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| Turnbull says Michaelia Cash 'acted entirely properly' over leak of AWU raid – as it happened | Turnbull says Michaelia Cash 'acted entirely properly' over leak of AWU raid – as it happened |
| (8 days later) | |
| It has been another long day and we have another marathon ahead of us tomorrow, so I am going to call it a day with the politics live blog for Thursday. I’m not the only one feeling that way – the House has just adjourned until 27 November. | It has been another long day and we have another marathon ahead of us tomorrow, so I am going to call it a day with the politics live blog for Thursday. I’m not the only one feeling that way – the House has just adjourned until 27 November. |
| But first, what have we learned? | But first, what have we learned? |
| The government is holding on to Michaelia Cash, backing her in, despite the pressure from Labor to sack her over the leak from her office in regards to the AWU raids. Labor members of the estimates committee who had hoped to get some last questions answered won’t get that opportunity – while the Registered Organisations Commission will be back, the minister will not. | The government is holding on to Michaelia Cash, backing her in, despite the pressure from Labor to sack her over the leak from her office in regards to the AWU raids. Labor members of the estimates committee who had hoped to get some last questions answered won’t get that opportunity – while the Registered Organisations Commission will be back, the minister will not. |
| Will we find out the details she said she still needed to ask her staffer, David De Garis, about? Well, I don’t know. Cash has recommended the ROC refer the matter to the federal police. If they take her up on that suggestion, then it will become a police investigation. | Will we find out the details she said she still needed to ask her staffer, David De Garis, about? Well, I don’t know. Cash has recommended the ROC refer the matter to the federal police. If they take her up on that suggestion, then it will become a police investigation. |
| So there is still some way to go on that. | So there is still some way to go on that. |
| Looking ahead to tomorrow, have we seen Barnaby Joyce’s last appearance in the House for a while? Will we see Matt Canavan, Fiona Nash and Malcolm Roberts back in the Senate? Nick Xenophon has all but packed up his office, because regardless of what the high court finds, he is heading to the South Australian state election. Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters have already gone. | Looking ahead to tomorrow, have we seen Barnaby Joyce’s last appearance in the House for a while? Will we see Matt Canavan, Fiona Nash and Malcolm Roberts back in the Senate? Nick Xenophon has all but packed up his office, because regardless of what the high court finds, he is heading to the South Australian state election. Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters have already gone. |
| Nash has been quiet, while Canavan seems to have enjoyed these last few months free of the cabinet muzzle, letting us know what he thinks on almost every issue under the sun – and it hasn’t always been what the government has been thinking. | Nash has been quiet, while Canavan seems to have enjoyed these last few months free of the cabinet muzzle, letting us know what he thinks on almost every issue under the sun – and it hasn’t always been what the government has been thinking. |
| Joyce has spent the week clearing the decks just in case, and Roberts still believes he’ll be wearing his senator pin come Monday. | Joyce has spent the week clearing the decks just in case, and Roberts still believes he’ll be wearing his senator pin come Monday. |
| I won’t be making a prediction about what how the high court will rule. Mostly because there are seven justices, I am not a lawyer, and I have no idea how they will interpret section 44. Listening to the arguments earlier this month, I thought Justin Gleeson and Ron Merkel, who were representing Tony Windsor in his challenge against Joyce’s eligibility had the simplest and cleanest argument, which was a pretty black and white interpretation of the section. But the court could just as easily decide to take the solicitor general’s argument, that if you are a ‘natural-born’ Australian who did not take any active steps to retain or obtain your dual citizenship, then you are OK. | I won’t be making a prediction about what how the high court will rule. Mostly because there are seven justices, I am not a lawyer, and I have no idea how they will interpret section 44. Listening to the arguments earlier this month, I thought Justin Gleeson and Ron Merkel, who were representing Tony Windsor in his challenge against Joyce’s eligibility had the simplest and cleanest argument, which was a pretty black and white interpretation of the section. But the court could just as easily decide to take the solicitor general’s argument, that if you are a ‘natural-born’ Australian who did not take any active steps to retain or obtain your dual citizenship, then you are OK. |
