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Government and Labor trade blows over energy in question time – politics live
Government and Labor trade blows over energy in question time – politics live
(35 minutes later)
7.14am BST
07:14
Quick refresher on the press conference where Julie Bishop raised, shall we call them, concerns about New Zealand Labour.
Journalist: Minister, the New Zealand Minister, the relevant minister Dunne, has said today that it’s utter nonsense to suggest that the Labour Party’s question played any role and that it was actually media enquiries and not the Labour Party’s question. What do you say to that?
Bishop: I don’t accept that. The New Zealand Labour Leader has confirmed that a Labour member of Parliament was contacted by an unnamed Labor member here in Australia. Bill Shorten must reveal the name of that member.
Journalist: So are you saying that you don’t accept the Internal Minister’s series of events from New Zealand?
Bishop: Bill Shorten must reveal the role he played in getting one of his members, that he’s refused to name, and I would be calling - I do call on Bill Shorten to name that person and he needs to reveal his involvement in what is treacherous behaviour.
Journalist: You said that this has put at risk the relationship between Australia and New Zealand. How so?
Bishop: New Zealand is facing an election. Should there be a change of government, I would find it very hard to build trust with those involved in allegations designed to undermine the government of Australia.
Journalist: Have journalists who asked questions of the New Zealand government behaved treacherously as well?
Bishop: I’m referring to Bill Shorten using a foreign political party to raise questions in a foreign Parliament deliberately designed to undermine confidence in the Australian government.
Journalist: Can I clarify your previous answer? Are you saying that you would not trust a New Zealand Labour government?
Bishop: I would find it very difficult to build trust with members of a political party that had been used by the Australian Labor Party to seek to undermine the Australian government.
Journalist: The New Zealand Internal Affairs Minister explicitly said that was nonsense, he said it started with media enquiries. Are you calling into question the official version of events here?
Bishop: I explicitly call into question Bill Shorten’s ethics. The Labour leader said this morning that the Labor Party in Australia contacted the Labour Party in New Zealand and we know what occurred. Allegations were raised in a New Zealand Parliament deliberately designed by the Labor in Australia to undermine confidence in the Australian government.
I was at that press conference on 16 August and as one of the two reporters [the other being Adam Gartrell, during my previous life at Fairfax] who worked on the Barnaby Joyce citizenship story, to which the media inquiries refer to [along with blogger William Summers, who was working on the story separately]. It was extraordinary.
7.02am BST
07:02
You can read all about Winston Peters’s decision, in real time, over here.
That sound you can hear is the rush of the Canberra press gallery making calls to Julie Bishop’s office.
Updated
at 7.06am BST
7.00am BST
07:00
Jacinda Ardern the new New Zealand prime minister
New Zealand First has announced it has decided to form a coalition government with Labour and the Greens.
That makes Jacinda Ardern the new prime minister. She is the leader of the party Julie Bishop said she may not be able to trust after the Barnaby Joyce citizenship kerfuffle.
Updated
at 7.08am BST
6.56am BST
06:56
The latest round of higher education reforms look like going nowhere for the moment, with the Nick Xenophon Team calling for a “comprehensive Gonski-style review of tertiary education” before they will give their support.
“Until there is a comprehensive review into post-secondary education, it would be wrong to support many of the cuts proposed by the government, including the move to reduce university funding, lowering the threshold for Help repayments and increasing the student fee contribution,” Rebekha Sharkie, the NXT spokeswoman for education, said in a statement.
“We have to prepare our future workforce and consider how best to shape the transition from high school to post-secondary education to ensure we build our nation’s capacity and remain adaptable to workforce demands.
“Currently, we have students who are leaving university with high debts and little opportunity of securing stable employment in their area of study. We have too many highly qualified young people, with PhD degrees, stacking supermarket shelves or making lattes. We need to do better than this.”
