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| NSW eases Covid restrictions on churches and gyms as state reports 10 new cases and Victoria three – politics 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 latest | New South Wales coronavirus testing rates increase as Daniel Andrews says Victoria may have recorded its first case of re-infection. Follow the latest |
| Christian Porter was on Perth radio 6PR today and was asked about the labour market. He said: | |
| Labor’s Murray Watthas asked the attorney general’s department if other legislation has been drafted and gone through consultation in 2020. | |
| The secretary, Chris Moraitis, said the bill creating a national commissioner for defence and veteran suicide prevention had gone through a four week consultation before it was introduced to parliament in August. | |
| It’s a bit of an a-ha! moment, because Scott Morrison’s excuse in question time for there being no National Integrity Commission bill was the government needed to do consultation. | |
| Just as with the wage data yesterday, retail trade fell in most places (not the Northern Territory) in the month the jobkeeper wage subsidy was decreased. | |
| You can find the ABS figures for September here. But there was a 1.5% reduction – and that was in more jurisdictions than just Victoria. | |
| And Scott Morrison calls time on question time, 10 minutes earlier than has been his habit of late. | |
| Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison: | |
| My question is to the prime minister, and I refer to his previous answer today where he [cites] bushfires and the pandemic as the reason why the exposure draft of the national integrity commission legislation, which the government received from the attorney general’s department last December, has not been released. What is it about either the bushfires or the pandemic that stops the government from tabling legislation that it has had for almost a year? | |
| Morrison: | |
| Lols | |
| Scott Morrison, for what it is worth, has a Bachelor of Science in applied economic geography from the University of New South Wales. | |
| Tony Burke to Angus Taylor: | Tony Burke to Angus Taylor: |
| Tony Smith: | Tony Smith: |
| 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”. | |
| It’s probably worth mentioning that under Peter Dutton, two little girls who have been detained on Christmas Island are followed to school by security guards. | |
| Jason Clare to Scott Morrison: | Jason Clare to Scott Morrison: |
| 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? | |
| He paid the law firm $25,000 for the privilege of investigating his former associate, who the law firm describes as a firm friend. | |
| Morrison: | Morrison: |
| Richard Dreyfus to Scott Morrison: | Richard Dreyfus to Scott Morrison: |
| 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. | |
| 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? | |
| Morrison: | |
| 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. | 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. |
| Tony Burke to Paul Fletcher: | Tony Burke to Paul Fletcher: |
| 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. | 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. |
| Fletcher: | Fletcher: |
| Ahhhh, the ole “I said what I said when I said it and will not say it again in the chamber” line. | Ahhhh, the ole “I said what I said when I said it and will not say it again in the chamber” line. |
| Michael McCormack is picking his words very carefully in response to this question from Catherine King: | Michael McCormack is picking his words very carefully in response to this question from Catherine King: |
| Tip Top sounds like he is buffering, he leaves so much space between words: | Tip Top sounds like he is buffering, he leaves so much space between words: |
| 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. | 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. |
| And apparently we aren’t going to an election until 2022. Surrrreeeeeeeee. | And apparently we aren’t going to an election until 2022. Surrrreeeeeeeee. |
| Labor’s Katy Gallagher is examining the finance department’s involvement in the Leppington Triangle purchase. | Labor’s Katy Gallagher is examining the finance department’s involvement in the Leppington Triangle purchase. |
| 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”. | 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”. |
| 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. | 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. |
| Gallagher characterises this as being a “rubber stamp for a dodgy deal”. | Gallagher characterises this as being a “rubber stamp for a dodgy deal”. |
| Huxtable said that although finance was aware of the $30m sale figure, it was not aware of the detail of how it was calculated. | Huxtable said that although finance was aware of the $30m sale figure, it was not aware of the detail of how it was calculated. |
| 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. | 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. |
| Here’s the timeline: | Here’s the timeline: |
| In late 2015, the finance department gave “preliminary comments” that, in general, acquisitions by agreement are better than compulsory acquisition. | In late 2015, the finance department gave “preliminary comments” that, in general, acquisitions by agreement are better than compulsory acquisition. |
| In a draft strategy in July 2016 and a final strategy in October 2016, the infrastructure department opted for compulsory acquisition. | In a draft strategy in July 2016 and a final strategy in October 2016, the infrastructure department opted for compulsory acquisition. |
| 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. | 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. |
| In November 2019 finance became aware the ANAO was conducting an audit and provided its standard guidance about land sales. | In November 2019 finance became aware the ANAO was conducting an audit and provided its standard guidance about land sales. |
| Cormann said: | Cormann said: |
| “As soon as the decision was made to shift from compulsory acquisition to voluntary under their strategy, finance no longer had a formal role.” | “As soon as the decision was made to shift from compulsory acquisition to voluntary under their strategy, finance no longer had a formal role.” |
| The purchase was “clearly highly unsatisfactory” ; but | The purchase was “clearly highly unsatisfactory” ; but |
| “The auditor general went through this with a fine-tooth comb ... [and] did not direct any findings or recommendations at finance – none.” | “The auditor general went through this with a fine-tooth comb ... [and] did not direct any findings or recommendations at finance – none.” |
| We move on to our billionth “alternative approaches” dixer. | We move on to our billionth “alternative approaches” dixer. |
| Related, my eye twitch is back. | Related, my eye twitch is back. |
| Catherine King asks Michael McCormack when he last had contact with Daryl Maguire, referring to his “earlier answers”. | Catherine King asks Michael McCormack when he last had contact with Daryl Maguire, referring to his “earlier answers”. |
| Christian Porter argues it is not in order: | Christian Porter argues it is not in order: |
| Tony Smith rules it out of order. | Tony Smith rules it out of order. |
| Anthony Albanese starts heckling Michael McCormack across the table. We move on | Anthony Albanese starts heckling Michael McCormack across the table. We move on |
| 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. | 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. |