PoliticsNow: PM ‘caving in’ to Abbott on energy

Tony Abbott’s climate change and energy views come under fire from Bill Shorten — and George Brandis.

After a month-long break, Federal Parliament resumes today.

Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live coverage of the happenings in Parliament House. After a four-week break, both houses are sitting with energy set to dominate the agenda. Malcolm Turnbull starts the sitting week with an unwelcome poll result, the 21st consecutive Newspoll in which the Coalition trails Labor. And Tony Abbott has told Ray Hadley about the circumstances under which he’d return to the top job.

Key stories:

Tony Abbott reflects on comeback as PM

Newspoll reaction: ‘We’re not in a death spiral’

Abbott not helping Coalition cause, say MPs

4.12pm: Detainees to be thrown off Manus

Manus Island detainees who have failed in their bids to seek refuge will soon be thrown out of Papua New Guinea.

Australia is working with the PNG government to shut down the offshore detention centre by October 31.

Refugees who have expressed interest in US resettlement may volunteer to transfer to Nauru ahead of the centre’s closure, while alternative local accommodation and services have also been organised.

Cabinet minister Michaelia Cash said “non-refugee residents” were expected to return to their home countries, and would be assisted to do so. “Non-refugees not returning voluntarily will be involuntary removed from PNG by the government of PNG,” Senator Cash told parliament on Monday. The minister twice refused to rule out using force or cutting off water and electricity to coerce people to leave the Manus Island centre. “Anyone will be removed by lawful means,” Senator Cash said. -AAP

Primrose Riordan 3.17pm: Brandis takes a dig at Abbott

Attorney General George Brandis has had a dig at former Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Senate Question Time. He said he didn’t have time to read all comments by all his political colleagues and summed up Mr Abbott’s comments on climate change as: “people sacrificing goats to volcanoes or something like that”.

AG George Brandis burns Tony Abbott in Senate QT... #auspol pic.twitter.com/0oNsXoQ4sF

— Christine Byllaardt (@christinebyll) October 16, 2017

Greg Brown 3.14pm:

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke fires up after Justice Minister Michael Keenan berates Labor for not making a decision on supporting the government’s push to crackdown on child sex offenders.

“The minister specifically pointed to members along the frontbench of the chamber, and made specific allegations about their view on whether or not pedophiles should be locked up,” Burke says.

“When you’re pointing to people like that, that’s a personal reflection and the most vile sort of accusation that someone could make in this place.”

Speaker Tony Smith finds Keenan did nothing wrong but tells him to be careful.

Keenan doesn’t back down.

“The allegation I was making is very clear ... after a month, since we have introduced this legislation, the Labor Party still cannot say if they support it or not. That is just a statement of fact,” he says.

Greg Brown 3.07pm: NBN goes missing

Labor MP Emma McBride asks her second question on the NBN around a case in her electorate on the NSW Central Coast.

“Elizabeth and her family live in my electorate. Is the Prime Minister aware that her whole street can’t connect to the NBN, even though her suburb has supposedly had (it for) years,” she says.

Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher says 35,000 customers were being signed up every week and it was on track to be rolled out by 2020.

“That is an extraordinary achievement and it’s no thanks to this incompetent rabble from whom we inherited a project in chaotic disarray,” Fletcher says.

“On any rollout of the scale, there would be customer experiences that are not what we want. That is why there’s a lot of work going on to understand those specific situations and to deal with them. And if the member wants to give me specific instances, we’ll look at it.”

Greg Brown 3.04pm: ‘We’ve stopped the crims’

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton uses a Dixor to tell the House the government has cancelled 3000 visas due to criminal behaviour.

“The government has been very deliberate in saying we want to find people that have come here on visas,” he says.

“Abiding by the conditions of those visas is a condition of their presence in our country, and when they break the conditions of those visas, when they commit criminal offences against Australians, we cancel those visas.”

Rachel Baxendale 3.02pm: Pyne attacks CFMEU

Christopher Pyne takes a Dixer on union intimidation and harassment.

