PoliticsNow: Italy, Iran no-go zone amid coronavirus warnings
Australians have been officially warned against travel to northern Italy and Iran as COVID-19 spreads through Europe and the Middle East.
- Virus warning for Italy, Iran
- ‘Farmers don’t support carbon neutrality’
- Coronavirus ‘a shock beyond our control’
- Budget surplus hopes not yet lost: Canavan
- What’s making news in Canberra today
Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live blog on the happenings at Parliament House in Canberra.
Australians have been officially warned against travel to northern Italy and Iran as the outbreak of the coronavirus spreads through Europe and the Middle East.
Rosie Lewis 4.10pm: Coalition rejects push to scrap tax break
Furious Nationals MPs have joined with Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar in rejecting a Productivity Commission recommendation to abolish a tax concession worth up to $1173 for people living in remote Australia, after the independent advisory body found nearly half of those accessing the rebate live in large coastal cities.
The commission also said two other tax payments and exemptions designed to help welfare recipients meet higher living costs in remote areas and encourage people into the regions for work should be overhauled.
Elias Visontay 4.05pm: Labor focuses on sports grants, not economy, during QT
Labor has used question time to attack Scott Morrison personally over his role in the controversial sports grants program, also pursuing over its handling of welfare services.
Despite Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday acknowledging the financial impact of the coronavirus could threaten his projected surplus, Labor used just one question pursuing the Treasurer over economic performance.
Opposition NDIS spokesman Bill Shorten asked the Prime Minister if government employees owe a duty of care to robodebt recipients.
He responded that the government’s first duty of care is to ensure there is a strong economy to provide necessary government services like Centrelink.
“What they deserve from a government is to be able to pay their bills … You need to know how to manage money.”
Anthony Albanese asked several questions about an audit office report into the controversial sports grants program, which Labor accuses the government of deliberately selecting projects for funding that were in Coalition seats.
“The Prime Minister has said about the corrupt sports rorts affair program and said that ‘All we did was provide information’. Why did the office tell the centre and I quote ‘These are the ones we think should be included in the list of approved projects’,” Mr Albanese asked.
Mr Morrison responded: “We passed on information about other funding options or programs relevant to project proposals and provided proposals based on representations made to us.”
Mr Albanese pushed again, asking: “Why did his (Mr Morrison’s) office receive copies of the multiple versions of the colour-coded spreadsheet of the corrupt sports rorts affair program?”
“Why did Mr Gaetjens (secretary of the Prime Minister and Cabinet department who produced a report into the scheme) rely on just one version of the spreadsheet when the Auditor-General said there were dozens. Did he ignore the other versions of the spreadsheet or was he not ever given them?”
Christian Porter, leader of the house, tried to move the question on by arguing the Prime Minister could not be expected to know about these things, but was unsuccessful.
Mr Morrison ultimately answered: “What I can go back to to highlight again, is what the Auditor-General said.”
“What he said was for us to see that there was some driver in this that we would have to identify those representations that there was a bias and there was a correlation in what was in those representations and the outcome, he said that they did not see that.
“The Auditor-General has been quizzed on these very matters and he has found no correlation, Mr Speaker, with the representations that were made from my office with these outcomes.”
Labor then attempted to disrupt question time by suspending standing orders over the government’s role in the sports rorts saga.
A division was called, but the vote was unsuccessful, all but ending question time.
Elias Visontay 3.29pm: Vote fails
Labor’s attempt to suspend standing orders goes to a vote, and fails.
Question Time has ended.
3.17pm: Meanwhile, in the chamber …
"More nervous than a baboon in Camperdown!" @RichardMarlesMP yells as he points across to the PM.#qt
— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) February 26, 2020
Elias Visontay 3.10pm: Labor moves to suspend standing orders
Anthony Albanese attempts to disrupt question time by suspending standing orders over the government’s role in the sports rorts saga.
A division is called.
Elias Visontay 3.03pm: Sports grants attack continues
Anthony Albanese again presses Scott Morrison over the controversial sports grants program.
“Why did his office receive copies of the multiple versions of the colour-coded spreadsheet of the corrupt sports rorts affair program? “ the Opposition Leader asks.
“Why did Mr Gaetjens (secretary of the Prime Minister and Cabinet department who produced a report into the scheme) rely on just one version of the spreadsheet when the Auditor-General said there were dozens. Did he ignore the other versions of the spreadsheet or was he not ever given them?”
Christian Porter, leader of the house, tries to move the question on by arguing the Prime Minister cannot be expected to know about these things, but is unsuccessful.
Mr Morrison ultimately answers: “what I can go back to to highlight again, is what the Auditor-General said.”
