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PoliticsNow: Sarah Hanson-Young, David Leyonhjelm clash in Senate

PoliticsNow: The Greens’ Sarah Hanson-Young has demanded an apology after a heated exchange with David Leyonhjelm.

Greg BrownGreg Brown
@gregbrown_TheOz
16 min read
7:15PMJune 28, 2018.
Updated 9:37PMJune 28, 2018
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The Greens’ Sarah Hanson-Young has clashed with fellow senator David Leyonhjelm. Picture: AAP
The Greens’ Sarah Hanson-Young has clashed with fellow senator David Leyonhjelm. Picture: AAP

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

* The government has delayed the company tax vote until after the winter break after failing to secure crossbench support.

* In question time, Labor claims the government has done a “secret deal” with One Nation.

* Canberra lawyer and former MP Bernard Collaery and an ex-spy have been charged over revelations about Timor-Leste bugging operation.

This is where we will leave our live coverage. How the day played out:

* Top story: Sarah Hanson-Young has clashed with fellow Senator David Leyonhjelm

6.30pm: Business biff as break beckons

“Fascinating but irrelevant” neatly summed up the vibe of the last question time before federal parliament goes on a winter break ahead of five by-elections, AAP reports. The caustic remark from Speaker Tony Smith was actually referring to Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg’s attempts to find his opposition counterpart Mark Butler a new job.

The electoral commission has abolished his seat of Port Adelaide and he recently lost his gig as president of the Labor Party.

Frydenberg cheekily suggested Butler have another crack as campaign manager for Anthony Albanese on a potential second tilt at Labor’s leadership. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been under fire this week for his captain’s call to roll back small business tax cuts.

He also unilaterally gave Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen responsibility for that portfolio.

Government ministers had a field day over the appointment.

“Of course, there are many ways to create a small business. Most people start off with no business at all and build it up. Others, and I think the shadow minister (Bowen) would fall into this category, would start with a large business and turn it into a small one,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull quipped. Small Business Minister Craig Laundy speculated Bowen won’t be writing a book on the topic.

“Because the Member for McMahon could write what he knows about that on the back of a postage stamp,” Laundy said, before characterising Shorten’s knowledge on the topic to something that would fit on the top of a pinhead. “As a wit you’re halfway there,” a Labor MP interjected.

Bowen returned fire asking the prime minister, in light of his visit to Universal Trusses - a business owned by the President of the ACT Liberal Party - would he be visiting other “similarly independent businesses like MB Turnbull, Turnbull and Partners Holdings?” Turnbull defended the hard-working Canberra family business and pointed out that it wasn’t an offence to be part of a political party.

Attention spans were waning during his pro-small business lecture until he started waxing lyrical about Aussie Bums - not the body parts, thankfully, but an online men’s jocks and swimwear retailer.

Later, Turnbull mocked Shorten’s upcoming business lunch address in Devonport, in the Tasmanian electorate of Braddon, which Labor could lose to the government.

“Imagine the applause that he’ll be getting there from all those people,” Turnbull said.

Shorten swiftly tabled the invite to the Devonport Chamber of Commerce pow-wow next Wednesday saying “People are welcome. It will be a very good event.”

Let’s hope there’s something to clap when question time returns in spring.

— AAP

4.21pm: ‘Stop shagging men’

NSW senator David Leyonhjelm has confirmed he told the Greens’ Sarah Hanson-Young to “stop shagging men” and then swore at her when she confronted him, AAP reports.

Senator Hanson-Young told parliament the Liberal Democrats senator made the remark during a vote on a motion about arming women with tasers to combat violence.

“I asked whether I heard him correctly. He confirmed he yelled ‘you should stop shagging men, Sarah’,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“Shocked, I told him he was a creep. His reply was to tell me to ‘f..k off’.” Senate president Scott Ryan asked Senator Leyonhjelm to apologise but he refused.

Senator Leyonhjelm said he was responding to Senator Hanson-Young’s interjection, which was “along the lines of all men being rapists”.

“I responded by suggesting that if this was the case she should stop shagging men. I did not yell at her,” Senator Leyonhjelm said.

