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Mathias Cormann blames 'administrative error' for 'it's OK to be white' vote – politics live
Mathias Cormann blames 'administrative error' for 'it's OK to be white' vote – politics live
(35 minutes later)
And from the caucus meeting:
Penny Wong then points out the history of the statement ‘it’s okay to be white’
Labor caucus signed off on the new procedures for medical transfers from Nauru I reported early this morning: but there was a substantial debate. Labor left MPs said this needed to be the first step. At least 9 Labor MPs spoke @AmyRemeikis #auspol
Then, when this is finally pointed out to them, do they apologise? Do they seek to recommit the vote? No. You doubled down. One after one you line up on Twitter to defend your actions. The Attorney tweets, ‘Government senators’ actions in the Senate confirmed that the government deplores any kind of racism.’ Senator Cormann is so outraged by this, he retweets that, and then adds his own comments in support for good measure.
Parliament is about to start, which means it is midday, which means I have no idea where this day has gone.
But you know what actually made them change position? Not principle; not the fact that they were standing behind a white supremacist slogan; and not the fact that they were yet again lining up behind Senator Hanson in some hopeless and vain attempt to protect their right-wing base. No, it was only when the Liberal candidate for Wentworth came out against the motion that it started to dawn on the government that they might have made a mistake—not that it was wrong in principle to support a motion that really can be characterised as akin to something a Neo-Nazi would support; not that it was wrong to be led by the noes by Senator Hanson. What they really responded to was that it might cost them votes in Wentworth.”
I guess he had some experience after the jump his own must have received at seeing the backlash to the ‘it’s ok to be white’ support.
She ends with:
The PM in position to plug Restart a Heart Day pic.twitter.com/grMJjC8ayV
In closing, my challenge to the government is this: if you’re serious about fixing this up, why don’t you recommit the motion? Why don’t you recommit the motion and not allow this stain in a multicultural nation to remain on the record of this Senate?”
Scott Morrison and Marise Payne have released a joint statement, as the thought bubble from this morning looking at moving the Israel embassy continues to make pretty big waves:
Mathias Cormann jumped at the chance:
The Australian Government has today made a number of important announcements in support of Australia’s interests in the Middle East and our continuing support for a durable and resilient two-state solution. As a package, these announcements reinforce our commitment to efforts towards resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, further strengthen our valuable relationship with Israel, and will review Australia’s policy in relation to Iran’s nuclear program.
I thank Senator Wong for her contribution and, on behalf of the government, I seek leave to recommit the vote on motion No. 1,092, which was voted on yesterday.”
In making these announcements, the Government underlines its enduring commitment to the Middle East Peace Process, and to a two-state solution that allows Israel and a future Palestinian state to exist side-by-side, in peace and security, within internationally recognised borders. We will continue to encourage both sides to continue dialogue and negotiations towards a peaceful settlement. The Government reaffirms its commitment to constructive engagement with Iran.
Penny Wong:
First, Australia will vote no in the upcoming UN General Assembly resolution on the Palestinian Authority chairing the G77. This draft resolution seeks to confer an official status on the Palestinian Authority it does not have, and therefore has the potential to undermine efforts to bring parties together to work towards a peaceful settlement.
I move that the Senate take note of the government’s stated position on racism in Australia, and I rise to respond to that somewhat pathetic attempt at a clean-up. And that’s what it was—a pathetic attempt at a clean-up where this minister has to come in and try and take on the chin the fact that they all voted for a motion that included a phrase that everybody knows is used by white supremacists. All of you did so. And now you want to come in and say, ‘Oops, we made a mistake.’ We don’t believe you. No-one believes you, and everybody knows this is a just craven and pathetic attempt to try and clean up your mess.
Second, the Government will carefully examine the arguments put forward by Australia’s former Ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, that we should consider recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, without prejudice to its final boundaries, while acknowledging East Jerusalem as the expected capital of a future Palestinian state. Specifically, the Government will examine the merits of moving Australia’s embassy to West Jerusalem, in the context of our support for a two-state solution. Any decision will be subject to a rigorous assessment of the potential impact of such a move on our broader national interests.
The reality is yesterday’s decision by government senators to vote in favour of a phrase created and disseminated by white supremacist groups around the world is a shameful episode. It is a shameful episode in this chamber. It is a phrase created by white, right-wing extremist groups in the United States with the sole purpose of causing a backlash to help convert people to the cause of the Neo-Nazis and extremist groups like the Klu Klux Klan. There is nothing innocent, nothing unknown, nothing hidden about this phrase. Frankly, the claim that somehow the government didn’t understand it or didn’t understand this or didn’t know about it is not believable.
Third, given Australia’s increased engagement with Israel on defence and security matters, the Government will appoint a resident Australian Defence Attaché in Tel Aviv and has invited Israel to appoint its own resident Defence Attaché in Canberra.