“What he said was for us to see that there was some driver in this that we would have to identify those representations that there was a bias and there was a correlation in what was in those representations and the outcome, he said that they did not see that.
“The Auditor-General has been quizzed on these very matters and he has found no correlation, Mr Speaker, with the representations that were made from my office with these outcomes.”
Mr Morrison then accused Mr Albanese of “trying to throw mud while he himself sits in an absolute swamps”.
“We know that the Leader of the Opposition had a spreadsheet in his office when he ran a similar program which had a column on it that said Labor or Liberal.”
Elias Visontay 2.52pm: Labor continues on sports grants
Anthony Albanese asks Scott Morrison about the controversial sports grants program.
“The Prime Minister has said about the corrupt sports rorts affair program and said that ‘All we did was provide information’. Why did the office tell the centre and I quote ‘These are the ones we think should be included in the list of approved projects’,” the Opposition Leader asks.
The Prime Minister responds “we passed on information about other funding options or programs relevant to project proposals and provided proposals based on representations made to us.”
Richard Ferguson 2.43pm: ‘You want to talk about corruption?’
Anthony Albanese asks Scott Morrison why there were hundreds of emails between his office and now-former sports minister Bridget McKenzie’s office about sports grants.
The Prime Minister says his office were not the decision maker on grants and passed on recommendations from other Coalition MPs.
“What prime ministers have always done is support their judgment and colleagues because I know they know what is best for their communities,” he says.
“The Leader of the Opposition may think, may think, you’re not allowed to consult with other members.
“He may think that those who are outside of place have no knowledge about this right for their communities.
“Not on our side, we understand the people who have a deep understanding of our communities are in a very good position to advocate.”
Mr Morrison then attacks Mr Albanese’s handling of grants when he was a minister and suggests his office’s handling of grants was corrupt.
“I know that when the Leader of the Opposition was a Minister, he threw the book away and knowingly funded in eligible projects,” Mr Morrison says.
“You want to talk about corruption?”
Richard Ferguson 2.33pm: PM defends TAFE commitments
Opposition education spokesman Tanya Plibersek asks Scott Morrison why 140,000 apprentice placements have been lost since the Coalition came to power in 2013.
The Prime Minister says the government has put forward $585m to help reform the TAFE sector.
“Apprentices and their employees have readily taken up the new scheme with almost 6000 additional apprentices signed up in just six months.
“I note that at the same time we have increased the funding when it comes to the VET sector, states and territories – responsible for the delivery of that – have withdrawn funding from $4 billion in 2013 and down to $3.1 million in 2017.
“The commonwealth is stepping up a meeting up commitment to ensure we get more apprentices in place.”
Richard Ferguson 2.26pm: Chalmers ‘talking down Australian economy’
Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers asks Josh Frydenberg why he will not say economic growth was falling before the coronavirus and the summer bushfires.
The Treasurer disputes Dr Chalmers’ version of events and accuses him of talking down the Australian economy.
“Australians can be confident about their economic future. Why? Because the current account surplus is occurring for the first time in more than 40 years,” Mr Frydenberg says.
“We have the lowest welfare dependency in more than 30 years.
“We have delivered the biggest tax cuts in more than 20 years.
“The budget is back in balance for the first time in 11 years.
“Why are the Member for Rankin and the Labor Party always talking down the Australian economy?”
Richard Ferguson 2.22pm: ‘It would be a great relief for the people’
Greens leader Adam Bandt asks Scott Morrison if he will sign up to his Green New Deal and boost both welfare payments and public sector wages.
The Prime Minister declines Mr Bandt’s offers.
“It would be a great relief to the Australian people that we are not going to adopt the policy of the Greens. It would be a great relief for the people,” Mr Morrison says.
“I cannot speak for the Labor Party because they are known to like quite a few of the Greens’ ideas when it comes to economic policy so I do not think they can provide that same assurance.
“What our government will continue to do, Mr Speaker, is lower taxes, continue to support small and family business, to be sure we continue to expand trade markets around the world.”
Richard Ferguson 2.16pm: Aged care privatisation claims ‘untrue’
Opposition ageing spokesman Julie Collins asks Scott Morrison why aged care assessments are being privatised.
Health Minister Greg Hunt answers and says her privatisation claims are “untrue”.
“We are following the advice … to make sure we are having a system which actually delivers better outcomes for patients who are seeking to enter residential aged care or have some kind of aged care assessment,” he says.
“What the Opposition are saying is that they will abandon the practice they had when they were in government on using non-government providers to assist with the assessment process.”
