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Labor on the attack over Scott Morrison's exit from Tourism Australia – Senate question time live
Labor on the attack over Scott Morrison's exit from Tourism Australia – Senate question time live
(35 minutes later)
The National Farmers’ Federation haven’t exactly embraced the government’s decision to slash Foodbank’s funding for it’s Key Staples program.
Paul Fletcher is on Sky News now, speaking on the Foodbank decision.
But even Kochie is angry about this one.
So disappointing this has happened. @FoodbankAus is one of those great Organisations which provides so much support for so many people in need of their services. A case of political priorities gone awry which needs to be corrected https://t.co/UneskPXvLk
Senate question time ends.
Oh thank Beyonce.
Kim Carr wants to know about Chris Crewther’s eligibility to sit in parliament.
Mathias Cormann says he’s fine, as far as he knows.
Carr is reading section 44 out to him (sub-section 5, which Crewther is suggested to have breached) and asks if Cormann is aware of it.
“Yes,” says Cormann.
So how is he not in breach, asks Carr?
Cormann calls him a “bush lawyer” and says there are “processes available to the Labor party”. But he takes on notice the part of the question about which grants the company Crewther invested in has received.
“Ahhhhhhh,” say the Labor benches.
Sadly, time continues at its snail’s pace and this is still happening.
Nick McKim is asking about his visa being denied by the Nauruan government.
He has an email from the Nauruan consulate which says “the senator’s request to visit Nauru does not have the support of the Australian Dfat office”.
He wants to know if the government intervened.
Marise Payne says no.
Neither the foreign affairs department nor the Australian consulate made representations on this visa, she says, and it is up to the Nauruan government who enters their country.
McKim wants to table the email, but I think he is denied.
Rebekha Sharkie, a key crossbench vote for the government now it is in minority, has also weighed in on the Foodbank funding cuts – for these reasons:
The latest announcement of $4.5m over 4.5 years doesn’t meet demand and now this small pool is being shared by multiple groups, including food rescue charities OzHarvest and Second Bite, which play very different roles.
OzHarvest and Second Bite rescue food from restaurants and hotels that would usually go to landfill while Foodbank is the main not-for-profit organisation working with manufacturers, suppliers and farmers to secure staple foodstuffs such as rice, cereal, fruit and vegetables.
Foodbank is a foundation organisation that provides so many charities with the staple food items they need to help the vulnerable Australians under their care.
Last year they leveraged more than $8m worth of basic foods to 2,600 partner charities and 1,750 schools.
South Australia alone received $1.4m worth of pantry basics for 551 different charities such as Lutheran Community Care and Share, the Heart & Soul Community Group and MarionLIFE.
There is someone in the Senate public gallery who looks like they might be nodding off.
Not all heroes wear capes.
Jenny McAllister to Bridget McKenzie about Foodbank, in the light of the National Farmers’ Federation intervention in the decision to slash its Key Staples funding program.
McKenzie says she usually agrees with the NFF and she knows that the prime minister was going to speak to Paul Fletcher about possibly reviewing the decision.
McAllister asks McKenzie to defend the decision.
“The prime minister has announced he will be speaking to the minister of department social services [about the decision].
“... We stand to support those families and communities who are doing it tough at this time.”
Barry O’Sullivan now wants to know if there is a “mechanism” to place what he says is an interjection from Doug Cameron on the official record.
Scott Ryan responds with a very parliamentary yeah, nah, and says he did not hear what Cameron said. Wong says O’Sullivan should not have been given the official call. Cormann says Wong should not be interjecting without the call.
It almost makes me miss the House.
Pauline Hanson has a question for Michaelia Cash, as the senator representing the home affairs minister.
“When will the government stop immigration from extremist countries,” is the question after a preamble about where Australia’s refugees are coming from.
Cash says Australia has a non-discriminatory immigration program and stands by it.
Hanson asks if Australia will stop immigration from Sudan “in light of the high crime rates over a period of years”.
