Australian politics live: First sitting day of parliament in 2022
Hours after a rare display of bipartisanship as parliament issued a historic apology, the nation’s politicians returned to their bad-tempered ways.
Welcome to our live coverage of Australian politics on this, the first sitting day of the 2022 parliamentary calendar.
Shortly after midday, parliament offered a historic formal apology to the victims of alleged sexual harassment, assault and bullying in the building.
As our political editor Samantha Maiden reported yesterday, former Liberal staffers Brittany Higgins and Rachelle Miller were among those not initially invited to attend, though that was subsequently rectified.
On the legislative front, there is plenty of talk about the religious discrimination bill, which Prime Minister Scott Morrison is keen to pass despite some resistance from within his own party room.
And this is Canberra, so of course there is the usual soap opera-level drama to follow, including the continuing fallout from Barnaby Joyce’s leaked text messages calling Mr Morrison a liar (Mr Joyce insists he no longer holds that rather dim view of the PM).
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Read on for the latest updates.
Signing off for the day
I shall leave our live coverage there for the day. If news happens after this point, rest assured it will be covered - just not in this specific story.
Tomorrow, Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame are giving a joint address to the National Press Club, which is particularly significant in the wake of today’s apology to survivors of sexual harassment and assault in parliament.
Until tomorrow, then, have a lovely afternoon and evening.
Coalition settles stance on religious discrimination
The Coalition party room had to reconvene after Question Time this afternoon to resolve its stance on the religious discrimination bill.
The Guardian now reports the party room has endorsed “limited changes” to both the bill and the existing Sex Discrimination Act, which will provide protections for gay school students to prevent them from being expelled on religious grounds, but not for trans students.
Scott Morrison is keen to get this legislation done, so expect more progress tomorrow.
Oleaginous
Bob Carr has posted this. Make of it what you will.
The context here is that Mr Carr, a former foreign minister and NSW premier, has accused Peter Dutton of being the minister who called Scott Morrison a “complete psycho” in leaked text messages.
Mr Dutton says it wasn’t him, and has asked Mr Carr to rescind the accusation. He hasn’t ruled out legal action.
I pledge to you, dear reader, that I will never use the word oleaginous in a story, absent a healthy amount of irony.
Dutton extending oleaginous expressions of loyalty amid a blizzard of text messages. A destroyed Nats leader. The NSW Libs a hostile faction against the PM. “Confusion now has made his masterpiece,†as someone says in Macbeth. Voters might opt for something else: stable govt
— Bob Carr (@bobjcarr) February 8, 2022
‘This is embarrassing’: Tempers erupt
There was quite the blow-up midway through Question Time. I’m afraid it was about that most dreaded of subjects: parliamentary procedure. Buckle up.
It started with a dixer from Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh, directed at Treasurer Josh Frydenberg: “Will the Treasurer remind the House how the Morrison government’s strong and principled economic management is driving unemployment to its lowest level in 13 years, and how we plan to generate even more jobs for Australian families and businesses into the future. Is the Treasurer aware of any alternative policies?”
A most useful and illuminating question, I’m sure you’ll agree.
That bit about “alternative policies” is included in a great many soft questions during Question Time. Ministers use it as an open invitation to rant about how terrible the opposition is (this is not a partisan thing, both sides do it when they’re in government).
So, naturally, Mr Frydenberg bragged about the government’s record for a bit before turning his attention to Labor leader Anthony Albanese.
“The leader of the opposition can’t be trusted with the Australian economy. The leader of the opposition has never had a treasury portfolio. The leader of the opposition said that our tax cuts for small business and families were for the top end of town. The leader of the opposition has been in partnership with the Greens,” he said.
And so on.
Labor objected to this line of attack, arguing it went beyond the scope of the question.
“This is not relevant. He was invited to talk about other policies. This isn’t a policy. This is just gibberish,” manager of opposition Tony Burke said.
Speaker Andrew Wallace ruled Mr Frydenberg was “being directly relevant to the question”. Mr Burke did not like said ruling.
“So that we understand your ruling: does this mean that if a question asks for alternative policies, any character assessment can be given, any political rant can be given, anything at all can now be said? Is that the new standard of this chamber?” he asked, noticeably cranky.
His opposite number, Leader of the House Peter Dutton, decided to be cheeky.
“That was a very good ruling, Mr Speaker, I might say,” said Mr Dutton.
“The way in which the manager of opposition business firstly, scoffed at your ruling, and the way in which he showed disrespect to the chair - I think his reflection on the chair, frankly, was out of order.
