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| Coalition's tax plan on a knife edge – politics live | Coalition's tax plan on a knife edge – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Bill Shorten is visiting an aged care home in Canberra this morning, following on from Malcolm Turnbull’s answer to this question yesterday: | |
| Shorten: I refer to the prime minister’s earlier answer when he said that his government rewards aspiration. Should a 60-year-old aged-care worker from Burnie aspire to be an investment banker from Rose Bay so that, instead of their $10-a-week tax cut from the prime minister, they can get the prime minister’s $7,000-a-year tax cut for investment bankers? | |
| Turnbull: The honourable member should remember that the 60-year-old aged-care worker in Burnie is entitled to aspire to get a better job, is entitled to get a promotion, is entitled to be able to earn more money ... [after interjections] no. Working in aged care is a good job, but you are entitled to seek to earn more. [More interjections] Everyone is entitled to aspire [more interjections]... Every worker, every Australian, is entitled to aspire to earn a better income. Everyone is entitled to aspire to that. | |
| Julie Collins, the shadow minister for ageing had a chat about that this morning (and I think you can expect it to come up quite a bit in question time): | |
| Yesterday what we heard from the prime minister in question time when it came to the aged-care worker question from Burnie was absolutely appalling. | |
| “I was astounded to hear the prime minister and the way he spoke about the valuable contribution aged workers make to Australia every day. There are more than 360,000 aged-care workers in Australia today who are going about one of the most difficult jobs, caring for older Australians, many of them vulnerable, some of them with dementia, in their own homes in residential facilities who were insulted by what the prime minister said yesterday in Parliament. | |
| “He should apologise, I called on him to apologise yesterday, he didn’t do it. I hope he’s had time to reflect on his comments and he realises just how out-of-touch and arrogant his comments were. | |
| “To say, or to imply that aged-care workers in Australia do not make as valuable a contribution to our society as an investment banker is outrageous. | |
| “That’s what the prime minister told aged care workers yesterday: their contribution is not valued. We do value aged-care workers on our side of politics, the community values aged care workers, the families and the carers of vulnerable older Australians value aged-care workers and the prime minister should value them too. He should come out today and he should apologise to aged care workers for what he said yesterday. It was outrageous.” | |
| Julie Bishop has responded to the news the United States is pulling out of the Human Rights Council: | |
| Australia is disappointed by the decision of the United States to resign from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). | |
| Australia shares many of the concerns held by the US about the UNHRC, particularly its anti-Israel bias, and we have consistently supported efforts to address other matters of contention. | |
| We are committed to progress effective and meaningful reform to enable the Council to more effectively carry out its role. | |
| Australia will continue to work constructively on human rights issues with other countries, including the US. It was our strong preference for the US to remain a member of the UNHRC and I had made this known to senior members of the Trump administration. | |
| Australia’s Foreign Policy White Paper reiterated Australia’s commitment to a strong multilateral human rights system and to advancing human rights globally. It is in our national interest to shape the work of the council and uphold the international rules-based order. | |
| Australia has pledged to be a principled, pragmatic and consultative member, bringing a unique Indo-Pacific perspective to our term and amplify the voices of our Pacific neighbours. | |
| Australia’s second session as a member of the UNHRC commenced in Geneva this week. | |
| Back to the energy ‘wars’ and Tony Abbott has told the Daily Telegraph he would like to be able to question the Coalition’s energy policy, without being accused of trying to destroy it. | |
| From Sharri Markson’s report: | |
| “I’m sick and tired of government ministers running around the place saying that anyone who disagrees with them on energy policy is trying to wreck the government. Bollocks.” | |
| He’s just trying to save the government from itself, y’all. | |
| Josh Frydenberg, who really looks like he needs all of the mint slices in the world to get through this week, told Sky News: | |
