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Malcolm Turnbull warns of 'catastrophic' future without net zero emissions goal – politics live
Bill Shorten asks Coalition about robodebt duty of care – question time live
(32 minutes later)
The former prime minister has stepped into the climate debate, with a stark warning to moderate Liberals to act. All the day’s events, live
The former prime minister has stepped into the climate debate, with a stark warning to moderate Liberals to act. All the day’s events, live
Some more baboon content for you. Because we all need it.
Adam Bandt delivers a question which covers war and peace and everything in between, which just gives the prime minister carte blanche to talk about whatever he wants.
Turns out the baboon has six wives.
Bandt:
If anyone hits me with a ‘no one he was trying to escape’ joke, you too will be tarred with the boomer brush.
Now the coronavirus is hurting us as well. This is on top of the underemployment crisis in the country plus wage stagnation and an inequality crisis. With the risk of the economy heading towards recession and the Reserve Bank running out of bullets, will you back a new deal to fight the threat of recession and we lived public-sector wages to boost wage growth across the economy, left you start by at least $95 a week to encourage retail spending and invest $6,000,000,000 to lived bottlenecks and grow construction and manufacturing jobs?
It is the downhill slide into question time.
Scott Morrison:
Economy, economy, economy from both sides, will most likely be the order of the day
It would be a great relief that we are not going to adopt the policy of the Greens! It would be a great relief for the people, I cannot speak for the Labor Party because they are known to like quite a few of the Greens ideas when it comes to economic policy so I do not think they can provide that same assurance.
Greg Hunt says Australia has changed its travel advisory for northern Italy, because of the impact coronavirus is having in the region.
Morrison then wanders into dixer territory about why his government is the greatest government to govern ever in the history of governments.
The Sydney baboons are in the mind of Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, who wants the Senate to acknowledge the three who made a bid for freedom and also raise awareness of animal testing and research in Australia.
Julie Collins to Scott Morrison:
This is her latest motion:
My question is to the prime minister, why is the prime minister privatising aged care assessments?
Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff has taken to the Senate to call for an immediate review of all the anime and manga available in Australia.
Greg Hunt gets the nod:
The Japanese animation has caught his eye because of some of the themes which run through it – Griff says the depiction of young characters in some stories amounts to the glorification of child sexual abuse.
Michael McCormack’s performance is so bad, even the Speaker alerts him to the concept of the inside voice.
“They contain depictions of wide-eyed children, usually in school uniforms, engaged in explicit sexual activities and poses, and often being sexually abused,” Griff said.
We were so preoccupied with whether or not we could turn a loaf of bread into a politician, we didn’t stop to think if we should.
He wants a review of the ratings.
Michael McCormack is now pretending to be a leader by acting as if he has just discovered hands and wants you all to know about it.
“The classification board appears to be making decisions in isolation to criminal law. This must stop.”
Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison:
Griff has written to communications minister Paul Fletcher over the issue.
The government social security law guide, which was released on 10 February this year, states Australian government employees have a duty of care to the public in performing their duties. But government lawyers on February 14 stated the policy in the robodebt class action does not owe Centrelink recipients a duty of care. Does the government owe a duty of care to Centrelink recipients?
In this quiet, quiet time, let’s take a look at the latest ABS figures.
Morrison:
You may have noticed Shane Wright’s tweet a few posts down, pointing out construction work as a whole fell 3% in December, which was worse than the 1% predictions.
If anyone is managing to pay their bills on Newstart, let me know.
Over the year, construction work (building) is down 7.1%
Scott Morrison answers a dixer on how amazing the government is as an economic manager by talking about Labor.
Private residential construction fell 4.6% in the December quarter, bringing its downward trend to 12.8% over the year.
Bill Shorten asks about the government’s duty of care in regards to robodebt and Stuart Robert loses his mind:
Greg Hunt will be giving the next coronavirus update at 1.10pm.
“Let me say we will not be lectured on duty of care by those opposite who have presided over 1,200 deaths at sea and those opposite have the hypocrisy to...”
Meanwhile, the lights keep flickering in Parliament House, which can only mean that my moods have begun to physically manifest.
Tony Smith tells him to pull his head in and Robert’s withdraws his comment.
Australia is also warning it will not risk the health of athletes, if the coronavirus reaches pandemic levels
Robert again starts talking about the wonderful social safety net, so Shorten raises a point of order on direct relevance. Smith once again tells Robert to get on with it.
Quoting an IOC official which would bring a tear to Roy and HG’s fans’ eyes, AAP reports shiz is getting real with the Olympics in general.
Robert:
It is very, very quiet here today.
Labor groans.
I miss the baboons. I hope they are OK.
Remind you of anyone in Australian politics?