| But we won’t know the answer until after 2.15pm tomorrow. I’ll have the blog fired up by then, so worry not, you’ll be kept as up to the minute as I can manage. | But we won’t know the answer until after 2.15pm tomorrow. I’ll have the blog fired up by then, so worry not, you’ll be kept as up to the minute as I can manage. |
| In the meantime, please check out some of Mike Bower’s pics on his instagram, because I don’t always get to load as many on here as I would like (all those pesky words to put on the record) and you’ll find him on Twitter at @mpbowers. You can find me at @amyremeikis. Most times I even respond. Most times. | In the meantime, please check out some of Mike Bower’s pics on his instagram, because I don’t always get to load as many on here as I would like (all those pesky words to put on the record) and you’ll find him on Twitter at @mpbowers. You can find me at @amyremeikis. Most times I even respond. Most times. |
| A big thank you to everyone for sticking with me this week as I tried to wrap my brain around the very rapid moving events, and to the Guardian Australia brains trust for keeping everything on track. | A big thank you to everyone for sticking with me this week as I tried to wrap my brain around the very rapid moving events, and to the Guardian Australia brains trust for keeping everything on track. |
| See you tomorrow for one more round (for a while) of fun and games. Have a wonderful night. | See you tomorrow for one more round (for a while) of fun and games. Have a wonderful night. |
| A bit more from that Shorten speech: | A bit more from that Shorten speech: |
| But I have to say, and I don’t mind admitting this, even as leader of the opposition: when member for Wentworth rolled the former prime minister, I thought my job would get harder but I actually thought politics would get better. I think the Australian people thought it was a chance to put some faith and hope back into politics. But the prime minister, by all his actions ever since that event two years ago, has systematically destroyed the faith and hope of people who thought he would be better than what he has turned out to be. And what we know is that the Prime Minister has a particular style of destruction. When all else fails him, he chases his opponents: | But I have to say, and I don’t mind admitting this, even as leader of the opposition: when member for Wentworth rolled the former prime minister, I thought my job would get harder but I actually thought politics would get better. I think the Australian people thought it was a chance to put some faith and hope back into politics. But the prime minister, by all his actions ever since that event two years ago, has systematically destroyed the faith and hope of people who thought he would be better than what he has turned out to be. And what we know is that the Prime Minister has a particular style of destruction. When all else fails him, he chases his opponents: |
| · Ask Peter King, the former member for Wentworth | · Ask Peter King, the former member for Wentworth |
| · Ask Brendan Nelson | · Ask Brendan Nelson |
| · Ask Tony Abbott | · Ask Tony Abbott |
| · Ask Kevin Rudd | · Ask Kevin Rudd |
| Well, I just want to advise the government on this fact: Australians have worked this prime minister out. | Well, I just want to advise the government on this fact: Australians have worked this prime minister out. |
| The sitting schedule for next year has just been decided on. | The sitting schedule for next year has just been decided on. |
| The govt just tabled next year’s sittings schedule. #auspol pic.twitter.com/iLKGvhI1YG | The govt just tabled next year’s sittings schedule. #auspol pic.twitter.com/iLKGvhI1YG |
| Kevin Rudd has also weighed in on the Michaelia Cash issue. He was talking to David Speers as part of his book promotion tour and had this to say: | Kevin Rudd has also weighed in on the Michaelia Cash issue. He was talking to David Speers as part of his book promotion tour and had this to say: |
| “A warning to Mr Turnbull is, if you are going to try and play macho politics, frankly use the machinery of state to throw at the opposition, be careful of the consequences, my friend.” | “A warning to Mr Turnbull is, if you are going to try and play macho politics, frankly use the machinery of state to throw at the opposition, be careful of the consequences, my friend.” |
| Here is a section of Bill Shorten’s speech following question time: | Here is a section of Bill Shorten’s speech following question time: |
