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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2017/may/24/pauline-hanson-says-james-ashby-declined-her-offer-of-a-seat-politics-live
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| Penny Wong questions George Brandis over 'serious failure' regarding Monis letter – as it happened | Penny Wong questions George Brandis over 'serious failure' regarding Monis letter – as it happened |
| (6 months later) | |
| That is your lot for the night. | That is your lot for the night. |
| Today began with an Indigenous ceremony to mark the 50 year anniversary of the 1967 referendum. Both leaders spoke in the house to a gallery with many Indigenous campaigners. It appears, due to an organising glitch by an outside organiser, Opposition members were not invited. | Today began with an Indigenous ceremony to mark the 50 year anniversary of the 1967 referendum. Both leaders spoke in the house to a gallery with many Indigenous campaigners. It appears, due to an organising glitch by an outside organiser, Opposition members were not invited. |
| Greens MP Adam Bandt indicated he would vote against the school funding package but the Greens reserve their right to change the position following the Senate inquiry into the Turnbull government’s Gonski 2.0 package. | Greens MP Adam Bandt indicated he would vote against the school funding package but the Greens reserve their right to change the position following the Senate inquiry into the Turnbull government’s Gonski 2.0 package. |
| Education minister Simon Birmingham said if Gonski 2.0 is voted down, schools will lose funding if the Labor status quo circa 2013 remains in legislation. | Education minister Simon Birmingham said if Gonski 2.0 is voted down, schools will lose funding if the Labor status quo circa 2013 remains in legislation. |
| A nasty comment piece appeared in Quadrant suggesting the Manchester bombing should have happened in the Q&A studio, causing ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie to call for an apology and communications minister Mitch Fifield to condemn the article. | A nasty comment piece appeared in Quadrant suggesting the Manchester bombing should have happened in the Q&A studio, causing ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie to call for an apology and communications minister Mitch Fifield to condemn the article. |
| Question time was again dominated by debate on the bank levy. Labor suggested it wouldn’t raise what the government had estimated and the government said the banks had different estimates. Their problem. | Question time was again dominated by debate on the bank levy. Labor suggested it wouldn’t raise what the government had estimated and the government said the banks had different estimates. Their problem. |
| Two more Labor MPs outlined their distaste for the Adani project. | Two more Labor MPs outlined their distaste for the Adani project. |
| The NSW Coroner has raised questions as to whether there is an appropriate policy in place for letters outlining potential national security information to be passed on to relevant agencies after a letter by the Lindt siege perpetrator to the attorney general’s department failed to get passed on. | The NSW Coroner has raised questions as to whether there is an appropriate policy in place for letters outlining potential national security information to be passed on to relevant agencies after a letter by the Lindt siege perpetrator to the attorney general’s department failed to get passed on. |
| Thanks so much for your company and to the brains trust, Paul Karp, Gareth Hutchens and Katharine Murphy. Mike Bowers is winging his way up to the Sydney Writers’ Festival but will be back in time for tomorrow’s sitting. | Thanks so much for your company and to the brains trust, Paul Karp, Gareth Hutchens and Katharine Murphy. Mike Bowers is winging his way up to the Sydney Writers’ Festival but will be back in time for tomorrow’s sitting. |
| Laters blogans. | Laters blogans. |
| Good night. | Good night. |
| This is the direct quote from the NSW Coroner’s report (in the light of the failure to pass on the Monis letter): | This is the direct quote from the NSW Coroner’s report (in the light of the failure to pass on the Monis letter): |
| There does not appear to be an effective policy in place to require the commonwealth bureaucracy to forward correspondence received by it to Asio where that correspondence is relevant to security considerations. | There does not appear to be an effective policy in place to require the commonwealth bureaucracy to forward correspondence received by it to Asio where that correspondence is relevant to security considerations. |
| Brandis says he will consider all recommendations as they apply to the commonwealth. | Brandis says he will consider all recommendations as they apply to the commonwealth. |
