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Sports rorts: Labor questions PM over 136 emails between his office and Bridget McKenzie's – politics live Sports rorts: Labor questions PM over 136 emails between his office and Bridget McKenzie's – politics live
(32 minutes later)
Anthony Albanese accuses Scott Morrison of misleading parliament over his involvement in the grants scheme. All the day’s events, liveAnthony Albanese accuses Scott Morrison of misleading parliament over his involvement in the grants scheme. All the day’s events, live
A vigil will be held for Hannah Clarke and her children in parliament tonight.
I think we all know which way Zed Seselja went when it came to Malcolm Turnbull. Asked about the former prime minister’s climate warning, the ACT senator says:
Patricia Karvelas: You’re saying he’s a hypocrite?
ZS:
PK: So you’re saying that he’s got a different view to the one he had when he was PM?
ZS:
Patricia Karvelas is questioning Zed Seselja over the “Back in Black” budget boasts – which are now looking decidedly pink-faced, on ABC TV.
Seselja says there is no way the government could have known what was coming. Including, the bushfires.
Except the government was warned about a terrible bushfire season being due. It thought it was going to happen the season before. MPs have said that themselves. And then there were the former fire chiefs, who banded together to write a letter saying the bushfire season was going to be pretty terrible.
But sure. .
We are still working out how to call out rightwing terrorism as a country, though. Which is not being helped along by political leaders who find it difficult to find the words to do so.
Bill Shorten is not letting robodebt go.
He has left question time and released this statement:
All summer we’ve heard revelation after revelation about the rorting of government grant programs.
In the case of the sports rorts affair, the then sports minister Bridget McKenzie’s office was found to have ignored the recommendations of her department and instead delivered grants in a way that would boost the Coalition’s election prospects.
The Greens senator Larissa Waters is now seeking a Senate order of continuing effect that would prevent that from happening again.
The Greens want to compel ministers to provide an explanation to the treasurer if they award grants in a way that deviates from the advice of relevant officials.
Such explanations would also be made public.
“For weeks, the prime minister has refused to explain how funds allocated for sports facilities and infrastructure ended up going mostly to marginal seats,” Waters said.
“Colour-coded spreadsheets and funding for mates has replaced proper process and integrity.
“Taxpayer money is not just a slush fund for ministers to further their own interests. If a minister ignores the advice of officials, the public deserves to know why.”
But the government appears keen to kill off the Greens’ proposal.
Waters says the government, with One Nation support, is attempting to knock off the proposal and is blocking an attempt to postpone its consideration until tomorrow.
Scott Morrison has raised the Malka Leifer case in his meeting with the Israeli president, Reuven Rivlin, in Canberra on Wednesday, ahead of court hearings this week.Scott Morrison has raised the Malka Leifer case in his meeting with the Israeli president, Reuven Rivlin, in Canberra on Wednesday, ahead of court hearings this week.
The two leaders expressed a “strong commitment” to seeing justice for the victims of Leifer in a meeting that also canvassed the two countries’ commitment to democracy and the rule of law.The two leaders expressed a “strong commitment” to seeing justice for the victims of Leifer in a meeting that also canvassed the two countries’ commitment to democracy and the rule of law.
The six-year impasse over Leifer’s extradition has also been raised by other MPs who met with the president, including Australia’s former ambassador to Israel, Liberal MP Dave Sharma, and the Macnamara MP, Josh Burns.The six-year impasse over Leifer’s extradition has also been raised by other MPs who met with the president, including Australia’s former ambassador to Israel, Liberal MP Dave Sharma, and the Macnamara MP, Josh Burns.
Rivlin has committed to emphasising the priority of the case when he returns home, and has told MPs he will meet personally with Israel’s chief justice to try to progress the matter if it remains unresolved.Rivlin has committed to emphasising the priority of the case when he returns home, and has told MPs he will meet personally with Israel’s chief justice to try to progress the matter if it remains unresolved.
