PoliticsNow: Susan Lamb wants to allow ‘boats to restart’, says Peter Dutton
PoliticsNow: Peter Dutton says Labor’s Longman candidate Susan Lamb wants to “allow the boats to restart” | QT highlights
Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live blog on the happenings of Parliament House in Canberra.
During a fiery Question Time, Peter Dutton said Labor’s Longman candidate Susan Lamb wants to “allow the boats to restart”.
Ben Packham 5.45pm: Dr Chau ‘will be vindicated’
Chinese-Australian billionaire Chau Chak Wing has hit back at allegations aired in federal parliament that he is a co-conspirator in an FBI bribery case, saying he has been denied the presumption of innocence
Mr Hastie told parliament on Monday that Dr Chau was identified by the FBI, and codenamed CC-3, in its investigation of the bribery of a UN official.
He also tabled US State Department cables asserting close links between CC-3 and the Chinese Communist Party since at least 2007.
Dr Chau’s lawyer Mark O’Brien said his client was “very disappointed” that an elected representative would sue parliamentary privilege to repeat “old claims and attack his reputation” just weeks before the federal court was due to test the allegations.
“Mr Hastie purports to be acting in the interest of Australians. It seems he has forgotten or disregarded the right of all Australian citizens have to the presumption of innocence unless proven otherwise.
“Our client has not been charged with any offence which makes Mr Hastie’s attack all the more extraordinary.”
The federal court will hear a defamation action brought by Dr Chau against Fairfax Media on June 12.
Mr O’Brien said his client was confident he would be vindicated.
Primrose Riordan 4.08pm: No Coalition tension on South China Sea
Trade Minister Steve Ciobo has denied he is at odds with Defence Minister Marise Payne on the South China Sea after he said a recent move to militarise the man made islands were “a decision for China”.
Defence Minister Marise Payne told The Australian earlier this week she condemned Beijing’s deployment of H-6K bombers to Woody Island in the South China Sea.
“We urge all claimants to refrain from destabilising actions, including the deployment of advanced military equipment to disputed features,” Senator Payne said.
Asked whether China should be landing long range bombers on a disputed island on the South China Sea Mr Ciobo said he was not going to engage in “megaphone diplomacy”.
.@StevenCiobo: JulieBishopMP had a very positive conversation with her counterpart. The issue is China argues that our foreign policy relies to heavily on the US. It's a tactical move from China and we don't accept that to be the case anyway
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) May 23, 2018
MORE: https://t.co/FKnxwoMn80 #Speers pic.twitter.com/x76N5ykQve
“That’s a decision for China, you might as well ask me should Russia do something with one of their submarines or should be United States do something,” Mr Ciobo told Sky News.
“I’m not going to engage in megaphone diplomacy with China on disputed territory. It is not my portfolio nor do I think is it in Australia’s national interest for me as trade and investment minister to do that.”
Mr Ciobo rejected a suggestion that he was reluctant to use the same language as Senator Payne.
“No I don’t disagree with it ... I’m not going to wade out of my portfolio or into the foreign affairs portfolio and start lecturing other countries about what they can or cannot do.”
Mr Ciobo simply said Australia and China have different views on the South China Sea.
“We are not supportive where there are multiple claims on territory that there would be militarisation of those geographic features.”
Greg Brown 3.02pm: No backbench revolt on company tax cuts
Labor’s Jenny Macklin asks Malcolm Turnbull if his backbench will force a backflip on big business tax cuts, similar to jettisoned proposals to raise the GST and impose state-based income taxes.
The Prime Minister says the government believes in lower taxes.
“We are making sure tax is paid and we want it to be lower because, as then member observed, humans ...are encouraged by lower tax. They do work more when there is lower tax,” he says.
Greg Brown 2.58pm: Hanson-Young’s Australia Day gaffe
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young wrongly thinks Australia Day marks the date Captain James Cook sailed into Botany Bay.
Senator Hanson-Young sent out a press release criticising the government for planning to build a monument to Captain Cook, despite a debate about changing the national day from January 26.
