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Peter Dutton under pressure after inquiry finding that he misled parliament – politics live Peter Dutton under pressure after inquiry finding that he misled parliament – politics live
(35 minutes later)
It didn’t get a lot of attention yesterday, because the Peter Dutton report was tabled at around the same time, but the Future of Work and Workers report was presented to the Senate yesterday.
Murray Watt:
This was a very big topic that undertook a very long inquiry, and it covers some really important issues facing our country, such as what the impact of robots, automation, artificial intelligence is going to be on workers. We know that some jobs will be created, we know that there are some jobs at risk, and we also know – as a result of this inquiry – that we have a government that has no plan whatsoever to deal with the change that is coming to Australian workplaces. We already know that Australians are suffering from some of the lowest wage growth that we’ve ever seen. We’ve got more and more people working as casuals, labour hire and in non-standard work, and we have a government that’s just sitting on the sidelines letting all of this happen to Australian people and not taking action. This report highlights that we need a national plan. Hope is not a strategy. Hope is not going to get us there. We need a government that’s prepared to work with business, with unions and educational institutions to make sure that Australian workers do have a bright future and we think that that is possible.
Punters have updated their stakes on who will win Dickson, with Sportsbet offering odds of $1.72 for Labor’s b to take the seat from b ($2.10), if you put any stock in this sort of thing.
Peter Dutton, the home affairs minister, had his weekly spot on Sydney’s 2GB radio with Ray Hadley earlier this morning.
They talked about the strawberry contamination scare, the au pair cases, and a few other things.
Au pairs:
Hadley, interestingly, admitted that he didn’t see the harm in breaking the law to pay some tourists a few dollars to babysit some kids, and Dutton appeared to agree with him.
Hadley began the conversation by saying he felt “compromised”.
He said he’d seen a Sky News story revealing some of the texts that had been sent and received by the Italian au pair, which made it clear that she had agreed to do some babysitting for cash in violation of her visa.
Hadley said he couldn’t see the harm.
“I know that these people come here as tourists, but if there’s a young person in my area and someone said ‘Oh, she babysat my kids a month ago and she’s a really good person’ or ‘I know that person and she is here on a tourist visa and I may be acting illegally’, but I couldn’t see the harm in saying ‘Look, I’ll give you $10, $15, $20 an hour to look after my kids, you know, for a couple of hours if you don’t mind’.”
He then continued.
“I know strictly in the way the law’s laid down that that would be contravening the tourist visa, but are we really going to hunt down young people who come here on a holiday and might, because they babysit someone’s kids for a couple of hours, throw them out of the country?”
Dutton appeared to agree with him, saying common sense needed to be applied.
“I think it’s an application of common sense, Ray,” Dutton said, “and people that have lived in the real world get it.
“The Greens, of course, don’t live in the real world and don’t get it.
“I had put the ‘no work’ requirement in the undertaking that these two women had to sign, they had no criminal history, they didn’t overstate their visas and I’m being lectured to members of the Labor party and Greens who support hate preachers coming into our country, who give references to crooks and criminals.
“Mr [Shayne] Neumann, my opposite number, who would be Bill Shorten’s home affairs minister, supporting a convicted murderer, wanting his visa sorted out, all the rest of it.
“So it’s galling, really, to take a morals lecture from some of these people.
“As you say, I just think it’s a common sense application and people can draw their own conclusions, make their own judgments but, I’ve not had one thing that I’ve said contradicted. Everything I’ve said in the parliament, outside, has not been doubted, hasn’t been proven wrong, and in all of this inquiry they were hoping for a smoking gun, hoping Mr [Roman] Quaedvlieg was actually telling the truth, in the end none of that proved to be true.”
Senate inquiry into the au pair case:
They also talked about the Senate report into the au pair scandal.
Dutton said he wasn’t surprised that the report, which was written by a committee dominated by Labor and Greens senators, had found against him.
“Well Sarah Hanson-Young and Nick McKim and the other Greens, will they say something nice about me?” he asked.