Richard Ferguson 2.10pm: ‘You need to know how to manage money’
Opposition NDIS spokesman Bill Shorten asks Scott Morrison if government employees owe a duty of care to robotdebt recipients.
The Prime Minister says the government’s first duty of care is to ensure there is a strong economy to provide necessary government services like Centrelink.
“What they deserve from a government is to be able to pay their bills,” he says.
“We have been able to make sure people can rely on the services of the essential services the government delivers with Centrelink payments or other support payments, aged care payments.
“You need to know how to manage money.”
Elias Visontay 2.00pm: Israeli President to intervene on Leifer extradition
The President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, has told Australian MPs he will personally intervene in the extradition process of former Melbourne principal Malka Leifer, charged with child sexual abuse, if her years-long legal process drags beyond this week.
As he met with Scott Morrison and a handful of other politicians in Canberra on Wednesday, Mr Rivlin faced questions on Leifer’s extradition which was raised by both the Prime Minister and other MPs from both sides of politics.
Elias Visontay 1.28pm: Virus warning for Italy, Iran
Australians have been officially warned against travel to northern Italy and Iran as the outbreak of the coronavirus spreads.
The government has lifted travel advisory for the regions of Lombardia and Veneto, home to Milan and Venice, to exercise a high degree of caution.
READ MORE: Japan declares no need for PM to impose China-like travel ban
Australians travelling to Iran, which already had a higher travel advisory for non-medical reasons, will now be advised to exercise a high degree of caution for medical reasons.
Health Minister Greg Hunt also said there were still 15 cases of coronavirus among the general population.
He also confirmed an eighth case from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, a Victorian man who was in quarantine and whose partner had contracted the virus.
This brings northern Italy and Iran to the same level of travel warning of “exercise a high degree of caution” that Japan and South Korea were earlier elevated to.
Japan has seen more than 850 confirmed cases of coronavirus on its shores.
Richard Ferguson 1.20pm: PM meets with Holden dealers
Scott Morrison has sat down with Holden car dealers in Canberra to hear their concerns, as they lash out at “grossly inadequate” compensation packages from General Motors.
The Prime Minister and Industry Minister Karen Andrews met with representatives from the Australian Automotive Dealer Association in Parliament House on Wednesday, and the Holden Dealer Council was also involved in the meeting.
The car dealer industry has been left reeling after General Motors announced it would end the Holden brand last week. The government has criticised GM for not giving it much advance warning about its decision to end the iconic century-old vehicle line.
AADA chief executive James Voortman said his meeting this morning with Mr Morrison was very good and he felt the government was on the side of his members.
“There are some very serious concerns about the compensation packages being offered in negotiations with General Motors,” he told The Australian.
“Every dealer we have spoken to says what has been offered in the past 24 to 48 hours is grossly inadequate.
“We need to know the government is on our side and we are confident that the Prime Minister and every minister shares our anger.
“Almost 200 dealerships and hundreds of employees are set to be affected.”
The AADA did not ask Mr Morrison for direct government assistance, but does want a review of franchising laws.
“Car dealers don’t generally ask for government help, it’s not in our DNA,” he said.
“We’re exploring the kind of response the government could take.
“One issue is stronger franchising laws so an offshore company like General Motors cannot act like this again.”
Richard Ferguson 12.30pm: Turnbull: Stop this false debate
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has lashed out at Coalition opposition to a zero net emissions target by 2050, saying the consequences are “catastrophic” without one.
Scott Morrison’s predecessor has continued to ramp up his criticism of his old party’s energy and climate change policies since the summer bushfire crisis, in which Mr Turnbull has frequently attacked the Prime Minister directly.
Mr Turnbull told a meeting of energy business executives in Sydney on Tuesday that opposition to a zero net target was misleading and false.
“We’ve got to stop this false debate, this misleading debate about whether getting to net zero emissions by 2050 … is something that’s optional,” he said in Sydney on Tuesday.
“Well, I suppose it is optional but it’s an option you don’t want to miss because if we do miss it we know what the consequences are.
“The fires of this last summer will seem like a very, very mild experience compared to what a 3 degrees Celsius (warmer) world will look like.”
Geoff Chambers 12.14am: Keneally link to $39m contract
Boston Consulting Group, which employs the husband of opposition home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally, has been paid almost $39m to support the government’s visa reform program.
The Australian can reveal 11 firms have been engaged by the Department of Home Affairs in its pursuit of a new visa processing platform.
Richard Ferguson 12pm: Japan asks Australia to not impose a China-like travel ban
Japan has asked Australia to not impose a China-like travel ban on it to stop the spread of coronavirus, as the Morrison government gets set to review its antivirus strategy.
