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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/feb/27/coalition-labor-morrison-sports-rorts-inquiry-labor-politics-live
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| Scott Morrison says emergency response plan implemented to deal with coronavirus – politics live | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| The prime minister says ‘we believe the risk of a pandemic is very much upon us’. All the day’s events, live | |
| The travel ban to China will continue for another week. | |
| There is a significant change of language here, with Scott Morrison, when it comes to boosting the economy. From almost ruling it out, to considering it if it was “targeted, modest and scalable”: | |
| Scott Morrison: | |
| If you do go out for a Chinese meal (and I encourage you to do so, if you can, because it is delicious and also, because these small businesses really, really need our help right now) I hope it is succulent. | |
| Scott Morrison has implemented Australia’s emergency response plan to deal with coronavirus. | |
| He says while the World Health Organization hasn’t yet declared it a pandemic, he believes it is upon us, and it is time to enact the plan. | |
| Scott Morrison is giving an update on Covid-19. | |
| It is now spreading faster outside of China, for the first time. | |
| While I am still wearing my ranty pants about the wellbeing budget mocking that Josh Frydenberg has engaged in ALL week, Jacinda Ardern is visiting Australia this week, and New Zealand DOES have a wellbeing budget, as part of its annual budget statement. So we are now also mocking one of our closest allies. | |
| Get. In. The. Bin. | |
| Friday is shaping up as a very busy day. | |
| The prime minister is holding a press conference at 3.45pm in the PMO courtyard, the most serious of press conference locations. | The prime minister is holding a press conference at 3.45pm in the PMO courtyard, the most serious of press conference locations. |
| The Senate inquiry into the sports grants affair has been extended until 24 June. | The Senate inquiry into the sports grants affair has been extended until 24 June. |
| For the context: | For the context: |
| Question time ends. | Question time ends. |
| It’s time for the matter of public importance – which is on sports grants. | It’s time for the matter of public importance – which is on sports grants. |
| Pat Conroy starts with “this is a corrupt government, this is a corrupt government”, which he is asked to withdraw. | Pat Conroy starts with “this is a corrupt government, this is a corrupt government”, which he is asked to withdraw. |
| He does. Changing it to “this is a government that oversees corrupt processes”, which someone tries to make him withdraw, but it is allowed. | He does. Changing it to “this is a government that oversees corrupt processes”, which someone tries to make him withdraw, but it is allowed. |
| This is also because Labor is using it as well, moving to shut down members from the government from speaking, in revenge for the government shutting down its members. | This is also because Labor is using it as well, moving to shut down members from the government from speaking, in revenge for the government shutting down its members. |
| Here is the latest motion to be shut down: | Here is the latest motion to be shut down: |
| That the House: | That the House: |
| 1) notes: | 1) notes: |
| a) Sport Australia has told the Parliament today that it provided a brief to Senator McKenzie on 3 April 2019 recommending 245 sports projects be approved; | a) Sport Australia has told the Parliament today that it provided a brief to Senator McKenzie on 3 April 2019 recommending 245 sports projects be approved; |
| b) Senator McKenzie wrote to the Prime Minister on 10 April, the day before he called the election, attaching a spreadsheet with projects she intended to approve by electorate, including party details; | b) Senator McKenzie wrote to the Prime Minister on 10 April, the day before he called the election, attaching a spreadsheet with projects she intended to approve by electorate, including party details; |
| c) on 11 April, the day the Prime Minister called the election, Senator McKenzie provided a brief to Sport Australia dated 4 April approving 228 projects for funding; | c) on 11 April, the day the Prime Minister called the election, Senator McKenzie provided a brief to Sport Australia dated 4 April approving 228 projects for funding; |
| d) 73 per cent of projects approved by Senator McKenzie were not recommended by Sport Australia; | d) 73 per cent of projects approved by Senator McKenzie were not recommended by Sport Australia; |
| e) Sport Australia received the approved sports rorts list from Senator McKenzie after the election had been called and after caretaker conventions had commenced; | e) Sport Australia received the approved sports rorts list from Senator McKenzie after the election had been called and after caretaker conventions had commenced; |
| f) the Government approved a $50,000 grant to the Sans Souci Football Club in the Prime Minister’s own electorate despite the fact the project had already been built, had already been officially opened and was therefore ineligible for funding; and | f) the Government approved a $50,000 grant to the Sans Souci Football Club in the Prime Minister’s own electorate despite the fact the project had already been built, had already been officially opened and was therefore ineligible for funding; and |
