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Version 2 Version 3
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’s press conference starts just as Pauline Hanson’s speech finishes:
I’ve just got a message or Pauline Hanson - Pauline, remember who voted for you. You’re meant to be the champion of Queensland battlers. 1.9 million Queensland battlers will be better off under Labor’s tax plan than the government’s. It seems that now she’s come to Canberra, she’s forgotten who put her there and that’s a recipe for disaster.
“I say to Senator Hanson, back the battlers, Labor will. Let’s back them together. 1.9 million Queenslanders will be better off under our tax proposals, our tax refunds, than the government’s.
“Please stop just doing everything the Liberals ask of you and instead let’s just stand up for Queensland and stand up for 1.9 million Queenslanders who are better off under our plan.”
So, in the biggest anticlimax since the Solo Star Wars movie was released, here is Pauline Hanson’s wish list:
“My dilemma is, yes we have a blackhole. Are we going to actually fill that blackhole? My proposal is to go after the multinationals to pay their fair share of tax in this country.
“Look after the Australians, the hard-working families that need some relief and need help in this country.
“Yes, suspend taxation, suspend increases in politician wages and those of bureaucrats.
“How can you actually say to those hard-working Australians, you can’t get a tax relief of even the highest amount of up to $7,000 a year, yet we are seeing bureaucrats receiving pay increases of up to $17,000 a year.
“That doesn’t pass the pub test. It doesn’t pass the pub test with me. That is why my job in the Senate is to represent the Australian people with the best of my ability.”
Pauline Hanson’s +One Nation addresses the senate chamber this morning about her intentions for the governments tax cut bills @AmyRemeikis @murpharoo @GuardianAus #politicslive https://t.co/1eXHvoFUlj pic.twitter.com/xc0jUeb1aE
Penny Wong has responded to the US withdrawal:
Labor is disappointed by the US decision to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council.
It’s entirely a matter for the US which international bodies it chooses to be a member of. However, the absence of a nation looked to as global leader risks emboldening those who do not share our support for democracy and human rights.
We acknowledge the concerns voiced by the US in making its decision. At times the UNHRC has taken decisions which Australia has also opposed.
But Labor believes it is better to remain engaged in international organisations like the UNHRC in order to promote our values and protect our national interests.
That is why Labor welcomed Australia’s appointment to the United Nations Human Rights Council. As the foreign minister said when Australia took up its position:
“It is in our national interest to shape the work of the Human Rights Council and uphold the international rules-based order.”
Labor is a long-standing and consistent advocate for human rights and civil liberties. We will continue to pursue effective human rights diplomacy that supports international and regional security in Australia’s national interest.
We will also continue to work closely with key allies and partners, such as the US, through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to promote and protect human rights around the world.
And all of that was for ... nothing.
“I will make my vote clear on the floor of parliament when it comes to vote.”
Pauline Hanson is setting this up to support the tax cuts:
“Hard-working Australians need a helping hand. They need to know that something will be done for them.”
Pauline Hanson has moved onto attacking the Greens.
Sarah Hanson-Young rises with a point of order, and is denied.
Hanson says that she has had to “toughen up in this place and it is a shame that others haven’t”.
Hanson, who cried on national television just two weeks ago, when she found out she was about to lose another of her senators.
There will be no member for Cox.
The Victorian Electoral Commission has just released this updated boundary change proposal:
The augmented electoral commission for Victoria today announced the outcome of its deliberations on the names and boundaries of the 38 federal electoral divisions in Victoria.
Tom Rogers, the presiding member and electoral commissioner, thanked the individuals and organisations who contributed to the redistribution.“All written objections and comments as well as the information presented at the inquiries in Winchelsea and Melbourne have been carefully considered in deciding the final boundaries,” Rogers said.“The augmented electoral commission has unanimously agreed to rename the Division of Batman to recognise William Cooper, and to modify the boundaries of 22 of the electoral divisions initially proposed. The augmented electoral commission has also unanimously accepted the redistribution committee’s proposed boundary changes to the remaining electoral divisions, the creation of the new Division of Fraser, and the adoption of three of the redistribution committee’s proposed new names.”
