This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/oct/26/coronavirus-australia-live-updates-politics-live-daniel-andrews-lockdown-senate-estimates
The article has changed 25 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 13 | Version 14 |
---|---|
Daniel Andrews is speaking after Victoria records no coronavirus cases and NSW one | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Melbourne lockdown extended as authorities monitor outbreak in city’s north, while Treasury chief faces questions at Senate estimates. Follow all the latest updates | Melbourne lockdown extended as authorities monitor outbreak in city’s north, while Treasury chief faces questions at Senate estimates. Follow all the latest updates |
Melbourne, take a bow - you did it. From tomorrow - all retail opens. Hospitality reopens. Beauty reopens. You can leave your house. | |
Daniel Andrews: | |
I don’t know what it feels like in the room - but Daniel Andrews is either losing his voice, or he is a glass case of emotion. He sounds very emotional as he speaks today: | |
He has good news: | |
Question time ends. | |
Just in time. | |
Question time resumes. | |
But attention is turning to Victoria. | |
There are a lot of MPs checking their phones | |
Chris Bowen and Bill Shorten have used the division downtime to release this statement: | |
For those interested, Daniel Hurst was working yesterday and saw the Tony Burke interview on Sky. | |
It included this interesting tidbit: | |
Tony Burke gets in to try again: “The culture comes from the top, they treat taxpayer money like it is their own” – and Christian Porter once again gags debate. | |
The count is going the government way. | |
Meanwhile, Daniel Andrews should be speaking very soon. | |
Leave is denied, so the Labor leader tries again (and gets out the line designed just for the TV coverage): | |
Debate is gagged and the House divides. (Labor will lose.) | |
Anthony Albanese interrupts the question to move to suspend standing orders, to discuss this motion (there is almost half the alphabet here, so stay with me): | |
That the House - notes the Morrison government is weighed down by scandal and integrity issues, including | |
(a) the corrupt sports rorts scheme with colour-coded spreadsheets, | |
(b) airport reports in which the government paid $30 million for a piece of land worth $3 million, | |
(c) stacking the Administrative Appeals Tribunal with Liberal mates, | |
(d) paying a Liberal party mate and former Crosby Textor pollster more than $1 million for taxpayer-funded research, recommending Peter Crone for a contract, | |
(g) Australia Post spending $20,000 on Cartier watches, | |
(h) reports the assistant treasurer used taxpayer-funded staff to branch-stack, | |
and | |
(i) the minister for energy being involved in too many scandals to count. | |
(2) therefore condemns the prime minister for treating taxpayers’ money as though it is his own. | |
David Littleproud just proved it was possible to talk about policy important to regional and rural electorates and represent the National party without sounding like a wet sponge. And without a forced homily, or attacking the opposition. | |
No one is after personality here. Just competence. It is possible. | No one is after personality here. Just competence. It is possible. |
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison: | Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison: |
Morrison: | Morrison: |
There is a bunch of Richmond talk. | There is a bunch of Richmond talk. |
Moving on. | Moving on. |
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison: | Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison: |
My question is to the prime minister: is the reason why the Morrison government hasn’t introduced legislation for a national integrity commission because of the corrupt sports rorts scheme, the Leppington Triangle land scandal, stacking the AAT with Liberal mates, the Liberal mate paid more than $1 million for market research, wasting $20,000 on Cartier watches, and the minister for energy’s involvement in countless scandals – too many to mention? | My question is to the prime minister: is the reason why the Morrison government hasn’t introduced legislation for a national integrity commission because of the corrupt sports rorts scheme, the Leppington Triangle land scandal, stacking the AAT with Liberal mates, the Liberal mate paid more than $1 million for market research, wasting $20,000 on Cartier watches, and the minister for energy’s involvement in countless scandals – too many to mention? |
Morrison: | Morrison: |
*This from someone who has posted about buying an inflatable shark for Christmas. | *This from someone who has posted about buying an inflatable shark for Christmas. |
Labor’s Louise Pratt is probing what sort of assumptions the attorney general’s department has made about how many insolvent companies are going to need taxpayers to pick up their unpaid wages bill. | Labor’s Louise Pratt is probing what sort of assumptions the attorney general’s department has made about how many insolvent companies are going to need taxpayers to pick up their unpaid wages bill. |
The estimate is that there will be claims for 34,000 employees this financial year, requiring taxpayers to fork out $468m. But these estimates were done in April and are already out of date, because stimulus measures have saved many businesses from insolvency. | The estimate is that there will be claims for 34,000 employees this financial year, requiring taxpayers to fork out $468m. But these estimates were done in April and are already out of date, because stimulus measures have saved many businesses from insolvency. |
By this stage in the financial year, the department expected 9,000 claims but has received only 1,400. | By this stage in the financial year, the department expected 9,000 claims but has received only 1,400. |
Last year, $162m was paid out for unpaid wages at a rate of 1,031 claims a month. That is down to 469 claims a month this year. | Last year, $162m was paid out for unpaid wages at a rate of 1,031 claims a month. That is down to 469 claims a month this year. |
Labor’s Murray Watt says there is a “tidal wave coming” but the government is “delaying the inevitable” with changes that make it “virtually impossible” for companies to go insolvent. | Labor’s Murray Watt says there is a “tidal wave coming” but the government is “delaying the inevitable” with changes that make it “virtually impossible” for companies to go insolvent. |
One also shudders to think what happens when jobkeeper runs out. | One also shudders to think what happens when jobkeeper runs out. |
Labor’s Tony Sheldon is querying why migrant workers don’t get access to the fair entitlement guarantee (the unpaid wages safety net), as recommended by the migrant workers’ taskforce. | Labor’s Tony Sheldon is querying why migrant workers don’t get access to the fair entitlement guarantee (the unpaid wages safety net), as recommended by the migrant workers’ taskforce. |
They’re considering it, apparently. | They’re considering it, apparently. |
Some mirth from defence estimates: | Some mirth from defence estimates: |
During an exchange about the cost and timing of the future frigate program, an official refers in passing to the step “design productionisation”, prompting Penny Wong to remark with a smile: | During an exchange about the cost and timing of the future frigate program, an official refers in passing to the step “design productionisation”, prompting Penny Wong to remark with a smile: |
“No I didn’t make that up,” the official replies. | “No I didn’t make that up,” the official replies. |
(Wikipedia describes productionisation as “the process of turning a prototype of a design into a version that can be more easily mass-produced”.) | (Wikipedia describes productionisation as “the process of turning a prototype of a design into a version that can be more easily mass-produced”.) |
Peter Dutton thanks a member of his own government for his interest in what the government is doing. | Peter Dutton thanks a member of his own government for his interest in what the government is doing. |
The bar is pretty low, ladies and gentlemen. | The bar is pretty low, ladies and gentlemen. |