PoliticsNow: We won’t increase Newstart, says Scott Morrison
The PM rules out increasing Newstart in this term of parliament, declaring Australians back his position.
Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live blog on the happenings at Parliament House in Canberra.
Scott Morrison scores a global victory in the fight against online sex offenders, but will have to wait a few more months to pass some of his key domestic election promises.
Greg Brown 6.35pm: ‘We’re not increasing Newstart’
Scott Morrison has ruled out increasing Newstart in this term of parliament, declaring Australians agreed with the position he was taking.
“I’m not going to lead people on about this. You ask me ‘are we increasing Newstart’, well the answer is no we are not,” the Prime Minister told Seven News.
“(The public) believe the best form of welfare is a job and they believe that our welfare system should work as much for taxpayers as it does for those who benefit from it.
“If the Labor Party thinks it should be increased well tell us how much and how you are going to pay for it and what you are going to change. Just be honest with people. I am.”
Richard Ferguson 2.52pm: Taylor again: All interests declared
Labor energy spokesman Mark Butler asks Energy Minister Angus Taylor if he has never declared interest in a company called JRAK.
“All my interests are declared in accordance with the rules,” Mr Taylor responds.
Richard Ferguson 2.47pm: I’ve declared all my interests: Taylor
Labor’s environment spokeswoman Terri Butler asks Energy Minister Angus Taylor asks if he stand by claims he has declared all of his interests, and if he has disclosed interest to do with two irrigation companies.
Speaker Tony Smith rules the second part of the question about the irrigation companies out of order.
Mr Taylor says he does stand by the statement that he declared all of his interests.
Richard Ferguson 2.39pm: Question to Taylor out of order
Labor’s financial services spokesman Stephen Jones asks Energy Minister Angus Taylor why he registered a company in the Cayman Islands.
Speaker Tony Smith immediately rules the question out of order.
Richard Ferguson 2.36pm: New MP raises Newstart rise
Independent MP for Indi Helen Haines asks her first question since she was elected to succeed Cathy McGowan at the last election. She asks if the government will raise Newstart.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher says the government will not.
“The government has a very clear and consistent position when it comes to Newstart. The purpose of Newstart is to assist people to get into or to return to the workforce,” he says.
“Our focus is on helping people move from welfare into work. The best form of welfare is a job.”
Haines earlier delivered her maiden speech in which she vowed to “tackle the big issues’’ such as climate change.
Richard Ferguson 2.27pm: Butler, Taylor clash on climate change
Labor energy spokesman Mark Butler asks Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor he is agrees with new government MP Terry Young that climate change should not be taught at schools.
Liberal MPs are angry at Mr Butler’s claims and scream that he is a “disgrace.”
“We heard from the member for Longman (Mr Young) — a fabulous, fabulous first speech this week,” Mr Taylor says.
“Now, climate change is real. And we are taking it practical action to deliver emissions reduction, to deliver emissions reduction. We know we are on track to meet our 2030 targets. The Climate Solutions Package is doing exactly that for us.”
Richard Ferguson 2.22pm: ScoMo: I’ll stand up for freedom of speech
The Opposition Leader returns to the Conservative Political Action Conference. He asks Scott Morrison if he is comfortable with Liberal MPs going to the CPAC conference where one of the speakers, he claims, invited a Holocaust denier to a US president’s State of the Union address.
Mr Morrison tables a letter Finance Minister Mathias Cormann wrote to Senate President Scott Ryan earlier in the day and says nothing else.
The Finance Minister said it was up to Liberal MPs whether they wanted to go to the CPAC conference with Mr Kassam and that he would stand up for freedom of speech.
“The government will always stand against divisive, inflammatory commentary which seeks to invite hatred,” Senator Cormann writes.
“However the way to defeat bad ideas, bad arguments and unacceptable views is through debate, especially with those we disagree with. It is not by limiting our conversations only to those who all the time share all of our views.”