| Labor’s criticism of the governments bungled raids is not about the integrity of the AFP, it is about the lack of integrity in this rotten government. And I had to say that yesterday morning, I said these raids were the desperate action of a grubby government, led by quite frankly a grubby prime minister and I repeat that today. This isn’t a throw away line, but because of everything that has happened in the previous 36 hours since I first made that statement, everything this government has done, since yesterday morning, confirms the truth; that Australia has a grubby government and an increasingly grubby prime minister. During question time this point was most clearly illustrated, when the prime minister had a chance to defend Senator Cash, when the opposition moved a resolution condemning her, they did not defend her, they simply gagged the debate. | Labor’s criticism of the governments bungled raids is not about the integrity of the AFP, it is about the lack of integrity in this rotten government. And I had to say that yesterday morning, I said these raids were the desperate action of a grubby government, led by quite frankly a grubby prime minister and I repeat that today. This isn’t a throw away line, but because of everything that has happened in the previous 36 hours since I first made that statement, everything this government has done, since yesterday morning, confirms the truth; that Australia has a grubby government and an increasingly grubby prime minister. During question time this point was most clearly illustrated, when the prime minister had a chance to defend Senator Cash, when the opposition moved a resolution condemning her, they did not defend her, they simply gagged the debate. |
| . | . |
| While this day starts to wind down, I am reminded that it was only Monday that we were all talking about the lost security manual. | While this day starts to wind down, I am reminded that it was only Monday that we were all talking about the lost security manual. |
| It honestly feels like that happened a year ago. | It honestly feels like that happened a year ago. |
| Barnaby Joyce’s office have sent out a media release a little under 24 hours from when Joyce will learn his fate in the high court. | Barnaby Joyce’s office have sent out a media release a little under 24 hours from when Joyce will learn his fate in the high court. |
| The headline? | The headline? |
| “Investing in leadership to ‘raise the baa’ across the agriculture sector” | “Investing in leadership to ‘raise the baa’ across the agriculture sector” |
| Some more Mike Bowers magic. | Some more Mike Bowers magic. |
| The employment estimates committee has agreed to meet again for an extra hearing on Friday, but employment minister Michaelia Cash will be a no show. | The employment estimates committee has agreed to meet again for an extra hearing on Friday, but employment minister Michaelia Cash will be a no show. |
| A spokesman for Cash said: “The minister is unavailable due to previous commitments in Perth that day.” | A spokesman for Cash said: “The minister is unavailable due to previous commitments in Perth that day.” |
| The hearing can still examine witnesses from the Fair Work Ombudsman and Registered Organisations Commission. | The hearing can still examine witnesses from the Fair Work Ombudsman and Registered Organisations Commission. |
| This morning Labor senators hit a brick wall on who the “media source” that tipped off Cash’s senior media adviser, David De Garis, about the AFP raid on the AWU because De Garis refused to tell Cash on Wednesday night who it was, and she hadn’t spoken to him since. | This morning Labor senators hit a brick wall on who the “media source” that tipped off Cash’s senior media adviser, David De Garis, about the AFP raid on the AWU because De Garis refused to tell Cash on Wednesday night who it was, and she hadn’t spoken to him since. |
| Cash and De Garis are due to have a conversation this afternoon – but given Labor will not be able to examine her on Friday, it appears Cash is using these “previous commitments” to avoid further scrutiny. | Cash and De Garis are due to have a conversation this afternoon – but given Labor will not be able to examine her on Friday, it appears Cash is using these “previous commitments” to avoid further scrutiny. |
| In news outside of Michaelia Cash, Labor senator Pat Dodson spoke to the ABC about the government’s reported decision not to back the recommendation for an enshrined Indigenous Voice in Parliament. | In news outside of Michaelia Cash, Labor senator Pat Dodson spoke to the ABC about the government’s reported decision not to back the recommendation for an enshrined Indigenous Voice in Parliament. |
