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| Morrison says Coalition will 'implement resettlement policies' after medevac repeal – politics live | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| ‘Cruel, heartless’ move provokes outrage from refugees, Greens and Labor as deal described as ‘dark day’ for Australia. Plus Nationals under pressure over Murray-Darling basin plan. Follow all the day’s political news live | |
| Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy has revealed she has suffered “threats of violence, graphic threats of being gang raped and beaten, being killed for doing [her] job” which she described as “reprehensible”. | |
| These included “threats of executing me in the federal parliament” that were taken seriously by the Senate president, the speaker of the House, and the Australian Federal Police - which served a personal protection order against the person making the threats. | |
| She told the Senate: | |
| She said the threats are “designed to maximise fear, render them incapable of doing their job” and to put the target in “a prison of impending danger” | |
| McCarthy also revealed that Pat Dodson is “also now a focus for similar threats” and thanked police in the NT and the AFP for taking the threats seriously. | |
| Scott Morrison says he has “fulfilled a promise” to the Australian people by repealing medevac laws. | |
| Peter Dutton says the law was always about getting people here through a “back door”. | |
| He pays tribute to the “independent senators” – read Jacqui Lambie – and says medevac was “bad policy”. | |
| Morrison will not be drawn on what deal the Coalition struck with Lambie. He says the only condition he gave was to implement the government’s policies. | |
| One of those policies, he says, is to resettle those on Nauru. Asked whether that would include accepting the New Zealand deal, he responded: | |
| Morrison is choosing his words very carefully here. He is not saying anything about accepting the New Zealand refugee resettlement deal. | |
| We’ve just published this story on a whistleblower complaint concerning Peter Dutton and statements he made about the case of a convicted drug trafficker who was spared deportation. | |
| Andrew Wilkie says parliament has “sunk to a new low” with the repeal of medevac laws. He has just issued this statement: | |
| Labor is continuing its pursuit of Angus Taylor through all of this. Penny Wong spoke in the Senate a little earlier. | Labor is continuing its pursuit of Angus Taylor through all of this. Penny Wong spoke in the Senate a little earlier. |
| Labor had ordered Taylor’s representatives to table documents explaining how he came to rely on a falsified document to attack Sydney lord mayor, Clover Moore. Wong says Labor was giving Taylor a chance to provide evidence to support his position that the falsified document came from the City of Sydney website. He failed. | Labor had ordered Taylor’s representatives to table documents explaining how he came to rely on a falsified document to attack Sydney lord mayor, Clover Moore. Wong says Labor was giving Taylor a chance to provide evidence to support his position that the falsified document came from the City of Sydney website. He failed. |
| GetUp and the Human Rights Law Centre are holding a press conference right now. | GetUp and the Human Rights Law Centre are holding a press conference right now. |
| GetUp’s human rights director Shen Narayanasamy said what is needed, more than anything, is a solution for the refugees still on Nauru and Manus. | GetUp’s human rights director Shen Narayanasamy said what is needed, more than anything, is a solution for the refugees still on Nauru and Manus. |
| She said she can only hope that the deal struck by Lambie does something for their lives. | She said she can only hope that the deal struck by Lambie does something for their lives. |
| The prime minister Scott Morrison has called a press conference for 1pm. We’ll bring that to you as it happens. | The prime minister Scott Morrison has called a press conference for 1pm. We’ll bring that to you as it happens. |
| One question he may well be asked is: was there a secret deal with Jacqui Lambie? | One question he may well be asked is: was there a secret deal with Jacqui Lambie? |
| She seemed to think there was. It seemed pretty obvious to everyone watching that there was. Yet Mathias Cormann said categorically that there was not. | She seemed to think there was. It seemed pretty obvious to everyone watching that there was. Yet Mathias Cormann said categorically that there was not. |
| Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is speaking on the GDP figures out today. He’s got slides. | Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is speaking on the GDP figures out today. He’s got slides. |
| The figures were softer than expected at 0.4% quarterly growth for the September quarter, which remains below the long-term average. | The figures were softer than expected at 0.4% quarterly growth for the September quarter, which remains below the long-term average. |
| “Australia is back in black and back on track,” Frydenberg says to kick things off. | “Australia is back in black and back on track,” Frydenberg says to kick things off. |
| Frydenberg says the labour market remains strong, with annual jobs growth at 2%, more than double the OECD average. He said the overall growth was broad-based, contributed to by household consumption, net exports and public final demand. | Frydenberg says the labour market remains strong, with annual jobs growth at 2%, more than double the OECD average. He said the overall growth was broad-based, contributed to by household consumption, net exports and public final demand. |