Frankly, if Mr Christian Porter wasn’t aware of the true meaning behind this phrase, then how is he fit to be the Attorney-General? And as to government senators who walked in here like sheep yesterday to stand up behind One Nation and Ms Hanson—frankly, do you really deserve to be here? I mean, who is running the government? Are you so lacking in basic decency, so lacking in understanding, so lacking in common sense, you just walk in and vote for a motion like that without actually looking at it on the basis that somebody in some office somewhere supposedly made a mistake? Do you really have no understanding of what One Nation was trying to achieve here?”
Fourth, the Government will review, without prejudice, Australia’s approach to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to determine whether our current policy settings remain fit for purpose. The review will reassess whether the Plan remains the best vehicle to address the international community’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The Government aims to finalise and announce the findings of this review by December this year.”
Pauline Hanson will hold a press conference at 12.45, because the only people enjoying this mess are One Nation.
Mark Dreyfus does not buy Christian Porter’s explanation. From his statement:
Just before both chambers erupted into debate, Senate president Scott Ryan made this determination on a privileges issue Brian Burston raised a little earlier after his fall out with One Nation:
As Attorney-General, Christian Porter is in charge of the Racial Discrimination Act and interpreting other complex legislation. Does he seriously expect Australians to believe that he couldn’t interpret what Senator Hanson’s motion meant?
Senators, by letter dated 27 September 2018 Senator Burston has raised a matter of privilege, alleging that, by removing him from positions within Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party and pressing him to resign from the Senate, Senator Hanson has sought to improperly interfere with the free performance of his duties as a senator and to penalise him for his conduct as a senator.
Mr Porter needs to front up and take responsibility for this himself.
Senator Burston suggests that these actions were intended to influence him to change his vote on government legislation in the Senate.
Up until late last night, Christian Porter was still trying to justify the government’s decision on Twitter, with Leader of the Senate Mathias Cormann himself, following suit.
...I have determined that the matter should have precedence as a matter of privilege. As I have said, the question of whether the matter warrants investigation as a possible contempt is a question for the Senate.
This is not something the government can just shrug off. This is government Senators being seen to endorse a battle cry of the white supremacy movement inside the Australian Parliament. It is appalling.
That being the case, I consider it appropriate to draw to the attention of the Senate the guidance provided by the Privileges Committee in a somewhat similar matter involving former senator Grant Tambling, whose preselection was withdrawn after he declined to follow his party organisations directions on a piece of legislation.
This is not just a deeply embarrassing moment for the Coalition, but also for the country.
The committee’s guidance indicates a high degree of reluctance to intervene in internal party matters but does not entirely close the door on the possibility that the Senate’s contempt jurisdiction might be invoked in such circumstances. The matter was dealt with in the committee’s 103rd report, for the reference of senators.”
The voters of Wentworth should ask themselves – can they endorse a government with these sorts of values, with Senators who don’t even know what they’re supposed to be voting for?
Burston then gave notice of this motion:
More from the joint party room meeting:
That the following matter be referred to the committee of privileges for inquiry and report:
In this morning's party room meeting, @SenPaterson and @JimMolan congratulated the PM on Jerusalem and the Iran deal; Trent Zimmerman raised kids on Nauru; Amanda Stoker and @GChristensenMP raised sex discrimination changes #auspol @AmyRemeikis
Having regard to the matters raised by Senator Burston in correspondence tabled by the President on 16 October 2018,
On kids on Nauru: Zimmerman wanted to know about whether the NZ deal could be activated. PM said words the the effect of perhaps, if we can shut the back door. Morrison referred to this in parliament yesterday #auspol @AmyRemeikis
(a) whether by removing him from positions within Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party and pressing him to resign from the Senate, Senator Hanson or any other person has sought to improperly interfere with the free performance of his duties as a senator or to penalise him for his conduct as a senator, and
On discrimination, Christensen/Stoker said religious freedom protections needed to be delivered & the debate needed to be steered away from kids. Christensen said it was a free speech issue. Stoker said it was ok for teachers to be gay if they upheld school values @AmyRemeikis
(b) if so, whether any contempt was committed in that regard.
MEDIA STATEMENT | @OneNationAus Senator Pauline Hanson responds to the Government withdrawing support for her motion calling on the Senate to acknowledge:A) The deplorable rise of anti-white racism and attacks on Western Civilisation; andB) That it is okay to be white#auspol pic.twitter.com/kS5KFkdjRC
A dispatch from New Zealand has come through:
I don’t know – maybe that the phrase ‘it’s okay to be white’ is often used by white supremacists, including the former Grand Wizard of the KKK, David Duke, is pretty offensive? Just for starters.
The New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said she was waiting for official confirmation of the proposed move but Australia’s intentions would not help support peace in the region.
Or, in the words of the former Queensland premier Campbell Newman, ‘Google it’.
