PoliticsNow: Dave Sharma warns of waning US power, Malcolm Turnbull offers congratulations
The deposed PM went missing during Dave Sharma’s first shot at Wentworth, but has weighed in on his maiden speech.
Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s blog on the happenings at Parliament House in Canberra.
Sharma queries US power
A new Liberal MP has questioned if the US will remain as the dominant global power in the foreseeable future, AAP reports.
Wentworth MP Dave Sharma used his first speech to parliament to discuss the shift of power across the globe, drawing on his career as a high-ranking diplomat.
“In East Asia in particular, we see challenges to US supremacy,” he said on Wednesday.
“Of equal concern is the risk of a diminished US appetite for global leadership, of a United States that is less willing to underwrite the foundations of the current global system, and more inclined to cherry-pick it, focusing more narrowly on its own national interests.
“This is a legitimate choice for the American people and their government to make. It nonetheless changes the outlook for Australia considerably.”
The former ambassador to Israel first battled independent Kerryn Phelps for the Sydney seat after Malcolm Turnbull quit parliament in the aftermath of the Liberal leadership battle.
Mr Sharma lost the by-election late last year, but won the seat when he again challenged Dr Phelps in May.
The new Wentworth MP thanked Mr Turnbull for serving the community with “passion and distinction”.
Mr Turnbull returned the praise, congratulating Mr Sharma on his speech.
“A very eloquent start to your parliamentary career! Good luck!” the former prime minister tweeted.
Great speech @DaveSharma a very eloquent start to your parliamentary career! Good luck!
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) July 24, 2019
Mr Sharma says Australia must be more active in external affairs. The new MP also used his first speech to call for four-year parliamentary terms, although he admitted it would be a hard change to implement.
“Constitutional change would be required to effect this, and I do not underestimate the difficulty involved in doing this,” he said. “But as part of a broader set of constitutional reforms, I believe it is worth considering.”
He also hopes the government can improve the female participation rate in the workforce, which is about 10 per cent lower than men.
“Halving this gap between male and female workforce participation would be one of the most impactful and meaningful economic reforms we could pursue,” he said.
The father-of-three thanked the Australian-Indian community for accepting him despite his “poor command of Hindi and below-average cricket ability”.
“(The community) have made such an enriching contribution to our national fabric,” he said.
— AAP
Richard Ferguson 4.00pm: Libs pressure Albo over unions bill
The Liberals have launched a social media campaign pressuring Labor to back a number of union busting bills parliament is set to vote on tomorrow, depicting Anthony Albanese in the CFMEU’s pocket.
Attorney-General Christian Porter has sent an email to Liberal supporters asking them to sign a petition to Anthony Albanese calling him to back laws which could see rogue unions deregistered.
Supporters are then asked to share the petition on Facebook, along with a photo of Mr Albanese’s head superimposed over a construction union boss’s pocket.
“Law-breaking unions can increase the cost of building hospitals, schools and roads by up to 30%. This cost is worn by all Australians,” Mr Porter writes in the campaign email.
“Currently, officials of unions and employer groups can keep their position even when they repeatedly break the law or commit serious criminal offences.
“Clearly, some unions don’t respect the law. For example, the CFMMEU has racked up 2,000 breaches and over $16 million in penalties.”
The online attacks on Mr Albanese come as he refuses to back the Ensuring Integrity Bill.
Labor spent question time today attacking Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack over infrastructure spending and Energy Minister Angus Taylor over his ties to a family business.
Mr Albanese did not ask any questions today. The tactic follow’s Labor’s decision yesterday not to ask a single question of Scott Morrison.
Richard Ferguson 3.31pm: Accusations levelled
Labor MP Graham Perrett asks Deputy Prime Minister when work will start on removing a level crossing in his electorate.
The Deputy Prime Minister says Mr Perrett will be pleased to know people in his electorate will be getting tax cuts. He then talks about other infrastructure projects.
Speaker Tony Smith holds Mr McCormack to task and tells him he is taking liberties.
The Deputy Prime Minister continues.
“I would be happy to go to the member’s electorate and look at the particular level crossing,” he says.
Richard Ferguson 3.25pm: Now for Nowra
Labor backbencher Fiona Phillips asks Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack why only 10 per cent for safety upgrades to a highway in her electorate will be spent in the next four years.
