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Spirits run high as energy debate dominates question time – politics live | |
(35 minutes later) | |
4.19am BST | |
04:19 | |
Scott Morrison gets a dixer and in his answer appears surprised that the Opposition, would, well, oppose something the government has put forward. | |
Yesterday, we said yes to providing certainty for investment in boosting energy supply through the National Energy Guarantee that will make power more affordable, more reliable and achieve our environmental commitments. Business and industry have said yes to that, Mr Speaker. Economists have said yes to that, Mr Speaker. The Chief Scientist has said yes, Mr Speaker to the National Energy Guarantee. What has Labor done again? Labor has said no. Labor have no plans for investment certainty, they only have a plan to say no, Mr Speaker, on every single occasion as this government works to drive investment that support jobs,that supports certainty, that support higher-paid jobs and that support a growing economy, Mr Speaker. What they do is they look for any excuse to say no, any and every excuse and they will sink to seeking to discredit and bully an Energy Security Board with people appointed by Labor state governments and yet we have seen them in interview after interview seek to undermine those independently-appointed members of that board, seeking to bully and intimidate like the unions they defend and protect for that behaviour in this place on every single day, Mr Speaker. The recipe from those opposite is higher taxes, higher subsidies, $66 billion in higher costs for Australian business and consumers which...” | |
Sadly, we run out of time before we get to hear what that recipe creates. | |
4.14am BST | |
04:14 | |
It’s official– the government has decided on it’s three word sell. | |
Affordable ✅ Reliable ✅ Responsible ✅ WATCH the PM on @TheTodayShow pic.twitter.com/cXDafferXo | |
4.13am BST | |
04:13 | |
Barnaby Joyce is his usual healthy shade of beetroot, but Turnbull’s voice is already starting to fade. That’s the problem with the non-stop sell. Someone might need to pass him a Soother. | |
The Labor backbench is not as rowdy as the Coalition as yet. But it is only just warming up. Turnbull takes a dixer on energy and gets to use his smartest people in the room quote again. One would assume he includes Alan Finkel in that, given he is the Chief Scientist. We move on to Mark Butler and the affordability aspect of the Neg. | |
“Last night when asked whether she would personally guarantee to the people of Australia that their energy bills will be cheaper in three years’ time under the Prime Minister’s latest energy policy, the chair of the Energy Security Board said, “I don’t think anybody can guarantee a price reduction.” When the chair of the government’s Energy Security Board can’t guarantee that energy prices will fall for households, why should the Australian people believe the Prime Minister’s so-called guarantee?” | |
Turnbull is REALLY feeling the Halloween spirit. First werewolves, now scary movies. | |
“One thing we can guarantee is that if you impose a $66 billion subsidy on the Australian energy sector, and you get the taxpayers to pay for that, you can guarantee that electricity bills will be higher. If you continue to ignore the lead for dispatchable base load power you will get more blackouts and then you will get more volatility. We know how this Labor horror movie goes.It’s been playing in South Australia for years. We know what it does. They have no conception of the engineering and the economics that we need to deliver a reliable and affordable energy plan. And as forDr Shott, I can say to the LaborParty, she can’t be intimidated. She is one of the finest public servants in this country. This is what she said, this is what she said, “The guarantee is about providing a reliable power system and meeting the emissions target set in the Paris agreement.” What will happen when those mechanisms are put in price is prices are likely to come down and they are likely to keep coming down. That is exactly the same advice that we received in the letter from the Energy Security Board. The experts that we have been called on to listen to and take advice from.” | |
4.07am BST | |
04:07 | |
The lols are coming early this question time. Bill Shorten opens with a question on the Coalition’s “latest energy policy” but can’t get it all the way out, because Josh Frydenberg is laughing harder than a middle aged man watching Monty Python. | |
Malcolm Turnbull, obviously feeling the Halloween spirit, gets a little supernatural with his answer. | |
