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| Australia Post CEO stood aside over Cartier watches, and Victoria reports five new coronavirus cases – live | Australia Post CEO stood aside over Cartier watches, and Victoria reports five new coronavirus cases – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A school student in Melbourne’s north tested positive to coronavirus. Follow live | A school student in Melbourne’s north tested positive to coronavirus. Follow live |
| Liberal senator Claire Chandler is on the attack over Australian Human Rights Commission guidelines about transgender people’s inclusion in sport.Chandler’s concerns seem to be: | |
| The AHRC concluded that participatoin should be based on a person’s affirmed gender identity not their sex as assigned at birth | |
| A statement that there is “limited research on impact of testosterone on transgender athletes performance”, which she disagrees with | |
| Sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, said that the document is not a medical document, it is advice to sporting clubs and codes about the Sex Discrimination Act. | |
| She said: | |
| Jenkins says there is an exemption relating to allowing discrimination for participation in sporting activity where “strength, stamina and physique are relevant” which “does allow for single sex sporting activities”. | |
| It’s also Labor WA MP Patrick Gorman’s last day in the chamber for a while - he is about to take paternity leave. | |
| Scott Morrison calls time on question time. | |
| He then, on indulgence, sends well-wishes to all the teams playing grand finals - yes, including the women. | |
| Anthony Albanese does the same thing. | |
| Richard Marles to Scott Morrison: | |
| Can the prime minister confirm, the [Leppington triangle sale] was referred to police, Home Affairs is investigating a scandal, taxpayer funded research by an ex- Liberal Party pollster has been shared with his office, his office recommended a long-term Liberal Party associate for a lucrative government contract and Australia Post spent $12,000 on Cartier watches? | |
| Morrison: | |
| Anthony Albanese: | |
| Morrison: | |
| Tony Smith: I just say to the Prime Minister you are now moving away from relating your material to the question. | |
| Morrison: | |
| You can lead a horse to water ... | |
| Shot | |
| Chaser | |
| Terri Butler asks Scott Morrison how there has been no time for a national integrity commission, but there was time for him to campaign for the LNP in Queensland for a week, including attending fundraisers. | |
| Morrison was very thrilled to go to Queensland and talk the budget, don’t you know. It was all very important work. | |
| Because Thursdays are the worst, we get more Michael McCormack. | |
| Catherine King: | |
| Are there any probity, integrity or corruption issues relating to western Sydney airport land? | |
| McCormack: | |
| That last line has been said so many times this week, I was able to speak along with it. | |
| God Dolly. | |
| Andrew Gee just stood up. He’s the minister for decentralisation, apparently. Would not have been able to pick him out of a lineup if my life depended on it. | |
| “Can’t anyone see that there is something fishy here?” the Labor senator Don Farrell says, back in Finance estimates, still prosecuting the Ashurst-investigating-a-former-employee issue. | |
| Mathias Cormann counsels Farrell not to reflect on the integrity of the departmental officers. “You are reflecting on their motivations.” Farrell says he is trying to “reflect community views”. | |
| Rosemary Huxtable says Ashurst dealt with conflict-of-interest questions in its public statement. | |
| “Ashurst has assured themselves and us that there is no conflict,” the secretary says. “I think there is no conflict on the information that Ashurst has provided to us.” | |
| Asked again about the delay in the federal integrity commission – based on the law firm used to review the branch stacking allegations, that Murph has been reporting on, Christian Porter says the government was too busy focusing on the pandemic. | |
| I am just going to leave these words from Murph, here, in answer to that – the government managed to do plenty not related to Covid. | |
| We’re expecting a written statement from Australia Post shortly. We’ll bring it to you when it arrives | We’re expecting a written statement from Australia Post shortly. We’ll bring it to you when it arrives |
| Christian Porter is asked about the federal national integrity commission. | Christian Porter is asked about the federal national integrity commission. |