“You can’t do it all in the first year, you can’t do it all in the second year,” the Deputy Prime Minister says.
“It has to be phased. Have got to have a plan, you have to have vision. I know there is not planning or vision over that side and that is why you were on that side.
“But the member for Gilmore should be very, very pleased that we are getting on with building such a project in the Gilmore electorate, as the Nowra Bridge, $155 million we have allocated, and we will build it, we will.”
Labor backbenchers have spent most of the back end of question time targeting Mr McCormack and the government’s decade-long infrastructure program.
Richard Ferguson 3.18pm: Be pleased for Cessnock
Labor MP Meryl Swanson asks Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack why only 3 per cent of the funding to extend a highway in her electorate will be spent in the next four years.
“It is better than some of the funding that Labor gave to some of the electorates when it was in government,” the Deputy Prime Minister responds.
“The member for Patterson (Ms Swanson) should be absolutely delighted that we are getting on with spending $15 million on the Cessnock Road. She should be very pleased.
“The M1 Pacific Motorway extension (there’s) $1billion allocated to that.”
Richard Ferguson 3.14pm: Champion out
The House votes 80-66 to suspend Nick Champion from parliament for the rest of the day for heckling.
Crossbenchers Rebekah Sharkie, Helen Haines, Zali Steggall and Andrew Wilkie supported the government’s push to boot out Mr Champion.
Richard Ferguson 3.10pm: Heckling suspension
The House of Representatives is now voting on whether Labor MP Nick Champion should be suspended from parliament for the rest of the day for heckling.
Mr Champion is named by Speaker Tony Smith for heckling, but Attorney General Christian Porter moved a motion to suspend him.
Mr Porter has to move the motion twice because he gets Mr Champion’s electorate wrong. Labor MPs are filled with much merriment.
Richard Ferguson 2.59pm: Geelong rail off track?
Labor backbencher Libby Coker asks Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack why the South Geelong rail upgrade will not be commenced till 2024.
“All infrastructure has to be over a phased period. You cannot build it all at once,” Mr McCormack responds.
“When you are spending a record $100 billion on infrastructure, you can’t spend it all in the one year.
“We are getting on with building a better Corangamite and when you look at the investment that we are making, even the member who asked the question, the one double upgrade, over $100 million.”
Ms Coker’s electorate of Corangamite was the centre of multiple election spending promises by Scott Morrison, but was ultimately won by Labor.
Richard Ferguson 2.52pm: A bridge too far?
Labor backbencher Brian Mitchell asks Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack when work will start on Tasmania’s Bridgewater Bridge.
The Deputy Prime Minister says he will fund the local bridge.
“It is quite as simple as that. We are getting on with the job. We are working with
the Tasmanian government, the Hodgman government,” Mr McCormack says.
“The fact is there are issues that the infrastructure Australia has identified with that particular project, there are some unresolved engineering issues, there are some cost factors.
“When we get those issues resolved, and we will, because we are a government that does things, we are a government which builds things, we will get on with that project, just like we will get on with other projects right.”
Richard Ferguson 2.52pm: Guarantee on super
Labor MP for Newcastle Sharon Claydon asks Josh Frydenberg if he will rule out changes to the timetable for increasing the superannuation guarantee to 12 per cent.
The Treasurer answers with one word. “Yes.”
Liberal MPs have been called for the super guarantee increase to be scrapped.
Richard Ferguson 2.50pm: Taylor quizzed again
Labor backbencher Mike Kelly asks Energy Minister Angus Taylor asks why he told parliament yesterday he has no interest in a family company - Jam Land - when ASIC documents show he is a shareholder.
Attorney General Christian Porter says Mr Taylor never said he had no interest.
“He said he had no association, clearly meaning with the departmental investigation. And then he noted that he remained at arm’s length from the company that was the subject of the question,” he said.
Manager of opposition business Tony Burke says Mr Taylor’s quote in hansard stated he had no association with the company, not the investigation.
Speaker Tony Smith calls Energy Minister Angus Taylor.
“My indirect interest in Jam land has been widely reported in the media and was declared in accordance with the rules,” he says.
“I have no association with the compliance action (into Jam Land), I have never made a representation in relation to it.”