Earlier today the Leader of the Opposition stood in front of some solar panels. And for a little while he was talking sense and then a beam of sunlight struck the panel and he was transformed, not into a werewolf but an economic fantasist. This is what he said. Renewable energy is getting cheaper - he did. He said it’s correct to say we have been moving down the renewable energy path and we are seeing the benefits and he said it needs to be subsidised! Now, Mr Speaker, this is the bit that we are struggling to understand. Mr Speaker, his comrade in arms, his comrade in arms was of course the member for Sydney. She said, she’s even more emphatic, she said the renewables are becoming cheaper all the time and are already cheaper than coal. Kieran Gilbert [from Sky] was not asking an unreasonable question when he said, “So why subsidise them?” She said,”It is not about subsidies, it is about certainty.” This is the Labor Party. It is about certainty. $66 billion of cost loaded on to Australian families and Australian businesses in order to subsidise technologies that are already the cheapest alternative according to the Labor Party.” | |
3.55am BST | |
03:55 | |
Question time is almost upon us. | |
Taking a look at the morning’s events, energy will once again be the name of the game. But with the telecommunication ombudsman report, the NBN will most likely get a go as well. | |
I’m going to try to report on QT from the chamber, so wish me luck. If there are tech problems, you can bet I will be getting my running shoes on for you. | |
Updated | |
at 4.18am BST | |
3.51am BST | |
03:51 | |
You’ll find the amendments Gareth Hutchens had mentioned on the citizenship bill here. | |
Updated | |
at 4.17am BST | |
3.46am BST | |
03:46 | |
People are reacting very seriously to the allegations Andrew Wilkie raised in parliament this morning. | |
Vic gambling regulator STATEMENT: "We take any claims of this type extremely seriously and they will be thoroughly investigated." pic.twitter.com/Bfc3SaVHb4 | |
3.42am BST | 3.42am BST |
03:42 | 03:42 |
Gareth Hutchens | Gareth Hutchens |
It looks as though Peter Dutton’s controversial citizenship bill will be struck from the Senate notice paper this evening. | |
Last month the Senate voted to give Dutton until today to bring his bill on for debate in the Senate because they were tired of him telling voters how crucial his bill was while simultaneously withholding it from the Senate so it couldn’t be debated. | |
His office has reached out to key members of the Nick Xenophon Team in the past few days to talk about making amendments to the bill but it all seems too late. | |
It was the NXT that derailed Dutton’s attempt last month to enact his citizenship laws, saying they could not support the bill package in its current form. | It was the NXT that derailed Dutton’s attempt last month to enact his citizenship laws, saying they could not support the bill package in its current form. |
It meant the government would have to either dump the package completely, or make substantial changes, to get the bill through parliament. | It meant the government would have to either dump the package completely, or make substantial changes, to get the bill through parliament. |
In yesterday’s Coalition party-room meeting, Dutton told his colleagues that he would amend the citizenship package. | |
Guardian Australia has been told his office has been talking about reducing the English language test from level six (university standard) to level five, and to amend the retrospective elements of the bill that have caused consternation. | |
But those amendments would still not be enough to persuade the NXT to come onboard. | But those amendments would still not be enough to persuade the NXT to come onboard. |
The NXT has previously said the bill is “fundamentally flawed” and needs considerable redrafting. | The NXT has previously said the bill is “fundamentally flawed” and needs considerable redrafting. |
One of their major complaints is that Dutton wants to give himself – and subsequent immigration ministers – the power to overrule decisions by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on citizenship matters. | |
That aspect of the bill does not appear to have been part of recent discussions about amendments. | That aspect of the bill does not appear to have been part of recent discussions about amendments. |
The Greens have not been contacted by Dutton’s office in the last week. They expect the bill will be struck from the Senate notice paper this evening. | The Greens have not been contacted by Dutton’s office in the last week. They expect the bill will be struck from the Senate notice paper this evening. |
Updated | Updated |
at 4.18am BST | |
3.41am BST | 3.41am BST |
03:41 | 03:41 |