You can read more on how this came to be here and here
Updated
at 7.00am BST
6.33am BST
6.33am BST
06:33
06:33
The wooing of the states over energy doesn’t seem like it is going overly well. Katharine Murphy has had a chat to South Australian premier Jay Weatherill:
The wooing of the states over energy doesn’t seem like it is going overly well. Katharine Murphy has had a chat to the South Australian premier, Jay Weatherill:
The South Australian premier says Labor states will not accept a national energy policy that cuts renewable energy targets, removes incentives for low-emissions technologies and promotes coal.
The South Australian premier says Labor states will not accept a national energy policy that cuts renewable energy targets, removes incentives for low-emissions technologies and promotes coal.
In an interview with Guardian Australia, Jay Weatherill said the Labor states had no interest in “solving Malcolm Turnbull’s political problems” – and said the expectation of the premiers was that Bill Shorten would hold firm in opposing the national energy guarantee outlined by the prime minister on Tuesday.
In an interview with Guardian Australia, Jay Weatherill said the Labor states had no interest in “solving Malcolm Turnbull’s political problems” – and said the expectation of the premiers was that Bill Shorten would hold firm in opposing the national energy guarantee outlined by the prime minister on Tuesday.
Weatherill said he had spoken with all the Labor premiers over the past few days and with his federal Labor colleagues. The Labor opposition in Canberra is maintaining an open mind on the new energy policy.
Weatherill said he had spoken with all the Labor premiers over the past few days and with his federal Labor colleagues. The Labor opposition in Canberra is maintaining an open mind on the new energy policy.
Read more on that here
Read more on that here
Updated
at 6.43am BST
6.10am BST
6.10am BST
06:10
06:10
Labor’s employment spokesperson Brendan O’Connor has responded to the latest employment figures:
Labor’s employment spokesman, Brendan O’Connor, has responded to the latest employment figures:
“I welcome the very slight decline in the unemployment rate, and I welcome any job that’s been created last month. I do note that just over 19,000 jobs have been created last month. Two thirds of those jobs, or just over two thirds of those jobs are part-time. So still there is an issue about whether in fact we have sufficient full-time work for people.
I welcome the very slight decline in the unemployment rate, and I welcome any job that’s been created last month. I do note that just over 19,000 jobs have been created last month. Two-thirds of those jobs, or just over two-thirds of those jobs, are part-time. So still there is an issue about whether in fact we have sufficient full-time work for people.
We note that the very, very high underemployment number in this country needs to be attended to. There’s more than 1.1 million Australians looking for more work and cannot find it. That’s of concern to us.
We note that the very, very high underemployment number in this country needs to be attended to. There’s more than 1.1 million Australians looking for more work and cannot find it. That’s of concern to us.
I also note that even though there was a slight decrease in the unemployment rate, there was also a slight fall in the participation rate, which in part might explain the slight decline in the unemployment rate.
I also note that even though there was a slight decrease in the unemployment rate, there was also a slight fall in the participation rate, which in part might explain the slight decline in the unemployment rate.
So there’s a lot more to do in relation to the challenges of unemployment. We have over 1 million Australians looking for more work. We have more than 700,000 people with no work at all – 1.8 million Australians looking for some work or looking for more work and not being able to find it.”
So there’s a lot more to do in relation to the challenges of unemployment. We have over 1 million Australians looking for more work. We have more than 700,000 people with no work at all – 1.8 million Australians looking for some work or looking for more work and not being able to find it.
Updated
at 6.41am BST
6.09am BST
6.09am BST
06:09
06:09
We wouldn’t dare suggest that Coalition MPs might be trying to leave the building a little early, after all the warnings they have received to stay until the bitter end (you may remember the lost vote “incident” in this government’s early days) but the chief government whip, Nola Marino, must have had some reason for sending this out to members:
We wouldn’t dare suggest that Coalition MPs might be trying to leave the building a little early, after all the warnings they have received to stay until the bitter end (you may remember the lost vote “incident” in this government’s early days) but the chief government whip, Nola Marino, must have had some reason for sending this out to members:
A reminder to Members NOT to leave the building until advised by the whip’s office. There is a possible chance of a division after the MPI. Ensure you have your pagers with you. Thank you
A reminder to Members NOT to leave the building until advised by the whip’s office. There is a possible chance of a division after the MPI. Ensure you have your pagers with you. Thank you
Regards
Regards
Nola
Nola
For any Coalition MPs who are yet to check their email, you are welcome.
