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Coaliton’s close call on Dutton no-confidence vote

Today in Canberra the PM struck a $4.6 billion deal with private schools and a voting mishap made a Peter Dutton no confidence vote a close one.

Greg BrownGreg Brown
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has finalised a deal with the Catholic schools sector.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has finalised a deal with the Catholic schools sector.
21 min read
4:15PMSeptember 20, 2018.
Updated 5:05PMSeptember 20, 2018

Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live blog on the happenings at Parliament House in Canberra.

TOP STORY: Voting “miscommunication”

Greg Brown 3.20pm: Serious strawberries

Attorney General Christian Porter talks up the government’s legislation on food tampering that swiftly passed both houses of parliament today.

“We mean this to have the maximum deterrent possible,” Mr Porter said.

The laws will impose jail terms of up to 15 years for people who contaminate food.

Greg Brown 3.10pm: “Ask about drought”

Opposition agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon asks Scott Morrison why Australians should re-elect his government given all the internal dysfunction.

The Prime Minister scolds Fitzgibbon for not asking him a question about the drought. He goes on to talk up the actions of his fledgling government.

“What we are doing when it comes to agriculture, and in particular the drought, is being 100 per cent focused on the needs of those families and on those towns,” Fitzgibbon says.

Greg Brown 3pm: Muppet show

Opposition finance spokesman Jim Chalmers asks Scott Morrison why he called his own government “Muppets”.

Roars of laughter erupt from the opposition benches when Milton Dick and Luke Gosling put a bunch of Muppet soft toys on their desks.

Speaker Tony Smith promptly boots them.

The Prime Minister says the government was uniting quickly under his leadership, leading to more laughter from Labor MPs.

“They know our government is getting on with things, they know we are getting on with dealing with the issues that concern Australians, like food tampering,” Morrison says.

By the way, here are the Muppets getting the boot:

Luke Gosling and Milton Dick line the Muppets up on their table during Question Time. Picture: Kym Smith.
Luke Gosling and Milton Dick line the Muppets up on their table during Question Time. Picture: Kym Smith.
Luke Gosling, Milton Dick and their Muppet mates are promptly ejected from Question Time. Picture: Kym Smith
Luke Gosling, Milton Dick and their Muppet mates are promptly ejected from Question Time. Picture: Kym Smith

Greg Brown 2.55pm: Over Canberra “bubble”

Bill Shorten asks Scott Morrison how he can expect Australians to get over the leadership change when he won’t explain why it happened.

“Why isn’t Malcolm Turnbull the prime minister of Australia?”

The Prime Minister says he is getting on with delivering things that matter to Australians.

“What the Leader of the Opposition has been doing today and all week has just been focusing on the Canberra bubble,” Morrison says.

“He has been sitting over there during Question Time, sledging away, carrying on like the usual Canberra politician that Australians are sick (of).”

Greg Brown 2.45pm: Aged care

Labor’s Julie Collins asks Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt to confirm figures by Uniting Care showing there were cuts to the aged-care sector under the Coalition government.

Wyatt says the sector received “record funding” this year.

“$6.1 billion more than Labor provided in its last year,” he says.

Greg Brown 2.40pm: “14 billion cut”

Opposition education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek goes again on schools funding, asking why the government was cutting $14 billion out of the public schools sector.

Education Minister Dan Tehan tells the house he attended a public school.

He says public schools funding will increase from $6.8 billion last year to $8.6 billion in 2020.

“When it comes to the bilateral negotiations with state and territory governments, as I said last Friday at the Education Council meeting, I look forward to beginning those negotiations as of now, and I look forward to concluding them as soon as I possibly can,” Tehan says.

Greg Brown 2.35pm: Plibersek on schools

Opposition eduction spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says the government’s schools funding announcement was an admission the Coalition had cut funding.

“Will the Prime Minister and the Education Minister also restore the $14 billion that has been cut from public schools?”

