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Labor targets Malcolm Turnbull over cuts to Sunday penalty rates – question time live | Labor targets Malcolm Turnbull over cuts to Sunday penalty rates – question time live |
(35 minutes later) | |
3.44am GMT | |
03:44 | |
Scott Morrison gets a question on the G20 meeting. | |
3.43am GMT | |
03:43 | |
3.41am GMT | |
03:41 | |
Shorten to Turnbull: I refer to reports that the prime minister’s colleagues are seeking to water down protections against race-hate speech. Will the prime minister rule out making changes to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act and, if not, what exactly does the government want people to be able to say that they’re not allowed to say now? | |
Turnbull says his government is considering the report of the human rights committee on the subject. | |
Nothing to see here. | |
Updated | |
at 3.43am GMT | |
3.39am GMT | |
03:39 | |
Dan Tehan, the assistant minister on cyber security, gets a government question on energy and cyber security and how the Snowy Hydro will strengthen national security. He lists moments when the defence department has had to rely on generators. | |
Updated | |
at 3.43am GMT | |
3.37am GMT | |
03:37 | |
Tony Burke to Turnbull: I refer to his previous answers where he has defended his industry minister describing One Nation as more sophisticated. We had a clear result in WA during – at one time in the campaign One Nation praised Vladimir Putin and made divisive comments ... Will he direct every political party division to put One Nation last an every single ticket across the nation the same way as John Howard did? | |
Turnbull said he strengthened policies on immunisation, pointed out president Putin’s conduct and association in the shooting down of MH17 and said Australia was the most successful multicultural country in the world. | |
Updated | |
at 3.44am GMT | |
3.34am GMT | |
03:34 | |
Government question to the energy minister, Josh Frydenberg: I ask this question when only moments ago the spot price for electricity in South Australia was approaching 50 times the cost of electricity in Victoria. I ask the minister about a retail business in my electorate in Mt Gambier. This business has seen an increase in the cost of its electricity bill for one month alone of $18,000. Can you update the House on what action the government is taking to ensure Australians have access to affordable and reliable power? | |
Tony Burke takes a point of order. | |
Under standing order 100 and the requirement for authentication, we heard in the question about it being, I think, 50 times. Given the spot price is nowhere near 50 times right at this moment could he either table his calculator or table the document he is basing it on. | |
Speaker Smith says there is no point of order. | |
Updated | |
at 3.37am GMT | |
3.32am GMT | |
03:32 | |
Meanwhile in the Senate: | |
Janet Rice is LITERALLY knitting in #senateQT as she asks about Dutton's "stick to their knitting comment". It's an orange and grey scarf. | |
Updated | |
at 3.35am GMT | |
3.30am GMT | |
03:30 | |
Anthony Albanese to Turnbull: Now that the results of the WA election are so clear, will the prime minister listen to Western Australians, respect the mandate of Mark McGowan and finally dump your dud Perth freight link project and instead invest in the public transport Metronet project that Perth urgently needs – or does the prime minister plan to punish Western Australia, like he did Victoria, for having the temerity to vote Labor by withholding $1.2bn in federal infrastructure funding? | |
Turnbull says he awaits the application. | |
If they are not going to build it, then the money is obviously not required. As far as the Metronet project is concerned, we look forward to an application and will examine it on its merits as I have advised the new premier. | |
Updated | |
at 3.34am GMT | |
3.26am GMT | |
03:26 | |
Nationals MP Andrew Broad to Barnaby Joyce: What action is the government taking to improve energy and water security for hard-working Australian farmers and families in regional communities? | |
Updated | |
at 3.28am GMT | |
3.23am GMT | |
03:23 | |
Indi independent Cathy McGowan asks Turnbull: There is strong interest in regional Australia in the terms of reference for the regional task force, timelines, budgets, community engagement processes and the relationship between the task force and the budget process. Prime minister, will you commit to delivering a full white paper process that sets out a vision for edge natural Australia with strategies that enables us to reach our full potential? | |
Turnbull lists a whole heap of regional initiatives but avoids the question of a white paper. | |
We shall take that as a no. | |
Updated | |
at 3.25am GMT | |
3.21am GMT | |
03:21 | |
