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Furious Scott Morrison vows to ‘fight’ Nauru bill as pressure builds on government – politics live Furious Scott Morrison vows to ‘fight’ Nauru bill as pressure builds on government – politics live
(35 minutes later)
It’s a twitter war
Our Government will always work to keep Australians safe. Today, Labor have been trying to erode our strong border security while delaying important anti-terrorism laws. They haven't learned from the last time they were in Government and we will do everything we can to stop them. pic.twitter.com/bRLD2djDT3
That important work is continuing in the parliament today. Last night, the Liberal chair of the Joint Security and Intelligence Committee praised Labor members for the bipartisan way we have contributed to laws that will help keep Australians safe.
I’ve always taken the view that when it comes to keeping Australians safe, we are all in this together.
I urge the Prime Minister to stop playing politics and start showing some leadership.
The House is moving on to the government’s energy bill, and Chris Bowen has moved this motion:
The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the question:
That the bill be now read a second time;
And on the amendment moved thereto by Mr Bowen, viz; that all words after “that” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
“the House declines to give the bill a second reading, and notes:
(1) this unprecedented intervention into markets which will result in higher prices for families and businesses;
(2) the government has abandoned all pretence at being the party of free enterprise and open markets; and
(3) the government has abandoned all proper process, scrutiny and consultation.”
A division has been called.
I guess this is one way to make a room look more crowded? The power of perception.
Nice to see the former minister for women up and speaking in the House again.
From your take aways:
James: The 2018 political year was summed up for me by the following answers given by my 15-year-old son in his year 9 politics exam:
Q: Why would Israel be a topic of interest for the voters of Wentworth? A: Because there are a lot of Jewish people in Wentworth, so by supporting Israel’s irresponsible land grabbing, Scott thought the Jewish population might like him. It didn’t work, and the Liberals lost.
Q: The events of 2018 prove that our system of federal parliament is fundamentally broken. Discuss. A: I do not believe this statement is true. Although our system is not perfect or without flaws, I believe the problems we are having are the fault of the government and political parties in charge. The “culture” of backstabbing within the government has made the public distrust them, and the Coalition is willing to do anything to stay in power. They are not helped by the fact that the population density of spineless people, nasty people and stupid people appears to be much higher in politics than the general population.
.@AmyRemeikis What I'll remember most from the Australian Parliament this year is the sheen being lost. Brazen prejudice against women, races, immigrants, asylum seekers #auspol
Harold: The Liberal party no longer understands the world in which we live. Especially its blundering conservative constituency.
@AmyRemeikis HI Amy. My highlight of the year was learning that Peter Dutton could smile. Err...sort of. Sure I didn't sleep for a few nights without the lights on after I saw this, but there it is. Smiling. #2018 pic.twitter.com/wDqWMWwWjb
Bernadette: My favourite moment could be today if the government is defeated on legislation in the house ... on refugees. Oh could it be?
No press conference from Bill Shorten, but he has put out a statement:
I’ve co-operated with three different Liberal Prime Ministers over the last five years to improve, amend and pass 15 sets of national security legislation.
That important work is continuing in the parliament today.
Last night, the Liberal chair of the Joint Security and Intelligence Committee praised Labor members for the bipartisan way we have contributed to laws that will help keep Australians safe.
I’m disappointed by the prime minister’s behaviour today but I won’t be distracted.
I’ve always taken the view that when it comes to keeping Australians safe, we are all in this together.
I urge the prime minister to stop playing politics and start showing some leadership.
Penny Wong attempted to cut off the debate, to get it moved faster, but because there is already a standing resolution to get it cut off at 1.50pm, the Clerk advised the debate could not be cut off.
The Senate is bringing on the Home Affairs amendment bill, which is the carrier for the medical evacuation amendments.
Kelly O’Dwyer has seen this legislation passed:
Up to 6 million Australians will now have access to a guaranteed entitlement of five days’ unpaid family and domestic violence leave following the passage of legislation in the Parliament today.
Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations and Minister for Women, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP, said the Coalition government’s legislation enshrines family and domestic violence leave as a workplace right in the National Employment Standards for the first time.
“This historic change to the law will enshrine a minimum standard for family and domestic violence leave to all Australians covered by the Fair Work Act,” O’Dwyer said.
“Regardless of the basis of their employment or the size of their employer, this change will provide a universal safety net entitlement for workers under the Fair Work Act.”
“Australians who need to take leave to deal with the impact of family and domestic violence will be able to do so safe in the knowledge that their job is protected.”
The Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2018 extends the decision of the Fair Work Commission in March 2018 to grant five days’ unpaid leave to employees covered by modern awards to other employees covered by the Fair Work Act.
