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Jacqui Lambie backs Coalition's income tax cuts package – politics live Jacqui Lambie backs Coalition's income tax cuts package – politics live
(32 minutes later)
Dispatches from the Senate Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison with a short and quick first question:
Which of his policies on wages, consumer demand, interest rates and productivity is working the best?
Morrison:
All of them are all working together, and all by the Australian people at the last election for the economic plan that we took to this country. We took to this country, Mr Speaker, to address the serious economic challenges that the country faces, Mr Speaker, and I can tell you the biggest rift to the domestic economy in this country that presented itself this year was relegated at the last election with the defeat of the Labor Party, Mr Speaker. This was a Labor Party that at the last election achieved, Mr Speaker...
Albanese jumps up to say:
As you will appreciate, increasingly as time goes on, no preamble, no rhetoric, just a simple question for the witch of the economic indicators does the Prime Minister think is working the best?
Morrison repeats:
“All of them”.
Then he moves on to talk about jobs, jobs, jobs.
Claressa Surtees, the current deputy clerk of the House of Representatives, will be the new clerk when David Elder finishes up in August.
Surtees will be the first female clerk in the Australian House of Reps.
The government will be forced to explain to the Senate the conduct of senior ministers Angus Taylor and Josh Frydenberg and whether discussions over critically endangered grasslands breached ministerial standards.
The Greens and Labor have accused both ministers of misconduct over meetings between Taylor and Frydenberg’s office in 2017, when Taylor was the minister for cities and Frydenberg the minister for environment.
A Greens motion calling for an explanation during the next sitting period from the government’s leader in the Senate, Mathias Corman, has passed the Senate.
A Guardian Australia investigation revealed Taylor sought and received a meeting with Frydenberg’s office and senior environment officials to discuss critically endangered grasslands that were at the centre of an investigation into alleged illegal landclearing by a company he holds an interest in.
An investigator from the unit examining the case was also present at the meeting in March 2017.
Following lobbying by Taylor, Frydenberg’s office sought advice from the environment department as to whether protection of the grasslands could be weakened and kept secret.
There is a moment of condolence for Bob Hawke to begin.
And then we are underway
Angus Taylor, the minister for lowering electricity prices – as dubbed by the prime minister – has told Sydney radio 2GB “we never said that”.
Talking to Steve Price about the price cap for standing offers which came into effect on 1 July, Taylor said that will bring down prices.
Price asked whether that is really feasible – to get everyone’s rate and then use that to bargain with their providers.
“Your promise was to lower energy prices, your promise wasn’t to ring around,” Price said.
“The more you do it, you’ll tend to get a better price,” says Taylor.
That led to this exchange:
AT “If you ring up and ask for a better price, you should be able to get one. There’s lots of ways of doing that.”
SP “But you told us you’d do that!”
AT: “Well, no, we never said that, Steve.”
SP: “You were painted as the minister for bringing down electricity prices by your own prime minister!”
AT: “Yeah absolutely, and you will see standing offers reduced from the 1st of July. And I say, if there are people who haven’t seen those reduced, we would like to hear about it.”
Don’t worry, though, Taylor says this is just the “first of many” measures the government is looking at.
In the Senate, both Labor and the Coalition just voted down Rachel Siewert’s motion to increase Newstart by $75 a week.
The first question time for the 46th parliament is about to get under way.
May Rihanna have mercy on our souls.
Too busy for definite articles, apparently:
Getting on with job. https://t.co/UaL0WVCD8H
Dispatches from the Senate:
Things are going great:Things are going great:
Labor just voted in @AuSenate for a Nats motion to ‘support the development of the Carmichael mine project & the opening of the Galilee Basin.’ Without even a weasly sitting on the fence statement. Climate emergency anyone? #StopAdani #LaborWhyDoYouEvenExist? #auspol #greensLabor just voted in @AuSenate for a Nats motion to ‘support the development of the Carmichael mine project & the opening of the Galilee Basin.’ Without even a weasly sitting on the fence statement. Climate emergency anyone? #StopAdani #LaborWhyDoYouEvenExist? #auspol #greens
Told you there were faces:Told you there were faces:
They say Federal Parliament is like boarding school...There's certainly some classroom antics happening in the Senate today. Here's Janet Rice and her assessment of Malcolm Roberts #auspol pic.twitter.com/lLg1ppj16HThey say Federal Parliament is like boarding school...There's certainly some classroom antics happening in the Senate today. Here's Janet Rice and her assessment of Malcolm Roberts #auspol pic.twitter.com/lLg1ppj16H
As well as attempts made at sentences.As well as attempts made at sentences.
I’m told that the Senate vote on Kristina Keneally’s press freedom vote came down to this:I’m told that the Senate vote on Kristina Keneally’s press freedom vote came down to this:
Ayes - Labor, Centre Alliance, the Greens.Ayes - Labor, Centre Alliance, the Greens.
Noes - Coalition, Cory Bernardi, Jacqui Lambie.Noes - Coalition, Cory Bernardi, Jacqui Lambie.
One Nation abstained.One Nation abstained.
Just caught Janet Rice making faces as Malcolm Roberts stood up and tried making sentences in the Senate.Just caught Janet Rice making faces as Malcolm Roberts stood up and tried making sentences in the Senate.