Richard Ferguson 2.42pm: Taylor: I followed the rules on disclosures
Manager of opposition business Tony Burke asks Energy Minister Angus Taylor why his association with Jam Land is not in his register of members’ interests.
Mr Taylor says the indirect interest was declared through his family company.
“My indirect interest in Jam Land through my family company has been reported in the media and was declared in accordance with the rules, declared in accordance with the rules through my family company,” he says.
“As I have also said in the previous question, I have no association with the compliance action, that has been the subject of these questions. I have never made a representation, in relation to it. I tell you what I have made representations about, the farmers in my electorate.”
Richard Ferguson 2.38pm: Labor targets Taylor over land interests
Labor backbencher Mike Kelly asks Energy Minister Angus Taylor why he told parliament yesterday he has no interest in a family company - Jam Land - when ASIC documents show he is a shareholder.
Attorney General Christian Porter says Mr Taylor never said he had no interest.
“He said he had no association, clearly meaning with the departmental investigation. And then he noted that he remained at arm’s length from the company that was the subject of the question,” he said.
Manager of opposition business Tony Burke says Mr Taylor’s quote in hansard stated he had no association with the company, not the investigation.
Speaker Tony Smith calls Energy Minister Angus Taylor.
“My indirect interest in Jam land has been widely reported in the media and was declared in accordance with the rules,” he says.
“I have no association with the compliance action (into Jam Land), I have never made a representation in relation to it.”
Richard Ferguson 2.23pm: SteggalI asks: where is northern beaches tunnel?
Independent MP Zali Steggall asks Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack what has happened to a $50m commitment for the beaches link tunnel in her seat of Warringah.
She notes her predecessor, Tony Abbott, promised the money when he was the MP.
“I look forward to working with the member for Warringah to making sure that we develop infrastructure in her electorate as we do for all electorates.
“We want to make sure that we’ve got the infrastructure that meets the needs of Australians, they live in urban areas or whether they live in rural areas.”
It is Ms Steggall’s first question since she defeated Mr Abbott in May.
Richard Ferguson 2.20pm: What happened to the banking royal commission?
Labor MP for Kingsford-Smith Matt Thistlethwaite asks Attorney General Christian Porter what bills are before parliament which implement the banking royal commission.
The Attorney General says the question should be referred to the minister responsible for banking, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
“I can confirm to the House that this parliament has passed legislation implementing the Royal Commission’s recommendations, including recommendation 3.6, to prohibit super funds from inducing employees, and introducing civil penalties for trustees and directors of super funds,” he says.
“We have also passed regulations which extend the remit in terms of dealing with financial complaints, back to January 1, 2008.
“We have exposure draft legislation to end grandfathered commissions for financial advisors and after that consultation it will make its way to the Parliament and we’ll expect those opposite will support our legislation.”
This is the third time a Labor backbencher has asked a question today.
Richard Ferguson 2.12pm Govt has zero tolerance for wage theft: Porter
Labor MP Peter Khalil asks Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter how many people have contacted the Fair Work Ombudsman and made no contact with the employer.
The Attorney-General says he does not know and will get the information for Mr Khalil.
“I am aware our Government has a zero tolerance for this sort of behaviour, whether that is underpayment or wage theft,” he says,
“The difficulty is, Mr Speaker, the difficulty is that they seem over there to have a very low tolerance for underpayment but they’ve got a monstrously high tolerance when it’s
workers’ money being diverted from workers to unions.
“That’s when their tolerance levels seem to get out of whack.”
Mr Khalil’s Melbourne electorate of Wills is home to controversial Masterchef judge George Calombaris’s eateries - Helenic Republic. Mr Colombaris was fined this week for underpaying staff by $7.8 million.
Richard Ferguson 2.08pm: Albo seizes on Colombaris wage furore
Anthony Albanese interrupts Scott Morrison’s answer on wage theft and suggests there are other issues than the unions when it comes to workers’ entitlements.
“It went to an issue which is of great concern in the community - the rip-off of people who are working in restaurants. The PM should address that question,” The Opposition Leader says.
“He might refer to Mr (George) Colombaris’s restaurants. There’s a few issues, MasterChef, people know about it.
“How about you answer the question.”
