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PM refuses to stand down Angus Taylor despite NSW police investigation – politics live PM refuses to stand down Angus Taylor despite NSW police investigation – politics live
(32 minutes later)
Scott Morrison says no action is required after speaking to the NSW police commissioner. All the day’s events, liveScott Morrison says no action is required after speaking to the NSW police commissioner. All the day’s events, live
How Mike Bowers saw question time and some of those divisions go down:
And here is what Anthony Albanese managed to get out in that motion:
And I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would allow the leader of the opposition to move the following motion immediately.
That the House,
1. notes:
a. that on the evening of the 23 October 2019, the Guardian reported that the Minister for Emissions Reduction had used incorrect figures from the City of Sydney’s annual report 2017/18 in a letter to the Lord Mayor of Sydney;
b. on 24 October 2019, the minister told the House that the document was drawn directly from the City of Sydney’s website;
c. despite the minister’s claim, all the evidence to date is that no such documents 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;
d. today the New South Wales Police confirm that it had launched Strike Force Garrad to investigate the matter;
e. paragraph 7.1 of the ministerial standards makes clear that it is for the Prime Minister to stand aside a minister if that minister becomes a subject of an official investigation of alleged illegal conduct;
f. In question time today the Prime Minister stonewalled, ridiculed Labor for demanding the Minister for Emissions Reduction be immediately stood aside and shut down debate on the minister’s conduct.
and
2. therefore condemns the Prime Minister for his contempt for this Parliament and the principles of ministerial integrity and accountability.
There was a reason the random name generator of NSW police investigations made some headlines...
It might be the Queenslander in me, but I don’t think it’s great that a prime minister can ring up a police commissioner and ask for information about why they have launched an investigation.
Here’s the whole statement Scott Morrison made to the House:Here’s the whole statement Scott Morrison made to the House:
The motions in the House are coming to their inevitable conclusion – the government has the numbers and the debate will end.The motions in the House are coming to their inevitable conclusion – the government has the numbers and the debate will end.
Simon Birmingham:Simon Birmingham:
Patricia Karvelas asks Simon Birmingham if he feels comfortable standing by Angus Taylor while the police investigation is ongoing:Patricia Karvelas asks Simon Birmingham if he feels comfortable standing by Angus Taylor while the police investigation is ongoing:
Simon Birmingham:Simon Birmingham:
Simon Birmingham is defending the decision not to stand down Angus Taylor while the police investigation is carried out to Patricia Karvelas on ABC TV:
The government gags the debate – Labor loses its mind – and we go to a division.
Anthony Albanese is denied a statement on indulgence – because there is no precedence for it.
Tony Smith says he denies it regretfully.
Albanese is now trying to suspend standing orders to discuss the issue.
“I am astounded that the Prime Minister has shown such contempt.... This minister must go.”
Scott Morrison announces he has spoken to the New South Wales police commissioner, Mick Fuller.
He says he takes “matters of ministerial standards very seriously”, but he has determined there is “no action” required.
Labor is back in the federation chamber – the suspension lasted just under five minutes.
But it is about making the point, not actually shutting down parliament.
The MPI continues – Fiona Phillips is getting her five minutes now.
Scott Morrison is still at the table, writing notes.
Bob Katter has a minute 1.10 on the clock.
Bob Katter, talking on the dairy industry as part of the MPI, has never had such a big audience.
Scott Morrison has just walked into the chamber and is sitting at the table.
Bob Katter is about to be cut off.
The Office of National Intelligence has given evidence to a spillover session of budget estimates for the Finance and Public Administration committee.
Under questioning from the Liberal senator James Paterson, the director general of the ONI, Nick Warner, said he was “loath” to comment on recent reports on an alleged Chinese plot to infiltrate Australia’s parliament, saying it was a matter for the Department of Home Affairs and Asio.
But Warner said he supported the former director of Asio, Duncan Lewis, on the current threat of foreign interference.
“As Duncan Lewis ... used to say with some frequency, foreign interference into Australia and espionage against Australia are at unprecedentedly high levels and we need to take these issues very seriously.”