Andrew Wilkie ends Labor’s push for extra sitting weeks

Labor will fail in its bid to extend parliament after Andrew Wilkie foresaw little progress on legislating banking recommendations.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie. Picture: AAP

Labor will fail in its bid to extend parliament’s sitting to deal with the banking royal commission’s recommendations, after key Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie rejected the push saying it would not achieve “any meaningful progress”.

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Mr Wilkie told The Australian extra sitting days in March could even be counter-productive because they would be “so soon, and so few, as to not allow time to properly prepare, scrutinise and debate the necessary bills in both houses of parliament”.

“I’m sceptical that adding six days to the parliamentary sitting calendar would achieve any meaningful progress on legislating the bank royal commission recommendations,” he said.

“Of course we must implement the recommendations as soon as possible. But we’ve got to get it right, and that includes enough time for all the stages of introducing good public policy, and in particular effective community consultation, circulation of exposure drafts, committee scrutiny and so on. The last thing we want is a cluster of botched laws that help no one and even make matters worse.

“My position is consistent with the position of the Law Council of Australia.”

Mr Wilkie received a briefing from Treasury officials yesterday on the royal commission’s findings to help him understand the timeline of the government’s response, including how quickly legislation could be developed and brought to the parliament.

Mr Wilkie’s rejection of the Labor tactic is a huge boost for Scott Morrison, who was defeated on the floor of parliament yesterday after the opposition worked with crossbenchers to legislate the so-called medivac amendments.

The Prime Minister has scheduled just two sitting weeks this month ahead of the April 2 budget, so as to allow time to prepare for the financial blueprint.

Bill Shorten needs the support of all seven lower house crossbenchers to achieve an absolute majority of 76 MPs to suspend standing orders and move a motion to add extra sitting weeks to the calendar.

Mr Wilkie’s opposition means the Opposition Leader will be unable to succeed and that maverick independent MP Bob Katter is no longer key to the government fending off Labor’s bid to extend parliament.

Mr Katter has threatened to support extra sitting days unless Mr Morrison agrees to help cut struggling cattle farmers’ debt, putting the Prime Minister on notice that he is prepared to vote against the government and try and cause another defeat on the floor of parliament.

A day after Mr Katter rejected Labor’s push to sit in March and deal with the banking royal commission’s recommendations, he said he could support extra sittings if the government did not establish a reconstruction board to help farmers in northwest Queensland in the wake of “the worst natural disaster to hit the cattle industry”.

“I have asked the government to commit to a reconstruction authority, cutting existing debt by 30 per cent, providing finance at government interest rates,” Mr Katter said.

“Without this minimal action north Queensland’s calamity, its misery, its human and economic hardship will worsen exponentially.”

The member for Kennedy is in negotiations with Mr Morrison, Nationals MP George Christensen, Josh Frydenberg and Agriculture Minister David Littleproud to deliver a package.

“I would start to get worried if I haven’t got a deal tomorrow,” he said.

“I’m leaving that threat out there (of supporting extra sitting days) and if it’s a threat you can interpret it as a threat or you can interpret it as a promise. All I’m saying is I’m most certainly considering that option if we don’t get something tangible. This parliament has a responsibility to deliver something tangible to the people on the banking.”

Mr Morrison said he was working with Mr Katter on the reconstruction of the cattle industry in northern Australia after the catastrophic floods.

“We have had some excellent meetings on that and I want to thank Bob,” the Prime Minister said.

“This is an industry that has a huge future but has literally been washed away in the last few days and they will need our help to get them back on their feet and that’s what Bob and I are working on.”

The Law Council warned against Labor’s call to ­extend parliament in response to the banking royal commission, as revealed in The Australian on Monday, claiming rushed legislation would fail to deliver justice for thousands of victims who can’t afford to ­legally pursue banks that have ripped them off.