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Julie Bishop to meet Russian ambassador – politics live
Julie Bishop to meet Russian ambassador – politics live
(35 minutes later)
Someone just asked the Russian ambassador to Australia “are we in a new Cold War”.
We have officially reached the taking-the-piss-stage of this press conference:
Well, actually, I have never heard of anyone poisoned in Russia. Perhaps food poisoning.”
How many spies are left in Australia?
Zero minus zero is still zero.”
Question: Do you realise how stupid you sound when you say there are no Russian spies in Australia.
Answer: I do not feel stupid.
Is this a global conspiracy against Russia then?
Maybe. Perhaps it is a destiny of great ... global power. Russia has always encountered ... negative activity from the west. Everybody understands, and especially it became quite clear, when it was ... passed through the 90s, the period when Russia’s economy was completely in ... rubble while the armed forces were absolutely devastated. We had no real independent foreign policy.
As ... was said by our foreign minister, Russia has no national interests, only international. But after that, after Russia started revising, started carrying out its independent foreign policy, after Russia started pursuing its own independent ... national interests, everything started. All this anti-Russian campaign started and gained momentum as Russia became more and more independent. That is the problem. First of all, Americans, colleagues, they are not used to having equal partnership or relations with anyone. You see, they are following ... the old principle formulated actually by Stalin, if not, they would be against us. They cannot imagine, they cannot actually accept, any other state which can carry out independent foreign policy but not be hostile to the US. That is the situation, regrettably. But it has only just begun.”
And yes, I have an emotional connection to the Baltic states, but anyone defending Russia might want to have a chat to a Balt and ask them how they feel about Putin’s continuing reign.
Why won’t he admit there are spies as part of the diplomatic efforts in Australia?
It is quite a peculiar question. If I say [that it] admits that all other Russian embassies are half spy embassies. Embassies are consisting of diplomats. Some embassies, well, our embassy here, is quite small. Its average, actually. We have embassies that are bigger in the US. Well, it was big, now it is much smaller.
The press conference is now descending into Grigory Logvinov defending Russia against everything from MH17 to the next annexation of Crimea.
We just hit WWII.
I would be very happy to hear, actually, what they want and how do they see the final results on all of these anti-Russian campaigns. What do they want to see? Their final point? If they want Russia, if they are hopeful for Russia to fall on its knees, to repent and say yes, we are a bad place and so on, you see, it is blasphemy. Because don’t forget, please, Russia in the first world war lost more than the whole population of Australia in that time. In the second world war, Russia has lost more than today’s population of the whole of Australia and we have never surrendered. It sounds like a bad joke to expect Russia to give up and repent.”
First of all … let’s ... not start judging or making judgment on our domestic situation. It is our choice, not anyone else’s. That is why we had troubles and frictions with the Americans. It is their bad ... tradition to interfere into other domestic politics and judge [what is] good and bad. Look at yourselves first. That is first of all. Secondly, you do not like that we simply deny [it]. Actually, what have the British said? What evidence have they provided? They simply say ... Just ... look at the famous three monkeys. No see, no hear, closed everything. But it is Russia, Russia, Russia. Why do you believe the British? [You] do not believe facts!
(Sidenote: Listening to Grigory Logvinov has me flashing back to my childhood and listening to my relatives argue over vodka about the USSR.)
Someone just asked the Russian ambassador to Australia: “Are we in a new cold war?”
Because I am sure the first person to be told is Moscow’s man in Canberra.
Because I am sure the first person to be told is Moscow’s man in Canberra.
Honestly.
Honestly.
For the record, his answer was -
For the record, his answer was:
Actually, [the] Cold War was invented by,you know, Winston Churchill.
Actually, [the] cold war was invented by, you know, Winston Churchill.
“...If the West... wants it.”
… If the west ... wants it.
The Russian ambassador is quite cranky over the expulsion - not just in Australia, but in the 23 or so other countries across the west.
