PoliticsNow: Peter Dutton issue ‘doesn’t bother me’, says Scott Morrison
The PM has dismissed concerns about Peter Dutton’s lunch with Huang Xiangmo.
- Dutton issue ‘doesn’t bother me’
- Adani given green light
- Turnbull’s swipe at PM
- No charge over Anning punch
Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live blog in the run up to the federal election campaign.
Top story: Scott Morrison has dismissed Malcolm Turnbull’s concerns about Peter Dutton’s private lunch with Chinese Communist Party-linked billionaire Huang Xiangmo.
4.15pm: Senator’s apology for Wong ‘smear’
Liberal senator Ian Macdonald has been forced to apologise after linking Labor’s Penny Wong to a controversial Chinese businessman. Read more here
Rachel Baxendale 3.24pm: Hunt coy on Adani
Health Minister Greg Hunt said he did not have “any of the details” of Ms Price’s Adani announcement, as he held a press conference more than an hour and a half after news broke of the Environment Minister’s decision to approve groundwater management plans for the mine.
Mr Hunt said he would leave questions over the decision to Ms Price when asked if it had made his task as a Victorian MP fighting to hold his seat more difficult.
The minister holds his Mornington Peninsula seat of Flinders with a 7.0 per cent margin, and is being challenged by Liberal-turned-independent Julia Banks.
Over the weekend Ms Banks tweeted a photograph of herself wearing “Stop Adani” earrings, prompting accusations of hypocrisy from her former colleagues.
My team know I love earrings and that I want to #StopAdani - so they bought me these!
— Julia Banks MP (@juliabanksmp) April 7, 2019
Just like the Flinders community, we are all committed to #StopAdani and move Australia towards a renewable future. #ClimateElection #FlindersVotes #AusVotes2019 pic.twitter.com/ll3n6QNejL
On the issue of climate change policy more broadly, Mr Hunt said the Coalition government had not only beaten Labor’s 2020 targets, but had more than doubled the reduction.
“What was going to be a minus 5 per cent 2020 target we’re achieving better than a minus 10 per cent outcome with an achievement and beating of the target by over 360 million tonnes, so Labor promised, we are delivering,” Mr Hunt said.
Richard Ferguson 2.57pm: ‘Wait and see if he says the same thing in Victoria’
Scott Morrison says Environment Minister Melissa Price’s approval of the Adani mine is based on the “best environmental science advice” and called on Bill Shorten to say he accepted the advice when he campaigns in anti-coal seats in Victoria.
“The environment minister has made a decision as I said that she would based on the best environmental science advice,” he said.
“She has been waiting to receive that advice from Geoscience Australia and CSIRO and they have made recommendations ... and she has made a decision consistent with the science advice provided by those agencies and her own department.
“I note that Mr Shorten is happy to say while he is up in Central Queensland today that he is
happy to abide also by the advice of the scientists ... I wait to see whether he says the same thing down in Victoria or elsewhere in the country.”
Richard Ferguson 2.55pm: No ads over Easter, Anzac Day
Scott Morrison says he will not run election adverts on Good Friday, Easter Sunday or Anzac Day.
“On Easter Sunday and on Easter Friday and on Anzac Day, the Liberal and National parties will not be running any political advertisements if we are in an election campaign at that time,” he said in Tasmania.
“I understand the Labor Party have said they will not do it on Good Friday and Anzac Day as well, and I welcome that.
“I would ask them to extend that to Easter Sunday, that is sort of the whole point of the Christian Easter celebration so I would welcome that support and I would expect they would do that in good faith.”
Richard Ferguson 2.47pm: Dutton issue ‘doesn’t bother me’: PM
Scott Morrison has dismissed Malcolm Turnbull’s concerns about Home Affair Minister Peter Dutton’s private lunch with Chinese Communist Party-linked billionaire Huang Xiangmo.
“I have spoken to Peter Dutton and there are no issues here that have troubled me,” the Prime Minister said in Tasmania today.
“There is no suggestion that Peter, in any way shape or form, has been provided with any benefit here.