| Household consumption has only increased by 0.1%, just so you know. | Household consumption has only increased by 0.1%, just so you know. |
| He says household disposable income grew by 2.5%, the fastest quarterly rise in a decade, leading to an increase in household savings . | He says household disposable income grew by 2.5%, the fastest quarterly rise in a decade, leading to an increase in household savings . |
| But Frydenberg said the drought was having a significant impact on the Australian economy. Farm GDP are at record lows and rural exports are down. | But Frydenberg said the drought was having a significant impact on the Australian economy. Farm GDP are at record lows and rural exports are down. |
| Mining investment is down 7.8% in the quarter. Total new business investment fell by 2%. | Mining investment is down 7.8% in the quarter. Total new business investment fell by 2%. |
| Médecins Sans Frontières says the medevac repeal will endanger patients and is “unethical and harmful to vulnerable people and the entire medical profession”. | Médecins Sans Frontières says the medevac repeal will endanger patients and is “unethical and harmful to vulnerable people and the entire medical profession”. |
| “Asylum seekers and refugees who remain indefinitely contained on Nauru and PNG have been blocked again from accessing treatment for critical health conditions where adequate care is not available locally,” said Paul McPhun, executive director of Médecins Sans Frontières Australia. | “Asylum seekers and refugees who remain indefinitely contained on Nauru and PNG have been blocked again from accessing treatment for critical health conditions where adequate care is not available locally,” said Paul McPhun, executive director of Médecins Sans Frontières Australia. |
| MSF noted there was still no access to proper psychiatric care on Nauru, a problem that has existed for almost a year. | MSF noted there was still no access to proper psychiatric care on Nauru, a problem that has existed for almost a year. |
| “During our time working with patients on Nauru, MSF psychiatrists and psychologists determined that the majority had their lives impaired by mental illness,” McPhun said. | “During our time working with patients on Nauru, MSF psychiatrists and psychologists determined that the majority had their lives impaired by mental illness,” McPhun said. |
| “To now deny medical professionals from taking decisions in patients’ best interests – and to effectively hand that power back to unqualified officials – entrenches dangerous precedents set in the last years and puts those most sick and vulnerable at risk. | “To now deny medical professionals from taking decisions in patients’ best interests – and to effectively hand that power back to unqualified officials – entrenches dangerous precedents set in the last years and puts those most sick and vulnerable at risk. |
| “Preventing access to medical care as a policy tool is unethical and harmful to vulnerable people and the entire medical profession.” | “Preventing access to medical care as a policy tool is unethical and harmful to vulnerable people and the entire medical profession.” |
| We’ve got some vision now of Jacqui Lambie’s speech to the Senate. | We’ve got some vision now of Jacqui Lambie’s speech to the Senate. |
| The Human Rights Law Centre has issued a statement on the repeal of medevac. It says the government stripped away “a humane, transparent and doctor-led process for the refugees in its care”. | The Human Rights Law Centre has issued a statement on the repeal of medevac. It says the government stripped away “a humane, transparent and doctor-led process for the refugees in its care”. |
| David Burke, the centre’s legal director, said it was a “shameful day” for the government and the senators who voted with them. | David Burke, the centre’s legal director, said it was a “shameful day” for the government and the senators who voted with them. |
| “Fear and lies have dominated at the expense of men and women who need medical care,” Burke said. | “Fear and lies have dominated at the expense of men and women who need medical care,” Burke said. |
| “Peter Dutton and the Morrison government have today played cruel, bloody-minded politics with peoples’ lives. The Morrison government has stripped away the basic shred of humanity that meant that when someone was sick they could get the care they needed.” | “Peter Dutton and the Morrison government have today played cruel, bloody-minded politics with peoples’ lives. The Morrison government has stripped away the basic shred of humanity that meant that when someone was sick they could get the care they needed.” |
| The centre said since the laws came into effect in March 2019, about 200 people have been evacuated to get medical care. More than 500 people remained in PNG and Nauru, Burke said. | The centre said since the laws came into effect in March 2019, about 200 people have been evacuated to get medical care. More than 500 people remained in PNG and Nauru, Burke said. |
| “Now that the government has robbed these people of the medevac laws, it is more urgent than ever that they ensure every single person is resettled to safety. We will continue to challenge these cruel policies.” | “Now that the government has robbed these people of the medevac laws, it is more urgent than ever that they ensure every single person is resettled to safety. We will continue to challenge these cruel policies.” |