PoliticsNow: Peter Dutton feels like ‘a proud father’ to finally be quizzed on boats
It’s taken five years, and 120 question times for Labor to ask for a ‘stop the boats’ briefing. And Peter Dutton’s delighted.
- Dutton says he’d have to quit if he crossed PM on NEG
- Katter accuses reporter of racism, says he needs ‘a hiding’
- Anning adviser quits over ‘final solution’ speech
- Abbott zings PM
- Labor wants emissions ambition
Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live blog on the happenings at Parliament House in Canberra.
Malcolm Turnbull has faced constant questions over the national energy guarantee as he attempts to placate a group of Coalition MPs who are firming against the policy.
3.50pm: Dutton’s ‘stop the boats’ backhander
Labor has asked for its first briefing on Operation Sovereign Borders, almost five years after the “stop the boats” policy was introduced, AAP reports.
But the opposition says it has been briefed numerous times on the “stop the boats” policy.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says Labor’s immigration spokesman, Shayne Neumann, has just asked to be briefed on the policy after 120 question times in which Labor has not asked a single question about boat arrivals. “I feel almost like a proud father — you know when your child takes a first step or milestone? He is not yet speaking, he is a little slow at speaking but he has taken one baby step,” Mr Dutton told parliament on Thursday of his opposite number.
Labor says the party was briefed numerous times on Operation Sovereign Borders by the former Immigration and Border Protection Department, as well as by its replacement, Home Affairs.
The party says it recently asked for a further briefing on the government policy.
Primrose Riordan 3.15pm: Confucius classrooms review defeated
Left and right wing senators united in parliament to call for review of all Chinese government-funded Confucius classrooms and institutes in Australia.
On Wednesday Greens Senators voted to endorse a motion put forward by Australian Conservatives Senator Cory Bernardi.
The motion called for Education Minister Simon Birmingham “to work with his state and territory counterparts to ensure full reviews of their engagement with these institutes and classrooms”.
Aside from the Greens senators, Senator Pauline Hanson, Brian Burston, Peter Georgiou and Fraser Anning also supported the motion.
The government and Labor voted against to defeat the motion. LNP Senator James McGrath defended the government’s position.
“We will continue to act to advance Australia’s prosperity, ensure the independence of our decision-making and academic freedom at our universities and secure the safety and freedom of our people,” he said.
“Issues relating to state education jurisdictions and autonomous jurisdictions are properly matters for them.”
The NSW government is currently reviewing its Confucius Classrooms program, and Senator Bernardi would like to see other states follow suit.
Australia has 14 Confucius Institutes and has the third highest number of Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms after the UK and the US.
Some state and territory governments run the Confucius classrooms program where the Hanban, the Office of the Chinese Language Council, partly funds Mandarin lessons in Australian schools.
NSW Greens argue the program “exposes” children to a “foreign government’s propaganda machine” arguing the lessons go beyond language and restrict discussion of certain topics.
A small number of global universities have closed their Confucius institutes.
Greg Brown 3.10pm: Shorten trolls on Reef grant
Bill Shorten has another crack at the nearly $500 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, asking why CSIRO was not allowed to tender for the money.
Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg says it is an “inconvenient truth” the Coalition is “saving” the reef while Labor “abandoned” it.
“When the Labor Party was lost in office, they put the Great Barrier Reef on a fast track to the endangered list,” he says.
Greg Brown 3pm: Criminal charges against CFMEU
Scott Morrison uses a Dixer to tell parliament the competition watchdog has charged the ACT branch of the CFMEU with alleged cartel conduct.
The Treasurer reads the ACCC media statement.
“The charges follow a joint investigation between the ACCC and the Australian Federal Police as part of the AFP’s role in co-ordinating and contributing to the joint police task force following the royal commission into trade union governments and corruption,” Morrison reads.
He then attacks Labor’s links with the militant union.
“What does it take for the Labor Party to say to the CFMEU: ‘no more money for us, we are over your criminal and corrupt and thuggish and bullish conduct’?” Morrison says.
“They have got to stop giving awards to these thugs and they should be supporting the government in ensuring they are prosecuted by the court.”
Labor’s Anthony Albanese calls a point of order and accuses Morrison of trying to influence a legal outcome.
Speaker Tony Smith cautions the Treasurer.