Greg Brown 2.52pm: ‘Cuts to stay ahead, employ more Australians’
Labor’s Joanne Ryan asks if the government will take its big business tax cuts to the next election, despite a lack of support from the crossbench and reports the back bench is nervous about the policy.
Scott Morrison says to policy will be good for the economy.
“On this side of the house, we believe that Australian business needs more competitive taxes so they can stay ahead, employ more Australians,” the Treasurer says.
“We are following some very important principles and they are principles that the opposition used to believe in quite strongly.”
Greg Brown 2.48pm: Lamb wants ‘boats to restart’
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton uses a Dixer to accuse Labor’s candidate for Longman Susan Lamb of wanting to “allow the boats to restart”.
“This is a quote from Susan Lamb: ‘it has been a long, deeply disturbing process on Manus Island, I cannot understand why this government will not accept the New Zealand government offer as a bare minimum’,” Dutton says.
“Labor put people on Manus Island, it was Labor’s government. It was Labor that put people on Nauru. It was a Labor government that allowed people to drown at sea and they want to go back to that tragedy.”
Greg Brown 2.37pm: PM remains tight-lipped on dealings with One Nation
Labor’s Sharon Bird asks Malcolm Turnbull to release more details on the government’s “secret plan” with Pauline Hanson.
The Prime Minister says he is always willing to negotiate with crossbenchers before launching into staunch defence on his economic agenda.
“Has the government’s economic plan failed to produce jobs? No. It actually produced record jobs growth, in any calendar year in our history,” he says.
Greg Brown 2.33pm: ‘AFP always has powers and funding it needs’
Opposition justice spokeswoman Clare O’Neil goes again on a lack of funding for the AFP, after the agency claims it was hit with a $200 million cut.
“How can the government justify cutting the resources of the Australian Federal Police who work hard to keep drugs and guns off our streets?”
Cyber-Security Minister Angus Taylor says the government has always ensured the AFP had the powers and funding it needed.
“This year, we have committed ... almost $1.5 billion of funding to the federal police higher than last year, the highest level of spending ever,” he says.
Greg Brown 2.27pm: Fiery scenes in QT
QT gets a bit heated. Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer calls Bill Shorten a “fraud” and is forced to withdraw. Opposition finance spokesman Jim Chalmers gets booted from the chamber, while Labor’s Rob Mitchell is warned.
Greg Brown 2.23pm: AFP funding has risen: PM
Bill Shorten leaps on Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin’s revelation in Senate Estimates that the budget would cost the federal force 567 staff over the next four years.
“Why is it that the Prime Minister is cutting 567 Federal Police staff at the same time as he is giving $80 billion to big business including $17 billion to the big banks?”
The Prime Minister says there has never been a government that has given more support to the AFP.
“I can confirm that the AFP funding has risen in the 2018-19 budget to $1.485 billion,” he says.
“My government is determined to continue to keep Australians safe and our funding for the AFP and our other security agencies demonstrates that commitment.”
Rachel Baxendale 2.17pm: Plan to tighten pension payments
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has indicated the government hopes to pass a bill to axe pension payments to elderly Australians who spend more than six weeks overseas before July 1.
Senator Cormann confirmed the legislation was factored into the most recent budget as applying from July 1.
Pensioners will lose their pension supplement basic amount of $608.40/fortnight for singles and $499.20/fortnight for members of a couple under the measure.
Asked by Labor senator Jenny McAllister whether we should expect the bill to be debated during the June parliamentary sitting fortnight, Senator Cormann quipped to Department of Finance Senate Estimates that the Senate could be “very efficient”.
“I’m very much looking forward to the well-known efficiency of the senate at work,” Senator Cormann said.
“The government always prioritises legislation on the basis of progressing our agenda as swiftly as possible.
