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| Greens vow to protect ABC from 'blatant ideological attack' – politics live | Greens vow to protect ABC from 'blatant ideological attack' – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 6.26am BST | |
| 06:26 | |
| This motion has just passed the Senate, with Labor joining with the Greens: | |
| The Senate notes: | |
| a) The overwhelming public support for the ABC and SBS in providing news services, quality programming including for children, and online catch up services iView and SBS On Demand. | |
| b) The vital role of the national broadcasters in promoting a diversity of services in the Australian media environment. | |
| c) The Liberal-National Government is waging an ideological war on public broadcasting, as evidenced by successive budget cuts, reviews and inquiries, and its recent deal with the One Nation Party in the context of the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Broadcasting Reform) Bill 2017 which includes: | |
| a. a competitive neutrality inquiry into the ABC and SBS | |
| b. amendments to the ABC Charter to undermine its independence | |
| c. amendments to legislation to force the disclosure of the salaries of staff at the ABC and SBS. | |
| The Senate agrees it will not support legislation that forces the ABC or SBS to publicise the salaries of its staff, breaching their right to privacy. | |
| 6.13am BST | |
| 06:13 | |
| Is the national energy guarantee a carbon price? | |
| The government has been dancing around this issue for the past day a bit, mostly because it may not want to alert the party room to the fact it might have got this by them. | |
| But is the Neg a carbon price? | |
| The chief executive of the Australian Energy Council, Matthew Warren has given his verdict on Sky: | |
| Well, yes, of course it is. Anything that operates, anything that drives investment in the electricity sector in the 21st century, if is going to work, has to reflect the carbon price. There is a value that is attributed to the risk of carbon in all investments. | |
| Updated | |
| at 6.18am BST | |
| 6.08am BST | |
| 06:08 | |
| The communications minister, Mitch Fifield, has commended the ABC bill to the chamber, which would add “fair and balanced” to the ABC charter, which already has the word “impartial”. | |
| It is important to recognise that the bill will not alter or diminish in any way the ABC’s independence. Objectively, there should be no concern about this proposal. The ABC’s own editorial policies require the ABC to adhere to fair treatment in the gathering and presentation of news and information, and a balance in its news reporting that follows the weight of evidence. The amendment contained in this bill simple enshrine this obligation in legislation. | |
| As a few of you have pointed out, “fair and balanced”, which was the One Nation suggestion, was the slogan of Fox News, but it dropped it,less than a year after its creator, Roger Ailes, was fired after sexual harassment allegations. | |
| Updated | |
| at 6.18am BST | |
| 5.53am BST | 5.53am BST |
| 05:53 | 05:53 |
| A quick update on where Andrew Wilkie’s allegations in parliament have gone: the Greens and crossbench want a Senate inquiry: | A quick update on where Andrew Wilkie’s allegations in parliament have gone: the Greens and crossbench want a Senate inquiry: |
| The Australian Greens, together with Senator Jacqui Lambie and the Nick Xenophon Team are moving for a Senate inquiry into the regulation of Australia’s casino industry, after allegations of poker machine tampering levelled at Crown Casino.Crown should not continue to operate its poker machines until a full and independent audit is undertaken, said the Australian Greens Leader, Dr Richard Di Natale. | |
| We know that pokies cause substantial harm in the community. Actions that trap people into losing even more money are deeply concerning and need to be investigated. | |
| Politicians at the state and federal level cannot sit by and allow such serious allegations to go unchecked. Crown has given over $1m to the LNP and ALP in the last 10 years: now we will see what that money buys them. | |
| Updated | |
| at 6.16am BST | |
| 5.50am BST | 5.50am BST |
| 05:50 | 05:50 |
| On Syria’s President Basha al-Assad, Bishop says the regime will “have to be part of the negotiations towards a political solution [in Iraq]. What we don’t want to see is Syria falling to complete anarchy – there has to be a political solution. | |
| “There is now a Raqqa civilian council which has been set up to focus on local governance in Raqqa, but the coalition will have to work with the Assad regime and Russia and Iran and others who have been backing Assad to find a political solution which involves [the] Syrians.” | “There is now a Raqqa civilian council which has been set up to focus on local governance in Raqqa, but the coalition will have to work with the Assad regime and Russia and Iran and others who have been backing Assad to find a political solution which involves [the] Syrians.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.16am BST | |