Christian Porter is defending the government’s planned welfare reforms. You may remember from earlier this morning (which already seems a lifetime ago) the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, slammed the proposed welfare drug testing trial and said it was stigmatising social security recipients. | Christian Porter is defending the government’s planned welfare reforms. You may remember from earlier this morning (which already seems a lifetime ago) the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, slammed the proposed welfare drug testing trial and said it was stigmatising social security recipients. |
If the real goal is to reduce the use of illegal drugs, why start with the poorest members of society? Will there also be a policy designed to drug test and crack down on the well-to-do who spend far more on drugs, and receive all sorts of tax deductions, social security payments and other government benefits? Or is it only the poorest whose drug use the government feels it should punish through social security-based measures? | |
Porter told Sky the measures should be given a chance. | Porter told Sky the measures should be given a chance. |
We’ve got 100,000 people who don’t do the right thing in the system, overwhelming two-thirds of people either don’t miss any appointments over six months, or they miss one, and they tend to move off the payment very quickly, but what we have identified is the present complexities and slackness of the compliance system means we have 100,000 people who routinely miss important things like job interviews, and they get stuck on the payment. So it is a very complicated, long and important piece of legislation. I am very confident that almost all of it will go through the Senate. Obviously the contentious issue is testing drugs in welfare recipients and to mandate treatment and it is no secret that there has been some opposition to that ... I think government should be able to try things new things in the welfare space by virtue of the fact that a lot of the old approaches simply don’t work. | |
Updated | Updated |
at 3.59am BST | |
3.20am BST | 3.20am BST |
03:20 | 03:20 |
Over at the Press Club and Brendan O’Connor is addressing the impact of the gig economy on industrial relations and how Labor plans on dealing with it: | Over at the Press Club and Brendan O’Connor is addressing the impact of the gig economy on industrial relations and how Labor plans on dealing with it: |
Federal Labor is examining exactly what we should be doing for people who are selling their labour on particular digital platforms. Recently, we have had Airtasker negotiate with unions in New South Wales a better deal for people who are using Airtasker to find work. Labor hasn’t settled on exactly what we need to do but we will apply the values that we apply to our public policy generally. We should embrace technology but we have to ensure it is not used to obviate obligations under particular laws, to undermine people’s rights and that includes industrial rights. We have a long way to go. Not only in this country. I think globally a long way to go to tackle the complexity of what is happening with the use of technology, exemplified by Uber. We will have more to say about that before the election but it is a complex area of law and I am examining other jurisdictions as to how they are approaching it. | Federal Labor is examining exactly what we should be doing for people who are selling their labour on particular digital platforms. Recently, we have had Airtasker negotiate with unions in New South Wales a better deal for people who are using Airtasker to find work. Labor hasn’t settled on exactly what we need to do but we will apply the values that we apply to our public policy generally. We should embrace technology but we have to ensure it is not used to obviate obligations under particular laws, to undermine people’s rights and that includes industrial rights. We have a long way to go. Not only in this country. I think globally a long way to go to tackle the complexity of what is happening with the use of technology, exemplified by Uber. We will have more to say about that before the election but it is a complex area of law and I am examining other jurisdictions as to how they are approaching it. |
Updated | Updated |
at 3.43am BST | at 3.43am BST |
3.15am BST | 3.15am BST |
03:15 | 03:15 |
Didn’t vote? You’re one of 1 million enrolled Australians who didn’t take up their democratic right and legal obligation in the same-sex marriage postal survey. AAP reports the Australian Electoral Commission’s latest annual report found a 46% increase since the 2013 election in people not voting, with the lowest turn out, 91%, since compulsory voting began in 1925. | |
Updated | Updated |
at 4.00am BST | |
3.12am BST | 3.12am BST |
03:12 | 03:12 |
Julie Bishop has confirmed Australian forces have played a role in the recapture of Raqqa, which served as the Islamic State capital for some time. | Julie Bishop has confirmed Australian forces have played a role in the recapture of Raqqa, which served as the Islamic State capital for some time. |
