Senator Jacqui Lambie has unleashed on both major parties after they blindsided her with a "dirty deal".
Welcome to Canberra Friday, otherwise universally known as Thursday.
This is the end of the parliamentary week, so who knows, maybe something of real significance will happen.
Read on for live updates from Parliament House.
The Thursday evening exodus from Parliament House is well under way, and I'm going to join it.
Parliament doesn't sit tomorrow, but the Senate's press freedom inquiry is on, which means a bunch of media executives will be in town to offer their opinions. We will bring you all the news from that hearing.
And we'll be back when parliament returns on Monday for another live blog. Do try to contain your excitement.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne has called on the Bulgarian government to allow Australian Jock Palfreeman to return home, expressing concern that the technicality keeping him in Bulgaria is outside the country's normal legal process.
The 32-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in jail for murder in 2009, and was granted parole in September. But he was kept in immigration detention until October 15 and is still barred from leaving the country because of a 2011 travel ban.
Ms Payne said Palfreeman's release into the community was a positive step, but his family feared political interference could see him returned to prison.
The prosecutor-general of Bulgaria is seeking a review of the process behind the decision to release him on parole.
"While the parole decision itself cannot be appealed, the prosecutor-general is is questioning technicalities about the handling of the case," Ms Payne told parliament.
"We understand that this is outside Bulgaria's normal legal process and we would be concerned if non-legal issues were seen to have an influence on this process."
She said she had raised the issue with her Bulgarian counterpart twice.
"I stress that we respect the independence of the Bulgarian court and wish to see it make a decision according to the rule of law."
– AAP
It's worth highlighting another guest from Afternoon Briefing. Arthur Sinodinos, who is off to become our new ambassador to the United States, explained how he would handle the job (and Donald Trump).
"The first point to make is that I'm there to represent Australia's national interest," he said.
"There is an agenda to follow up pretty quickly. There's lots to talk to the President about. As the President made clear, he – and across the administration and across Congress – there's very strong support for the Australian-US relationship.
"One of the things Joe (Hockey) has done in his time of course is to reinforce that by reminding Americans that when it's counted, we have been in the trenches with them."
Mr Sinodinos also addressed the Prime Minister's critique of "negative globalism", which has been interpreted as a swipe at multilateral institutions like the United Nations.
"The government has tasked (Mitch) Fifield with looking at the way we engage with multilateral organisations. That's not about us getting out of the UN. It's how we contribute better, and make sure the agendas coming before the UN are agendas which are appropriate for nation states to sign on to," he said.
"The PM's response was not to retreat, but to say as a nation state, obviously we will respond in a way that's consistent with our national interest."
Mr Sinodinos delivered a rather stirring valedictory speech in the Senate yesterday, which you can read about here.
The Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, was Patricia Karvelas' guest on Afternoon Briefing today.
Karvelas asked whether he was planning to take a proposal to the Prime Minister for legislation to establish a Voice for indigenous Australians during this term of parliament.
"What I'll be doing is taking forward a series of propositions to do with constitutional recognition, the Voice and truth telling. Each of those are separate pieces of work because they are critical in their own right," Mr Wyatt said.
"I'm seriously committed to working through with our people to a solution that they're comfortable with as well."
He wouldn't say when he expected legislation to go forward, saying the plan needed to be signed off by Scott Morrison and the Cabinet first.
"What will constitutional change look like under the Morrison government?" Karvelas asked.
"We will work through those over the next 12 months," said Mr Wyatt.
"It will need to be worked through with our people, and has to be acceptable within a legal framework. What I don't want is a Section 44 being created.
"We have to be pragmatic, and have many non-indigenous Australians who are supportive but are saying, 'I'm concerned until you tell us what the sets of words are because I'm not going to commit to something that creates a division between a nation that is becoming more unified.'
"The number of non-indigenous people who have said, 'We will stand with indigenous Australians, we want to see them recognised, but get the words right.'"
Mr Wyatt said he was "optimistic" that there would be a referendum on constitutional recognition before the next election.
Constitutional change will include “recognition … [A referendum] has to be before the next election… It’ll break people’s hearts [not putting the Voice to the people] but we have to think about whether we want constitutional recognition,” @KenWyattMP tells @PatsKarvelas #auspol pic.twitter.com/cbJM181n1n
— ABC News (@abcnews) October 17, 2019
Former Liberal minister Mitch Fifield has been appointed Australia's next ambassador to the United Nations.
"Mr Fifield served for 15 years in the Australian Senate in roles including deputy leader of the government in the Senate, manager of government business in the Senate, minister for communications, minister for the arts, minister assisting the prime minister for digital government and assistant minister for social services," Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement.
"Mr Fifield holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney."
I too hold a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney. I invite the government to offer me a cushy overseas posting at its convenience.
Admittedly I am not a former politician, but having recently watched the Downton Abbey movie I feel confident I could competently host fancy ambassadorial dinner parties.
Today's episode of everyone's favourite daytime TV dramedy, Question Time, turned a bit cranky when Scott Morrison accused Anthony Albanese of throwing a "tantrum".
Mr Albanese had asked a series of questions about the economy, focusing on the International Monetary Fund's decision to downgrade its growth forecast for Australia and pushing for a debate on the matter in parliament.
Those questions, and the answers to them, were typically obnoxious and I won't waste your time regurgitating them.
Essentially, Mr Albanese wants parliament to hold a debate on the economy. Eventually the Prime Minister got fed up.
