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NSW eases Covid restrictions on churches and gyms as state reports 10 new cases and Victoria three – question time live NSW eases Covid restrictions on churches and gyms as state reports 10 new cases and Victoria three – question time live
(32 minutes later)
New South Wales coronavirus testing rates increase as Daniel Andrews says Victoria may have recorded its first case of re-infection. Follow the latestNew South Wales coronavirus testing rates increase as Daniel Andrews says Victoria may have recorded its first case of re-infection. Follow the latest
Josh Frydenberg has once again forgotten how microphones work - in that they amplify your voice, so you do not have to scream into them to be heard. Tony Burke to Angus Taylor:
We live in hope Tony Smith:
Catherine King asks Michael McCormack a non-dixer question – always a dangerous proposition, because it involves him having to think on his feet and we just don’t have that sort of time. Peter Dutton is allowed to take a dixer on the defence force, and says Labor wasn’t into building boats, but “receiving boats from other parts of the world”.
Q: I refer to his answers yesterday. Has the deputy prime minister had any discussions with disgraced former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire regarding any land acquisitions or road projects? Probably worth mentioning that under Peter Dutton, two little girls who have been detained on Christmas Island, are followed to school by security guards.
Tip Top: Jason Clare to Scott Morrison:
Because there is not enough comedy in this place, someone asks Michael McCormack to talk about the budget. Can the Prime Minister confirm that when the government had to choose an investigator to conduct an independent investigation into reports the assistant treasurer used taxpayer funded staff to branch stack, he chose the exact same law firm that the assistant treasurer used to work for.
Given the deputy prime minister seems to think buying something for $30m when it has been valued at $3m will be considered “a bargain” at some point in the future, in the imaginary land where land appreciates by $1m a year every year for 30 years, perhaps he is not the best person to speak on budgets. He paid the law firm $25,000 for the privilege of investigating his former associate who the law firm describes as a firm friend.
Or anything, really. The pot plant that sits wilting on my window sill has more presence.
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
I refer to evidence given today before the Senate by the attorney general’s department. That the government has had an exposure draft of legislation to create a national integrity commission since last December 2019. I ask the prime minister, don’t Australians have a right to see this draft, and will the government table it?
Morrison:Morrison:
Albanese: Richard Dreyfus to Scott Morrison:
Relevance, Mr Speaker. The question contained a very specific ask, will the government table the legislation, they can do that, they can do that today, they could have done that on any day since December 2019. Q: Last night it was revealed an associate of John Howard was awarded a contract with $240,000 with the Bushfire Recovery agency based on the recommendation of the Prime Minister ‘s office. The head of the agency confirmed this week he had never heard of the bloke.
Smith says the prime minister addressed the question. When Australia was suffering its worst bushfires why did the Prime Minister ‘s office give a job to the bloke they all call a crony, why did a crony get the job?
MorrisonMorrison
There is no ‘your’, but still - this is an amusing example of Orwellian language. Dan Tehan is pretending all is well in university-land and how it’s just all brilliant, like university hasn’t just been placed out of reach of a bunch of people who grew up like me.
Much like the parentheses in legislation, these things tend to be dressed up in the most innocuous language possible. The devil, though, as always, is in the detail Tony Burke to Paul Fletcher:
Christian Porter says “one” of the issues that requires consultation is the retrospectivity of the commission. He again says the government will take its time doing that consultation. Yesterday in this House the minister said he stood by his answers at the National Press Club in relation to the Leppington Triangle airport rort. Those included a statement when he read the auditor general’s report .... Can the minister inform the House what he learned.
But, as I reported in January (and before that) plans to do that consultation had already been delayed - well before the pandemic. Fletcher:
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison: Ahhhh, the ole “I said what I said when I said it and will not say it again in the chamber” line.
Tony Smith said the question was “poorly phrased”. Michael McCormack is picking his words very carefully in response to this question from Catherine King:
Christian Porter gets the nod to answer: Tip Top sounds like he is buffering, he leaves so much space between words:
Tony Burke asks him about relevance. For a government that is very sure it has all the plans in the world, its ministers seem very concerned with “alternative” plans of an opposition which hasn’t even put out its policy platform yet.
