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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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| Julie Bishop questions Penny Wong's fitness for office – politics live | Julie Bishop questions Penny Wong's fitness for office – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 3.53am BST | |
| 03:53 | |
| The Western Australian Parliament is expected to hold a joint sitting at 11am AWST to fill the vacancy caused by Senator Back's resignation | |
| You will remember Chris Back will be replaced by Slade Brockman, described by our friends at the West Australian as a staunch conservative. He used to work for Mathias Cormann. | |
| 3.47am BST | |
| 03:47 | |
| The chief of army, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, is speaking at the National Press Club. | |
| He is speaking about the campaign against domestic violence and abuse in the Australian defence forces. | |
| He starts by going straight to the criticism from some commentators about defence chiefs running “agendas” as opposed to doing their core job – running the army. | |
| I know some commentators decry agendas, which they regard as detrimental to the war-fighting capability of the Australian defence force. And some note that in their view there are many other important and serious defence and security issues to be talking about. Be assured, these other issues are also receiving my full and appropriate attention, and that of the other chiefs. But we can walk and chew gum at the same time. Indeed, as I will explain, the two are intimately connected. The culture helps to build the force. | |
| Campbell said last Friday – the same day as he reviewed new infantry troops in Singleton – he read incorrect reports that the army had stopped recruiting men. He said the troop he reviewed had 19 men and two women. | |
| To put things into perspective, last financial year, 16/17, 617 men and 23 women entered our first recruit training at Kapooka seeking to qualify for training in the infantry. It does not a revolution make. | |
| Updated | |
| at 3.54am BST | |
| 3.38am BST | |
| 03:38 | |
| Young farmer of the year: I just so happen to be gay. Vote yes | |
| Paul Karp | |
| I’ve had a chat with Jason Smith, an openly gay dairy farmer who just won Young Farmer of the Year at an awards ceremony at parliament. | |
| Smith says he’s worried the postal survey on same-sex marriage “will hurt a lot of rural LGBTI people” but “if it’s going ahead, we must all vote yes”. | |
| I come across some challenging people in rural areas, there are some people who have been quite negative. But overall, there’s a lot of positive [people] for same-sex marriage in rural areas. They truly believe that whichever method it comes about – although I disagree with a postal plebiscite or vote – if it makes it so that we can get it and move forward, then so be it. | |
| Smith says he’s “pretty busy on the farm” but makes regular media appearances and is urging people to enrol at public events. | |
| My thing that I’m trying to get across is, I’m a normal farmer, I just so happen to be gay. This affects everyone, it’s across our community – rural, city, everywhere. | |
| Jason Smith Young Farmer of the Year @ABCNetwork @KondininGroup @NationalFarmers pic.twitter.com/s6uuB10Fl5 | |
| Updated | |
| at 3.54am BST | |
| 3.30am BST | |
| 03:30 | |
| Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce @ Aust.Farmer of the Year awards in P/H @gabriellechan @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/1WR8s1Wppp | |
| 3.29am BST | |
| 03:29 | |
| Lunchtime politics | |
| The Coalition has lost a Senate bid to suspend standing orders to try to censure Labor Senate leader Penny Wong over her chief of staff Marcus Ganley’s contact with NZ Labour MP Chris Hipkins. Hipkins asked a question regarding citizenship relating to a case a lot like Barnaby Joyce, whose father was born in New Zealand. The Greens and Nick Xenophon voted against suspension, as did Australian Conservatives senator Cory Bernardi, who made the point people in politics exploit their personal contacts all the time. Der. Let he or she without sin cast the first stone. | |
| The suspension debate managed to push the media bill further down the Senate agenda to the point where we don’t think our elected representatives will get to it today. Nevertheless, negotiations continue. One Nation have been lauding their proposed amendments which would attempt to rein in the ABC in favour of commercial operations. ON senator Malcolm Roberts held up Rupert Murdoch as a fair and balanced player compared with the ABC, even though he says all privately owned media take sides. Recovering from my whiplash, ON senator Brian Burston has said his party’s “fair and balanced” amendments would mean the ABC would have to put both sides of the case (which they do under their charter), including on issues such as vaccinations. | |
