Politics Live: June 15, 2015

The house is debating changes to the pharmaceutical benefits scheme and the Senate has just begun debating the RET (see 4.59pm post).

It's about time we headed home to read the Magna Carta in its original Latin.

But before that, what did we learn today?

• Scott Morrison has no problem juggling his former portfolio with his current one;
• Everyone in the government has become a massive fan of the "no comment" comment when it comes to everything related to boats and asylum seekers and paying people smugglers;
• The budget poll bounce was not as bouncy as everyone first thought; and
• Never assume anything. George Brandis doesn't necessarily read poetry in his spare time (see: 12.25pm post).

Many thanks from Andrew Meares and I for tuning in and for commenting.

As they would have said in Runnymede, gratias vobis ago.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten pass after a divison during question time.Credit: Andrew Meares

Many thanks to the 593 of you who participated in today's poll.

In 800 years' time, what are we most likely to be celebrating?

Of the limited options available to you, there was one clear winner:

Same-sex marriage, with 60 per cent.

This was followed by the fact you can still by a house in Sydney (17 per cent); the abolition of wind turbines (10 per cent); Australia's asylum seeker boat-free waters (8 per cent); and the economic benefit of the small business tax break (5 per cent).

What will Bruce Billson have to say about this ...?

But now, renewable energy.

For those of you who aren't planning to tune into Q&A's Magna Carta show, live from Parliament House, you may be interested in Lisa Cox's latest on the RET.

Debate over legislation to scale back Australia's renewable energy target will resume in the Senate tonight after Prime Minister Tony Abbott's comments last week that the deal will the number of wind turbines that will be built in Australia.

The government and Labor reached a deal last month to reduce the target from 41,000 gigawatt hours of annual renewable energy production by 2020 to 33,000 gigawatt hours.

But there are some sticking points, with Labor not agreeing with a government proposal to allow native timber burning to be included in the scheme.

It is unclear whether a vote will take place on Monday night but when it does the legislation is expected to pass.

... For cake cutting, naturally.

Madam Speaker Bronwyn Bishop and Senate President Senator Stephen Parry cut the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta cake.Credit: Andrew Meares

With the Attorney-General on hand to take snaps.

Attorney-General Senator George Brandis takes a photo of Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson.Credit: Andrew Meares

Preferably behind a roped off area.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, Madam Speaker Bronwyn Bishop and Senate President Senator Stephen Parry pose with students from Boggabri.Credit: Andrew Meares

To mark somebody's 800th birthday, we'd like to present a special Photos Without Notice today.

Plibersek's comments come amid a warning from Coalition same-sex marriage supporter Warren Entsch.

He has hit back at reports that some of his colleagues are advocating the debate is delayed or put off.

"I think they'll be more uncomfortable if it comes up next year [during an election year], because it'll come up again and it'll come up again and it'll come up again ...until it goes to the vote."

Latika Bourke has the tale here.

Labor's deputy leader Tanya Plibersek has just been on Sky News talking same-sex marriage.

She was pressed on whether she would be keeping up her campaign to have a binding vote for Labor MPs at the party's upcoming national conference.

But she was keener to dwell on the fact that Bill Shorten has a bill that has been introduced into the House.

She said that things had progressed on the issue "further" than she had anticipated by this point.

Earlier today, we talked about the Senate and its debate on the payment scheme for intellectually disabled workers (see: 1.04 pm post).

Dan Harrison writes that the bill passed the Senate this afternoon with the support of Nick Xenophon, Bob Day, David Leyonhjelm, John Madigan, Ricky Muir and Zhenya Wang.

What this means is that:

Intellectually disabled workers who were paid as little as $1 an hour will have to waive their right to make discrimination claims if they accept a government payment equivalent to 50 per cent of what they are owed.

Read on here.