| Anthony Albanese: | Anthony Albanese: |
| In the budget, the government established or announced extra money for more than 30 different grants and fun programs with at least $5.7bn. Given the writing that occurred with sports rorts, community development grants in the building better regions fund, in the absence of a national integrity commission, what guarantee is there that decisions will be made on merit instead of colour-coded spreadsheets designed to target marginal seats? | |
| Porter answers by pointing to what Mark Dreyfus said about Labor’s proposed integrity commission, ahead of the election – that it would need a year. | |
| The government proposed its integrity commission two years ago. | The government proposed its integrity commission two years ago. |
| Who has an Australian record... | Who has an Australian record... |
| Tony Smith: | Tony Smith: |
| Porter: | Porter: |
| He is sat down. | He is sat down. |
| Scott Morrison is taking credit for the Australia Post investigation. | Scott Morrison is taking credit for the Australia Post investigation. |
| Anthony Albanese to Morrison: | Anthony Albanese to Morrison: |
| How is it that on his watch, in the middle of the worst recession in almost a century, with 1 million Australians unemployed, businesses collapsing in $1tn of Liberal debt, this government is taking action against the Liberal appointed Australia Post board, which spent $12,000, taxpayers money, on Cartier watchers. | |
| A very cranky Morrison: | A very cranky Morrison: |
| Back in estimates, Finance officials confirm that two contracts worth $25,000 were let to the law firm Ashurst to conduct the investigations into Michael Sukkar and Kevin Andrews. | Back in estimates, Finance officials confirm that two contracts worth $25,000 were let to the law firm Ashurst to conduct the investigations into Michael Sukkar and Kevin Andrews. |
| Don Farrell wants to know why the investigations were outsourced? | Don Farrell wants to know why the investigations were outsourced? |
| Rosemary Huxtable says the department was keen the reviews happen “expeditiously”. | Rosemary Huxtable says the department was keen the reviews happen “expeditiously”. |
| The secretary notes the Victorian branch-stacking controversy was in the public domain and it was viewed as helpful to conduct an independent investigation. | The secretary notes the Victorian branch-stacking controversy was in the public domain and it was viewed as helpful to conduct an independent investigation. |
| Farrell notes that Sukkar was “previously employed by Ashurst”. | Farrell notes that Sukkar was “previously employed by Ashurst”. |
| Huxtable corrects that Sukkar was previously employed by Blake Dawson Waldron. | Huxtable corrects that Sukkar was previously employed by Blake Dawson Waldron. |
| Farrell points out that the firm is now Ashurst. Huxtable says she’s not across the intricacies of that, but concurs that’s likely right. | Farrell points out that the firm is now Ashurst. Huxtable says she’s not across the intricacies of that, but concurs that’s likely right. |
| Farrell asked why Sukkar’s previous employer was engaged to conduct the review? | Farrell asked why Sukkar’s previous employer was engaged to conduct the review? |
| David Da Silva says proper processes were followed. | David Da Silva says proper processes were followed. |
| Huxtable says Ashurst has addressed any conflict of interest or bias claims in a public statement. | Huxtable says Ashurst has addressed any conflict of interest or bias claims in a public statement. |
| Farrell persists: Did the department know that the law firm it engaged to conduct the review was “Mr Sukkar’s own law firm”? | Farrell persists: Did the department know that the law firm it engaged to conduct the review was “Mr Sukkar’s own law firm”? |
| Farrell notes this is a simple question. Da Silva says it’s up to Ashurst to manage any conflict of interest. | Farrell notes this is a simple question. Da Silva says it’s up to Ashurst to manage any conflict of interest. |
| Farrell escalates, declaring Sukkar “used his own law firm” to investigate. Outrage ensues. Mathias Cormann says this is “false”. | Farrell escalates, declaring Sukkar “used his own law firm” to investigate. Outrage ensues. Mathias Cormann says this is “false”. |
| “[Sukkar] didn’t make any decisions on who was conducting that independent review and I approached this with a completely straight bat,” Cormann says. | “[Sukkar] didn’t make any decisions on who was conducting that independent review and I approached this with a completely straight bat,” Cormann says. |