AAP reports Bishop confirmed the Royal Australian Airforce provided support as part of the international coalition, but added there were complexities: | AAP reports Bishop confirmed the Royal Australian Airforce provided support as part of the international coalition, but added there were complexities: |
The Syrian city of Raqqa and at least 90% of territory held by Isis in Iraq has been taken back by coalition forces. About 80 Australians fighting for Isis in Iraq and Syria have been killed in the conflict and the government continues to track the movements of another 110 believed to be in the field.But as Isis forces flee south, entrenched conflicts between Iraqi and Kurdish forces have been reignited in Kirkuk and Sinjar. This is deeply troubling and it’s an example of the layers of complexity in Syria and Iraq. | The Syrian city of Raqqa and at least 90% of territory held by Isis in Iraq has been taken back by coalition forces. About 80 Australians fighting for Isis in Iraq and Syria have been killed in the conflict and the government continues to track the movements of another 110 believed to be in the field.But as Isis forces flee south, entrenched conflicts between Iraqi and Kurdish forces have been reignited in Kirkuk and Sinjar. This is deeply troubling and it’s an example of the layers of complexity in Syria and Iraq. |
Bishop said Australia remained focused on defeating IS, raising concerns it would “reappear with substance in other parts of the world including in the Philippines”. | Bishop said Australia remained focused on defeating IS, raising concerns it would “reappear with substance in other parts of the world including in the Philippines”. |
Updated | Updated |
at 3.44am BST | at 3.44am BST |
2.51am BST | 2.51am BST |
02:51 | 02:51 |
Scott Morrison took the Turnbull government’s message to Queensland, telling the ABC Brisbane audience the state’s Labor government’s 50% renewables target was “nuts”. That should definitely help bring Queensland on board at Coag. | Scott Morrison took the Turnbull government’s message to Queensland, telling the ABC Brisbane audience the state’s Labor government’s 50% renewables target was “nuts”. That should definitely help bring Queensland on board at Coag. |
He also explained exactly what the Neg was designed to do. | He also explained exactly what the Neg was designed to do. |
It works like this. You walk into the shopfront of a retailer – put it in that context – Origin, AGL, whoever it might happen to be. What they have to do, they have to buy energy from the system from all the producers, the wholesalers and others – which a) delivers on a reliability standard which is set by the Energy Market Operator and provides a portfolio of energy that meets the emissions reduction target. So, when you’re buying your energy, you know you’re getting a product which meets both reliability and meets Australia’s environmental obligations. So, this actually does deliver on the trifecta of affordability, of reliability and environmental obligations. So you get rid of the subsidies out of the system – and the reason you can do that is they’re no longer necessary, the price of renewables has come down, they can now compete on their own two feet as they should. So the energy retailers will find that the cheapest way of getting that energy package together to provide to you the customer. | It works like this. You walk into the shopfront of a retailer – put it in that context – Origin, AGL, whoever it might happen to be. What they have to do, they have to buy energy from the system from all the producers, the wholesalers and others – which a) delivers on a reliability standard which is set by the Energy Market Operator and provides a portfolio of energy that meets the emissions reduction target. So, when you’re buying your energy, you know you’re getting a product which meets both reliability and meets Australia’s environmental obligations. So, this actually does deliver on the trifecta of affordability, of reliability and environmental obligations. So you get rid of the subsidies out of the system – and the reason you can do that is they’re no longer necessary, the price of renewables has come down, they can now compete on their own two feet as they should. So the energy retailers will find that the cheapest way of getting that energy package together to provide to you the customer. |
Updated | Updated |
at 3.09am BST | at 3.09am BST |
2.33am BST | 2.33am BST |
02:33 | 02:33 |
Over at the National Press Club, Brendan O’Connor is giving a speech on workplace relations. | Over at the National Press Club, Brendan O’Connor is giving a speech on workplace relations. |
Here’s his opening: | Here’s his opening: |
