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| Greens refuse to support 'stacked' family court inquiry – politics live | Greens refuse to support 'stacked' family court inquiry – politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Anthony Albanese says Labor was not consulted about the terms of reference for the family court inquiry, and was surprised to learn that Pauline Hanson would be the deputy chair, in what is supposed to be a bipartisan inquiry. | |
| The issue of domestic violence should be taken seriously by everyone in this place. And we take it seriously and I know that there has been a range of activities around white ribbon day, around statements, around domestic violence that have enjoyed bipartisan support. | |
| That is important that continues. I do want this to be a political football. I say to the Prime Minister, we can’t support an inquiry in which he has unilaterally, along with Pauline Hanson, done a deal. | |
| On what Pauline Hanson has said this morning, Kevin Andrews says: | |
| I don’t have a view on this. I’m coming to this as objectively as I can. I will try and address of the terms of reference which of the government has given the committee. I will try to endeavour to enable everybody who wants to have a safe, to have a fair say. But does not mean we will necessarily agree with everyone. | |
| Part of the role of a parliamentary committee is to question what people are putting forward. At the end of the day, we have to come to some sort of agreed decision as a committee, regardless of our political backgrounds, as to what is the best thing to do. | |
| And he confirms again, that Hanson will be the deputy chair. | |
| Labor had indicated yesterday it was leaning towards supporting the family court inquiry, with Tanya Plibersek saying this early this morning as she walked into parliament: | |
| Look, I think it is very fair for people who interact with the family law system to say that change is long overdue. We’ve seen a very comprehensive report from the Australian Law Reform Commission - we can absolutely begin to implement the recommendations of that report before waiting for this new report to be completed. There are some very sensible suggestions that have been made after a deep study of the family law system - we don’t need to wait to implement those recommendations. That doesn’t mean that it’s not also beneficial to hear from people who are interacting with the family law system about issues like the impact of family violence in the family law system and the impact that long delays and expensive procedures have on getting justice through the family law system. | |
| But don’t be surprised if we hear there has been a change of heart in the next few minutes. | |
| Kevin Andrews is talking to the ABC about the need for the inquiry: | |
| Colleagues have raised from time to time in the party room issues about whether the system works in a fair way for everybody involved. Those issues have been raised on behalf of men and women and all the participants, so I think it is important for a family law system that every now and again parliament has a look at how it is operating. | |
| This is a very vexed issue and involves human beings with human emotions in very difficult – traumatic often – situations and so some sort of look at this from time to time, which we have done as a parliament for the almost 30 years I have been here, on numerous occasions, I think is a good thing.” | |
| New statistics from the health department show the waiting list for aged care packages dipped slightly between April and June this year. | |
| The waiting list is at close to 120,000 people as of the end of the financial year, which is a 9,000 decrease on the previous quarter, after the federal government brought forward funding for some packages. | |
| The royal commission into the aged care sector has heard harrowing evidence about elderly people being forced into nursing homes because they cannot get appropriate assistance with daily tasks at home. An estimated 16,000 people have died waiting for a home care package. | |
| Labor’s spokeswoman on ageing, Julie Collins, accused the government of being asleep at the wheel for six years. | |
| “There are still more older Australians waiting for home care packages than there are home care packages being used,” she said. | |
| The prime minister, Scott Morrison, insisted increasing home care packages was a priority: “Now the only way you can do that … is by ensuring you maintain a strong budget,” he said. | |
| Last weekhe royal commission last week was extended six months and will deliver its final report in November 2020.A new commissioner has also been added to the line up: Tony Pagone QC. | |
| Paul Karp will have more on this for you soon | |
| Asked about religious discrimination bill Alan Joyce said the legal community's view is that the "financial hardship" test is the "hardest benchmark for a company to prove". Wants law to allow Qantas to set a code that promotes diversity and inclusion. #auspol #npc | |
| Virgin CEO Paul Scurrah says he wants company to be inclusive to "the greatest extent possible" but obviously they have to abide by discrimination law. #auspol #npc | |
| Anthony Albanese is holding a doorstop interview in about 10 minutes. | |
