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Government to move forward with banking royal commission response following Westpac – politics live
Scott Morrison grilled on Angus Taylor as police investigate doctored document – question time live
(about 1 hour later)
Frydenberg promises legislation inspired by recommendations after Westpac chief executive’s resignation draws little sympathy on all sides of politics. All the day’s events, live
Anthony Albanese asks PM why the emissions reduction minister is still on his frontbench. All the day’s events, live
A delegation from the NT is in Parliament to talk to crossbench senators and MPs about the government’s proposal to expand the cashless debit card into the NT, replacing the Basics card.
The members return to their seats.Scott Morrison indicates there will be one more dixer.
The delegation includes representatives from The Central Land Council, the NPY Women’s Council and the Arnhem Land Progress Association.
Andrew Laming and Tony Pasin once again took the opportunity to sit on the front bench during the division.
Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said the group was advocating against the expansion of the cashless debut card, legislation for which has been introduced into the House of Representatives.
Warren Entsch is also there, but it looks like he has some business with Sussan Ley and is seizing the opportunity for a chat.
Dr Josie Douglas from the Central Land Council said there had not been consultation with affected indigenous communities.
Angus Taylor found a friend in Alan Tudge, who made a beeline to sit next to him in the division. They are having a good old chat. Hey - it’s one way to ensure you’ll get your face on the TV.
The delegation has met with Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie and Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie, as well as with government representatives and minister for indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt.
Better plan than this, anyway
She said the group had been “strongly encouraging” the crossbench to vote against the bill and had been given a positive reception, particular from Lambie.
Scott Morrison is VERY busy on his phone
“We are thankful that the senator has listened to us and appreciates and understands there has been a lack of consultation,” Douglas said.
We are at the swapping sides of the never-ending division.
Anne Davies has this update on the Angus Taylor document saga:
73 to 67, the government wins.
In what Chris Kenny on Sky News has declared “very surprising comments” from Pauline Hanson, Hanson has implied China is attempting to take over Australia by bringing people here because the number of Chinese immigrants are “ever increasing”.
We move to the final gag motion.
“Yes, that is how I see the future, yes I do,” said Hanson to him a little earlier.
Tony Burke moves to second Anthony Albanese’s motion, but that too is gagged (which is normal).
This has now made Barnaby Joyce the voice of reason.
We divide again. The government has the numbers, so you know how it will end.
Pffft. Scientists. What do they know?
Meanwhile, the question remains – was question time the first Scott Morrison was aware of the police investigation? Because it certainly seems that way.
Kevin Rudd, and his hand movements, were back in the building to launch Peter Hartcher’s Quarterly Essay today (Sarah Martin was there and has given you a taste a few posts down)
Meanwhile, in the Senate:
In October the federal court ruled in favour of the Australian Workers Union regarding the Registered Organisations Commission raids, finding the “suspicion” that the union had breached its rules was not a reasonable ground to conduct the raid.
Jacqui Lambie has asked the government about three Rwandan refugees brought to Australia who had been charged (but not convicted of) murder.
But the case continued in order to decide what flowed from that in terms of whether evidence collected would need to be returned.
“What kind of deal is this? The US clearly didn’t want them in their community – they held them for more than a decade in immigration detention. Do they pose a risk?”
On Tuesday Justice Mordecai Bromberg gave orders including:
Michaelia Cash chooses her words very carefully – noting Scott Morrison confirmed earlier this year that two of the Rwandans had come to Australia because they were found to be refugees, and were subject to strict security and character tests. She doesn’t confirm the third Rwandan has come to Australia.
THE COURT DECLARES THAT: 1. The decision of the first respondent by his delegate Mr Chris Enright made on 20 October 2017 to commence investigation INV2017/30 into the applicant (“Decision”), is invalid. THE COURT ORDERS THAT: 2. The decision of the first respondent, by his delegate Mr Chris Enright, is quashed. 3. The second respondent (by himself or by his servants or agents) return to the applicant the documents seized pursuant to the warrants issued by Magistrate Reynolds on 24 October 2017 pursuant to s 335L of the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 (Cth).So the AWU has had the documents returned.
Lambie suggested it looks like Australia is sending genuine refugees to the US and getting back accused criminals. Cash responds that the Rwandans did not come to Australia as part of a deal with the US.
Kevin Rudd has launched Peter Hartcher’s Quarterly Essay on Australia’s relationship with China, talking about the “difficult” relationship and making recommendations on what the government can do to improve ties.