| That’s a real kick in the gut to the referendum Council, and certainly a slap in the face of those proponents for the entrenchment of a voice of the Indigenous peoples in our constitution. In other recommendations that have been made over a long time to the government and the Australian people, that go to constitutional reform as well as to legislative responses, for truth telling and for agreement making, and those matters are still afoot, and I would hope that the effort of the prime minister will be to bring people together to see if there’s away forward on such matters. If that doesn’t happen, then not only has the prime minister and the cabinet killed the constitutional proposition, the entrenchment of the voice of Aboriginal people in our Constitution, but the rest of those significant recommendations that would improve our constitution will also lie in abeyance. | That’s a real kick in the gut to the referendum Council, and certainly a slap in the face of those proponents for the entrenchment of a voice of the Indigenous peoples in our constitution. In other recommendations that have been made over a long time to the government and the Australian people, that go to constitutional reform as well as to legislative responses, for truth telling and for agreement making, and those matters are still afoot, and I would hope that the effort of the prime minister will be to bring people together to see if there’s away forward on such matters. If that doesn’t happen, then not only has the prime minister and the cabinet killed the constitutional proposition, the entrenchment of the voice of Aboriginal people in our Constitution, but the rest of those significant recommendations that would improve our constitution will also lie in abeyance. |
| Bill Shorten has just finished giving a speech on the Michaelia Cash issue in the chamber. | Bill Shorten has just finished giving a speech on the Michaelia Cash issue in the chamber. |
| I’ll bring you some of that in just a moment. | I’ll bring you some of that in just a moment. |
| As #qt ends, Bill Shorten calls out: "catch you later Barnaby." | As #qt ends, Bill Shorten calls out: "catch you later Barnaby." |
| Kelly O’Dwyer gets a go on the dixer express after all of that to tell us how well the government is working to protect workers’ money. She uses this example of why the government says there needs to be more transparency: | Kelly O’Dwyer gets a go on the dixer express after all of that to tell us how well the government is working to protect workers’ money. She uses this example of why the government says there needs to be more transparency: |
| Questions were asked of the former RBA Governor and industry fund director Bernie Fraser in a recent Senate committee inquiry about a payment made by Australian super to the AWU in the 2006-7 financial year, specifically described by the AWU in its 2007 declaration as a donation. The $27,500 payment was made at the same time that the leader of the opposition was the AWU national secretary, and also a director of Australian Super. Alongside Bernie Fraser, current Labor senator Doug Cameron, and former Labor MP Greg Combet. A subsequent donation was subsequently made by, yes, the AWU, to the leader of the opposition’s political campaign in the seeds of Maribyrnong, but it was only when this payment by Australian Super to the AWU in June following reports by the Australian newspaper that the AWU resubmitted its original declaration, changing the very nature of the AWU payment from donation to other receipt on 15 June this year, some 10 years later. What role did the leader of the opposition have in deciding that a payment should be made to his own union when he was both a director of Australian Super and the national secretary of the AWU? What steps did the leader of the opposition take to fully disclose his conflict to the board, and how did he and fellow Australian Superannuation directors satisfy themselves that this was an appropriate use of members’ money? | Questions were asked of the former RBA Governor and industry fund director Bernie Fraser in a recent Senate committee inquiry about a payment made by Australian super to the AWU in the 2006-7 financial year, specifically described by the AWU in its 2007 declaration as a donation. The $27,500 payment was made at the same time that the leader of the opposition was the AWU national secretary, and also a director of Australian Super. Alongside Bernie Fraser, current Labor senator Doug Cameron, and former Labor MP Greg Combet. A subsequent donation was subsequently made by, yes, the AWU, to the leader of the opposition’s political campaign in the seeds of Maribyrnong, but it was only when this payment by Australian Super to the AWU in June following reports by the Australian newspaper that the AWU resubmitted its original declaration, changing the very nature of the AWU payment from donation to other receipt on 15 June this year, some 10 years later. What role did the leader of the opposition have in deciding that a payment should be made to his own union when he was both a director of Australian Super and the national secretary of the AWU? What steps did the leader of the opposition take to fully disclose his conflict to the board, and how did he and fellow Australian Superannuation directors satisfy themselves that this was an appropriate use of members’ money? |
| And question time has officially ended. | And question time has officially ended. |