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| Frydenberg says coronavirus impact will be 'more significant than bushfires' – politics live | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The treasurer lowers expectations for the budget as the major parties grapple with climate policies. All the day’s events, live from Canberra | |
| Resources minister Keith Pitt has responded to Equinor’s decision to pull out of the Great Australian Bight: | |
| That sound you hear is Wayne Swan’s satisfied sigh as he places his whisky class back down on his desk. | |
| Scott Morrison was asked whether or not he believed Australians would forgive him for not delivering the surplus he already said he delivered (if indeed, that is what happens) | |
| Government MPs have met in Canberra, with the partyroom discussion focused on the ramifications of the coronavirus on a range of industries, including tourism, education and trade. | |
| But prime minister Scott Morrison told MPs that while the effects will be “tough”, the virus did not give the government a “leave pass” to not act on the other issues that Australians expected the government to be focused on, such as aged care. | |
| MPs were also assured by Health Minister Greg Hunt that the government had a “pandemic plan ready to go” if it was required. | |
| One MP urged that no taxpayer-funded bail-outs be provided to the university sector to compensate for the impact of the virus, saying universities were well placed to absorb the cost.Morrison used the warning about the economic consequences of the rapidly-spreading virus to criticise Labor for adopting the target of net zero emissions by 2050.” | |
| Given the economic challenge, Labor’s reckless approach on the economy is particularly troubling, signing up to a target with no knowledge of what it would cost,” he said. | |
| “I won’t commit to anything that I don’t know the cost of, if I don’t know the impact on jobs. It is not about being for or against the target, the leader of the opposition has got no plan he has got no clue what the impact would be.” | |
| Morrison said that the government needed to know the cost before making a decision on targets, while also criticising Labor for not yet outlining its 2030 target. | |
| “The question is what will Labor do in 2030 if elected, what measures will they have in agriculture and transport, and they can’t answer those questions.” | |
| Morrison, however, did concede that Australians wanted “jobs and lower emissions”. | |
| “They want both, and we have a plan for both,” he said. | |
| MPs also discussed other issues, including the costs of passenger security screening for regional airports and the government’s bushfire response. | |
| It’s almost like sometimes there are things governments can’t control when it comes to its budgets, and you can make promises and not deliver? *cough global financial crisis cough* | |
| Scott Morrison says there is no way the government could have predicted the coronavirus last year. The government has not said it will be delivering a surplus, but, as we have been saying for months now, the language has changed from when Morrison said this in May last year: | |
| “I said we brought the budget back to surplus next year”. | |
| Morrison now: | |
| Is the government still able to guarantee a surplus? | |
| Scott Morrison: | |
| Josh Frydenberg says the impact of coronavirus (now officially called COVID-19) will be “more significant than the bushfires” | |
| Not only that, it’s impact will be broader: | |
| Stepping out of federal politics for a moment, WA’s Labor treasurer, Ben Wyatt, has announced he will not seek re-election in March next year. | |
| Josh Frydenberg continues: | |
| Josh Frydenberg is once again lowering expectations for the budget, laying out the impacts to the budget over the past year or so. That surplus the government promised in the next financial year is looking as increasingly shaky as the grammar used to describe it: | |
| The prime minister is giving an update to the Covid-19 situation in Australia: | |
| Sarah Hanson-Young on Equinor’s decision: | Sarah Hanson-Young on Equinor’s decision: |
| Labor’s position to adopt a net zero emissions target by 2050 was discussed in a meeting of MPs in Canberra on Tuesday. | Labor’s position to adopt a net zero emissions target by 2050 was discussed in a meeting of MPs in Canberra on Tuesday. |
| One MP asked how the party ensured it kept the focus on the “jobs and opportunities” that come with climate action. | One MP asked how the party ensured it kept the focus on the “jobs and opportunities” that come with climate action. |
| Anthony Albanese talked about state governments and the number of organisations that already supported carbon neutrality by 2050, highlighting the position as creating “more jobs, cheaper power, and lower emissions”. | Anthony Albanese talked about state governments and the number of organisations that already supported carbon neutrality by 2050, highlighting the position as creating “more jobs, cheaper power, and lower emissions”. |
| “The truth is, many in the government want to support net zero but because of the division in the government they cannot,” Albanese said. | “The truth is, many in the government want to support net zero but because of the division in the government they cannot,” Albanese said. |
| “The challenge to debate Scott Morrison on climate is a challenge that will be repeated. If Morrison had confidence in his arguments he wouldn’t always avoid debates.” | “The challenge to debate Scott Morrison on climate is a challenge that will be repeated. If Morrison had confidence in his arguments he wouldn’t always avoid debates.” |
| He said there was both a challenge and opportunity for “an enormous amount of jobs”, pointing to a hydrogen hub in Fremantle, a solar plan in Gladstone to power an aluminium refinery, and the take-up of solar panels in Blacktown. | He said there was both a challenge and opportunity for “an enormous amount of jobs”, pointing to a hydrogen hub in Fremantle, a solar plan in Gladstone to power an aluminium refinery, and the take-up of solar panels in Blacktown. |
| “People are choosing cheaper energy with renewables.” | “People are choosing cheaper energy with renewables.” |
| Another also mentioned remarks made by Peter Dutton about there being both left- and right-wing extremists, saying rightwing extremism was not a “political label”, it was a term used by security agencies. | Another also mentioned remarks made by Peter Dutton about there being both left- and right-wing extremists, saying rightwing extremism was not a “political label”, it was a term used by security agencies. |
| Labor MPs also discussed legislation before parliament, with MPs deciding to wait for Senate committee reports before deciding a final position on the government’s proposed bill to ban cash transactions over $10,000 and legislation that will allow workers to opt out of superannuation funds nominated in their workplace deals. | Labor MPs also discussed legislation before parliament, with MPs deciding to wait for Senate committee reports before deciding a final position on the government’s proposed bill to ban cash transactions over $10,000 and legislation that will allow workers to opt out of superannuation funds nominated in their workplace deals. |
| It will also wait until court action on a proposed site for medical nuclear waste is concluded before considering its position on legislation to establish the new dump site near Kimba, which was voted on by the local council. | It will also wait until court action on a proposed site for medical nuclear waste is concluded before considering its position on legislation to establish the new dump site near Kimba, which was voted on by the local council. |
| A decision on a Greens bill to include a climate trigger in the EPBC Act will also be deferred until it is examined by a Senate committee. | A decision on a Greens bill to include a climate trigger in the EPBC Act will also be deferred until it is examined by a Senate committee. |
| The prime minister has called a press conference in the blue room for 12.40. | The prime minister has called a press conference in the blue room for 12.40. |
| That’s the second most important press conference location. | That’s the second most important press conference location. |