Politics Live: Labor frontbenchers dismiss concerns about Shorten's 'captain's call'

We will wind up the blog right there as this sitting week draws to a close. Parliament won't be back until mid-August.

It was another day dominated by company tax cuts, with a bit of other subject matter for good measure. 

And some news:

After seven great years, we are finishing up with our live politics blog in its current form. While we will continue to live blog the big events, The Pulse will no longer be covering every parliamentary sitting day.

Fairfax Media has long led the way on political coverage in Australia, including with the pioneering live blog. First helmed by Katharine Murphy, it was then taken up by Stephanie Peatling, Judith Ireland and, briefly, me. The all-important photography has been provided by Alex Ellinghausen and, previously, Andrew Meares.

Fairfax prides itself on agenda-setting, news-breaking journalism. And, after careful consideration, we have decided to devote even more resources to that task.

We thank you for your loyal and enthusiastic engagement with the blog over the years and hope you will continue to read the news stories, analysis, opinion pieces and features that underpin our award-winning coverage.

Please feel free to email me at [e-mail] if you have any feedback on this.

And you can always find me on Facebook here and Twitter here. You'll Ellinghausen on Twitter here.

Over and out.

Farewell to The Pulse!Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Bill Shorten has outlined some changes to the shadow ministry following the resignation of Tim Hammond. Here is Shorten's statement in full:

Today I announce minor changes to Labor’s shadow ministerial team.

It’s my pleasure to welcome Madeleine King to my Shadow Ministry as the Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs, Shadow Minister Assisting for Resources and Shadow Minister Assisting for Small Business.

Reflecting Labor’s strong commitment to ending the scourge of family violence, I am proud to elevate this portfolio to a Shadow Ministerial position, with Linda Burney becoming the Shadow Minister for Preventing Family Violence.

After her terrific work leading Labor’s policy agenda on family violence prevention, I have asked Terri Butler to take on a new role as the Shadow Assistant Minister for Young Australians and Youth Affairs.

Chris Bowen will add Small Business to his portfolios. Unlike the Liberals, Labor believes small business is a portfolio that deserves Cabinet-level representation. Along with Madeleine, Julie Owens will continue to assist Chris as Shadow Assistant Minister for Small Business.

Clare O’Neil will join Labor’s economic team as Shadow Minister for Financial Services, in addition to her existing duties.

Jacinta Collins will take on Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate.

Glenn Sterle will become the Shadow Assistant Minister for Road Safety.

Apologies for not bringing you each question today. 

As a consolation prize, here is a summary of what has been covered:

1. Shorten to Turnbull: company tax cuts
2. Howarth to Turnbull: company tax cuts
3. Bowen to Turnbull: deals with One Nation
4. Entsch to Morrison: company tax cuts
5. Bowen to Turnbull: deal with One Nation
6. McGowan to McCormack: rail project
7. Landry to McCormack: company tax cuts
8. Bowen to Turnbull: deals with One Nation
9. Marino to O'Dwyer: company tax cuts
10. Burke to Turnbull: business
11. Ramsey to Bishop: company tax cuts
12. Plibersek to Turnbull: company tax cuts
13. Alexander to Pyne: defence industry
14. Husar to Turnbull: pensions
15. Wood to Dutton: border protection
16. O'Neil to Turnbull: company tax cuts
17. Hastie to Laundy: company tax cuts
18. Butler to Turnbull: coal-fired power
19. Wallace to Hunt: health funding
20. Elliot to Frydenberg: coal-fired power
21. O'Brien to McVeigh: company tax cuts
22. Shorten to Turnbull: company tax cuts
23. Pasin to Wyatt: aged care funding
24. Plibersek to Turnbull: penalty rates
25. Robert to Porter: Defence Force callout powers

Pretty clear focus there, with both the government and opposition spending a lot of time on company tax cuts.

A former spy who blew the whistle on an Australian bugging operation against the tiny nation of East Timor has been charged with criminal offences along with his lawyer, independent MP Andrew Wilkie has sensationally revealed in Parliament.

The charges against the former officer with the Australian Secret Intelligence Service - the nation’s foreign intelligence collection agency - is the latest chapter in a long-running saga about the 2004 bugging of East Timor’s ministerial offices, allegedly to help Australia in its dispute with East Timor over a key maritime boundary.