He and Hadley then chuckled together.
Dutton said the au pair scandal, and the short Senate inquiry, had been a “political stunt from the start”. He said the former border force chief Roman Quaedvlieg “went down in flames”.
Hadley then had a go at Quaedvlieg, saying “I think, at best, he’s a discredited witness” and said even Fairfax Media had distanced itself from Quaedvlieg now.
Dutton agreed.
Strawberries:
Dutton said Scott Morrison needed to move quickly on the food contamination scare, so his announcement yesterday was welcome.
He said the law had to change to act as a deterrent to copycats.
“It’s a necessary change to the law, it toughens it up, and it sends a very clear message from the government,” he said.
Jennifer Westacott delivered the Alvert Street lecture, and the Business Council head urged her audience to embrace inclusion:
I want an Australia where you are not denied opportunities because you choose to live in regional areas like Shepparton, Busselton or Toowoomba.
But to ensure our regions can thrive and retain their brightest people, we need to coordinate infrastructure in these areas outside metropolitan Australia, drive investment, and drive skills investment development.
And mostly, I want you to live in an Australia that is united, not divided.
One country.
The divisions that exist, not too far from the surface, must end.
The division between the regions and cities, the division between small and big businesses, and the division between religions.
We must call out those on the extreme, devoid of goodwill, who seek to isolate one ethnic group from the rest, and those who attempt to fan division by seeking to resurrect the archaic notion of classes.
After all, Robert Menzies long ago observed that:
“In a country like Australia the class war must always be a false war.’’
I want you to live in a country with one society shared by all its citizens -– whether you are a refugee, the grandchild of post-war migrants, an Indigenous Australian or the descendants of First Fleeters.
One country where we all belong.
A country that values inclusion, equality, tolerance and diversity.
A country that embraces freedom, the rule of law, and fairness through opportunity.
As we endeavour to leave you this nation, we need to remember it will not all be plain sailing.
It hasn’t been for my generation, and it won’t be for yours.
Just as they are tailwinds, there are also headwinds.”
Louise Pratt, who headed up the Senate inquiry which found Peter Dutton misled the parliament, told the ABC why she believes why he should be censured:
Given the evidence that the inquiry has found, I would call on the crossbenchers to do the same. People with personal relationships that are able to call the minister’s office and get that high-level of personal service –the kind of service that we saw these cases get was absolutely extraordinary.
It involved the minister making sure that he could sign an intervention before he left the country, instead of passing that intervention over to minister Keenan, who would otherwise have been responsible for it.
Why did he do that? Well, probably because this intervention didn’t go through the normal departmental processes. It came through his office. The standard departmental processes would have meant that these cases had gone through the department, that you send an email with your ministerial intervention request to the department.
On the other hand, what we found in this case is at the border Australian Border Force recommended in both of these cases that these people be deported. That is not a standard ministerial intervention request. The only reason this ministerial intervention request came forward was because the minister’s office themselves put that request forward.
Normally those requests come through migration agents and have to go through the department. In part, that was because the paperwork that the department provided was completely inadequate.
For example, ministerial interventions are tabled ... in the parliament. We matched up those tabled documents with the ones that the department gave us in the course of the inquiry.
And the dates and the numbers of interventions simply didn’t match. So, it’s very, very hard for us to draw conclusive evidence about whether this is the limit of the number of interventions the minister has made through his personal connections.
We’ve gone back through as many of those as possible. To try and match them up. But it doesn’t give us much confidence in those processes. It’s very difficult for us to take it further because the inquiry has closed. It is up to the Senate, what it would seek to do in terms of making further inquiries on the matter.
Labor is on board with the strawberry laws – but wants a review built in after 12 months.
Mark Dreyfus sent this letter to Christian Porter:
I and the opposition were provided with a draft of the criminal code amendment (food contamination) bill 2018 at 6.02pm on 19 September 2018.