The Commission made its decision after carefully considering extensive evidence and submissions from unions, employers and other interested parties. It indicated it would revisit consideration of this issue in mid-2021.
Today’s change follows the recent announcement of additional initiatives to combat family and domestic violence in the $109m Women’s Economic Security Statement in November.
“The Coalition government has zero tolerance for violence against women, having committed well in excess of $350m to address women’s safety,” Minister O’Dwyer concluded.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au.
I didn’t get to spend too much time on this yesterday afternoon, with everything else that was going on, but Barnaby Joyce spoke to Sky during his regular spot with Joel Fitzgibbon to say that schools should not be “political corrected bullied” and that he didn’t agree that religious discrimination should be removed.
Then he went here:
If I send my child to an all-girls’ school, I don’t want the complication and the possibility, and they haven’t completely ruled it out, that if someone turns up and says, ‘I want to identify was a woman, I want to identify as a girl, I want to go into your bathrooms, I want to go into your change rooms, I want to be educated ... that might be that person’s right and wish, but everybody else says, ‘well that’s an affront on our rights’ and we want that issue dealt with.
We want it dealt with clearly so that we know that our rights are protected and other people’s rights are respected.
You cannot send a student whose genetic make up is XY … to a school established for people who are XX. It is not fair on the larger school unit that they have to change and accept all because of the desires of one.”
Which reminds us of the time he was against the introduction of the cervical cancer vaccine Gardisal, because of the “psychological implications or the social implications” because girls would suddenly start rushing out and having sex, if they were protected from HPV, the virus which can lead to cervical cancer, in 2006.
“There might be an overwhelming backlash from people saying, ‘Don’t you dare put something out there that gives my 12-year-old daughter a licence to be promiscuous’.”
Then there was the time he was against marriage equality because of what it would do to his four daughters.
“We know that the best protection for those girls is that they get themselves into a secure relationship with a loving husband, and I want that to happen for them,” he said in 2011.
“I don’t want any legislator to take that right away from me.”
Then there was the time he put his marriage break down on the Hansard record during the marriage equality debate this time last year, while saying how he still couldn’t vote for marriage equality.
Yup.
It is a bit late, because this morning has been a complete and utter birdcage of insanity, but Tony Abbott is delivering his report into Indigenous Australia, following his envoy tour.It is a bit late, because this morning has been a complete and utter birdcage of insanity, but Tony Abbott is delivering his report into Indigenous Australia, following his envoy tour.
PM Scott Morrison during the ongoing debate on amendments to the encryption laws @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus @murpharoo #politicslive https://t.co/tj67JpI7ls pic.twitter.com/TTj694uIBhPM Scott Morrison during the ongoing debate on amendments to the encryption laws @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus @murpharoo #politicslive https://t.co/tj67JpI7ls pic.twitter.com/TTj694uIBh
Meanwhile, in the HouseMeanwhile, in the House
The second reading of the encryption bill has gone through the House. Just Andrew Wilkie and Adam Bandt voted against it, from what I can see.The second reading of the encryption bill has gone through the House. Just Andrew Wilkie and Adam Bandt voted against it, from what I can see.
Our warning at the beginning of the week about the huge risk of rushing the #encryption access bill couldn't be more relevant today. #auslaw #auspol #aabill pic.twitter.com/B8hkPkzDn3Our warning at the beginning of the week about the huge risk of rushing the #encryption access bill couldn't be more relevant today. #auslaw #auspol #aabill pic.twitter.com/B8hkPkzDn3
Difference in simple majority and absolute majority, because you’ll be hearing those terms a lot today.Difference in simple majority and absolute majority, because you’ll be hearing those terms a lot today.
Simple majority: more on one side than the other.Simple majority: more on one side than the other.
Absolute majority: 75 plus one (half the seats plus one more)Absolute majority: 75 plus one (half the seats plus one more)
Things are going GREATThings are going GREAT
Chamber chat. @cpyne comes in to talk to Andrew Wilkie and Adam Bandt pic.twitter.com/yfpgVNjfO1Chamber chat. @cpyne comes in to talk to Andrew Wilkie and Adam Bandt pic.twitter.com/yfpgVNjfO1
An animated chat across the table between @Tony_Burke, @cporterwa and @cpyne a little earlier pic.twitter.com/okul6hhgIDAn animated chat across the table between @Tony_Burke, @cporterwa and @cpyne a little earlier pic.twitter.com/okul6hhgID
Thank you for all the messages you have sent through about your standouts from the 2018 Australian political year – and thank you for your well-wishes. I’m not repeating them here, because it’s a bit like retweeting a compliment, but we do appreciate them.