Education Minister Dan Tehan says funding will increase dramatically under the new model.

“When it comes to government schools, they are getting record funding levels. When it comes to Catholic schools, they are getting record funding levels, when it comes independent schools, they are getting record funding levels,” Tehan says.

Greg Brown 2.30pm: School funding slammed

Bill Shorten has taken to social media to slam the government’s new schools funding model.

Greg Brown 2.25pm: Dutton and diggers

Bill Shorten asks why Peter Dutton would not intervene to grant a visa to an interpreter who helped Australian diggers during the Afghanistan War.

Shorten references the requests of Australian personnel who were sitting in the parliament.

Dutton says he will not go against the advice of Australian intelligence agencies.

“I assume that the Leader of the Opposition has not had such a briefing. I’m happy to arrange that everything in for him to be provided with as much information as possible,” Dutton says.

Greg Brown 2.20pm: Dutton doing “fantastic job”

Opposition legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus lists all the controversies around Peter Dutton, including the au pair scandal and accusations the Home Affairs Minister is ineligible to sit in parliament.

“Why is the Prime Minister continuing to support the Minister for Home Affairs?”

Scott Morrison says Dutton is doing a “fantastic job”.

He says Dutton has only intervened in 116 visa decisions, compared to 23,000 when Labor’s Chris Bowen was in the portfolio.

“The Labor Party are more interested in protecting Australians from au pairs than they are in protecting Australians from violent criminal,” Morrison says.

Greg Brown 2.15pm: Spotlight on Dutton

Labor’s immigration spokesman Shayne Neumann reads an email from an Australia Border Force commander arguing against the intervention of Peter Dutton in reversing the decision to deport an au pair.

Neumann asks Dutton why he went ahead and intervened in the case against the advice of his department.

Dutton says he makes each decision on their merits.

“I am very happy to have my record compared to some of these opposite,” Dutton says.

Rosie Lewis 2.10pm: Voting “miscommunication”

The Morrison government has made a managerial error in the House of Representatives that almost gave Greens MP Adam Bandt a symbolic victory as he attempted to move a no confidence motion against Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.

Mr Bandt’s bid to suspend standing orders — which, if successful, would have then allowed him to move the no confidence motion amid claims Mr Dutton misled parliament over the au pair affair — was defeated 68-67.

That one-vote margin has allowed Mr Bandt to declare: “You shouldn’t be able, as a Minister, to rely on your own vote to avoid losing a division on the floor of parliament but that’s exactly what Peter Dutton has done.”

The Australian understands the government should have won that division by two votes but following a “miscommunication” accidentally pulled four of its members from the floor of the chamber instead of three.

By the time the mistake had been realised, it was too late for one of the members to return to the floor.

Even if Mr Bandt had won the vote, he would not have been able to suspend standing orders to move his no confidence motion because it requires an absolute majority of 76 members to succeed.

There are not enough people in parliament today to achieve that magic number but, nevertheless, the mistake creates a sense of chaos within the government’s ranks.

Greg Brown 1.55pm: “Not a better deal”

Opposition education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says the new schools funding model still amounted to across the board cuts.

“It is not a better deal, it is an interim arrangement,” Ms Plibersek said.

“They have restored part of that (Catholic and independent schools) funding but what happens to public schools?

“Today the Prime Minister has turned his back on the 2.5 million children who go to public schools around Australia.”

Greg Brown 1.45pm: Schools welcome funds

Catholic Schools NSW have praised the new school funding model announced by Scott Morrison, declaring it would keep non-government schools “affordable”.

“The new Federal Education Minister, Dan Tehan, deserves credit for recognising that the changes made to school funding last year threatened the future of low-fee non-government schools in some parts of the state,” said CSNSW chiefexecutive Dallas McInerney.

“The 2017 changes would have forced dozens of Catholic primary schools in middle and high socio-economic parts of NSW to substantially increase their fees in coming years — in some cases, taking fee levels past $10,000 per year.”