Richard Ferguson 2.05pm: PM attacks unions over superannuation payments
Labor backbencher Susan Templeman opens up question time and asks Scott Morrison what laws he is making to tackle wage theft in restaurants.
The Prime Minister says the Attorney General is working on laws tackling worker exploitation - including by the union movement.
“Right now the Attorney-General is drafting laws to deal with criminalising worker exploitation,” he says.
“And on top of that, Mr Speaker, there are bills in the Parliament right now that deals with the wage theft that’s occurring in the union movement through workers’ entitlement funds.
“The Leader of the Opposition with a capital O might like to understand this, that the bill that’s in the Parliament at the moment deals with workers’ entitlements, funds paid into workers’ entitlements funds held by unions which ensures that when they
are in a position to have their entitlements paid out - their wages - which doesn’t matter whether you’re working in a restaurant or anywhere else, that the dividends from those funds isn’t paid off to other unions which is the practice of those unions.
“And today we understand they’re only on the side of militant unions.”
Richard Ferguson 12.58pm: Drought fund passes Senate
Scott Morrison’s $5 billion future drought fund has passed the senate with one amendment.
Only the Greens opposed the drought plan, which will devote funds to prepare drought-affected areas for future periods of water shortage.
The final vote in favour of the Future Drought Fund was 44 to 9. The minor party’s leader Richard Di Natale has called the fund a “Nationals slush fund.”
Labor tried to move an amendment criticising the bill’s use of Bulding Australia Fund money but it failed. All of the Greens’ amendments also failed.
Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick succeeded on amending the bill. The Future Drought Fund’s committee will now require a gender and regional balance of members.
Richard Ferguson 12.15pm: New AFP chief named
Australia’s new federal police chief Reece Kershaw says his focus will be on counter-terrorism and organised crime but he will also seek an urgent briefing into the recent Australian Federal Police raids on News Corp and ABC journalists.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton revealed today that Mr Kershaw — the Northern Territory police commissioner since 2015 — will replace outgoing federal police chief Andrew Colvin.
Mr Kershaw said today his major focus would be counter-terrorism and organised crime but he would ask for a briefing into the AFP raids over the leaking of top secret documents.
“What I’ll be asking for when I start in early October is for a briefing and you have an incoming Commissioner’s brief and looking at all those issues,” Mr Kershaw said in Canberra.
“My style is that the Minister’s office will not be informed pre-operation unless it was something of national security. In relation to the media freedoms, I believe our democracy.
“It is about process. And I’ve done this before, where you can ask for a second opinion or a third opinion about the process and get those opinions and then make that decision but it’s got to be informed, with all the facts, or the legalities addressed and so on and that’s my style, I will get as much information as I can to see where it’s at.”
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton praised both Mr Kershaw and Mr Colvin today.
“He has an extremely distinguished policing and public service career. His representatives country and the state and territory with the great respect of those who served under him and I’m very pleased that he has accepted the offer to become the next Commissioner,” Mr Dutton said.
“I want to truly pay tribute to Andrew Colvin was served for 30 years with the Australian Federal Police and has led the organisation with great distinction and capacity and Andrew Colvin is also a relatively young man who will go on to a very distinguished career in the next part of his life as well and we wish AC all the best.”
Reece Kershaw on AFP raids: The minister’s office would not be informed pre-operation unless it was something of national security that required that. I believe in our democracy.
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) July 24, 2019
MORE: https://t.co/ykweMevBOK #amagenda pic.twitter.com/BKUQ1babMJ
Richard Ferguson 11.50am: Steggall channels Thatcher
Independent MP Zali Steggall has evoked the spirit of the late Margaret Thatcher in her maiden speech to parliament, calling on conservatives to lead the fight on climate change.
Richard Ferguson 11.40am: ‘My cancer has returned’
New Labor MP Peta Murphy has pledged to fight the cancer which has returned just weeks after she was sworn into parliament, and used her maiden speech to urge Australians to get cancer checks.
Ms Murphy was one of only three ALP members to defeat Liberal MPs at the last election when she took the Melbourne suburban seat of Dunkley.
But her new life as an MP was hit when it was revealed her breast cancer had returned.
“Two weeks ago, a week after being sworn in as the member for Dunkley, I received the unexpected news that my cancer had returned,” she told the House of Representatives.