Greg Brown 2.55pm: ScoMo’s Reef scorcher
Opposition treasury spokesman Chris Bowen asks why the government is willing to pay $11 million in interest this year on a grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation when gross debt was at record levels.
Scott Morrison asks why Labor gave money to dead people, under the home insulation scheme.
“The Labor Party thinks all the answers reside only sitting around public service desks sitting in government buildings,” Morrison says.
“This government makes no apologies for investing in the reef and for doing so in partnership. That was the proposal, that was the deal, that is what we put in the budget.”
Greg Brown 2.50pm: “More to be done” on wage growth
Bill Shorten asks about Malcolm Turnbull’s plan for wage growth, saying it is at its lowest levels than under any prime minister.
The Prime Minister says wage growth was 2.7 per cent in the year to May, the highest since 2014.
“There is more work to do, more to be done, but we are seeing the results of a stronger economy and more jobs, more demand for Labor, creating skill shortages,” Turnbull says.
Greg Brown 2.45pm: Pensioner’s electricity subsidy cut
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek asks if pensioners will be worse off under the government’s energy policies given a cut in the electricity subsidy worth an average $360 a year.
Malcolm Turnbull says the government was not interested in “stealing” the savings of pensioners like Labor was, though its dividend imputation crackdown.
“Let’s not forget, the Labor Party, the honourable Member’s party, wants to go after the savings that pensioners and self-funded retirees,” Turnbull says.
Primrose Riordan 2.40pm: Electrical Trades Union cuts off Katter
The union which previously donated $100,000 to Bob Katter’s political party said they would not be supporting the politician again after Katter’s Australian Party Senator Fraser Anning’s controversial speech.
The Electrical Trades Union’s Victorian branch secretary Troy Gray told The Australian he “unequivocally” condemns Mr Anning’s speech where he used the term “final solution” and made false claims about Muslim migrants to Australia.
Mr Katter then said: “absolutely 1000 per cent I support everything he said”.
“In previous years Bob Katter has been a friend and supporter of working families and in turn has enjoyed friendship and support from the union movement. In particular, the ETU welcomed his opposition to the ABCC,” he said.
“However, it is to our great dismay that Katter and his new colleague have regressed into the dog-whistle politics of the Australian right wing. All Australian people deserve a fair go in our society, whether their heritage be African, Middle Eastern, European or anything else.”
The ETU this year reaffiliated with the Labor party, but before then had made donations to independents and the Greens.
The donations to the Katter Australia Party were made between 2011 and 2013.
“The ETU will not be supporting the Katter Australia Party again, nor any other politician who engages in such shameful behaviour.”
The ETU gave $360,000 to the Greens in the year to June 2014, $50,000 in the year to June 2013 and $100,000 in 2011.
Greg Brown 2.35pm: “You have no idea” on NEG pricing: Macklin
Bill Shorten asks Malcolm Turnbull to confirm modelling from the Energy Security Board shows retail and wholesale power prices will increase from 2024 under the national energy guarantee.
The Prime Minister looks confused and passes the question onto his Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg.
Labor’s Jenny Macklin yells: “you have no idea.”
Frydenberg says retail bills under the policy will fall by $550.
“That is why the Member for Port Adelaide (Mark Butler) described it as a very good design, that is why he described it as being a Rolls-Royce,” Frydenberg says.
“That is why the International Energy Agency said this could be a model for other countries around the world.”
Greg Brown 2.30pm: Who should people believe on NEG prices?
Opposition energy spokesman Mark Butler asks why people should believe the government that the national energy guarantee will lower prices, when Barnaby Joyce doubts it will.
Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says Labor’s higher emissions reduction targets will increase prices.
“This is what the Labor Party is promising the Australian people: higher power prices, lower stability, reckless Renewable Energy Targets, recklessly high emission reduction targets, which the business community rejects, and the people of Australia reject,” Frydenberg says.
Greg Brown 2.25pm: PM cool on flying Aboriginal flag
Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie asks Malcolm Turnbull if he would consider supporting a push for the Aboriginal flag to fly in one of the corners of the House of Representatives. Each corner has the Australian flag posted to it.
The Prime Minister says he would take the suggestion on board, but then poured cold water on it.
“While we pay great respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, the flag hanging in each corner of this room is the flag of Australia,” Turnbull says.