As you will know from the speech I have just delivered in the House, the opposition will be supporting this legislation.
As I indicated in my speech, the opposition seeks an amendment to the bill to provide for a statutory review of the provisions introduced by the bill within 12 months of their commencement.
This is to ensure that any unintended consequences (which often occur with legislation as rushed as this has been) are able to be identified and dealt with.
The opposition is prepared to work with you to ensure that any procedural steps needed to support this amendment are expedited.
The whole suite of Australian Berry Force laws can be found here.The whole suite of Australian Berry Force laws can be found here.
The Senate passed that motion asking for the religious freedoms review to be tabled.The Senate passed that motion asking for the religious freedoms review to be tabled.
Derryn Hinch, Centre Alliance, the Greens and Labor voted for, while One Nation, Fraser Anning and Cory Bernardi voted against it.Derryn Hinch, Centre Alliance, the Greens and Labor voted for, while One Nation, Fraser Anning and Cory Bernardi voted against it.
After Anning tried, and failed, to get the outrage he wanted with another ridiculous adjournment speech on Tuesday night, this time on Safe Schools, Hanson is attempting to crank it up with a motion which basically says “it’s OK to be white”, later today.After Anning tried, and failed, to get the outrage he wanted with another ridiculous adjournment speech on Tuesday night, this time on Safe Schools, Hanson is attempting to crank it up with a motion which basically says “it’s OK to be white”, later today.
We all deal with RDS in our own way, I guess.We all deal with RDS in our own way, I guess.
Bill Shorten just told the parliament to buy a “punnet for yourself and a punnet for the nation” as the Australian Berry Force laws go through the House.Bill Shorten just told the parliament to buy a “punnet for yourself and a punnet for the nation” as the Australian Berry Force laws go through the House.
The Senate passed a motion yesterday demanding the government produce the Ruddock religious freedom report.The Senate passed a motion yesterday demanding the government produce the Ruddock religious freedom report.
Late yesterday, the government responded with the Senate version of “yeah, nah” by saying it was confidential.Late yesterday, the government responded with the Senate version of “yeah, nah” by saying it was confidential.
Which it is. Right until after the Wentworth byelection is over.Which it is. Right until after the Wentworth byelection is over.
But now Labor and the Greens are yeah, nah, but yeahing the government, by passing another motion demanding the government table it.But now Labor and the Greens are yeah, nah, but yeahing the government, by passing another motion demanding the government table it.
1. Notes the claim of public interest immunity in response to the Senate order to produce Religious Freedom Review Expert Panel.1. Notes the claim of public interest immunity in response to the Senate order to produce Religious Freedom Review Expert Panel.
2. Cites the Senate’s Grounds for Public Interest Immunity Claims, where it states:2. Cites the Senate’s Grounds for Public Interest Immunity Claims, where it states:
It is accepted that deliberations of the executive council and of the cabinet should be able to be conducted in secrecy so as to preserve the freedom of deliberation of those bodies. This ground, however, relates only to disclosure of deliberations. There has been a tendency for governments to claim that anything with a connection to cabinet is confidential.It is accepted that deliberations of the executive council and of the cabinet should be able to be conducted in secrecy so as to preserve the freedom of deliberation of those bodies. This ground, however, relates only to disclosure of deliberations. There has been a tendency for governments to claim that anything with a connection to cabinet is confidential.
3. Acknowledges the report does not relate to the deliberations of cabinet; and therefore3. Acknowledges the report does not relate to the deliberations of cabinet; and therefore
4. Insists the order for the production of documents be complied with by 3pm 20 September 2018.4. Insists the order for the production of documents be complied with by 3pm 20 September 2018.
And around and around the merry-go-round we go.And around and around the merry-go-round we go.
The strawberry laws are being introduced to the House.
After Scott Morrison implored people to make a pavlova and top it with strawberries, and Scott Buchholz took around strawberries and yoghurt (strangely, the Guardian office was missed in the delivery run). Labor started the morning with some strawberry-topped pancakes. Tanya Plibersek took charge of the pancake grill.