Richard Ferguson 2.16pm: Labor questions far-right writer visa grant
Anthony Albanese asks Scott Morrison if he is comfortable to let far-right writer Raheem Kassam into Australia and let Liberal MPs speak at the same conference as him.
Kassam, the former Breitbart editor-in-chief will enter Australia to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Sydney next month. Liberal backbenchers Amanda Stoker and Craig Kelly will also appear at the conference.
The Prime Minister gets Immigration Minister David Coleman to respond.
“All the applications to enter Australia are dealt with under the provisions of Migration Act,” Mr Coleman says.
“And all non-citizens must meet the character test. Of course, for people who may hold
controversial views, any impact of those views must always be balanced against Australia’s well established principles of freedom of speech, but I won’t be making any comments about specific applications or cases.”
Richard Ferguson 2.12pm: PM pays tribute to Cowra breakout heroes
Scott Morrison is opening question time today by paying tribute to those involved in the Cowra breakout 75 years ago, when Japanese soldiers attempted to escape from an Australian prisoner of war camp in NSW.
“I move that the House record our remembrance of the 75th anniversary of the Cowra breakout, and offer our thanks to those who gave their lives in service to Australia,” the Prime Minister says.
“Remember costs of war that are inflicted on all peoples, and recognise the people for their contribution to reconciliation, and Australia’s contemporary relationship with Japan and ongoing relationship with Japan.
“It is the only Japanese war cemetery outside of Japan anywhere in the world. Today, Australians and the Japanese both lie in peace in Cowra soil.
“And we give thanks that in the years after the brutality of war, Australia and Japan have forged a deep and enduring friendship.”
Anthony Albanese rises to support Mr Morrison’s commemoration motion.
“As we think back on the mayhem and chaos and terrible carnage of that night, three-quarters of a century ago, we think about the peace since,” he says.
“We think about how Japan, our once terrible enemy, became our great friend and partner.”
Richard Ferguson 2.03pm: Joyce attacks NSW abortion reforms
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has spoken out against abortion reforms before the NSW parliament, invoking his recently born son Tom.
“Tom had rights in the womb … They should not be removed,” he told the House of Representatives.
“I don’t believe any doctor, any politician, any parliament has that right.
“In the NSW parliament, they are debating whether Tom had rights.”
Labor MPs bellowed “shame, shame” from across the chamber. The former deputy prime minister was shut off as question time was about to begin.
Richard Ferguson 12.36pm: Labor, crossbenchers force inquiries
The government’s Robodebt program and the overhaul of Australia’s visa system will be subjected to a senate inquiry, after Labor and the crossbench teamed up in the upper house.
Labor home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally successfully pushed an inquiry which will cover the broad outsourcing of government services, which will report in mid-October.
“To move — That the following matter be referred to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 18 September 16 October 2019: The impact of changes to service delivery models on the administration and running of Government programs,” the motion reads.
“(a) the privatisation of Australia’s visa and citizenship program, including:; (i) the integrity of Australia’s visa and citizenship system; (ii) the commercial implications and increased costs to industry, with particular regard for the tourism and higher education sectors,; (iii) the implications to national security, data security and privacy, and (iv) the risk to public sector employment — especially rural and regional employment — through service delivery model changes.
“Centrelink’s Robodebt compliance and outsourced debt collection program, including: (i) the integrity and impact of the automated debt collection processes; (ii) the limitations and impact of Robodebt collection methods; (iii) the identification of inaccurate debts — made without human oversight; (iv) the impact to public sector employment — especially on the capacity and adequacy of staffing level, and (v) the review and appeals process for debt notices.”
The Home Affairs Department has attacked Labor claims that up to 2000 Australian jobs would be cut or sent offshore through the rollout of a new visa system estimated to be worth $1 billion.
It also rejected assertions the Morrison government was aiming to privatise the nation’s processing infrastructure.
The Australian understands the department received two bids from the Australian Visa Processing consortium and Australia Post/Accenture last month and is working through a final tender process, which will be finalised by October.
Labor — led by now-government services spokesman Bill Shorten — has also pushed new minister Stuart Robert on the Robodebt system for collecting welfare debts, which has courted controversy with the serving of debt notices to the mothers of dead children and flood victims.
