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| Climate politics comes back to haunt Coalition with divided party room meeting – politics live | Climate politics comes back to haunt Coalition with divided party room meeting – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.37am BST | |
| 00:37 | |
| Meanwhile, Katharine Murphy reports on the latest Guardian Essential poll. | |
| These are the two key points: | |
| Australian voters would back a new low-emissions target over emissions trading as a policy to reduce carbon pollution, but are not sure about including “clean” coal in the mix, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll. | |
| 74% of the sample said the threat level in Australia had increased over the past few years, and 46% believe the Turnbull government should be spending more on counter-terrorism measures. | |
| The main two-party-preferred measures: | |
| Labor is still ahead of the Coalition: 52% to 48%. | |
| The gap between the major parties narrowed in the month following the May budget, but within the poll’s margin of error, which is 3%. This week’s two-party-preferred result was the same as last week. | |
| Updated | |
| at 12.40am BST | |
| 12.22am BST | |
| 00:22 | |
| Finkel farnarkling 3: pissant lists and leakers | |
| There has been a list circulating in the press gallery leaked from the meeting purporting to show who spoke against the Finkel review. | |
| According to that list, those against included: | |
| Tony Abbott | |
| Rick Wilson | |
| Chris back | |
| Ken O’Dowd | |
| Kevin Hogan | |
| Bridget McKenzie | |
| Rowan Ramsey | |
| Andrew Hastie | |
| Ian Macdonald | |
| Ben Morton | |
| Tony Pasin | |
| Russell Broadbent | |
| Craig Kelly | |
| Angus Taylor | |
| Andrew Gee | |
| Tim Wilson | |
| Mark Coulton | |
| Andrew Broad | |
| Damien Drum | |
| Kevin Andrews | |
| George Christensen | |
| The list immediately rang alarm bells with me as some of those people were much more nuanced in their approach, according to their own words, and were not opposed per se. For example, the Nationals MP for Mallee, Andrew Broad, has been working hard with Labor’s Pat Conroy to find common ground on energy policy though the house multiparty committee on energy and the environment. He told me last night on the record there were a lot of good things in the Finkel review and the status quo on energy would not cut it. So someone has claimed him without much thought. | |
| Mark Coulton, National MP for Parkes, was more direct this morning. He described the leaker as a pissant and underlined Finkel is a report and not government policy. | |
| Some, well, I was going to say pissant, but that is probably politically incorrect, has leaked from a confidential meeting ... | |
| I belong to a party where we discuss these things. We don’t drink the Kool-Aid and blindly follow on championing some sort of mantra. I thought yesterday’s discussion was very responsible. | |
| To read my name on a list as some form of climate change denier when I consider I represent one of the most climate-aware electorates in Australia I find offensive. | |
| Updated | |
| at 12.34am BST | |
| 12.05am BST | 12.05am BST |
| 00:05 | 00:05 |
| The first order of the day in the Senate is the native title legislation on the Indigenous land use agreements. This is the legislation which the government says is designed to fix agreements between traditional owners and mining companies, including the Adani agreement. But a number of traditional owners have been speaking out against the bill over the past 24 hours. | |
| That bill will be debated most of the morning and may come to a vote before question time. | That bill will be debated most of the morning and may come to a vote before question time. |
| Updated | |
| at 12.19am BST | |
| 11.37pm BST | 11.37pm BST |
| 23:37 | 23:37 |
| Finkel farnarkling 2: mature responsible discussion | Finkel farnarkling 2: mature responsible discussion |
| Good morning, blogans, | Good morning, blogans, |
| This morning, 10 years of divisive climate politics is coming home to haunt the Coalition. On it goes, through John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull 1.0, Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull 2.0. | This morning, 10 years of divisive climate politics is coming home to haunt the Coalition. On it goes, through John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull 1.0, Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull 2.0. |
| Australia desperately needs a stable energy policy FOUR YEARS AFTER THE COALITION DISMANTLED THE CARBON PRICE. | Australia desperately needs a stable energy policy FOUR YEARS AFTER THE COALITION DISMANTLED THE CARBON PRICE. |
| The chief scientist, Alan Finkel, has provided an acceptable path forward but the argument continued in the Coalition party room last night. | The chief scientist, Alan Finkel, has provided an acceptable path forward but the argument continued in the Coalition party room last night. |
| The meeting, let’s be clear, was a presentation of the Finkel report followed by thoughts and feelings about Finkel’s findings. It was not expected to land on a solution but give a chance to vent. | The meeting, let’s be clear, was a presentation of the Finkel report followed by thoughts and feelings about Finkel’s findings. It was not expected to land on a solution but give a chance to vent. |