Electoral division names
Rogers said that the augmented electoral commission had adopted the majority of the names proposed by the Redistribution Committee for Victoria with the following alterations.
retaining the name of the Division of Corangamite (previously proposed to be renamed the Division of Cox), and
renaming the Division of Batman to ‘Cooper’, to recognise the contributions of William Cooper.
William Cooper
William Cooper was a spokesman for Aboriginal people who, as secretary of the Australian Aborigines League, presented a petition and led deputations to authorities, calling for direct representation in parliament, enfranchisement, land rights and federal control of Aboriginal affairs.In 1938 Cooper lodged a personal protest against the treatment of European Jews in Nazi Germany following Kristallnacht.
Victorian division names
Once the redistribution is formally determined on 13 July 2018:
11 of Victoria’s 38 electoral divisions (28.95%) will be named for an Aboriginal person or word;
the number of Victoria’s electoral divisions named after a woman will have increased by one to five, as well as one electoral division being jointly named for a wife and husband; and
more than 25% of Victoria’s electoral divisions names will be that of an original federation electoral division
Boundaries
The augmented electoral commission has modified the redistribution committee’s initial redistribution proposal by placing:
the part of the locality of Kilsyth in Yarra Ranges Shire Council in the proposed Division of Casey
the redistribution committee had proposed locating this part of the locality in the proposed Division of Deakin
the entirety of the locality of Vermont South in the proposed Division of Deakin
the redistribution committee had proposed locating part of this locality in the proposed Division of Chisholm
the part of the locality of Surrey Hills to the east of Warrigal Road and south of Canterbury Road in the proposed Division of Chisholm
the redistribution committee had proposed locating this part of the locality in the proposed Division of Kooyong
the entirety of the localities of Bulla, Clarkefield and Wildwood, and part of the localities of Diggers Rest and Oaklands Junction, in the proposed Division of McEwen
the redistribution committee had proposed locating these localities in the proposed Division of Calwell, with the exception of part of Diggers Rest which was proposed to be located in the Division of Gorton
the localities of Barunah Park, Barunah Plains and Wingeel in the proposed Division of Corangamite
the redistribution committee had proposed locating these localities in the proposed Division of Wannon
the locality of Gowanbrae, and those parts of the localities of Keilor Park and Tullamarine south of the Western Ring Road, in the proposed Division of Maribyrnong
the redistribution committee had proposed locating these areas in the proposed Division of Calwell
the part of the locality of Springvale to the east of Springvale Road in the proposed Division of Bruce
the redistribution committee had proposed locating some of this area in the proposed Division of Hotham
the part of the locality of Springvale South to the west of Springvale Road, and all of the locality of Clayton South in the proposed Division of Hotham
the redistribution committee had proposed locating these areas in the proposed Division of Isaacs
the entirety of Knox City Council in the proposed Division of Aston, including part of the locality of Upper Ferntree Gully and the entirety of the locality of Rowville
the redistribution committee had proposed locating this part of Upper Ferntree Gully in the proposed Division of Casey and part of the locality of Rowville in the proposed Division of Bruce
those parts of the localities of Dandenong, Keysborough and Noble Park to the east of Eastlink and to the south of the Pakenham Railway line in the proposed Division of Isaacs
the redistribution committee had proposed locating these areas in the proposed Division of Bruce
the localities of Bunyip North, Garfield North, Maryknoll, Tonimbuk and Tynong North in the proposed Division of Monash
the redistribution committee had proposed locating these localities in the proposed Division of La Trobe
the entirety of the locality of Williams Landing in the proposed Division of Gellibrand
the redistribution committee had proposed locating part of this locality in the proposed Division of Lalor
The augmented electoral commission has also made a small number of minor alterations, involving little or no elector movement, to adhere to features or administrative boundaries.
Mitch Fifield on Telstra:
This is a difficult day for the staff of Telstra and our thoughts are very much with them.
I have spoken to Telstra CEO Andy Penn who has assured me that the workforce reduction will occur over a number of years.
Telstra has established a $50m fund to assist affected staff during this transition. Telstra advises this will allow some staff to be redeployed within the company, while staff leaving the company will be given the assistance they need.
Australia has a telecommunications sector which is intensely competitive and constantly evolving.
All Australian businesses operate in a competitive environment which is why the government will continue to seek to secure the passage of our company tax plan through the Parliament.
She says Labor has come to see her this week to support their position to split the bill, so the first part can go through with majority support.