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| at 3.40am BST | |
| 3.08am BST | 3.08am BST |
| 03:08 | 03:08 |
| One Nation Senator Brian Burston tells @SkyNewsAust the ABC must tell "both sides" of the vaccination "debate" to provide balanced coverage | One Nation Senator Brian Burston tells @SkyNewsAust the ABC must tell "both sides" of the vaccination "debate" to provide balanced coverage |
| 2.56am BST | 2.56am BST |
| 02:56 | 02:56 |
| Matthew Knott of Fairfax makes the point: | Matthew Knott of Fairfax makes the point: |
| Looks like One Nation outfoxed by govt on media deregulation. All their main ABC conditions are in separate legislation so will prob fail | Looks like One Nation outfoxed by govt on media deregulation. All their main ABC conditions are in separate legislation so will prob fail |
| 2.52am BST | 2.52am BST |
| 02:52 | 02:52 |
| Homeland. | Homeland. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.53am BST | at 2.53am BST |
| 2.37am BST | 2.37am BST |
| 02:37 | 02:37 |
| An update on housekeeping. | An update on housekeeping. |
| After this morning’s flurry in the Senate, the media reforms have slipped down the order of government business. A cynic might suggest the suspension of standing orders against Penny Wong may have been an exercise to buy time for furious negotiations on the media bill. At this rate, the Senate will not get to it today, given there are a few bills in front of it. | After this morning’s flurry in the Senate, the media reforms have slipped down the order of government business. A cynic might suggest the suspension of standing orders against Penny Wong may have been an exercise to buy time for furious negotiations on the media bill. At this rate, the Senate will not get to it today, given there are a few bills in front of it. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.38am BST | at 2.38am BST |
| 2.23am BST | 2.23am BST |
| 02:23 | 02:23 |
| Actor Sam Neill passes on a note from his neighbours. | Actor Sam Neill passes on a note from his neighbours. |
| A note from small neighbours Ann & Zac to @JulieBishopMP& @TurnbullMalcolm @AllBlacks @InsidersABC @jacindaardern Barnaby Joyce New Zealand pic.twitter.com/9UEKhJKZu0 | A note from small neighbours Ann & Zac to @JulieBishopMP& @TurnbullMalcolm @AllBlacks @InsidersABC @jacindaardern Barnaby Joyce New Zealand pic.twitter.com/9UEKhJKZu0 |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.29am BST | at 2.29am BST |
| 2.21am BST | 2.21am BST |
| 02:21 | 02:21 |
| Not that we want to be starting anything ... given there’s too much of everything | Not that we want to be starting anything ... given there’s too much of everything |
| Katharine Murphy | Katharine Murphy |
| I’ve been making calls this morning about the media reform package, given it is now obvious the government is inching towards a conclusion of sorts. | I’ve been making calls this morning about the media reform package, given it is now obvious the government is inching towards a conclusion of sorts. |
| Let’s consider the current state of play. | Let’s consider the current state of play. |
| One Nation and the government have come to terms. Nick Xenophon has signalled he’s not up for One Nation and the government’s terms. | One Nation and the government have come to terms. Nick Xenophon has signalled he’s not up for One Nation and the government’s terms. |
| The Greens have signalled a willingness to negotiate as well. Under the former communications spokesman Scott Ludlam, in my view there is no way the Greens would have supported a package removing the two-out-of-three rule, because removing the two-out-of-three rule makes the Australian media market more concentrated in terms of ownership. | The Greens have signalled a willingness to negotiate as well. Under the former communications spokesman Scott Ludlam, in my view there is no way the Greens would have supported a package removing the two-out-of-three rule, because removing the two-out-of-three rule makes the Australian media market more concentrated in terms of ownership. |
| But under the new communications portfolio holder, Sarah Hanson-Young, the starting position has become more flexible. The Greens are also concerned about the risk that the media-reform package could become an attack on the public broadcasters if the debate is left to One Nation and the government. | But under the new communications portfolio holder, Sarah Hanson-Young, the starting position has become more flexible. The Greens are also concerned about the risk that the media-reform package could become an attack on the public broadcasters if the debate is left to One Nation and the government. |