For any Coalition MPs who are yet to check their email, you are welcome.
Updated
Updated
at 6.38am BST
at 6.38am BST
6.04am BST
6.04am BST
06:04
06:04
Also from Mike’s travels today, the leaders meeting Know your Bones advocates Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Cathy Freeman. Presented with zero cynicism because you have all made your points known on that very clear. (insert smiley/wink face here)
Also from Mike’s travels today, the leaders meeting Know your Bones advocates Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Cathy Freeman. Presented with zero cynicism because you have all made your points known on that very clear. (insert smiley/wink face here)
Updated
Updated
at 6.08am BST
at 6.08am BST
5.56am BST
5.56am BST
05:56
05:56
Tony Abbott has popped his head up, commenting on this story:
Tony Abbott has popped his head up, commenting on this story:
Re AFR story. This isn't over. There are five million Australians yet to vote and the NO campaign is appealing to every one of them!
Re AFR story. This isn't over. There are five million Australians yet to vote and the NO campaign is appealing to every one of them!
Updated
Updated
at 5.59am BST
at 5.59am BST
5.43am BST
5.43am BST
05:43
05:43
AAP have an update on the Singapore FTA:
AAP have an update on the Singapore FTA:
Australian universities, lawyers and financial firms will be among the biggest winners from an updated free-trade agreement with Singapore.
Australian universities, lawyers and financial firms will be among the biggest winners from an updated free-trade agreement with Singapore.
Enabling legislation has cleared parliament.
Enabling legislation has cleared parliament.
Under the changes, Australian lawyers and financial service providers will enjoy improved access to the Singapore market.
Under the changes, Australian lawyers and financial service providers will enjoy improved access to the Singapore market.
Singapore will also recognise extra law, medicine and allied health qualifications from Australian universities.
Singapore will also recognise extra law, medicine and allied health qualifications from Australian universities.
There will be new opportunities for Australian businesses to bid for high-value government procurement contracts in Singapore, including road transport, construction and engineering.
There will be new opportunities for Australian businesses to bid for high-value government procurement contracts in Singapore, including road transport, construction and engineering.
There will also be changes to visa lengths of stay for Australian expats in Singapore.
There will also be changes to visa lengths of stay for Australian expats in Singapore.
Updated
Updated
at 5.54am BST
at 5.54am BST
5.41am BST
5.41am BST
05:41
05:41
Computer has been rebooted, so hopefully that has fixed some of those bugs that were delaying me. Again, apologies.
Computer has been rebooted, so hopefully that has fixed some of those bugs that were delaying me. Again, apologies.
Let me bring you some of the great Mike Bower’s work to make up for it.
Let me bring you some of the great Mike Bower’s work to make up for it.
Updated
Updated
at 5.47am BST
at 5.47am BST
5.22am BST
5.22am BST
05:22
05:22
Meanwhile in the House...
Meanwhile in the House...
PM Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister JBish in #qt @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/ACzeE2xIvl
PM Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister JBish in #qt @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/ACzeE2xIvl
5.21am BST
5.21am BST
05:21
05:21
Is this one of the last times we’ll see this dynamic duo in the chamber?
Is this one of the last times we’ll see this dynamic duo in the chamber?
One Nation during #qt today in the senate @GuardianAus @AmyRemeikis #politicslive pic.twitter.com/58EzEOaeGR
One Nation during #qt today in the senate @GuardianAus @AmyRemeikis #politicslive pic.twitter.com/58EzEOaeGR
5.20am BST
05:20
NBN is brought up again by Michelle Rowland and Paul Fletcher gives the same answer we have heard all week: that the government has rolled it out to oodles more people than Labor managed and it is on track to be completed by 2020. My computer is about to go out a window (tech problems), so I apologise for not being able to give you the entire answer.