“The Treasurer was entirely within the standing orders, absolutely relevant to the question. The only aspect of inconvenience here was the proper character assessment from this guy, who has a complete glass jaw.”
Riveting stuff.
Mr Frydenberg eventually got to continue his answer, though not for long.
“The leader of the opposition, a product of the unions, is too weak to stand up to the unions,” he said. This time Mr Albanese himself got to his feet.
“This is now putting you in an untenable situation. This is embarrassing,” he told the Speaker.
“This is nothing to do with any policy. This is some rant about some alleged union I worked for or something, I don’t know what it is. An attempted personal character assassination which has nothing to do with the question that was asked.”
Mr Wallace directed Mr Frydenberg to remain relevant, then let him finish.
Tempers flared again during a subsequent Frydenberg answer, as the Treasurer accused Mr Albanese of supporting a bunch of tax increases.
“You are just lying,” Mr Burke protested.
“The Treasurer has now gone to completely inventing things that are not true.”
I’ll skip a bit of the procedural debate on that one, but eventually an exasperated Mr Albanese invoked today’s earlier apology to victims of sexual harassment and assault, suggesting the “dignity” of parliament was under threat.
“If it is in order for a question in Question Time to just ask for a general spray, where it is in order for people to say anything at all, then what will occur in this chamber in terms of the dignity of the House is not one which will bring this House’s standing up, but will reduce it further,” he argued.
“Earlier today we had a debate in this House where we spoke about the need to lift standards. And this sort of stuff will just drag it down.”
I would never dream of suggesting the House is lacking in dignity, of course, but I’d note that none of the nonsense described above - from either side of politics - is at all unusual.
Question Time crankiness
Question Time started a little late today as Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese both spent a fair chunk of time praising the Queen, who just celebrated her platinum jubilee.
Eventually, Mr Albanese kicked things off by asking about Covid deaths in aged care.
“Since the beginning of the year, at least 622 aged care residents have died of Covid, more than double the number of deaths in the whole of last year. It is only February 8. Will the Prime Minister admit responsibility for this crisis?” he asked.
“The pandemic takes a heavy toll in this country, as it has over the course of this pandemic,” Mr Morrison responded.
“It has been an incredibly tough time for those who have been working in (aged care) facilities, with the onset, and it has been incredibly tough for those families who had to say goodbye to loved ones.
“At every moment in this pandemic we have sought to provide every single support we possibly can.”
The second question was a nice soft Dorothy Dixer - bet you didn’t miss them over the summer break. More interesting than either the question or the answer was a minor blow-up over one of the many shouted insults flying across the chamber.
“Whoever made that unparliamentary comment - I didn’t see who it was - I would ask them to withdraw it,” Speaker Andrew Wallace said.
Labor MP Tim Watts spoke up.
“I believe you are referring to me, but I said the Prime Minister is a fraud, and I do not believe that is unparliamentary,” he said.
“It is, and I ask you to withdraw it,” said Mr Wallace.
Mr Watts did indeed withdraw.
Exclusive photos of Brittany Higgins and co
These exclusive photos show Brittany Higgins, Josie Coles, Chelsey Potter, Chantal Contos and Rachelle Miller, all of whom were in the chamber to witness parliament’s formal apology to alleged victims of sexual harassment, assault and bullying.
They were able to be there after a last-minute intervention from independent MP Zali Steggall.
- Samantha Maiden
Brittany Higgins leaves chamber in tears
Six women, including former Liberal staffers Brittany Higgins and Rachelle Miller, were last-minute invitees to witness the apology from the public gallery.
Ms Higgins left the chamber in tears before all the speeches were finished (after Scott Morrison we heard from Anthony Albanese, Barnaby Joyce, Adam Bandt and Zali Steggall, among others).
Ms Miller also left early. She was seen wiping her eyes as Mr Morrison spoke.
As we mentioned earlier, Mr Morrison apologised directly to Ms Higgins during his speech.
“I am sorry. We are sorry. I am sorry to Ms Higgins for the terrible things that took place here. And the place that should have been a place for safety and contribution, turned out to be a nightmare,” he said.
Protesters make it inside parliament
The Guardian’s Josh Butler reports United Australia Party MP Craig Kelly has signed a few of the anti-vaccine mandate protesters into Parliament House.
He says a significant contingent of security officers is following the group as it roams through the halls.
We have some photos of Mr Kelly meeting the protesters outside and escorting them in.
‘Last-minute stunt’: Grace Tame dismisses apology
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame, who has made her displeasure with Scott Morrison known on multiple occasions, posted this during the speeches in parliament.
