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| Labor pushes for climate emergency motion to pass House – politics live | Labor pushes for climate emergency motion to pass House – politics live |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| And so does my eye twitch | |
| Scott Morrison is in the House and is having a chat with Anthony Albanese which they both seem to be enjoying, given the laughter. | |
| We are in the chamber for question time - who is that MP? | |
| It’s Susan Templeton, the member for Macquarie. | |
| And now it’s John McVeigh, the member for Groom | |
| Penny Wong is now FOIing the documents PM&C received and then sent in regards to the William Barr investigation into the Mueller report, given Alexander Downer’s involvement. | |
| Dear FOI Officer | |
| RE: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION APPLICATION – INVESTIGATION INITIATED BY THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR CONCERNING THE FBI’S RUSSIA INVESTIGATION | |
| I request the following documents held by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act): | |
| All documents created, or received, since 1 May 2018 related to the investigation initiated by the United States Attorney General William Barr concerning the FBI’s Russia investigation, including, but not limited to, communications with the United States Government and briefs to the Prime Minister. | |
| This request excludes media reports, press releases and duplicate documents. | |
| I note that the objects of the FOI Act include giving the Australian community access to information held by government and promoting Australia’s representative democracy by increasing scrutiny, discussion, comment and review of government activities. | |
| I expect that as soon as practicable, and no later than 30 days after receiving this request, I will be notified of a decision. | |
| Documents should be provided to [redacted] | |
| Yours sincerely | |
| Senator Penny Wong | |
| Also from AAP, an update from that noted climate scientist Pauline Hanson: | |
| #notallcorals | |
| A defiant Pauline Hanson has maintained coral bleaching is a natural occurrence, in an exchange with the chief scientist of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. | |
| The Queenslander used a Senate estimates hearing on Monday to question the link between heatwaves and back-to-back mass coral bleaching events in 2016 and 2017. | |
| “You’re saying that coral bleaching is affected by water temperatures,” she told David Wachenfeld. | |
| “Yet around Indonesia, closer to the equator ... where the water temperatures are 29C, it’s a known fact that coral actually grows faster and more prolific in warmer temperatures.” | |
| Dr Wachenfeld explained that corals live in a variety of water temperatures over the world, with substantial differences even within the Great Barrier Reef. | |
| Corals bleach when stressed – such as when exposed to warmer than normal temperatures – and die if stressed for prolonged periods, he told the senator. | |
| “The fact that corals in Indonesia could withstand higher temperatures than corals on the central Great Barrier Reef is of no benefit to the corals of the central Great Barrier Reef when they die.” | |
| But Senator Hanson was not swayed, asking how the authority planned to address both water temperatures and the “natural occurrence” of bleaching events with its taxpayer funding. | |
| The GBRMPA is trying to stamp out crown-of-thorns starfish, improve water quality in catchments while urging for greater global action on climate change, Senator Hanson was told. | |
| The authority recently released its latest five-year outlook for the reef, that found it to be “very poor” unless more action was taken to slow climate change. | |
| From AAP: | |
| Taxpayers forked out millions to sell the federal government’s infrastructure promises in the lead-up to the May election, dwarfing spending in the previous year. | |
| Infrastructure department officials confirmed more than $13 million was spent on advertising projects in the past financial year. | |
| But just $272,000 in taxpayer funds went to similar advertising in 2017-18, while $64,000 was spent in 2016-17. | |
| Labor frontbencher Murray Watt asked cabinet minister Bridget McKenzie about the issue during a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Monday. | |
| “It spent $11.626 million of taxpayers’ money in the three months leading up to the election – you got a pretty good return on your investment didn’t you?” he said. | |
| Senator McKenzie said the decision was based on market research indicating a low level of community awareness about infrastructure spending. | |
| “This campaign was about informing the Australian public about spending on infrastructure in their local communities,” she said. | |
| Senator Watt noted the government spent about 60 times more money on infrastructure spending in an election year than the previous year. | |
| “That’s just a total coincidence?” he asked. | |
| Environment officials have answered some questions about the Angus Taylor grasslands saga. Specifically, they were asked about occasions when the former minister Josh Frydenberg or his office sought information about the investigation into alleged illegal land clearing by Jam Land Pty Ltd, which Minister Taylor part owns. | |
| Labor’s Katy Gallagher has asked the questions to follow up on this story by Guardian Australia last week. | |
| Monica Collins, the department’s chief of compliance, lists some dates in July, August and October 2017. | Monica Collins, the department’s chief of compliance, lists some dates in July, August and October 2017. |