“We take a range of factors into account, including the likelihood of successful passage in as speedy a time as possible, and if Labor wants to indicate to us that they will facilitate speedy passage of relevant savings, then we can work together to make this happen and put the Australian economy on a stronger foundation and trajectory for the future, make sure that government lives within its means. So if that is what you’re proposing, I’m all ears.”
Greg Brown 2.15pm: PM sought advice on Hastie revelations
Malcolm Turnbull has told the House he has sought advice from national security agencies on the implications on Liberal MP Andrew Hastie publicly revealing intelligence from an ally in speech in parliament last night.
When asked by Bill Shorten if he had sought advice on the national security implications of the speech, the Prime Minister said: “yes I have”.
He did not elaborate.
Greg Brown 2.12pm: Chau Chak Wing revelations in “unclassified briefing”
Bill Shorten goes again on the revelations levelled at Chinese-born property developer Chau Chak Wing by Liberal MP Andrew Hastie “who was hand-picked by the Prime Minister to be trusted with intelligence and national security information”.
He asked if Malcolm Turnbull or his department authorised the airing of information given by an ally.
Turnbull says the information was obtained in an unclassified briefing.
“My understanding of the briefing, at which a number of Labor members were present, at least one was, was not classified briefing,” he says.
“The allegations are not new. They have been made before, they are subject to legal proceedings and I do not propose to say anything more about them because they are subject to judicial proceedings.”
Greg Brown 2.04pm: PM in dark on Hastie’s claims
Bill Shorten opens question time asking Malcolm Turnbull if he was aware Liberal MP Andrew Hastie would reveal sensitive information about a Chinese-born property developer in the federal parliament.
The Prime Minister says he had no idea it was coming.
Elizabeth Redman 1.56pm: Hanson firm on company tax cuts
One Nation senator Pauline Hanson has ruled out changing her mind again on the question of company tax cuts.
“I have to look at this and justify, where is the money coming from,” Ms Hanson told reporters outside the financial services royal commission.
“If we don’t reduce the debt - over $550bn - we will not be able to provide for our pensioners, the aged, the sick and put in the infrastructure that we need.
“No, it won’t be reconsidered whatsoever. We’ve actually passed it up to $50 million for turnover for corporate taxes, I am very pleased with that, I don’t regret doing that. Until the government can prove to me they can rein in their spending and be better managers of taxpayers’ dollars, I cannot in all good conscience hand out a corporate tax cut to multinationals.”
She said the main issue that would hurt family businesses was the rising cost of power. “We’ve got to get those power costs down - not the corporate tax cuts, that’s going to happen eight or 10 years down the track. People need help now,” she said.
Greg Brown 1.40pm: Albo defends Chinese ‘co-conspirator’
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has defended Chinese property developer Chau Chak Wing, who was named by Liberal MP Andrew Hastie as being a suspected co-conspirator in the bribing of a UN official.
Mr Albanese said there was no suggestion Mr Chau, who is an Australian citizen, tried to inappropriately interfere in Australia’s political process.
He also lauded the “extraordinary design” of one of Mr Chau’s buildings, of which he attended the opening with Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne.
Mr Chau has been a donor to both the Labor and Liberal parties.
“I was with Christopher Pyne at the opening of the Chau Chak Wing Building in Sydney at UTS where he donated a substantial amount of money to build the new facility, which is quite an extraordinary design known as the Paper Bag Building here as part of UTS as a contribution,” Mr Albanese told Adelaide radio station 5AA.
Mr Albanese said he was concerned Mr Hastie used information obtained by a foreign government and aired it in the Australian parliament.
“I think the concern here is the suggestion as I read it from Mr Hastie’s comments is that information that he got as Chair of the National Security Committee he has released in the parliament under parliamentary privilege,” Mr Albanese said.
“I find that quite extraordinary. I’m sure that they were probably rogue actions. I don’t suggest that it was authorised by Malcolm Turnbull, but there really needs to be an explanation about whether this is abuse of his position in that, according to his own statement, he has used information given to him in a briefing by another government’s agency to give a speech under parliamentary privilege about allegations from a different government, whilst being chair of the National Security Committee.”