We finish with a dixer to Peter Dutton, who tells everyone just how much safer he’s making Australia and just how much danger it faces from a Labor government – and we are done.
Updated
at 5.34am BST
5.16am BST
05:16
After a bit of kerfuffle over whether or not this question from Anthony Albanese to Malcolm Turnbull is in order:
Albanese: “My question is to the prime minister and I refer to reports today of a frank discussion with the prime minister in which the current deputy prime minister, and I quote, ‘laid bare his fury after he was bombarded with complaints’. Who decided this should happen? The prime minister? The finance minister? All of the above? Why was the deputy cut out?
Turnbull answers: “The honourable member is very well aware, having dealt with other members of parliament, including cross-benchers, over the years during his time as a minister of infrastructure and everyone during the golden era of telecommunications when he was the communications minister, Mr Speaker – as he well knows, grants of all kinds are approved in the usual way by the responsible ministers.”
Updated
at 5.33am BST
5.13am BST
05:13
Greg Hunt answers a dixer with what is becoming the standard line of needing to keep the lights on in hospitals and its back to the main game of Butler vs Turnbull, but the prime minister taps in Josh Frydenberg to take this one.
Butler:
My question is again to the prime minister. The prime minister and the energy minister have apparently assured their party room they would not put a price on carbon or allow carbon trading, but their latest energy policy seems to put a price on carbon and involve carbon trading. Given it looks like a goat, walks like a goat and bleats like a goat, will the prime minister now accept the reality of his own policy or will he continue to pay homage to the volcano gods on his back bench?
Frydenberg:
For all those people listening at home that are struggling with their power bills, particularly in South Australia – the pensioners, the workers at the steelworks, those at the smelter, those in the member’s own electorate – what do you think they are thinking about the political games of those opposite? What do you think they are thinking, Mr Speaker?
Do you think that they are belittling the fact $115-a-year saving reflects badly on those opposite? Because when they were last in office power bills went up by 100%, Mr Speaker, 100%. The dirty dozen of policies. We had hundreds of thousands of jobs lost in the small business sector. We had the dreaded $15bn carbon tax. We had that great democratic experiment. We had the cash for clunkers, we had the pink bats, the ETS, the CPRS, the EIS, the carbon tax. We had every policy under the sun, Mr Speaker!
And now the Labor party’s been presented with what they have asked for: an opportunity for bipartisanship based on expert advice. And as I said to the House, this has received widespread support from groups that said this policy ticks the boxes of lower prices, increased reliability and meeting our international target.
And the Australian Industry Group representing more than a million employees said the plan gives the electricity sector a great deal of flexibility and it gives welcomed recognition of the imperative of maintaining Australia’s trade competitors. And the National Irrigators Council, in all the regional areas across the country, have said this package is welcome. And what about the Manufacturing Australia, who said they have welcomed the government’s new energy plan? What about Apia, who represents the gas companies? They said this National Energy Guarantee strengthens reliability, Mr Speaker. What about Energy Consumers Australia? I thought those opposite were worried about consumers.
This policy integrates the need for reliable power and emissions reduction in the electricity sector at least cost for consumers. And what about PWC, Mr Speaker, who said it provides a long-awaited certainty, reliability and affordability [for] medicine we have been looking for to treat the ills of our energy market, Mr Speaker?
This is why this policy put forward by the experts is deserving of bipartisan support. If you don’t support it, we will because we believe in lower power prices and a more reliable system.
Updated
at 5.30am BST
5.08am BST
05:08
Another dixer and then back to Butler vs Turnbull on carbon prices.
Butler: “My question is again to the prime minister. I refer to the prime minister’s previous answer about his latest energy policy. So why does the Energy Security Board have a picture of a coal generator paying a renewable generator for carbon abatement? How is that not carbon trading?
Turnbull: The trading is of physical energy, a physical electricity. The honourable member’s inability to understand the way the energy market works is really staggering. The honourable member does not understand that the electricity market works with the trading of electricity – that will continue and retailers will be able to trade to ensure that they meet their obligations, whether it’s on emissions or on reliability. Really, no won ... no wonder South Australia is in such a bad shape with a Labor party, with the member for Port Adelaide.