| I’m not in a position ... to give you a detailed response to this report. | I’m not in a position ... to give you a detailed response to this report. |
| Senator Ian Macdonald suggests the Monis letter was “rather innocuous”. | Senator Ian Macdonald suggests the Monis letter was “rather innocuous”. |
| Brandis says: | Brandis says: |
| In view of the events that happened I’m not going to say that. | In view of the events that happened I’m not going to say that. |
| Asio assessed the letter after the fact and director general Duncan Lewis said it would not have made any difference [passing it on] says Brandis. | Asio assessed the letter after the fact and director general Duncan Lewis said it would not have made any difference [passing it on] says Brandis. |
| Penny Wong asks if it was a serious failure? | Penny Wong asks if it was a serious failure? |
| It is not a consequential failure, Brandis says. | It is not a consequential failure, Brandis says. |
| Brandis says it was not addressed to him, nor did it come to him. | Brandis says it was not addressed to him, nor did it come to him. |
| George Brandis is now arguing that the government has implemented changes to ensure letters such as the one written by Monis will be passed onto Asio. | George Brandis is now arguing that the government has implemented changes to ensure letters such as the one written by Monis will be passed onto Asio. |
| Letters from AG’s department get passed on to Asio, he says. Labor questions whether other departments have a similar policy because the NSW Coroner – according to Labor – says there is not an effective policy in place to pass on such letters across all government departments. | Letters from AG’s department get passed on to Asio, he says. Labor questions whether other departments have a similar policy because the NSW Coroner – according to Labor – says there is not an effective policy in place to pass on such letters across all government departments. |
| (I have been a bit busy today so have not read the NSW Coroner’s report into the Lindt siege.) | (I have been a bit busy today so have not read the NSW Coroner’s report into the Lindt siege.) |
| Brandis says the coroner’s recommendation was directed to all of government, not just the AG’s department. | Brandis says the coroner’s recommendation was directed to all of government, not just the AG’s department. |
| Watts says yours is the lead agency (given AG’s is responsible for national security). Why haven’t you put the policy in place? | Watts says yours is the lead agency (given AG’s is responsible for national security). Why haven’t you put the policy in place? |
| It’s not a recommendation to the Attorney General’s Department. It’s a recommendation to all agencies. | It’s not a recommendation to the Attorney General’s Department. It’s a recommendation to all agencies. |
| Murray Watt asks Brandis how he responds to the NSW Coroner suggesting there was a “knowledge gap” as a result of failing to pass on the Monis letter. | Murray Watt asks Brandis how he responds to the NSW Coroner suggesting there was a “knowledge gap” as a result of failing to pass on the Monis letter. |
| There is argy bargy over whether the coroner found the failure to pass on the letter was consequential. | There is argy bargy over whether the coroner found the failure to pass on the letter was consequential. |
| Brandis: | Brandis: |
| There is no finding in this report that it was consequential. | There is no finding in this report that it was consequential. |
| Labor’s Murray Watt now questions Brandis about his statement. | Labor’s Murray Watt now questions Brandis about his statement. |
| Let’s just remind ourselves of the details of this issue. | Let’s just remind ourselves of the details of this issue. |
| This is from our report via AAP at the time: | This is from our report via AAP at the time: |
| George Brandis, the attorney general, has played down the significance of a letter he received from Man Haron Monis asking whether it was legal to contact Islamic State extremists two months before he stormed Sydney’s Lindt cafe. | George Brandis, the attorney general, has played down the significance of a letter he received from Man Haron Monis asking whether it was legal to contact Islamic State extremists two months before he stormed Sydney’s Lindt cafe. |
| Brandis told a Senate estimates hearing that department staff did not consider the letter threatening, despite it being received weeks after Australia’s terrorism threat level was raised to high. | Brandis told a Senate estimates hearing that department staff did not consider the letter threatening, despite it being received weeks after Australia’s terrorism threat level was raised to high. |
