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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2017/aug/16/nick-xenophon-rejects-one-nation-abc-restrictions-but-pushes-small-media-tax-breaks-politics-live
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Nick Xenophon rejects One Nation ABC restrictions but pushes small-media tax breaks – politics live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.25am BST | |
| 00:25 | |
| A bit of snap analysis here. Two things about this citizenship debate and the charges of conspiracy. | |
| Firstly, of all the grey lobbying, colluding and cross pollination in Australian politics, the fact a Labor staffer rang and queried what the rules are in a politically aligned office across the ditch is hardly breaking news. Oppositions and governments specialise in digging up issues to trip the other side. | |
| Secondly, the fact is Barnaby Joyce is a dual citizen. As a result, fairly or unfairly, the constitution appears to rule out the deputy prime minister’s eligibility on that plain unvarnished fact. So it should be tested in the high court along with the other four senators. | |
| Thirdly, the NZ conspiracy theory worked up ahead of yesterday’s Coalition party room has assured a Mutually Assured Destruction pact in the Australian parliament on this issue now. It was all very well while it effected the minor parties - said the majors - but the conspiracy theory has ramped it up to a whole new level. No gentlewoman’s pact will be observed on citizenship now. | |
| 12.18am BST | |
| 00:18 | |
| Julie Bishop questions Penny Wong's fitness for office | |
| Foreign minister Julie Bishop has talked to Sky’s Kieran Gilbert. She has doubled down on the collusion angle. She asks whether Bill Shorten was raising the citizenship issue in other parliaments around the world regarding MPs in Australia. And Bishop rejects the suggestion that she would not have gone as hard on another country, such as China or India, in her charges of a conspiracy between NZ Labour and the ALP. | |
| This is about an Australian constitutional issue and it is improper for Penny Wong to seek to use the New Zealand parliament and the person so being used, the New Zealand [Labor] leader has said the conduct was wrong, unacceptable and should never have happened. That calls into question Penny Wong’s fitness for office. | |
| 11.50pm BST | 11.50pm BST |
| 23:50 | 23:50 |
| 11.49pm BST | 11.49pm BST |
| 23:49 | 23:49 |
| Maaaate, how about that Barnaby Joyce? | Maaaate, how about that Barnaby Joyce? |
| Labor foreign affairs shadow Penny Wong has addressed the issue of her chief of staff Marcus Ganley having discussions on the Barnaby Joyce dual New Zealand citizenship issue with friends in New Zealand. | |
| Wong starts at the beginning. | Wong starts at the beginning. |
| The first point is the questions about the deputy prime minister’s citizenship have been on the record for some time. His office denied that there was a problem last month. He himself denied it last month. | |
| Then she questioned why Joyce’s office told people that they had information from the New Zealand authorities that he didn’t have a problem. | Then she questioned why Joyce’s office told people that they had information from the New Zealand authorities that he didn’t have a problem. |
| Second, the story became public as a result of questions asked by an Australian journalist. That is very clear. That’s what the New Zealand minister has said. | Second, the story became public as a result of questions asked by an Australian journalist. That is very clear. That’s what the New Zealand minister has said. |
| Wong said her staff member did have a chat with some mates. | Wong said her staff member did have a chat with some mates. |
| It is correct that my staff member has mates in New Zealand, he lived and worked in New Zealand for some time and he has had chats with people about the issue that’s consuming politics here and to some extent there, which is the citizenship issue, and amongst the people, the mates with whom he has had contact, is Mr Hipkins... | |
| Chris Hipkins was the Labor MP who asked the question about citizenship in the NZ parliament. | Chris Hipkins was the Labor MP who asked the question about citizenship in the NZ parliament. |
| Asked if one of those questions was about having a father born in New Zealand, Wong says citizenship was discussed. | |
| At no stage did my staff member request questions be lodged in the New Zealand parliament. Mr Hipkins has absolutely made that clear. The second thing I want to make clear is this: neither I nor my staff member were even aware questions had been lodged until after this story broke. So any suggestion that this is somehow – what did Julie Bishop say? – a conspiracy, is ridiculous. | |
| Updated | |
| at 12.06am BST | |
| 10.54pm BST | 10.54pm BST |
| 22:54 | 22:54 |
| Media reforms between a rock and hard place | Media reforms between a rock and hard place |
| Good morning media junkies, | Good morning media junkies, |
| It’s all about the mejia today people, apart from flurries of citizenship debacles and blustery conditions expected in question time. | It’s all about the mejia today people, apart from flurries of citizenship debacles and blustery conditions expected in question time. |
| The media bill, which has been a long time in the works, is coming to a vote in the Senate. Last night, One Nation announced they had a deal with the government. | The media bill, which has been a long time in the works, is coming to a vote in the Senate. Last night, One Nation announced they had a deal with the government. |