| Outrage is continuing. Farrell says he didn’t mean Sukkar personally engaged the law firm, but he says this is a simple question requiring an answer: did Finance know Sukkar had worked at Ashurst previously? | Outrage is continuing. Farrell says he didn’t mean Sukkar personally engaged the law firm, but he says this is a simple question requiring an answer: did Finance know Sukkar had worked at Ashurst previously? |
| Huxtable wants to take that question on notice. | Huxtable wants to take that question on notice. |
| Da Silva volunteers that he was part of the decision to appoint Ashurst, with the legal and assurance branch. | Da Silva volunteers that he was part of the decision to appoint Ashurst, with the legal and assurance branch. |
| Farrell asks how many law firms were on the panel that could have conducted the inquiry instead of the law firm that was chosen. | Farrell asks how many law firms were on the panel that could have conducted the inquiry instead of the law firm that was chosen. |
| Huxtable says she’ll take the question on notice. | Huxtable says she’ll take the question on notice. |
| The secretary says Ashurst had the skills to conduct the inquiry. | The secretary says Ashurst had the skills to conduct the inquiry. |
| Labor’s Kim Carr has been asking race discrimination commissioner Chin Tan about whether there has been an increase in racism and rightwing extremism during the Covid-19 pandemic. | Labor’s Kim Carr has been asking race discrimination commissioner Chin Tan about whether there has been an increase in racism and rightwing extremism during the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| Chin Tan said there had been a “substantial rise in race activities, particularly directed at some communities including Asian communities”. He said both racism and rightwing extremism had increased, and the two are “entwined”. | Chin Tan said there had been a “substantial rise in race activities, particularly directed at some communities including Asian communities”. He said both racism and rightwing extremism had increased, and the two are “entwined”. |
| AHRC president Rosalind Croucher said the commission had “opened up a conversation around a national anti-racism framework” and the discussion was “ongoing”. | AHRC president Rosalind Croucher said the commission had “opened up a conversation around a national anti-racism framework” and the discussion was “ongoing”. |
| Attorney general department secretary Chris Moraitis said he had expressed “full support” for “working out the parameters of that”. | Attorney general department secretary Chris Moraitis said he had expressed “full support” for “working out the parameters of that”. |
| This is significant – because Labor has called for an anti-racism strategy. And whether you call it a strategy or a framework, it sounds like the wheels are in motion. | This is significant – because Labor has called for an anti-racism strategy. And whether you call it a strategy or a framework, it sounds like the wheels are in motion. |
| Liberal chair Amanda Stoker quotes previous years’ statistics to suggest there hasn’t been a large increase in race complaints. Chin Tan said the number “varies” but there has been an increase during Covid-19. | Liberal chair Amanda Stoker quotes previous years’ statistics to suggest there hasn’t been a large increase in race complaints. Chin Tan said the number “varies” but there has been an increase during Covid-19. |
| Paul Fletcher was also the cities minister when the Leppington triangle sale was made – the $30m purchase of land valued at $3m, 30 years before it was needed – and said he received a deficient brief from his department, and learnt only learnt key details of the sale in the auditor-general’s reports. | Paul Fletcher was also the cities minister when the Leppington triangle sale was made – the $30m purchase of land valued at $3m, 30 years before it was needed – and said he received a deficient brief from his department, and learnt only learnt key details of the sale in the auditor-general’s reports. |
| Anthony Albanese asks Paul Fletcher when he asked about the watches. | Anthony Albanese asks Paul Fletcher when he asked about the watches. |
| Fletcher says he only found out during the estimates hearing. | Fletcher says he only found out during the estimates hearing. |
| Labor interjects – Fletcher says he has concluded his answer. | Labor interjects – Fletcher says he has concluded his answer. |