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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/nov/14/stuart-robert-brushes-off-questions-about-ndis-secrecy-politics-live
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| Version 7 | Version 8 |
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| Stuart Robert grilled about whether Centrelink robodebts are illegal – politics live | Stuart Robert grilled about whether Centrelink robodebts are illegal – politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Government services minister tries to avoid question at National Press Club, but urged to address the issue. All the day’s events, live | Government services minister tries to avoid question at National Press Club, but urged to address the issue. All the day’s events, live |
| Penny Wong: | |
| Mathias Cormann: What we just experienced... What is not a brief statement. This is a political spray which is without foundation because it’s based on an assumption whatever gossip is published on Twitter is somehow accurate. | |
| Scott Ryan: Senators know once leave is granted. Leave is granted. I’m not in a position to restrict its use. Senator Wong. | |
| Wong: | |
| Meanwhile, it was the battle of the props at the press club | |
| There is still a bit of confusion around why Bridget McKenzie, the deputy leader of the Nationals, is not the senator representing the leader of the Nationals, Michael McCormack, in the Senate. | |
| Matt Canavan is absent (fires), so he can’t represent McCormack, but McKenzie is there, and she is not representing McCormack, because she is apparently leaving for New Zealand at any moment. | |
| So Michealia Cash is representing Micheal McCormack, and Simon Birmingham is representing Matt Canavan. | |
| Which means that two Nationals are being represented by two Liberal senators, when the deputy leader of the National party is sitting there. I can see her. She’s holding up papers. | |
| What she’s not doing - is representing anyone in her party | |
| In taking a question from the South Australian senator Marielle Smith, Richard Colbeck responded with thanking Senator M Smith. | |
| He seemed a little surprised to find himself corrected that her name was actually Marielle, and not M. | |
| “Senator Marielle Smith if it pleases the chamber,” he says, adding he didn’t mean any offence but that M Smith was a “term I had heard in this chamber”. | |
| From AAP: | |
| Miners looking at digging up the rare earths and critical minerals needed for many modern technologies could get double the help from taxpayers as the federal government looks to expand the market opportunities. | |
| Projects will now be able to get support from Export Finance Australia, including its defence branch, and the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility if they meet the criteria. | |
| ...Australia and the United States are teaming up to develop the sector in a bid to counter China’s near-stranglehold on supply of the vital minerals. | |
| Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said the government had been working carefully and steadily to build the market’s potential. | |
| The way the sun is coming through the Senate chamber makes it seem like Scott Ryan has been anointed from above to descend from the mountain. | The way the sun is coming through the Senate chamber makes it seem like Scott Ryan has been anointed from above to descend from the mountain. |
| Mathias Cormann on the economy: | Mathias Cormann on the economy: |
| “The only thing we have floundering here is the shadow treasurer,” he says. | “The only thing we have floundering here is the shadow treasurer,” he says. |
| Weird flex, but cool. | Weird flex, but cool. |
| Senate question time begins with a statement from Penny Wong, about Bridget McKenzie not answering questions today. | Senate question time begins with a statement from Penny Wong, about Bridget McKenzie not answering questions today. |
| Wong says that the changes mean that the deputy leader of the National party isn’t being trusted to answer questions on behalf of the National party. | Wong says that the changes mean that the deputy leader of the National party isn’t being trusted to answer questions on behalf of the National party. |
| Mathias Cormann says she is on her way to New Zealand, and has to leave early, so arrangements were made to replace her portfolio responsibilities (in terms of answering questions). | Mathias Cormann says she is on her way to New Zealand, and has to leave early, so arrangements were made to replace her portfolio responsibilities (in terms of answering questions). |
| It is all very awkward though, because McKenzie is in the Senate, sitting there like she has just seen a school of CARP and told that’s tonight’s dinner. | It is all very awkward though, because McKenzie is in the Senate, sitting there like she has just seen a school of CARP and told that’s tonight’s dinner. |
| The Greens have just passed a motion in the Senate, calling on Scott Morrison to meet with Greg Mullins and the other former emergency chiefs. | The Greens have just passed a motion in the Senate, calling on Scott Morrison to meet with Greg Mullins and the other former emergency chiefs. |
| They will meet with David Littleproud. The Senate motion won’t compel Morrison to meet with them though – that’s the decision of him and his office. | They will meet with David Littleproud. The Senate motion won’t compel Morrison to meet with them though – that’s the decision of him and his office. |
| At least someone is: | At least someone is: |
| Stuart Robert had to be schooled by the National Press Club president, Sabra Lane, that journalists can ask any question they like of speakers, regardless of what the topic of the speech is, after Paul Karp asked about robodebt. | Stuart Robert had to be schooled by the National Press Club president, Sabra Lane, that journalists can ask any question they like of speakers, regardless of what the topic of the speech is, after Paul Karp asked about robodebt. |
| PK: | PK: |
| SR: | SR: |
| Sabra Lane: | Sabra Lane: |
| Robert then sort of addresses the issue: | Robert then sort of addresses the issue: |
| SR: | SR: |
| Speaking to Hunter Valley radio station 2NM, Joel Fitzgibbon agreed with Scott Morrison that people need to chill on the climate change debate while the fires are burning, because that’s his role now. | Speaking to Hunter Valley radio station 2NM, Joel Fitzgibbon agreed with Scott Morrison that people need to chill on the climate change debate while the fires are burning, because that’s his role now. |
| OK, so I have just had a chance to read through the Australian Bureau of Statistics data on jobs. | OK, so I have just had a chance to read through the Australian Bureau of Statistics data on jobs. |
| The economy shed 19,000 jobs in the last month – the biggest fall since May 2014 (thank you Shane Wright) which equated to 10,300 full-time jobs and 8,700 part-time jobs. | The economy shed 19,000 jobs in the last month – the biggest fall since May 2014 (thank you Shane Wright) which equated to 10,300 full-time jobs and 8,700 part-time jobs. |
| That means the number of people out of work increased by about 17,000, which brings the number of people without a job to just over 726,000. | That means the number of people out of work increased by about 17,000, which brings the number of people without a job to just over 726,000. |
| So on the seasonal adjustment measure, unemployment rose by 0.1% to 5.3% from a low of 4.9% in February, and way off the Reserve Bank of Australia’s target of 4.5%. | So on the seasonal adjustment measure, unemployment rose by 0.1% to 5.3% from a low of 4.9% in February, and way off the Reserve Bank of Australia’s target of 4.5%. |