“Following the division, Senator Hanson-Young approached me and called me a creep. I told her to f..k off.”

He said if the Greens senator took offence, it was an issue for her. “I am prepared to rephrase my comments. I strongly urge Senator Hanson-Young to continue shagging men as she pleases,” Senator Leyonhjelm said.

Senator Hanson-Young described the comments as sexist and offensive, adding she was disappointed Senator Leyonhjelm had not apologised.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale has approached Senate President Scott Ryan over the incident.

—AAP

Greg Brown 3.20pm: Does the PM support penalty rate cuts?

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek asks Malcolm Turnbull: “On Sunday, 700,000 workers will get a pay cut. Does the Prime Minister support the cut to penalty rates?”

The Prime Minister responds by saying big unions are the ones that trade away penalty rates.

“There will be thousands of workers in the hospitality sector and in fast food sector who will not get our penalty rates at all because unions have traded them away,” Turnbull says.

“Labor is utterly hypocritical on the matter of penalty rates.”

Question time is now over.

Greg Brown 3.10pm: Shorten: why do you choose the top end of town?

Bill Shorten says Malcolm Turnbull has “made a choice to support pay cuts for

nearly 700,000 workers” and asks why he always favours the “top end of town”.

The Prime Minister reads out a bunch of small and family businesses that will pay more tax under the Opposition Leader’s policies.

“He likes to hang out with people in hard hats and high-vis (vests) but he’s threatening their jobs in Tasmania and all around Australia,” Mr Turnbull says.

Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten during question time today. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten during question time today. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Greg Brown 3.10pm: Is this part of a deal?

Labor MP Justine Elliot asks about a report in The Australian today about a set of demands the Nationals has given to the government, including the creation of a $5 billion fund that would finance new baseload generators.

“Is this part of cutting a deal with One Nation to give an $80 billion handout to big business?”

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg takes the question but doesn’t answer it. Instead he talks up the national energy guarantee.

“The national energy guarantee power prices will fall,” Mr Frydenberg says.

“That is why businesses and their representatives, representing over five million workers, were in the parliament this week, to confirm the national energy guarantee is in the national interests.”

Greg Brown 3.05pm: Coal vote in spotlight

Opposition energy spokesman Mark Butler notes that all government senators voted with One Nation yesterday to call on the government to facilitate the construction of new coal-fired power plants.

“Can the Prime Minister advise how much taxpayers’ money will be allocated to build new coal-fired power stations or retrofit existing ones?”

Malcolm Turnbull says the national energy guarantee facilitates investment in “all forms of generation”.

“We see government’s job as ensuring that there is the investment certainty that encourages people to invest in generation, invest in transmission, invest in storage so that you get lower energy prices,” he says.

Greg Brown 3pm: Question on banks

Labor’s Clare O’Neil raises a story that came out of the banking royal commission on ANZ treating a cancer patient poorly.

“Why is the Prime Minister awarding the big banks with a $17 billion handout?”

Malcolm Turnbull says he is disappointed she linked the company tax cut debate to ANZ’s “unconscionable conduct”.

“We are determined to ensure that the wrong that has been done will not be repeated and that those in the financial services sector who have done the wrong thing will be held to account,” Mr Turnbull says.

Greg Brown 2.50pm: Changes to Labor front bench

As Labor leader Bill Shorten adds small business to Chris Bowen’s ministerial responsibilities, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says the only business Mr Bowen helped grow was the people-smuggling business.

“He was a champion of the people-smuggling business in Indonesia,” Mr Dutton tells QT.

“And when he was the minister for immigration in the glory years of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd period, he presided over 398 boat arrivals, 25,092 people arrived on his watch, and we know that tragically he put 4200 children in to detention.”

Announcing changes to his lineup before question time, Mr Shorten said: “Unlike the Liberals, Labor believes small business is a portfolio that deserves cabinet-level representation.”

WA MP Madeleine King has joined the Labor leadership team as spokeswoman for consumer affairs, after winning a factional battle over former NSW premier Kristina Keneally.

with AAP

Greg Brown 2.40pm: Lib ties to PM business visit

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke says a small business Malcolm Turnbull visited yesterday was owned by the president of the Canberra Liberal Party.