| “There was no reason to believe that any member of the Attorney General’s Department staff would have known that Monis ... was a person of concern at that particular time,” he said. | “There was no reason to believe that any member of the Attorney General’s Department staff would have known that Monis ... was a person of concern at that particular time,” he said. |
| Mark Dreyfus, the shadow attorney general, said the letter should have prompted further investigation. | Mark Dreyfus, the shadow attorney general, said the letter should have prompted further investigation. |
| “A letter from a man on bail for serious violence offences, who had been in litigation with the commonwealth in the high court, asking about communication with the head of Isil should not have been treated as routine,” Dreyfus told the ABC radio. “It’s something that should have been referred.” | “A letter from a man on bail for serious violence offences, who had been in litigation with the commonwealth in the high court, asking about communication with the head of Isil should not have been treated as routine,” Dreyfus told the ABC radio. “It’s something that should have been referred.” |
| by stunning coincidence, the ABC drops this right before they're due to face abetz in #estimates. craven and wrong: https://t.co/fAS3DiHXyU | by stunning coincidence, the ABC drops this right before they're due to face abetz in #estimates. craven and wrong: https://t.co/fAS3DiHXyU |
| The attorney general has made a statement regarding the Lindt cafe report to estimates committee. | The attorney general has made a statement regarding the Lindt cafe report to estimates committee. |
| It relates to the recommendations relating to the federal government. | It relates to the recommendations relating to the federal government. |
| Labor is keen to question George Brandis on these matters, particularly around the handling of a letter by Monis that was sent to the federal government. At the time, Labor said it should have warranted further investigation. | Labor is keen to question George Brandis on these matters, particularly around the handling of a letter by Monis that was sent to the federal government. At the time, Labor said it should have warranted further investigation. |
| Regarding the various recommendations from the NSW Coroner, Brandis essentially states that the federal government has already reassessed various security arrangements following the Lindt cafe siege. | Regarding the various recommendations from the NSW Coroner, Brandis essentially states that the federal government has already reassessed various security arrangements following the Lindt cafe siege. |
| For example, recommendation 40 says that the federal government should liaise with Asio in regard to such letters. Brandis says such correspondence is routinely referred to Asio now. | For example, recommendation 40 says that the federal government should liaise with Asio in regard to such letters. Brandis says such correspondence is routinely referred to Asio now. |
| Recommendation 41 asks that the AG and Asio confer with the Psychological Society regarding restrictions on patient confidentiality when considering radicalisation. The recommendation says the Society might consider amending its guidelines to enable psychologists to report risks relating to terrorist risks. | Recommendation 41 asks that the AG and Asio confer with the Psychological Society regarding restrictions on patient confidentiality when considering radicalisation. The recommendation says the Society might consider amending its guidelines to enable psychologists to report risks relating to terrorist risks. |
| Brandis says the government has already engaged with the Psychological Society on this issue. | Brandis says the government has already engaged with the Psychological Society on this issue. |
| He says the government is constantly assessing and reassessing security measures related to potential national security threats. | He says the government is constantly assessing and reassessing security measures related to potential national security threats. |
| The tax and revenue committee is starting now. | The tax and revenue committee is starting now. |
| The Australian National Audit Office is giving evidence, including Andrew Morris, executive director, perfomance audit services group and Tom Ioannou, acting deputy auditor general. | The Australian National Audit Office is giving evidence, including Andrew Morris, executive director, perfomance audit services group and Tom Ioannou, acting deputy auditor general. |
| It may touch on the Plutus ATO scandal and you can watch it here. | It may touch on the Plutus ATO scandal and you can watch it here. |
| FYI the last item on Adani: | FYI the last item on Adani: |
| Adani's lobbyist is a company run by David Moore and Cameron Milner, former Campbell Newman and Shorten staffers respectively #estimates | Adani's lobbyist is a company run by David Moore and Cameron Milner, former Campbell Newman and Shorten staffers respectively #estimates |