Cash: “I refer to my previous answer. Australia has a non-discriminatory immigration program.”
Hanson: How many refugees are on the watch list?
Cash: Takes it on notice.
The National Farmers’ Federation hasn’t exactly embraced the government’s decision to slash Foodbank’s funding for its Key Staples program.
That’s because, as the organisation points out, 40% of the people helped by this program are in the bush. Which is suffering from a horrendous drought.
That’s because, as the organisation points out, 40% of the people helped by this program are in the bush. Which is suffering from a horrendous drought.
Demand for food relief services is growing exponentially – particularly in regional Australia, which accounts for 40% of Foodbank’s relief work.
Demand for food relief services is growing exponentially – particularly in regional Australia, which accounts for 40% of Foodbank’s relief work.
The current drought in Eastern Australia is heightening pressure on household budgets in regional communities, making the timing of this decision unthinkable.”
The current drought in eastern Australia is heightening pressure on household budgets in regional communities, making the timing of this decision unthinkable.”
Have your say on this issue by e-mailing the PM. Click below to voice your support for @FoodbankAus. https://t.co/vW4A6upbuZ
Have your say on this issue by e-mailing the PM. Click below to voice your support for @FoodbankAus. https://t.co/vW4A6upbuZ
Mehreen Faruqi: Can the minister guarantee that the government will not allow the fund to be used to subsidise private school fees for wealthy parents?
Mehreen Faruqi: Can the minister guarantee that the government will not allow the fund to be used to subsidise private school fees for wealthy parents?
Bridget McKenzie: We are the side of parliament which puts money on the table to deliver what you could not deliver, which is needs-based funding for school students. Also, the Greens should run for state parliament, because this is a state education issue.
Bridget McKenzie: We are the side of parliament which puts money on the table to deliver what you could not deliver, which is needs-based funding for school students. Also, the Greens should run for state parliament, because this is a state education issue.
Faruqi: Will this money be spent on swimming pools and air-conditioning?
Faruqi: Will this money be spent on swimming pools and air-conditioning?
McKenzie: All students should be educated in air-conditioning (this may be news to several Queensland state school students) but she would be appalled if the money was used for “excessive luxuries”.
McKenzie: All students should be educated in air-conditioning (this may be news to several Queensland state school students) but she would be appalled if the money was used for “excessive luxuries”.
Michaelia Cash says some things in response to Jim Molan asking some things.
Michaelia Cash says some things in response to Jim Molan asking some things.
Moving on.
Moving on.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi wants to know about the $1.2 billion “choice and affordability” fund it has given Catholic schools, which has been labelled by critics as a slush fund.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi wants to know about the $1.2bn “choice and affordability” fund it has given Catholic schools, which has been labelled by critics as a slush fund.
Dr Faruqi wants to know how the government came to the number, and whether the Catholic schools had some input.
Faruqi wants to know how the government came to the number, and whether the Catholic schools had some input.
Bridget McKenzie, representing the education minister Dan Tehan, does not answer the question.
Bridget McKenzie, representing the education minister Dan Tehan, does not answer the question.
Jacinta Collins: How much was Scott Morrison’s payout and why don’t Australians deserve to know?
Mathias Cormann says he is not across events which occurred “a decade” ago:
“They are running their dirt units through ancient history because they have nothing else to talk about.”
But I guess the royal commission into unions and the AWU stuff was modern ancient history and therefore completely different?
Jacinta Collins asks why don’t Australians deserve to know why Scott Morrison was sacked.
“The prime minister is a very open and transparent person,” Mathias Cormann says.
The Senate chamber erupts so loudly I can feel this wing of the building vibrate.
But that might just be my sanity making an early run for it.
Cormann says he is not “personally aware” of the circumstances.
Scott Ryan asks the chamber to dwell on the concept of silence.
If only.
Jacinta Collins asks why was Scott Morrison sacked as the managing director of Tourism Australia, just 18 months into his contract (under the Howard government).