How about some proactive, preventative measures and not just these performative, last-minute bandaid electioneering stunts?
— Grace Tame (@TamePunk) February 8, 2022
‘I am sorry’: PM’s landmark apology
Just after midday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison rose to deliver a formal apology to the alleged victims of sexual harassment, assault and bullying in parliament.
“I rise to recognise all of those who are why we are here today making this acknowledgment. I particularly want to acknowledge Ms Brittany Higgins, whose experience, and more importantly courage, is the reason we are all here today. And I want to thank her for that,” Mr Morrison said.
“I also want to recognise all of those who have contributed to the Jenkins review. Some 1700 individuals contributed.
“This review speaks of a long-standing culture, generations of culture in this place and in the building before it, of bullying and harassment. A power imbalance, over that time, that has been exploited. And that exploitation, abuse and harassment has played itself out through terrible, traumatic and harrowing experiences.”
Mr Morrison said members of parliament understood “the power of an apology” to “bring healing and bring change”, alluding to former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s apology to Indigenous Australians.
“I am proud that this is a chamber in which we have done this on so many occasions,” the Prime Minister said.
“I am sorry. We are sorry. I am sorry to Ms Higgins for the terrible things that took place here. And the place that should have been a place for safety and contribution, turned out to be a nightmare.
“I am sorry for far more than that. All of those who came before Ms Higgins.
“We are sorry for all of these things, and in doing so, each of us take an accountability for change. For those of us who have perpetuated the bullying and violence, the light will come to those behaviours. As it must.
“But it will follow and respect the rule of law in this country. It will proceed on the basis of fairness and justice. It will be done in the proper way. Justice should come, and it should always be delivered under the rule of law.”
He stressed that sorry was “only the start”, saying he was “determined that we deliver the outcomes of the Jenkins review”. He said parliament was “working together towards implementation” of the review’s 28 recommendations.
“That is our promise to those who are here today, and those watching across Australia,” Mr Morrison said.
“We are working to change this place for the better, together.
“I want this building to be a place where young Australians, and young women in particular, can follow their dreams and live out their beliefs and not have them crushed by brutality and the misuse of power. That’s what I’m dedicated to.
“This work will take many years. It will be ongoing. But we must not backslide. We owe it to all of those who work in this building. We owe it to all of those who strive to work in this building in the future. We owe it to the Australian people, who we all have the good grace and a great privilege to serve.”
Before Mr Morrison spoke, Speaker of the House Andrew Wallace delivered a formal statement to the same effect.
“We acknowledge the unacceptable history of workplace bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces,” Mr Wallace said.
“This issue is of the greatest importance, and the responsibility of all people who work in this place.
“We say sorry.
“Every workplace should be safe and respectful. This place and its members are committed to bringing about lasting and meaningful change to both culture and practise. We have failed to provide this in the past.
“We will aspire, as we should, to set an example for our nation.”
The statement acknowledged and thanked those who came forward to share their experiences, as well as those who did not wish to come forward.
“Your experiences have had profound impacts on your lives. We have heard you and accept your calls for change,” said the Speaker.
“For far too many, it has not been safe or respectful.
“Cultural change has to come from the top. It has to be role modelled and championed by all of us.”
Scott Morrison to apologise to alleged victims
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will say sorry to women and men who allege they were sexually harassed, assaulted and bullied at Parliament House in a landmark address a short time from now.
Until now, the government has described the event as “an acknowledgement” of past wrongs, sparking complaints he was refusing to use the word sorry.
However, news.com.au has confirmed that he will now apologise in a speech, which is scheduled to happen around midday.
Ahead of the event, former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins has arrived at Parliament House and will be in the public chamber to listen to the address.
It’s understood that Chantal Contos, who led the charge for better sexual consent education for teenagers, is also a last-minute invitee.
Just after 11.30am, a small group of former Liberal staffers who have fought for change were ushered into the building with Ms Higgins, through the House of Representatives entrance.
The group included Rachelle Miller, who accused her former boss Education Minister Alan Tudge of bullying her during an extramarital affair while she was his press secretary. Mr Tudge denies the allegations.
Josie Coles, another former staffer who also supported Ms Miller during her press conference last year, is also in attendance.
Liberal staffer Chelsey Potter, who was among the first women to speak out, is also there.
All of the women were not invited to the event but have arrived after arrangements were made by independent MP Zali Steggall to ensure they could gain entry.