| “I’d say that my colleagues just want to make sure that the right policy is there for the country’s energy future and that is the national energy guarantee. There is strong support within the Coalition party room for the national energy guarantee because they understand that we need to integrate energy and climate policy and bring down prices and increase reliability. We have listened to the experts, we have taken this proposal to the states, we will look for final sign off in August.” | |
| Not even the Albo-express could save the Blues. Although he, and his amazing retro outfit, did manage to give some Queenslanders some trouble: | Not even the Albo-express could save the Blues. Although he, and his amazing retro outfit, did manage to give some Queenslanders some trouble: |
| The Senate will launch straight into the tax debate this morning, (thank you to my Senate whisperers for keeping me updated) and then leave it just before 1pm, because you know – there is still other stuff the red chamber has to do. | The Senate will launch straight into the tax debate this morning, (thank you to my Senate whisperers for keeping me updated) and then leave it just before 1pm, because you know – there is still other stuff the red chamber has to do. |
| It’ll return to the debate after 5. | It’ll return to the debate after 5. |
| Speaking of deep dives, Gareth Hutchens had a look at multinationals and their tax habits. From his report: | Speaking of deep dives, Gareth Hutchens had a look at multinationals and their tax habits. From his report: |
| A landmark study has found multinational corporations are shifting roughly $16bn in profits out of Australia into tax havens every year. | A landmark study has found multinational corporations are shifting roughly $16bn in profits out of Australia into tax havens every year. |
| It has also found the steady decline in corporate tax rates globally since the 1980s has not been driven by countries competing harder for productive capital and pushing corporate tax rates down, despite what politicians say. | It has also found the steady decline in corporate tax rates globally since the 1980s has not been driven by countries competing harder for productive capital and pushing corporate tax rates down, despite what politicians say. |
| Instead, it says corporate tax rates have been driven lower by multinational corporations shifting profits into tax havens, and governments’ failure to curb the practice.” | Instead, it says corporate tax rates have been driven lower by multinational corporations shifting profits into tax havens, and governments’ failure to curb the practice.” |
| You can read the whole thing here. | You can read the whole thing here. |
| Just in case you forgot, One Nation has three WA state MPs. | Just in case you forgot, One Nation has three WA state MPs. |
| According to the West Australian, things are going great. From Nick Butterly’s report this morning: | According to the West Australian, things are going great. From Nick Butterly’s report this morning: |
| The State president of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has quit the party in anger to run as an independent at this weekend’s Darling Range byelection amid growing internal ructions. | The State president of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has quit the party in anger to run as an independent at this weekend’s Darling Range byelection amid growing internal ructions. |
| Doug Shaw confirmed he resigned as the administrative chief of One Nation several weeks ago after infighting with other party members. | Doug Shaw confirmed he resigned as the administrative chief of One Nation several weeks ago after infighting with other party members. |
| “The major parties are ignoring Joe Public and One Nation are showing they are no better,” he said. | “The major parties are ignoring Joe Public and One Nation are showing they are no better,” he said. |
| In case you missed it, I had a dig through the archives after Brian Burston’s resignation last week, to see what was said in the late 90s/early 2000s when One Nation imploded the first time round – not by the MPs, but from the people involved behind the scenes. | In case you missed it, I had a dig through the archives after Brian Burston’s resignation last week, to see what was said in the late 90s/early 2000s when One Nation imploded the first time round – not by the MPs, but from the people involved behind the scenes. |
| Like when one of the Queensland branch presidents quit after accusing One Nation of “doing exactly what it claimed the other parties were doing: not listening and it’s breaking more than a few hearts along the way”. | Like when one of the Queensland branch presidents quit after accusing One Nation of “doing exactly what it claimed the other parties were doing: not listening and it’s breaking more than a few hearts along the way”. |