He says recent reports of threats being shouted by the CFMEU at Glencore workers in Queensland would shock most Australians.

“Not only calling out to employees legitimately going to work, they wish they would have head-on collisions on their way home from work, but saying the workers, the CFMEU workers would rape the children of the workers at Oaky North,” Mr Pyne says.

“When is enough going to be enough for the Leader of the Opposition to stand up to the CFMEU?

“We know he’s taken $8 million in donations from the CFMEU since he was the leader of the Labor Party. It’s time for the Labor Party to say no to any more donations from the CFMEU.

“Bob Hawke had the backbone to stand up to the BLF, it’s time this leader of the Labor Party had the backbone to stand up to the CFMEU.”

Greg Brown 2.54pm: ‘Why all the copper?’

Opposition communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland asks about the NBN spending $177 million on copper.

“Why is the government still investing in 20th century copper, when Australia needs a 21st century National Broadband Network?”

Malcolm Turnbull says the project is on track.

“The NBN Co is activated by more customers every 10 days, than the Labor Party did in six years. Quite an accomplishment,” Turnbull says.

“Had we persisted with Labor’s failed project, it would have taken between six and 8 years longer and $30 billion more.

“The NBN was one of the greatest train wrecks created by the Labor Party and that was saying something. We turned it around, getting built and completed.”

Greg Brown 2.46pm: Billson lurks

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke asks about the government’s investigation into Bruce Billson for taking money from a lobby group while he was an MP.

“Will the Prime Minister verify this letter that the investigation did not speak to any ministers, did not review the public documents that are tabled in this parliament. Can the Prime Minister confirm the investigation involved Mr Billson simply giving an assurance that he had complied with the code?”

Malcolm Turnbull took it on notice.

Greg Brown 2.42pm: Has Abbott been drafted?

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek brings a Tony Abbott “draft” into a question about the clean energy target.

“The Prime Minister has said a clean energy target would and I quote, ‘Certainly work. There is no question it would work.’ Does the Prime Minister stand by that statement or has the Member for Warringah been drafted to lead the government in developing a new energy policy?”

Malcolm Turnbull says energy policy is more than slogans.

“That’s the task of government. To get beyond the slogans, and the three-letter acronyms that honourable members opposite don’t understand and to get a policy that works and have the one that works best,” he says.

“Engineering and economics, not three-letter acronyms and terms that honourable members opposite laugh about but do not understand.”

Rachel Baxendale 2.36pm: Bandt’s ‘confected outrage’

It’s time for today’s crossbench question, which comes from Greens MP Adam Bandt.

Bandt says that after the government scrapped the carbon price, pollution went up.

“It went up in 2015, again in 2016 and this year too. You’re making climate change worse, but over that time, wholesale electricity prices have doubled too.

“Instead of letting climate deniers dictate your energy prices, wouldn’t it be better to increase the Renewable Energy Target, so that we cut pollution, cut power bills, and keep the lights on?” Bandt asks.

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg hits out at the “confected outrage” of the Greens.

“I hate to remind the member for Melbourne, but when the Greens were in coalition with the Labor Party, power prices increased by 100 per cent. That was the Greens legacy,” he says.

“The confected moral outrage from the Greens when it comes to climate policy is amazing.”

Mr Frydenberg says the “inconvenient truth” for Mr Bandt is that emissions in Australia are at their lowest level in 27 years in terms of GDP and per capita.

He says it’s the Turnbull government which has put electricity storage at the top of the policy agenda for the first time.

“What did the Greens ever say about storage? On this side of the house, we have invested more than $200 million for a vast array of projects on storage,” he says.

Greg Brown 2.32pm: ‘Semantics’ on gas

Bill Shorten asks what penalties big gas companies will pay if they don’t supply the domestic market more gas under their agreement with the federal government.

Malcolm Turnbull called the question based on “semantics”.

“Of course it is an agreement, it’s a contract,” he says.

“You can use whatever semantics you like. The bottom line is we had the character and the commitment to bring those gas companies to Canberra and get them to do the right thing by the Australian people. And the Labor Party did nothing.”