Rosie Lewis 1.40pm: Move on: ScoMo

Scott Morrison has urged Labor and the Greens to “move on from their games” after an attempt to move a no confidence motion against Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was defeated by just one vote.

But Greens MP Adam Bandt, who unsuccessfully tried to suspend standing orders so he could move the no confidence motion amid claims Mr Dutton “misled” parliament, said his party would pursue the Minister until the election.

The Prime Minister did not accept Mr Dutton misled parliament after he said he had no “personal connection” with a former Queensland police colleague who contacted his office asking for assistance in an au pair’s visa.

Mr Dutton intervened to allow the au pair entry into Australia on condition she did not work after her tourist visa was cancelled by the Home Affairs department.

“The Labor Party have been kicking up a lot of dust this week about votes and how it’s all going to go. And on each and every occasion, our team has stood fast in the parliament. So what it has shown today is frankly Labor are just full of a lot of hot air,” Mr Morrison said.

“They trumped up a partisan base committee report in the Senate which I said this morning if that same committee used its numbers to say the sun didn’t come up this morning, well, that wouldn’t make that true either. The parliament has dealt with this matter now and it continues to deal with the matter.

“It’s time for the Labor Party to move on from their games and the Greens to move on from their games and the government is focused 100 per cent on the needs of the Australian people.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Education Dan Tehan announce the schools funding deal. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Education Dan Tehan announce the schools funding deal. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Greg Brown 1.35pm: Schools deal detail

Scott Morrison has declared his government was “stepping up” and funding schools at record levels as he unveiled a revamped education funding model that will see an extra $4.4 billion go to Catholic and independent schools.

The Prime Minister said the government would adopt all six recommendations from the Chaney review in the school funding model, with a new model to be implemented after 2020.

The policy will see an extra $1.1 billion given to the sector over the forward estimates and $3.2 billion in the decade to 2029.

There will also be a $1.2 billion fund that will support non-government schools.

Mr Morrison said the Catholic and independent schools sector were supportive of the policy.

“This is an important issue the government has been working on for some time and it’s been a keen area of focus of our government over the last three to four weeks,” Mr Morrison said.

“Our government believes that parents should have choice in education. This has been a fundamental belief of the Liberal and the National parties for a very long time.

“We’re preserving choice, we’re supporting state school education, we’re stepping up with record levels of funding.”

Mr Morrison said funding for public schools would grow from $7.3 billion this year to $13.7bn in 2029.

Mr Morrison said the new funding model would keep independent schools affordable.

“For teachers, it will mean certainty of funding so they can get on with the job,” he said.

Greg Brown 1.10pm: PM unveils schools deal

Scott Morrison has struck a deal with the Catholic education sector on a schools funding agreement and will adopt a new funding model from 2020.

The Prime Minister said both the Catholic and independent schools sectors supported the new funding package.

“For students, this will mean the opportunity to get the best results from school. For parents, it will mean that choice remains affordable,” Mr Morrison said.

Greg Brown 12.45pm: Review release rejected

The Morrison government has rejected the Senate’s demand for the release of the report from the Ruddock Review into religious freedoms.

Senate Leader Mathias Cormann said the documents are subject to cabinet deliberations that have not been finalised and must remain confidential.

“There are very good public interest reasons to preserve the confidentiality of cabinet deliberations to ensure the best possible decisions are made following thorough consideration and discussion of relevant proposals within the cabinet,” Senator Cormann said.

“As such, the government maintains a public interest immunity claim over the documents referred to in the Senate Motion for the time being.

“The government will release the report in due course following proper consideration of its recommendations by government through the deliberative processes of cabinet.”

Rosie Lewis 12.22pm: No confidence motion defeated

The motion is defeated 68 noes to 67 ayes. It’s a small margin and there are audible “ooohs” from Labor’s benches.