But she says that hundreds of thousands of Australian workers will miss out if Labor blocks stage two.
“You are denying those people you are supposed to support, the battlers and they are the battlers, it is not a fortune they are making.”
“... How can Labor and the Greens deny these tax cuts ... when they have accepted pay rises of up to 6% in recent times?”
Pauline Hanson says she doesn’t understand why the government won’t fund the income tax cut plans through multinational taxes, or why “it is so complex”.
“The government’s failure to split the bill into three stages creates a dilemma for me,” she says.
“... My dilemma is I know Australians are doing it tough.”
Pauline Hanson is using her speech as a campaign rallying cry for people to vote for One Nation in Longman.
She says when it comes to multinationals paying their taxes, the parties are as one and describes the Labor party as “like the scarecrow with no brains” and the Liberals “like the tin man with no heart”.
She says the income tax cuts are just to “buy your vote”.
Pauline Hanson is addressing the Senate on the tax cuts.
Which of course means, when she went on Sky News to talk about it, that Kelly O’Dwyer was asked about how women were treated in her own workplace – the Liberal Party.
Particularly after Jane Prentice was dumped.
Here’s what she said:
“There is no doubt that in the Liberal party, we can do better on better representation of women in the party serving the highest levels right down, and involved in the organisation as well, but we are not unique in that.
“I think this is actually a common problem for a number of political parties. The truth is, when you actually look at the legacy in the Liberal party and I, along with the prime minister and a number of my senior women colleagues are hosting an event for women in the Coalition – everyone is welcome, but it is predominately focused around women – we are actually going to be talking about some of the past successes that we have had.
“We’ve had the first woman elected to the parliament. We have had a whole series of firsts. I mean, Julie Bishop of course is our first foreign minister.”
As Katharine Murphy reported, the government is funding a study into workplace harassment – because once you report something to HR, then what?As Katharine Murphy reported, the government is funding a study into workplace harassment – because once you report something to HR, then what?
Kelly O’Dwyer announced the study with the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins this morning. Here is the statement her office sent out:Kelly O’Dwyer announced the study with the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins this morning. Here is the statement her office sent out:
Australian women have the right to be safe in their homes, in their communities and in their workplaces.Australian women have the right to be safe in their homes, in their communities and in their workplaces.
That’s why the Turnbull Government is supporting practical action to address sexual harassment, today announcing it will contribute $500,000 towards the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in the Workplace to be led by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.That’s why the Turnbull Government is supporting practical action to address sexual harassment, today announcing it will contribute $500,000 towards the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in the Workplace to be led by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.
“No one should have to suffer sexual harassment at work, or in any other part of their lives,” the minister for women, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP said.“No one should have to suffer sexual harassment at work, or in any other part of their lives,” the minister for women, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP said.
“This inquiry will consider the drivers of sexual harassment in the workplace, the use of technology and social media, and the legal framework, as well as existing practices to inform practical recommendations that will assist Australian workplaces deal with this sensitive and difficult issue.”“This inquiry will consider the drivers of sexual harassment in the workplace, the use of technology and social media, and the legal framework, as well as existing practices to inform practical recommendations that will assist Australian workplaces deal with this sensitive and difficult issue.”
“We already know that the personal and career consequences of workplace sexual harassment are very significant. The organisational impacts are also substantial, including reduced productivity, high staff turnover, absenteeism, compensation claims and early retirement. The inquiry will draw on economic modelling so we will have a better sense of how much it is costing individual Australians as well as Australian businesses.”“We already know that the personal and career consequences of workplace sexual harassment are very significant. The organisational impacts are also substantial, including reduced productivity, high staff turnover, absenteeism, compensation claims and early retirement. The inquiry will draw on economic modelling so we will have a better sense of how much it is costing individual Australians as well as Australian businesses.”
Sexual harassment continues to pervade Australian workplaces. More than 20 per cent of people over 15 years old in Australia have been sexually harassed, with 68 per cent of those harassed in the workplace.Sexual harassment continues to pervade Australian workplaces. More than 20 per cent of people over 15 years old in Australia have been sexually harassed, with 68 per cent of those harassed in the workplace.
