PoliticsNow: Barnaby Joyce comes out swinging in Question Time
PoliticsNow: Barnaby Joyce hits back at Labor after being on the receiving end of a Question Time grilling | WATCH
Thanks for joining us for PoliticsNow, this is how The Australian saw the day unfold from Parliament House in Canberra.
WATCH: Barnaby Joyce hits back after QT grilling
Andrew Clennell 3.57pm: Keneally Canberra-bound
Kristina Keneally has just been endorsed by a joint sitting of NSW parliament and is off to Canberra as a senator. Labor members gave her a standing ovation, NSW Liberal MPs remained seated but applauded her.
Greg Brown 3.23pm: Bulldog’s response
Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke tries again on Ken ‘Bulldog’ O’Dowd.
“I refer to the inquiry he has been heading. When does the member expect the report to finally be tabled?”
Speaker Tony Smith rules it in order, and O’Dowd is up on his feet.
A Labor MP yelled: “it’s an audition”.
He then bumbles his way through an answer and makes a couple of jokes.
“Anyone’s welcome to a public hearing ... we start at about 8:30 in the morning, if any of you are out of bed by then,” he says, leading to roars on both side of the House.
“Once we receive all the submissions, we will finalise our report some time before Christmas.”
Both sides of the House clapped his answer. Interestingly, senior Liberal MPs shook his hand at the end of QT, including Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison.
Greg Brown 3.08pm: Labor turn to potential Joyce replacement
Labor’s Jason Clare asks Nationals MP Ken O’Dowd a question in his capacity of the chair of the joint standing committee on trade.
O’Dowd has offered himself up as a potential Nationals leader if Barnaby Joyce resigns.
“I note the strong leadership the member has provided in the committee’s current inquiry into the trade system in the digital economy. Is the member able to inform the House of the progress of recent inquiries that he’s been leading?”
Speaker Tony Smith rules it out of order.
Greg Brown 2.54pm: Joyce hits back after rent grilling
Barnaby Joyce comes out swinging against Labor questions about his rent-free house in Armidale.
“I am aware of the fact that, under your government, the agricultural portfolio at that time actually went backwards. I am aware of the fact that Albo ... actually wants to be the leader of the opposition,” Joyce says.
“I am aware of the fact that the member for Maribyrnong, the leader of the opposition, is holding onto his job by the skin of his teeth.”
Labor MPs roar when Joyce talks about Bill Shorten’s barely holding onto his leadership considering the controversy surrounding the Deputy PM.
Greg Brown 2.44pm: Labor remind Joyce of first homeowner remarks
Opposition treasury spokesman Chris Bowen grills Barnaby Joyce about advising first home buyers who can’t afford city homes to buy “cheaper” homes in Armidale.
“Can the Deputy Prime Minister tell Australia’s first-home buyers how they, too, can get a rent-free home in Armidale from their mates?”
Joyce says it is a matter of fact that homes in regional areas are cheaper.
“We should be doing everything in our power to encourage decentralisation,” Joyce says.
Greg Brown 2.38pm: ‘I chose to declare it’
Labor’s Mark Dreyfus asks about Barnaby Joyce’s free rental house in Armidale.
Joyce says he didn’t need to declare it as the homeowner, millionaire businessman Greg Maguire, was his friend.
“I chose to declare it,” he says.
He adds that he did not need to declare it during the New England by-election because he was not a member of parliament.
“I wasn’t a member of parliament, as you probably remember, so it didn’t need to be declared,” he says.
Greg Brown 2.31pm: Labor continue on Joyce’s leadership
Labor’s Mark Dreyfus asks Barnaby Joyce about internal ructions at his leadership.
“When even the National Party’s colleagues (say) the Deputy Prime Minister’s position is untenable, why won’t the Deputy Prime Minister do the right thing by the people of Australia and resign?”
The opposition benches roar: “hear hear”.
Speaker Tony Smith rules it out of order.
Greg Brown 2.29pm: No evidence ministerial standards were broken: PM
Opposition legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus asks if Malcolm Turnbull is powerless to act against Barnaby Joyce breaking the ministerial standards.
The PM says there is no evidence he broke the ministerial standards.
“The question is based on a false premise or at lease a premise that the honourable member has not bothered to establish,” Turnbull says.