| g) the Prime Minister is the masterchef of cooking the books; and | g) the Prime Minister is the masterchef of cooking the books; and |
| 2) declares the Prime Minister has repeatedly misled the Parliament and he should have the integrity to correct the record as required by House practice; and | 2) declares the Prime Minister has repeatedly misled the Parliament and he should have the integrity to correct the record as required by House practice; and |
| 3) calls on the Prime Minister to provide a full and frank account as to why he has used taxpayer money to advance his own Government’s partisan political interests. | 3) calls on the Prime Minister to provide a full and frank account as to why he has used taxpayer money to advance his own Government’s partisan political interests. |
| Labor has returned to the signed brief of sports grants, asking how it could have been signed on 4 April if Bridget McKenzie only sought the prime minister’s feedback on 10 April. | Labor has returned to the signed brief of sports grants, asking how it could have been signed on 4 April if Bridget McKenzie only sought the prime minister’s feedback on 10 April. |
| Mathias Cormann rejected the characterisation of communication with the PMO on 10 April, explaining communication was to “make arrangements with respect to announcements”. | Mathias Cormann rejected the characterisation of communication with the PMO on 10 April, explaining communication was to “make arrangements with respect to announcements”. |
| Asked what steps Scott Morrison took to assure himself the brief was not backdated, Cormann pointed to the Sport Australia evidence the brief was “dated 4 April”. | Asked what steps Scott Morrison took to assure himself the brief was not backdated, Cormann pointed to the Sport Australia evidence the brief was “dated 4 April”. |
| Asked if he can rule out that the brief was backdated, Cormann again pointed to the Sport Australia evidence the brief was “dated 4 April”. | Asked if he can rule out that the brief was backdated, Cormann again pointed to the Sport Australia evidence the brief was “dated 4 April”. |
| The standard of ‘debate’ in the Australian parliament today: | The standard of ‘debate’ in the Australian parliament today: |
| Anthony Albanese is now moving a motion to suspend standing orders, over the sports grants revelations today. | Anthony Albanese is now moving a motion to suspend standing orders, over the sports grants revelations today. |
| It will fail. | It will fail. |
| Scott Briggs, a close ally of Scott Morrison, has left the board of a consortium bidding for the highly controversial contract to privatise Australia’s visa processing system. | Scott Briggs, a close ally of Scott Morrison, has left the board of a consortium bidding for the highly controversial contract to privatise Australia’s visa processing system. |
| Briggs, a former deputy director of the New South Wales Liberal party, was heading up a consortium named Australia Visa Processing, which was one of the frontrunners for the $1bn visa processing contract. | Briggs, a former deputy director of the New South Wales Liberal party, was heading up a consortium named Australia Visa Processing, which was one of the frontrunners for the $1bn visa processing contract. |
| Briggs is also a former colleague of the current immigration minister, David Coleman. | Briggs is also a former colleague of the current immigration minister, David Coleman. |
| The Guardian recently revealed that the Liberals had mistakenly disclosed a $165,000 donation from a separate company set up by Briggs, Southern Strategy. | The Guardian recently revealed that the Liberals had mistakenly disclosed a $165,000 donation from a separate company set up by Briggs, Southern Strategy. |
| The donation was initially declared but then scrubbed from the party’s donation records after questions from the Guardian. | The donation was initially declared but then scrubbed from the party’s donation records after questions from the Guardian. |
| Labor’s Andrew Giles has seized on Briggs’ departure, saying it shows the “complete chaos” of the government’s plan to privatise the visa system. | Labor’s Andrew Giles has seized on Briggs’ departure, saying it shows the “complete chaos” of the government’s plan to privatise the visa system. |
| “We also know fundamentally that this is just a bad idea,” Giles told reporters this morning. | “We also know fundamentally that this is just a bad idea,” Giles told reporters this morning. |
| “Australians don’t want our visa system sold off to the highest bidder. Even Peta Credlin has acknowledged that this is a threat – not only to our national security, but our border security.” | “Australians don’t want our visa system sold off to the highest bidder. Even Peta Credlin has acknowledged that this is a threat – not only to our national security, but our border security.” |
| Corporate documents confirm Briggs is no longer a director of Australian Visa Processing. | Corporate documents confirm Briggs is no longer a director of Australian Visa Processing. |
| The Australian Financial Review reported that he has taken a job with DPG Advisory Solutions, a lobbying firm headed by David Gazard. | The Australian Financial Review reported that he has taken a job with DPG Advisory Solutions, a lobbying firm headed by David Gazard. |