Ministers out of action: IR, defence stall

Linda Reynolds’ extended sick leave risks further stalling key decisions, forcing Foreign Minister Marise Payne to take charge.

Linda Reynolds’ office ­revealed on Sunday she had been issued with a new doctor’s certificate extending her leave until April 2. Picture: Getty Images

Linda Reynolds’ extended sick leave risks further stalling key government defence decisions, forcing Foreign Minister Marise Payne to take charge of the troubled $90bn submarine program and the ADF’s response to the Brereton’s war crimes report.

The Defence Minister’s ­announcement on Sunday that she would take another month off work — avoiding the next parliamentary sitting week and scrutiny by Senate estimates – set off crisis plans to brief the acting minister, Senator Payne, on key priorities in the portfolio.

The extension of Senator Reynolds’ leave as she adjusts to new heart medication has ­increased expectations in some sections of the government that she may not return to the frontbench, threatening further disruption within the portfolio.

Amid expectations the government will not proceed with ­industrial relations reforms next week due to the absence of another minister, Christian Porter, the government has been warned against allowing small businesses to become “collateral damage” from the controversy surrounding the Attorney-General.

Christian Porter. Picture: AFP

Sources close to Mr Porter, who is taking is taking leave after identifying himself as the cabinet minister accused of a historical rape, said it was too early to predict whether he would remain as Attorney-General.

Rejecting “opportunistic” ­attempts to use Mr Porter’s ­absence on mental health leave to get a vote on the workplace changes delayed until at least May, business groups said it was critical that the bill became law before JobKeeper was wound up at the end of March.

Defence industry sources warned Senator Reynolds’ ­absence could further delay the signing of a new contract with French submarine-builder Naval Group, which has committed to 60 per cent Australian content in the boats but is yet to sign its new contract. The Defence Department response to the Brereton ­inquiry is also at a delicate stage, requiring ministerial oversight of key decisions on senior officer ­accountability and whether to strip meritorious unit citations and medals.

Senator Reynolds’ office ­revealed on Sunday she had been issued with a new doctor’s certificate extending her leave until April 2, leaving Senator Payne to face an expected barrage of Defence-related questions in an upcoming Senate estimates hearing.

The certificate was issued by her cardiologist on March 3, before The Australian revealed she had called former adviser Brittany Higgins a “lying cow” in her office. Senator Reynolds’ office will brief Senator Payne’s staff this week on the most pressing issues she will have to deal with in the portfolio while she also manages her own workload. Both offices insisted decisions would be made as necessary.

Marise Payne.

But independent senator Rex Patrick said Senator Payne ­already had a significant workload, making delays inevitable. “Triage will be happening. Backlogs will be forming. That’s not good for either portfolio,” he said.

Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally said Senator Reynolds’ position was now “untenable”, while opposition defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor said the government could not be allowed to evade accountability on floundering defence procurements during the minister’s absence.

“We expect the Acting ­Defence Minister Marise Payne must be accessible and co-operative with the Senate, especially during the upcoming Senate estimates session,” he said.

“There are serious questions that are unanswered about a range of Defence issues, including the mishandled $90bn submarine program.”

Naval Group global CEO Pierre-Eric Pommellet recently left Australia after failing to meet Senator Reynolds, who was admitted to hospital with heart problems on the day of their scheduled talks. Mr Pommellet told The Australian an in-principle agreement had been reached. But the deal is still being reviewed by lawyers and is yet to receive ministerial sign-off.

A senior defence industry source said it helped that Senator Payne was a former defence minister, “but she is not fully on top of the current issues”.

The source said there was little support within domestic defence companies for Senator Reynolds to remain in her job, saying the portfolio needed “a strong and decisive minister at this crucial juncture”. “Without a strong, ­focused minister we risk public servants making decisions in isolation of the government’s ­requirements,” the source said.

With the government needing three of five crossbench votes to pass its industrial relations bill, Senator Patrick and fellow independent Jacqui Lambie want the government to delay bringing it on until May.

A third crossbencher, Stirling Griff, said there was “no way” the bill would pass in its current form and he suspected the government would not bring it one for a vote in March. One Nation, which has two votes, supports the Senate dealing with the bill next week.

A spokesman for Michaelia Cash, who is Acting Attorney-General and Industrial Relations Minister in Mr Porter’s absence, denied a decision had been made to delay the bill until the budget session. However, given the position of the three crossbenchers, the government might be left with no ­option but to hold off a vote on the bill. “The government remains committed to passage of the bill at the earliest opportunity,” the spokesman said.

Kristina Keneally on Sunday. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s industrial relations director, Scott Barklamb, said the industrial relations changes were “too urgent to be allowed to be caught up in the Attorney-General taking leave”.

“With JobKeeper ending in a matter of weeks, small business owners still struggling with restrictions and reduced trade cannot be the collateral damage of politicians being focused elsewhere,” he said.

Mr Barklamb said crossbenchers should sit down with Senator Cash, “roll up their sleeves, and look constructively at the changes based on facts, not fear mongering and opportunism, and get this done”.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said “opportunistic calls to delay a vote on the IR omnibus bill need to be rejected”.

While Mr Porter chaired working groups of industry and union representatives and oversaw the drafting process, the bill had been drafted, passed by the House of Representatives and subject to a Senate inquiry due to report on Friday, he said.

“There is no reason at all why the bill should be delayed,” he said. “The bill is too important for our economy, workplaces and jobs.”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: ROSIE LEWIS