“You might say ‘Muprhy’s Law strikes again.’ But my mother Jane, who is a Murphy by marriage and therefore able to adopt a less pessimistic motto, would say - ‘everything happens for a reason.’
“I am neither unique nor alone in the fight I am about to take on.”
Ms Murphy promised to stay in parliament throughout her cancer battle and to use her power as an MP to advocate for others fighting the disease.
“But I am someone who has a platform that I can use to benefit others.
“And as long as the people of Dunkley continue to vote for me to represent them in this place, I intend to use it.
“I am going to start by saying this today. Ladies, check your breasts. Men, don’t ignore what your body is telling you.”
Greg Brown 11.15am: Family home won’t be in pension assets test
Josh Frydenberg has ruled out including the family home in the pension assets test, rebuffing calls from Liberal MP Craig Kelly.
Mr Kelly told the New Daily there should be a debate about including the family home in the assets test for the pension.
The Treasurer came out against changing the assets test for pensioners after Labor leapt on Mr Kelly’s comments.
“Labor’s claim that the pension assets test will be changed to include the value of the family home is a lie. It’s not our policy and never will be,” Mr Frydenberg tweeted.
Opposition Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers also called on the government to rule out delaying increasing the superannuation guarantee increase to 12 per cent, as called for by about a dozen MPs.
“The Liberals wandered around the country during the campaign pretending to care about retirees at the same time they were planning to attack superannuation and the pension,” Dr Chalmers said.
But Dr Chalmers refused to say whether it was a mistake for Labor to go to the election promising to axe cash refunds for franking credits, which would impact the income of retirees.
“All of the policies that we took to the last election are up for review. Obviously we will listen to the message that was sent to us by the electorate,” he said.
“We will take our time. We are not in a rush.”
Richard Ferguson 10.19am: Govt ramps up pressure on Labor
Senior government frontbenchers Peter Dutton and Christian Porter have ramped up pressure on Labor ahead of debates on four major bills today.
Two union-busting laws, temporary exclusion orders for foreign fighters, and Scott Morrison’s Future Drought Fund come up in parliament today.
Mr Dutton said the temporary exclusion orders were crucial to manage returning foreign fighters.
“My job is to act in our national interests and it is in our national interests to manage people’s return,’’ Mr Dutton said. “People can apply for a permit under our legislation to come back to Australia and we can manage their return, but having people turn up, asking for travel documents, hopping on to a plane, is not acceptable given the threat risk that we face.’’
Labor has failed to put an amendment during debate for the Future Drought Fund - which it will ultimately support - essentially saying the bill is not a good piece of legislation.
“At the end of the motion, add:“, but the Senate: (a) condemns the Government for its failure over six years to develop and implement a comprehensive and effective policy to assist rural and regional communities facing severe drought conditions,” the Labor amendment reads.
“(b) notes that the inferior response contained in the bill requires the abolition of the
Building Australia Fund, which could be used to build road, rail, and other vital
infrastructure — including water infrastructure — in these very same rural and
regional communities.”
After the drought debate, the Senate will deal with the Temporary Exclusion Orders bill, which Labor have pledged to vote for even if its amendments fail.
In the House of Representatives this morning, the government will push two industrial relations bills including the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Ensuring Integrity) which Labor opposes.
This bill would give the courts power to deregister rogue unions and rogue union officials.
Richard Ferguson 10.10am: ‘Right to raise fighters bill issues’
Labor’s home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally says she is not trying to delay the government’s foreign fighters bill.
Senator Keneally today accused Scott Morrison of trying to “blow up” the parliament’s joint standing committee on intelligence and security by not adopting all of its recommendations on temporary exclusion orders.
“It’s right that we have a scheme that manages the return of foreign fighters,” she told Sky News.
“The concerns is that Labor has is that it has rejected the recommendations of its own Liberal-dominated committee to improve and amend this legislation.
“The government seems intent here on blowing up the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, and setting a new course for managing national security legislation.
“It’s right to raise these (issues). Not because we want to be partisan, not because we want to block this bill or delay it, but because we want a bill that works.