Allan: What stood out for me in 2018: In the positive: Gay marriage finally getting through with such a majority from the plebiscite. So despite the best attempts by the RWNJ’s to railroad it the people saw through the smoke and mirrors and voted for it.
In the negative: There is so much that could be listed, but it would fill more than a page. Really it can best be summed up with my amazement that despite everything that this government does and stands for that something like 46% of my fellow citizens still want to vote for this mob. I genuinely stand in despair that this could be so.
Christa and John: 2018 will be remembered as the year when the country narrowly avoided being taken over in an authoritarian nationalist coup led by Peter Dutton and Tony Abbott, which was made a possibility by the ravages visited on society by decline and death of neoliberalism – and the naked self-interest it conditions in politicos.
And hopefully the year will be remembered as the year when finally the country reversed course and started to recover its soul which had been sacrificed to regressive economic policy that increased inequality, to the persecution of refugees for political gain, and to the far-right ideological fixation that destroyed the possibility of effective climate change and energy policy.
Rohan: Two moments struck me this year are the following: ONE: Malcolm Turnbull appearing on Q&A after his ejection from the leadership of the Liberal party. He claimed that his government was responsible for the marriage equality vote, eliciting a mixture of scoffs and applause from the audience. His rewriting of history was brazenly false – he and his party found every possible excuse to kick the can of marriage equality down the road – but it also completely minimised the work by marriage equality advocates such as Dr Kerryn Phelps, Magda Szubanski, the ALP, Greens and many others. I nearly spat out my dinner! As Catherine Tate’s Nan would say ... “What a load of old shit!” TWO: Prime Muppet Scott Morrison (I refuse to call him Scomo – a term of endearment perhaps for someone who is playing on your team, and thus, has a shared goal) claiming that he would remove the ability for schools to use religious discrimination of LGBT students within two weeks. A few months later, and the LNP are kicking the can down the road again … but not before taking time our to shore up their own safety with anti-copy party motions to prevent Morrison being ejected by his party members.
David: Peter Dutton putting in a huge effort and thinking his numbers men could count, ordering a new chair for the PMs office, booking his whole family to fly first class to Canberra for his ascension, only to discover that Turnbull had developed a cunning plan and Scott Morrison was now PM. Only comparable event I can think of is Malcolm Fraser calling an election to thrash Bill Hayden only to get back from Government House to discover Bob Hawke was now opposition leader.
While we are in the land of state politics, Jay Weatherill is announcing his retirement in the South Australian parliament.
Meanwhile, for a bit of levity, Bernie Finn from the Victorian Liberals has quite the unique take on why there aren’t more women in the Liberal party – it’s Labor (and the Greens’) fault.
Liberal MP Bernie Finn on the Liberals' dearth of women MPs: "If the Labor party and the Greens want to have more women in the party, what they should have done was not defeated them." @theage
I mean, a counter-argument to that would be preselecting women in safer seats, but that would be CRAZY.
And because I have been asked, His Excellence Paul de Jersey is currently the acting governor general, as Peter Cosgrove is overseas, representing Australia for the funeral of George HW Bush.
De Jersey is the Queensland governor.
The more you know.
For those asking when the parliament could be shut down, really, it can be at any time.
But it would most likely be after question time.
David Coleman just about confirmed that as a live option while talking to the ABC just seconds ago:
The prime minister has made a clear statement about that. We’re very determined not to allow these changes to be passed through the parliament. They would massively weaken Australia’s border security, they would lead to the starting of boats again, and they would lead to the end of offshore processing and resettlement, which is one of the key tenets that has kept Australia’s borders secure for all these years under this government. And we’ll not be agreeing to those changes and as the PM said, we’ll be using all measures to seek to stop them.”
In terms of the tactics that Scott Morrison was talking about, one of them is suspending parliament and going home early.
I am not joking. The government would rather see the parliament shut down at this stage, then have this reach the floor.
The lines have been drawn in very black marker by Scott Morrison.
I mean, seriously guys, let the scale fall from your eyes. This is not about politics.This is about Australia’s national security. That’s why I’m standing here. This is about Australia’s national security. It’s not about what happens on the floor of the house or the floor of the Senate. You got to look past Canberra. This is about Australia’s safety. And Bill Shorten is a clear and present threat to Australia’s safety. Because he is so obsessed with politics, that he cannot see the national interest.
That press conference, as seen by Mike Bowers:
The Intelligence and Security Committee has commenced a review of the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Strengthening the Citizenship Loss Provisions) Bill 2018. Submissions are open until 11 January 2019. More info at https://t.co/zmZ7qYrh1e pic.twitter.com/GDiP32VN0P