| But Gallagher is interested in some earlier requests from the minister’s office in February 2017. As revealed by Guardian last week, an email shows staff were asked to prepare “urgent” talking points about the grasslands listing after a compliance case was raised in parliament. But searches by Guardian Australia of Hansard records found no mention of it. | |
| Today, Collins confirms the department also went looking for a Hansard record at the time and they, too, found nothing. | |
| “I’m not sure where that request came into the office but my recollection of that document is that it was on the basis with a phone call with somebody,” she told the hearing. | “I’m not sure where that request came into the office but my recollection of that document is that it was on the basis with a phone call with somebody,” she told the hearing. |
| “I know that staff also searched Hansard and didn’t find a direct mention of it in parliament. | “I know that staff also searched Hansard and didn’t find a direct mention of it in parliament. |
| Gallagher: “So they did [a search] on that date? Around the time the request came in, they did a search to see whether it had been mentioned in the parliament?” | |
| Collins: “Yes that’s right” | Collins: “Yes that’s right” |
| Gallagher: “And, could they find anything?” | |
| Collins: No, nothing specific. Nothing specific about Jam Land and grasslands. | Collins: No, nothing specific. Nothing specific about Jam Land and grasslands. |
| Collins says the information supplied to Frydenberg’s office was “very high level” in terms of “a brief update on the investigation, some information about the grasslands listing” and things of that nature. | Collins says the information supplied to Frydenberg’s office was “very high level” in terms of “a brief update on the investigation, some information about the grasslands listing” and things of that nature. |
| The Greens senator Larissa Waters asks when the department conducted site visits to the Jam Land property near Delegate in NSW and when it first launched proceedings against Jam Land. | The Greens senator Larissa Waters asks when the department conducted site visits to the Jam Land property near Delegate in NSW and when it first launched proceedings against Jam Land. |
| Collins says she can’t give dates of site visits because the investigation is ongoing, but there have been four site visits. She said the department received the report about alleged illegal clearing in November 2016 and first wrote to Jam Land in December 2016. | Collins says she can’t give dates of site visits because the investigation is ongoing, but there have been four site visits. She said the department received the report about alleged illegal clearing in November 2016 and first wrote to Jam Land in December 2016. |
| Waters asked why the investigation has taken nearly three years. | Waters asked why the investigation has taken nearly three years. |
| Collins says a lot of factors influence this, such as the caseload of individual officers, but “we’re hoping to conclude it very soon”. | Collins says a lot of factors influence this, such as the caseload of individual officers, but “we’re hoping to conclude it very soon”. |
| The Senate estimate committees are all on a lunch break and the House is on the downhill slide to question time, so it’s a catch your breath moment. | The Senate estimate committees are all on a lunch break and the House is on the downhill slide to question time, so it’s a catch your breath moment. |
| The climate emergency motion debate ran out of time – it will continue tomorrow. | The climate emergency motion debate ran out of time – it will continue tomorrow. |
| Penny Wong says she understands US senator Lindsay Graham wrote to the prime minister on 2 October ... but we go to the scheduled break before we can see if this is a question Mathias Cormann will allow the PM&C officials to answer. | Penny Wong says she understands US senator Lindsay Graham wrote to the prime minister on 2 October ... but we go to the scheduled break before we can see if this is a question Mathias Cormann will allow the PM&C officials to answer. |
| Also, a couple of extra bits from the Albanese press conference: he addresses the rumour that Labor MP Mike Kelly might trigger a byelection in his marginal seat of Eden-Monaro, saying Kelly will be here “for a long time” and is an “important member of the team”. | Also, a couple of extra bits from the Albanese press conference: he addresses the rumour that Labor MP Mike Kelly might trigger a byelection in his marginal seat of Eden-Monaro, saying Kelly will be here “for a long time” and is an “important member of the team”. |
| He says the only way that the government will be able to claw back the seat will be to beat him in an election. | He says the only way that the government will be able to claw back the seat will be to beat him in an election. |
| Albanese is also asked about the Right to Know campaign, saying he agrees on the importance of a free press and commenting that it is “unacceptable” that journalists should be facing criminal prosecution. | Albanese is also asked about the Right to Know campaign, saying he agrees on the importance of a free press and commenting that it is “unacceptable” that journalists should be facing criminal prosecution. |
| The Labor leader is also asked why only five MPs were in the chamber when the opposition introduced its climate emergency motion, saying that was “what happened in parliament” and it was no reflection of the importance of motions or legislation. | The Labor leader is also asked why only five MPs were in the chamber when the opposition introduced its climate emergency motion, saying that was “what happened in parliament” and it was no reflection of the importance of motions or legislation. |