Greg Brown 2.23pm: Technical difficulties as PM pressed on Joyce
Bill Shorten asks if Malcolm Turnbull has suggested Barnaby Joyce should resign.
The PM’s very brief answer was not picked up by the microphone but it didn’t look like a startling admission.
Greg Brown 2.16pm: Turnbull unmoved on Joyce-Acting PM question
Bill Shorten asks if Barnaby Joyce will be Acting Prime Minister next week and whether Malcolm Turnbull retains confidence in the Deputy Prime Minister.
The PM says the Opposition Leader asked him that question earlier in the week, when he answered “yes”.
“The answer is the same as it was earlier in the week,” Turnbull says.
Greg Brown 2.14pm: Turning attention back to the economy
The government is using Dixers to talk about its economic agenda which has been drowned out because of the Barnaby Joyce saga.
Treasurer Scott Morrison says Labor used to support business tax cuts but is now opposing them for political reasons.
“By opposing our plan for lower taxes, the Labor Party is standing between workers and a wage rise in this country,” Morrison says.
Rosie Lewis 2.12pm: McKenzie swamped by press gallery
Nationals Deputy Leader Bridget McKenzie faced a sizeable “press pack” after her first television interview about the Barnaby Joyce saga. Walking from Sky News’ suite in the press gallery towards her ministerial office, Senator McKenzie declared her party was not in crisis and her boss was the “best deliverer” for rural and regional Australia in generations. She also alerted members of the media to upcoming pot plants and couches as she made her getaway to a lift.
Greg Brown 2.08pm: No Coalition support for third chamber of parliament
Bill Shorten opens up Question Time asking Malcolm Turnbull if he will reconsider his opposition to an indigenous voice to parliament.
The PM says the voice would be a third chamber of parliament.
“If it were to succeed - that national representative assembly, elected by and composed only of indigenous Australians as an adviser to this parliament on matters affecting indigenous Australians - would constitute, in effect, a third chamber of this parliament,” Turnbull says.
“The scope of that third chamber would get wider and wider, and a fundamental principle of our democracy would be aggregated. The Coalition will not support it.”
Turnbull flags campaigning against it at the next election.
Legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus cops a scolding from Speaker Tony Smith.
“He interjects too often and he’s too loud,” Smith says.
Greg Brown 1.53pm: McKenzie’s ‘rolled gold guarantee’
Deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie has spoken out on the Barnaby Joyce saga, claiming the party is firmly behind its leader.
The Victorian senator gave her “rolled gold guarantee” Mr Joyce would remain Deputy Prime Minister, saying she had not addressed the issue in the media because it was a private issue.
“I don’t agree that all my colleagues are questioning our leaders judgment, that is not my conversations with them at all,” Senator McKenzie told Sky News.
“I will give you my rolled gold guarantee that come tomorrow, come Friday that Barnaby Joyce will be leading the National party.”
Senator McKenzie acknowledged that many woman felt “unease” about the affair.
“There is an unease for all of us looking at this as a woman but I think we also have to recognise that we are realists, these things happen in every family, in every town, in every workplace across the country, it is whether it impacts on his ability to deliver,” Senator McKenzie said.
“I know what every woman I speak to wants a great education for her kids, she wants them to grow up in a safe and secure community, and she wants them to be able to get a great job.
“So yes there may be a bit of uncomfortableness around his personal life at the moment but in terms of delivering, what does a woman want out of her parliamentarians? She wants us to come up here and work our backsides off delivering for them and for her family.”
Joe Kelly 1.30pm: Pitt denies move against Joyce
Queensland MP Keith Pitt - who was named by colleagues as a member of a delegation considering approaching Barnaby Joyce - has knocked down suggestions he was involved in any move against the party leader.
“I have not been approached and nor would I accept any suggestion that I would be in a delegation to approach Barnaby Joyce,” he said. “The statement in The Australian is completely untrue.”
Mr Pitt was part of various meeting that took place yesterday between Nationals MPs in parliament house as speculation mounted over Mr Joyce’s position.
A range of Nationals MPs have today come out to back Mr Joyce including Nationals Deputy Leader Bridget McKenzie and Agriculture Minister David Littleproud, as well as Queensland MPs Michelle Landry and George Christensen.
