This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/feb/12/morrison-shorten-coalition-labor-medical-evacuation-bill-kerryn-phelps-politics-live
The article has changed 22 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| Greens back at the bargaining table over medical evacuation bill – politics live | Greens back at the bargaining table over medical evacuation bill – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| I think we have already established that facts don’t seem to matter in this debate one iota. | |
| .@PeterDutton_MP on the medivac bill: We’ve watched this show before with Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. They did exactly the same thing. At least Kevin Rudd waited until he got into office before he dismantled … border security measures. MORE: https://t.co/ykweMevBOK #newsday pic.twitter.com/L6OW4tpxvG | |
| If you’re going to make a hysterical attack @PeterDutton_MP, better get your facts right - the eminent QC and constitutional expert Peter Hanks is an entirely different person from (the also eminent) refugee law expert Matthew Albert. #auspol #whoops | |
| The Senate is still debating the Murray-Darling Basin motion, but Labor has added amendments which would allow a bill to remove the 1500GL cap buyback | |
| UPDATE: Federal Labor caucus has agreed to reverse the cap on buybacks in the Murray Darling Basin. A private members bill could hit the upper house as early as tonight. Labor will take this to the election as policy #auspol #agchatoz #mdb | |
| The latest Guardian Essential poll has landed. | |
| As Katharine Murphy reports: | |
| The banking royal commission findings appear to have delivered a political fillip to Labor, with the opposition extending its lead over the Coalition 55% to 45% on the two-party-preferred measure. | |
| The new Guardian Essential poll, taken before Monday’s major party brinkmanship on asylum seekers in the lead-up to the resumption of parliament, puts the government’s primary vote on 34% and Labor’s on 38%, and the independents’ share of the vote has risen to 11%, up from 9%. | |
| The positive movement in Labor’s direction follows a shift in favour of the Coalition in last week’s survey. Last week Labor was ahead of the Morrison government on the two-party-preferred measure 52% to 48% – a shift within the margin of error from the last voter survey of last year, and one in mid-January that had Labor ahead 53% to 47%. | |
| The fallout from the banking royal commission, controversy over the Liberal Tim Wilson’s use of a taxpayer-funded inquiry into Labor’s policy on franking credits to leverage a partisan campaign, and an escalating political brawl about border protection dominated the news last week. | |
| That follows on from yesterday’s Newspoll, which had Labor leading the government 53 to 47. | |
| AAP has an update on last week’s parliamentary network cyber-hack attempt: | |
| The hunt for the perpetrators of a sophisticated cyber-attack on Australia’s federal parliamentary computer network is continuing. | |
| Security industry sources have told AAP it is possible China could be the source of the latest breach. | |
| Senate president Scott Ryan told parliament it would be some time before the investigation would be completed, saying he could not yet attribute blame for the intrusion. | |
| “It is important to understand the methods used by malicious actors are constantly evolving and no network, including the parliamentary computing network, is considered 100 per cent secure,” Senator Ryan said on Tuesday. | |
| But Senator Ryan stopped short of blaming the global superpower while the Australia Signals Directorate and the Department of Parliamentary Services investigate the hacking. | |
| MPs and staff changed their passwords on security advice after last week’s attack. | |
| “I can assure the Senate this action was carried out as a standard security incident response procedure and precautionary measure to protect user access and information,” Senator Ryan said. | |
| Michael Keenan, who has very strong opinions on a lot of things in this interview – mostly how terrible this bill is and how it will bring the borders crashing down – can’t give an example of where the amendments would fail to meet the government’s concerns, because he is not going to get into “every hypothetical situation”. | |
| Funny that. | |
| Michael Keenan just said on Sky that a doctor “like the one yesterday who said the detention centres were worse than Auschwitz” (not an exact quote, but the spirit) could sign off on the transfer. | |
| Here is what Dr Paul Bauert actually said: | |
| Speaking to Sky News (on Monday), Dr Bauert explained the doctors’ concerns: | |
