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Scott Morrison grilled on Angus Taylor as police investigate doctored document – question time live
Scott Morrison grilled on Angus Taylor as police investigate doctored document – politics live
(32 minutes later)
Anthony Albanese asks PM why the emissions reduction minister is still on his frontbench. 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
The members return to their seats.Scott Morrison indicates there will be one more dixer.
As the frontbench of the government moves out, Scott Morrison reaches across and pats Angus Taylor on the back.
Andrew Laming and Tony Pasin once again took the opportunity to sit on the front bench during the division.
But he does it just inside the door, where it starts to go dark.
Question time ends.
Scott Morrison also makes notes of the Labor backbench having cleared out.
Greg Hunt gets one more dixer.
Question time has been extended as a ‘whatevs’ to Labor having attempted to gag Sussan Ley, but we should be done after this.
Mark Butler gets another question – to Angus Taylor:
Taylor:
Labor’s backbench has cleared out.
That gag motion is also lost. Shockingly.
Sussan Ley returns to answer the dixer.
And then we can all go.
Which for some of us, straight to the principal’s office, me thinks.
The hours motion to allow further debate on the union penalty (ensuring integrity) bill, has really set the Labor Senate leader, Penny Wong, off:
After that Wong hit the Coalition for slow pedalling on the national integrity commission, the banking royal commission and leaving it up to Westpac’s board to respond to allegations of 23m breaches of anti-money laundering laws.
Wong notes that in Senate question time, the government refused to rule out changes to unfair dismissal laws and the Better Off Overall Test:
Wong concludes:
Scott Morrison looks like my dad did when I got home from my “friend’s” house when I was 16, after his police friends told him I had been seen pouring vodka into a slurpee cup in the Surfers Paradise mall at 4am.
That did not end well for me, FYI.
Scott Morrison has the folders stacked.
Sussan Ley moves up for her dixer – and Tony Burke moves that the minister no longer be heard.
A bit of tit for tat there, as a gag motion, and also extends the awkwardness for a few minutes longer.
The members return to their seats.
Scott Morrison indicates there will be one more dixer.
Andrew Laming and Tony Pasin once again took the opportunity to sit on the frontbench during the division.
Warren Entsch is also there, but it looks like he has some business with Sussan Ley and is seizing the opportunity for a chat.
Warren Entsch is also there, but it looks like he has some business with Sussan Ley and is seizing the opportunity for a chat.
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.
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.
Better plan than this, anyway
Better plan than this, anyway.
Scott Morrison is VERY busy on his phone
Scott Morrison is VERY busy on his phone
We are at the swapping sides of the never-ending division.
73 to 67, the government wins.
We move to the final gag motion.
Tony Burke moves to second Anthony Albanese’s motion, but that too is gagged (which is normal).
We divide again. The government has the numbers, so you know how it will end.
Meanwhile, the question remains – was question time the first Scott Morrison was aware of the police investigation? Because it certainly seems that way.
Meanwhile, in the Senate:
Jacqui Lambie has asked the government about three Rwandan refugees brought to Australia who had been charged (but not convicted of) murder.
“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?”
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.
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.
This is mid “this is a disgrace”:
Meanwhile:
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.
The motion:
I seek leave to move the following motion –
That the House:
notes that:
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;
on 24 October 2019, the Minister told the House: “The document was drawn directly from the City of Sydney’s website”;
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;
today, the NSW Police confirmed that it had launched Strike Force Garrad to investigate the matter;
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
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.
Christian Porter has denied leave to move the motion.
