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| Turnbull demands Dutton reveal support as Bishop reportedly joins race – politics live | Turnbull demands Dutton reveal support as Bishop reportedly joins race – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Let’s recap on what’s been a truly momentous day in Australian politics. A lot’s happened in the past eight hours, and you’d be forgiven for feeling dizzy. | |
| What’s new: | |
| the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is on the precipice. Conservative forces have continued to gather for a second tilt at the leadership, backing former home affairs minister, Peter Dutton. Dutton spoke with the prime minister this morning, demanding a second party room meeting. Turnbull denied him that opportunity. | |
| Turnbull was dealt a fatal blow when senior frontbenchers Mathias Cormann, Michaelia Cash and Mitch Fifield resigned, saying the party had lost confidence in the PM. That precipitated a string of additional frontbench resignations. | |
| At the death, Turnbull showed some fight and tactical cunning in the early afternoon. He demanded the party present him with a petition signed by a majority of Liberal members (43 members), before he would call a party room meeting. At the same time, he effectively left a time bomb for Dutton by saying he would leave parliament if he was turfed as prime minister. That would trigger a byelection and expose Dutton to the risk of losing his slender one-seat majority in the lower house and forcing him to an early election. The Coalition, on current numbers, would be destroyed at the polls. | |
| Turnbull also raised further questions about Dutton’s eligibility for parliament. There are serious question marks over Dutton because childcare companies he owns received subsidies from the Commonwealth, a potential breach of the constitution. Turnbull said legal advice on the case from the solicitor general should be given to party members before they vote on the leadership. This helps to create uncertainty among those on the fence. | |
| For his part, Dutton insists he has the numbers to topple Turnbull. | |
| A party room meeting has been pencilled in for midday tomorrow, but it will only take place if Turnbull sees the petition. The added time helps to garner support for another candidate. Scott Morrison and Julie Bishop have been floated as potential candidates. | |
| Turnbull said if the party voted for a spill, he would take it as a loss of confidence in his leadership. In such an event, he would not stand. | |
| the chaos forced the government to abandon proceedings in the lower house today, an extraordinary step that was met with scorn and derision from just about everyone. | |
| Dutton narrowly survived a push by the opposition that would have seen him referred to the high court, which would then have decided whether he was eligible for parliament or not. Dutton survived by one vote. Only the parliament has the power to refer MPs to the high court. | |
| a motion of no confidence was moved against the government in the Senate. It prompted fiery speeches from Labor, the Greens, and the crossbench, who all slammed the Coalition’s inability to run a functioning government. | |
| the motion followed farcical scenes in the upper house, caused by the huge number of frontbench resignations, which left the government unsure of how many ministers it had, what their responsibilities were, and who should answer questions. | |
| The crossbench senator Derryn Hinch remembers the good old days, when we were, you know, a stable democracy. I’m still a sprightly 30, so I must confess that I have no idea what he’s talking about. | |
| Hinch says: | |
| I am old enough in this place to remember the days when we used to all laugh at the Italians. We said ‘how often they change their governments, how often they changed their leaders, what a stupid country that was and how irresponsible. What a lousy case of democracy.’ | |
| And now we will have tomorrow, it seems, an elected prime minister will not make it to his full term. A prime minister ... who was elected by the people and should serve his or her full term in government. And I am sorry it will not happen. | |
| from earlier-Peter Dutton arrives in the House @knausc @murpharoo @GuardianAus #PoliticsLive https://t.co/uyRiPluF5K pic.twitter.com/4Tcc8zjJs8 | from earlier-Peter Dutton arrives in the House @knausc @murpharoo @GuardianAus #PoliticsLive https://t.co/uyRiPluF5K pic.twitter.com/4Tcc8zjJs8 |
| The Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, has just delivered a powerful excoriation of the Coalition’s navel-gazing and internal turmoil. It’s sobering. | The Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, has just delivered a powerful excoriation of the Coalition’s navel-gazing and internal turmoil. It’s sobering. |
| It’s a disgrace. It’s utterly shameful. We haven’t had a stable government in this country for a decade now. I’ve got a 10-year-old boy, he’s seen half a dozen different prime ministers. We have politicians in this joint who are more concerned about themselves, about their own self-interest, than they are with governing the country. Just think, while the Liberal party has been tearing themselves apart. We’ve got 100% of NSW that’s in drought right now, we’ve got the Great Barrier Reef on the brink of collapse, we’ve got floods in India. We’ve got a 12-year-old girl who is setting herself alight in Nauru. We’ve got kids who are in a catatonic state because they’ve given up hope, locked away in those offshore hell-holes. What’s the Liberal party doing? Focusing on vengeance. On payback. | It’s a disgrace. It’s utterly shameful. We haven’t had a stable government in this country for a decade now. I’ve got a 10-year-old boy, he’s seen half a dozen different prime ministers. We have politicians in this joint who are more concerned about themselves, about their own self-interest, than they are with governing the country. Just think, while the Liberal party has been tearing themselves apart. We’ve got 100% of NSW that’s in drought right now, we’ve got the Great Barrier Reef on the brink of collapse, we’ve got floods in India. We’ve got a 12-year-old girl who is setting herself alight in Nauru. We’ve got kids who are in a catatonic state because they’ve given up hope, locked away in those offshore hell-holes. What’s the Liberal party doing? Focusing on vengeance. On payback. |