“Is the Prime Minister also planning to visit similarly independent businesses like MB Turnbull (and) Turnbull and Partners Holdings?”

The Prime Minister says it doesn’t matter the owner was a member of the Liberal Party.

“It says a lot about the character of the Labor Party that they are attacking a family business, longstanding Canberra business, and they’re attacking it because one of their directors is a member of the Liberal Party,” Turnbull says.

“Maybe they all are. What’s wrong with that? It’s not an offence to be part of a political party.”

Greg Brown 2.30pm: Labor claims ‘secret deal’

Labor’s Chris Bowen asks Malcolm Turnbull if he will reveal the “secret deal” with One Nation before the July 28 by-elections.

The Prime Minister dodges it and goes into counter-attack.

“Talking about personal discussions and conversations, I just noted in the shadow minister for Small Business’s interview with Alan Jones today. He was slipping and sliding, failing to defend his leader’s captain’s call,” Turnbull says.

Greg Brown 2.15pm: ‘We never discuss negotiations with crossbench’

After being fobbed off on his last question, opposition Treasury spokesman Chris Bowen tries the same one again.

“Has the government reached any agreements with One Nation within the last 48 hours?”

Malcolm Turnbull says he will not reveal negotiations with the crossbench, an answer that led to lots of noise from Labor MPs.

“We never discuss negotiations with the crossbench, we don’t,” the Prime Minister says.

“And we have found that the most important thing to do when negotiating with other members of parliament is to treat them with respect and that’s what we do.”

Labor MP Rob Mitchell yells out “Pauline’s puppet”, which earns him a rebuke from Speaker Tony Smith.

Greg Brown 2.15pm: Has the PM done a deal?

Opposition treasury Chris Bowen asks Malcolm Turnbull if the government has done any deals with One Nation in the past 48 hours.

The Prime Minister congratulates Bowen for adding the portfolio of small business to his responsibilities.

“There are many ways to create a small business. Most people start off with no business at all and build it up,” Turnbull says.

“Others, and I think the shadow minister would fall into this category, would start with a large business and turn it into a small one. That’s exactly what he will do to Australia’s economy.”

Greg Brown 2.10pm: Question time kicks off

Bill Shorten asks Malcolm Turnbull if he will bring back the big business tax cuts and strike a “secret deal” with One Nation after the by-elections.

The Prime Minister says the only secret deal around was the Opposition Leader’s announcement to increase taxes for businesses with a revenue of more than $10 million.

“The honourable member kept his assault on small business a secret from his shadow cabinet, from his caucus, from his mystified colleagues, including the Deputy Leader,” Turnbull says.

“Kept a secret from them until he dropped that bombshell and announced he was going to put at risk five million jobs.”

Greg Brown 12.55pm: One Nation - we won’t change on tax

One Nation senator Peter Georgiou says the party will not support the big business tax cuts after the “Super Saturday” by-elections.

The West Australian senator said the party would not change its position on the government’s proposal, even if it proves a vote winner for the government in the July 28 polls.

“We are on the record, we have made a strong stance: we won’t be voting in favour of the corporate tax cuts, we don’t agree with it,” Senator Georgiou told Sky News.

“We’ve had a good hard look at it and looked at other models in other countries and basically what the government is saying we don’t believe: the trickledown effect where it will increase wages, we think it will just be used to pay their own debt and benefit the shareholders.”

Primrose Riordan 12.10pm: Ex-spy, former MP charged

A former spy - involved in revelations about an Australian bugging operation in Timor-Leste - has been charged with breaching the intelligence act, Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie has told parliament.

“The scandal has gotten a whole lot worse. The Turnbull government has moved to prosecute the intelligence officer who blew the whistle on the secret operation, along with his legal counsel Bernard Collaery,” Mr Wilkie said.

“The Commonwealth Director Of Public Prosecutions has filed criminal charges against Collaery and his client. This is an insane development in its own right.

“It seems that with diplomacy out of the way it’s time to bury the bodies.”

The agent is known only as Witness K and was allegedly involved in a 2004 Australian operation to bug Timor-Leste’s internal talks over the oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea in order to gain an advantage over negotiations over the resources.