| Back in estimates, Penny Wong says she is just trying to work out how Australia went from “we’ll co-operate if asked”, which is what Marise Payne said, to Joe Hockey proactively sending a letter saying we would help. | Back in estimates, Penny Wong says she is just trying to work out how Australia went from “we’ll co-operate if asked”, which is what Marise Payne said, to Joe Hockey proactively sending a letter saying we would help. |
| This is all taken on notice. | This is all taken on notice. |
| “This is the most interventionist you’ve ever been,” Wong says. | “This is the most interventionist you’ve ever been,” Wong says. |
| “... I’m quite relaxed, actually,” Cormann says a little later. | “... I’m quite relaxed, actually,” Cormann says a little later. |
| Labor will vote in support of three new free trade agreements after securing a range of concessions from the government on labour market testing, worker exploitation, and outdated agreements regarding investor legal rights. | Labor will vote in support of three new free trade agreements after securing a range of concessions from the government on labour market testing, worker exploitation, and outdated agreements regarding investor legal rights. |
| Labor leader Anthony Albanese and shadow trade minister Madeleine King have held a press conference confirming their support for enabling legislation tabled last week, saying the agreements with Indonesia, Hong Kong and Peru would be good for Australian jobs, business and the national economy. | Labor leader Anthony Albanese and shadow trade minister Madeleine King have held a press conference confirming their support for enabling legislation tabled last week, saying the agreements with Indonesia, Hong Kong and Peru would be good for Australian jobs, business and the national economy. |
| Albanese said that, had Labor been in government, it would have made a different agreement with Indonesia that would have better dealt with labour market testing and would have excluded investor state dispute settlement clauses. | Albanese said that, had Labor been in government, it would have made a different agreement with Indonesia that would have better dealt with labour market testing and would have excluded investor state dispute settlement clauses. |
| “This is not an agreement that Labor would have made, we would have made different provisions,” Albanese said. | “This is not an agreement that Labor would have made, we would have made different provisions,” Albanese said. |
| “But it is an agreement the government has put forward, and one in which, overall, provides benefits for Australian workers, Australian jobs and for our national economy, which is why Labor will be supporting these three agreements.” | “But it is an agreement the government has put forward, and one in which, overall, provides benefits for Australian workers, Australian jobs and for our national economy, which is why Labor will be supporting these three agreements.” |
| As part of its negotiations, Labor has secured from the government a commitment to bring forward criminal penalties for the worst forms of worker exploitation, which Albanese said would now occur as a “matter of urgency”. | As part of its negotiations, Labor has secured from the government a commitment to bring forward criminal penalties for the worst forms of worker exploitation, which Albanese said would now occur as a “matter of urgency”. |
| The trade minister, Simon Birmingham, has assured the opposition that the government will seek to terminate a bilateral investment treaty signed between Indonesia and Australia, including “survival clauses”, but this will require Indonesian agreement. | The trade minister, Simon Birmingham, has assured the opposition that the government will seek to terminate a bilateral investment treaty signed between Indonesia and Australia, including “survival clauses”, but this will require Indonesian agreement. |
| Albanese said that he believed this was a “matter of courtesy”, but he was confident that the old agreement would be scrapped. | Albanese said that he believed this was a “matter of courtesy”, but he was confident that the old agreement would be scrapped. |
| The argument is now dissolving into who is speaking over who. | The argument is now dissolving into who is speaking over who. |
| When did the PM&C officials become aware of our assistance with the Barr inquiry? | When did the PM&C officials become aware of our assistance with the Barr inquiry? |
| Mathias Cormann attempts to stop this one as well. | Mathias Cormann attempts to stop this one as well. |
| Eventually we get to someone saying it is being dealt with by foreign affairs and trade and has no involvement from PM&C. | Eventually we get to someone saying it is being dealt with by foreign affairs and trade and has no involvement from PM&C. |
| But when did they first become aware, Wong asks Caroline Miller, who heads up the PM&C international division, once again. | But when did they first become aware, Wong asks Caroline Miller, who heads up the PM&C international division, once again. |
| Cormann again stops the answer. | Cormann again stops the answer. |
| I swear to JLo, this is like watching a report being redacted in real time. | I swear to JLo, this is like watching a report being redacted in real time. |
| “Are you aware now,” Wong asks again. | “Are you aware now,” Wong asks again. |
| “That’s a very funny question,” Cormann says. | “That’s a very funny question,” Cormann says. |
| While this sideshow is happening in PM&C estimates, Michaelia Cash has shown up in the home affairs estimates hearing. | While this sideshow is happening in PM&C estimates, Michaelia Cash has shown up in the home affairs estimates hearing. |