“The individual we’re talking about here had his visa cancelled while he was out of the country by Peter Dutton’s department.”
When asked what he made of Mr Turnbull’s intervention, Mr Morrison said: “I don’t make anything of it.”
Richard Ferguson 12.30pm: Shorten raises Adani timing
Bill Shorten has linked the government’s approval of the Adani mine to revelations Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton had a private lunch with Chinese Communist Party-linked billionaire Huang Xiangmo.
“There is explosive and, quite frankly, very surprising revelations on Four Corners last night about the conduct of the minister in charge, one of the ministers in charge of national security where it is cash for access and meeting people connected to the Chinese government,” he said in Brisbane.
“Maybe the government’s decided to rush the decision out on Adani so they don’t have to talk about a bigger problem that they have created on their own.”
Primrose Riordan 12.15pm: Staffers given board spots
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has appointed former Howard staffer Rachel Merton to the Classification Board for a three-year term. He has also appointed former Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Dr Ian Watt and veteran America’s Cup sailor John Longley to the Australian National Maritime Museum Council for three year terms.
Ben Packham 11.45am: Adani given green light
Environment Minister Melissa Price has approved groundwater management plans for the Adani coal mine, clearing one of the final hurdles for the project with just days until an election is called.
Ms Price issued a statement today announcing the move, amid intense pressure from Queensland colleagues to give the mine the green light.
Ms Price said the CSIRO and Geoscience Australia had assessed the groundwater plans, confirming they met strict scientific requirements.
To read the story in full, click here.
Richard Ferguson 11.15am: ‘Dutton has a lot to explain’
Malcolm Turnbull has attacked his former leadership rival Peter Dutton over his “very concerning” dealings with Chinese Communist Party-linked billionaire Huang Xiangmo and says Scott Morrison cannot dismiss the concerns as “part of the gossip and the bubble.”
“Peter Dutton has got a lot to explain about this. He is supposed to be the minister responsible for the domestic security of Australia, he is supposed to be the minister responsible for ensuring our politics is not influenced by foreign donations,” Mr Turnbull said in Sydney.
“The idea that the minister responsible for enforcing those laws has had a meeting of this kind raises a lot of questions but Peter Dutton is the only one that can answer them and (lobbyist) Santo Santoro should answer questions about his role.”
“Scott Morrison is the Prime Minister and you can’t wave this off and say this is all part of gossip and the bubble.
“This is the national security of Australia. Remember the fury that arose against (former Labor senator) Sam Dastyari. All the same issues have arisen again.
“This has to be addressed at the highest level of security, priority, urgency by the Prime Minister. The buck stops with him.”
Richard Ferguson 11.00am: PM on Adani pressure
Scott Morrison has rebuked senators for pressuring Environment Minister Melissa Price to approve the Adani coal mine before the government falls into caretaker mode. “The government will make all decisions based on the expert scientific advice of organisations, not just including the Department of Environment, but Geoscience Australia and the CSIRO,” he said in Gosford. “We’ve always been following the advice of the scientists and we will continue to do that. When it comes to making these decisions, they will be made by ministers listening to scientists, not senators listening to themselves.”
Queensland LNP senator James McGrath has reportedly said he would call on Ms Price to quit if she did not approve the mine soon.
Richard Ferguson 10.40am: Dutton denies ‘nonsense’ claims
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says questions around his dealings with Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo are “just a nonsense” and they did not discuss Australian citizenship at a private lunch arranged by a lobbyist.
“I met with an individual from the Chinese community (Mr Huang) and he was interested obviously in politics and other issues of the day,” he said in Brisbane today.
“He didn’t make representations to me in relation to (citizenship) matters.
“As it turns out, this individual is now offshore because an agency within my department took
a decision to take certain action in relation to his visa so that person wouldn’t be able to return to Australia.
“So the suggestion that somehow I’ve provided anything to this individual is just a nonsense.”