The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is uniquely placed to undertake a national inquiry into this issue, due to its independent status, its legislative mandate in relation to sexual harassment under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth), and specific expertise in relation to workplace sexual harassment. The AHRC is currently undertaking an expanded Fourth National Workplace Sexual Harassment Survey, with final results due in August 2018. The Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in the Workplace will run for 12 months and cost a total of $900,000.The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is uniquely placed to undertake a national inquiry into this issue, due to its independent status, its legislative mandate in relation to sexual harassment under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth), and specific expertise in relation to workplace sexual harassment. The AHRC is currently undertaking an expanded Fourth National Workplace Sexual Harassment Survey, with final results due in August 2018. The Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in the Workplace will run for 12 months and cost a total of $900,000.
“Recent prominent international and national coverage has highlighted the prevalence and detrimental impact of sexual harassment on individuals and organisations. This inquiry will be a positive and meaningful step forward in reducing sexual harassment at work and ensuring that, where it does occur, it is dealt with carefully and appropriately,” Minister O’Dwyer said.“Recent prominent international and national coverage has highlighted the prevalence and detrimental impact of sexual harassment on individuals and organisations. This inquiry will be a positive and meaningful step forward in reducing sexual harassment at work and ensuring that, where it does occur, it is dealt with carefully and appropriately,” Minister O’Dwyer said.
The funding committed to the AHRC inquiry follows significant actions already taken by the Turnbull government to improve women’s safety in the home, at work and online.The funding committed to the AHRC inquiry follows significant actions already taken by the Turnbull government to improve women’s safety in the home, at work and online.
To date the Turnbull government has committed well in excess of $300m to address women’s safety. The most recent federal budget included an additional $54m for women’s safety initiatives, including $11.5m for 1800 RESPECT, $6.7m for DV-alert, $14.2m for the Office of the eSafety Commissioner to help make cyberspace safe for women, and $22m to combat elder abuse.To date the Turnbull government has committed well in excess of $300m to address women’s safety. The most recent federal budget included an additional $54m for women’s safety initiatives, including $11.5m for 1800 RESPECT, $6.7m for DV-alert, $14.2m for the Office of the eSafety Commissioner to help make cyberspace safe for women, and $22m to combat elder abuse.
The Turnbull government is also continuing to put in place the right settings to deliver a stronger economy to provide the right economic settings for women to help them work, save and make choices about their lives.The Turnbull government is also continuing to put in place the right settings to deliver a stronger economy to provide the right economic settings for women to help them work, save and make choices about their lives.
More women are working than ever before, with over 5.8m now employed in Australia. The government is committed to ensuring that women have every opportunity to engage in paid work, have the right support to expand their skills, take advantage of employment opportunities and to save for their retirement.More women are working than ever before, with over 5.8m now employed in Australia. The government is committed to ensuring that women have every opportunity to engage in paid work, have the right support to expand their skills, take advantage of employment opportunities and to save for their retirement.
The minister for women will build on the government’s efforts to improve women’s economic security when she delivers a Women’s Economic Security Statement in spring.The minister for women will build on the government’s efforts to improve women’s economic security when she delivers a Women’s Economic Security Statement in spring.
Scott Morrison has spoken on the news Telstra is to slash 30% of its workforce – 8,000 people:
Like all Australians, I am very disappointed to learn that news, but there is only one thing that I can say in response – that the government has been working hard to ensure that the economy that they will go back into now, to find another job, there are more jobs in that economy today than there was before.
“We are a government which has been delivering more jobs.
“And in that sector in particular, there are much brighter prospects. But it will still be hard and it will still be an anxious time for those Australians and that is why we will just redouble our efforts to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to create the strongest economy [that we can] so that people who find themselves in that situation can go forth with confidence.”
And on the tax vote?
“It is now before the Senate. We have every confidence in our plan. We believe it is the right plan, it is a plan which delivers tax relief for all Australians. I mean, it is a pretty clear choice, for Australians.
“It is tax off with the Coalition, and tax on with the Labor party. That is what it is. That is the choice.”
I am pretty sure that is not what Mr Miyagi meant.
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:
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.
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.
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.”
You can read the whole thing here.
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:
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.
“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.
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.
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.
Oh, oh
There she goes
So close
And yet, so far
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.”
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.
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.
Eric Abetz anti-ABC ball rolling, having a chat to Radio National this morning about all his complaints.
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.
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.
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.