| At the end, the only thing there seems to be consensus on is that something needs to be done. | At the end, the only thing there seems to be consensus on is that something needs to be done. |
| The senior ranks of the government appear to be on the same page at this stage (all things liable to change without notice). The talking points are: | The senior ranks of the government appear to be on the same page at this stage (all things liable to change without notice). The talking points are: |
| the Finkel review only landed on Friday | the Finkel review only landed on Friday |
| this is a mature and responsible discussion | this is a mature and responsible discussion |
| we need to move to a new model to provide investor certainty | we need to move to a new model to provide investor certainty |
| But like an old rockstar, Tony Abbott was returning to his greatest hits. Coal is good for humanity. His interventions were consistent. At one point he asked whether the government could buy the closed Hazelwood power station to which the energy and environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, said it was being dismantled “as we speak”. | But like an old rockstar, Tony Abbott was returning to his greatest hits. Coal is good for humanity. His interventions were consistent. At one point he asked whether the government could buy the closed Hazelwood power station to which the energy and environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, said it was being dismantled “as we speak”. |
| Among Abbott’s like-minded MPs, there was some appetite for somehow supporting new coal power but Frydenberg said it would take years to build. | Among Abbott’s like-minded MPs, there was some appetite for somehow supporting new coal power but Frydenberg said it would take years to build. |
| Abbott finally had a set to with a Turnbull supporter Craig Laundy, over his constant interventions. | Abbott finally had a set to with a Turnbull supporter Craig Laundy, over his constant interventions. |
| David Crowe of the Oz reports: | David Crowe of the Oz reports: |
| Tony Abbott interjected so often throughout the meeting that Craig Laundy, a frontbench ally of Malcolm Turnbull, called the former prime minister out and asked that he show respect to those who wanted to speak. | Tony Abbott interjected so often throughout the meeting that Craig Laundy, a frontbench ally of Malcolm Turnbull, called the former prime minister out and asked that he show respect to those who wanted to speak. |
| The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, was hosing down reports this morning. | The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, was hosing down reports this morning. |
| I don’t go into the specifics of party-room meetings but what I would say, I was in the meeting in the morning and I was in the meeting in the afternoon, it was a very good discussion, it was courteous and professional discussion. | I don’t go into the specifics of party-room meetings but what I would say, I was in the meeting in the morning and I was in the meeting in the afternoon, it was a very good discussion, it was courteous and professional discussion. |
| The treasurer, Scott Morrison, also had his fire hose out. He told the ABC that the Finkel review had done a good job in identifying the problem that we don’t have investor certainty in energy. | The treasurer, Scott Morrison, also had his fire hose out. He told the ABC that the Finkel review had done a good job in identifying the problem that we don’t have investor certainty in energy. |
| He said as treasurer it was important for the economy and he asked for patience, given that the report only dropped on Friday. | He said as treasurer it was important for the economy and he asked for patience, given that the report only dropped on Friday. |
| It has frankly vexed governments for a decade so we are not going to have a solution nicely tied up in a bow and presented to the media, Morrison said. | It has frankly vexed governments for a decade so we are not going to have a solution nicely tied up in a bow and presented to the media, Morrison said. |
| Finally, Morrison was asked if the clean energy target threshold would be high enough to include so-called “clean” coal in the incentive scheme. | Finally, Morrison was asked if the clean energy target threshold would be high enough to include so-called “clean” coal in the incentive scheme. |
| I believe that will be achieved. | I believe that will be achieved. |
| But Bill Shorten was making hay while the sun doesn’t shine. | But Bill Shorten was making hay while the sun doesn’t shine. |
| Mr Turnbull has been weakened and Australians are the losers. He needs to stand up to Tony Abbott. | Mr Turnbull has been weakened and Australians are the losers. He needs to stand up to Tony Abbott. |
| Stay with me, talk to me in the thread, on the Twits @gabriellechan and Facebook. As you can see from the main pic, Mike Bowers has been swimming through the pea soup fog to bring you the vibe in parliament. Onwards and upwards. | Stay with me, talk to me in the thread, on the Twits @gabriellechan and Facebook. As you can see from the main pic, Mike Bowers has been swimming through the pea soup fog to bring you the vibe in parliament. Onwards and upwards. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.54pm BST | at 11.54pm BST |