We cannot tackle inequality or build a future of inclusive prosperity unless Australia has a workplace relations system that is both productive and fair. We have to both address the challenges in the labour market that exist now and prepare for what is coming. | We cannot tackle inequality or build a future of inclusive prosperity unless Australia has a workplace relations system that is both productive and fair. We have to both address the challenges in the labour market that exist now and prepare for what is coming. |
Essential to that task is striking the right balance of power between workers and employers. The tilt of bargaining power away from workers and to employers has gone too far. | Essential to that task is striking the right balance of power between workers and employers. The tilt of bargaining power away from workers and to employers has gone too far. |
Too many of our fellow Australians can no longer see the link between hard work and fair reward. Inequality is at a 75-year high. Wage growth is flat lining. Work is too often hard to find, and insecure. | Too many of our fellow Australians can no longer see the link between hard work and fair reward. Inequality is at a 75-year high. Wage growth is flat lining. Work is too often hard to find, and insecure. |
For too many low and middle-income earners, access to education and training is limited. Workers don’t believe they have the power any more to negotiate a better deal at work. And many are deeply anxious about what the future will bring. | For too many low and middle-income earners, access to education and training is limited. Workers don’t believe they have the power any more to negotiate a better deal at work. And many are deeply anxious about what the future will bring. |
The consequences for our society and our economy are profoundly negative. | The consequences for our society and our economy are profoundly negative. |
Updated | Updated |
at 3.11am BST | at 3.11am BST |
2.28am BST | 2.28am BST |
02:28 | 02:28 |
Another question time strategy hint from Labor, with Mark Butler discussing the chief scientist. | Another question time strategy hint from Labor, with Mark Butler discussing the chief scientist. |
I think Alan Finkel should be congratulated with his work over the last months, taking advice from experts overseas and through process developed a comprehensive plan. Malcolm Turnbull has turned his back on that plan. Yes, at the end of the day, Alan Finkel said there needs to be an orderly mechanism to combine climate and energy policy and he then said the clean energy target was the best mechanism. He said it was the mechanism that would deliver the best outcome for households on power prices and Josh Frydenberg reflected that when he did his presentation to the Coalition party room. He [had] a slide that said the clean energy target will lower prices. Malcolm Turnbull reflected that. The problem for us all is that Tony Abbott vetoed it and again Malcolm Turnbull ended up capitulating to Tony Abbott. | I think Alan Finkel should be congratulated with his work over the last months, taking advice from experts overseas and through process developed a comprehensive plan. Malcolm Turnbull has turned his back on that plan. Yes, at the end of the day, Alan Finkel said there needs to be an orderly mechanism to combine climate and energy policy and he then said the clean energy target was the best mechanism. He said it was the mechanism that would deliver the best outcome for households on power prices and Josh Frydenberg reflected that when he did his presentation to the Coalition party room. He [had] a slide that said the clean energy target will lower prices. Malcolm Turnbull reflected that. The problem for us all is that Tony Abbott vetoed it and again Malcolm Turnbull ended up capitulating to Tony Abbott. |
As a reminder, here is what Finkel said yesterday, when asked about the clean energy target, where he concluded there was more than one way to “skin a cat”: | As a reminder, here is what Finkel said yesterday, when asked about the clean energy target, where he concluded there was more than one way to “skin a cat”: |
The clean energy target is not a headline item. It is bullet point number two of three bullet points. It is not even introduced as a clean energy target, it is introduced as the need for a credible mechanism and there are multiple ways of achieving a credible mechanism. | The clean energy target is not a headline item. It is bullet point number two of three bullet points. It is not even introduced as a clean energy target, it is introduced as the need for a credible mechanism and there are multiple ways of achieving a credible mechanism. |
Updated | Updated |
at 3.14am BST | at 3.14am BST |
2.23am BST | 2.23am BST |
02:23 | 02:23 |
Updated | Updated |
at 3.15am BST | at 3.15am BST |