Turnbull Government extends sitting days to get gay marriage legal, end citizenship saga

LABOR and Greens MPs are vowing to return to Canberra next week despite the government’s decision to delay parliament — a move that prompted an extraordinary rant from Bob Katter.

LABOR and Greens MPs are vowing to return to Canberra next week despite the government’s extraordinary decision to delay parliament to deal with gay marriage and the citizenship crisis.

The move has also prompted Queensland MP Bob Katter to launch his second extraordinary rant in two days.

Labor, the Greens and Mr Katter have accused Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbul of using the delay to avoid a banking royal commission, which might be launched via a backbench revolt while the government is down two MPs due to the citizenship fiasco.

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek likened the “outrageous” decision to delay the next lower house sitting week to something a dictatorship would do, while leader Bill Shorten called it an “assault on democracy”.

But Mr Katter went further, accusing the Prime Minister of defying the Australian Constitution and the will of the people.

The Queensland MP, whose interview about gay marriage on the weekend went viral, declared the lower house would sit next Monday despite the government changing the next sitting date to December 4.

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Bob Katter has slammed Malcolm Turnbull’s shock decision to delay parliament by a week to deal with gay marriage and the citizenship crisis. Picture: AAP

“Whether it sits on the garden lawn, or whether it sits in a building, we don’t care,” Mr Katter said today.

“And it will vote, and it will make the laws of the land,” he said.

.@RealBobKatter: We don't care where parliament sits but it will sit on Monday. MORE: https://t.co/jGPjzUpd5W pic.twitter.com/2lMEVqlhJA

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) November 20, 2017

Mr Katter said the delay — announced this morning after reports up to four MPs were considering crossing the floor over an investigation into the banks — was solely about avoiding the royal commission.

“The whole of Australia is going to ask ‘Why, Malcolm Turnbull, are you defying the Constitution of Australia,” he said.

“What have you got to hide? That’s what the Australian people will want to know. And if you want to go to an election on that one, I wish you well.”

The government declared this morning the House of Representatives would not rise for the year until the bill to make gay marriage legal had passed and all citizenship issues had been resolved.

It delays the next sitting week until after the New England by-election on December 2, where Barnaby Joyce is expected to be re-elected.

People in the crowd celebrate as the result is announced in Victoria. Picture: Getty

Mr Shorten declared Labor MPs would head to Canberra for Monday regardless.

“We all know Turnbull is desperate to avoid Parliament sitting because he does not have Barnaby Joyce and John Alexander,” he said this afternoon.

“This is not about marriage equality.

“He is frightened of the Parliament and his backbench supporting a banking Royal Commission and now he is treating Parliament as his personal plaything.”

Mr Shorten said there were 53 other items of business the House of Representatives could deal with next week, including cracking down on money laundering and terrorism and the redress scheme for the victims of institutional child abuse, while the senate debated the same-sex marriage bill.

“We will be turning up to work on Monday because the Australian people expect nothing less,” Mr Shorten said.

The Greens have also declared they will fly to Canberra for Monday.

Turnbull is running scared from the Parliament. If you can't run the Parliament, you can't run the country.

— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) November 20, 2017

Government is terrified it has lost control of Parliament. King Charles cancelled Parliaments and he lost his head. At this rate, Turnbull is not far from the metaphorical chopping block either.

— Adam Bandt 🏳️‍🌈 (@AdamBandt) November 20, 2017

To support Greens bank bill inquiry, which passed Senate a few months ago. Can't believe PM would cancel parliament to avoid bank scrutiny! https://t.co/rCkNXusW2R

— Peter Whish-Wilson (@SenatorSurfer) November 20, 2017

Is Malcolm Turnbull seriously suggesting that there is nothing for his government to do in Parliament until the Senate completes debate on marriage equality?

He’s lost control of his team and he’s lost control of the parliament.

— Richard Di Natale (@RichardDiNatale) November 20, 2017

Mr Pyne said the delay had nothing to do with waiting for Barnaby Joyce and John Alexander to return so the government could regain its one-seat majority in the lower house.

He told reporters in Adelaide neither of the former MPs would be back in Parliament by the week of December 4 even if they were re-elected.

In his statement, Mr Pyne warned MPs should be prepared to sit for “as it takes legislate for marriage equality and resolve all citizenship issues”.

Malcolm Turnbull in Question Time in the House of Representatives in Canberra. Picture Kym Smith

He said the delay was because the senate was unlikely to finish debating the marriage equality bill until 30 November.

“The House will resume on December 4 at 10am, not November 27, and will sit until marriage equality is law and all citizenship issues have been dealt with by the House,” he said.

“While it is entirely possible both matters could be dealt with in the week beginning 4 December, Members should be prepared for the House to sit for some or all of the second week beginning 11 December or as long as it takes legislate for marriage equality and resolve all citizenship issues.”

The government has now declared a deadline of December 5 for all lower house MPs to disclose their citizenship status and any documents relating to foreign citizenship renunciation.

Mr Pyne said Labor had agreed to the deadline.

The 150 MPs in the House of Representatives will have an extra few days for their disclosure than the 76 senators in the upper house, who must declare their status by December 1.

Mr Pyne said the time frame for lodgement of disclosures was “not unreasonable”.

He said any referrals to the High Court resulting from members’ disclosures would be debated after the passage of the marriage equality bill.

The High Court will only sit until December 15 this year so it is unlikely it would have a chance to hear any new dual citizenship cases from the lower house before next year.