| The longer these people are there, the worse they are getting. We know that the main, the main reason for the impairment of mental health, as Viktor Frankl, the psychiatrist from Auschwitz described very well in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, the main problem these people have is the lack of meaning, the lack of any end to what is going on. A lack of certainty. | |
| And this more than anything causes severe mental health damage. Even those that finally knew they were about to be condemned to the gas chamber, at least found some sense of relief in knowing what was happening. | |
| So, all of these people without any idea of what is going to happen to them, what their future is, will be suffering on a daily basis. And we have seen from some of the television shows, and the media that have followed them, once they have been released, that all of them end up with severe, significant mental health problems which will take a long, long time to settle, with most having post-traumatic stress disorder. | |
| I am concerned, all the doctors are concerned, that the longer this politicking goes on, the longer these people are left in this critical situation, the worse their health is becoming. | |
| Keenan said it goes to the “mindset” of some of the people wanting to make these changes. | |
| 1/2 My comments this morning were intended to reflect the writings of an eminent Jewish psychiatrist who survived Auschwitz. The words I used did not convey the complexity of what he wrote. My deep apologies for causing offence - Auschwitz was a humanitarian disgrace. | |
| 2/2 I stand by my view that our current offshore detention policies are inhumane and needlessly cruel. | |
| A copy of Labor’s amendments has fallen into my hands. What I’m about to share with you looks backwards. | |
| This is where the discussions started this morning, but it’s interesting to be able to snapshot the process at different times. | |
| Labor, we know, has flagged three principles it wants adjusted. | |
| The first is widening the scope of ministerial discretion to knock back medical transfers. | |
| The minister can knock back a transfer on security grounds in the bill as it stands, but Labor wants to expand the scope to include blocking transfers of people with criminal histories. | |
| So, again, to be clear, this is where the discussion started early this morning. The bill currently says the home affairs minister must approve the person’s transfer to Australia unless that would be prejudicial to security. | |
| The new language says the transfer should be approved “unless: the minister, in the minister’s discretion, reasonably believes that the transfer of the person to Australia would be prejudicial to security within the meaning of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979, including because an adverse security assessment in respect of the person is in force under that Act”. | |
| A second criteria has been added. | |
| The transfer should be approved unless “the minister knows or, in the minister’s discretion, reasonably suspects that the person has a substantial criminal record (as defined by subsection 501(7))”. | |
| The second principle Labor is pursuing is time frames for determinations. The original bill said determinations be made within 24 hours. The amendment proposed this morning said omit within 24 hours and substitute “As soon as practicable after”. | |
| The word from the bunker is the parties are now back to a specific time frame, rather than as soon as practicable. I’ve heard 48 hours, but nothing is certain yet. Kerryn Phelps made it clear it would need to be 72 hours at a minimum this morning. | |
| The third Labor negotiating principle is applying the enhanced procedures to the current cohort of people in offshore detention, not to new arrivals, in the event any new arrivals turn up. | |
| The Labor ring-fencing amendment specifies: | |
| “A person is a relevant transitory person if: (a) the person is in a regional processing country on the day this section commences; and (b) in the opinion of a treating doctor for the person: (i) the person requires medical or psychiatric assessment or treatment; and (ii) the person is not receiving appropriate medical or psychiatric assessment or treatment in the regional processing country; and (iii) it is necessary to remove the person from a regional processing country for appropriate medical or psychiatric assessment or treatment”. | |
| We’re now getting an early dose of “just how strong are our borders, very, but Labor will burn them down” from Peter Dutton, because second Monday is the gift that just keeps on giving. | |
| This is a pretty great example of “whatever, your face is”. | This is a pretty great example of “whatever, your face is”. |