Rachel Baxendale 2.29pm: ‘Carbon tax to blame’

Treasurer Scott Morrison takes a Dixer on the ACCC’s preliminary report on retail electricity prices, which was released today.

Mr Morrison says ACCC Chairman Rod Simms has “commended the government” on the action they’re taking and concluded that Labor’s carbon tax drove up prices.

He says the report also found that closing down coal-fired power stations had pushed up prices, as had state government “gold-plating” of poles and wires.

Greg Brown 2.27pm: ‘Why dump the CET?’

Labor energy spokesman Mark Butler goes again on the clean energy target, which the government is expected to dump by tomorrow.

“In his presentation to the Coalition joint partyroom, he confirmed that a clean energy target lowers prices. Given the Energy Minister told the government’s own party room it would lead to lower prices, why is the government caving into the demands of the former prime minister, by abandoning the clean energy target, that would save Australians money on their power bills?”

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says the CET was merely one of 50 recommendations in the Finkel report.

“But we have also accepted 49 of the other recommendations. Recommendations which will help deliver lower prices and a more reliable system,” he says.

“Reforms like greater notice of closure, so large thermal generators like Hazlewood or Northern can’t close with just a few months notice. Now with a minimum of 3 years notice.

“That intermittent sources of power, wind and solar, that governments have welcomed into the grid without the necessarily backup storage will now be required to provide that storage.”

Butler asks permission to table a document showing Frydenberg say a CET will lower prices. He is denied.

Greg Brown 2.21pm: PM ‘caving in to Abbott’

Bill Shorten’s first question of QT is about energy, accusing Malcolm Turnbull “caving” into Tony Abbott in moving to dump the clean energy target.

Salvation Army leader Brendan Nottle, centre, finishes his walk from Melbourne to Canberra with Greens Member for Melbourne Adam Bandt, left, and Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten, right, at Parliament House in Canberra, today.

Malcolm Turnbull says the government’s approach is based on “engineering and economics”.

“The Leader of the Opposition has been in favour of an emissions intensity scheme, he’s been in favour of a clean energy target, the only thing they have got in common, he doesn’t understand how either of them work,” Turnbull says.

“He doesn’t know the difference between a renewables target and an emissions reduction target. One slogan after another.”

Rachel Baxendale 2.13pm: Vale Evelyn Scott

Malcolm Turnbull kicks off Question Time with a condolence motion for indigenous rights activist Dr Evelyn Scott.

The Prime Minister acknowledges Dr Scott’s role as a leader in the decades-long campaign for the 1967 referendum.

“The ‘67 referendum did not just deliver a successful amendment to the constitution, it resulted in a more equal and united Australia, a richer Australia, and we’re eternally indebted to those who helped unite our nation,” Mr Turnbull says.

“Dr Scott knew that reconciliation was not an isolated event, but part of the fabric of this nation. She became the general secretary of the Council to advance the Aboriginal Australians, and chair of the council for Aboriginal reconciliation between 1997 and 2000.”

Mr Turnbull says Corroboree 2000, when 250,000 Australians walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge for reconciliation, was Dr Scott’s greatest achievement.

“What she’ll be remembered for is uniting the people of our nation, bridging the gap between First Australians and all Australians.

“She firmly believed there is only one race, and that’s the human race.”

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Dr Scott had dedicated her life to the pursuit of reconciliation.

“Let us commend her life in the most fitting way possible, by redoubling our efforts to achieve true reconciliation,” he says.

Greg Brown 2.03pm: Turnbull ‘still Prime Minister’

Liberal Member for Hughes Craig Kelly.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly has rebuffed suggestions Tony Abbott is in line to be drafted back to the prime ministership.

Mr Kelly, a conservative Sydney MP, said Malcolm Turnbull will lead the party to the next election.

“At the moment Malcolm Turnbull is the prime minister, he will see us through to the next election, we will win this next election,” Mr Kelly said.

“We are releasing our energy policy in this next couple of days and once that is done the public will see the real difference between the Labor Party and the Liberal Party and I believe that will turn the polls around.”