| 5.46am BST | 5.46am BST |
| 05:46 | 05:46 |
| Speaking on Sky, Julie Bishop says the government has not forgotten about the 110 Australians who went to fight for Islamic State. | Speaking on Sky, Julie Bishop says the government has not forgotten about the 110 Australians who went to fight for Islamic State. |
| Should they survive, about 80, maybe 83 Australians have been killed fighting for Isis by the anti-Isis forces and others ... I don’t know whether all 110 will [want to return to Australia] but there is that potential and that is why we are tracking them, they are under surveillance to the extent that we can, we are working with partners in the region to exchange information, and we will seek to track them and to intervene so they can’t carry out a terrorist attack on the way home or indeed in Australia. | Should they survive, about 80, maybe 83 Australians have been killed fighting for Isis by the anti-Isis forces and others ... I don’t know whether all 110 will [want to return to Australia] but there is that potential and that is why we are tracking them, they are under surveillance to the extent that we can, we are working with partners in the region to exchange information, and we will seek to track them and to intervene so they can’t carry out a terrorist attack on the way home or indeed in Australia. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.50am BST | at 5.50am BST |
| 5.40am BST | 5.40am BST |
| 05:40 | 05:40 |
| To catch up on all things question time, you can head here: | To catch up on all things question time, you can head here: |
| Did you miss QT in the House? You can catch up on our YouTube channel: https://t.co/eUvteChVly | Did you miss QT in the House? You can catch up on our YouTube channel: https://t.co/eUvteChVly |
| 5.17am BST | 5.17am BST |
| 05:17 | 05:17 |
| Sarah Hanson-Young has had a bit to say about the ABC changes the government has proposed (with a little help from One Nation, and by help, we mean demands). | Sarah Hanson-Young has had a bit to say about the ABC changes the government has proposed (with a little help from One Nation, and by help, we mean demands). |
| The Greens communications spokeswoman said in a statement: | The Greens communications spokeswoman said in a statement: |
| Australians love and trust the ABC and are sick of seeing the public broadcaster used as political punching bag. | Australians love and trust the ABC and are sick of seeing the public broadcaster used as political punching bag. |
| The Greens will fight to protect the ABC from this blatant ideological attack and will do everything we can to save our public broadcaster from the government and One Nation’s axe. | The Greens will fight to protect the ABC from this blatant ideological attack and will do everything we can to save our public broadcaster from the government and One Nation’s axe. |
| First it was Tony Abbott breaking his promise not to cut the ABC’s funding; now it’s Pauline Hanson wanting to dictate how the public broadcaster does its job and how it reports on news. | First it was Tony Abbott breaking his promise not to cut the ABC’s funding; now it’s Pauline Hanson wanting to dictate how the public broadcaster does its job and how it reports on news. |
| It was only a few months ago that Pauline Hanson crowed about going after the ABC as revenge for the broadcaster reporting the dodgy antics the One Nation political party gets up to. | It was only a few months ago that Pauline Hanson crowed about going after the ABC as revenge for the broadcaster reporting the dodgy antics the One Nation political party gets up to. |
| Opening up the ABC’s charter to give more coverage to the loopy ideas of anti-vaxxers or anti-science is not about making the public broadcaster ‘fair and balanced’ – it’s revenge from One Nation senators who can’t handle the truth being reported. | Opening up the ABC’s charter to give more coverage to the loopy ideas of anti-vaxxers or anti-science is not about making the public broadcaster ‘fair and balanced’ – it’s revenge from One Nation senators who can’t handle the truth being reported. |
| I’m calling on Labor and the Nick Xenophon Team to join with the Greens in voting this toxic legislation down. | I’m calling on Labor and the Nick Xenophon Team to join with the Greens in voting this toxic legislation down. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.28am BST | at 5.28am BST |
| 5.15am BST | 5.15am BST |
| 05:15 | 05:15 |