Mathias Cormann:
“Mr Morrison did a great job, was a great advocate for the tourism industry,” Cormann says, after accusing Labor’s dirt unit of being “busy”.
He adds that the tourism industry across Australia knows what a strong advocate for the industry Morrison is (although I missed the exact quote, that’s the spirit).
Penny Wong has raised a point of order on relevance twice now: Why was he sacked?
Cormann says he is being relevant to “current circumstances”.
“Mr President, even you could barely contain a smile,” Wong says, jumping almost immediately.
Ryan lets Cormann go, he stays on current relevancy and we are back on the merry-go-round.
And I already want to rock under my desk.
I missed the first questions from Penny Wong to Mathias Cormann, but it was about Karen Middleton’s Saturday Paper story about the auditor-general report into Tourism Australia, after Scott Morrison’s departure as boss.
From Middleton’s report: (changes in font are the Saturday Paper’s).
The auditor-general’s inquiry into Tourism Australia – which followed these reviews, and was conducted after Morrison’s departure – reveals information was kept from the board, procurement guidelines breached and private companies engaged on contracts worth $184 million before paperwork was signed and without appropriate value-for-money assessments.
THE AUDIT REPORT OMITS THE NEXT EVENT IN THE CHRONOLOGY OF RELATIONS BETWEEN THE MINISTER AND TOURISM AUSTRALIA – THAT BAILEY SACKED MORRISON THE SAME MONTH.
The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report examines three major contracts that Tourism Australia signed while Scott Morrison was managing director. It criticises processes in all three cases but especially the contracts for global creative development – advertising campaigns – and media placement services.
Ten years since the audit, and 13 years since the contracts were signed, those two completed contracts appear not to be listed on the government’s AusTender website, where all contracts are required to be available for public viewing.
Cormann does not answer any of them and then Amanda Stoker inflicts the first of the Senate dixers on us, which is somehow worse than the House dixers, because they are asked three times.
There has been a lot of talk recently about what the government is doing about the children of asylum seekers and their families, after the parliament switched on to the fact that public sympathies had shifted on the issue.
The government has been slowly and quietly removing the children and their families. But speaking to David Speers, Scott Morrison says they will be going back.
Morrison said there were around “just over 30” children on Nauru. And they are still there because “that is consistent with the policy that we have as a government”.
“And where there is the ability to be transferred to the United States or whether there are any medical issues which would require their transfer to Australia, then that is what will occur.
“...They will not have a permanent visa in Australia, no,” he said, when asked if they will be allowed to stay.
So what happens?
“Well, at some point, they won’t be allowed to remain in Australia forever. That is the policy of both the Labor party and our government.
“... We haven’t changed any of our policies, we have just acted in accordance to our policies and we have been reducing the number of children on Nauru.”
It is worth pointing out that in many cases, the government has only transferred people from Nauru when ordered to do so by the federal court – and is currently arguing the federal court may not have the jurisdiction to make those orders.
But Labor is also planning on continuing offshore detention.
And while Labor has said it would consider accepting the offer from New Zealand to accept 150 asylum seekers, it doesn’t do anything for the single men on Manus Island.
And for those wondering why Julia Gillard and Joe Hockey are together;
I was very honoured to commemorate this special Remembrance Day in Washington with @JoeHockey. A time to remember the fallen and reaffirm the enduring values Australia and the USA share as democracies and allies. https://t.co/aLfWxY7F3C
It’s amazing what some water under the bridge can do
Catching up with @JuliaGillard, who btw, is in outstanding form. pic.twitter.com/nzajb1C7iM
Penny Wong:
To all of those who experienced abuse at the hands of those whose duty it was to care for you, to nurture you and to look after you, I say sorry. To the parents and family members who suffered the distress and trauma of learning that their precious children had been abused by those they trusted to take care of them, I say sorry. I say sorry for your pain. I say sorry for your suffering. I say sorry for the innocence that was stolen. I say sorry for your loss of dignity, a loss for which we, not you, bear shame. I say sorry for your loss of self-esteem and self-worth — a loss, again, for which we, not you, bear the blame. I say sorry for the burden of grief you have carried for so many years — indeed, for so many decades.