Greg Brown 2.20pm: Abbott’s zinger gets a laugh
Labor’s Nick Campion asks about a conversation reported in The Australianthis morning between Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott.
“Is the Prime Minister aware of media reports that during a briefing on his energy policy the Prime Minister said to the member for Warringah: ‘Please do me the courtesy of allowing me to finish my sentence’. The member for Warringah replied, ‘I would have, if you allowed me the courtesy of finishing my term’?”
It got a laugh — including from Mr Abbott — but was ruled out of order.
Greg Brown 2.15pm: Claims cancer drugs delayed on PBS
Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King has asked how the government can brag about its PBS listings when it has delayed listings for cancer and epilepsy drugs by an average of eight months.
Health Minister Greg Hunt says the government has listed everything the recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.
“She may not have caught up on the 1 August that included new medicine for epilepsy,” Hunt says.
2.10pm: Tobacco smugglers “patriots”, excise “highway robbery”, says Leyonhjelm
A crossbench senator has lavished praise on illegal tobacco smugglers, calling the criminals “patriots” and rejecting a crackdown on chop chop dealers. The federal government’s tough new penalties for tobacco smugglers includes jail terms of up to 10 years for the most serious offences.
Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm said people dealing the tobacco, known as chop chop, were simply avoiding unreasonable taxes. He believes the government is only getting away with the new measures because of little public sympathy for smokers, labelling tobacco excise levels as “highway robbery”, AAP reports.
“Smokers are sneered at by the elites of society,” Senator Leyonhjelm told parliament.
“The Liberal Democrats don’t sneer at smokers and we think tobacco smugglers are patriots.” Legislation establishing the new penalties and other measures cracking down on illegal tobacco cleared parliament with bipartisan support on Thursday. Under the changes, the origin of illicit tobacco no longer needs to be proven. There will also be a criminal offence based on “recklessness” of avoiding tax, rather than intent.
Greg Brown 2.05pm: Shorten quizzes PM on frontbench NEG support
Bill Shorten opens question time by asking Malcolm Turnbull about reports Keith Pitt was considering resigning from the frontbench to oppose the national energy guarantee.
The Prime Minister avoids it, and instead carries on about the NEG lowering prices.
“(Shorten) raised the matter of energy. He has the opportunity to stand up for lower electricity prices,” Turnbull says.
“He has the opportunity to support the national energy guarantee, which will contribute to $550 reduction in the electricity bill of the average family in the national electricity market.”
Joe Kelly 1.55pm: “I’ll cross floor over NEG,” says Christensen
George Christensen has issued a list of demands on the NEG, and publicly committed to crossing the floor of parliament to vote against Malcolm Turnbull’s national energy guarantee in its current form if they are not met.
Rachel Baxendale 1.20pm: Rebels break ranks to condemn gender-neutral language
Coalition senators have split over Queenslander Barry O’Sullivan’s motion against gender-neutral language.
Senator O’Sullivan cited a variety of recent instances where government organisations and businesses have advocated for the use of gender-neutral language, notably condemning Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Martin Parkinson for believing in unconscious bias and accusing him of spending “millions of taxpayer dollars attempting to find evidence to support his personal beliefs and alter the personal actions of staff under his control”.
The motion also singled out the Australian Defence Force, Victorian health department and Qantas for campaigns to introduce gender-neutral language, and the Queensland government for removing gender from drivers’ licenses.
Also noted, was “bullying and intimidation from some within the gender-diverse community” towards comedian Barry Humphries after he questioned the legitimacy of providing gender-neutral bathrooms.
The motion called upon the Senate to:
(a) Reaffirm its support for free and fearless speech, and open and honest discourse as foundations of Western Civilisation;
(b) Reject any attempt to enforce an overhaul of longstanding language usage for innocuous and benevolent terms that are spoken with no intended malice; and
(c) Condemn any form of crusading, bullying, intimidation and use of authority by government, activists and corporate leaders that attempts to stifle free speech by enforcing a specific world viewpoint on linguistics and social policy.
As Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, fellow Queensland LNP senator James McGrath expressed some sympathy for the motion but said “factual errors” in the wording meant the government could not support it.
Twelve senators voted in favour of the motion, including seven from the government, namely Eric Abetz, Lucy Gichuhi, Ian Macdonald, Jim Molan, Amanda Stoker and John Williams.
Crossbenchers Cory Bernard i, Brian Burston, Stirling Griff, Rex Patrick and David Leyonhjelm also supported the motion.