Mr Kelly, who last week said you could “never say never” to a comeback from Mr Abbott, said the former prime minister had a lot to offer the party.

“As an ex prime minister Tony has a lot to offer, you need people in the team on the backbench with good experience like Tony does, he makes a very valuable contribution,” Mr Kelly said.

Greg Brown 1.15pm: Pyne not fazed by Newspoll

Chris Pyne hit out at “disgraceful” attacks on Labor MP Michael Danby, declaring it was motivated by an “anti-Israel bias” from within the ALP. Mr Pyne defended the Member of Melbourne Ports after The Australian revealed this morning he took a trip to Israel and pursued some of his favourite causes after allegedly telling his party back home that he was too ill to attend a sitting week of parliament. “I know that Michael Danby is a passionate supporter of the state of Israel and Human Rights issues throughout the world and I’ve travelled with him myself to Israel in the past,” Mr Pyne told Sky News. “I think the attacks on him from within his own party, from Bob Carr and from others within Labor, trying to diminish his role in the Labor Party because of their anti-Israel bias is nothing short of disgraceful.”

Greg Brown 1.05pm: Pyne not fazed by Newspoll

Cabinet minister Chris Pyne has dismissed today’s Newspoll showing the Coalition trails Labor, declaring there is a “veritable blizzard” of polls and he doubts whether they are accurate.

Mr Pyne said the public was sick of polling after the Coalition trailed Labor for the 21st consecutive Newspoll, by 46 to 54 per cent. He also claimed there were polls showing the Coalition was ahead, despite all mainstream polls showing Labor has a clear lead over the government. “There is a veritable blizzard in Australian politics today and we saw their unreliability in the Trump election in the United States, their unreliability in the Brexit vote in the UK, in the recent UK general election,” Mr Pyne told Sky News. “There are so many polls that I think the public have turned off from polls, they certainly occupy the time of the media but im not sure they occupy the time of the federal public. They’re much more interested in jobs, which is what I am focused on, on national security, which is what I’m focused on, in energy security which is what the government is focused on. So I let polls come and go, there are polls which show the government is in front, there are polls which show the government is behind. The only sale we have to make is on election day every three years and that is what I’m focused on doing after good policy helps us to get reelected at the next election because we get the credit from the public for putting them first rather than putting polls or polling first.”

12.35pm: Media laws pass lower house

Parliament has rubber-stamped the Turnbull government’s long-awaited changes to media ownership laws. The legislation passed the Senate in September following deals with One Nation and the Nick Xenophon Team, but needed the lower house to approve two minor changes on Monday. The package’s centrepiece will allow a proprietor to control more than two out of three platforms — TV, radio or newspaper — in one licensed market, while also repealing the 75 per cent reach rule.

Greg Brown 12.25pm: Hanson: climate change not from humans

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says human activity has nothing to do with climate change.

Ms Hanson said this morning renewable energy subsidies should be cut because the science did not prove climate change was being caused by humans.

“I’m am very sceptical of this because the science isn’t there and that’s been proven,” Ms Hanson told the Seven Network.

“Climate is changing but it is not from humans; 97 per cent of carbon comes out of the ocean.

“Australians are fed up with putting billions of dollars into this renewable energy and the targets that they have. It is not going to work and people are starting to realise that.”

Pauline Hanson in the Senate today. Picture: Gary Ramage

Greg Brown 12.00pm: Coalition ‘has lost it way’

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has blamed the federal Coalition’s disunity as part of the reason for big swings against the Berejiklian on the weekend by-elections. Mr Barilaro, the NSW Nationals leader, said the Turnbull government had lost its way and was spending too much time focusing on itself rather than issues that matter to the electorate. “There is constant inner fighting within the government when we’ve got issues around electricity and we are not seeing the leadership we need, energy prices are not only crippling the household budget but crippling businesses and if we are not careful we are going to lose jobs,” Mr Barilaro told Sky News.

But Mr Barilaro did not say Tony Abbott should stop commentating on the Turnbull government’s policies, instead putting the pressure on Malcolm Turnbull.