| There are 100,000 people in this country who are homeless. There are women who fear going home tonight, because one woman a week is killed at the hands of a violent partner. And what have we got? We’ve got this spectacle. This disgrace. | There are 100,000 people in this country who are homeless. There are women who fear going home tonight, because one woman a week is killed at the hands of a violent partner. And what have we got? We’ve got this spectacle. This disgrace. |
| He screams at the Coalition benches. | He screams at the Coalition benches. |
| You should be ashamed of yourselves. We have people across the country who are suffering, and look what you are doing. You are so focused on yourselves that you have forgotten what the country elected you to do, and that is to govern for them, not for you. Not for you. You don’t deserve to govern. You deserve to be turfed out. That’s what you deserve. | You should be ashamed of yourselves. We have people across the country who are suffering, and look what you are doing. You are so focused on yourselves that you have forgotten what the country elected you to do, and that is to govern for them, not for you. Not for you. You don’t deserve to govern. You deserve to be turfed out. That’s what you deserve. |
| there is a lot of emotion in Richard Di Natale's voice, he's pretty frustrated, Liberal senators have a lot of important things to deal with on the their phones | there is a lot of emotion in Richard Di Natale's voice, he's pretty frustrated, Liberal senators have a lot of important things to deal with on the their phones |
| Channel Seven is reporting that Julie Bishop, the foreign affairs minister, is standing for the leadership. Just a reminder that, in this chaotic environment, claims and counter-claims are flying thick and fast. Not to say they’re not true, but we need to treat them with care. We’re working to confirm the report and will tell you if and when we do. | Channel Seven is reporting that Julie Bishop, the foreign affairs minister, is standing for the leadership. Just a reminder that, in this chaotic environment, claims and counter-claims are flying thick and fast. Not to say they’re not true, but we need to treat them with care. We’re working to confirm the report and will tell you if and when we do. |
| BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE from @Riley7News - Julie Bishop will run for the Liberal leadership @7NewsSydney #auspol | BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE from @Riley7News - Julie Bishop will run for the Liberal leadership @7NewsSydney #auspol |
| Simon Birmingham is continuing to defend the government’s achievements. Same-sex marriage, budget balance, lower taxes and the reintroduction of the ABCC are listed as among those. Birmingham said the choice between Labor and the Coalition is clear. | Simon Birmingham is continuing to defend the government’s achievements. Same-sex marriage, budget balance, lower taxes and the reintroduction of the ABCC are listed as among those. Birmingham said the choice between Labor and the Coalition is clear. |
| People will not, in the end, risk their jobs, their wages, their homes, their retirement savings, the potential for lower electricity bills, on that mob opposite. | People will not, in the end, risk their jobs, their wages, their homes, their retirement savings, the potential for lower electricity bills, on that mob opposite. |
| The Centre Alliance crossbencher Rebekha Sharkie, who sits in the lower house, is using her afternoon of free time to watch the Senate in question time. She looks about as impressed as the rest of us. | The Centre Alliance crossbencher Rebekha Sharkie, who sits in the lower house, is using her afternoon of free time to watch the Senate in question time. She looks about as impressed as the rest of us. |
| Simon Birmingham, the government’s current leader in the Senate, is doing his best to parry the attack. He says it’s all about policies and outcomes. Worth noting the Coalition dumped their two signature policies this week – the corporate tax rate cut and the core of the national energy guarantee. Oh and they stopped trying to repeal the energy supplement, which they’ve been trying to do since 2015, from memory. | Simon Birmingham, the government’s current leader in the Senate, is doing his best to parry the attack. He says it’s all about policies and outcomes. Worth noting the Coalition dumped their two signature policies this week – the corporate tax rate cut and the core of the national energy guarantee. Oh and they stopped trying to repeal the energy supplement, which they’ve been trying to do since 2015, from memory. |
| Birmingham says: | Birmingham says: |
| What matters most to the people of Australia are policies and outcomes. | What matters most to the people of Australia are policies and outcomes. |