| From Chris Knaus: | From Chris Knaus: |
| The billionaire and major political donor Huang Xiangmo has likened Australia to a “giant baby” with “simple folk customs” while hitting out at a decision to cancel his visa. | The billionaire and major political donor Huang Xiangmo has likened Australia to a “giant baby” with “simple folk customs” while hitting out at a decision to cancel his visa. |
| Huang also criticised Australia’s domestic spy agency for acting contrary to Australian support for the One China policy, and urged it to instead investigate journalists who he said may be “serving foreign intelligence agencies” and had stolen “classified information to gain attention and a spotlight”. | Huang also criticised Australia’s domestic spy agency for acting contrary to Australian support for the One China policy, and urged it to instead investigate journalists who he said may be “serving foreign intelligence agencies” and had stolen “classified information to gain attention and a spotlight”. |
| The Chinese tycoon was effectively blocked from re-entering Australia when his permanent residency visa was revoked and a citizenship bid was rejected | The Chinese tycoon was effectively blocked from re-entering Australia when his permanent residency visa was revoked and a citizenship bid was rejected |
| Oof | Oof |
| Emma Husar is in parliament. Or at least, outside it. | Emma Husar is in parliament. Or at least, outside it. |
| If I am not in #Parliament not sure what this place is. @australian pic.twitter.com/a9Mamoo46g | If I am not in #Parliament not sure what this place is. @australian pic.twitter.com/a9Mamoo46g |
| Bridget McKenzie just gave the greatest Mike Moore hhhhmmmmmmmmmm to Kim Brennan (gold medallist and chair of the Australia Olympic Committee’s Athletes Commission) I have heard in quite some time. | Bridget McKenzie just gave the greatest Mike Moore hhhhmmmmmmmmmm to Kim Brennan (gold medallist and chair of the Australia Olympic Committee’s Athletes Commission) I have heard in quite some time. |
| Peter Dutton is in the second most fancy government press spot to talk about this: | Peter Dutton is in the second most fancy government press spot to talk about this: |
| The minister for sport, the Hon Bridget McKenzie and the minister for home affairs, the Hon Peter Dutton, will outline the Australian government response to the Wood Report of the Review of Australia’s Sports Integrity Arrangements. | The minister for sport, the Hon Bridget McKenzie and the minister for home affairs, the Hon Peter Dutton, will outline the Australian government response to the Wood Report of the Review of Australia’s Sports Integrity Arrangements. |
| He is talking about weekend kids sport and something, something cricket. | He is talking about weekend kids sport and something, something cricket. |
| Folks following on at home can see there are a lot of moving parts on the asylum story. | Folks following on at home can see there are a lot of moving parts on the asylum story. |
| The parts are still moving. But here is the best update I can provide about where things are currently at: | The parts are still moving. But here is the best update I can provide about where things are currently at: |
| If we can look through the noise of the news cycle, with people assuming ambit positions, it seems that negotiations are proceeding behind the scenes relatively productively. | If we can look through the noise of the news cycle, with people assuming ambit positions, it seems that negotiations are proceeding behind the scenes relatively productively. |
| I hear the Greens – having threatened to sink the package this morning – are now back at the table, having had some of their concerns assuaged. So don’t assume they kill the legislation. It might happen, but it doesn’t look like it right at the moment. | I hear the Greens – having threatened to sink the package this morning – are now back at the table, having had some of their concerns assuaged. So don’t assume they kill the legislation. It might happen, but it doesn’t look like it right at the moment. |
| Specifically, I hear a time frame for determinations (which was Richard Di Natale’s main concern) has been resolved. The word is 48 hours, not 24 as was originally proposed. | Specifically, I hear a time frame for determinations (which was Richard Di Natale’s main concern) has been resolved. The word is 48 hours, not 24 as was originally proposed. |
| All the information I have to hand suggests the other crossbenchers are still at the table. | All the information I have to hand suggests the other crossbenchers are still at the table. |
