Cormann calls Abbot inconsistent, as Turnbull spruiks first 12 months of latest term
FRONTBENCHER Mathias Cormann has called Tony Abbott inconsistent as Prime Minister Turnbull takes to social media to mark 12 months since the last election.
SENIORLiberal frontbencher Mathias Cormann says Tony Abbott’s alternative conservative agenda is advocating for things that aren’t consistent with what he did when he was prime minister.
“If the proposition is the government now is supposedly more left wing than he would like, that would have applied equally to his government at the time,” Senator Cormann told Sky News on Sunday.
“I don’t think these are useful observations.” His comments came after a week of in-fighting within the Liberal party leading into the first anniversary of last year’s narrow federal election win. Mr Abbott made several media appearances and speeches last week, airing his alternative views on budget spending, immigration, education, climate change and national security.
Senator Cormann said there was nothing wrong with discussing policy but there were party room processes where people could air their views if they varied from what the government was putting forward.
“That is the way the process works,” he said.
.@MathiasCormann says he doesn't accept there's been too much of a drift to the left by the Turnbull government. https://t.co/KIhnOKJsSh pic.twitter.com/1AIP24YgWC
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) July 1, 2017
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Saturday took a swipe at Mr Abbott, who he rolled for the Liberal leadership in 2015.
He used an opinion piece in News Corp mastheads to outline his government’s achievements since last year’s election.
“They’re not theories, or thought bubbles, or glib one liners,” he wrote in a column for News Corp.
TURNBULL SPRUIKS ‘RESULTS’
A special message from the Prime Minister one year on from the election. pic.twitter.com/vg6UoqPqvx
— The PMO (@thepmo) July 1, 2017
Meanwhile, the PM has taken to social media to mark 12 months since he narrowly won the federal election, outlining his government’s achievements ranging from education to national security.
“My government has achieved real results, strong outcomes, not just headlines and press statements but new laws, stronger policies, providing opportunity and security for all Australians,” the prime minister says.
He says he is not interested in politics and personalities but 24 million Australians.
It has been a year since the election. Here are just some of things we have been doing to create more opportunities for you and your family pic.twitter.com/pRvOqQiKax
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) July 1, 2017
The anniversary of the 2016 election which returned the Turnbull government to power with just a one-seat majority follows a tense week in the Liberal party. It was marked by rising tensions spurred on by former prime minister Tony Abbott.
Mr Turnbull has told News Corp he has no plans to retire, but would not hesitate to walk away if he lost the top job.
“When I cease to be prime minister, I will cease to be a member of parliament,” he said.
“I am not giving anyone else advice but I just think that’s what I would do.”
But there’s been more to the year than Turnbull admits.
WINS AND LOSSES ONE YEAR SINCE THE ELECTION
* The coalition scrapes back into power with a one-seat majority with 50.4 per cent of the two-party vote.
* Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announces royal commission into the Northern Territory’s youth detention system after revelations of abuse.
AUGUST
* The coalition concedes defeat in the Queensland seat of Herbert confirming its one-seat majority.
* An angry Turnbull suggests heads will roll after ordering a review into how cyber attacks disrupted the 2016 Census.
SEPTEMBER
* Government suffers an embarrassing defeat after MPs leave parliament early, losing control of the lower house and a series of votes following a Labor stunt.
NOVEMBER
* Government grilled over who knew what and when, amid revelations former crossbench senator Bob Day breached the constitution in a financial agreement with the commonwealth.
* Proposed same-sex marriage plebiscite is defeated in the Senate.
* Government faces allegations it made a deal with the Western Australian government to run dead on a High Court case in a move that would have dudded taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
* Government finally restores the building industry watchdog, passing the two bills it used to trigger the July 2 double-dissolution election.
DECEMBER
* Government finally passes its controversial backpacker tax, following an eleventh-hour compromise deal with the Greens, ending 18 months of uncertainty.
We'll keep fighting, + in the first 100 days of a Shorten Labor government we will reverse Malcolm Turnbull's cuts to weekend penalty rates. pic.twitter.com/n1pUnKmftx
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) July 2, 2017
JANUARY 2017
* Turnbull forced to reshuffle his cabinet after an expenses scandal forces the resignation of health minister Sussan Ley.
FEBRUARY
* PM forced to hose down reports he was berated by Donald Trump over a refugee swap deal.
* Outspoken coalition backbencher Cory Bernardi quits the Liberals to start his own Australian Conservatives Party, angering the government.
* Parliament votes to scrap the life gold travel pass for retired federal MPs and to establish an expenses watchdog to hold politicians to account in the wake of the Ley scandal.
MARCH
* Major overhaul of the child care system clears parliament with crossbench support.
* Controversial changes to race-hate speech laws are killed off in the Senate.
* Turnbull gets a partial win on his centrepiece economic policy, securing a tax cut to businesses with turnovers under $50 million after failing to get the Senate on board for a $50 billion plan to cut taxes for all businesses.
APRIL
* The 457 visa program for skilled migrants abolished.
* Turnbull unveils plans to make it harder to become an Australian citizen.
MAY
* Treasurer Scott Morrison hands down his second budget, announcing a gradual thaw of the Medicare rebate freeze that almost cost Turnbull the election.
JUNE
* Australian government debt hits half a trillion dollars for the first time.
* New levy to raise $6bn from the nation’s biggest banks clears parliament.
* Turnbull responds to Chief Scientist Alan Finkel’s review of the energy market with new rules to restrict gas exports and a plan to scrap a process that allows power companies to hike prices.
* Major school funding overhaul, aka Gonski 2.0, clears parliament with crossbench support.
* Newspoll shows that while Turnbull maintains lead over Opposition Leader Bill Shorten as preferred PM, support for the coalition has dropped more than three percentage points since the election.
‘ROGUE’ GREENS SENATOR SPEAKS OUT
Greens senator Lee Rhiannon has hit out at Richard Di Natale, saying she wants members to have a say in who leads the federal party.
Her remarks follows a decision by the party room to exclude her from discussion on contentious legislation after a rift emerged over her campaigning on schools funding.
“I have been disappointed in Richard’s leadership but you need to lead for everybody and it is not just me locked out of the party room, the Greens New South Wales members no longer have a voice in the party room,” she told ABC TV.
►@leerhiannon: Capitalism isn’t working and things need to change. #Insiders #auspol pic.twitter.com/ODVBYQRJXq
— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) July 1, 2017
“Isn’t it time to make the party more democratic for members so they can have a vote for the leader?”
Senator Rhiannon, who was accused of undermining a potential deal with the government on the so-called Gonski 2.0 policy, continues to insist she did nothing wrong.
WITHOUT A PRAYER
Senator Rhiannon says she will be moving to stop federal parliament opening every day with the Lord’s Prayer.
The push follows figures from last year’s census showing nearly one third of Australians identify with no religion.
►@leerhiannon: It's insulting the way parliament is opened, it’s just the Lord's Prayer for one section of Christianity. #Insiders #auspol pic.twitter.com/2pDHCEhZym
— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) July 2, 2017
Senator Rhiannon, who raised the issue in the NSW parliament in 2003, wants a period of reflection instead for MPs to reflect on their responsibilities and will be pursuing the change when parliament resumes from the winter break.
“It is actually insulting the way parliament is opened,” she told ABC TV.
“Considering there’s many people who aren’t religious, there’s many people of different faiths, it is time we started having an institution that is relevant to the twenty-first century.”
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