Mark Butler has a few things to say to Keith Pitt this morning:
I regret to inform you the Liberal party store $35 ‘Back in Black’ coffee mug, is now sold out.
Reuven Rivlin to Scott Morrison:
DEIDRE CHAMBERS
We appreciate your welcome and we must say, the appreciation comes from the bottom of our hearts because we know that when you are blessing us and hosting us, you are doing it from the bottom of your heart.
Universities Australia chair Deborah Terry has just spoken at the National Press Club about the need for science and expertise to guide Australia’s response to the coronavirus and climate change, although she steered clear of political commentary when asked why some politicians refuse to believe the science.Terry had a few pointed lines on the issue of freedom of speech on campus:
And I must say to you, Mr Prime Minister, Australia is a great friend of Israel, a real great friend.
“Last April, a review by a former high court chief justice [Robert French] found that claims of freedom of speech crisis were ‘Not substantiated’. But offered a guide for each university to consider how its existing policies breathed life into those freedoms. So, in the 10 months since, each university has carefully and thoughtfully mapped that guide against its own policies.”
Once upon a time we used to say the firm relationship of Israel is based on three principles: the relationship with the United States, second, not necessarily as important, the relationship with the United States, and the last but not least, the relationship with the United States.
Earlier today the education minister, Dan Tehan, spoke to the Universities Australia conference, and revealed the government would include freedom of speech in the school experience survey.
Now, it’s not only that. It’s the relationship between United States and Australia.
Asked if the university sector would seek some form of federal funding to compensate for the impact of coronavirus, Terry responds that the first priority is the wellbeing of students, but does not rule out seeking assistance in future.
Really, the relationship and friendship Australia comes out of the relation between people, between, really, sharing the same values that we are sharing.
She said: “Yes, in the background, we are looking at what the implications of it might be, [we’re] doing some modelling in the background. But that is not what is taking up our time at the moment. It is too early to tell. It is too early to tell what effects some mitigating arrangements might have. It’s too early to tell what, for instance, might be something that will come out of the fact that actually, our semester two starts earlier than the northern hemisphere teaching periods. So it’s too early. What I want to say is here - our focus is on the students and what they need at the moment. They are our students. They are part of our community and we must keep our focus there.”
You are ambassador in Jerusalem, I know Tel Aviv, but Israel is very small. I think it is very close to Jerusalem. I must say, we really salute Australians for what they have done and what they are doing just now.
For example, the ICC, the ICC is a real – you are a beacon. You are a beacon to show people all around and understand.
The Israeli army are the soldiers of our sons and daughters. And our grandsons and granddaughters.
The army of Israel is the army to defend our homes and to keep Israel as a really safe haven to everyone, but we would like to live in democracy and harmony.
Israel has been defined as a Jewish state, nevertheless it is a democratic one. It is a Jewish democratic state as much as it is a democratic Jewish state.
And I know you appreciate that and all of your government, and I know how we appreciate that.
And you are standing behind us once the political ideas of people who are taking part in the international organisations – very much cleared by you and your prime minister – saying there is no way to end date Israel once we’re talking about the unification of his, not only the duty of Israel, the right of Israel to protect its citizens and people who are living with us.
Scott Morrison to Reuven Rivlin:
This is not the news anyone wants, given how much more fragile things got in the months after.
And Jim Chalmer’s response:
For those wondering why Labor is going so hard on this, given the outside factors, just remember that Chalmers was in Wayne Swan’s office when the GFC hit and how then Coalition opposition responded. There was no leeway there for not being able to deliver a surplus in the midst of the greatest economic challenge since the Great Depression. And there will be none here.
Here is some of what Josh Frydenberg has been saying during his “lowering expectations tour” rounds (from AAP):
“But I do know that this is going to hit the economy, and I do know that our focus has been, in relation to the fires and other shocks that we’ve faced, on getting the support to the community in need,” he told Sky News on Wednesday.
“That’s been our primary focus, not the surplus.”
He noted the government had already notched up an achievement in delivering the first balanced budget in 11 years, at the same time as it rolled out tax cuts.
“We’re back in balance, and no one can ever take that away from us,” he told ABC Radio National.
The treasurer was also coy when asked whether a recession could be on its way.
He said, “That’s not the word I would use,” before noting he’s waiting to see the figures from the December and March quarters.
Frydenberg stressed this was just the latest economic shock the Australian economy has faced, following trade tensions between the US and China, an extended drought, bushfires and floods.
The virus is also a shock beyond our control, he said.
Non-government senators are still taking up the government business time in the Senate. It’s up to two hours now.
James McGrath is only 45 years old.
That would make him Gen X.
But quotes like this:
He is displaying BIG boomer energy. Proving, once and for all, that boomer is a frame of mind.