Centre Alliance, One Nation and independent senator Jacqui Lambie all supported Labor’s senate inquiry.
Richard Ferguson 9.40am: ‘Tough cop’ on MDB beat
Water Minister David Littleproud will push for an Inspector-General to oversee the Murray-Darling Basin Plan at a meeting of state water ministers this week.
“This is a new tough cop on the beat across the Murray-Darling, with the powers needed to ensure integrity in delivery of the Basin Plan,” he said.
“The public needs to know the Basin Plan is delivering the water it was intended to, and farmers need to know the Plan is working for as it should,” Minister Littleproud said
“The Inspector-General can investigate suspected water theft, collect evidence and supply it to the authorities.
“Offices and staff to support the Inspector-General are expected to be established in the northern and southern basin.”
The Murray-Darling Inspector General would check on water recovery, monitor compliance and suspected water theft. and conduct community engagement on the implementation of the Basin Plan.
The Basin Plan has come under attack in recent weeks by environmental advocates and the Greens, including a controversial Four Corners episode which was condemned by scientists and farmers’ groups.
Richard Ferguson 7.45am: Terror bail loopholes closed
Scott Morrison will today introduce new laws to keep terrorists and other criminals behind bars if they are still considered a danger to public safety.
The new counter-terrorism bill will close a loophole which allows those charged with terrorism offences to avoid continuing detention orders if they are serving longer sentences for other offences.
Attorney General Christian Porter said today that the changes will also include a presumption against bail and parole for terrorists and supporters of terrorists.
“These strong measures will ensure that public safety is paramount when applications for bail and parole are being considered, putting the interests of the community ahead of the interests of those who would seek to do us harm,” Mr Porter said this morning.
“Prison is where those individuals belong and this Bill will ensure that is where they will stay.”
Since the terror level was raised to “probable” in 2014, there have been seven terrorist attacks on Australian soil and 16 terror attempts have been foiled by security agencies.
The new counter-terrorism moves are based on recommendations made after a 2017 terror attack in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton in which a man on bail for terror offences, Yacqub Khayre, murdered 36 year-old hotel receptionist Hai Kao.
“The community was rightly outraged by Yacqub Khayre’s case and I believe the changes we are introducing today strike the right balance between protecting individual rights and freedoms, and protecting the community,” Mr Porter said today.
“Eleven of these individuals are due for release over the course of the next 18 months, which is why it is vital that Labor supports this Bill,” Mr Porter said.
The new laws will be referred to the joint parliamentary committee for intelligence and security.
Parliament this week has passed temporary exclusion orders for foreign fighters and will consider extending powers to secretly detain and question terror suspects by another 12 months.
Richard Ferguson 7.40am: Trump Jr blasts Keneally
Donald Trump’s eldest son has attacked Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally’s attempts to block a far-right British writer from entering Australia.
Don Trump Jr tweeted this morning that calls to keep former Breitbart editor-in-chief Raheem Kassam out of Australia were part of a global push to “silence conservative views.”
“We have Big Tech constantly trying to silence conservatives and now one of the major political parties in Australia is trying to silence @RaheemKassam because of his conservative views. The insanity needs to stop!” Donald Jr tweeted.
We have Big Tech constantly trying to silence conservatives and now one of the major political parties in Australia is trying to silence @RaheemKassam because of his conservative views. The insanity needs to stop! https://t.co/vtPEZcGl47
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 31, 2019
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What’s making news:
Security ministers from the powerful Five Eyes intelligence alliance have demanded tech giants allow backdoor access to encrypted criminal content on the dark web, as Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton declared Australia was in a global “war” with sex offenders.
The Home Affairs Department has attacked Labor claims that up to 2000 Australian jobs would be cut or sent offshore through the rollout of a new visa system estimated to be worth $1 billion.
Proposed laws making it easier to disqualify union officials and deregister unions have passed the lower house but will not be voted on by the Senate before late October.
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