Updated
at 5.23am BST
5.06am BST
05:06
After a dixer to Julie Bishop on how Australia is meeting its Paris targets:
The plan that we have announced through the National Energy Guarantee will also enable us to meet our international obligations and our Paris agreement target will see emissions reductions of 26-28% on 2005 levels by 2030. This is reasonable and achievable and what it means is emissions per person will halve and already emissions per capita in Australia are the lowest they have been in 27 years because we have met, indeed exceeded, the first Kyoto target by 128m tonnes. We are on track to meet, indeed exceed, the second Kyoto target by 2020. Mr Speaker, our Paris agreement targets are reasonable and they compare well with other developed countries, for example Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the EU are in the target range between 25-35% by 2030.
Mark Butler tries again on the carbon price angle, asking Malcolm Turnbull if he was aware of the head of Energy Council’s confirmation yesterday that the NEG did have a carbon price. The prime minister says many things he has said before, but does not answer the question.
Updated
at 5.22am BST
5.02am BST
05:02
Mark Butler takes a second go at asking whether the energy policy includes a carbon price.
The prime minister says no. Because ... I’ll just let him explain it:
The trading is trading of physical energy, it is trading of electricity. It is not trading of permits. There are no certificates, there is no permit. It is trading of physical energy which, as the honourable member should be well aware, happens all the time.
Millions of dollars being traded every hour of the day and that has always been the case, but, Mr Speaker, as John Pearce, chair of the Australian Energy Market Commission, which is the rules maker, and a member of the Energy Security Board, as he said today: ‘There are no subsidies or certificates involved in this guarantee, and in this sense it does not involve a price or a tax on carbon. We are not pricing carbon. What we are pricing is reliability.’
Mr Speaker, the honourable member may yearn for the subsidy – Mr Speaker, this is the part of the Labor party’s position that I find most baffling. The leader of the opposition goes to a solar farm and he stands there and says this: ‘This is fantastic.’ He is blinded by the light. He says it’s fantastic. He says: ‘This is cheaper than new coal. It is so good.’ Then he says: ‘That is why we have to subsidise it.’ Talk about science-fiction, Mr Speaker.
What Australians deserve is affordable, reliable energy. What Labor has delivered is unaffordable and unreliable energy. They try the law of physics, as you heard the Energy Market Operator was asked about the reliability requirement, which she is having to intervene in the honourable member’s state constantly to maintain stability, and she said, ‘well, you have to comply with the laws of physics’.
That’s true. But not if you are in the Labor party, apparently. They think windmills will turn when there is no wind. They think solar panels will generate in the middle of the night. That’s moon beams! Mr Speaker, worst of all, worst of all, what this recklessness does is impose higher costs and less reliable power. Australians know Labor does not have the sense, it does not have the management or the business sense to deliver affordable and reliable power. Energy will always be unreliable and more expensive under Labor.
Updated
at 5.20am BST
4.58am BST
04:58
George Christensen gifts the next dixer to Barnaby Joyce, who drops the basket weaver line for something else:
The Labor party policies of wind chime power, of dream catcher nets – that is where their power policy comes from. We believe in coal-fired power. We believe in gas-fired power. We believe in hydro.
We believe in people having a job. We will make sure these people have a job. We do not think that blue-collar workers are politically irrelevant and what we see on the Labor party all the time is that policy is driven by the green movement. They have given up on working-class people. They have given up on manufacturing jobs. They have no vision for Australia, they have no vision for Queensland. They do not have the confidence anymore of the once great Labor party that they had been.
Updated
at 5.14am BST
4.56am BST
04:56
A simple question from the opposition to the government: under the prime minister’s latest energy policy, will energy retailers be able to trade to meet their carbon emission reduction obligations – “yes” or “no”?