The boundary determined ownership of the lucrative Greater Sunrise undersea gas fields - the negotiations for which were finally resolved diplomatically earlier this year.

Wilkie told Parliament’s Federation Chamber that the former spy, known as Witness K, and his lawyer Bernard Collaery, a former ACT attorney-general, were now the subject of criminal charges by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

“The bottom line is that the spying on East Timor was indeed illegal and unscrupulous,” Wilkie said. “Although it was the Howard government’s initiative, the crime has subsequently been covered up by all governments ever since.

Read more here. 

Andrew Wilkie speaking in Parliament a short while ago.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The Senate has passed a Greens motion calling for the banking royal commission to be extended by a year. 

The motion was backed by One Nation and a variety of senators across the political spectrum.

Thus far, the government has indicated it would grant an extension if commissioner Kenneth Hayne asked for one.

Another Labor backbencher has run into difficulty during an interview on Bill Shorten's decision to repeal tax cuts for businesses with turnovers between $10 million and $50 million. 

This time it was Canberra MP Gai Brodtmann on radio station 2CC, repeatedly declining to back Shorten's decision.

Asked if she agrees with the leader's call:

"Well, we are continuing to consider businesses up to $120 million turover but we have always been crystal clear that we put schools and hospitals ahead of tax cuts for big business and the banks."

Asked the same question again:

"As I said, we are continuing to consider these businesses up to [$10 million] turnover."

So the leader's decision was wrong?

"Well, there's been international discussions on this issue and those discussions continue and we will connsider whether those businesses up to $10 million turnover should be addressed."

Would she be prepared to cross the floor, hypothetically?

"I'm not going to speculate on any of that. The conversations are still being had within the leadership group. We are going to take our time to consider this issue. And we'll be making an announcement once those considerations have been made."

Cormann concedes it was the government's intention to get the legislation passed this week. But it wasn't to be. 

He says Shorten's position on company tax cuts is "un-Australian" because it puts local businesses at a disadvantage compared with international rivals who have lower tax rates.

He notes a Courier-Mail poll out today suggesting stronger support among One Nation voters than Liberal voters and expressed a hope it will help convince Pauline Hanson.

The Mayo byelection now comes up. 

Cormann backs Downer as a candidate who supports the Coalition's economic plan. He says voters around the country have an opportunity to send a message to Shorten on his policies. 

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Cormann says the "super Saturday" byelections on July 28 "will be a referendum on who has the better plan for a stronger economy and more jobs". 

He names the byelections in Longman and Braddon and says the contests are an opportunity for voters to "send Bill Shorten a message". 

"If Bill Shorten does well in these byelections, he will see it as endorsement for his plan of higher taxes which we say would hurt the economy, hurt families and cost jobs," Cormann says.

(Note that he didn't mention the Mayo byelection, where Liberal Georgina Downer is hoping to take the seat back from the Centre Alliance's Rebekha Sharkie.)

Cormann also injects a cheeky reference to internal Labor troubles and Anthony Albanese: "After the byelections, who knows? We might have a more business-friendly Labor leader."

That's a nod to Albanese's recent speech in which he said Labor should reach out to the business community and not divide. There is also speculation that even one loss in the upcoming byelections could spell trouble for Shorten's leadership.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the government will not be bringing the company tax cuts to a vote in the Senate before Parliament rises for the winter break, given they have been unable to secure the necessary crossbench support. 

Cormann, the government's chief negotiatiotor in the Senate, argues the cuts are a crucial economic policy and says support is growing for the tax cuts, including among One Nation voters.

"However, despite our best efforts to secure majority support in the Senate for our proposed business tax cuts, we have not yet been able to secure the necessary support. We need more time to make our argument to our colleagues on the Senate crossbench and we, of course, will continue to make our argument in the Australian community," he says. 

Defence Minister Marise Payne says the current laws on Defence Force assistance in violent domestic incidents are "cumbersome" and "convoluted" and dated. 

"The fundamental principle here, in working the amendments through the state and territory, commonwealth process, is that the civilian law enforcment powers of the state and territory agencies remain paramount and the ADF can work in support with those agencies," she told ABC radio. 

Payne said she was "absolutely confident" the ADF and law enforcement would work cooperatively and not be embroiled in a turf war during an incident.

Marise Payne. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen