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'Ensuring integrity' union bill defeated in Senate as One Nation votes with Labor – politics live
'Ensuring integrity' union bill defeated in Senate as One Nation votes with Labor – politics live
(32 minutes later)
David Shoebridge says he has referred Mick Fuller over the phone call with Scott Morrison regarding Angus Taylor. All the day’s events, live
Pauline Hanson and Stuart Robert join Jacqui Lambie in voting with Labor against government bill. All the day’s events, live
Again - what even is today.
The Senate has moved on to its adjournment debate.
So just to be clear - One Nation switched its vote at the final hurdle and the bill was defeated.
Seems time this had a run again
The Senate is dividing on the question that the bill as amended be agreed to.
The government was aware that Jacqui Lambie was a no, after it rejected her amendments.
Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts are voting with Labor, the Greens and Jacqui Lambie!
But it didn’t think that mattered, because with One Nation, they had one more vote than it needed.
It was tied 34-34 - so the question was negated. Labor and Greens clap.
Eggs in the hand and all that.
We see it but we don’t believe it.
It is understood that One Nation confirmed its support for the amendments as recently as today.
Senator Hanson and Senator Roberts just sat with Labor to oppose the Ensuring Integrity Bill.
But the government did notice that the unions did go quiet on social media today.
Final vote:
Apparently Pauline Hanson has not yet explained herself to the government.
Ayes – 34
This has been a pretty big win for Penny Wong, and Anthony Chisholm (who often does a lot of negotiations with the crossbench) as well.
Noes – 34
Michele O’Neil says “we have been talking constructively with senator Hanson, but we did not know the final vote”.
That means that the Bill has a tied vote has NOT passed.
Michele O’Neil says the unions have been talking to all the crossbenchers.
Moving off Greens amendments to government ones – at first it looked like Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts were split on one set.
“We are convinced not just the time we have spent talking to them, but all the thousands of people who contacted them, made the difference.”
But the vote was re-run and Anne Ruston dispatched to explain what was what. Both One Nation senators (and Centre Alliance) voted with the government – a pattern which, if it continues, will see the bill pass.
But she adds that they weren’t sure of the vote until it happened.
Then came Jacqui Lambie amendments, which are designed to ensure unions are not deregistered for taking industrial action; and to ask for a review of the bill after 12 months.
Asked about the government bringing back the bill, O’Neil says, “Well, if they want to be humiliated twice, they should do that.”
Here One Nation were split – with Hanson voting with Labor and the Greens, and Roberts voting with the government.
Michele O’Neil says the bill’s defeat is a “victory for democracy”.
Still, Lambie lost the vote 35 to 33.
“It is the efforts of ordinary workers who have defeated this bill,” she says.
The last of the ensuring integrity amendments are being voted on.
She also thanks the crossbenchers – Jacqui Lambie and One Nation for “taking the time” to listen to concerns and defeat the bill.
Once this is done, the third reading vote will be held.
Sally McManus says she has a message for Scott Morrison: “Don’t underestimate working people ... they don’t like double standards.”
Then it goes back to the house to be agreed upon with the amendments.
So many headlines are being re-written right now.
Then it goes back to the Senate for one last time.
Which is why we have sentences like “the Morrison government has secured a shock defeat on industrial relations, with a bill cracking down on rogue unions failing in the Senate.”
Then once it passes there (which it will, because the crossbench is on board) it just needs royal assent, and then it’s law.
Christian Porter has released a statement:
Voting has started on a series of amendments to the Coalition’s bill to facilitate deregistration of unions and disqualification of their officials.
This is a pretty big troll.
We’ll get a series of votes on amendments then a final vote at the third reading stage to pass the bill.
First up is the Greens amendments, the most controversial of which stipulates the law will not come into effect until after the establishment of a National Integrity Commission.
The first Greens amendment – raising the threshold of demerit points for deregistration – was voted down 36 to 32.
Jacqui Lambie voted with the Greens and Labor in favour; Centre Alliance voted with the government against. I can’t see Pauline Hanson or Malcolm Roberts in the chamber.
Labor has put together what it says is the four times Scott Morrison has misled the house in the past 24 hours: Morrison’s misattribution of a radio talkback host quote to a Victorian police officer (which he wrote to the House and corrected), accusing Labor of gagging debate on veterans when it was about the Naif (although Phil Thompson did mention veteran suicides) claiming Labor voted against the second reading of the Defence Service Homes Amendment Bill (Labor voted for it) and then correcting the record by saying Labor voted against the third reading of that bill (when Labor voted for it).
Angus Taylor has responded to Labor’s rejection of the pair:
Ensuring integrity is about to get back under way in the Senate.
Today, the Greens MP and justice spokesperson David Shoebridge has referred the NSW police commissioner to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission as a result of his disclosures to the prime minister, Scott Morrison, about an ongoing police investigation into the emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor. Here is an excerpt of the referral:
Shoebridge said:
Our colleague Naaman Zhou has just spoken to David Shoebridge, who says he has referred Mick Fuller to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission over the phone call with Scott Morrison regarding the Angus Taylor investigation.
Shoebridge is referring Fuller under section 10 of the LECC Act for serious misconduct.
“Commissioner Fuller either knew, or reasonably ought to have known, that Prime Minister Morrison and Minister Taylor were close political colleagues. Given this, it was highly inappropriate for Commissioner Fuller to be disclosing any details of the police investigation into Mr Taylor to Prime Minister Morrison.”
Shoebridge also claimed there was a conflict of interest between Fuller and Morrison because of the “personal relationship” the pair have previously spoken of, and being neighbours (or bin-gate) which they now claim was a joke.
The talks go from 2 December to 13 December – so Angus Taylor could still attend the tail end, if he so wished.
Labor received a request earlier this week to pair Angus Taylor for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week, so he could attend United Nation-led climate talks in Paris and Madrid.
Labor wrote back today to say no – the reason being it doesn’t think it is appropriate that a minister under police investigation should be granted leave, when there are still questions to be answered.
Marise Payne who is going to the same talks, has been granted a pair (as is precedent).
The government now needs to decide whether Taylor misses the talks or loses a number.