Nationals MPs say there has been no clear-cut breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct or misuse of taxpayer funds relating to Mr Joyce’s relationship with former staffer Vikki Campion, but warn the situation will change if further allegations emerge.
NSW Nationals MP Luke Hartsuyker has also denied involvement in any delegation to approach Barnaby Joyce as more of his party colleagues come out to publicly defend the Deputy Prime Minister.
“I was not part of any delegation and I don’t intend to offer any further comment,” Mr Hartsuyker said.
However, Mr Hartsuyker did not respond to a question on whether he was aware of any discussions yesterday of a delegation to approach Mr Joyce over his future.
Primrose Riordan 12.55pm: Lobbyist register found wanting
It is unclear whether the government’s regulation of lobbyists actually makes lobbying more transparent, the Australian National Audit office has found.
The office made the finding as part of a review of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s administration of the lobbyist register.
“The Register does not, on its own, provide transparency into the integrity of the contact between lobbyists and Government representatives or the matters discussed,” the author of the audit office’s review wrote.
“It is unclear whether the current approach to regulating lobbyists is achieving intended policy objectives.”
The lobbyist register — where people employed to lobby politicians about policy matters are required to appear on a public list — was created to make the process more transparent.
It was also created so “government representatives who are approached by lobbyists can establish whose interests they represent so that informed judgments can be made about the outcome they are seeking to achieve,” according to the audit office.
The audit office said it could not establish if the register achieved this aim because the approach to assessing the effectiveness of the register had been ad hoc.
The office also said there were issues with making sure there was compliance with the register and rules governing lobbying.
“It was not clear from the department’s records how many alleged instances of non-compliance had been reported since 2013.”
“For each of the 11 instances of alleged non-compliance identified by the [audit office], the department had conducted an assessment and taken steps to address the alleged non-compliance.”
“The department did not remove or suspend any of these 11 registrants or use this information to inform future compliance activity.”
The way other western countries regulated lobbying showed that more transparency could be introduced into the federal government’s approach, the office said.
“The range of information reported by other jurisdictions about the actions and impact of their regimes to regulate lobbying indicates that information provided to stakeholders of the Australian Government’s Code could be improved,” the auditors wrote.
12.30pm: Hinch party to run in Batman
Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party will run a candidate in the by-election for the federal seat of Batman in Melbourne.
Former independent councillor and Maribyrnong City mayor Catherine Cumming will enter a hotly-contested race between Greens candidate Alex Bhathal and Labor’s Ged Kearney.
“The pundits will say the Greens are going to win it — I’m not so sure,” Senator Hinch told reporters in Canberra.
Andrew Clennell 12.20pm: Nats considered by-election without Joyce
Nationals party officials considered the prospect of a New England by-election campaign without Barnaby Joyce because of rumours about his relationship with Vikki Campion.
Prior to the High Court decision on October 27 finding Mr Joyce had a right to dual citizenship, triggering the New England by-election, concerns were raised at a NSW Nationals executive meeting about whether Mr Joyce was conducting an affair with his staffer and, if he was, whether he should retire if the High Court found against him. “(The discussion) was on whether … there was a relationship and what effect it could have on his candidacy,” a source said.
The rumour Ms Campion was pregnant was also raised by party officials with Mr Joyce during the campaign and he is said to have sidestepped the issue.
During the campaign, discussions at the party’s executive level centred around concerns for Mr Joyce’s “mental state”, another source said. “He was extremely depressed and that needed to be managed,” a source said.
Labor is understood to have carried out focus-group polling on whether to raise the issue of Mr Joyce’s private life and how this would play out in the campaign. The result was an emphatic “no”, with voters rejecting such a move.
Greg Brown 12.05pm: ‘Joyce should go’
Opposition regional services spokesman Stephen Jones has demanded Barnaby Joyce step down from the role of Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr Jones said the saga was impacting the government’s ability to deliver for regional Australia.
“It’s time for Barnaby Joyce to do the right thing by the country, by his party and step down. And, if he is not going to do that, if the National Party can’t sort out their own issues, then the Prime Minister has to act,” Mr Jones said.
“This is not just an issue of the internal turmoil in the National Party. Regional Australia needs a minister that is going to be able to perform. We’ve had three regional development ministers in the last three months and, still, we do not have any action in these three crucial areas.”