Smith: And apparently we aren’t going to an election until 2022. Surrrreeeeeeeee.
Porter: Labor’s Katy Gallagher is examining the finance department’s involvement in the Leppington Triangle purchase.
Lols – as if the LNP don’t also have donate buttons. Anyways. Finance secretary Rosemary Huxtable said the department was “not the decision-maker” (that would be infrastructure) – it only “operationalises the decision” by providing final sign-off and does not “stand in the shoes of the decision-maker”.
The Australia Institute has put together a timeline of the federal government’s federal integrity commission “journey” so far. Other officials explained that finance has a greater role when a compulsory acquisition is used, but if the purchase is voluntary its role is limited to checking that processes of the Land Acquisition Act have been followed.
You can find that here. Gallagher characterises this as being a “rubber stamp for a dodgy deal”.
Labor’s Michelle Rowland really wants you to hear this: Huxtable said that although finance was aware of the $30m sale figure, it was not aware of the detail of how it was calculated.
Over in the finance committee, the estimates hearing has begun for the afternoon session. The No 1 topic? The Leppington triangle sale. Finance minister Mathias Cormann said finance “was only aware of the higher valuation, not any other valuations”, adding they “were not consulted on valuation strategy of implementation”. He said infrastructure “should have” consulted it on the valuation strategy but did not.
We are on the downhill slide to question time. Here’s the timeline:
Huzzah. In late 2015, the finance department gave “preliminary comments” that, in general, acquisitions by agreement are better than compulsory acquisition.
With just another two locally acquired cases, New South Wales has eased some more restrictions. In a draft strategy in July 2016 and a final strategy in October 2016, the infrastructure department opted for compulsory acquisition.
From 23 October: Later, the infrastructure department changed tack and went back to a voluntary sale, which allowed the inflated valuation. Finance found that out at the end of 2017, before paperwork confirmed a voluntary sale on 25 January 2018.
Religious gatherings and places of worship (EXCLUDING weddings and funerals) can have up to 300 people – as long as they have a Covid-safe plan In November 2019 finance became aware the ANAO was conducting an audit and provided its standard guidance about land sales.
Gyms will need a Covid safety marshal only if there are more than 20 people in the gym at one time Cormann said:
Brad Hazzard, the health minister, was also annoyed that Hillsong founder Brian Houston went to the media to complain about restrictions on church functions, saying discussions were going on with religious leaders - but nothing from Houston came into his office. “As soon as the decision was made to shift from compulsory acquisition to voluntary under their strategy, finance no longer had a formal role.”
He told a press conference: The purchase was “clearly highly unsatisfactory” ; but
Hazzard said it would be up to the health officers to determine if Hillsong could hold more people at its church. “The auditor general went through this with a fine-tooth comb ... [and] did not direct any findings or recommendations at finance – none.”
Rod Sims says he has no concerns about having business leaders, such as Nev Power, involved in the Covid commission. We move on to our billionth “alternative approaches” dixer.
This is the Coalition’s safest seat (against Labor) in the country Related, my eye twitch is back.
On the Google and Facebook media battle, Rod Sims says: Catherine King asks Michael McCormack when he last had contact with Daryl Maguire, referring to his “earlier answers”.
Rod Sims tells the press club that since the privatisation of Australia’s ports, there has been “little to no regulation” of monopolies in that sector. Christian Porter argues it is not in order:
Same goes for airports. Tony Smith rules it out of order.
He then moves on to the next battle – the media space: Anthony Albanese starts heckling Michael McCormack across the table. We move on
Meanwhile, in estimates ... Tim Wilson is obviously vying with Vince Connolly for “best backbencher dixer performance 2020” – either that or he has spent too much time in quarantine practising speeches in front of the mirror.
I just learnt something: Rod Sims was one of Bob Hawke’s economic advisers when he was prime minister.
Helen Haines will introduce a bill on Monday for a national integrity commission.