| We finish on an “any alternative approaches” dixer for Darren Chester, where he links the Neg to regional development and then we are done. | We finish on an “any alternative approaches” dixer for Darren Chester, where he links the Neg to regional development and then we are done. |
| Small mercies. | Small mercies. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.25am BST | at 5.25am BST |
| 5.13am BST | 5.13am BST |
| 05:13 | 05:13 |
| Michelle Rowland tries again (after a dixer). | Michelle Rowland tries again (after a dixer). |
| “Is the prime minister so out of touch that he doesn’t understand the people are complaining because his second-rate copper NBN is slower, more expensive and less reliable than what the prime minister promised? | “Is the prime minister so out of touch that he doesn’t understand the people are complaining because his second-rate copper NBN is slower, more expensive and less reliable than what the prime minister promised? |
| Malcolm Turnbull is once again very pleased to talk on this. | Malcolm Turnbull is once again very pleased to talk on this. |
| I thank the honourable member for the question because it gives me an opportunity to update my earlier answer. As of today, as of the 12 ... October, the latest numbers, 6 million people are able to connect to the NBN. Nearly 40,000, nearly 40,000 premises were activated on the NBN in the last week. Labor, remember, 50,000 in six years. | I thank the honourable member for the question because it gives me an opportunity to update my earlier answer. As of today, as of the 12 ... October, the latest numbers, 6 million people are able to connect to the NBN. Nearly 40,000, nearly 40,000 premises were activated on the NBN in the last week. Labor, remember, 50,000 in six years. |
| The reality is this: As the honourable member knows, and she should know this, that what has been going on is that retail service providers, Telstra, TPG, have not been buying enough bandwidth to provision their customers. That is being investigated by the ACCC. It has been called out. They have been given three months to get their act together and ensure that what they promise they deliver. | The reality is this: As the honourable member knows, and she should know this, that what has been going on is that retail service providers, Telstra, TPG, have not been buying enough bandwidth to provision their customers. That is being investigated by the ACCC. It has been called out. They have been given three months to get their act together and ensure that what they promise they deliver. |
| It has nothing to do with whether the network is fibre to the premises, fibre to the basement, fibre to the node, the problem of under provision by retail service providers is common across all technologies. The honourable member should recall that she was part of a government that completely and utterly failed this project. | It has nothing to do with whether the network is fibre to the premises, fibre to the basement, fibre to the node, the problem of under provision by retail service providers is common across all technologies. The honourable member should recall that she was part of a government that completely and utterly failed this project. |
| They left us a train wreck. We have turned it around. We are getting it built. We are getting it built. Over 6 million premises can connect. Over 3 million are connected and it will be finished by 2020. | They left us a train wreck. We have turned it around. We are getting it built. We are getting it built. Over 6 million premises can connect. Over 3 million are connected and it will be finished by 2020. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.25am BST | at 5.25am BST |
| 5.10am BST | 5.10am BST |
| 05:10 | 05:10 |
| We have moved on to the the NBN and Malcolm Turnbull is very happy with Labor because it “gives me an opportunity to remind honourable members once again that every 10 days the NBN under our government is connecting more Australians than Labor did in six years”. | We have moved on to the the NBN and Malcolm Turnbull is very happy with Labor because it “gives me an opportunity to remind honourable members once again that every 10 days the NBN under our government is connecting more Australians than Labor did in six years”. |
| “We are connecting between 30,000 to 40,000 premises a week! 30,000 to 40,000 premises a week! There are now 3 million customers connected ... ” | “We are connecting between 30,000 to 40,000 premises a week! 30,000 to 40,000 premises a week! There are now 3 million customers connected ... ” |
| Labor starts yelling “copper” but Turnbull continues – but it is nothing we haven’t heard before. | Labor starts yelling “copper” but Turnbull continues – but it is nothing we haven’t heard before. |
| The NBN is available at more than 6 million premises. | The NBN is available at more than 6 million premises. |
| It is on track to be completed by 2020. | It is on track to be completed by 2020. |