You can find more strawberry recipes here.
(I also missed out on the pancakes and strawberry feast. It’s an outrage)
Tom Connell is reporting on Sky that Ann Sudmalis is about to accept the United Nations UN trip – which sends MPs to New York for three months.
I understand Sudmalis may have attended the secondment when she was an advisor to Jo Gash, the former member for Gilmore*. So I guess she now gets to see it from the other side?
*I also understand the trip was privately funded, as staffers are not usually permitted on these secondments
The bells are ringing, so parliament is about to officially start.
The House will deal with the strawberry bills pretty quickly – just a reminder that while the maximum penalty for food tampering has been increased to 15 years, it is still up to a judge to decide, so I doubt we are going to see anyone put away for as long as a child pornographer.
The Senate also dealt with the governor general’s address-in-reply from two-and-a-bit years ago, last night, so that’s good to know.
But there is no indication that anyone from the Coalition will cross the floor against Peter Dutton for the motion, despite Tony Burke’s declaration that “they should. Effectively Peter Dutton is asking them to show more loyalty to him than he showed to them.”
Scott Morrison says it is just a distraction tactic. Here he is speaking to the Nine Network:
Labors and Greens passed a motion that they don’t like Peter Dutton any more. The Labor party and the Greens are just using their numbers to try and play politics. I won’t get distracted by it. It is politics in Canberra. People see through it.
Of course I do [have confidence in Dutton]. The Labor party is going on about stopping the au pairs. We are about stopping boats, bikies and criminal gangs. If the Labor party thinks that the worst thing that an au pair will come and read a bedtime story, that tells you what they think of national security.
Ministerial discretion has been part of the immigration system. I was an immigration minister. Those powers are important to give flexibility to deal with any number of difficult cases which the laws can’t cope with.
Anthony Albanese also had a few things to say about Peter Dutton this morning – and made sure to drop by doors so he could:
It’s very clear that Peter Dutton’s position as a minister in this ATM government – Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison – should be at an end and it should be at an end today. He should do the right thing and resign as a minister, as the provisions of Westminster mean that he must.
There is nothing more important than being honest as a minister before the parliament. That’s an essential component. It’s not optional.
And for people who describe themselves as conservatives, if Peter Dutton doesn’t resign himself, what he will be doing is trashing the institution of parliament, trashing the rules and conventions under the Westminster system.
These people aren’t really conservatives of course; they are just reactionaries. And Peter Dutton has quite clearly misled parliament, as the Senate committee has found.
Mike Bowers was at Royalla for the early-morning visit:
Scott Morrison made a drought announcement this morning.
He said trucks would now be able to carry longer and higher loads of hay and fodder on state- and national-controlled roads, to help the nation’s drought-stricken farmers.
He said heavy vehicles up to a maximum height of 4.6 metres and 2.83 metres wide will no longer require a permit to access the existing state-controlled road networks. Previously, access was limited for Class 3 vehicles up to 2.6 metres wide and 4.3 metres high.
The move will remove the need for up to 6,000 consents a year.
Morrison said it would help the large amount of fodder from Western Australia and Tasmania loaded and transported to drought-affected areas, particularly in NSW.
To make the announcement, Morrison visited the NSW community of Royalla, just south of Canberra.
He was with the deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, the assistant minister for roads, Scott Buchholz, the Liberal senator Jim Molan, National Farmers’ Federation president, Fiona Simpson, the national drought coordinator, Major General Stephen Day, and Barnaby Joyce.
Joyce was there in his capacity as the “special envoy for drought assistance”, and was back in front of the camera sharing some Barnabyisms, so his political rehabilitation continues.
There has also been a lot of chatter about the “I stop these” boat sculpture in Scott Morrison’s office, first highlighted by the New York Times. I have never before heard anyone talk about that sculpture, which apparently was a gift from a constituent, which would suggest that it wasn’t in the most prominent spot in his old office. But I wouldn’t know – I’ve never been in there.