"The Leader of the Opposition may want to come into this place and throw a tantrum at Question Time," Mr Morrison said, sparking the sort of shouting frenzy across the chamber that an official transcript would mildly describe as "interjections".
"The tantrums of the Leader of the Opposition in this place only reinforce their addiction to panic and crisis in the Labor Party. They love panic. They love crisis," he continued.
"He can throw as many tantrums as he likes. We'll just get on with the job of good government."
A couple of minutes later, Mr Albanese got to ask another question.
"Given wage growth is the lowest it's ever been, household debt is at record highs and consumer confidence is at a four-year low, why does the Prime Minister dismiss the role that this parliament has to play in debating the economic policy direction of the nation? Or doesn't he have the confidence in his own position to be able to do so?" he asked.
"It's all about you, isn't it?" Mr Morrison replied.
"We debate these matters in the parliament every day.
"It seems the debate he needs to have is within his own party, because within his own party, they have got the climate fight club going on over there.
"I'm in this place every single day talking about the economy."
Mr Albanese eventually tried to suspend standing orders to allow an immediate debate on the state of the economy. Many minutes of torturous and pointless procedure ensued.
I say it was pointless, because the government has a majority in the House and the attempt was never going to succeed.
Jacqui Lambie is furious at Labor for striking a deal with the government, allowing it to abolish a $4 billion education investment fund and divert the money towards disaster mitigation instead.
Senator Murray Watt just sent around a press release bragging about the decision.
"Australian communities will be better prepared to face the threats from natural disasters this summer because of commitments Labor has secured from the government to significantly increase the amount of money spent on disaster preparedness," Mr Watt said.
The deal will boost the funding available under the government's proposed Emergency Response Fund from $150 million per year to $200 million. It also includes a $50 million federal investment to upgrade TAFE facilities, which will be matched by the states.
In the Senate today, Ms Lambie – who has been pushing for more TAFE funding in Tasmania – labelled it a "dirty deal" and said Labor's senators had "sold their souls".
"Here they are, the last election, we're gonna build up our TAFEs. Fifty million bucks? God almighty. I can get more out of the government with just one of me than what you people can with you all together," Ms Lambie said.
"For goodness' sake.
"What you've done is absolutely rip off our kids for the future."
She didn't reserve her fury for Labor either, grilling the government's Senate leader Mathias Cormann on the deal.
"Where did the $50 million figure come from? Did you just pluck it from somewhere? Because it's pretty pathetic compared to the $4 billion that was actually in the fund for the future of education for our children," she fumed.
"Labor announced a policy in the lead-up to the last election in relation to a $100 million TAFE restoration fund and we've reached agreement to put this forward," Mr Cormann said.
(You might reckon it’s because of the screen that you can’t tell the difference between the government and the opposition – but I’m sitting opposite and I can’t tell the difference either)
— Jacqui Lambie (@JacquiLambie) October 17, 2019
The jobs figures for September were released today, showing the unemployment rate falling slightly to 5.2 per cent. Employment Minister Michaelia Cash just spoke about that at a press conference.
"We really welcome the jobs figures. We now have almost 13 million Australians in work. That is a record high," said Ms Cash.
"I have always said, the Prime Minister has always said, that governments don't create jobs. Employers do. What governments do is put in place the policies that can enable the economy itself, and employers out there, to prosper, grow and create jobs."
Jobs = good. Got it.
The Senate has passed a motion, put forward by Pauline Hanson, to set up an inquiry into the performance of Australia's dairy industry and the profitability of farmers since the sector was deregulated in 2000.
It passed that motion against the government's will, 33-28, with Labor, the Greens, Centre Alliance and Jacqui Lambie joining One Nation.
The inquiry will, in part, consider the merits of tasking the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission with investigating how it can regulate the price of milk per litre paid by processors to dairy farmers.
Ms Hanson is currently boycotting "non-critical" votes in the Senate, and says that will continue until the government does something to help dairy farmers.
She wants it to re-regulate the dairy industry and set up a commission to fix a base price for milk.
"I'm just absolutely disgusted with Scott Morrison. He's not listening," she told The Sunday Mail over the weekend.
"Farmers are asking for help but they are turning their backs on them."
Speaking to Sky News after today's Senate vote, Ms Hanson said she would stand her ground.
"I have got farmers that are desperate, suiciding, walking off their properties, no hope whatsoever. I've taken a stance on this, and I don't take one step back from what I've done," she said.
"It's a shame that the Agriculture Minister hasn't done it, because I feel that I'm the de facto Agriculture Minister, fighting for rural and regional Australia on these issues. Where are they? You can't see them.
"I'm fighting for a fair price for the farmers, that the Australian people want to pay. It's about keeping an industry that is, at the moment, becoming unviable."
It isn't really clear what Ms Hanson means when she talks about boycotting "non-critical" legislation. The term is completely subjective.
Centre Alliance's Rex Patrick dismissed her boycott earlier this week.
"In actual fact, she's not on strike," he said.
"It's like being on a diet, except at breakfast, lunch time and dinner."
The House of Representatives has passed the legislation setting up a drug testing trial for 5000 recipients of the Newstart and Youth allowances.
It still has to be considered by the Senate.
Normally quiet on details of his personal life, Peter Dutton has shared rare insights into his first failed marriage and a broken engagement that resulted in his first child.
Nationals leader David Littleproud has hit out at Coles after the supermarket giant flagged a cull in its product range, claiming prices at the checkout would rise.
Donald Trump has sparked mixed reactions over a humorous response to a foreign journalist during a White House press conference.