Labor says security agencies warned Liberals it would be 'unwise' to preselect Gladys Liu – politics live

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/sep/12/liberals-labor-morrison-albanese-politics-live

Version 9 of 14.

George Christensen is the latest to inflict Michael McCormack upon us, and, in what has become McCormack tradition, includes the reference to the “Morrison-McCormack government”, which is the only time it is ever used.

The deputy prime minister is attempting to talk about the carbon tax, but there is still a tub of cream cheese sitting on my desk from my lunch and it’s a bit hard to tell them apart.

Jim Chalmers to Scott Morrison:

Does the PM agree with the Reserve Bank Governor that, and I quote, “The challenge we face is monetary policy is carrying too much of a burden?” When economic growth is the slowest it’s been since the global financial crisis, why has the Government left all of the heavy lifting to the Reserve Bank?

Morrison:

Mr Speaker, I’m happy to respond to the member’s question and simply quote the Reserve Bank Governor again in his testimony before the House ofEconomics Committee on August 9 this year. Where he says, “I 100% agree with you that the Australian economy is growing.” Sorry, a press conference with the Treasurer on July 11. “I agree 100% with you that the Australian economy is growing and the fundamentals are strong.

The outlook is being supported by our lower interest rates, by your tax cuts, by higher levels of investment in infrastructure, by a pick-up in the resources sector and the stabilisation of the housing market in Sydney and Melbourne. But I don’t think we should forget more Australians have jobs today than ever before in Australian history and that’s a remarkable achievement and I also agree with you that a priority is to make sure that Australia remains a great place for business to expand, innovate, invest and employ people and I’m sure we can do that, Mr Speaker.

The first lickspittle is about how amazing Liberals are at supporting multicultural Australia.

The Labor leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, has asked whether the prime minister received any security advice about Gladys Liu.

The government leader in the Senate, Mathias Cormann, responded that preselections are matters for the party organisations: “I am not aware of any such advice being received, but out of an abundance of caution, to be 100% sure, I’ll take that question on notice.”

He said it was “irresponsible” to ask if Scott Morrison had sought advice today.

“The prime minister has full confidence in the member of Chisholm. This is nothing but an attempt at a Labor smear.”

Cormann suggested that Labor’s candidate in Chisholm, Jenny Yang, was a member of similar organisations, which sets Wong off. She says it is “cowardly to smear someone who isn’t in the parliament” and Cormann should answer the “serious national security questions raised on the front page of the paper”.

Cormann rejected the view there are “serious national security issues at stake” arguing it was simply a “clumsy interview” by a new MP of Chinese descent. Liu is “absolutely suitable” and was duly elected by the people of Chisholm.

“The prime minister has full confidence in the member for Chisholm, as people expressed their confidence in member for Chisholm at the election. All this is the seven stages of grief of the Labor party. You can’t accept that you lost the election, and you lost the election in Chisholm too.”

Someone misses the call and Brendan O’Connor gets the next question.

It’s to Josh Frydenberg:

When the Reserve Bank of Australia is calling for improved wages growth, why has this government presided over the worst wages growth on record?

Frydenberg:

The honourable member would like to know that when Labor was last in office for three out of six years minimum wages fell. The real minimum wage fell. Now, Mr Speaker, under us, under the Coalition, every year real minimum wages have gone up, Mr Speaker. I repeat that for the honourable member. Under Labor, in three out of the six years that they were in office, real minimum fell. Under us, every year, real minimum wages went up.

Now to educate the honourable member from the other side of the House, inflation today is 1.6%, Mr Speaker. Inflation today is 1.6%. But the wages price index which is a euphemism* for wages growth was 2.3%.

Mr Speaker, the reality is that real wages have been going up, Mr Speaker. The reality is that under our government, lower taxes are creating more jobs and higher wages, Mr Speaker. And if Labor ever got their time in government, $387bn of high taxes would have reduced wages and cost jobs. It doesn’t matter what the question is, for Labor the answer is always higher taxes.

* I don’t think this means what Frydenberg thinks it means.

Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:

My question s addressed to the PM. Does the PM agree with the Reserve Bank Governor that the economy is being, and I quote him, “Weighed down by a protracted period of low income growth.”

Morrison:

Mr Speaker, the challenge of getting incomes to rise in this country is not a new one. It’s one the Government has been working with with the Reserve Bank for many years. As Treasurer I have had numerous engagements with the Reserve Bank Governor about this very issue. And I can tell you that’s why our Government initiated the tax relief that we took through this parliament, not just in the most recent budget, but in the budgets before that because we wanted to ensure that Australians keep more of what they earn. In the most recent quarterly figures, the most recent quarterly figures, 0.7% was real wage growth through the year. That’s higher than what we inherited from the Labor Party in their last year, when they were in Government, and ensuring that we continue to growth wages is a function of implementing our economic plan

There is more, but you have heard it all before.

Peter Dutton will miss question time for “personal reasons”.

Mehreen Faruqi has responded to the vegan terrorist bill being passed by the Senate:

This bill is an absolute fraud. It’s nothing more than ag-gag legislation aimed at protecting big agribusiness from scrutiny at the cost of animal welfare and the community’s right to know and protest.

The Greens are proud to oppose laws aimed at stamping out protest and jailing activists and whistleblowers.

We should be passing national animal welfare laws with real accountability and enforcement to protect animals, not taking another step down the road to a police state.