The motion was opposed by 33 senators, including government senators Simon Birmingham, Richard Colbeck, Steve Martin, James McGrath, Marise Payne and Dean Smith, Labor, the Greens, Derryn Hinch and Tim Storer.
1.05pm: Revenge porn fuels domestic violence: MP
Abusive partners use intimate images of their spouse as blackmail, a Labor MP says, as federal Parliament debates jail time for revenge porn.
Labor’s Clare O’Neil shared the story of a woman whose husband posted images of her online and threatened to send them to her family.
“It’s used to control the behaviour of women in abusive relationships,” she told the lower house, AAP reports.
People who share intimate images of someone without their consent could face up to seven years in prison under legislation being debated in parliament.
Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek spoke of a woman who had strangers turn up to her house for four years after a photoshopped image of her was shared online with her name and address. Police were unable to do anything, she said.
After passing the Senate in February, the laws were introduced to the lower house on Wednesday night with amendments to create two new offences for perpetrators.
Under the laws, removal warnings could be sent to social media companies and website hosts, with fines of more than $500,000 if images are not taken down within 48 hours.
Individuals could also face fines of up to $105,000 under the proposed changes.
Liberal MP Nola Marino warned people to not take photos in the first place, saying many technology companies were based overseas, making it difficult for removal warnings.
Nationals MP Andrew Gee conceded that in the age of technology, taking intimate images was “what people do” and it was up to the government to minimise harm.
12.30pm: Government considers jail time for revenge porn
The government shouldn’t “victim blame” when it comes to the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, says a Labor MP, AAP reports.
Parliament is debating legislation which would see people who share revenge porn face up to seven years in prison, and Labor’s Clare O’Neil said victims should be told the law is on their side.
“When your trust is fundamentally broken by a person who might have been in an intimate relationship with you, then the federal law is here to protect you,” she said.
Rachel Baxendale 12.05pm: Katter accuses reporter of racism, says he needs “a hiding”
Bob Katter has accused a journalist of being “racist” for asking him whether his Lebanese-born grandfather would be allowed into Australia if his Katter’s Australian Party senator Fraser Anning was in charge.
Anning called for migration to be limited to European Christians and used the term “final solution” in his maiden speech on Tuesday night.
“You know, I think that asking people about where their forbears come from, or commenting upon it, is the height of bad manners,” Katter told Sky News political reporter Tom Connell.
“If my mother had ever heard me talking about money or someone’s racial origins, I would have got a big hiding.
“You need a big hiding for ever mentioning anything of that nature.”
Katter said half of his family had arrived in Australia before the Gold Rush.
“It is a racist remark by you, and you stand condemned for a racist remark,” he said.
“It is racist, and every single migrant that comes to this country, that says, you know, that has that sort of question put at him, he should say what I say, ‘I’m an Australian’.
“My grandfather was an Australian on my father’s side, and his father was an Australian. They’re Australians, mate. Don’t worry about where they come from. They’re Australians and they’re bloody good Australians too.”
Katter claimed Senator Anning’s reference to the “final solution” had been taken out of context.
“I’ll tell you who wrote the speech: Fraser Anning wrote the speech,” Katter said.” I have met with Fraser. Read the speech. You’re taking out of context two words. You’ve taken two words out of context.”
He claimed Katter’s Australian Party represents Jewish Australians.
“You ignore us when we’re fighting the battle for the Jewish people,” he said.
“We are the party who unashamedly represents, in a very special way, and we apologise to nobody for doing this, the people of the Jewish faith, and our First Australians, my brother cousins.
“We are not ashamed to wave that flag all the time, and we’ll continue to wave it despite you people.”
.@tomwconnell: Would your grandfather be allowed in under Anning’s Australia?@RealBobKatter: I think asking people where their forebears come from is the height of bad manners.
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) August 16, 2018
MORE: https://t.co/ykweMevBOK #SkyLiveNow pic.twitter.com/5jF1HQbiOc
Greg Brown 11.30am: “I’m not going to bag PM”: Dutton toes line on NEG
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says he would need to resign to the backbench if he publicly criticised the national energy guarantee or Malcolm Turnbull.
Mr Dutton this morning defended the NEG despite urgings from 2GB radio host Ray Hadley to criticise the policy and the Prime Minister.