Mr Collaery is a former ACT attorney-general.

Former ACT MP Bernard Collaery has also been charged.
Former ACT MP Bernard Collaery has also been charged.

Greg Brown 11.30am: Labor MP silent on captain’s call

Gai Brodtmann with Bill Shorten at a function in Canberra. Picture: Gary Ramage.
Gai Brodtmann with Bill Shorten at a function in Canberra. Picture: Gary Ramage.

Labor MP Gai Brodtmann has repeatedly refused to endorse Bill Shorten’s captain’s call to raise taxes for businesses earning more than $10 million.

Ms Brodtmann, a former small business owner, refused to rule out crossing the floor if a future Labor government went further with repealing already legislated tax cuts on business — despite Labor MPs being barred from voting against the party position.

Read the story in full here.

10.05am: Tax cuts vote delayed

Mathias Cormann is delaying the vote on company tax cuts. Picture: AAP.
Mathias Cormann is delaying the vote on company tax cuts. Picture: AAP.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has raised the white flag in passing big business tax cuts before the “Super Saturday” by-elections but has declared the government remains committed to the policy.

Senator Cormann said the government would not put the final stage of its enterprise tax plan before the Senate today because it does not have the support of a majority of senators.

“Despite our best efforts to secure majority support in the Senate for our proposed business tax cuts, we have not yet been able to secure the necessary support,” Senator Cormann said.

“We need more time to make our argument to our colleagues on the Senate crossbench and we, of course, will continue to make our argument in the Australian community.

“That is why we have decided to defer consideration of the legislation to implement our plan for a lower, globally more competitive business tax rate for all businesses here in Australia until after the (winter) break.

“The government remains fully committed to these business tax cuts for all businesses because it is the right thing to do for working families around Australia.”

Senator Cormann said the people of Longman and Braddon should vote for the government in the upcoming by-elections and send a message to Bill Shorten about his plans to raise taxes.

“The by-elections will be a referendum on who has the better plan for a stronger economy and more jobs,” he said.

Greg Brown 9.25am: ‘Only journalists care’

Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek. Picture: Kym Smith.
Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek. Picture: Kym Smith.

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek says only “Canberra journalists” care if Bill Shorten made an announcement on Labor policy without consulting any of his colleagues.

Ms Plibersek this morning played down the Opposition Leader’s captain’s call, when he announced Labor would repeal legislated company tax cuts for businesses with revenues of more than $10 million.

“We have been clear all the way along that we do not support tax cuts for the big end of town,” Ms Plibersek said.

“As for the questions about who talked to who when, honestly, Canberra journalists might be interested in these process stories but what ordinary Australians are interested in is what you are for or against.”

Greg Brown 9.10am: ‘Living under a rock’

Opposition assistant treasury spokesman Andrew Leigh says people would “have to be living under a rock” if they did not know Bill Shorten was opposed to tax cuts for businesses with a revenue of more than $10 million.

Mr Leigh this morning played down the Opposition Leader’s captain’s call on repealing business tax cuts, declaring the announcement was in line with Labor policy.

“I don’t go speak about internal matters, but I do know that you’d have to be living under a rock if you think that Labor would support big business tax cuts,” Mr Leigh said.

“We’ve been arguing forcefully for tax cuts to be directed to middle to Australia, not to overseas shareholders.”

Greg Brown 8.20am: Porter hopeful on Hanson

Attorney-General Christian Porter says he is “optimistic” Pauline Hanson will backflip yet again and support the government’s big business tax cuts.

Mr Porter said the government’s plans to pass company tax cuts for all businesses this week was not over, believing the One Nation leader could still back the government’s bill, despite her ruling it out yesterday.

“When you look at the absolute disastrous captain’s call that Bill Shorten has made, you’ve got a situation where the lines of demarcation and the choices for Australians, including Pauline Hanson, are becoming clearer and clearer every day,” Mr Porter told the ABC.

“The reason we have been able to create a million jobs …is because we are decreasing taxes on small and medium-sized businesses. The alternative proposition from Bill Shorten is to actually increase those taxes on small and medium-sized businesses.