It’s going to be that sort of parliament.It’s going to be that sort of parliament.
Labor did not get the numbers to set up a separate press freedom inquiry – this is one that would have included the crossbench and would have been a lot more wide ranging than just national security.Labor did not get the numbers to set up a separate press freedom inquiry – this is one that would have included the crossbench and would have been a lot more wide ranging than just national security.
Labor Senator @KKeneally's motion to establish a joint select committee on the public’s right to know and press freedom has been defeated 34-34 #auspolLabor Senator @KKeneally's motion to establish a joint select committee on the public’s right to know and press freedom has been defeated 34-34 #auspol
This is the Morrison Government voting AGAINST a new Parliamentary Joint Select Committee into into the Public’s Right to Know and Press Freedom #auspol pic.twitter.com/mNM46gwqpGThis is the Morrison Government voting AGAINST a new Parliamentary Joint Select Committee into into the Public’s Right to Know and Press Freedom #auspol pic.twitter.com/mNM46gwqpG
The New Daily published this, this morning:
Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie charged taxpayers more than $500,000 to relocate her electorate office 300 kilometres from Bendigo to Wodonga before the election.
Figures obtained by The New Daily show the bulk of the charges came from beautifying and remodelling the new digs, and also included $6026 for what was described only as a “folding machine bench”.
The office move parachuted the Victorian senator into the heart of the marginal lower house seat of Indi, then represented by independent MP Cathy McGowan, intensifying speculation at the time that Ms McKenzie was weighing up a tilt at a House of Representatives spot and a possible party leadership challenge.
Senator McKenzie, whose senate term ends in 2022, eventually decided against the election gamble, and independent Helen Haines went on to win Indi with a margin of 2816 votes.
Senators can locate their offices anywhere they want within the state they represent. McKenzie hasn’t given up on her lower house ambitions (makes it easier to be deputy prime minister, you see) and that was effectively the only reason for this move.
Mehreen Faruqi has introduced a bill in the Senate to ban live exports:
“Live export cannot be made safe for sheep, cattle or any animal. It is a business model built on cruelty and is simply incompatible with animal welfare.“The Greens have long argued that we should ban all live export for slaughter and introducing this bill is part of the campaign to make that a reality.“We make no apologies for standing up for the welfare of animals. We need a phased ban with a structural adjustment assistance fund which can transition the industry to the chilled meat trade.“The Government and the industry think our outrage will die down and we will become silent about the abomination and cruelty of live exports. The people of Australia have been steadfast in their compassion for animals and their welfare and we won’t stop until the live export industry is consigned to the dustbin of history.”
There is not a lot of support for this, and certainly not in the House. So I think you know where this will end up.
The Senate – Labor, Greens and enough of the crossbench – have just agreed to this motion from Kristina Keneally:
Mr President
I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move that there be laid on the table by the minister representing the minister for home affairs, by no later than 12pm on 23 July 2019, the following documents:
1. Any correspondence, emails, and notes of discussion between the Department of Home Affairs and;
a. Paladin, including Paladin Holdings Pte. Ltd., Paladin Solutions Group, Paladin Group Australia or Paladin Australia Pte. Ltd., and any individuals either employed by, or holding a financial interest in, Paladin.
i. In particular, any correspondence, emails, and notes of discussion that include Mr Dermot Casey.
b. NKW Holdings, including NKW Holdings Australia Pte. Ltd, and any individuals either employed by, or holding a financial interest in, NKW.
2. Any formal contracts between the Department of Home Affairs and any of the above-mentioned companies to provide services in Papua New Guinea or Manus Island, with commercially sensitive information redacted.
3. Any reports prepared by external auditors, particularly Ernst and Young (EY) or KPMG, regarding operations undertaken by the above-mentioned companies, or the tendering process that secured those services, with commercially sensitive information redacted.
4. Any formal briefings, talking points, or question time briefings prepared by the Department of Home Affairs in relation to the performance or activities of any of the above-mentioned companies, or the tendering process that secured those services.
The MP who told us House MPs were paid fortnightly instead of monthly may not actually need to check their bank account (probably should have expected that) because apparently there are a bunch of House MPs out there who are also paid monthly.
All I know is that they earn a lot more than me. And that for some of them don’t know when they get paid, but I guess the paycheck to paycheck lifestyle isn’t much of a thing for the 1%
So it’s not a ‘no’ on the inquiry into Christopher Pyne and Julie Bishop’s new jobs, given they were ministers about two seconds ago, but it’s a let’s wait and see what the prime minister’s department says.
The next sitting day is not until 22 July.
Rex Patrick has delayed entering in his motion calling for an inquiry into Christopher Pyne’s job with EY because Mathias Cormann has announced that Scott Morrison has written to Martin Parkinson (head of Prime Minister and Cabinet) seeking advice over whether there is any breach of standards.
“I have therefore postponed my motion to the next sitting day,” Patrick said.
Fun fact – House of Representatives MPs get paid fortnightly, and senators get paid monthly.
If you see a senator with their credit card out, it is because they won’t get paid until the end of the month.
#thoughtsandprayers
I am having massive John Howard DJ meme flashbacks
Gesticulating. One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts addresses the #Senate on tax. @AmyRemeikis @murpharoo @mpbowers pic.twitter.com/z8CcA2rXvB