Morrison said the meeting with Rivlin demonstrated the “great friendship” between Israel and Australia.Morrison said the meeting with Rivlin demonstrated the “great friendship” between Israel and Australia.
“It’s a friendship between peoples; a friendship that has been born out of deep respect and empathy for the struggles that Israel has faced,” Morrison said.“It’s a friendship between peoples; a friendship that has been born out of deep respect and empathy for the struggles that Israel has faced,” Morrison said.
And question time ends.And question time ends.
Scott Morrison says something to Anthony Albanese across the table and leaves.Scott Morrison says something to Anthony Albanese across the table and leaves.
We have reached the inevitable conclusion of the Labor motion failing, and question time moves into a dixer to Karen Andrews.We have reached the inevitable conclusion of the Labor motion failing, and question time moves into a dixer to Karen Andrews.
The punishment does not fit the crime.The punishment does not fit the crime.
Croquet didn’t do so well.Croquet didn’t do so well.
“Aircraft sports”, on the other hand, seem to be on the rise.“Aircraft sports”, on the other hand, seem to be on the rise.
Other MPs are taking the opportunity to hit TwitterOther MPs are taking the opportunity to hit Twitter
As we go through the final stages of the divisions, the MPs take the chance to sledge each other.
Richard Marles just accused the prime minister of being “more nervous than a baboon in Camperdown”.
Who says Australia has no culture.
While it is interesting that there were 136 emails exchanged between Bridget McKenzie and Scott Morrison’s office, it’s important to keep it in perspective.
On the one hand – the Australian National Audit Office found the prime minister’s office made both direct and indirect representations about which projects should be funded.
On the other, the auditor general, Grant Hehir, said that not all representations changed the outcome of funding decisions and the ANAO did not find sufficient correlation between representations and an outcome to make it a focus of the audit.
On 13 February Hehir told a hearing:
“The evidence before us was that the minister was the decision-maker ... If we had have identified someone else as the decision-maker, we would have gone down that path.”
Hehir concluded that the community sport infrastructure grant program was “not informed by appropriate assessment process and sound advice”.
Christian Porter has moved that Anthony Albanese no longer be heard, which will pass, and then Labor will have another go, which will also be shut down, before we get to the final vote, where question time will resume for one or two more dixers.
The motion (which will fail)
I seek leave to move the following motion —
That the House:
1) notes:
a) the prime minister claims his only involvement in the corrupt sports rorts scheme was the passing of information by his office;
b) the Audit Office found there were 136 emails between the prime minister’s office and Senator McKenzie’s office over a six-month period about the corrupt sports rorts scheme;
c) the Audit Office also found the prime minister’s office emailed Senator McKenzie’s office about projects under the corrupt sports rorts scheme indicating “these are the ones we think should be included in the list of approved projects”;
d) the Audit Office found the colour-coded spreadsheet was shared between Senator McKenzie’s office and the prime minister’s office; and
e) in preparing his report, the prime minister’s former chief of staff and now secretary of his department relied on only one version of the colour-coded spreadsheet when there were dozens of versions; and
2) therefore, calls on the prime minister to:
a) correct his repeated misleading statements to the parliament that only eligible projects were funded under the corrupt sports rorts scheme when paragraphs 4.32 and 4.33 of the audit of the scheme show 280 ineligible projects were funded;
b) explain how his story can withstand the findings of the Audit Office; and
c) explain why he has used taxpayer money as though it was his own personal marketing fund.
Anthony Albanese is moving to suspend standing orders over the sports grants affair.
This is the document the opposition is referring to.
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
Christian Porter tries to stop the question. But he probably should spend less time practicing his dixer replies (which are remarkably similar) and more time studying the standing orders, because you are allowed to ask the prime minister about inquiries he has instigated, involving the head of his own department.
Morrison:
Morrison is made to withdraw his final remark, which I missed, but I think involved the word “hypocrite”.
Scott Morrison, who told journalists to settle down in a press conference lately, is now telling the opposition to settle down.
Paul Fletcher says some things.
On what? Who knows. There are words.