| But bearing in mind this is a week in which the Greens have traded public blows with one another on a major current affairs program, I thought it prudent to try and discover whether everyone in the Greens is flexible about talking to the government on media reform. | But bearing in mind this is a week in which the Greens have traded public blows with one another on a major current affairs program, I thought it prudent to try and discover whether everyone in the Greens is flexible about talking to the government on media reform. |
| I started with the obvious person you would start with, given the events of recent times – the NSW Greens senator Lee Rhiannon. I asked her this morning whether she thought it was OK to negotiate with the government on media reform. She replied: “No comment.” When I pressed her to expand on “no comment”, she told me her only comment was “no comment”. | I started with the obvious person you would start with, given the events of recent times – the NSW Greens senator Lee Rhiannon. I asked her this morning whether she thought it was OK to negotiate with the government on media reform. She replied: “No comment.” When I pressed her to expand on “no comment”, she told me her only comment was “no comment”. |
| I understand there is internal debate within the Greens about the merits of dealing with the government on this media package, both because of the risks of further concentration in the Australian media market (which various studies suggest is one of the most concentrated, in terms of ownership, in the developed world), and because of a basic political calculation: why throw a lifeline to a struggling Coalition government? | I understand there is internal debate within the Greens about the merits of dealing with the government on this media package, both because of the risks of further concentration in the Australian media market (which various studies suggest is one of the most concentrated, in terms of ownership, in the developed world), and because of a basic political calculation: why throw a lifeline to a struggling Coalition government? |
| Hard to say how this story ends. It’s going to be interesting to watch how this story comes together. | Hard to say how this story ends. It’s going to be interesting to watch how this story comes together. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.27am BST | at 2.27am BST |
| 2.13am BST | 2.13am BST |
| 02:13 | 02:13 |
| Coalition closes loophole which allowed teens to vote on marriage | Coalition closes loophole which allowed teens to vote on marriage |
| Paul Karp | Paul Karp |
| Acting special minister of state, Mathias Cormann, has released a statement announcing he has issued a direction to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, closing a reported loophole that could have allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in the same-sex marriage postal survey. | Acting special minister of state, Mathias Cormann, has released a statement announcing he has issued a direction to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, closing a reported loophole that could have allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in the same-sex marriage postal survey. |
| According to the Australian Electoral Commission, 16- and 17-year-olds would never have been able to vote: | According to the Australian Electoral Commission, 16- and 17-year-olds would never have been able to vote: |
| The normal enrolment processes apply – 16- and 17-year-olds are not added to the commonwealth electoral roll until they turn 18. They are ‘provisionally’ enrolled until they turn 18. Under section 90B of the Commonwealth Electoral Act the AEC only provided the details of electors that are enrolled, not provisionally enrolled. Section 90B is the AEC’s authority to provide the roll to the ABS, therefore 16- and 17-year-olds will not be included in the Australia Marriage Law Postal Survey.” | The normal enrolment processes apply – 16- and 17-year-olds are not added to the commonwealth electoral roll until they turn 18. They are ‘provisionally’ enrolled until they turn 18. Under section 90B of the Commonwealth Electoral Act the AEC only provided the details of electors that are enrolled, not provisionally enrolled. Section 90B is the AEC’s authority to provide the roll to the ABS, therefore 16- and 17-year-olds will not be included in the Australia Marriage Law Postal Survey.” |
| But now Cormann has put it beyond doubt, announcing he has issued a direction “to make the intention absolutely clear” that only Australians who are 18 years or older on 24 August, 2017 be allowed to vote. | But now Cormann has put it beyond doubt, announcing he has issued a direction “to make the intention absolutely clear” that only Australians who are 18 years or older on 24 August, 2017 be allowed to vote. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.25am BST | at 2.25am BST |