| Have a read and see if any of it sounds familiar. | Have a read and see if any of it sounds familiar. |
| The annual pollies state of origin was held early this morning. And because I am a QUEENSLANDER forever, I couldn’t not post this Mike Bowers magic from this morning. | The annual pollies state of origin was held early this morning. And because I am a QUEENSLANDER forever, I couldn’t not post this Mike Bowers magic from this morning. |
| Soz, Michael McCormack. Better luck next year. | Soz, Michael McCormack. Better luck next year. |
| Oh, oh | Oh, oh |
| There she goes | There she goes |
| So close | So close |
| And yet, so far | And yet, so far |
| The Mighty Maroons ended up victorious 3-2 Graham Perrett tells me: | The Mighty Maroons ended up victorious 3-2 Graham Perrett tells me: |
| “The filthy Blues were up 2-0 early, but the pure mighty Queenslanders ended up victorious 3-2. First time in a few years.” | “The filthy Blues were up 2-0 early, but the pure mighty Queenslanders ended up victorious 3-2. First time in a few years.” |
| Apparently Queensland’s fortunes were improved without Barnaby Joyce’s famous crab run (the man always ran sideways) and Keith Pitt’s installation as captain. | Apparently Queensland’s fortunes were improved without Barnaby Joyce’s famous crab run (the man always ran sideways) and Keith Pitt’s installation as captain. |
| The crossbench has everyone waiting this morning, as both the government and Labor wait to see how the income tax battles will play out. | The crossbench has everyone waiting this morning, as both the government and Labor wait to see how the income tax battles will play out. |
| Labor is still working out how the bill should be split with its crossbench allies, while the government is still trying to convince enough crossbenchers that the package should be passed as an all-or-nothing deal. | Labor is still working out how the bill should be split with its crossbench allies, while the government is still trying to convince enough crossbenchers that the package should be passed as an all-or-nothing deal. |
| Meanwhile, the Coalition’s fractures are being laid bare by Josh Frydenberg’s attempts to get an energy policy through the party room. He won the first battle by not bringing it back, before the plan went to the states and territories, so the first step is convincing them, come Friday. | Meanwhile, the Coalition’s fractures are being laid bare by Josh Frydenberg’s attempts to get an energy policy through the party room. He won the first battle by not bringing it back, before the plan went to the states and territories, so the first step is convincing them, come Friday. |
| Eric Abetz anti-ABC ball rolling, having a chat to Radio National this morning about all his complaints. | Eric Abetz anti-ABC ball rolling, having a chat to Radio National this morning about all his complaints. |
| No surprises there: | No surprises there: |
| Of course the ABC contributed $1 billion to the economy. They have a $1 billion budget from taxpayers that was mostly spent in Australia. Why do we need a costly report to tell us the obvious?! More ABC waste. | Of course the ABC contributed $1 billion to the economy. They have a $1 billion budget from taxpayers that was mostly spent in Australia. Why do we need a costly report to tell us the obvious?! More ABC waste. |
| And we still have six more days of this to go! | And we still have six more days of this to go! |
| Mike Bowers was out and about early this morning, catching the annual political state of origin game. I’ll bring you some of that soonest. You can follow along with his day at @mikepbowers and @mpbowers and of course, doing his best to troll me behind the scenes on the instagram story at @pyjamapolitics. He just pointed out I have been humming Devil Woman all morning, so things are going great so far. | Mike Bowers was out and about early this morning, catching the annual political state of origin game. I’ll bring you some of that soonest. You can follow along with his day at @mikepbowers and @mpbowers and of course, doing his best to troll me behind the scenes on the instagram story at @pyjamapolitics. He just pointed out I have been humming Devil Woman all morning, so things are going great so far. |
| You’ll catch me, when I have time, or more immediately on Twitter at @amyremeikis (beware – you’ll also find some very strong opinions on biscuits.) | You’ll catch me, when I have time, or more immediately on Twitter at @amyremeikis (beware – you’ll also find some very strong opinions on biscuits.) |
| Grab your coffee, or whatever it is that gets you through and let’s get started. | Grab your coffee, or whatever it is that gets you through and let’s get started. |