| It is “well past” the halfway mark. | It is “well past” the halfway mark. |
| He’s the rubber and you’re the glue. | He’s the rubber and you’re the glue. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.22am BST | at 5.22am BST |
| 5.05am BST | 5.05am BST |
| 05:05 | 05:05 |
| Chris Bowen wants Scott Morrison to confirm that the “sum total” of documentation the opposition was provided was a single letter: | Chris Bowen wants Scott Morrison to confirm that the “sum total” of documentation the opposition was provided was a single letter: |
| Given the opposition has received absolutely no other documentation modelling or evidence from the government, can the treasurer confirm that the cabinet and the joint party room considered and adopted a major government policy based purely on the vibe? | Given the opposition has received absolutely no other documentation modelling or evidence from the government, can the treasurer confirm that the cabinet and the joint party room considered and adopted a major government policy based purely on the vibe? |
| Morrison: | Morrison: |
| The shadow treasurer is such a terrible, sad sack! Here are the papers the government has available to us that are available to the opposition. The ACCC’s inquiry into gas, Mr Speaker, the interim report and its 75 pages, the ACCC’s report into retail electricity pricing, Mr Speaker, some 175 pages. The electricity statement of opportunities prepared which I tabled, Mr Speaker. The advice the commonwealth government on dispatchable capacity, Mr Speaker. I have now a document, a statement from the cChief scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, on the Australian government’s energy announcement which he says, “The process was thorough, the emissions reduction trajectory has provided a credible ... ” | The shadow treasurer is such a terrible, sad sack! Here are the papers the government has available to us that are available to the opposition. The ACCC’s inquiry into gas, Mr Speaker, the interim report and its 75 pages, the ACCC’s report into retail electricity pricing, Mr Speaker, some 175 pages. The electricity statement of opportunities prepared which I tabled, Mr Speaker. The advice the commonwealth government on dispatchable capacity, Mr Speaker. I have now a document, a statement from the cChief scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, on the Australian government’s energy announcement which he says, “The process was thorough, the emissions reduction trajectory has provided a credible ... ” |
| You get the idea. | You get the idea. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.21am BST | at 5.21am BST |
| 5.01am BST | 5.01am BST |
| 05:01 | 05:01 |
| Peter Dutton gets his dixer and, in a feat of verbal gymnastics, manages to link strong borders to energy policy. | Peter Dutton gets his dixer and, in a feat of verbal gymnastics, manages to link strong borders to energy policy. |
| But one of the things that all of these projects have in common, Mr Speaker, is they need reliable and affordable power. They must have reliable and affordable power and that is what the national energy guarantee provides, Mr Speaker. It means more capacity in the system. More supply, driving down the price, working with the other elements of the government’s energy policy which are also driving down price and driving up reliability. | But one of the things that all of these projects have in common, Mr Speaker, is they need reliable and affordable power. They must have reliable and affordable power and that is what the national energy guarantee provides, Mr Speaker. It means more capacity in the system. More supply, driving down the price, working with the other elements of the government’s energy policy which are also driving down price and driving up reliability. |
| Now, who could be against a policy that ensures reliability and drives down the price of energy, Mr Speaker? No sensible person would and that is why, as the minister for the environment and energy pointed out, there’s been so many third-party endorsements of this policy in the last 24 hours. | Now, who could be against a policy that ensures reliability and drives down the price of energy, Mr Speaker? No sensible person would and that is why, as the minister for the environment and energy pointed out, there’s been so many third-party endorsements of this policy in the last 24 hours. |
| There are two people who are against it. There is the leader of the opposition, Mr Speaker, who is like the dog that caught the cow – he’s been demanding a policy on energy that would drive down prices and reliability and now he’s caught it, he doesn’t know what to do with it, Mr Speaker. | There are two people who are against it. There is the leader of the opposition, Mr Speaker, who is like the dog that caught the cow – he’s been demanding a policy on energy that would drive down prices and reliability and now he’s caught it, he doesn’t know what to do with it, Mr Speaker. |