The Asian island nation has seen more than 850 confirmed cases of coronavirus on its shores and Australians have been warned to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling to Japan.
The virus’s outbreak in Japan — boosted by the disease-ridden Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama — is now raising concerns about the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
Political Minister at Japan’s Embassy in Australia Tokuro Furuya told The Australian that there was no need for even a partial travel ban to outbreak areas, and that Japan is working closely with the Morrison government.
10.12am: Rainbow welcome for MPs
10.05am: McKenzie takes to the court
Former Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie hit the netball court in Canberra this morning, taking part in the politicians-media game. And it looks like she wasn’t holding back …
Elias Visontay 9.42am: Labor push for government stimulus
Opposition finance spokesman Stephen Jones has called on the government to implement a stimulus to help Australia respond to the impact of the coronavirus and the bushfire crisis.
Mr Jones also criticised the rollout of government’s support grants for bushfire affected businesses, saying “not one cent of the money promised is flowing into those areas at the moment”.
“We’re repeating our calls for the government to implement a stimulus package, it is much needed. The government seems to be too busy patting themselves on the back and looking backwards not forwards,” Mr Jones told Sky News.
“We need some leadership … We need a stimulus package.”
On business systems grants for bushfire affected areas, Mr Jones said: “Not one cent of the money promised is flowing into those areas at the moment. That’s a huge problem.”
“The government is big on the promise but we’re not seeing that assistance flow through to people on the ground,” he said.
“What they need is cash in their tills and cash in their wallets right now and they’re not getting it.
“Now is the time for the government to be acting, like Labor did during the GFC.”
Elias Visontay 8.50am: Farmers don’t support NFF emissions target: Canavan
Matt Canavan has hit out at the National Farmers Federation, saying the group is “off on a limb” with its emissions reductions ambitions.
The Nationals senator also called for government investment in oil drilling following Equinor’s announcement on Tuesday it was abandoning plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.
“I think we should be trying to find more oil,” Senator Canavan told Sky News.
“The Great Australian Bight was an opportunity, it’s disappointing it hasn’t kicked on with Equinor’s decisions.”
He said that in light of Equinor finding it was not commercially viable, Australia now faced a risk to its oil supply and it was in the national interest “to try and be as close to self sufficient as we can”.
“The question for us is, while that world market situation delivers certain outcomes, they may not be consistent with their national security,” Senator Canavan said.
“Perhaps we need to have a look at how we can promote the continuing production development of oil in Australia so we can keep Australians and the Australian security in terms of our fuel security.
“We already do a number of early exploration-type activities. We fund, usually seismic testing, so it’s non-invasive.
“I think it’s certainly something the government needs to continue to invest in. And as we can afford more, we should do more.”
The National Farmers Federation’s (NFF) goal to trend towards carbon neutrality by 2030 is at odds with the views of actual farmers, Nationals Senator @mattjcan says. https://t.co/DFdRKBpEHY
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) February 25, 2020
On the National Farmers Federation’s ambition for carbon neutrality by 2030, Senator Canavan said: “I think the NFF are off on a limb here. I sometimes shake my head at the NFF, and I’m not here to support the large political ag (agriculture) businesses or big business … I’m not here to represent them.
“I’m here to represent average mum and dad farmers. They just want to make a go of it.
“I don’t agree with the NFF’s position here. I mean, good luck to the NFF. I know many farmers don’t support the NFF’s position on this, and I think they need to reflect on it.”
Elias Visontay 8.05am: Pitt support for coal-fired power station
Resources Minister Keith Pitt has said he supports projects like the proposed Collinsville coal-fired power station being underwritten by the government.
In relation to the proposed Collinsville site, the Nationals MP said “there are opportunities for building further power stations right around the country and we need them”.
Asked about power stations underwritten by the government, Mr Pitt told ABC News 24: “We already support that. That is our policy.”
Asked about building new power stations, Mr Pitt opened the door to new government-funded facilities.
“We’re making those commitments now. That’s what we took to the election. We said we’ll underwrite generation capacity around the country. Angus Taylor is doing a fantastic job in his portfolio. He is the shareholding minister. And some of those decisions have already been announced and I’m sure there’ll be more in the future.”.
Asked about whether he supported a zero-net emissions by 2050 target, Mr Pitt said: “Right now we’re committed to 2030. We’ll deliver on our commitments, we’ll do what we said we would.”
Elias Visontay 8am: Coronavirus ‘a shock beyond our control’
Josh Frydenberg has labelled the economic impact of the coronavirus “a shock that’s beyond our control” as he seeks to prepare the government for a possible retreat from its projected budget surplus.