Rosie Lewis 12.17pm: Motion unlikely to pass

Crossbenchers Cathy McGowan, Andrew Wilkie, Rebekha Sharkie and Labor

have sided with Mr Bandt.

Maverick Queensland MP Bob Katter is with the government, meaning this

motion should be defeated.

Rosie Lewis 12.15pm: Dutton affair an ‘open and shut’ case

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke said there are often accusations about whether a minister misled parliament but “you will never get one as open and shut as what is in front of us today”.

“You rarely get the minister saying himself or herself ‘I’ve never denied that’ when the denial was what was stated in the parliament,” Mr Burke said.

Mr Burke said when Mr Dutton was asked in early September whether he knew the former Queensland police colleague who made representations to his office about an au pair case, he responded: “I’ve never denied that.”

Julia Banks, Ann Sudmalis and Julie Bishop are very pointedly sitting together to vote against a motion to suspend standing orders, which would then allow Mr Bandt to move a no confidence motion on Mr Dutton. Ms Sudmalis and Ms Banks have announced they will not contest the next election following alleged bullying and intimidation.

Rosie Lewis 12.05pm: ‘Absolute confidence in Minister for Home Affairs’

Leader of the House Christopher Pyne says the government wants to “get on with the business of governing”.

“We don’t agree that the standing orders should be suspended in order to allow a motion of no confidence in the Minister for Home Affairs. We have absolute confidence in the Minister for Home Affairs,” Mr Pyne said.

He’s now reflecting on Mr Dutton’s record in stopping the boats following on from the work of Scott Morrison and of protecting Australia’s borders.

Mr Pyne says there has not been “one shred of evidence” presented by the opposition or the Greens to the au pair inquiry “as to why this motion of no confidence should be carried”. He acknowledges a no confidence motion is one of the most serious things the parliament can consider — so serious, he says, that the Coalition did not move a no confidence motion against the Gillard government in the entire 43rd parliament.

Rosie Lewis 12.00pm: No-confidence motion against Dutton

Greens MP Adam Bandt is attempting to move a no confidence motion against Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton amid claims he misled parliament.

Mr Bandt asked Mr Dutton earlier this year if he knew the au pairs or their intended employers involved in the two visa cases he intervened in, which has been the subject of a four-week long inquiry.

Mr Dutton said he did not, and has gone further recently — saying he had no personal connection to these people.

Mr Dutton was alerted to one of the cases after a former Queensland police colleague contacted his public e-mail address. Mr Dutton says they have not spoken for 20 years.

“It is now crystal clear — and the Senate inquiry has confirmed this — when he told the parliament he didn’t know someone, he did!” Mr Bandt said.

It doesn’t appear Mr Bandt has the numbers despite support from Labor. Watch this space. Mr Bandt says if the motion is successful Mr Dutton must resign and move to the backbench.

Greg Brown 11.55am: Dutton slams Senate report

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has slammed a report by a Senate committee that accused him of misleading parliament.

With Greens MP Adam Bandt set to move a no confidence motion against Mr Dutton today, the Home Affairs Minister said the Senate committee was dominated by Labor and Greens MPs.

“Predictably they say that I’m bad and misled parliament, all this garbage,” Mr Dutton told 2GB radio.

“It has been a political stunt from the start, all it is about is to distract away from the work we have done with visas, the Greens and the Labor Party detest me because of Operation Sovereign Borders and the tough decisions that we have to make in relation to keeping our borders secure.”

Mr Dutton said the credibility of the “star witness” of the inquiry, former Australian Border Force commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg, “went down in flames”.

“They can throw all the mud that they want,” he said.

“You wouldn’t expect anything more from the dodgy inquiry that was set up by the Labor Party and the Greens.”

Rosie Lewis 11.50am: Women the ‘life’ of the Labor Party

Labor has had a strong focus this week on women. With the Liberal Party struggling to keep some of its marginal female MPs, and claims of alleged bullying and intimidation in the wake of the leadership turmoil, Labor has seized the moment to declare women are the “life” of its party.

Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh today launched a new “gender advocacy toolkit” for people looking to work with or lobby politicians on gender-related issues. It has tips on who to approach and when, what not to do and how to build an advocacy campaign.

“Unlike the Liberals, Labor takes gender equity and equality seriously — that’s why we are on track to meet our target of 50 per cent of Labor parliamentarians being women and why we’re leading the way on issues such as abolishing the tampon tax,” Dr Leigh said.

“But we are also working on these issues outside of the chamber. This document should help people wanting to advocate for women when working directly with politicians on all sides of politics. It is vital that people wanting to make a difference in the lives of women have their voices heard and this toolkit should make their paths smoother.

“Labor is doing all we can to make it easier to women to enter parliament and now we’re helping pave the road for people to lobby on women’s issues as well.”

The toolkit was designed by Joanna Richards, a PhD candidate at the University of Canberra’s 50/50 by 2030 Foundation, while seconded to Dr Leigh’s office.

Dennis Shanahan 11.40am: Emergency contamination review

Scott Morrison has agreed to provide for a review of the emergency strawberry contamination laws after Labor warned that emergency legislation needed to be checked after a year to avoid unforeseen consequences.

The Prime Minister said he hoped the laws would not be necessary and the good sense of most Australians would prevail. Labor did not oppose the legislation in any way — having previously supported emergency legislation — but wanted a safety clause included.

Greg Brown 11.30am: ‘A law against idiocy’

Scott Morrison is speaking on a bill he is introducing to the parliament that will increase jail terms to up to 15 years for people who tamper with food.

“It is basically a law against idiocy,” the Prime Minister told the House of Representatives.

“If people want to act like that then they need to know what the consequences are and there are consequences for their actions.”

Greg Brown 11.20am: ‘Stand up for women and children’

Outgoing Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis has confirmed she has accepted an offer to be the Coalition’s federal delegate to the United Nations general assembly.

Ms Sudmalis said the role would enable her to stand up for women and children.

The three month secondment will see her based in New York for the rest of the year.

“I am passionate about advocating for the rights of women and children in Australia and in developing nations. This opportunity will enable me to see important work achieved by the United Nations first-hand,” Ms Sudmalis said in a statement.

Greg Brown 10.50am: Release Ruddock Review, Senate says

The Senate has ordered the government to publicly release the report compiled by the Ruddock Review into religious freedom.

A majority of upper house MPs have this morning passed a motion insisting the government release the documents by 3pm.

The chamber rejected the government’s claim there was public interest in keeping it confidential.

Former Federal Liberal MP Phillip Ruddock. Picture: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Former Federal Liberal MP Phillip Ruddock. Picture: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Greg Brown 10:30am: Social media campaign for strawberries

Bill Shorten is among the many MPs who is taking to social media to urge people to keep eating strawberries.

Dennis Shanahan 10.25am: Tougher sentences for food tampering

Labor frontbencher Tony Burke has urged the Coalition to insert allowance for a 12-month review into the emergency strawberry tampering legislation now before the Parliament.

The Manager of Opposition Business said Labor fully supported the legislation — increasing the sentence for food tampering to 15 years’ jail and new crimes linked to sabotage of national infrastructure — to send a strong message to people contaminating.

But Mr Burke said legislators needed to ensure emergency legislation was reviewed after time to see if it was working as intended.

10.15am: PM bemused by boat trophy attention

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he has had a trophy of a boat with “I Stopped These” for about five years and is bemused with the attention it’s now getting. Mr Morrison was the immigration minister who enforced the controversial policy to stop asylum seeker boats reaching Australia.

“It was given to me by a mate down in the Shire who runs a sign business. He loved the fact that we did that,” Mr Morrison told the Nine Network on Thursday. “It has been sitting in my office, by the way, for about five years. I don’t think that there is anything terribly new about it.” The trophy raised a few eyebrows when it was spotted in a photograph in a New York Times article following an interview with the new prime minister in his parliamentary office.