Richard Ferguson 10.37am: Turnbull takes swipe at PM
Malcolm Turnbull has taken a swipe at Scott Morrison’s pre-election campaign, mocking his attacks against electric cars and the government’s rollout of taxpayer-funded advertising post-Budget.
“There is a lot of government advertising on at the moment and most of it is not particularly compelling,” the former prime minister told a Sydney audience today.
Malcolm Turnbull launching On Violence by Natasha Stott Despoja. “There is a lot of government advertising on at the moment and most of it is not particularly compelling.†pic.twitter.com/rxHhyR89Ms
— Rick Morton (@SquigglyRick) April 9, 2019
Mr Turnbull is launching a book by former Australian Democrats leader Natasha Scott-Despoja.
The ABC’s Annabel Crabb earlier reported that he said anyone who claims that electric vehicles lack grunt “could only be made by someone who’s never driven one.”
Outside the launch of @NStottDespoja ‘s book “On Violenceâ€, @TurnbullMalcolm has just declared that the claim that electric vehicles lack grunt “could only be made by someone who’s never driven oneâ€.
— Annabel Crabb (@annabelcrabb) April 9, 2019
Richard Ferguson 10.00am: No charge for Anning punch
Far-right senator Fraser Anning punched a 17-year-old protester in self-defence and will not be charged, Victoria Police says.
Senator Anning hit protester Will Connolly twice after the latter hit him with an egg last month, following the senator’s anti-Muslim comments in the wake of the Christchurch terror attacks.
Mr Connolly has received an official caution for his actions. Police are still hunting for a man who kicked the young protester in the stomach.
“Investigators reviewed CCTV footage of the incident and both parties were interviewed,” a police spokesman said.
“The 17-year-old Hampton boy has been issued with an official caution in relation to the incident. A decision has been made not to charge the 69-year-old man.
“On assessment of all the circumstances, the 69-year-old’s actions were treated as self defence and there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.”
Richard Ferguson 9.39am: PM defends Dutton
Scott Morrison has defended Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton for attending a private lunch with Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo to discuss his potential Australian citizenship.
“The individual you’re referring to has actually been prevented from ever returning back to Australia,” the Prime Minister said.
“So I think when it comes to our government’s acting on foreign interference, we’ve got a pretty strong track record.
“That compares very significantly to that of the Labor Party, where Senator Sam Dastyari had to resign in disgrace … standing there with the very individual you’re referring to, that was a disgrace.”
Richard Ferguson 9.30am: PM: ‘We promote EVs’
Scott Morrison is now promoting electric cars, despite mocking Bill Shorten on his policy all week.
But the Prime Minister said his policy is demand-driven, and he will not support a mandatory target.
“The Coalition doesn’t have any issue at and in fact we promote the idea of people buying electric cars,” he said in Gosford.
“We’re all about getting public charging infrastructure in place, we’re investing in new technology to see it realised, but it will be demand-led,” he said.
“It’s about Australians making choices about the transitions they want to undertake.
“We won’t go down this mandatory route where we’ve got these mandatory vehicle emission standards of 105 grams per kilometre, where 17 out of the 20 cars being sold today would not meet that standard.”
Mr Morrison is in Gosford in the marginal seat of Robertson — held by the Liberals’ Lucy Wicks on 1.1 per cent.
He was also joined by Liberal candidate for Dobell, Jilly Pilon. The Australian revealed today that Labor is behind in Dobell despite winning it from Malcolm Turnbull’s government in 2016.
Richard Ferguson 9.00am: Adani decision ‘won’t be rushed’
Cities Minister Alan Tudge, a Victorian Liberal MP, says Environment Minister Melissa Price will be “not be rushed” by Queensland MPs calling for her to quit if she does approve Adani soon.
“The decision is not going to be rushed and I appreciate that some people such as (Queensland LNP senator) James McGrath are very passionate about this,” he told Sky News.
“He’s a Queenslander, and a proud Queenslander, and Queenslanders want to see this enormous economic opportunity come to fruition.
“But it does have to go through this process and she is consulting properly and then will make that final decision.”