But Mr Dutton said he would leave cabinet if it “gets to a point where I can’t accept what the government is proposing”.
“I’m not going to be part of the cabinet and then bag the Prime Minister out,” Mr Dutton said after copping a barrage of criticisms for repeating Mr Turnbull’s sales pitch on the NEG.
“You can have a gentle conversation you can have a raised voice conversation, I express my view and I am most effective as a member of the cabinet when I can do that but I am not bagging my colleagues or my Prime Minister publicly.
“I have the utmost respect for my colleagues and if I have something to say I will say something in private and that is my responsibility as a cabinet minister.
“If my position changes, that is, it gets to a point where I can’t accept what the government is proposing, or I don’t agree, then the Westminster system is very clear: you resign your commission, you don’t serve in that cabinet and you make that very clear in a respectful way.”
Mr Dutton said he would be more effective as a cabinet minister rather than an outspoken backbencher.
“The most effective I can be is providing advice, which I do, and I give frank advice I can promise you that, to the Prime Minister to my other colleagues that I don’t agree with what we are doing or with the policy or I argue vehemently something should be changed or dropped,” Mr Dutton said.
“I get my way sometimes and other times I don’t. I work as a team player, I’m not going to be part of the cabinet and then bag the Prime Minister out.”
Greg Brown 10.50am: Push for Labor to unite on euthanasia
Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy will push for a future Shorten government to enforce a party vote on giving the Northern Territory and ACT the right to legalise euthanasia.
The Northern Territory senator said the bill that was struck down in the Senate last night was about territory rights rather than euthanasia, so Labor MPs should not get a conscience vote on the bill.
“I would certainly want to be pushing for something like (a block yes vote),” Senator McCarthy told Sky News.
“I would certainly like to see, should we be successful when we go to government, that this is a very important issue for our caucus room.”
Senator McCarthy said anti-euthanasia advocates had flipped the votes of some MPs who were likely to support the bill sponsored by David Leyonhjelm, after an 11th hour shift in support of the bill saw it defeated in the Senate.
Labor senator Alex Gallacher, Nationals senator Steve Martin and crossbenchers Brian Burston and Peter Georgiou reversed their public support for the bill in the final 48 hours.
“It looked like a few people who wondered whether it was about territory rights or euthanasia really struggled with their decision and ultimately decided to go with no,” Senator McCarthy said.
“There was a great deal of lobbying behind the scenes clearly for those who are very anti-euthanasia that this was another step that they did not want to see happen and made sure they canvassed pollies very comprehensively and in the end that worked.”
10.45am: Refugee processing will stop boats: Greens
Bringing refugees and asylum seekers to Australia quicker will stop boat arrivals by restoring hope for people that their claims will be processed, a Greens MP has told parliament.
Adam Bandt says people languishing in camps and fleeing persecution overseas take up offers from people smugglers because they can’t see any other way into Australia right now, AAP reports.
“Once the message gets through in these camps that Australia is taking people again … once we start seeing claims in the thousands being processed in Indonesia and Malaysia elsewhere, then people will understand there’s no point getting on a boat and risking their life to come to Australia,” he said. Mr Bandt said the government had not stopped deaths at sea by turning back boat arrivals, it had just resulted in the deaths occurring elsewhere. “Deaths are still happening, we just don’t see them,” he said.
10.25am: First female Muslim senator slams Anning
Australia’s soon-to-be first female, Muslim senator says Fraser Anning has spat in the face of millions in his first speech to parliament.
The “hate and racism” in the former One Nation senator’s speech calling for cuts to Muslim immigration won’t stop Mehreen Faruqi, who will be sworn in next week, AAP reports.
“I’m a Muslim migrant, I’m about to be a senator and there’s not a damn thing Fraser Anning can do about it,” Ms Faruqi wrote in Junkee.
“I could stand on Bondi Beach, serving sausage sangers in an Akubra, draped in an Australian flag with a Southern Cross tattoo and, for some, I still wouldn’t be Australian enough.” Ms Faruqi came to Australia from Pakistan in 1992.
She will fill the casual vacancy in the Senate created by the departure of NSW Greens senator Lee Rhiannon who is retiring months before her term expires. As Senator Anning made his notorious remarks in the Senate on Tuesday, Ms Faruqi was giving a farewell speech in the NSW parliament.