Labor to Turnbull: Is the prime minister aware that just last week the now former West Australian minister Joe Francis said on 6 PR radio, and I quote, “Penalty rates, I know people that didn’t vote for us at a state level because of that.” Prime minister, why won’t you use your power to stop the pay of almost 700,000 workers from being cut? | |
The answer goes back to Shorten. Turnbull says: | |
When the leader of the opposition had the power to determine penalty rates, when he was representing the workers and the Australian Workers Union, what did he do? He sold them out. He sold them out for a bag of gold. | |
Updated | |
at 3.26am GMT | |
3.19am GMT | |
03:19 | |
A government question to Turnbull: Will the prime minister advise the House how the government’s snowy mountain scheme mark two will make renewables reliable, help stabilise Australia’s electricity supply for households and businesses including all of those in Gilmore? | |
Turnbull attacks Labor, including the South Australian government, for their renewables policy. | |
Labor wag Watts: | |
It's the colt from old regret at the dispatch box #qt | |
Updated | |
at 3.27am GMT | |
3.15am GMT | |
03:15 | |
Plibersek to Turnbull: Kerry works as a pharmacy assistant in South Australia and she is here in the gallery today. Kerry says the decision to cut penalty rates will cost her around $1,500 a year from an annual wage of just $34,000. The prime minister’s support for cutting penalty rates will mean Kerry will struggle to pay her bills. Why does the minister think that Kerry deserves a pay cut? | |
Turnbull says Labor including Bill Shorten and Brendan O’Connor supported the independent umpire. He reads off the quotes. | |
What about in February last year, the member for Gorton [O’Connor], who was very vocal on the doors this morning I see, dripping with sanctimony, drowning in hypocrisy. He said, ‘Labor believes the Fair Work Commission is the appropriate body to consider these matters and it should be left alone by the Liberals to do just that, conduct its business as the independent umpire.’ | |
Labor used to stand for the independent umpire, Labor used to defend their decisions, the Fair Work commissioner is standing up for small business and Labor should do so too. | |
Updated | |
at 3.22am GMT | |
3.10am GMT | 3.10am GMT |
03:10 | 03:10 |
First government question goes to Turnbull on union agreements and payments. Turnbull: | |
We have only seen the tip of the iceberg in the Heydon royal commission. There is a culture of deceit, a culture of selling out the workers, a culture of trading away workers’ rights in return for membership lists and in return for cash and we will put a stop to it with the regulation we are introducing in the house this week. | |
Updated | |
at 3.12am GMT | |
3.10am GMT | |
03:10 | |
Labor objects to personal reflections on Shorten. | Labor objects to personal reflections on Shorten. |
Turnbull had said: | Turnbull had said: |
The leader of the opposition has been selling workers down the river for years, trading away penalty rates for years. Taking backhanders for years, and we’re gonna stop it. | |
Speaker Tony Smith says he did not think the PM was saying Shorten personally benefited. | Speaker Tony Smith says he did not think the PM was saying Shorten personally benefited. |
I don’t believe the prime minister suggested that the leader of the Opposition was literally taking a backhander, I think was the term you’re objecting to. | |
I don’t think the prime minister was saying that the leader of the opposition personally benefited. I don’t. I believe it was a ... political characterisation and, if you want me to go to the aspect of practice, I can give you many examples where that’s been allowed. If members want a literal interpretation of the standing orders, I will be ruling questions out of order left, right and centre. | |
Updated | |
at 3.12am GMT | |
3.05am GMT | 3.05am GMT |
03:05 | 03:05 |
Shorten to Turnbull: Andrew lives in Gawler in South Australia. He is here in the gallery today. Andrew worked at Spotlight on a Sunday to pay his way through university. Andrew says that he will lose around $1,000 per year because of the cuts to penalty rates, cuts which the prime minister has supported. Can the prime minister tell Andrew why he has to take a pay cut? | |
Turnbull says if Andrew was working at KFC he would be earning less because of an enterprise bargaining agreement struck between the company and the unions. | |
[Unions] have traded them away in circumstances where they have received money from the employers concerned. We might well ask what about the great agreement of the Australian workers with Cleanevent ... | |
Imagine if he had been getting, thanks to the great advocacy of the leader of the opposition, this champion of the working class, this hero of the people, he would have got Andrew would be getting $18 an hour instead of $50 under the award. But, Mr Speaker, there was something else. Payments to the union, not disclosed ... | |
Updated | Updated |
at 3.10am GMT | |