Earlier in the year Ardern described the US decision to move its embassy to Jeruslam as “a step backwards, not forwards”. “We support a two-state solution and our view has been that any shift in representation, in the way we saw with the United States, does not move us closer to that peaceful resolution,” Ardern said.
The party room meetings are on and the agreements are starting to drift out – the Coalition has agreed to support the GST changes ensuring that no state will be worse off – during the transition period for the new formula.
OK, so yup.
Labor had pushed the government to legislate that no state would be worse off, while Scott Morrison’s original position was that the government didn’t need to legislate it, but would just commit to it as policy.
It’s not the biggest issue facing the parliament, a motion calling for the parliament to condemn the phrase is a Labor stunt BUT the government will be moving to put the motion again in the Senate, so it can reject it.
But with elections and yadda, yadda in the breeze, things can change quickly. And so now the government will move to legislate no state being worse off, as the new GST formula transition period takes effect.
This happened after Penny Wong finished her speech by saying if the government was serious, it would reject the motion.
Just back to that explanation from Christian Porter:
Mathias Cormann agreed to do this. Immediately. But in the House, Christopher Pyne is fighting tooth and nail to move on.
It appears that, of the very large number of motions on which my office’s views are routinely sought, this one was not escalated to me because it was interpreted in my office as a motion opposing racism. The associations of the language were not picked up. Had it been raised directly with me those issues would have been identified.”
Pyne says the government has apologised and eaten its humble pie, and it is time to move on.
So just to be clear, apparently a staffer misinterpreted a motion put forward by One Nation as opposing racism. From One Nation. Whose leader wore a burqa into the Senate.
Christopher Pyne says this is a “Canberra bubble” issue, it was only an “administrative failure” and is not the most important issue facing the parliament today – small business tax cuts are.
This “discussion” Scott Morrison wants to start about the Australian embassy position in Israel is most definitely not being greeted ‘warmly’ by all sectors.
Derryn Hinch said senators who opposed the motion were yelling ‘what are you doing’ at government senators as they moved to vote on Pauline Hanson’s side.
Katharine Murphy and Guardian staff report:
In the House, Christopher Pyne said the government was not going to “fall for Labor stunts” and vote for Tony Burke’s motion, saying the vote was a mistake “which has been corrected”.
Bishop George Browning, president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, was horrified. “I find the announcement extraordinary because it must be the first time in Australian political life that a government has tried to shore up its chances in a byelection by using foreign policy.
And it looks like the government will NOT be supporting that motion from Labor.
“The previous prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and the previous foreign minister Julie Bishop resisted this for the very good reason that to move the embassy to Jerusalem is [the same] as agreeing with the Israeli prime minister that Jerusalem is the undivided capital of Israel.
“They’re immediately throwing out the policy of a two-state solution, which Australia has held for a very long time, decades, in order to shore up their chances in a local byelection. It’s disgraceful.”
And now this:
BREAKING: the Palestinian delegation to Australia says 15 Middle Eastern embassies are likely to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss PM Morrison’s comments on Jerusalem. Story soon @australian
Everything is going very, very well.
Queensland is attempting to remove abortion from its criminal code this week.
Ben Smee wrote about just how long it has taken to get to this point, here.
If you want to see where your state stands on abortion, the Conversation has written an explainer, here.
Of all the issues at the heart of failed past peace efforts, none have been as sensitive as the status of Jerusalem and so many states have sought not to show favour to one side or the other. Israel captured the eastern side of the city in 1967, and later annexed those neighbourhoods where thousands of Palestinians live.
If Scott Morrison goes ahead with the embassy move, it will put him at odds with close allies in Europe on the issue. While the prime minister said it was a “sensible” idea that Australia could move its embassy and also work towards a two-state solution, that thinking goes against international consensus.
Following Trump’s embassy announcement, Theresa May, the UK prime minister, said it was “unhelpful” towards Britain’s goal for a share capital for the Israeli and Palestinian states. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, was more blunt, saying the move was a “threat to peace”.
Christian Porter has issued this statement – it all happened without his knowledge.
So apparently administrative error is now code for rogue staffer?
An early email advising an approach on the motion went out from my office on this matter without my knowledge.
It appears that, of the very large number of motions on which my office’s views are routinely sought, this one was not escalated to me because it was interpreted in my office as a motion opposing racism. The associations of the language were not picked up. Had it been raised directly with me those issues would have been identified.
As Minister Cormann said this morning this was the result of an administrative error, including on the part of my office.
Naturally I’m reviewing the processes in my office to prevent such an administrative error in the future. Having been part of an error that put Senator Ruston in a very difficult position a tweet from my office condemning all forms of racism was meant as nothing more than support for that same proposition which Senator Ruston, despite being placed in a difficult position, put in the Senate that the Government condemns all forms of racism.”