The Russian ambassador is quite cranky over the expulsion – not just in Australia, but in the 23 or so other countries across the west.
This has been coordinated and agreed. It is quite clear that the campaign about so-called Russian interference into domestic situations and domestic politics in the US was exhausted. It turned out to be nothing. That was well-prepared. This is a well orchestrated campaign. Like the Foreign Ministry, this is boorish. We will have to retaliate. It is now... up to the West to finally stop and understand that the anti-Russian campaign has no future.”
This has been coordinated and agreed. It is quite clear that the campaign about so-called Russian interference into domestic situations and domestic politics in the US was exhausted. It turned out to be nothing. That was well-prepared. This is a well-orchestrated campaign. Like the foreign ministry, this is boorish. We will have to retaliate. It is now … up to the west to finally stop and understand that the anti-Russian campaign has no future.
Grigory Logvinov starts his briefing with a joke that the Russian diplomat expulsion seems to have attracted more attention than the cricket.
Grigory Logvinov starts his briefing with a joke that the Russian diplomat expulsion seems to have attracted more attention than the cricket.
“That’s interesting,” he says.
“That’s interesting,” he says.
Matt Canavan is at the Press Club today. Paul Karp had a taste of his speech, which you’ll find here.
Craig Laundy is celebrating the Oaky Creek mine workers signing a new enterprise bargaining agreement, which will see miners go back to work after almost a year being locked out of the site:
I met with Glencore and local CFMEU representatives a number of times over the last couple of months, encouraging them to find a constructive settlement. I acknowledge the role the Fair Work Commission, the independent umpire Labor established, has played in helping achieve a positive outcome.
I would also like to thank MPs Ken O’Dowd, Michelle Landry and George Christensen, and my ministerial colleague Matt Canavan, for their unwavering efforts in urging the parties to resolve the dispute.
Looks like the Russian ambassador will be having a briefing with the media this morning. We’ll bring you that as soon as we’ve heard what Grigory Logvinov has to say.
Chatting to Sky, Alex Hawke said “Australia will not shrink from our position of standing with the international community” against Russia’s actions.
This nerve agent was used in a public cafe, Russia has not explained its position. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the United Kingdom on this, it is an attack on their sovereignty – it is an outrageous attack on their sovereignty when you think innocent civilians were affected by this attack. And of course, there is a pattern of behaviour which is emerging with Russia over many years now. We haven’t forgotten MH17 … so there is a pattern and I think we are right to stand with the United Kingdom and the government is taking a very strong stance.
As to the identification of two Russian spies in the diplomatic ranks – and so quickly – Hawke said:
The government takes advice from agencies … the advice has been received, we have great faith in our agencies, we have great faith in our security partners, and the advice of the activities of these individuals in Australia was clear to the government.
Katharine Murphy reported on the marine park disallowance motion which the government forced onto the agenda late yesterday. Labor and the Greens failed to get the numbers, but can just put the motion forward again (with slightly different wording).
From her report:
The government moved to bring on debate about the disallowance motion on Tuesday night knowing that Labor and the Greens did not yet have the numbers to scuttle the management plans.
Labor and the Greens in the Senate are a bloc of 35, so another four votes are required for the majority required for a successful disallowance.
Given Labor and the Greens lacked the numbers to land the disallowance, and had planned to build momentum between now and the budget session to help gather the requisite number of votes in the Senate, the government pulled a procedural tactic to bring on the vote.
It was a highly unusual move by the Coalition, effectively triggering a parliamentary process to disallow its own regulations.
Despite the motion being defeated in the Senate on Tuesday night, Labor and the Greens have the option of redrafting the disallowance and resubmitting it for consideration, which is likely to happen as soon as Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the government is working to keep the conversation in the tax space – but focused on Labor. Malcolm Turnbull spent part of the morning chatting to retirees the government says will be impacted by what the government has branded Labor’s “retiree tax”.