“Tony will always be able to speak with authority, he is a former prime minister and he is still a significant character within the party and the political landscape,” Mr Barilaro said. “But as a leader, as a government — the cabinet, the leadership, the Prime Minister the Deputy Prime Minister — they have got to put that all aside and talk about the things that matter.

“This issue around energy has been constant for the whole part of this year and yet we haven’t resolved anything, unless you actually prove through actions not words people switch off and that’s what is happening.”

John Barilaro says the federal Coalition has lost its way. Picture: Richard Dobson

Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger said this morning perceptions of disunity were hurting the Turnbull government. “Any dislocation or perceived dislocation within a government or an opposition is not good for your political health,” Mr Kroger told Sky News.

“If the electorate perceives that there is some kind of disharmony in the government then it will affect you in the polls, that is one of the oldest laws in politics. “If the government is not concentrating on its policy successes then obviously any kind of distractions do not help.”

Liberal MP Craig Laundy rejected Mr Barilaro’s claim there were federal factors in play on the weekend NSW by-elections in Cootamundra and Murray. “There were local issues,” he said.

“By-elections play on state and local issues which are very much intertwined. We sit above that.”

Mr Laundy said there was no appetite in the Liberal to draft Mr Abbott to replace Mr Turnbull as leader. “There is no leadership tension or speculation or talk at all, we are a committed team standing behind the Prime Minister,” he said.

.@LaundyCraigMP: there is no leadership tension or speculation at all and we committed to supporting the PM. MORE: https://t.co/HOPBWVM8NW pic.twitter.com/Tbymx52V4b

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) October 15, 2017

Peter Van Onselen 11.35am: ‘Not such a happy 21st for PM’

Twenty-firsts are supposed to be a celebratory affair, but not this week’s milestone for Malcolm Turnbull. Chalking up 21 consecutive Newspolls trailing Labor on the two party vote puts him within just nine polls of the yardstick Turnbull used to remove Tony Abbott as PM. Turnbull has a lot of balls in the air as this year comes to a close. To give himself a chance of recovery next year he can’t afford to drop any of them. Read Peter Van Onselen’s analysis here.

Rachel Baxendale 11.25am: Shorten on clean energy

Bill Shorten says Malcolm Turnbull faces a leadership test in the next 24 hours over whether the government will follow Chief Scientist Alan Finkel’s recommendation of a clean energy target. “It is a test of whether or not he is running the Liberal Party and can back in what he believes, which is a clean energy target, or if Tony Abbott is running the Liberal Party and they’ll dump a clean energy target,” the Opposition Leader said. “Labor has made it very clear, from even before the final report of the Chief Scientist, that we will work with the government to do something to lower energy prices in this country. But what we see is the government can’t even work out what they want to do, and long-suffering consumers and business are the people paying the price, with higher energy prices, because this Government is at war with itself,” he said.

Mr Shorten said Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg’s comment last week that renewable energy is getting cheaper was a “moment of lucidity”. “For goodness sakes, Mr Turnbull, if you know renewable energy is getting cheaper and cheaper, why on earth are you listening to the knuckle-draggers of the Right take us backwards?” he said.

.@billshortenmp: This is a test to see if @TurnbullMalcolm is running the Liberal party, or @TonyAbbottMHR. MORE: https://t.co/f20Qwwv8Rf pic.twitter.com/m3Aq0dtclP

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) October 16, 2017

11.20am: Abbott backs sister for state politics

Former PM Tony Abbott has endorsed his sister’s bid to move into state politics. Christine Forster, a City of Sydney councillor, is setting her sights on the NSW upper house seat vacated by former finance minister Greg Pearce, who announced his retirement last week. “I certainly think Christine has a hell of a lot to offer,” Mr Abbott told 2GB radio. “I think she could make a bigger and better contribution if she was in the state parliament.” Read more here from The Australian ’s Andrew Clennell.

Tony Abbott pictured with his sister Christine Forster.

