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Labor grills Angus Taylor over company interests – question time live Labor grills Angus Taylor over company interests – politics live
(32 minutes later)
This is an issue which hasn’t got a lot of airplay in the parliament today, but Richard Di Natale has released a statement on this story:
In the same week UK courts declared British arms exports to Saudi Arabia to be unlawful, a large shipment of Australian-built remote weapons systems left Sydney airport.
Secret photographs, obtained by Guardian Australia, confirm the identity of the buyers – the Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates governments, whose forces are currently waging a devastating war in Yemen. Also marked are the the suppliers of the equipment, which the manufacturer boasts is “significantly enhancing lethality” in combat.
Di Natale:
“While other nations around the world ban arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and the US Senate recently blocked sales to both the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Australia is continuing to profit off both nations’ warmongering, while remaining tight-lipped or wilfully ignorant about where our weapons are ending up,” Di Natale said.
“By shipping weapons to these two regimes, we’re contributing to an unfolding catastrophe in Yemen, pouring fuel onto a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and been described by observers as the ‘world’s worst humanitarian crisis’.
“This is inexcusable and callous ignorance. By permitting and profiting off these sales, Australia is tacitly allowing the UAE and Saudi regimes to continue a war that’s left 24 million people in need of help. It’s time to end our arms trade with human rights abusers, and rip up the Government’s obscene plans to make Australia a global arms dealer.”
Bill Shorten has released a statement on the Senate call for the disability abuse royal commissioners to stand down:
...The Senate has now backed the calls of the Australian Labor Party and the disability community for the Government to act to preserve the integrity of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
This commission is a chance to let sunlight in, expose historical wrongs and learn from them so we can provide better services to people with disability and eradicate abuse and neglect from their lives in the future.
But that will be impossible to achieve if we have two commissioners who could end up in charge of investigating themselves, their former colleagues or their former workplaces.
John Ryan, is an ex-Liberal politician, NSW shadow minister for disability, and a public servant who had oversight of residential care programs for people with disability in NSW.
Barbara Bennett was deputy secretary for families and communities at the Department of Social Services and at various times oversaw the Commonwealth workplace health and compensation scheme, the National Redress Scheme, welfare, family safety, housing and homelessness, and grants to the disability sector.
Barbara Bennett and John Ryan should have already listened to the voices of the disability community, recognised that they are fundamentally conflicted, and stood down from these roles.
Since they have not then it falls to the Coalition Government to do the right thing and remove them.Labor has called for this.
Sixty groups representing people with disability have already called for this.
Now the Senate is calling for it.
Time is up for these two. It’s time for the Government to act.
The division ends as it was always going to and question time ends, with Scott Morrison commending all the new members, and giving a particular mention to Peta Murphy, the Labor member for Dunkley, who told the House her breast cancer had re-emerged two weeks after her election, and sends her the House’s best wishes.
Time for the final divide.
The parties swap sides of the chamber.
Scott Morrison is yawning (I get it) and chatting to Darren Chester and Josh Frydenberg.
Anthony Albanese is talking to Mark Butler, Jim Chalmers and Matt Keogh.
No one is talking to Michael McCormack.
Yup.
Terri Butler seconds Tony Burke’s original motion. “The minister is going to have to come clean eventually and he should just do so now,” she says.
Christian Porter gets up to ask that she no longer be heard.
We divide.
The papers are not only stacked in front of Scott Morrison, his diary and phone are on top of them.
FREEDOM AWAITS US ALL*.
*Except those in Manus and Nauru
This will fail (insofar as what Labor wants to achieve) and then another Labor frontbencher will get up and then Christian Porter will move that they are no longer heard, and the House will divide again.
The government has the numbers to back Porter’s call.
The papers are stacked in front of the PM, so he’ll probably call time on QT at the end of all that.
Will Fowles, the Victorian state Labor MP police spoke to this morning, after a door was damaged in a Canberra hotel, is taking immediate leave
.⁦@willfowles⁩ to take leave to deal with health issues. Says he has battled with addiction and mental health issues ⁦@abcmelbourne⁩ #springst pic.twitter.com/qS43qcx5RG
The motion to suspend standing orders has been called.The motion to suspend standing orders has been called.
Here is the motion Labor wants to moveHere is the motion Labor wants to move
The motion Labor is attempting to move regarding Angus Taylor; pic.twitter.com/0vMWaSInoIThe motion Labor is attempting to move regarding Angus Taylor; pic.twitter.com/0vMWaSInoI
A #qt tableau. @murpharoo @mpbowers @AmyRemeikis pic.twitter.com/3h23xSERzEA #qt tableau. @murpharoo @mpbowers @AmyRemeikis pic.twitter.com/3h23xSERzE
Tony Burke seeks leave to move a motion to suspend standing orders.Tony Burke seeks leave to move a motion to suspend standing orders.