MP’s critical of @Melissa4Durack on Adani. @AlanTudgeMP: We do have strict environmental standards & we have strict processes, which new things like mines have to go through- let’s follow the process methodology, calmly & assuredly.
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) April 8, 2019
MORE: https://t.co/8drH8rdrO7 #amagenda pic.twitter.com/8sgVDzAezQ
Richard Ferguson 8.10am: ‘Sign off Adani ASAP’
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud says he wants to see approval of the Adani mine signed off “quickly as we possibly can”, as tensions within the Coalition grow over Environment Minister Melissa Price’s handling of the process.
“We’re committed to continuing to grow those (Queensland) economies and we’ve got to do that in a responsible way, that not only gets the economic benefits but environmental benefits,” he told ABC radio.
“That’s what Minister Price is balancing now and I’m sure she’ll make that determination very soon.
“It’s definitely important to provide certainty to every Australian that we’ve made the decisions as quickly as we possibly can.”
Richard Ferguson 7.20am: Labor promises $500m for cancer
Bill Shorten will promise $500 million to slash cancer waiting lists at public hospitals today.
The Opposition Leader will work with the states to establish a National Partnership Agreement called “Cancer Care” to slash waiting times for surgeries and consultation as part of his $2.3bn Medicare Cancer Plan.
Labor claims their $500m commitment would fastrack nearly 1.4m free consultation with oncologists and nearly 3 million checks with cancer nurses.
“Public patients generally visit a specialist in an outpatient department for referral to surgery, radiation therapy or other procedures,” he said today.
“Long waiting times for these initial consultations can force patients into the private system, where they may face large out-of-pocket costs.
“When someone is sick, they shouldn’t face the cruel choice of long public hospital waiting times or being forced to pay huge out-of-pocket costs in the private system.”
Richard Ferguson 7.15am: Tradies get upskill help
Tasmania is in Scott Morrison’s electoral sights today as he promises $17m to scrap upfront costs for tradies looking to skill up and join the Apple Isle’s renewable battery project.
”We are passionate about getting more young people into work, and giving them the opportunity to gain the right skills,” he said in a statement today.
“So we’re scrapping the upfront costs for priority training courses to ensure Tasmanians have the right mix of skills for the future.
“More than 28 per cent of Tasmanians don’t have qualifications beyond Year 10 so we want to broaden that skill set to help more Tasmanians get into work, and help local businesses get the workers they need.
“By covering the course cost gap we’re investing to help young Tasmanians get the vocational education and training they need for the Battery of the Nation plan.”
The Prime Minister will announce the package later today in the marginal Tasmanian electorate of Braddon, currently held by Labor’s Justine Keay on 1.7 per cent.
What’s making news:
Bill Shorten’s $2.3 billion cancer treatment plan will fail to deliver his promise of eliminating significant out-of-pocket costs for many private patients, with leading oncologists warning yesterday they could not guarantee they would bulk-bill their services.
Labor faces a choice between failing to implement its proposed new vehicle emissions standards for at least eight years — putting its electric vehicle target in doubt — or threatening the viability of the four remaining fuel refineries.
One of Scott Morrison’s hand-picked disability royal commissioners faces mounting pressure to stand aside as he is likely to be called to give evidence before his own inquiry relating to the deaths of at least two people under a state program for which he had responsibility.
The militant construction union is trying to keep a lid on a bitter internal wrangle over the future of its Victorian leader John Setka, worried that infighting played out in public before the federal election could damage Labor.
Labor would have lost its marginal seats of Dobell and Lindsay to the Liberals if a federal election had been held last weekend, according to internal polling.
Labor’s chief targets at next month’s election will be 20 seats held by the Coalition on margins of less than 4 per cent.
PM pledges to splash millions on project in marginal seat
Anthony Albanese has promised federal funds to revamp a tourist hotspot he describes as ‘one of the most picturesque parts of Australia’.
Not quite as bad as Gough but it’s close
The Albanese government provides no rationale or narrative for its disconnected actions. Everything is spin. We’ve seldom seen a government this poor in such critical fields at such a dangerous time.