Labor senator Murray Watt said Mr Joyce could not credibly act as Acting Prime Minister next week.
“And more importantly than what I think, none of his own party think he can either. I was in the Senate last night — every time we have a vote you see little huddles of National Party senators getting together,” Senator Watt.
“I don’t think they are talking about water or jobs or anything like that. They’re talking about how they can get rid of Barnaby as quickly as they can. They are so distracted by this they’ve forgotten what they have actually been brought here to do.”
Labor Senator Murray Watt says Barnaby Joyce shouldn't be Acting PM. Who the hell is Murray Watt? Barnaby will be Acting PM next week. Murray should worry about acting as a real Senator. Like see actual constituents & be relevant. At the moment its Watt by name, who by nature.
— George Christensen (@GChristensenMP) February 14, 2018
11.50am: Happy V Day from Loveable Pauline
Pauline Hanson has posted a Valentine’s Day wish for Aussies, describing herself as the country’s “most loveable politician.” There’s nothing more we can say about this.
Happy Valentine's Day Australia ;)#ValentinesDay2018 #ValentinesDay pic.twitter.com/Sy2CTQpgGq
— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) February 13, 2018
Greg Brown 11.10am: Xenophon threatens to sue Marshall
SA Best leader Nick Xenophon is considering taking defamation action against South Australian Liberal leader Steven Marshall.
Mr Xenophon is demanding an apology from the state Opposition Leader for accusing his party of striking a deal with the Labor Party in the upcoming election.
“I have sought independent legal advice in respect to statements made by the Opposition Leader, the Hon. Steven Marshall, MP,” Mr Xenophon said in a statement.
“Those statements were made on February 12 and 13 and asserted that I have “done a deal” to back the SA Labor government into office after the election.
“Those statements are totally false and defamatory.
“Accordingly, this morning I have issued a Concerns Notice to Mr. Marshall, pursuant to the Defamation Act.
“Steven Marshall has the opportunity to put the record straight and to apologise and I look forward to his response.”
Remy Varga 11.00am: Who is Ken O’Dowd?
Amid the Barnaby Joyce crisis, a relatively unknown Nationals MP has emerged to push for resolution on the party’s leadership.
Ken O’Dowd, who represents the Queensland electorate of Flynn and has the ruddy of face of a country uncle, has called on the Nationals leadership issue to be resolved by tomorrow. The 67-year-old believes the party will be able to find an appropriate leader if Mr Joyce steps aside. “If it came to the point we would find a good leader, I have no doubt about that.” he said.
He also took it on himself to confirm that a delegation was heading to Mr Joyce’s office today to discuss his future.
Yesterday Mr O’Dowd described the Joyce debacle an “embarrassing and a distraction” on Gladstone radio station 4CC. He said if Mr Joyce chose to vacate his leadership position “a lot of hands would go up.”
This was interpreted by some as a show of interest in the leadership role, although Mr O’Dowd told The Australian yesterday his comments were made in jest and that he will not be putting his hand up for a vacancy that does not exist.
But just in case, what do we know about him?
Born in the Queensland city of Gladstone, which lies over 500km north of Brisbane, Mr O’Dowd was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2010. He has two children and four grandchildren, although according to his parliamentary profile he is currently single.
He was raised on his family’s farm where he grew beans, peas, peanuts and grains.
He has been a business owner, a fuel distributor, the owner of several hardware stores and hotels. He spent several years working for Rio Tinto on a copper project in Papua New Guinea.
He sits safely on the right of Australia’s political spectrum, voting against same-sex marriage, carbon pricing, fishing restrictions, increasing marine conservation and expanding Aboriginal land rights.
He’s voted for paid parental leave, temporary protection visas, live animal exports, emission reductions and decreasing funding for the ABC and SBS.
Greg Brown 10.55am: ‘The PM has gone AWOL’
Labor frontbencher Richard Marles has attempted to blame Malcolm Turnbull for the Nationals’ leadership woes, declaring the Prime Minister’s lack of authority was preventing a resolution.
“We are all completely clear about where this train ultimately stops but right now we are watching a train wreck,” Mr Marles said.
“I think for the sake of the nation, for the sake of proper government, to be honest, for the sake of Barnaby Joyce the government needs to do something about this and bring this to a resolution.”