| There was a flurry about 20 minutes ago about the whereabouts of the Labor MP Emma Husar, but Labor people assure me she’s in Canberra. | There was a flurry about 20 minutes ago about the whereabouts of the Labor MP Emma Husar, but Labor people assure me she’s in Canberra. |
| I guess it remains moot whether she is in the building at the critical time. | I guess it remains moot whether she is in the building at the critical time. |
| Pack lunch and a drink bottle. It’s going to be a long day. | Pack lunch and a drink bottle. It’s going to be a long day. |
| In the Senate, Labor is supporting this Greens amendment: | In the Senate, Labor is supporting this Greens amendment: |
| The Senate: | The Senate: |
| 1. Notes with alarm: | 1. Notes with alarm: |
| a. The crisis that has unfolded in Menindee Lakes over the summer with unprecedented fish deaths; | a. The crisis that has unfolded in Menindee Lakes over the summer with unprecedented fish deaths; |
| b. The Productivity Commission report into the implementation of the Murray Darling Basin plan; | b. The Productivity Commission report into the implementation of the Murray Darling Basin plan; |
| c. The findings of the South Australian Murray Darling Basin Royal Commission; and | c. The findings of the South Australian Murray Darling Basin Royal Commission; and |
| d. The 1500GL cap on water buybacks for environmental water. | d. The 1500GL cap on water buybacks for environmental water. |
| 2. Is of the opinion that the 1500GL cap on water buybacks be repealed. | 2. Is of the opinion that the 1500GL cap on water buybacks be repealed. |
| 3. That so much of standing order 111 be suspended, as would prevent Senator Pratt moving that the following bill be introduced at 6 pm today: | 3. That so much of standing order 111 be suspended, as would prevent Senator Pratt moving that the following bill be introduced at 6 pm today: |
| A Bill for an Act to amend the Water Act 2007, and for related purposes. | A Bill for an Act to amend the Water Act 2007, and for related purposes. |
| Short Title: | Short Title: |
| Water Amendment (Purchase Limit Repeal) Bill 2019. | Water Amendment (Purchase Limit Repeal) Bill 2019. |
| This is all moving very fast today (which makes sense, because really, there is not a lot of time to get this sorted). | This is all moving very fast today (which makes sense, because really, there is not a lot of time to get this sorted). |
| Joel Fitzgibbon was seen chasing Cathy McGowan, Kerryn Phelps, Julia Banks and Rebehka Sharkie out of the chamber when they left, and chatting to them outside the door for quite some time. | Joel Fitzgibbon was seen chasing Cathy McGowan, Kerryn Phelps, Julia Banks and Rebehka Sharkie out of the chamber when they left, and chatting to them outside the door for quite some time. |
| Emma Husar (who we all hope is OK) is in Canberra, but not in the parliament. | Emma Husar (who we all hope is OK) is in Canberra, but not in the parliament. |
| The Greens want amendments to the amendments. | The Greens want amendments to the amendments. |
| And everyone who was going to say yes late last year has to say yes now for it to pass. | And everyone who was going to say yes late last year has to say yes now for it to pass. |
| Strap in. | Strap in. |
| Also the bad show has seemingly lived up to its (nick)name | Also the bad show has seemingly lived up to its (nick)name |
| Most people probably expected there to be a cash refund dividend imputation question on @QandA last night - what Australians didn’t expect is that it would be asked by a Young Liberal plant in the Q&A audience. 👇👇 pic.twitter.com/qg5PQyERnk | Most people probably expected there to be a cash refund dividend imputation question on @QandA last night - what Australians didn’t expect is that it would be asked by a Young Liberal plant in the Q&A audience. 👇👇 pic.twitter.com/qg5PQyERnk |
| I wrote a script to go through every franking credit inquiry submission to see how many used @TimWilsonMP's campaign website template - at least 97 so far, with more to come https://t.co/470TYaXucZ | I wrote a script to go through every franking credit inquiry submission to see how many used @TimWilsonMP's campaign website template - at least 97 so far, with more to come https://t.co/470TYaXucZ |
| In the Senate, which, for the first time in quite some time, is NOT the centre of the clusterforkery, Sarah Hanson-Young is attempting to suspend standing orders to debate what on earth has happened with the Murray-Darling Basin plan, and the ecological disaster we saw earlier this year. | In the Senate, which, for the first time in quite some time, is NOT the centre of the clusterforkery, Sarah Hanson-Young is attempting to suspend standing orders to debate what on earth has happened with the Murray-Darling Basin plan, and the ecological disaster we saw earlier this year. |