signed two important agreements today, one on economic development, but that was not complete without the one on sports. So, Sri Lanka and Australia have shared a common past. There are many values we inherited from the British empire to which we added our own values, and Australia today is one of the leading members of the Asia-Pacific region. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.38pm GMT | at 10.38pm GMT |