Mr Marles said Mr Turnbull was responsible for the chaos.
“The thing I find amazing is you are seeing a whole lot of comments from former deputy prime ministers, former National leaders but the Prime Minister has gone completely AWOL,” he said.
“Is he running a unified government or not? A Prime Minister with a semblance of authority right now in this moment would be stepping in and bringing this to an end.
“Mr Turnbull doesn’t have authority. Can you imagine John Howard letting an issue like this go on in the way that we are seeing that happen now?”
Greg Brown 10.10am: ‘Not enough numbers to move against Joyce’
Nationals MP George Christensen has attacked his colleagues who are agitating for a change in leadership, claiming there were only “four or five” National MPs who had lost faith in Barnaby Joyce and he easily carried the support of the party.
Mr Christensen said MPs who were agitating for change should call a spill or move a motion of no confidence against the Deputy Prime Minister, saying they would not do that because they did not have the numbers.
He also savaged Liberal MPs for phoning Nationals and telling them they should replace Mr Joyce as leader.
Mr Christensen confirmed “individual” MPs had voiced concerns with Mr Joyce about the future of his leadership but he had not heard that a delegation had approached him.
The maverick Queenslander said, in the event of a leadership ballot, the firm anti-Joyce MPs would struggle to recruit an extra two votes.
Calling Mr Joyce the “greatest asset” in the Nationals and the Turnbull government, Mr Christensen said the agitators were scared by a bad week of media coverage.
“More harm is being done politically by people in the Nationals and inappropriately in the Liberal Party who are trying to execute Barnaby,” Mr Christenson told The Australian.
“Once again it is people talking about themselves down here rather than talking about the Australian public and people hate that more than a sexual affair that has gone on.
“People need to take a long hard look at themselves and have a think about mateship which is one of the attributes which the Australian people hold dearly and I thought one of the attributes the that the National Party held dearly.
“I cannot believe that people are fathoming, one week into a problem, they are talking about going and politically executing the greatest asset that the National Party has, and I have got to say that the Turnbull government has.”
Rachel Baxendale 10.00am: Hope for Murray-Darling Basin plan
The government has delayed the Greens’ disallowance motions on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in a sign they are still hopeful of reaching a compromise with Labor to save the $13bn scheme.
Labor yesterday indicated it was still likely to support the Greens’ motion, but was negotiating with the government over the Greens’ two motions, which could block changes to the north and south basins of the Murray-Darling.
NSW and Victorian Water Ministers, Niall Blair and Lisa Neville, have meanwhile threatened to pull out of the basin plan if the Turnbull government’s proposed changes were not passed in the Senate this week.
The disallowance motions must be voted on today (15 days after they were introduced), or the instrument is deemed to be disallowed, meaning the government must bring on a vote today to defeat the Greens motion if its Murray-Darling Basin plan instrument is to survive.
Manager of Government Business in the Senate Simon Birmingham was due to bring on the motion at 9:30 this morning, but he instead rose to withdraw the precedence motion and the debate is now not expected to take place until after Question Time this afternoon.
Labor’s concerns include adequate metering of the northern basin in NSW to prevent water theft, assurances that taxpayer funded environmental water will be used for environmental purposes, a comprehensive response to allegations of corruption and water theft in the northern basin, and consultation with indigenous communities about water management.
Caroline Overington 9.45am: All a matter of time
Some have called it the pub test, others the sniff test, but given he’s from the country, maybe we should put it this way: does Barnaby Joyce’s explanation for when his pregnant mistress became his partner pass muster?
Or is he using a technicality — a fig leaf, as it were — to get himself out of trouble?
Greg Brown 9.40am: ‘Happy Valentine’s’
Bill Shorten was asked outside Parliament House if he had a comment on Barnaby Joyce’s leadership.
He simply said: “Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone”.
Greg Brown 8.40am: Bishop ‘ready to be Acting PM’
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says she would cancel her overseas commitments next week if “circumstances change” and she needs to be Acting Prime Minister.
The deputy Liberal leader said Malcolm Turnbull had not asked her if she was available to be Acting Prime Minister next week but she was prepared to fill in the role if Barnaby Joyce quit the Nationals leadership.
