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| Morrison says Coalition will 'implement resettlement policies' after medevac repeal – question time 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 | ‘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 |
| Fireworks again in the lower house between Michael McCormack and Joel Fitzgibbon. The pair have got some odd competition going on this week about who knows more about farmers. McCormack said: | |
| Over in the Senate, it looks like Cormann is explaining his “no secret deal” comment by claiming nothing in government policy has changed as a result of its negotiations with Jacqui Lambie. Righto. | |
| We get a dixer to the PM on the economy. Then Labor asks education minister Dan Tehan about the PISA results. Tanya Plibersek asks when the government’s education reforms are going to start to work. Tehan says: | |
| He then objects to criticism. You’re in the wrong business, mate. | |
| Morrison continues: | |
| Labor kicks off question time with a question on the PISA results, which show Australian school students are falling behind the rest of the world. Morrison responds: | |
| The shadow climate change minister, Mark Butler, has told Guardian Australia that the resources minister, Matt Canavan, “doesn’t even pretend to care about our international commitments” on climate change after the minister gave two interviews to the climate science denier Alan Jones on Monday. | |
| Jones asked the Queensland senator if he would be going to the UN climate talks that are under way in Madrid, but Canavan joked he had “got some better things to do” and that he had “not committed enough sins” to have been sent there. | |
| The Greens climate spokesman, Adam Bandt, accused Canavan of engaging in “smug mockery”. | |
| Canavan claimed terms like “climate emergency” were being forced upon members of the public, which he said was “Orwellian” and an attempt to shut down “alternative viewpoints”. | |
| When asked on radio by Jones why he was not in Spain, a laughing Canavan said: “I’m sure it’s lovely this time of year but I’ve got some better things to do. I haven’t committed enough sins in my life to be sent there yet, Alan.” | |
| Later on Sky, Jones again asked Canavan why he wasn’t in Madrid. | |
| “Ha!,” said Canavan. “Well, Alan, it would not exactly be how I would like to spend my Christmas let’s just say that, but good luck to all those beautiful people who aggregate there. | |
| “Obviously we need to have international meetings to discuss these things, but then there are all these hangers on who seem to use this as a PR exercise to preen their moral vanity.” | |
| In each interview Jones, who has described human-caused climate change as a hoax, promoted a climate science denial group known as Clintel, before then introducing the minister. | |
| Clintel is promoting a declaration that “there is no climate emergency” and that “CO2 is plant food”. | |
| Canavan did not comment on the Clintel group, which has signed support from more than 100 Australians, including Hugh Morgan, a former president of the Business Council of Australia, and Ian Plimer, a director on Gina Rinehart’s Roy Hill Holdings iron ore project. | |
| The Queensland state MP Colin Boyce, of the LNP, is the only Australian elected official to have his name appear on the Clintel declaration. | |
| Later in the Sky interview, Canavan said: “What’s wrong with this agenda that’s being pushed by some people going to these conferences is that they want to regulate what we say and do.” He added there was an attempt to “shut down debate”. | |
| He said: “They are worried about alternative viewpoints. As you said in your intro we now have to call it a climate emergency. | |
| “It is not enough to call it climate change or global warming or greenhouse gases of the ozone layer – it’s now a climate emergency. This is true Orwellian stuff that we have to use these kinds of terms.” | |
| Canavan also used the interviews to heavily promote coal-fired power and coal generally, claiming coal generation was growing in other parts of Asia. | |
| “We are as a government backing coal-fired power,” he told Jones on 4BC, adding the government was “progressing an option” for a new coal-fired power station at Collinsville in north Queensland. | |
| Canavan said the renewable energy target had “destroyed our energy systems” and had been a “massive mistake”. | |
| Butler told Guardian Australia Canavan’s comments on the climate talks “tells us everything we need to know about the government’s attitude to action on climate change. | |
| “Matt Canavan doesn’t even pretend to care about our international commitments under the Paris agreement. The hard-right of the Coalition dictates Australia’s climate policy, as a result emissions are continuing to go up and our children will pay the price.” | |
| Bandt said anyone attending the Madrid talks should be applauded, adding: “This smug mockery from the minister for coal is part of a broader assault on climate action by a government in the pocket of the polluters.” | |
| The 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 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 was “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. | 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”. | 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”. | 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. | 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: | 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. | 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. | 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: | 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.” |