- Samantha Maiden
Thorpe speaks out against discrimination bill
Olympian Ian Thorpe held a media conference shortly before midday, speaking on behalf of Equality Australia, to express oppposition to the government’s religious discrimination bill (the one Scott Morrison is so keen to pass).
Mr Thorpe believes the legislation would “privilege the rights of one group over another”. He told reporters it would lead to “state-sanctioned discrimination”.
“I look at Dylan Alcott at the moment, and he’s Australian of the Year, and the discrimination he may face - (the idea) that his disability is caused by the devil - is something that I don’t want to see in this country,” Mr Thorpe said.
“(Or) to see people being refused service at a restaurant because of what they believe in.
“With this bill, we want to see it disappear. It has no friends in parliament.
“It is something we would prefer to see squashed and get rid of it.
“What this is, is it becomes state-sanctioned discrimination.”
Mr Thorpe also issued a written statement earlier.
“I was brought up in a Christian home and believe that people of faith should be able to live according to their beliefs and be protected from discrimination,” he stressed.
“But this bill goes further, allowing discrimination against not just LGBTIQ+ people, but women, people with disability and other people of faith.
“The parliament must come together to oppose this bill, and the government must go back to the drawing board to deliver laws that protect all of us, equally.”
‘Not all peaceful’: Protest warning
While all the nerdy stuff is happening inside Parliament House today, we expect protesters to once again gather outside the building.
Those protesters are a mix of people but, broadly speaking, they’re upset about Covid vaccine mandates. Things could get rowdy, and according to Labor Senator Kristina Keneally, there is a genuine threat of violence.
“Not all the people who are here to protest are here to protest peacefully,” Ms Keneally told reporters this morning.
“There are individuals here who have expressed support for doing physical harm - indeed (the) execution of parliamentary representatives, judges and the like.”
That echoes the assessment of ACT Legislative Assembly member Mark Parton, a Liberal, who spoke to the ABC yesterday about his conversations with the protesters.
“I found it very difficult to have a coherent discussion with any of them because they genuinely believe that all elected members of parliament will be arrested for treason,” Mr Parton said.
“Some of them genuinely believe that there will be a public execution.”
(There is not going to be a public execution.)
The Australian Federal Police say they are prepared to deal with a mass protest.
“We hope that everybody participates in a lawful and calm protest. We are the nation’s capital, and we expect that people will do that and will not tolerate unlawful activity,” the AFP’s Commander of Operations Linda Champion said, according to The Canberra Times.
She said today would likely be the “peak” of the protests.
Speaking to News Breakfast earlier, Nationals MP David Littleproud made the point that the protesters’ repeated gatherings outside federal parliament are somewhat pointless, given the state and territory governments are the ones imposing mandates.
“They are protesting at the wrong place,” he said.
“These mandates that they are jumping up and down (about) have been imposed by state governments. They have the wrong end of the prawn. It is state governments.
“They have got it wrong.”
I’m unsure whether “wrong end of the prawn” is a mistranscription or merely an expression I’m unfamiliar with. Either way it sounds like something Nick Cummins would say.
‘Very important bill’: PM makes his case
Scott Morrison addressed reporters after attending church this morning. He explained why passing a bill to prevent people from being discriminated against on the basis of their religion is such a high priority for him.
“For many Australians, their faith and religion is their culture,” he said.
“When you listen to their stories, they will tell stories over hundreds of years and even longer about how they as a people of faith have survived through some of the worst things you can imagine, in countries around the world.
“They came here to Australia so they could get away from that, and start a new life. So they could have their faith and they could have their belief, and their community, and they would not be discriminated against.
“Before the last election, I said I wanted there to be laws in place that ensured their freedom from that discrimination. That’s what this is about.
“On this day, it’s important that we remember that for so many Australians, it doesn’t matter if you’re Hindu, if you’re Sikh, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or if you have no religious faith at all. We sing Australians “one and free”, and I hope that means something today as we gather together and seek to put in place the opportunity for those who wish to live their religion and live their faith, binding Australia together, not forcing it apart.”
OK, that’s the rhetoric. So what’s the situation with this bill?
The legislation is set to be introduced to parliament today. The first line of resistance to its passage is in Mr Morrison’s own party room.
“As it is, I’m not sure how I can support it,” Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer has said, for example. Several other Liberal MPs, including David Sharma from NSW and Katie Allen from Victoria, have also expressed doubts.
Then there’s Labor, whose leader Anthony Albanese has stressed the need to “support non-discrimination” on the basis of religion “without discriminating against another group”.