He wants an explanation to the House from Angus Taylor, covering off the questions Labor has asked today.He wants an explanation to the House from Angus Taylor, covering off the questions Labor has asked today.
The government has the numbers in the House. This will go no where.The government has the numbers in the House. This will go no where.
Scott Morrison:Scott Morrison:
We have talked a lot about the impact of thuggish unions and them trying to thieve workers’ wages and we know about the union coming here and trying to kick down doors of Parliament House, as we saw in 1996, but this week we had a state Labor party come and try to kick down the door of a hotel room, Mr Speaker.We have talked a lot about the impact of thuggish unions and them trying to thieve workers’ wages and we know about the union coming here and trying to kick down doors of Parliament House, as we saw in 1996, but this week we had a state Labor party come and try to kick down the door of a hotel room, Mr Speaker.
That is the sort of behaviour they think is OK in the Labor party, and we are seeing that in the same way.That is the sort of behaviour they think is OK in the Labor party, and we are seeing that in the same way.
Tony Burke:Tony Burke:
Mr Speaker, I accept with a question like that it is really hard to not be relevant. The question was as broad as it could possibly be. And the prime minister has managed not to be relevant to the question.Mr Speaker, I accept with a question like that it is really hard to not be relevant. The question was as broad as it could possibly be. And the prime minister has managed not to be relevant to the question.
Tony Smith says he thinks the prime minister has finished his preamble, and Morrison gets down to drought, tax and WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, probably.Tony Smith says he thinks the prime minister has finished his preamble, and Morrison gets down to drought, tax and WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, probably.
This dixer is literally:This dixer is literally:
Will the prime minister update the House on further action the government has taken this week to deliver on its priorities?Will the prime minister update the House on further action the government has taken this week to deliver on its priorities?
Zali Steggall to Scott Morrison:Zali Steggall to Scott Morrison:
Businesses in Warringah are bound by Australian consumer law. In particular, they’re not allowed to mislead and deceive customers about their products or services, yet in contrast, it is a free-for-all in political advertising during campaigns, where misleading and outright false claims are made by all sides of politics, resulting in a loss of trust in our political system and undermining of our democracy.Businesses in Warringah are bound by Australian consumer law. In particular, they’re not allowed to mislead and deceive customers about their products or services, yet in contrast, it is a free-for-all in political advertising during campaigns, where misleading and outright false claims are made by all sides of politics, resulting in a loss of trust in our political system and undermining of our democracy.
Will the government introduce or support legislation for a minimum standard of truth in political advertising during political campaigns?Will the government introduce or support legislation for a minimum standard of truth in political advertising during political campaigns?
Steggall is referring to some of the ads which were run against her during the election campaign.Steggall is referring to some of the ads which were run against her during the election campaign.
Morrison:Morrison:
And I thank the member for Warringah for her question. She would be aware that the joint standing committee on electoral matters undertakes a review of all matters in relation to the conduct of the most recent election and it will bring forward a report and that will be considered indeed by the government and the parliament and that is the appropriate place for those matters to be addressed and to be considered as they come before this parliament.And I thank the member for Warringah for her question. She would be aware that the joint standing committee on electoral matters undertakes a review of all matters in relation to the conduct of the most recent election and it will bring forward a report and that will be considered indeed by the government and the parliament and that is the appropriate place for those matters to be addressed and to be considered as they come before this parliament.
But I would agree with the member for Warringah that the activities by GetUp in the most recent election and the actions they took against the former member for Warringah was some of the grubbiest and some of the most despicable actions I’ve seen (‘what, are you jealous’, yells someone from Labor) by what is, indeed, a political organisation masquerading as something independent, Mr Speaker.But I would agree with the member for Warringah that the activities by GetUp in the most recent election and the actions they took against the former member for Warringah was some of the grubbiest and some of the most despicable actions I’ve seen (‘what, are you jealous’, yells someone from Labor) by what is, indeed, a political organisation masquerading as something independent, Mr Speaker.