Richard Ferguson 8.45am: Albo ‘standing in way’ of union law
Attorney General Christian Porter says Anthony Albanese is standing in a way of a law which would deregister rogue union officials at the same time he is trying to expel controversial construction union boss John Setka out of Labor.
“The reality is we have rogue elements of the union movement in Australia who don’t see themselves as subject to the law of the land,” he told Sky News.
“How much is too much in terms of bad behaviour from the union movement?
“Keep in mind Anthony Albanese himself is trying to expel John Setka from the Labor Party because he says John Setka brings the Labor Party into disrepute.
“At the same time wants to vote against a law that would allow for that same question to be asked - is John Setka a fit and proper person to be an official of a registered organisation?”
Richard Ferguson 7.40am: ‘Don’t underestimate Boris’
Former foreign minister Julie Bishop says Boris Johnson will “rise to the occasion” when he becomes Britain’s prime minister later today, and will be good thing for Australia.
“It would be a mistake to underestimate Boris Johnson,” she told the Seven Network.
“I developed a good working relationship with him over many years. I have seen him in action in forms around the world and his would be a huge mistake to underestimate him as many critics do.
“Boris Johnson has a close relationship with Australia for a British Prime Minister. He spent his gap year here, attending Geelong Grammar.
“He knows many Australian politicians and figures well. He gave a marvellous speech at Sydney town Hall in 2017 where he talked about his love and affection for Australia.
“I think we are well- positioned to have an even stronge relationship with Britain.
“Post Brexit there will be an enormous opportunity to increase trade relationships with Britain and logical and strategic ties more generally.”
Richard Ferguson 7.35am: Nuclear power ‘not the answer’
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says he “doesn’t think” nuclear power is the answer to Australia’s energy price woes as Coalition MPs call for an inquiry into the energy source.
“The only thing we have said, let us be clear about it, we want lower electricity prices. We want reliability. We want people to turn lights on and his crazy renewable targets doubling power prices that Labor is proposing,” Mr Dutton told the Seven Network today.
“I don’t believe (nuclear power) it is (the answer) and the government has had a moratorium.
“Bob Hawke was the last leader to advocate - and he did very strongly - for nuclear power.
“The government’s position has been made clear, we are not closed to debates. People can express their views but the government’s perspective is to get prices down and make sure people can turn lights on.”
What’s making news:
Chinese-born Australian MP Gladys Liu has asked chief spy Duncan Lewis whether ASIO could vet anyone requesting her for face-to-face meetings.
More than $65 million in legal fees and fines have been levied against the country’s most militant union over the past 15 years and paid for largely out of workers’ membership dues, according to government analysis.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says nearly 70 boatpeople who tried to travel to Australia in recent months would have ended up on the mainland if Bill Shorten and Labor had won the election.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has pushed back on calls from within his party room to support an increase in Newstart, urging people who are out of work to move to regional towns such as Dubbo, where there are “so many jobs”.
Former assistant housing minister Sarah Henderson is likely to face a close contest for a Victorian Senate vacancy, despite having the public backing of Scott Morrison, Josh Frydenberg and senior Victorian ministers.
New Queensland LNP senator Gerard Rennick told colleagues at a joint party room meeting he felt “uncomfortable” with the post-political career choices of Christopher Pyne and Julie Bishop amid a debate over whether they had breached ministerial standards.
Attorney-General Christian Porter is examining ways for the commonwealth to support costs for sacked academic Peter Ridd in his legal fight against James Cook University, saying the case could change the landscape of academic freedom in Australia.
Energy Minister Angus Taylor is under pressure about a declaration made in parliament that he has no association with and “remained at arm’s length at all times” from a company owned by his family, despite documents showing he is a shareholder of the group.
Labor will attempt to move amendments to the government’s foreign fighters bill in the Senate today in a move that threatens to delay its passage through the parliament.
US ‘on track’ to sell Virginia-class subs to Australia
US Congressman and leading AUKUS supporter Joe Courtney, has played down the prospect of the US backtracking from its commitment to sell Australia nuclear-powered submarines.
‘Speak as many, not as one’: Indigenous leaders distance themselves from Thorpe’s tirade
Indigenous community leaders say Senator Lidia Thorpe’s outburst in Parliament House was done 'her way' but that Aboriginals had a 'right to be negotiated with', as they discussed meeting King Charles.