Labor, Greens to join Katter in Canberra despite postponed sitting week
Labor and the Greens have joined with Bob Katter in vowing to head to Canberra for parliament on Monday, despite the government postponing sitting.
Labor and the Greens have joined with Independent MP Bob Katter in vowing to head to Canberra for parliament on Monday, whether parliament convenes or not.
The Turnbull government has postponed next week’s sitting of the House of Representatives in a move which has been slammed as “cowardly” and “like something out of a dictatorship” by Labor, but appears to be legitimate under Standing Order 30, which states that the speaker or a minister may change the meeting times of the House.
Government Leader in the House of Representatives Christopher Pyne made the announcement this morning, confirming next week will be a Senate only sitting week, with the House of Representatives resuming at 10am on December 4, and not November 27, as previously scheduled.
Mr Pyne said the government wanted to ensure it could legalise same sex marriage before Christmas and allow the House and the Senate to “do all they can to resolve the citizenship issue”.
Amid threats from Coalition MPs to cross the floor over a banking inquiry, Mr Pyne denied that the decision would pave the way for Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce to be present the next time the House of Representatives sits, if he is successful in the by-election for his northern NSW seat of New England on December 2.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Malcolm Turnbull was cancelling parliament next week because he was frightened of parliament and of his own party.
“Malcolm Turnbull’s lack of courage is not a good enough reason to cancel parliament,” Mr Shorten said.
“It belongs to the people of Australia, it is not Mr Turnbull’s play thing, we will be turning up to work on Monday because the Australian people expect nothing less.”
Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke said today was the day Mr Turnbull had decided to stop governing.
“The last time we cancelled a week in parliament was back in 2005 around the time of the Bali bombings,” Mr Burke said.
“I’ve never heard of an occasion where parliament gets cancelled because the Prime Minister’s throwing a tantrum.
Mr Burke said that if the Gillard government had used the same principles as the Turnbull government, the 43rd Parliament never would have sat.
“We would have had three years without a parliament. What Malcolm Turnbull is doing here is absolutely beyond belief. Just beyond belief,” he said.
‘I thought I was hearing about Zimbabwe, not Australia’
Greens MP Adam Bandt said that when he heard that a head of government was cancelling parliament “because he didn’t like what the people might have to say”, he thought he was hearing about Zimbabwe, not Australia.
“Parliament has passed a sitting calendar that includes the House of Representatives sitting next week,” Mr Bandt said.
“I’ll be turning up for work next Monday and if other members of the Opposition and the crossbench also turn up for work next Monday as scheduled we may well have a majority on the floor of the parliament, and we’ll be able to get something useful done, like pass the Greens’ bill to establish a commission of inquiry into the banks and reverse penalty rate cuts.
“It is not the position of the Prime Minister to put himself above the people and above the parliament and cancel sittings just because he doesn’t like what the outcome might be.”
‘Scandalous, but I won’t be in Canberra next Monday’: Wilkie
Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie said the govenrment’s decision to postpone parliament was “scandalous and reminiscent of a tin-pot dictatorship.”
“There’s plenty of work for the House of Representatives to go on with while the Senate considers the Marriage Equality Bill, in particular sorting out the citizenship fiasco,” Mr Wilkie said.
“However, I will not attend Canberra next Monday, like the ALP and some cross-benchers, because it would be a waste of taxpayers’ money.
“Instead I’ll take the opportunity to keep working in my community and stay well clear of the ridiculous political nonsense going on in Canberra.”
‘Like a dictatorship’
Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek said the decision was “the sort of thing that happens in a dictatorship”.
“When parliament becomes inconvenient, the government suspends democracy. It is outrageous. It is unacceptable,” she told Sky News.
“There are dozens of pieces of legislation before the parliament that could be debated next week, and the government’s just decided that because parliament doesn’t suit them, they’re going to suspend it.”
Ms Plibersek said it was “nonsense” for the government to use the same-sex marriage legislation as an excuse to delay sitting.
“The same-sex marriage legislation could be debated next week and it could be through by the end of the week with some good will from the government,” she said.
“Even if same-sex marriage couldn’t be through next week the government have dozens of their own pieces of legislation which presumably they think are important, because they have introduced them to the parliament already. Any of those could be debated next week.
“Just this morning we had the Treasurer talking about how big business should get out and argue for big business tax cuts. Well why aren’t we debating tax cuts next week if that’s so important that he’s urging business to get involved with it? Why isn’t that a priority for discussion next week? This is a government that has lost grip on reality, if it thinks it can just suspend democracy when democracy becomes inconvenient.”
‘Parliament will sit Monday’
.@RealBobKatter: We don't care where parliament sits but it will sit on Monday. MORE: https://t.co/jGPjzUpd5W pic.twitter.com/2lMEVqlhJA
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) November 20, 2017
Independent MP Bob Katter meanwhile threatened to join with Labor and Greens to convene parliament without the Coalition next week.