Rather than improving animal welfare laws and practices, this government is obsessed with attacking those that expose horrific mistreatment of animals. They are on the wrong side of history.

It’s shameful that Labor is lock, stock and barrel with the government in supporting this draconian bill.”

And for everyone telling me how Pokemon Go is still cool, here you go: the moment it became part of our Hansard record.

Nick McKim questions whether the creators of Pokémon Go could be liable under the 'vegan terrorists' bill as it might incite people to trespass onto agricultural land. Bridget McKenzie responds: "chasers of Pikachu are safe”. pic.twitter.com/1fkeEKuj49

Senate question time has begun though, and Penny Wong is straight into the issue of Gladys Liu.

Paul Karp will have something on that for you very soon

Ahead of question time, Scott Morrison is making a statement by indulgence on R U OK? Day.

Anthony Albanese will also make a statement on this.

Christian Porter spoke to his local Perth radio station, 6PR, this morning. He, of course, was asked about Gladys Liu. From the transcript:

Well, I think there’s three separate issues there. I mean, Andrew Bolt’s a great interviewer and it’s his job to make politicians look a bit unsteady from time to time, and he’s done that to me, does that to the best of us – he’s a great interviewer.

The fact that Gladys Liu declines to adopt precisely Andrew Bolt’s descriptive legislation of the Chinese government, that isn’t her doing something negative for Australia. I put to you this proposition: that’s actually her doing something in Australia’s interest. It’s not in Australia’s interest to adopt precisely the language that was used on that show to describe the Chinese government when other accurate and alternative language is available.

With respect to the South China sea, she said she absolutely puts Australia’s interests first, which might be in some people’s view an unsophisticated way of saying that she supports Australian policy. But nevertheless, that’s what it is.

With respect to these three organisations, she was asked about three organisations. One of them she said that she had previously been the honorary president of. One of them she was asked whether she was presently the honorary president, and she said she wasn’t, which was correct. The third organisation she said firstly that she couldn’t recall whether she was a member, and then afterwards said that she hadn’t been a member. She was clearly confused. She’s corrected that in a statement.

But the fact of being previously a member of the Guangdong Overseas Exchange Association – as I said in parliament this morning, that doesn’t make you a communist, that doesn’t make you a traitor, that doesn’t make you not a fit and proper person to be a member of parliament. A very similar organisation sponsored the travel of the member for McMahon – the Labor member for McMahon – to China who’s met with Communist party officials.”

The vegan terrorist bill has passed the Senate.

Given Peter Dutton’s earlier claims about the Biloela family, this is a good point (although there are journalists who have fact checked Dutton’s claims).

The asylum claims of Pryia - whose former fiancé was burnt alive in front of her - and Nades - who was conscripted to the Tamil Tigers as a child soldier - were processed by 2 public servants.The courts have assessed if correct bureaucratic was followed-not their asylum claims.

Centre Alliance aren’t letting it drop either.

Rebekha Sharkie was very strong on Labor’s motion earlier today:

Rebekha Sharkie says the motion to suspend standing orders over Gladys Liu goes to “confidence” of MPs and urges the government not to use its numbers to “run a protection racket”. pic.twitter.com/RjcQvDVihG

Rex Patrick wants a whole inquiry into Australia’s relationship with China:

In light of political developments this week, I am more determined than ever to press for a comprehensive parliamentary review of Australia’s relations with China.

“This is a vital relationship and the parliament urgently needs to undertake a most rigorous inquiry to see how we can maximise benefit from a mutually beneficial trading relationship, but equally gain an understanding of where caution is warranted in Australia’s national interest.

“On Monday the Coalition government and Labor opposition joined together in an extraordinary and worrying instance of political self-censorship to block Centre Alliance’s proposal that the Senate foreign affairs, defence and trade references committee conduct a holistic review of Australia’s relations with China.

“Labor justified its position on the grounds that the shadow foreign affairs [spokeswoman], senator Penny Wong, had requested briefings for parliamentarians by relevant government agencies on Australia’s relationship with China, and such an behind closed doors approach was apparently preferred.

“Yesterday the foreign [affairs] minister, senator Marise Payne, gave the government’s response, telling the Senate there will be no government agency briefings on China as requested by Labor, though she also noted that ‘the foreign affairs, defence and trade committees’ may receive ‘extensive briefings’ from agencies.

“In these circumstances, the Labor opposition would be well advised to embrace Centre Alliance’s proposed Senate inquiry and I have lodged a new motion for debate when parliament sits next week.

“The proposed inquiry would be chaired by the foreign affairs, defence and trade references committee chairperson, Labor senator Kimberley Kitching. It would provide a much-needed forum for a comprehensive and sober discussion of this hugely important relationship, and involve the full range of expertise and interests from within and outside the Australian government. While government agency briefings are important, they are only part of the wide range of information and views a Senate inquiry may consider.

“If Labor is not now prepared to support the proposed inquiry, there will little doubt that behind their current political bluster relating to the controversy surrounding the federal member for Chisholm, Gladys Liu, they are running scared on the issue of China.

“Obviously it would also be good if the government came on board as well, but their inclinations still appear to be to suppress any debate and discussion on China policy.

“Further political self-censorship about this key international relationship would not bode well for Australian democracy and sovereignty.”

It is almost question time.

Or, in this case, the Gladys Liu hour.