Greg Brown 1.25pm: ‘No shame’ for Keay
Labor’s candidate in the Braddon by-election, Justine Keay, says she has “no shame” about being forced to resign her seat despite spending months vowing she was eligible to sit in parliament.
In a tense interview on Tasmanian radio station LAFM, Ms Keay said she was sorry about sending voters to a by-election but refused to take responsibility for the situation that has seen her turfed out of parliament.
“The action that led to the by-election for me, was about complying to the legal advice that I have received and I acted in good faith at all times on that,” Ms Keay said.
“Under Australian law, I was considered not to be a dual citizen based on the Sykes and Cleary interpretation. It was a legitimate interpretation. The only changed two weeks ago.”
She also denied lying on her candidate nomination form before the last election when she said she was not a dual citizen.
She continued to claim the High Court decision that found former senator Katy Gallagher ineligible “set a new precedent”, despite the ruling saying it followed the precedent set in the case involving Resources Minister Matt Canavan.
“I filled it out honestly in the interpretation of the Sykes and Cleary and satisfied my requirement under the constitution as per the advice from the Australian Electoral Commission,” Ms Keay said.
“What we have now, as we speak, right at this moment is the parliament is considering, with bipartisan support, a new regulation that the Australian Electoral Commissioner has now brought into place, a new electoral process because of the decision of two weeks ago. That was a historical decision. That set the precedent.”
Primrose Riordan 1.09pm: Hunt ‘not hacked’
AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin has warned MPs about “social media hygiene” and allowing too many people to have access to their social media accounts after being asked about an investigation into Health Minister Greg Hunt’s Twitter account “liking” a pornographc tweet.
He said the investigation had concluded and the account was not “hacked” in a traditional sense.
An AFP officer said the police force contacted Twitter in the course of the investigation.
Mr Colvin has also said he would not outline “hypothetical” policing situations in order to demonstrate why police need new powers to demand ID at airports.
The question has been a focus of Greens questioning this week, but the commissioner would not expand much further than say the threshold to question suspicious people is currently too hard and putting the community at risk.
Mr Colvin assured Australians that people would not be racially profiled by officers conducting the ID checks and they were about behaviour not the colour of someone’s skin.
Another AFP officer expanded on this. She said the current threshold for asking for someone’s ID at an airport - suspicion of committing a serious commonwealth offence - was a “a fairly high threshold for us.
She said officers were trained in behavioural assessment and were likely to target people who were looking like they shouldn’t be there.
For example they might be hanging around a baggage carousel for a long period of time, and there was a raft of behaviours they look for.
Greg Brown 11.25am: Palestine recognition ‘inevitable’
Former foreign minister Bob Carr says the recognition of Palestine is “inevitable” because of its growing support within the Labor Party.
Mr Carr, the premier of NSW for a decade, said the shooting of unarmed protesters in Gaza would galvanise further sympathy for the Palestinian cause.
“Recognition of Palestine inevitable given resolutions by state and territory ALP conferences and made more inevitable by shooting of unarmed protesters, including children, in Gaza,” Mr Carr tweeted this morning.
Recognition of Palestine inevitable given resolutions by state and territory ALP conferences and made more inevitable by shooting of unarmed protesters, including children, in Gaza.
— Bob Carr (@bobjcarr) May 22, 2018
On Sunday Anthony Albanese said he expected a motion to recognise a Palestinian state would go to national conference at the end of July.
Greg Brown 11.20am: ‘Exhaust all arguments’ on tax
Veterans Affairs Minister Darren Chester says the government needs to “exhaust all arguments” on its stalled big business tax cuts before it considers jettisoning the proposal.
Mr Chester said it would be a “tough” call to dump the enterprise tax plan, despite it not having the numbers to get through the Senate. He said the government needed to persist with big business tax cuts because it would create jobs and be good for the Australian economy.
“We need to tell people how the next part of our plan is about creating more jobs and the business tax cuts are about creating more jobs because we know that big companies can move their operations …which is not going to be good for the economy,” Mr Chester told Sky News.