Mr Katter said parliament would sit next Monday whether the government was there or not.
“Parliament will sit on Monday whether it sits on the garden lawn or whether it sits in a building,” he said.
“We don’t care, and it will vote, and it will make the laws of the land, because the laws of the country are quite clear: if you have a majority of the parliament then you make the laws.
“I’m sorry, Malcolm, you as the king have certain powers, but the power that you don’t have is to make laws for this country. Only a majority of the parliament can do that and you do not have a majority.”
Standing Order No.30. pic.twitter.com/DNzlT7XNVB
— David Crowe (@CroweDM) November 20, 2017
Parliament rescheduled
Mr Pyne denied that the decision would allow Mr Joyce to be present the next time the House of Representatives sits.
The by-election for the seat of Bennelong, previously held by Liberal MP John Alexander, will take place on December 16.
“Neither John Alexander, nor Barnaby Joyce would be back in the House,” Mr Pyne said.
“The Australian people expect their parliament to respect the clear mandate of the marriage survey and legislate for marriage equality before the end of the year.
“We also need to ensure both the House and the Senate do all they can to resolve the citizenship issue. That is the commitment we have made and that is what the Australian people expect.”
Mr Pyne said the Senate was unlikely to finish debating the same-sex marriage bill until November 30.
“On that basis, and as the House is not currently sitting, the Prime Minister and I have consulted the Speaker and asked that he set an alternative day for the next meeting of the House, in accordance with the Standing Orders,” he said.
“While it is entirely possible both matters could be dealt with in the week beginning 4 December, Members should be prepared for the House to sit for some or all of the second week beginning 11 December or as long as it takes legislate for marriage equality and resolve all citizenship issues.
“We will move the resolution on the new citizenship disclosure regime in the House on December 4, setting a deadline of 8pm on Tuesday December 5 for disclosures to be lodged by Members.
“We look forward to Labor’s support for that resolution the text of which has been agreed with the Opposition and already adopted in the Senate.
“The terms of the resolution have been shared with all Members and this time frame for lodgement of disclosures is not unreasonable.
“Any referrals to the High Court resulting from members’ disclosures will be debated after the passage of the marriage equality bill.”
Asked about the possibility of Coalition MPs crossing the floor on the issue of a banking inquiry while the government’s numbers in House are diminished, Mr Pyne said the government would not be listing any new bills.
“But anyone who wishes to change the agenda, if they have 76 votes that they can achieve a suspension of standing orders, well, that motion is open to them to move,” Mr Pyne said.
‘Woe betide SSM delayers’
Bill Shorten earlier warned Coalition MPs that they will be going against the will of the Australian people if they attempt to delay same-sex marriage legislation, as Malcolm Turnbull said he remained confident the bill would pass before Christmas.
The Opposition Leader said millions of Australians had voted Yes, and just wanted to move beyond the same-sex marriage debate.
“Woe betide any of Mr Turnbull’s government if they try and delay marriage equality. The survey’s very clear,” Mr Shorten said.
“I respect that people are entitled to say yes or no in terms of wanting to change the law on marriage equality. I respect that.
“I’m certainly open to, next year, having a discussion to make sure that people who practice faith feel they’re respected in our society. That’s not unreasonable.
“But for goodness sakes, Australians are ready to get the marriage equality debate out of the way. The two issues do not require resolution at the same time. I say to Mr Turnbull, if you are having trouble with some members of your government, Labor will be there.
“We will be there to support marriage equality and if we want to have a process in next year to look at if there are any genuine concerns about religious expression in this country and freedom, certainly we can have that discussion but there should be no excuses, no delays and no watering down of the current anti-discrimination laws on marriage equality.”
Malcolm Turnbull said he was “very confident” parliament would pass same-sex marriage legislation before Christmas.
“Parliament absolutely can and I’m very confident it will, and my priority and the government’s priority is to recognise the will of the people is that we should get this done, and that’s what we’re going to be doing everything we can to achieve it before Christmas,” the Prime Minister said.
“I think the Opposition have got a similar commitment, so between us I’m very confident we can make it work.
“There’ll obviously be a lot of debate, a lot of amendments discussed. That’s what parliament’s for, but ultimately we know we have got a very clear direction from our masters, the Australian people.”
Mr Turnbull attributed the overwhelming No vote in Western Sydney to “large migrant or ethnic communities”.
“Those three have all got very large Muslim communities,” he said.
“Everyone’s entitled to their point of view it is a democracy, and I want to be very clear about this, I absolutely respect and understand the conservatism of those who voted No, and remember the fight I had to have with Labor, with opposition from the crossbenchers even from some on my own side who did not want me to be able to fulfil my promise at the election to give everyone their say, so we respect everyone’s point of view, everyone had their say, but in a democracy the majority prevails.”
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