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| Coronavirus Australia news: university reforms pass Senate as NSW records 12 new Covid cases and Victoria 11 – question time live | Coronavirus Australia news: university reforms pass Senate as NSW records 12 new Covid cases and Victoria 11 – question time live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Labor attacks the Coalition over childcare, while Victoria reports no new deaths and several new Sydney locations linked to Covid-19. Follow all today’s news | Labor attacks the Coalition over childcare, while Victoria reports no new deaths and several new Sydney locations linked to Covid-19. Follow all today’s news |
| The final question time for this week has ended. You might have noticed a theme there from the opposition – it wasn’t about what was in the budget, but what wasn’t. | |
| Including what was there for women, who have been impacted harder than men in this pandemic, and older workers. | |
| The government says it does not see the budget in a gender lens. Must be nice. | |
| The only people who don’t see gender (or colour, or disadvantage, while we are at it) are people who have never had to worry about it. | |
| Good afternoon. | |
| A massive thank you to Christopher Knaus, for not only steering the blog through an insane day incredibly well (as always) but also stepping in so I could have a few hours off (it has been a long year). | |
| You have Amy Remeikis with you for the rest of the day. As always, you can reach me here and here if you have a question. | |
| Let’s see this day through. | |
| That’s where I’ll leave you for now. The incredible Amy Remeikis will take you through the afternoon and evening. Stay tuned for Labor’s budget reply. | |
| Ken Wyatt, the Indigenous affairs minister, is asked why the Coalition did not provide funding support to Indigenous schools to help close the gap, when it made funding available for the Clontarf Foundation. My colleague Lorena Allam reported on this earlier today. | |
| Wyatt says: | |
| Labor’s Tanya Plibersek asks about funding cuts to a domestic violence program for young Australians. | |
| Morrison talks about funding for a series of other programs, but not Respect Matters. | |
| Plibersek jumps up on a point of order on relevance. Morrison responds: | |
| Health minister Greg Hunt is asked about funding for new medicines and telehealth. | Health minister Greg Hunt is asked about funding for new medicines and telehealth. |
| Hunt says the government has invested $2.4m in telehealth services. | Hunt says the government has invested $2.4m in telehealth services. |
| The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, though, is not so chuffed on telehealth. Chief executive Alison Verhoeven issued a statement today saying the government lacked “strategy or vision for telehealth” in its budget. | The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, though, is not so chuffed on telehealth. Chief executive Alison Verhoeven issued a statement today saying the government lacked “strategy or vision for telehealth” in its budget. |
| Another Labor question on the trillion-dollar debt, unemployment and looming cuts to jobseeker. | |
| Scott Morrison: | Scott Morrison: |
| Sussan Ley, the environment minister, is asked about the major environmental initiatives it is using to lead Australia’s Covid-19 recovery. | Sussan Ley, the environment minister, is asked about the major environmental initiatives it is using to lead Australia’s Covid-19 recovery. |
| There is, needless to say, no mention of climate change or renewables. It’s all about waste diversion. | There is, needless to say, no mention of climate change or renewables. It’s all about waste diversion. |
| Ley says: | Ley says: |
| That “trillion-dollar debt” line is being embraced by Labor. Linda Burney asks why the government is racking up so much debt while allowing unemployment to grow by 160,000 by Christmas and cutting jobseeker to $40 a day. | That “trillion-dollar debt” line is being embraced by Labor. Linda Burney asks why the government is racking up so much debt while allowing unemployment to grow by 160,000 by Christmas and cutting jobseeker to $40 a day. |
| Stuart Robert takes the question. He says most people receiving jobseeker are eligible for other payments. | Stuart Robert takes the question. He says most people receiving jobseeker are eligible for other payments. |
| This is the same rationale the government has traditionally used for keeping Newstart at remarkable lows. | This is the same rationale the government has traditionally used for keeping Newstart at remarkable lows. |
| Robert says: | Robert says: |
| Labor’s Meryl Swanson asks: | Labor’s Meryl Swanson asks: |
| Scott Morrison says the reason the government has taken on the “cost” that it has is because of the pandemic. He said the government had doubled the social security safety net, made two separate payments of $750 to all welfare recipients, and kept people in jobs through jobkeeper. | Scott Morrison says the reason the government has taken on the “cost” that it has is because of the pandemic. He said the government had doubled the social security safety net, made two separate payments of $750 to all welfare recipients, and kept people in jobs through jobkeeper. |
| Anthony Albanese accuses the government of leaving those aged 35 and over “on the scrap heap”. | Anthony Albanese accuses the government of leaving those aged 35 and over “on the scrap heap”. |
| Morrison says the pandemic has had a huge impact on younger workers and he does not “allow the young people ... to become the long-term unemployed of tomorrow”. | Morrison says the pandemic has had a huge impact on younger workers and he does not “allow the young people ... to become the long-term unemployed of tomorrow”. |
| Treasurer Josh Frydenberg gets a dixer on the budget and has a red hot go at the world record for repeating the word “jobs”. It was used seven times, by my count, in that answer. Extra points for this segment: | Treasurer Josh Frydenberg gets a dixer on the budget and has a red hot go at the world record for repeating the word “jobs”. It was used seven times, by my count, in that answer. Extra points for this segment: |
| Adam Bandt, the Greens leader, asks a question on the government’s fast-tracked tax cuts via videolink from Melbourne. He asks about independent analysis suggesting that next year 69% of the benefits will go to men, and only 31% to women. | Adam Bandt, the Greens leader, asks a question on the government’s fast-tracked tax cuts via videolink from Melbourne. He asks about independent analysis suggesting that next year 69% of the benefits will go to men, and only 31% to women. |
| Morrison: | Morrison: |