Rachel Baxendale 11.10am: Shorten backs Danby

Bill Shorten has brushed aside questions over Labor MP Michael Danby’s visit to Israel while he was allegedly on sick leave during a parliamentary sitting week. As Associate Editor Brad Norington reports this morning, Mr Danby, the member for Melbourne Ports and previously a close Shorten ally, made the trip in September last year during a two-week absence. He had supplied a medical certificate that stated he was unfit for parliamentary duties. Mr Shorten said this morning he was not going to comment on a “person’s personal medical issues”. Asked whether Labor was going to take any action, Mr Shorten said: “The man gave us a medical certificate. I’m not a doctor. I’m not going start second-guessing his medical prognosis and condition.”

11.10am: ‘Don’t kowtow to Abbott’

Opposition energy spokesman Mark Butler says Malcolm Turnbull will “kowtow to Tony Abbott’s radical right wing agenda” if the government does not adopt a clean energy target. Mr Butler said the opposition hoped the government would adopt the 50th recommendation in the Finkel report but noted media reports suggested it was unlikely. Cabinet will meet tonight and discuss energy policy, with the government expected to reject a clean energy target. “If Malcolm Turnbull fails this test, Australian businesses and Australian households will hold him to account for the consequences. The thousands of jobs that are lost, the higher risk of blackouts and the sky rocketing power prices that will inevitably follow,” Mr Butler said. “We’ve shifted from our election policy, a substantial shift, to try to develop some bipartisanship around this question. The test now is that there are two paths for Malcolm Turnbull: Tony Abbott’s path or the path urged on him by pretty much everyone else in the community.”

Greg Brown 11.00am: Walk for homelessness

Bill Shorten has greeted Salvation Army leader Brendan Nottle outside Parliament House in Canberra after the charity worker completed a 40-day walk from Melbourne to Canberra to raise awareness for homelessness. Mr Shorten said this morning Labor would implement a national plan to reduce homelessness through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). He lauded Major Nottle for his work in helping the vulnerable and for his 700km walk to raise awareness for homelessness. “Labor, we will have a national homelessness strategy. It’s what you want and what we will support,” Mr Shorten said. “We all understand that for your walk to have meaning beyond today, your challenge is now to us. What you’ve done, Brendan, is you’ve given politics a little bit of self-respect. Because you walking up this hill and those 700km beforehand, you are saying that you trust the political system and the parliamentarians to be fair dinkum on homelessness, to be as fair dinkum as you are, to be as fair dinkum as this group. We will not let you down.”

Salvation Army leader Brendan Nottle shakes hands with Bill Shorten after finishing his walk from Melbourne to Canberra at Parliament House.

Greg Brown 10.15am: Turnbull ‘no sensible centrist’

Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh says Malcolm Turnbull has jettisoned his “centrist” views on climate change because poor polling has put his leadership under pressure. Mr Leigh said the government should adopt a clean energy target, declaring it was in the national interest to reduce emissions. “Malcolm Turnbull promised that he would be a sensible centrist, but he’s been anything but on climate change and the abandonment of the clean energy target is another indication as to why Malcolm Turnbull is now up to losing 21 Newspolls, heading rapidly towards beating the record of his predecessor of 30 Newspolls,” Mr Leigh told Sky News.

He said renewables produce about a fifth of electricity generation and more investment was needed so they could eventually replace ageing coal power plants. “The challenge for businesses is that they don’t have long term certainty as to what the government’s policies are going to be,” he said. “If you’re investing in a solar plant, you need to know that the government policies are going to be, out decades. Right now, the Turnbull Government doesn’t know what it’s doing past 2020 because the left wing and the right wing of the party are in such a terrible brawl.”

.@ALeighMP: We need to make the transition to renewables to tackle energy prices and climate change. MORE: https://t.co/f20Qwwv8Rf pic.twitter.com/0jhr55wOCd

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) October 15, 2017

Greg Brown 9.50am: Abbott reflects on return

Tony Abbott has opened the door to returning to the prime ministership, as long as he is drafted back to the top job. The former prime minister would not rule out a tilt for the Liberal Party this morning if Malcolm Turnbull resigned due to poor polling. “When you are an ex the only way you can come back is if you’re drafted and I think that is a pretty rare and unusual business in politics,” Mr Abbott told Sydney radio station 2GB.