| Policies and outcomes. And this government, this Liberal National party government, has delivered good policies and strong outcomes in spades. We, as the government, stand proud of our strong record of achievement, a strong record of achievement, and we will continue to deliver on behalf of Australian families, on behalf of Australian households, on behalf of Australian businesses. | Policies and outcomes. And this government, this Liberal National party government, has delivered good policies and strong outcomes in spades. We, as the government, stand proud of our strong record of achievement, a strong record of achievement, and we will continue to deliver on behalf of Australian families, on behalf of Australian households, on behalf of Australian businesses. |
| Penny Wong continues to turn the screws. | Penny Wong continues to turn the screws. |
| I do want to make this point about what we have seen this week, and it has been an extraordinary spectacle, it has been an extraordinary spectacle of disunity, of division, of personal hatred, of enmity and ill discipline. It has been all of those things. But the most telling aspect of what we have seen on offer this week is this. When you ask the question who matters to the Liberal Party, you get one answer. Themselves. | I do want to make this point about what we have seen this week, and it has been an extraordinary spectacle, it has been an extraordinary spectacle of disunity, of division, of personal hatred, of enmity and ill discipline. It has been all of those things. But the most telling aspect of what we have seen on offer this week is this. When you ask the question who matters to the Liberal Party, you get one answer. Themselves. |
| Labor’s Penny Wong is moving a no-confidence motion against the government in the Senate. | Labor’s Penny Wong is moving a no-confidence motion against the government in the Senate. |
| The motion also calls on Malcolm Turnbull to take Australia to the polls by visiting the governor general by 5pm. | The motion also calls on Malcolm Turnbull to take Australia to the polls by visiting the governor general by 5pm. |
| It is very clear from question time today that Australia does not have a functioning government. Australia does not have a functioning government. | It is very clear from question time today that Australia does not have a functioning government. Australia does not have a functioning government. |
| We have a rabble. A rabble of self-important people masquerading as the representatives of Australia. | We have a rabble. A rabble of self-important people masquerading as the representatives of Australia. |
| I don’t want to look at that car crash of a Senate anymore. So here’s a few pictures from the heroic Mike Bowers of that gob-smacking press conference earlier. Turnbull, with his back against the wall, shows some fight. | I don’t want to look at that car crash of a Senate anymore. So here’s a few pictures from the heroic Mike Bowers of that gob-smacking press conference earlier. Turnbull, with his back against the wall, shows some fight. |
| Pure farce. | Pure farce. |
| This is where we’re currently at in the 45th parliament. Senator Malarndirri McCarthy asks: | This is where we’re currently at in the 45th parliament. Senator Malarndirri McCarthy asks: |
| How many ministers currently serve in the Liberal National government? Who are they? And what are their portfolios? | How many ministers currently serve in the Liberal National government? Who are they? And what are their portfolios? |
| I honestly don’t think anyone knows. | I honestly don’t think anyone knows. |
| The uproar from Labor is deafening in there. Each time Birmingham tries to talk about the government’s performance, he is drowned out. The Senate president, Scott Ryan, is trying to wrest control. | The uproar from Labor is deafening in there. Each time Birmingham tries to talk about the government’s performance, he is drowned out. The Senate president, Scott Ryan, is trying to wrest control. |
| Order on my left. Order on my left. If I call order, take a breath and count to three before the interjections continue. | Order on my left. Order on my left. If I call order, take a breath and count to three before the interjections continue. |
| Question time kicks off in the Senate. This is embarrassing. Birmingham is listing the various portfolios that he, Scullion and Payne will take questions on. The lists are ludicrously long. | Question time kicks off in the Senate. This is embarrassing. Birmingham is listing the various portfolios that he, Scullion and Payne will take questions on. The lists are ludicrously long. |
| Labor laugh and yell from the opposition benches as Birmingham works his way through the portfolios. | Labor laugh and yell from the opposition benches as Birmingham works his way through the portfolios. |
| The chaos continues over in the Senate. Senators were preparing to debate a bill on regional broadband. But the government appeared to have no idea who the relevant minister was. Instead of the name of its speaker, the Coalition simply wrote “minister”. Quality, stable government there. | The chaos continues over in the Senate. Senators were preparing to debate a bill on regional broadband. But the government appeared to have no idea who the relevant minister was. Instead of the name of its speaker, the Coalition simply wrote “minister”. Quality, stable government there. |
| You’ll remember that the former communications minister Mitch Fifield resigned earlier today. | You’ll remember that the former communications minister Mitch Fifield resigned earlier today. |
| We know now that Simon Birmingham will be the government’s leader in the Senate. Birmingham, Nigel Scullion and Marise Payne will take most of the questions on behalf of that slew of resigned frontbenchers we mentioned earlier. | We know now that Simon Birmingham will be the government’s leader in the Senate. Birmingham, Nigel Scullion and Marise Payne will take most of the questions on behalf of that slew of resigned frontbenchers we mentioned earlier. |
| Brace for full impact, guys. It’s going to be a heavy landing. | Brace for full impact, guys. It’s going to be a heavy landing. |