On that note, Mr Morrison intends to amend the legislation to prevent children from being expelled from school because of their sexuality.
This morning a reporter asked Mr Morrison whether he was confident the bill would pass.
“I’m confident that this is a very important bill, and I stand by it 100 per cent,” the Prime Minister said.
That’s not a yes.
Alleged victims belatedly invited to apology
Speaking to ABC radio this morning, former Liberal staffer Rachelle Miller confirmed she and other alleged victims of sexual harassment, bullying and assault have now been invited to the formal apology that’s happening in parliament at midday.
Education Minister Alan Tudge has admitted he conducted an extramarital affair with Ms Miller, which he “deeply regrets”. He strenuously denies allegations that he bullied her.
“I’ve had days where I’ve driven past and just burst into tears,” she said.
“The impact is significant on me. But I’m speaking on behalf of a lot of people who for whatever reasons, valid reasons, are not speaking out about their experiences.”
‘He’s a bizarre guy’: Dutton hits out
As you know, former Labor foreign minister and NSW premier Bob Carr claimed Peter Dutton was the unnamed minister who called the Prime Minister a “complete psycho” in leaked texts to Gladys Berejiklian.
(Those are different leaked texts to the ones in which Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce called Mr Morrison a “hypocrite” and a “liar”.)
Mr Dutton has flatly denied Mr Carr’s accusation, and during an appearance on Today this morning he went a little further.
“Bob Carr has doubled down on his claims that you were the minister behind the leak. He’s doubled down. Was it you?” host Karl Stefanovic asked.
“It was not me,” said Mr Dutton.
“I mean, every family’s got this crazy uncle that wakes up from the rocking chair and sort of, in a startled way, shouts out something. And I just don’t know what is going on with Bob Carr. Is he the full quid or not? He’s a bizarre guy.
“He hasn’t produced any evidence. He’s now saying that if it’s not me, then the person needs to come forward to prove my innocence. I just find it bizarre. I just find it bizarre.
“But anyway, I think he has discredited himself. He hasn’t produced any evidence, and you can’t just make a claim and then back away from it. But that’s what he’s done.
“I think it’s embarrassing for him and I think most journalists, frankly, have treated him as a bit of a joke. And this sort of relevance deprivation syndrome cuts in for a lot of former politicians.”
Them’s fighting words.
Stefanovic asked whether Mr Dutton would take legal action against Mr Carr.
“Look, in the end, I just don’t want to give him publicity. I have asked him to take it down. He hasn’t yet taken the post down. That’s a decision he’s making and then I will make a decision after that,” he replied.
“He’s made a claim which is clearly defamatory, and now he needs to produce the evidence, which he can’t of course. Because I never sent that text, and it’s a farce.”
"He's a bizarre guy."
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) February 7, 2022
Defence Minister Peter Dutton comments on the PM texting saga as well as Bob Carr's claims this morning, rejecting the former NSW premier's accusations. #9Todaypic.twitter.com/iY6FsWW1NF
Is a federal ICAC happening or not?
There is a degree of confusion over the government’s intentions regarding the creation of a federal integrity commission. Yesterday, after Michaelia Cash told The Australian Financial Review there wouldn’t be time to pass legislation before the election, the Prime Minister suggested it was still possible.
“The term is not completed yet,” Mr Morrison said.
The context here is that Mr Morrison promised to establish a federal anti-corruption commission this term. He made that promise in December of 2018. Now, here we are in February of 2022, and according to Ms Cash time is running out.
Related point: the Senate is only sitting for three days this week, then for two days in March, before the election in May. Is that enough time to introduce legislation and convince Labor or the crossbench to help pass it, given everything else that’s going on? Unlikely.
Anyway Trade Minister Dan Tehan was grilled about this on News Breakfast.
“I want to ask you about the anti-corruption body. It appears draft legislation is not going to see the light of day under this government. Given it was an election promise, what should voters make of any election promises this government delivers over the next couple of months?” asked host Lisa Millar.
“Well, obviously, when it comes to the integrity commission, we have put legislation forward,” Mr Tehan said.
“You haven’t put it to the parliament. You have draft legislation. You haven’t put it to the parliament,” said Millar.
“What we want to do is work through and make sure we can do this in a bipartisan way,” he said.
“I’m not sure blaming the opposition cuts through with voters to be honest,” she said.
“I’m not blaming the opposition. All I’m saying is we want to work through this in a bipartisan way,” he said.
“You’re the government. You can put legislation to the parliament,” she said.
“We have drafted the legislation and now we’re trying to convince the parliament,” he said.
And so forth.
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