“We’ve got to exhaust all arguments, make those arguments to the public, within the Senate, in the House of Reps.
“If you get to the point where people don’t believe us then you have got to make the argument again because we know the plan we are putting to the Australian people is good for the economy and good for the nation.”
Greg Brown 10.10am: ‘What does PM stand for if not tax cuts?
Opposition treasury spokesman Chris Bowen has questioned whether Malcolm Turnbull would stand for anything if he dropped his pursuit of big business tax cuts.
Mr Bowen said the Prime Minister had staked his agenda on giving big business a tax break and would be exposed as hollow if he dropped the policy, despite the crossbench being unwilling to back the reform.
“The government has got to explain that they stand by these cuts, Malcolm Turnbull said that yesterday in the House that he intends to take them to the election,” Mr Bowen told ABC radio.
“Of course if he drops these cuts, what does Malcolm Turnbull stand for? Now we have been very clear against them, we think that they are not the right priority for Australia at this moment but Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison have said that they regard them as important for their agenda so if they are true to their word you would think they would take that to the next election.”
Greg Brown 9.30am: David Smith replaces Gallagher
Former ACT government adviser David Smith has been confirmed as the new ACT Labor senator to replace Katy Gallagher.
The High Court this morning determined that Mr Smith, the ACT director of the union Professionals Australia, would enter the federal parliament.
Ms Gallagher has been found ineligible over citizenship issues.
Greg Brown 9.25am: ‘Denuclearisation bottom line’
Opposition defence spokesman Richard Marles says he is happy that Donald Trump is drawing a line in the sand on North Korea’s denuclearisation, despite it being a sticking point for the planned summit between the US President and Kim Jong-un.
Mr Marles said he was always hopeful a meeting between the two leaders would go ahead but also suspected the plans might unravel.
“What has to be the principle issue here is the denuclearisation of North Korea, at the end of the day we cannot afford to be recognising North Korea in any way as a nuclear power because if we do, that fundamentally changes the safety of the planet going forward,” Mr Marles told Sky News.
“So I actually take some heart from the fact that the White House is making it very clear that at the centre of the American proposition in relation to whatever transpires with North Korea is that North Korea needs to denuclearise, that has to be the bottom line.”
Greg Brown 9.10am: ‘Good meeting with China counterpart’
Malcolm Turnbull has declared Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had a “very good meeting” with her Chinese counterpart, despite the Chinese government playing down the discussions as “not official”.
The Prime Minister said the Chinese government was entitled to make any statements it wishes after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi blamed Australia for causing the tensions in relations between Canberra and Beijing.
Mr Turnbull talked up his own links with China, including being the grandfather of two children of Chinese heritage as he declared the two nations were “in every respect closer than ever”.
“We have a strong relationship, it’s a frank one. Julie had a good meeting with her counterpart in Buenos Aires,” Mr Turnbull said.
“We talk about economics and we talk about diplomacy a lot …but just remember this: you could not imagine modern Australia without the 1.2 million Australians of Chinese heritage. Remember that.
“We are the most successful multicultural nation in the world and China and Australia are in every respect closer than ever, and we should never underestimate the importance of that family connection.”
Greg Brown 8.45am: Hastie revelations ‘nothing new’
Malcolm Turnbull says he was not forewarned that Liberal MP Andrew Hastie would air bribery allegations against a Chinese-born property developer in parliament last night but played down the revelations as “nothing new”.
The Prime Minister said Mr Hastie had the right as an member of parliament to air allegations in parliament and it was up to the West Australian MP to explain for himself.
He said the allegations levelled at Chinese-Australian property developer Chau Chak Wing were already the subject of litigation proceedings.
“The first I learned of Mr Hastie’s remarks was of course after he had given them …I had no forewarning of it,” Mr Turnbull said this morning.
“Members of parliament have - it’s a very ancient right, hard-won - the right to speak on matters under parliamentary privilege. Members have to explain why they do that in circumstances like this.