“You are talking about hypothetical ... the only way an ex could ever come back would be by way of a draft and that is almost impossible to imagine.”

Mr Abbott talked down the significance of today’s Newspoll showing the Coalition trailed Labor 46-54 per cent. “I think the focus shouldn’t be on the polls the focus should be on being the best possible government,” he said.

He said it was essential the Turnbull government took action on reducing power prices by scrapping subsidies for renewables. “Let’s see what comes out of the cabinet tomorrow, I hope the partyroom gets plenty of time to digest whatever comes out of the cabinet, I don’t think this is something that should be rushed through but nevertheless it has got to be got right,” he said.

“The important thing is to stop running a system to reduce emissions and start running a system to give us affordable, reliable power so that our jobs are safe, industry is secure and peoples cost of living is not going through the roof.”

Greg Brown 9.05am: ‘Abbott not helping perceptions’

Two Turnbull government ministers have rounded on Tony Abbott for distracting the government’s agenda after the Coalition lagged Labor for the 21st consecutive Newspoll.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham said any perception of disunity is “unhelpful” when asked about the former prime minister making big policy declarations in the lead up to the fortnightly survey. “Any perception that the government is not focused on the things the public care about is an unhelpful perception,” Mr Birmingham told Sky News.

Tony Abbott.

“I can certainly reassure you that, aside from having to answer your questions and so on, it doesn’t distract my work or Malcolm Turnbull’s work or the rest of the cabinet’s work, we’re all getting on with all these important issues like dealing with an energy crisis.”

Mr Abbott last week made a controversial speech in London saying climate-change policies had done more harm than climate change itself, suggesting global warming was “probably doing good; or at least, more good than harm”.

Mr Birmingham was asked he thought Mr Abbott was distracting the government’s agenda intentionally. “That is a question for him,” Mr Birmingham said.

More: Tony Abbott’s London speech transcript

Last night, Human Services Minister Alan Tudge said Mr Abbott’s commentary on the government gave the perception the Coalition was not united. “Sometimes when Tony Abbott speaks out he gives a sense of disunity within the government,” he said. “Often times it may just be him and his particular views but nevertheless the media will portray it as being a much more significant split within the party than perhaps what it represents at the particular time. We have got a very big agenda in front of us; as a minister, as part of the Turnbull Government we are focused on that agenda.”

Greg Brown 8.45am: Energy prices ‘would’ve been worse’

Mathias Cormann says the government will strive to bring more competition into the energy market after a report by the competition watchdog showed power prices have risen by 63 per cent in the past decade. Mr Cormann noted the report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said a lack of competition was the biggest reason for the rising prices. “The government will ensure the system is as competitive as it possibly can be, of course we will,” Mr Corman said. “The ACCC preliminary report has identified a range of inefficiencies in the market related to network costs, regulatory arrangements, price setting arrangements and the like.

“The government will obviously now consider the recommendations the ACCC has made in terms of opening up possible avenues to improve policy settings moving forward.”

Senator Cormann would talk about the likely dumping of a clean energy target after the ACCC report shown green schemes had only contributed 7 per cent to rising power costs. “The report showed the biggest sale in wholesale electricity prices came when the government abolished the carbon tax,” he said. “Everything we do is focused on putting downward pressure on electricity prices, improving reliability, and doing so in a way that helps us meet our emissions reductions targets.”

Greg Brown 8.30am: ‘We’re not in death spiral’

Senior Turnbull government figures are putting on a brave face as the coalition lags behind Labor in the Newspoll for the 21st time in a row. Cabinet minister Darren Chester rejected suggestions the government was in a “death spiral”.

“I think it’s a ridiculous proposition,” he told ABC TV. Mr Chester said governments, unlike oppositions, had to make tough decisions. “Within the culture of politics right now, I think the Australian people are quite happy to give their members of parliament a clip behind the ears to make sure we stay on our toes.”