This is mid “this is a disgrace”:
He would not comment on this week’s explosive revelations in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age about an alleged infiltration plot of Australia’s parliament, saying he was “out of the loop”, but said asylum should be considered for Liqiang Wang, the self-declared defecting Chinese spy who has sought protection from the Australian government.
Meanwhile:
Rudd directed his barbs at the Liberal party’s approach to China after the change in government in 2013, saying both Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull had “capitulated” to the Chinese on a range of issues.
Christian Porter has moved to gag the debate – Labor is very upset about that, but it is pretty normal practice for a question time suspension.
He singled out Australia’s retreat from the Pacific as having “opened the door” to Chinese influence in the region, pointing to Australia’s cuts to the aid budget and weak climate change policy.
The motion:
Australia had been “reckless” by cutting the aid budget. He also criticised the Turnbull government for allowing the Chinese to lease the port of Darwin, saying the port was the point of entry for US marines and equipment.
I seek leave to move the following motion –
“The Americans were horrified, while the Chinese couldn’t believe their luck.”
That the House:
However, the former PM also warned against “yellow peril”, saying the crackdown on foreign influence could easily lead to a form of racial profiling and warned against a “populist witch-hunt”.
notes that:
The AWU has had a win in the federal court, with Justice Mordecai Bromberg ordering a return of the documents seized during the 2017 raid on the AWU offices.
on the evening of 23 October 2019, the Guardian reported the Minister for Emissions Reduction had used incorrect figures from the City of Sydney Annual Report 2017-18 in a letter to the Lord Mayor of Sydney;
The ACTU has announced the news, linking it to the ensuring integrity bill:
on 24 October 2019, the Minister told the House: “The document was drawn directly from the City of Sydney’s website”;
Josh Frydenberg said the government would be introducing two more pieces of legislation related to the banking royal commission recommendations this week.
despite the Minister’s claim, all the evidence to date is that no such document ever existed on the website, the altered document has only ever been produced by the Minister’s office and the doctored figures have only ever been used by the Minister in his official Ministerial correspondence;
Labor says only six of the 76 recommendations have so far been implemented, meaning the government is running out of time to meet its own timetable.
today, the NSW Police confirmed that it had launched Strike Force Garrad to investigate the matter;
Stephen Jones:
paragraph 7.1 of the Ministerial Standards make clear that it is for the Prime Minister to stand aside a Minister if that Minister becomes the subject of an official investigation of alleged illegal conduct; and
The Nationals water minister, David Littleproud, is calling for “calm, leadership and common sense” in the NSW water debate and I cannot stop laughing at the irony.
therefore, calls on the Prime Minister to do what only he can under the Ministerial Standards and immediately stand the Minister for Emissions Reduction down.
Littleproud says it’s important the New South Wales government understands the full ramifications of withdrawing from the Murray-Darling basin plan.
Christian Porter has denied leave to move the motion.
“The federal government would be potentially forced by NSW to recover water by buybacks, not the $1bn of water infrastructure we are prepared to deliver,” he said.
“I don’t support buybacks. They destroy communities and I don’t want to be forced by law to undertake them if NSW pulls out.
“That would be the outcome of leaving the plan.
“We want to spend that money on water infrastructure to help stimulate NSW basin economies and create jobs.
“The facts are clear: pulling out of the plan would not deliver one drop of water to a NSW farmer.
“Ripping up the plan will only result in a worse one.
“This is a time to show leadership and work together to get the best outcome in these difficult times.”
Parliament’s human rights committee is unusually torn, AAP reports. Labor and the Greens are arguing against the government to seek an urgent change to laws aimed at reducing restraints in aged care.
The deputy chair of the traditionally bipartisan committee, Labor MP Graham Perrett, says the legislation creates confusion that could lead to physical and chemical restraints being used without consent.
“The dissenting report recommends that ... a new instrument be urgently reintroduced that ensures there is informed consent for the use of chemical restraints, a reduction in the use of restraints, and oversight and effective reporting on the use of restraints,” he told parliament.
Andrew Leigh had a chat to Adelaide radio 5AA this morning, which included this exchange:
Television?!
“I’d like to see the banks reined in a lot more ... I am not saying where I stand on the integrity bill. I still need to have more discussions with the unions,” Pauline Hanson says.
Hanson says she was busy at the weekend so has only just had a chance to look over the amendments Christian Porter released on the bill late on Friday.
“I will not be rushed on this,” she says.
Pauline Hanson is on Sky, saying she believes there is “a place for unions in Australia, by all means” but by the sound of things, she is close to agreeing to the bill.
There are whispers around that the government will seek to reorder business in the Senate this afternoon to bring on the ensuring integrity debate – but not the vote.
