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| Coronavirus Australia live news: university reforms pass Senate as Victoria records 11 cases and new Sydney locations linked to Covid | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Labor pursues Coalition over childcare in question time, while NSW reports 12 new Covid cases and Victoria has no new deaths. Follow all today’s news | |
| The Senate is now holding its condolence motions for Susan Ryan.The House did this on Tuesday. | |
| The federal agriculture minister, David Littleproud, has backed the Narrabri gas project despite objections from farmers and the community. | |
| During a National Rural Press Club event today, Littleproud was asked whether he supported the Santos-proposed coal-seam gas project that was recently approved by the New South Wales Independent Planning Commission. | |
| “Yes I do, on conditions,” he replied. | |
| The National Farmers Federation last month urged the Morrison government to tread carefully with its “gas-led recovery”, declaring farmers needed to be in control of their land use, and the security of groundwater must be paramount, as Katharine Murphy reported. | |
| NSW Farmers, the state’s peak farming body, explicitly opposes the Narrabri project, saying its members “believe the project poses an unacceptable risk to the water resources, soil and air quality, local food and fibre production and rural communities in western NSW”.While backing the project, Littleproud also stressed the need for good regulatory oversight by the states and for farmers’ land rights to be protected. | |
| He was speaking during a post-budget debate organised by the National Rural Press Club but held at the National Press Club in Canberra. The other panellist, Labor’s agriculture and resources spokesperson, Joel Fitzgibbon, said he too supported the Narrabri project. | |
| The university changes are just going to have more and more impact on this sector. | |
| 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. | 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. | 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 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. | 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. | 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). | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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: | Wyatt says: |
| Labor’s Tanya Plibersek asks about funding cuts to a domestic violence program for young Australians. | 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. | 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: | 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. | 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: |