And the actions that GetUp took against by the former member for Warringah, and stood up to by the member for Boothby and I commend the member for Boothby for staring them down at the last election, and also the member for Dickson, the member for Kooyong, and I’m so pleased to see them here again, Mr Speaker because the Liberal party and the National party will never be intimidated by the bullying tactics and the big union money that goes into GetUp and the Labor party.And the actions that GetUp took against by the former member for Warringah, and stood up to by the member for Boothby and I commend the member for Boothby for staring them down at the last election, and also the member for Dickson, the member for Kooyong, and I’m so pleased to see them here again, Mr Speaker because the Liberal party and the National party will never be intimidated by the bullying tactics and the big union money that goes into GetUp and the Labor party.
Terri Butler to Angus Taylor:
My question is to the Minister for Energy and emission reduction and I refer to his previous answer. Did the minister’s meeting with departmental officials discuss any of the following matters later references in departmental correspondence about the threatened species.
Whether the minister could act against the committee’s advice and if the minister acted against the committee’s advice could the minister keep the reasons secret?
Taylor:
The briefing was a technical briefing with respect to a revised listing of the EPBC which had the potential to impact thousands of farmers in my electorate, their livelihoods, their well being.
Peter Dutton:
We know that during the course of this last election, only in May of this year, that vessels had already departed in anticipation of a Labor government being elected.
Mr Speaker, there were 41 people on a boat, on their way to Australia, anticipating a Labor government and the Labor Party had, just before the election, decided to introduce a very dangerous bill called the Medevac law which - which sent the wrong message to Sri Lanka and elsewhere.
They have been all over the place for years now when it comes to border protection policy.
This Leader of the Opposition is trying to be as sneaky as the last Leader of the Opposition.
He is trying to pretend to the Australian people that he’s on their side when it comes to border protection policies but, of course, he is not, Mr Speaker.
The Australian public’s worked out Labor. They know that Labor remains weak on border protection policies and if Labor was ever re-elected, the boats would restart and the kids would be back in detention”
There was also a very serious and tragic series of terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka earlier this year. But strangely that doesn’t seem to get a mention.
Australian Council of Social Service head Cassandra Goldie has welcomed the Senate inquiry into Newstart:
“This is yet another indication of the growing parliamentary support for an increase to Newstart.
“A Senate Inquiry will confirm the existing overwhelming evidence for an increase to Newstart and should not prevent the government from acting now and providing a minimum increase of at least $75 per week, which is urgently required.”
Andrew Hastie invites Peter Dutton to tell the chamber JUST HOW SAFE ARE YOU.
(Answer, as safe as possible because of Coalition policies, but OMG who knows what could happen with Labor).
The next election is three years away.
Terri Butler to Angus Taylor:
My question is to the minister for energy and emissions reduction. On Tuesday the minister said, and I quote, ‘I have always disclosed my interests and I have been very clear about those interests’. When did the minister relinquish his interest in the Cayman Islands?
Christian Porter raises a point of order that it is outside his portfolio.
Tony Burke says it relates to an earlier answer.
But it’s ruled out of order.
Scott Morrison has embraced the opportunity to get some extra work done during question time with gusto.
This is the fourth question time Labor has utilised its new “weak link” strategy (my terminology).
But if you haven’t caught on, the opposition has decided to shine a spotlight a little brighter on some of what it sees as the government’s weaker links. Morrison is a good performer, and they know that, so they are benching him as much as possible.
Minister @AngusTaylorMP defends his disclosures while the PM @ScottMorrisonMP catches up on some reading. #qt @murpharoo @mpbowers @AmyRemeikis pic.twitter.com/xJhs1T8uzl
Terri Butler to Angus Taylor:
At the meeting to which the minister referred, did he ask for the listings? Was that the minister’s idea or the treasurer’s?
Taylor:
Look, Mr Speaker, I make absolutely no apology for seeking and receiving briefing on policies that affect the farmers in my electorate.
And I am a proud farmer in my electorate and I will always seek and receive briefings on policies that impact them, Mr Speaker. That impact them.
Terri Butler to Angus Taylor:
I refer the minister to a claim he did not refer for a member to be present at his grasslands meeting. If it wasn’t idea, whose was it? Did the treasurer advise the compliance officer was there …
Taylor:
The department determines who comes to these meetings. Let me be very clear. I didn’t ask for, nor indeed know that, a compliance officer was present at the meeting.
Ed Husic continues his trolling, this time aiming at Alan Tudge and telling him “is this your serious face - raise your eyebrows more” as Tudge talks about his many, many concerns about Labor not being supportive of the Westconnex project.
“Tolls,” Labor MPs call out.
Tony Burke asks him to table the letter, because he says he has one with identical language, but a different date to the one Angus Taylor indicated.
Taylor says it is a confidential document and can not be tabled. We move on.