Politics Live: Major victory for government as centrepiece income tax cuts pass Parliament

Let's wind up the blog right there, bringing to a close our live coverage of this sitting week at Parliament. 

A big win for the government today with the passage of the centrepiece income tax cuts through the Senate. 

Still no success with company tax cuts, however. Will they ever get off the ground? We'll see. 

We'll see you on Monday for the last sitting week before the six-week winter recess.

You can find me on Facebook here and Twitter here. Photos today were from Alex Ellinghausen – find him on Twitter here.

And, as always, I welcome your feedback and hot tips at [e-mail].

Big day for Mathias Cormann.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

QT through the eyes of Alex Ellinghausen. 

Shorten. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Morrison and Turnbull. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Counterparts. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

It was the biggest basket of tax cuts in Australian political history: $144 billion!

But there was no outbreak of applause, no dancing and certainly no spontaneous choir up there in the public gallery as the legislation slid through the Senate on Thursday.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann wandered in, peered at his watch, possibly to imprint upon his mind the precise moment when he knew he could breathe again, and it was done.

Cormann’s not a man given to demonstrations of passion, of course.

But lordie, he and his Coalition colleagues needed this victory as much as any parched soul in a desert ever needed a pannikin of water.

It was the government’s signature budget promise, and it had looked all but doomed for weeks.

Read the full piece here. 

Cormann victorious. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

A massive data breach of Treasury records has exposed the personal details of thousands of people, including their addresses, birthdays, job history and phone numbers.

The breach, which relates to the personal details of anyone who has applied or registered their interest for a job at Treasury, is being investigated by the Australian Cyber Security Centre after it was revealed data had been compromised.

"As a result of this incident we are writing to you to let you know that some of your personal details may have been accessed by an unauthorised person and possibly disclosed," Treasury wrote in an email on Wednesday.

The breach relates to Treasury's use of the PageUp recruitment system that was infected by malware in May, forcing major Australian companies including Commonwealth Bank, Telstra and Coles to suspend their careers portals.

But Treasury - the department responsible for the security of the federal budget - waited until Wednesday afternoon to alert thousands of staff and past applicants.

Read more here. 

Question from WA Liberal Ian Goodenough to Trade Minister Steven Ciobo. 

Goodenough asks about government policies to create more and better-paid jobs. 

Ciobo goes through the usual arguments for tax cuts and opening export opportunities for Australian businesses. 

And, with that, QT ends. 

Question from Labor finance spokesman Jim Chalmers to Malcolm Turnbull.

Chalmers asks why the government is cutting taxes for high-income earners and big business when gross debt has reached a record $500 billion. 

Turnbull says net debt is peaking this financial year and the government is backing hard-working, aspirational Australians. 

Question from Victorian Nationals MP Damian Drum to Health Minister Greg Hunt. 

Drum asks about a strong economy enabling investment in essential services. 

Hunt says there is record funding for Medicare, hospitals and medical research. He emphasises the government's support for initiatives to end motor neurone disease and then talks about Labor deferring subsidisation of medicines when they were in government. 

Manager of opposition business Tony Burke objects to Hunt alleged politicisation of motor neurone disease. 

And it's stunt time. Burke then moves that Hunt be no longer heard. That will require a division, which Labor will lose. 

Question from Victorian Labor MP Ged Kearney to Malcolm Turnbull. 

Kearney asks about fairness in the income tax policy. 

Scott Morrison takes the question. He quotes Kearney defending paying tax as a privilege, not a burden. 

He says "tax is a burden" for working Australians because they have earned the money.

 

 

Question from Queensland Liberal Trevor Evans to Small Business Minister Craig Laundy.

Evans asks how income tax cuts benefit small businesses. 

Laundy says that "hopefully" a great deal of the money will flow to small and family businesses. 

He says surveys have shown people will be sending the money into the local economy.

Question from Queensland Labor MP Cathy O'Toole to Malcolm Turnbull. 

O'Toole questions the fairness in the government's tax policy, a well-worn focus. 

Turnbull says Labor doesn't understand aspiration, another well-worn point.