Greg Brown 8.15am: Cormann not worried by Newspoll

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the Coalition will be ready to fight Bill Shorten at the next election despite today’s Newspoll showing Labor has a clear lead over the government.

Senator Cormann dismissed the significance of the survey this morning which showed Labor ahead by 54 to 46 per cent, the 21st consecutive Newspoll the government has trailed Labor.

“At the moment there is no election in front of us,” Mr Cormann said this morning. “Obviously we will be focused at the right time when we go to the next general election to put it to the Australian people our track record, our plans for the future and why our plan for the economy is a much better plan than the alternative. We know that Bill Shorten would want to damage business, damage investment and pursue an economic agenda that would lead to less investment, less growth, fewer jobs and lower wages. As we pursue that conversation in the leadup to the next election, obviously, we are hopeful that we are able to convince a majority of people in the majority of seats to support the Coalition again.”

Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann.

Greg Brown 7.45am: Beazley on China, Korea

Former Labor leader Kim Beazley has issued concern about the Chinese government’s influence on Australian universities. Mr Beazely, the former Ambassador to the US, said warnings about Chinese influence over the content of tertiary education was “real”.

“We need to tell the Chinese that we don’t regard our universities as a focal point for propagandistic activity,” Mr Beazely said. “Universities are quintessentially about freedom of thought, research and speech and anyone who is in them ought to feel totally comfortable that they’re in a safe space for that.”

Mr Beazley dismissed North Korea’s fresh warning to Australia on the weekend. North Korean state-run news agency KCNA criticised Australia’s “dangerous moves” in its support for US political and military pressure and warned on Saturday that any such continued behaviour would be met with “disaster”.

“This is not news, they have said it a number of times. I think that the Foreign Minister’s calculation on this is perfectly correct and I think this is just bluster,” Mr Beazely said.

“He is up to trying to divide allies from the United States, he is up to threatening the United States, threatening those who support them. Any missile that came in this direction would be a wasted missile.”

Mr Beazley said Kim Jong-un was Russia and China’s “baby”, declaring they had the most responsibility to urge Pyongyang to stop its hostile actions. “China and Russia have enabled North Korea, they didn’t get their weapons from nowhere,” he said. “Sure they’ve developed them themselves but they have had help and they have had access to materials that are essential for them that are not generated locally, and most of them have come one way or another out of China and Russia. So they have got a responsibility now, he’s their baby.”

7.00am: The day ahead

Malcolm Turnbull starts the sitting week with an unwelcome Newspoll showing he lost ground to Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister to lead by 41 to 33 per cent on the key measure, narrowing the gap from the previous result of 42 to 31 per cent. The latest survey is the 21st consecutive Newspoll in which the Coalition has trailed Labor, with the opposition leading the government 54 to 46 per cent.

With energy set to dominate the agenda this week, a special Newspoll also showed that almost 60 per cent of Australians saying they will not pay a cent more for clean energy policies. Cabinet is expected to endorse a framework to scale back subsidies for renewable energy while encouraging investment in new power generators without hastening the closure of coal-fired power stations.

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission will today release a report showing subsidies to renewable energy are adding about 7 per cent to electricity bills, or an average of $100 a year. but the competition regulator says a lack of competition and poor planning among the big electricity companies is the main reason power bills are soaring.

In other news, attempts by the Turnbull government to get more power to deregister unions, disqualify union officials and torpedo union mergers are in doubt after key Senate crossbencher Nick Xenophon expressed concerns about the proposed new laws to be debated by federal parliament this week.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has dismissed North Korean threats over support for the US amid rapidly escalating tensions with Pyongyang, and says Australia is not a primary target of the regime.

Federal Labor MP Michael Danby took a trip to Israel and pursued some of his favourite causes after allegedly telling his party back home that he was too ill to attend a sitting week of parliament.

The Australian’s David Crowe writes the government has a challenge in setting out an energy policy that scales back subsidies for renewables when voters clearly believe these are worthwhile.