| And he’s leading the Labor party into a very bad policy position because he is like the dog that caught the proverbial! The other person is the premier of South Australia, the premier of South Australia who just wants to pick a fight with Canberra! | And he’s leading the Labor party into a very bad policy position because he is like the dog that caught the proverbial! The other person is the premier of South Australia, the premier of South Australia who just wants to pick a fight with Canberra! |
| It is here that I remind you that Tony Abbott is also against the policy. But I’m sure he’ll have more to say himself on 2GB a bit later. | It is here that I remind you that Tony Abbott is also against the policy. But I’m sure he’ll have more to say himself on 2GB a bit later. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.20am BST | at 5.20am BST |
| 4.58am BST | 4.58am BST |
| 04:58 | 04:58 |
| Just a quick brush-up at the desk. | Just a quick brush-up at the desk. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.03am BST | at 5.03am BST |
| 4.52am BST | 4.52am BST |
| 04:52 | 04:52 |
| Christian Porter takes a question on the energy supplement for carers asked to Malcolm Turnbull and manages to get Sam Dastyari into his answer. As you read this, please be advised there is a Chinese delegation sitting in the gallery, as welcomed by Tony Smith, who found this exchange quite interesting, given the amount of chatter that started up among them. | Christian Porter takes a question on the energy supplement for carers asked to Malcolm Turnbull and manages to get Sam Dastyari into his answer. As you read this, please be advised there is a Chinese delegation sitting in the gallery, as welcomed by Tony Smith, who found this exchange quite interesting, given the amount of chatter that started up among them. |
| Was the Labor’s fiscal plan saving the supplement, banking it and spending it? Absolutely. What the member for Jagajaga does is gets up here and criticises the government for making a savings measure which they have made, which they have banked and which they have already spent. And in the process of doing so, the member for Jagajaga criticises the fact that the energy guarantee has the capacity to deliver a savings in 2020 each year of up to $115 a week. Now – a year – a year. | Was the Labor’s fiscal plan saving the supplement, banking it and spending it? Absolutely. What the member for Jagajaga does is gets up here and criticises the government for making a savings measure which they have made, which they have banked and which they have already spent. And in the process of doing so, the member for Jagajaga criticises the fact that the energy guarantee has the capacity to deliver a savings in 2020 each year of up to $115 a week. Now – a year – a year. |
| The criticism of that is that – the criticism of that is it is not enough, Mr Speaker. In fact, Senator Dastyari tried to make that criticism today with a cheeseburger. I understand he was more of a Chinese food aficionado, but hear, hear! $115 a year is a potential saving to Australian households, it is actually significant. | The criticism of that is that – the criticism of that is it is not enough, Mr Speaker. In fact, Senator Dastyari tried to make that criticism today with a cheeseburger. I understand he was more of a Chinese food aficionado, but hear, hear! $115 a year is a potential saving to Australian households, it is actually significant. |
| It might not be significant to members opposite who prefer Chinese food but a potential $115 a year saving is very significant. It is absolutely significant when you compare it to the potential cost increases for the average electricity bill that are going to occur if you try and put$66bn worth of taxpayers’ money into subsidising renewables which members opposite also say don’t … | It might not be significant to members opposite who prefer Chinese food but a potential $115 a year saving is very significant. It is absolutely significant when you compare it to the potential cost increases for the average electricity bill that are going to occur if you try and put$66bn worth of taxpayers’ money into subsidising renewables which members opposite also say don’t … |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.56am BST | at 4.56am BST |
| 4.48am BST | 4.48am BST |
| 04:48 | 04:48 |
| It might be prudent to point out that a Queensland election is expected to be called at any moment and Katter’s Australian party is fighting One Nation off in its two Queensland electorates as I post this photo. | It might be prudent to point out that a Queensland election is expected to be called at any moment and Katter’s Australian party is fighting One Nation off in its two Queensland electorates as I post this photo. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.56am BST | at 4.56am BST |