— AAP

The 'I Stopped These' boat-trophy in Scott Morrison's office. Picture: AAP
The 'I Stopped These' boat-trophy in Scott Morrison's office. Picture: AAP

Greg Brown 10.05am: Sudmalis set to accept UN role

Outgoing Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis is set to accept an offer to take a three month secondment to the United Nations.

Senior government sources have confirmed Ms Sudmalis will be the government’s delegate at the New York-based organisation. She will be out of the country for the rest of the year.

It comes after she aired allegations of bullying in parliament this week when she announced her retirement. Outgoing Labor MP Jenny Macklin will be Labor’s representative on the delegation.

Greg Brown 9.35am: Littleproud welcomes milk tax

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has praised Coles for joining Woolworths in giving 10 cents per litre of milk sales back to farmers for drought relief.

“Aussies can now back our farmers at the supermarket checkout,” Mr Littleproud said in a statement.

“I congratulate Coles for getting on board and seeing that the people of Australia really wanted this.

“Ten cents a litre may not sound like much but it’s huge for our farmers, many of whom are losing money every day, or struggling to break even.”

Greg Brown 9.20am: Dutton must resign for ‘trashing the rules’

Labor is ramping up pressure on Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton after a Senate committee found he misled the House of Representatives over the au pair scandal.

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said Mr Dutton should resign to the backbench.

“There is nothing more important than being honest as a minister before the parliament,” Mr Albanese said.

“That’s an essential component, it’s not optional, and for people who describe themselves as conservatives, if Peter Dutton doesn’t resign himself, what he will be doing is trashing the institution of parliament, trashing the rules and conventions under the Westminster system.”

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke said Labor would support a Greens motion of no confidence in Mr Dutton.

“For all the evidence that has come through the Senate inquiry that we deal with in the parliament, nothing has changed the fact that when Peter Dutton was asked if he knew who these people were, he told the parliament that he didn’t. That just wasn’t true,” Mr Burke told Sky News.

Greg Brown 8.50am: PM cutting red tape for hay haulage

Scott Morrison is out promoting his efforts to help drought affected farmers, announcing a reduction in red tape for trucks carrying hay.

“From midnight tonight, longer and higher loads of hay and fodder will be allowed to travel on state and national-controlled roads,” the Prime Minister said in a statement.

“Heavy vehicles up to a maximum height of 4.6 metres and 2.83 metres wide will no longer require a permit to access the existing state-controlled road networks. Previously access was limited for class three vehicles up to 2.6 metres wide and 4.3 metres high.”

Greg Brown 8.30am: Hanson’s ‘okay to be white’ fight

Pauline Hanson will move a motion in the Senate today, calling on the chamber to recognise that it is “okay to be white”.

The motion will also call on the upper house to acknowledge the “deplorable rise of anti-white racism and attacks on Western civilisation”.

The motion that Senator Pauline Hanson will present to the chamber today.
The motion that Senator Pauline Hanson will present to the chamber today.

Greg Brown 8.18am: Food tampering legislation must pass

Scott Morrison says he will not let MPs go back to their home towns tonight unless legislation to punish people who tamper with food pass through the parliament.

“I am just focused on making sure no idiot goes into a supermarket this weekend and does something ridiculous,” the Prime Minister said this morning.

“And today those laws on strawberries will come into the parliament this morning, we have booked the hall of parliament for the day, we have paid the rent on it, and that means no one goes home until those bills are passed.”

Remy Varga 7.33am: Labor ‘afraid of au pairs’

Scott Morrison says Labor are more concerned by au pairs entering Australia than boats, criminals and bikie gangs.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has faced intense scrutiny in recent weeks over his involvement in the visa cases of two au pairs.

Mr Morrison said the Coalition was prioritising preventing potential threats to national security from entering the nation over stopping au pairs.

