I'm going to duck off early so time for a recap.
What happened today?
- Education Minister Christopher Pyne backed down on his plan to cut funding scientific research funding unless the government's higher education legislation was passed by Parliament;
- Mr Pyne agreed to extend the funding until the middle of next year and is pursuing his deregulation legislation separately;
- the deregulation legislation still looks unlikely to gain enough support to pass;
- the opposition pursued the government about the sacking of the head of the Agriculture Department, Paul Grimes; and
- the government announced it would ban dredging on the Great Barrier Reef.