| 4.46am BST | 4.46am BST |
| 04:46 | 04:46 |
| Tanya Plibersek has the call and she asks Malcolm Turnbull about the promised drop in power prices made before coming to office, where “the Liberals promised Australians their power bills would drop by $550 a year. They didn’t.” | Tanya Plibersek has the call and she asks Malcolm Turnbull about the promised drop in power prices made before coming to office, where “the Liberals promised Australians their power bills would drop by $550 a year. They didn’t.” |
| Scott Morrison has A LOT to say about this, but is hushed by the Speaker. Plibersek picks up where she left off, asking about the “lousy 50 cents a week in three years’ time. Why would the Australian people believe anything this prime minister says about energy prices?” | Scott Morrison has A LOT to say about this, but is hushed by the Speaker. Plibersek picks up where she left off, asking about the “lousy 50 cents a week in three years’ time. Why would the Australian people believe anything this prime minister says about energy prices?” |
| Malcolm Turnbull decides to rest his voice; Josh Frydenberg takes the floor. | Malcolm Turnbull decides to rest his voice; Josh Frydenberg takes the floor. |
| “Well, Mr Speaker, I thank the member for her question. And I can read from an ACCC report,” he begins. | “Well, Mr Speaker, I thank the member for her question. And I can read from an ACCC report,” he begins. |
| (“Well done, Josh,” yells a Labor MP.) | (“Well done, Josh,” yells a Labor MP.) |
| “I can read from an ACCC report which says about the abolition of the carbon tax the commonwealth treasuries estimated$550 cost saving to households is reasonable, Mr Speaker,” Frydenberg says. | “I can read from an ACCC report which says about the abolition of the carbon tax the commonwealth treasuries estimated$550 cost saving to households is reasonable, Mr Speaker,” Frydenberg says. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.54am BST | at 4.54am BST |
| 4.41am BST | 4.41am BST |
| 04:41 | 04:41 |
| Barnaby Joyce gets his daily dose of dixer and picks up from yesterday with his attack on basket weavers, but unfortunately there is no update on Moonbeam and Dewdrop from the Manic Monkey Cafe, but we do get a history lesson: | Barnaby Joyce gets his daily dose of dixer and picks up from yesterday with his attack on basket weavers, but unfortunately there is no update on Moonbeam and Dewdrop from the Manic Monkey Cafe, but we do get a history lesson: |
| And I want to quote someone from the Labor party who was talking about that Gladstone coal-fired power station. This member said this: “Naturally the Australian Labor party welcomes the commonwealth participation in the provision of electricity in central Queensland, which is an area where power has been hardest to come by and is the most expensive in Australia.” | And I want to quote someone from the Labor party who was talking about that Gladstone coal-fired power station. This member said this: “Naturally the Australian Labor party welcomes the commonwealth participation in the provision of electricity in central Queensland, which is an area where power has been hardest to come by and is the most expensive in Australia.” |
| That member for the Labor party later went on to say about this: “The only problem he has with the coal-fired power is the advance was not a grant.” | That member for the Labor party later went on to say about this: “The only problem he has with the coal-fired power is the advance was not a grant.” |
| Who was that member of the Labor party? Who could that be? Who could that be? I will take the interjection that said Mark Latham. Edward Gough Whitlam. Hasn’t the apple fallen a long way from the tree? The apple has gone all the way from central Queensland ... the basket weavers now run this – I can say to them, men and women ofAustralia, if you want to play, $66,000m then vote ... [Labor]. | Who was that member of the Labor party? Who could that be? Who could that be? I will take the interjection that said Mark Latham. Edward Gough Whitlam. Hasn’t the apple fallen a long way from the tree? The apple has gone all the way from central Queensland ... the basket weavers now run this – I can say to them, men and women ofAustralia, if you want to play, $66,000m then vote ... [Labor]. |
| Some might think technologies have moved on since Whitlam’s time, but it’s good to have Joyce let those people know they are wrong. | Some might think technologies have moved on since Whitlam’s time, but it’s good to have Joyce let those people know they are wrong. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.44am BST | at 4.44am BST |