“The Labor Party’s going on about stopping the au pairs,” he told Channel 9. “We’re about stopping boats, criminals, bikie gangs, that’s what we’ve been doing.”

“The Labor Party thinks the worst thing that can happen to Australia is an au pair will come and read someone a bed story,” he said. “Then that tells you everything you need to know about their views on national security.”

Mr Morrison, who served as Immigration Minister, said ministerial discretion was an essential part of the immigration system and addressed grey areas within the law.

“Ministerial discretion has been part of the immigration system for as long as the migration act has been around.” he said. “I was Immigration Minister, those powers are important to give flexibility to deal with any number of difficult cases which the laws can’t cope with. “

Mr Morrison said he did not recall if he had intervened on behalf of any au pairs while he was Immigration Minister.

Greg Brown 7.25am: Hay truck rules relaxed

The Coalition has announced that large trucks carrying fodder and hay to drought-stricken farmers will no longer be stopped at state borders.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the “common sense” relaxation of road transport rules would bring relief to struggling farmers. “We want them to keep on trucking all the way and not get caught up by unnecessary red tape,” Mr Morrison told reporters at Royalla in NSW. “Common sense must prevail.”

The problem arises when compressed hay starts to expand on long journeys and becomes non-compliant with state regulations.

Heavy trucks up to 4.6m high at 2.83m wide will no longer require permits to access state roads, pushing the dimensions out by about 30cm. The change will remove the need for up to 6000 permits a year.

— AAP

Greg Brown 7.20am: What's making news

Australia is working on plans with Papua New Guinea to develop a joint naval base on Manus Island, edging out Chinese interest in the strategically vital port with a new facility that would be capable of hosting Australian and US warships.

The chairman of GetUp, whose organisation lobbied against company tax cuts, has been hosted by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to teach it how the left-wing activist group achieves “campaign cut-through”.

People who tamper with food could spend up to 15 years behind bars under tough new laws proposed by Scott Morrison, as police forces are inundated with claims of fruits with pins and needles inserted in them.

Liberal MPs have forced Health Minister Greg Hunt to commission research on the potential health benefits of e-cigarettes, just six months after a parliamentary inquiry opposed their legalisation.

Federal Labor MP Emma Husar appears to have continued her use of taxpayer-funded Comcars for trips around Sydney in recent months, despite rules saying backbenchers should use their private plated cars and claim petrol expenses for business travel in their home cities.

A Labor-led committee has urged the Senate to consider “censuring” Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton after it found he “failed to observe fairness” when choosing to intervene in two foreign au pair visa cases and “misled parliament” over the controversy.

Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt has conceded there really was a funding freeze in a crucial government measure that subsidises the medical and nursing needs of older Australians in residential homes, days after denying a cut.

Bill Shorten has called for stronger protection of domestic industry against Chinese and American imports, saying the escalating trade war between the two countries could cost Australian jobs.

Brendan Nelson, dumped for Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal leader in 2008, has warned his successors not to make unhelpful public commentary and to provide assistance when requested through private channels.

Newly appointed federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor will consider a plan to upgrade the efficiency of Australian coal-fired power stations to improve performance, cut emissions and prolong their operating lives, among a suite of options to shore up the national power supply.

The unexplained death of a baby in the Northern Territory has prompted Scott Morrison to warn that he could consider federal action if the Gunner government fails to resolve ongoing issues with child protection.

James Jeffrey ’s Sketch: oh baby, it’s Shorten by a nose as Saudi women outnumber the Libs’.

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Greg BrownCanberra Bureau chief

Greg Brown is the Canberra Bureau chief. He previously spent five years covering federal politics for The Australian where he built a reputation as a newsbreaker consistently setting the national agenda.

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/politicsnow-trucks-carrying-hay-to-droughtstricken-farmers-wont-be-stopped-at-state-borders/news-story/78956b88280e15bf915d0420df6bcb88