Most of our interviews, when they are done one-on-one, are done away from politician’s parliamentary office space, either in our own, their electorates or in the meeting rooms contained within their offices – they tend to be more of a suite of rooms, so more than one meeting can occur at one time.
But Tony Burke was asked about it at the end of his Sky interview:
You decide what the issues are after you have been in the portfolio and it’s not unusual to have something that reminds you of that time.
After I had finished as immigration minister I was sent a plaque with a whole lot of the names of unaccompanied children who I had got out of detention. I keep that in my office. It was a special thing to have.
I think the thing that is always forgotten is with people drowning at sea and the boats is that half of them drowned after the Malaysia option had been blocked and it was blocked when Scott Morrison held the portfolio.
It’s good that the boats had stopped now but that moment when half of those lives could have been saved I don’t think should ever be forgotten.
That interview was pre-recorded, and Zed Seselja, who was live in the studio and caught the end of the Burke pre-record being broadcast, seemed to say – at least to my ears – “that’s rubbish” or “absolute rubbish” in the moments before he was introduced.
Tony Burke appeared on Sky this morning to talk Peter Dutton and what the report found:
He was asked do you know them and was there any personal connection. And he said I don’t know them. He answered no and said I don’t know these people.
Now, when you look at that, that just wasn’t true. There are a whole lot of times where for different reasons; for incompetence, for appalling judgement we will argue that a minister shouldn’t hold the job.
Under our system of government there is one reason that is agreed that is the offence that no minister can cross. That is, you don’t mislead the parliament.
If it happens inadvertently, if your words come out wrong, you stand up at the first opportunity and you say, ‘I said I didn’t know people at all,’ and then you go through and explain the level of knowledge. But the statement that he did now know who these people were …
Reporter:
But it’s not like they are great mates, if you haven’t spoken to someone for 20 years. That’s his defence, I guess. He’s saying his defence would pass the pub test.
Burke:
You can argue whether or not it’s a defence in terms of the au pair decision. You can have that argument. I’ve got a different view but I accept that there’s an argument that he will raise on that.
There is no argument that says he told the truth to the parliament, none. And as a minister our whole system is based on the concept that our ministers will tell the truth.
The Greens and Labor have picked right off where we left yesterday, talking about the no confidence motion Adam Bandt plans on moving against Peter Dutton, after a Senate committee found that he misled parliament.
The Coalition senators on that committee, Eric Abetz and Ian Macdonald, have agreed with Dutton that the inquiry, into whether he misused his powers to overturn a Australian Border Force decision to cancel the tourist visa for two au pairs the department believed had arrived with plans to work, was a “witch hunt”.
Dutton pre-empted the report’s conclusion yesterday by saying he believed it would find he was a “bad person” and that it was stacked against him, given that the committee was dominated by Labor and Green senators.
The committee, sans Macdonald and Abetz, found that he had misled parliament when he said he had no personal relationship with one of the host families involved in the au pair saga, and had gone above and beyond to use his powers, although it concluded he had still acted within them.
There is no word as yet on what Rebekha Sharkie and Cathy McGowan plan on doing when the vote comes to the House. They had both said they wanted to wait to see the report.
Meanwhile, Scott Morrison is keeping up the insane pace he has set himself to try to establish himself as a leader in people’s minds, starting the morning with Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce talking about the drought.
Joyce has well and truly decided his time in the cold is over and has picked up his envoy role with gusto.
Next month’s drought forum is what the government wants us to be talking about, but Labor and the Greens are working just as hard to make sure the conversation is centred around Dutton.
We’ll be tracking it all – Mike Bowers was out early this morning with Morrison and is back and prowling the hallways. I’ll bring you what he finds. And the Guardian brains trust are madly typing away and hitting the phones.
It’s the last sitting day of this session and things are getting antsy – I’m on coffee number three and ready to go, so let’s get into it!