Bill Shorten and Labor are hoping to get the the conversation turned to health funding – the opposition leader will visit a hospital before parliament this morning.
Andrew Leigh had a little to say this morning about the government’s pulling of the company tax legislation (for now) and what that means for the government’s momentum heading into the budget:
I’m not sure if you mean the momentum of the Australian economy or the momentum of the Turnbull government, but frankly, both have stalled. We have Malcolm Turnbull now hitting 29 lost Newspolls, not Labor’s metric but the metric that he himself said that leaders should be judged by. We’ve also got the Australian economy struggling for momentum right now. We’ve had a year in which growth has been too sluggish, we’ve got consumer demand still in the doldrums. Part of the reason for that is that wage growth over the past two years under Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership has been just 4% while corporate profit growth has been 32%. If Malcolm Turnbull wasn’t so hellbent on cutting penalty rates, then we might see more of that consumer confidence flowing through.
Because this is Canberra in autumn, there are hot-air balloons. Mike Bowers caught what was the view coming into work for a lot of us this morning.
Overnight, it was the annual Rock the House event at parliament. Mike Bowers was there. John Paul Young’s Yesterday’s Hero went down quite the treat with Anne Aly, Stephen Jones and Claire O’Neil.
But because this is still Australia, and there is nothing more sacred than sport, before getting to the Russian ambassador, Julie Bishop has weighed in on the cricket scandal.
(I am not a fan of adding -gate to things, because Watergate was the name of the hotel, not a new suffix, but I acknowledge it is a losing battle).
Here is what she had to say to Sunrise this morning:
While we have you, you’re expelling two Russians, are you going to let three cricketers back into the country?
Well, it is the right thing to send them home, and I’m glad that the culprits have admitted they were guilty of this act.
It has brought Australian cricket into disrepute.
It’s been raised with me on numerous occasions by foreign diplomats and ambassadors and other nations who were astounded that Australian cricketers would act in this way, after all it is Test cricket, and there is a high expectation that our players would act responsibly and respect each other and respect the game.
Theresa May has made comment. Have you received any comment, say, from the South African embassy, its ambassador?
During this week I attended an event with the ambassadors and high commissioners from almost all of the African countries, coincidentally, and you can imagine that it was raised by each and every one of them.
So you’re being sledged in diplomatic circles?
Not personally, but on behalf of the country the disdain for the act has been brought home to me. As so many of them have said to me, it’s just not cricket.
Julie Bishop has been doing the rounds this morning, with the two Russian undeclared intelligence officers now having six days to leave the country.
The foreign affairs minister has also made it clear, after some confusion yesterday in response to a question, that Australia will not boycott the World Cup. She will meet Grigory Logvinov, the Russian ambassador, later today. Logvinov caused quite the stir walking through the press gallery late yesterday. He didn’t say a lot, but he did let us know he thought it was “a joke” that Australia believed two diplomats to be spies.
Meanwhile, the government has had to eat a small slice of humble pie after failing to convince Tim Storer and Derryn Hinch to back its company tax cuts. Mathias Cormann had to head into the Senate late yesterday to announce the Coalition was two votes short and wouldn’t have the legislation passed before the Easter break.
He has promised it will be back. But it will face the same problem – Storer and Hinch will have to be convinced. We know why Hinch was sceptical but we are yet to hear from South Australia’s newest senator. Given the pressure he has been under I wouldn’t be surprised if he felt the need to publicly explain why he couldn’t support the cuts today, now that the heat, at least for now, has been turned down.
Mike Bowers has been out and about for hours, so I will bring you some of his best hits so far. You can find him hanging out with me on Instagram at @pyjamapolitics, or at @mpbowers. You’ll catch me lurking in the comments, and on Twitter at @amyremeikis.
It’s the last question time for five weeks – and the last one before the budget on 8 May – so I hope you have had your coffee. I’m about to hunt down number three.