“I do have plans to be overseas next week, parliament is not sitting, if circumstances change then of course I would change my plans but that’s not my understanding,” Ms Bishop told ABC radio.
“The Prime Minister has confirmed that the usual arrangements will apply when he is overseas, that is the Deputy Prime Minister is Acting Prime Minister, and I understand that will be the case next week when Prime Minister Turnbull is overseas.”
Ms Bishop was curt when asked if she backed Mr Turnbull’s comments that he had faith in Mr Joyce.
“Yes I can say the same,” she said.
Greg Brown 9.10am: ‘Barnaby will stay as leader’
Nationals MPs David Littleproud and Michelle Landry have voiced their support for the leadership of Barnaby Joyce.
Mr Littleproud said the Deputy Prime Minister “of course” still had his support. He said he was unaware of a delegation of MPs that planned to ask Mr Joyce to vacate the Nationals’ leadership.
“We are focused on our jobs of creating wealth for regional and rural Australians,” Mr Littleproud said.
Ms Landry said Mr Joyce was an asset to the party.
“Barnaby will remain our leader, he has done a lot for us particularly in regional Australia and we need to give him a fair go,” Ms Landry said.
“It is his personal life, as far as I am concerned everything is above board with offices and he is there to stay.”
Greg Brown 9.00am: ‘Reso lve this ASAP’
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has called for the Nationals to resolve its leadership tensions “as soon as possible” issuing concern the Barnaby Joyce saga was a distraction for the government.
“This past week has been a distraction that is no secret, the Australian people don’t want us to be talking about our own personal affairs, they want us to talk about how we plan to secure more jobs, higher wages and better opportunities for them to get ahead so it is important that we find a way to move on from this as swiftly as possible,” Senator Cormann said this morning.
Senator Cormann said he felt for Barnaby Joyce but the government needed to “move forward” from the issue.
“The leadership of the National Party is a matter for the National Party, this is obviously a very difficult time for Barnaby, for his family, for his new partner, I feel for him,” he said.
“But the Australian people want their government to focus on them, the Australian people want their government to focus on implementing our plan to secure more jobs and higher wages and a better opportunity for them to get ahead.
“So collectively, as a team, it is true that we need to move forward and on from this as soon as possible.”
Greg Brown 8.10am: MPs to visit Joyce over future
Nationals MP Ken O’Dowd says the party would find a “good leader” if Barnaby Joyce stepped aside as he called on the leadership issue to be resolved by tomorrow.
“If it came to the point we would find a good leader, I have no doubt about that,” Mr O’Dowd said.
Mr O’Dowd, who yesterday said he would put his hat in the ring in a leadership contest, confirmed a delegation of MPs would visit Mr Joyce today to discuss his future.
“He will probably need the advice and someone needs to tell him where the party stands at this stage and it will be a cordial meeting,” he said.
He said he did not know who was in the delegation.
When asked if he would be comfortable with Mr Joyce being Acting Prime Minister next week, Mr O’Dowd said: “I would hope to have it resolved today or tomorrow.”
What’s making news:
Barnaby Joyce’s leadership was in peril last night after he lost critical support within his party room, as senior Nationals moved to force his resignation over the love-child scandal.
Nationals officials considered running the New England by-election campaign without Barnaby Joyce because of rumours about his relationship with his former staffer.
Dennis Shanahan writes that the “end seems nigh” for Barnaby Joyce.
States and territories have been urged to be “big-hearted” and ring-fence money not just for the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme but also for local programs slated for closure, amid fears the world-leading project will fail without them.
Nick Xenophon’s influence in the Senate could be diminished, with the government able to bypass his party to legislate policies in the wake of the High Court’s latest dual-citizenship ruling.
The latest shake-up in Senate numbers has given the Turnbull government fresh hope it can get its corporate tax cuts through parliament, amid signs Pauline Hanson might still be convinced to support the bill.
Christian Porter has rejected a push by media companies for parliament to scrap its review of new treason laws and start again, after the Attorney-General last week proposed changes to the laws.
State-based fines could be deducted from federal welfare payments as a way of tackling soaring indigenous imprisonment rates.
Kevin Rudd has pleaded with Malcolm Turnbull to reconsider his dismissal of constitutional recognition proposals, declaring that last year’s Uluru Statement From the Heart represented the “considered voice” of indigenous Australia.
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