I say sorry to those among you who were forcibly removed from country, from your spiritual home, and then subjected to physical and psychological violence. I say sorry to those who joined youth groups, who joined the cadet corps and military apprenticeship schools and suffered abuse at the hands of those who should have been your carers and mentors. I say sorry to those of you who, fleeing the privations of postwar Europe, were transported to secular and religious institutions where criminal predators exploited your separation and vulnerability. I say sorry to those who were ignored, disbelieved or abandoned when they sought help. I say sorry for the lives irretrievably damaged, for those lives spent in misery or in jail, and for the so many lives which have ended in tragedy.
And I say sorry that even though institutions knew about crimes committed against you they did nothing to care for you and that those same institutions and their leaders did nothing to bring perpetrators to justice but instead turned a blind eye or covered up their crimes; I say sorry.
... Senators, the royal commission has held up a mirror to the nation, and we have been shocked by what we have seen. The nation is ashamed and sorry. But we know that we are better than this and we can do better than this. All of you to whom we say sorry today can expect no less. So, as we beg the forgiveness of those who have suffered such unspeakable pain, we also know we must restore justice and rebuild trust. We must resolve as a nation that we will do everything in our power to prevent this abuse, betrayal and harm from ever happening again.
Mathias Cormann:
The commission’s report tells a harrowing story of almost complete failure: the failure to protect the innocent; the failure to believe the victims; the failure to challenge the perpetrators; a collective, systemic national failure. No words will ever be able to wind back the clock, heal the scars or erase the evils of the past. No speech will ever truly satisfy those countless thousands who asked for help but were denied. Why were those vile crimes committed against them allowed to occur? Why were the victims not believed? Why was justice and safety so unreachable?
I extend the Senate’s heartfelt sympathy to every victim and survivor, to acknowledge and honour them and to commit resolutely to responding fully to the recommendations produced by the royal commission. Ultimately, all of us in this place have a duty to do all that we can as best we can to right past wrongs and prevent future evils. I also convey, on behalf of the government, our deep gratitude to all those who contributed to the royal commission’s work: to the commissioners and their staff for their tireless efforts; to Prime Minister Morrison and his predecessors, prime ministers Gillard, Rudd, Abbott and Turnbull, for their leadership in steering this important process to this point.
I especially pay tribute to the thousands of Australians who relived the worst chapters of their lives in making submissions and attending private sessions. Their strength and courage has inspired a nation. Without it, the commission’s work, which has exposed the darkest of crimes in the brightest of lights, would not have been possible. The commission’s work, which included the handling of over 42,000 calls, the receipt of nearly 26,000 letters and emails and the holding of over 8,000 private sessions, provides a path forward that is comprehensive, considered and essential on the long road to national healing. We must honour the courage and endurance of those who suffered. We must honour them by faithful implementation of the commission’s findings. As we implement 104 of the commission’s remaining 122 recommendations directed to the commonwealth, with the remaining 18 being carefully examined, I’m confident that we will develop a timely and comprehensive bipartisan response.
... This is an episode in our nation’s history of unfathomable horror, of innocence lost, trust denied, hopes and expectations dashed and the triumph of evil. But thousands of courageous Australians would not be silenced; they would not let evil prevail. They raised their voices. To our collective shame, it took us too long to heed their calls. But they persisted. Despite the pain and the loss, they would not be denied. They roused the nation’s dormant conscience into action. On this day and into the future, let us be worthy of them. To the children who suffered so much for so long and in such silence: we are sorry. To the parents, spouses, partners, husbands, wives and children who have struggled with the cruel after effects of that suffering: we are sorry. To the generations of today and those that came before: we are sorry.
Scott Morrison says he’ll be hosting a BBQ in PNG – “very much a family event”.
That’s because, in case you missed it, Morrison would like us to view our Pacific neighbours as “family”.