| Given the rhetoric around the family court inquiry from Pauline Hanson I would expect he is about to announce that Labor will not be supporting the inquiry. | |
| But if Centre Alliance does, and it has indicated it is favourable, it will get up. | |
| Draft laws to protect domestic vocational education students on government loans have been introduced to federal parliament, AAP reports. | |
| Under the proposed changes, students will be protected if their education provider fails to begin a course on time, makes a course unavailable before enrolled students can begin, or closes. | |
| “Students protected under these new arrangements will be assisted to complete their studies in a similar course with another provider and gain a qualification,” the assistant minister for vocational education, Steve Irons, said on Wednesday. | |
| “Or [they] may have their loan removed for the parts of their study they have commenced but were not able to complete.” | |
| Once passed, the changes – which already exist for international students – would begin from January. | |
| Trade Minister, Simon Birmingham, and UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, have held a press conference talking up the prospects of an Australia UK trade deal post Brexit. | Trade Minister, Simon Birmingham, and UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, have held a press conference talking up the prospects of an Australia UK trade deal post Brexit. |
| Birmingham said that the UK’s membership of the EU had made it more difficult for Australian exporters to access the British market, and so a new deal between the two countries could improve access. | Birmingham said that the UK’s membership of the EU had made it more difficult for Australian exporters to access the British market, and so a new deal between the two countries could improve access. |
| “It is no secret that as part of the EU market, access in terms of agricultural products has been limited,” Birmingham said. | “It is no secret that as part of the EU market, access in terms of agricultural products has been limited,” Birmingham said. |
| “We stand absolutely ready to work with the UK as soon as they are ready to do so, as quickly as they are able to do so to pursue a free trade agreement.” | “We stand absolutely ready to work with the UK as soon as they are ready to do so, as quickly as they are able to do so to pursue a free trade agreement.” |
| Truss said that the UK would be leaving the European Union “deal or no deal” on October 31, which would give Britain “new freedoms” to pursue ties with other countries. | Truss said that the UK would be leaving the European Union “deal or no deal” on October 31, which would give Britain “new freedoms” to pursue ties with other countries. |
| “That will give us the opportunity to strike new trade deals with the rest of the world. This is the first time in 45 years that the UK has an independent trade policy.” | “That will give us the opportunity to strike new trade deals with the rest of the world. This is the first time in 45 years that the UK has an independent trade policy.” |
| “One of the issues we have faced is increased regulatory harmonisation driven by the European Union which has prevented us from being able to strike these deals and be able to work with other partners around the world.” | “One of the issues we have faced is increased regulatory harmonisation driven by the European Union which has prevented us from being able to strike these deals and be able to work with other partners around the world.” |
| In case you missed it, there is also this report from Anne Davies floating around today: | In case you missed it, there is also this report from Anne Davies floating around today: |
| The former environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, went against the advice of his departmental experts when he blocked two wind turbines on Lord Howe Island in 2017, consigning the world heritage-listed island to relying on diesel fuel for the bulk of its electricity. | The former environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, went against the advice of his departmental experts when he blocked two wind turbines on Lord Howe Island in 2017, consigning the world heritage-listed island to relying on diesel fuel for the bulk of its electricity. |
| A freedom of information request by the Guardian has uncovered that the minister took the unusual action of blocking the project under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, deeming it “unacceptable”. | A freedom of information request by the Guardian has uncovered that the minister took the unusual action of blocking the project under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, deeming it “unacceptable”. |
| It was one of two projects that Frydenberg rejected while environment minister, the other being a nursing home at Sydney’s Middle Head on federal land. Both were criticised by the broadcaster Alan Jones, who particularly campaigned against the Middle Head development. | It was one of two projects that Frydenberg rejected while environment minister, the other being a nursing home at Sydney’s Middle Head on federal land. Both were criticised by the broadcaster Alan Jones, who particularly campaigned against the Middle Head development. |
| You can read more on that, here. | You can read more on that, here. |