| The starting point was this: the bill would abolish the 75% reach rule that prevents Nine Entertainment, Seven West Media and the Ten Network from owning their regional affiliates and the two-out-of-three rule preventing moguls from controlling a free-to-air TV station, newspapers and radio stations in the same market. | The starting point was this: the bill would abolish the 75% reach rule that prevents Nine Entertainment, Seven West Media and the Ten Network from owning their regional affiliates and the two-out-of-three rule preventing moguls from controlling a free-to-air TV station, newspapers and radio stations in the same market. |
| Labor is opposed to the bill. | Labor is opposed to the bill. |
| Pauline Hanson was originally opposed to the media package, particularly the two-out-of-three rule. | Pauline Hanson was originally opposed to the media package, particularly the two-out-of-three rule. |
| But last night she said the government had given an assurance it would ask the ABC to provide “details of the wages and conditions of all staff whose wages and allowances are greater than $200,000, similar to what is being implement[ed] by the British Broadcasting Corporation”. The requirement extends to “on-air talent”. | But last night she said the government had given an assurance it would ask the ABC to provide “details of the wages and conditions of all staff whose wages and allowances are greater than $200,000, similar to what is being implement[ed] by the British Broadcasting Corporation”. The requirement extends to “on-air talent”. |
| The government has also agreed to undertake a competitive neutrality inquiry into the ABC and to legislate a requirement for the ABC to be ‘fair’ and ‘balanced’. | The government has also agreed to undertake a competitive neutrality inquiry into the ABC and to legislate a requirement for the ABC to be ‘fair’ and ‘balanced’. |
| She told Andrew Bolt, a fierce critic of the ABC and employee of News Corp, she had raised some of his points with the government. | She told Andrew Bolt, a fierce critic of the ABC and employee of News Corp, she had raised some of his points with the government. |
| WATCH: One Nation's @PaulineHansonOz on why she's backing the Turnbull Government's media law reforms. Live now on @SkyNewsAust pic.twitter.com/iB2nh4LvcW | WATCH: One Nation's @PaulineHansonOz on why she's backing the Turnbull Government's media law reforms. Live now on @SkyNewsAust pic.twitter.com/iB2nh4LvcW |
| But the government also needs Nick Xenophon’s three votes in the Senate and Nick has nixed the ABC changes on the grounds that it would disadvantage the ABC in favour of commercial broadcasters. | But the government also needs Nick Xenophon’s three votes in the Senate and Nick has nixed the ABC changes on the grounds that it would disadvantage the ABC in favour of commercial broadcasters. |
| Xenophon told Fran Kelly he could not see where the ABC changes come into the media package, given the ABC already had a charter to be neutral. | Xenophon told Fran Kelly he could not see where the ABC changes come into the media package, given the ABC already had a charter to be neutral. |
| I support the charter, I cannot see the need for a fair and balance test ... I don’t think the ramifications have been thought through. | I support the charter, I cannot see the need for a fair and balance test ... I don’t think the ramifications have been thought through. |
| He said he wants an inquiry into the effect of Facebook and Google on the media landscape, given their domination over advertising revenue, and tax breaks for hiring journalists at small publishing outfits. Xenophon said it would turbocharge media diversity in Australia and ameliorate media takeovers. | He said he wants an inquiry into the effect of Facebook and Google on the media landscape, given their domination over advertising revenue, and tax breaks for hiring journalists at small publishing outfits. Xenophon said it would turbocharge media diversity in Australia and ameliorate media takeovers. |
| The upshot of the gap between the demands of One Nation and Nick Xenophon would mean the Coalition must again look to the Greens, who have cautiously entertained the abolition of the two-out-of-three rule in return for similar diversity measures to Xenophon. | The upshot of the gap between the demands of One Nation and Nick Xenophon would mean the Coalition must again look to the Greens, who have cautiously entertained the abolition of the two-out-of-three rule in return for similar diversity measures to Xenophon. |
| The Greens will not entertain any limitations to the ABC and SBS and they want a commitment to local content. They are working with NXT on measures to protect journalists’ jobs while trying to ensure tax breaks are not exploited by larger publishers. | The Greens will not entertain any limitations to the ABC and SBS and they want a commitment to local content. They are working with NXT on measures to protect journalists’ jobs while trying to ensure tax breaks are not exploited by larger publishers. |
| The government would pass the bill with the Greens and NXT so the Hanson deal might be all fluff and filler. | The government would pass the bill with the Greens and NXT so the Hanson deal might be all fluff and filler. |
| So stick with me, this my second-last day in blogland. Speak to me in the thread or on the Twits. I will post to my Facebook page as well. Penny Wong coming up next and her staffer, NZ Labor and citizenship shenanigans. | So stick with me, this my second-last day in blogland. Speak to me in the thread or on the Twits. I will post to my Facebook page as well. Penny Wong coming up next and her staffer, NZ Labor and citizenship shenanigans. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.07pm BST | at 11.07pm BST |