“As far as the specific allegations that were made, they are not new. They are in fact the subject of litigation currently in the Australian courts, and for that reason I don’t propose to say any more about them.”
Greg Brown 8.20am: PM welcomes EU move on trade
Malcolm Turnbull has welcomed the European Union’s move to agree to open negotiations for a free trade deal with Australia.
The Prime Minister said EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom would come to Australia next month to formally begin negotiations.
“We will be working to secure better access for Australian food and agriculture products, creating the framework for open, fair and equitable trade,” Mr Turnbull said in a joint statement with Trade Minister Steven Ciobo.
“The Liberal-National government will also be working to lock in better access for Australian services exporters; expand two-way investment flows; and deliver a more seamless business environment.
“We will explore rules and initiatives to support the digital economy and innovation, which are important for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).”
Greg Brown 8.10am: How did Hastie get info?
Opposition treasury spokesman Chris Bowen has demanded an explanation on how Liberal MP Andrew Hastie obtained the name of a Chinese-born property developer suspected of being involved in the bribing of a UN official and whether Malcolm Turnbull knew the allegations would be aired in parliament.
Mr Bowen said the allegations raised by Mr Hastie under the legal protection of parliamentary privilege were “very serious” but believed there needed to be more scrutiny as to how he came upon the information.
Mr Hastie last night told the parliament the FBI had identified Chau Chak Wing, a dual Australian citizen and political donor, was a co-conspirator in the bribery of former UN General Assembly president John Ashe. Dr Chau denies the allegations.
“I think that what Mr Hastie has raised is very serious but I do think there are very legitimate issues to traverse as to how this has happened,” Mr Bowen told ABC radio.
“Under parliamentary privilege he is entitled as a member of parliament to do that but he does also have to play a role in a very important parliamentary committee.
“I think we need to have more information about whether this was sanctioned by the government, how this information came to Mr Hastie, whether other agencies were informed that he was going to do this. I think these are all legitimate questions.”
Mr Hastie last night said the information had come to him during meetings last month with US intelligence and security agency officials.
What’s making news:
A China-born Australian billionaire and political donor has been named in federal parliament as a co-conspirator identified by the FBI in the bribery of a UN official and as having close links to the Chinese Communist Party.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has blamed Australia for causing the tensions in relations between Canberra and Beijing, in a statement issued after a meeting with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
Malcolm Turnbull, Bill Shorten, and all state and territory leaders have endorsed a major Australian-Chinese community event organised by Huang Xiangmo, whose dealings with Sam Dastyari led to the Labor senator’s resignation from parliament.
Pauline Hanson has told Malcolm Turnbull to accept defeat on his company tax cuts as the Prime Minister came under pressure from Labor to ditch the package and reveal the contents of a now defunct “secret deal” with One Nation to secure its support.
Pauline Hanson says she would be more inclined to support Malcolm Turnbull’s personal income tax cuts if the flat tax rate of 32.5 per cent — scheduled to take effect in 2024 — were lifted to 34.5 per cent in a bid to limit the loss of revenue to government.
Snowy Hydro yesterday declared Malcolm Turnbull’s Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro project will “outcompete any new coal plant”, inflaming the nation’s energy wars as pro-coal backbenchers demand changes to competition laws to keep ageing coal-fired generators running.
Federal Labor will look at making it easier for unions to legally enter workplaces and consider more union appointments to the Fair Work Commission but has rejected the call by construction union official John Setka to lift restrictions on strike action.
Thousands of Russian-based Twitter followers allegedly linked to the account of Victorian Labor senator and Bill Shorten ally Kimberley Kitching have been referred to the federal government’s cyber security agency for investigation.
Malcolm Turnbull has rebuked former cabinet minister Sussan Ley for her private member’s bill to end the live sheep trade, amid growing unease in the Coalition party room over the industry.
James Jeffrey’s sketch: like Lamings they leap for the Dorothy Dixers.
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