“That will only have the effect of destroying job growth, meaning that there are not jobs available for our kids when they leave TAFE or school or uni. I think this will play into Pauline Hanson’s thinking over the next day or so.”

Greg Brown 8.10am: Could SAS have helped Lindt siege?

Attorney-General Christian Porter. Picture: AAP.
Attorney-General Christian Porter. Picture: AAP.

Attorney-General Christian Porter says it is “impossible” to tell whether new proposals to make it easier for defence personnel to be deployed in a terror incident would have been utilised in the Lindt cafe siege in 2014.

“It is the obvious question but it is almost impossible to give an answer to that, but what I can say is that the Lindt cafe siege properly got all the Australian jurisdictions thinking about the existing interface between the ADF and between state police and command structures,” Mr Porter said.

“There are a whole range of things that with hindsight would and could have been done differently but I can’t give you an answer as to whether or not this power would have been engaged in this circumstances.”

The proposed laws will be introduced to the parliament today.

Remy Varga 8.00am: Bowen backs Shorten on tax

Chris Bowen has locked in behind Bill Shorten’s captain call which would scrap tax cuts for small businesses with a turnover between $10 million and $50 million a year.

The Labor leadership group will meet today to clarify the tax policy which the opposition leader announced without consulting the shadow cabinet.

The Shadow Treasurer did not deny Mr Shorten had failed to discuss the policy with him or deputy leader Tanya Plibersek instead saying the Opposition Leader was “very consultative.”

“I’m not going to go into personal conversations that the leadership group, or Bill, has with us.” he told Alan Jones on Radio 2GB. “I’ve worked with six leaders of the Labor Party now, he’s the most consultative of all of them.

“He always takes a very consultative approach and he’s indicated there will need to be obviously a further shadow cabinet discussion about where the threshold lands.”

Mr Bowen indicated that he supported Mr Shorten’s tax policy but also hinted that the details of the policy had yet to be decided.

“As Bill made clear, if we end up with that $10 million threshold, I will repeal what’s above that.” he said. “He’s said that, he’s also gone on to say that of course the shadow cabinet has further consideration to do.”

The Australian understands some Labor members want tax cuts stopped at a threshold of $2m in turnover. Bowen said he doesn’t “comment on unnamed shadow ministers’ comments.”

What’s making news:

Bill Shorten is facing urgent demands from his shadow cabinet colleagues to resolve Labor’s bungled company tax policy, ahead of a leadership meeting this morning that is expected to sign off on his captain’s call to scrap tax cuts for businesses with a turnover between $10 million and $50m a year.

The Nationals have drawn up a set of demands for Malcolm Turnbull, headlined by the creation of a fund of up to $5 billion that would deliver government money for new baseload generators, including coal-fired power.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is pushing for a plebiscite to be held in tandem with the next federal election to allow the Australian people to have their say on whether migration levels should be scaled back.

Australia will host a major meeting of the Five Eyes security partners in August to be headlined by “trailblazing” initiatives across immigration and national security, the head of the Home Affairs Department says.

Liberal Party elder and former Howard government minister Kevin Andrews has expressed his deep disappointment with Malcolm Turnbull and warned of a “secret deal” facilitated by the Prime Minister paving the way for the start of euthanasia in the Northern Territory and ACT.

Barriers to the rapid deployment of special forces troops, military hardware and defence experts to deal with domestic terror threats will be removed under changes to be introduced into parliament today.

The government has seized on new figures that show booming tax revenue, especially from businesses, is helping to curb the hit to the budget from the final leg of its plan to cut company tax.

The Labor candidate virtually assured of being elected to parliament at next month’s Perth by-election has strongly backed Bill Shorten to remain as leader, praising his ability to unite and reinvigorate the party after the defeat of the Rudd-Gillard government.

Mark Butler is not having a good month. He failed to be re-elected as Labor’s national president. Then his seat of Port Adelaide was abolished in a redistribution. Now his election as vice-president could be invalid due to the party’s affirmative action rules.

Attorney-General Christian Porter has warned he is closely scrutinising all requests from bureaucrats to approve legal bills as it emerged taxpayers shelled out more than $825 million last year on lawyers.

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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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