Does not bring a simple answer from the prime minister:
In the national electricity market, there are twice as much energy traded as is dispatched. There is an enormous trading system within the energy market, both trading over the counter and then through the Australian stock exchange and, of course, that won’t change – that is the virtue of the model that has been presented, the mechanism that’s been presented by the Energy Security Board that rather than having a subsidy scheme like the Renewable Energy Target, or a Clean Energy Target, that operates outside the market, you have market rules both in terms of guaranteeing reliability and guaranteeing a level of emissions consistent with Paris within those constraints trading can occur freely.
That is why retailers are able to achieve the mix of generation sources that suits them. And they will all be able to find the lowest cost and most competitive way to deliver on those two obligations. It is clear, Mr Speaker, that is the mechanism, that is why it’s been recommended by the Energy Security Board. And those on the other side who are keen students of energy policy will know that John Pearce, the chairman of the energy markets commission, has been proposing an approach like this for years, for at least seven years, he said today. He’s always been a critic of the Renewable Energy Target, or evolutions of it, because it does not operate within the confines of the market and therefore does not allow participants to achieve what we all seek to achieve.
Or I hope the honourable members on the other side will finally see reason and recognise that what we have here is a real opportunity to make a break with the mistakes of the past, a real game changer recommended by the experts, not a proposal that the minister and I cooked up. This is a recommendation from the experts. It is built on the foundations of the Finkel Review. It has been praised and endorsed by the chief scientist. It comes from a body established on the recommendation of the chief scientist.
This is the mechanism that can end the climate wars and deliver affordable, reliable energy for Australians and meet our emissions reduction obligations. Surely, Mr Speaker, at some point Labor has to stop the politicking and get on board for affordability, reliability and responsibility in Australia’s energy system.
Updated
at 5.13am BST
4.52am BST
04:52
This week must be starting to get to more than just your correspondent – Josh Frydenberg has just received a verbal smack from the Speaker for swearing.
He was responding to a dixer from Craig Kelly, who, it must be said, may have helped get him in the mood, given as he tends to present his questions like he’s interrupting a conversation at the pub bar, to tell someone why they are wrong. Frydenberg:
I thank the member for Hughes for his question and know that he supports the government’s efforts to reduce power prices and create a more reliable system. Indeed, the National Energy Guarantee is a credible, workable, pro-market policy which will help lower prices and create a more reliable system. It involves no subsidies, no taxes and no trading schemes, Mr Speaker. And given the 371,500 jobs we have created in the last 12 months, lower energy prices will continue to help this strong jobs growth continue.
Now, Mr Speaker, I know that those opposite like to write books – their front bench often looks like an Oprah Winfrey Book Club! We had the Good Fight, we had from the member for Fenner, a book about billionaires - an odd title - we had from the leader of the opposition, For The Common Good. It would have been better titled, ‘If you don’t know where you going, any road will get you there.’ Another, it is titled Changing Jobs but then we discovered the member for Port Adelaide had a book, Mr Speaker. It is a pretty bland cover, it is called The Climate Wars and I thought, ‘what does it say’? The truth is, we in Labor have sent too many mixed signals about climate policy. He said we have made mistakes in the design of our policies and the presentation, Mr Speaker. But then, this was the best. I was on a street corner in Port Adelaide and a guy said, ‘I was never sold on the whole climate issue, I thought you were all piss weak.’
He withdrew. The Speaker then had a word:
Before I call the leader of the opposition, I say to the minister – the leader of the House can cease interjecting for just a second – I say to the minister that that was – he’s withdrawn. If there is a repeat of that, I’ll have no choice but to take severe action against him and I ask him to be mindful not only of the audience watching ... but the audience here in parliament house.
Updated
at 5.08am BST
4.45am BST
04:45
Over in the Senate, Mike Bowers has just informed me there have been celebrations when George Brandis pronounced Richard Di Natale’s name correctly.
They always seem to have more fun in the Senate.
Sidenote: the high court is yet to decide on the futures of Malcolm Roberts, Nick Xenophon, Matt Canavan and Fiona Nash (as well as Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam, who have already resigned, and Barnaby Joyce in the lower house). Could this be the last Senate question time some of those see in a while?