The Treasurer again confirmed he expects the virus’ economic cost to Australia to be greater than the bushfire crisis, but said the exact impact would not be clear until financial results for the current quarter were released in June.
The Australian economy is remarkably resilient.
— Josh Frydenberg (@JoshFrydenberg) February 25, 2020
We’re in our 29th yr of consecutive economic growth & maintain a AAA credit rating.
With our labour market remaining strong, our housing market stabilised & the budget in balance, we’re prepared for the economic shocks we face. pic.twitter.com/z8BxK9XuNI
When asked if Australia could fall into recession as a result of the virus, Mr Frydenberg said “that’s not the word that I would use”.
“What I would say though is that the economic impact is very significant already and of course the virus continues to evolve,” he told Sky News.
Asked again if a recession was possible, Mr Frydenberg said: “We’ll wait and see what the December quarter numbers are, I get those next Wednesday. Then we will see what happens in the March quarter, which is where the virus would have the biggest impact; that won’t be out until June. But there’s no doubt it’s having a significant impact across the economy.
“It’s a shock that’s beyond our control.”
Looking forward to joining @frankelly08 on @RNBreakfast shortly. pic.twitter.com/MLGvpe4Hsv
— Josh Frydenberg (@JoshFrydenberg) February 25, 2020
Asked if the virus showed Australia should be less reliant on China, Mr Frydenberg said: “What it does prove is how important China is to the global economy. China today is four times bigger economically than it was at the time of the SARS virus in 2003. Australia obviously has closer economic relations with China since that period.”
Speaking later to ABC Radio, Mr Frydenberg was asked if he regretted his “Back in Black” slogan from the last budget.
“We’re back in balance, and no one can ever take that away from us,” he responded.
“I made a very clear statement based on the best advice available to us knowing that Australia is now living within its means.
“You, like all Australians, will have to tune in on budget night to find out what the latest numbers are.”
Adeshola Ore 7.04am: Budget surplus hopes not lost
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan hasn’t given up hope of the government delivering a budget surplus despite the impacts on the economy of the coronavirus and bushfires.
“We don’t just know yet … the good news is our budget is in much, much better health than it was 10 years ago when we were running deficits of $20 billion a year,” Mr Canavan told Channel 9’s Today Show.
“We are projecting a surplus at this stage this financial year but obviously the Australian economy has been hit by a number of shocks.
“We’ve got to prepare for the worst but hope for the best.†Queensland Senator @mattjcan on the strain coronavirus is putting on our economy. #9Today pic.twitter.com/cD8B4hRQte
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) February 25, 2020
“We have to prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. And right now our focus is on making sure Australians are safe and making sure we respond in the most responsible way possible.
“The fact that we have managed the budget well in the past few years has put us in a good position to spend the money and provide that relief.”
He said it was too early to decide if Australia would change its Tokyo Olympic plans. The International Olympic Committee’s member, Dick Pound, said preparations were going ahead as usual.
Elias Vistontay 7am: What’s making news today
Scott Morrison is clearing the way for a government retreat on the budget surplus, with Josh Frydenberg declaring the economic hit from the coronavirus outbreak would be worse than the bushfires amid fears the “shutters could come down on the global economy”.
The future water security of Australian cities and towns could rely on desalination and water recycling plants as part of a national strategy to more carefully manage the country’s most precious resource.
Labor frontbencher Mark Dreyfus has used a meeting of Victorian Right MPs to take aim at Joel Fitzgibbon for freelancing on climate change policies, arguing it was doing damage to other right-wing members of the ALP.
An inquiry into alleged unlawful killings of civilians and prisoners by Australian special forces in Afghanistan is examining at least 55 potential instances of unlawful conduct, the military watchdog has revealed.
More than 50 war crimes claims probed https://t.co/8xUnTvJXjt
— Ben Packham (@bennpackham) February 25, 2020
The summer’s horror bushfires, which destroyed millions of hectares of bushland and thousands of homes, have exposed a critical need to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure assets.
Alice Workman ’s Sketch: At $35 a coffee cup, there’s a surplus of mugs in this game
Dennis Shanahan writes: The dreaded reality for Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg that the May budget may not deliver the “first surplus in a decade” is beginning to dawn.
More Coverage
Economists urge RBA to follow US and spare the rates cut knife
After the US Federal Reserve kept rates on hold for the first time since July, JudoBank chief economic adviser Warren Hogan said it was ‘very much a cautionary tale for the RBA’.
Federal Labor on a collision course with miners over green push
The federal government has made a powerful enemy for itself in the west after the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA said it would fight Labor’s push for so-called nature-positive laws.