She has served as a Greens MP in the NSW Legislative Council since 2013. Ms Faruqi described Senator Anning’s call for a plebiscite on Muslim immigration and use of the words ‘final solution’, a Nazi reference, as “cooked.” “It’s easy for him to stand there, in a historically conservative chamber full of white, privileged men and praise the White Australia policy while calling for a ban on Muslim migration,” she said.
“Come Monday, he’ll have to say it to my face.”
10.20am: Last-ditch marine parks push
Labor and the Greens are making a last-ditch bid to roll back laws changing protections for Australia’s coastal waters.
The changes redraw boundaries for marine parks covering 3.3 million square hectares, with the government arguing the new protections are better targeted to ensure conservation and help fishing businesses, AAP reports.
“We can decide whether we reward or reject a colossal, disgraceful attempt to reduce marine protections,” Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson told parliament today.
The Senate is debating a disallowance motion which would abolish the government’s changes to the regulation of 44 Australian marine parks. Under the changes, five million recreational fishers will get greater access to Australia’s marine parks.
9.50am: Drought relief measures tabled
Household support for farmers is more than social security, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has told parliament, introducing legislation to boost drought relief, AAP reports.
Lump sum payments up to $12,000 for eligible households would be paid under the proposal, which was announced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this month.
“They will not be placed in the situation of having to urgently sell assets to support themselves, potentially to the detriment of their future,” the minister said.
Greg Brown 9.20am: PM insists ministry unified
Malcolm Turnbull says no member of his ministry has threatened to quit as frontbencher Keith Pitt considers resigning to the backbench and opposing the national energy guarantee.
The Prime Minister played down The Australian’s revelation this morning that Mr Pitt was considering resigning and attempted to heap pressure on Bill Shorten to back the government’s energy policy.
“No member of my ministry has indicated to me that they are planning to or are wanting to resign,” Mr Turnbull said this morning. “I just want to stress that the key issue here is cheaper electricity, now we have started to turn the corner on electricity prices.
“The time has come for Bill Shorten to say he stands for lower electricity prices, because if he is not prepared to back the national energy guarantee he is going to be saying that he and Labor don’t just stand for higher taxes they also stand for higher energy prices.”
9.05am: Abbott gets Turnbull with a zinger
As reported in The Australian today, the much-anticipated Coalition partyroom meeting this week featured a bit of sparring between Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott amid debate over the NEG.
The exchange played as follows:
Things are going well.. #auspol pic.twitter.com/ExhqoGwnPQ
— Tom Minear (@tminear) August 15, 2018
Greg Brown 8.55am: 26pc emissions ‘not enough’
Opposition energy spokesman Mark Butler says Malcolm Turnbull is seeking to legislate a “2 per cent” emissions reduction target over the next decade under the national energy guarantee.
Mr Butler said Labor would fight to ensure any emissions reduction targets would be ambitious, believing the government’s 26 per cent target of 2005 levels by 2030 is not enough.
“We are going to take this as it comes and we are going to argue very strongly for our emissions reduction target,” Mr Butler told ABC radio.
“A 26 per cent target is actually, because it comes off of a 2005 baseline, is actually a 2 per cent target over the course of an entire decade.
“This was not some sort of victory over Tony Abbott for Malcolm Turnbull; this was an abject surrender by Malcolm Turnbull to the hard-right agenda in climate and energy policy.”
Remy Varga 8.45am: Major parties ‘leaking support’
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen says the major parties are haemorrhaging voters to minor parties because of inequality.
Mr Bowen said people across the globe were losing faith in the system.
“I think around the world, including in Australia, there has been, as you said, a fraying of the system of major parties.” he told 2GB. “People are attracted to more minor parties, largely because people are hurting.”
He said while Australia had prospered over the last three decades the benefits were not felt by everyone.
“In Australia we’ve had the 26 years of uninterrupted economic growth but it has not been equally shared between Sydney and Melbourne and the rest of Australia.”
Greg Brown 8.20am: Morrison working on NEG deal
Scott Morrison says the government is “engaging constructively” with Coalition MPs who are hostile to the national energy guarantee as he softened his criticisms of electricity price targets.
The Treasurer said his lashing of price targets yesterday referred to “1970s economic policy on price controls” rather than the notion of a target, which is being pushed by Coalition MPs including Tony Pasin and Barnaby Joyce.
“I don’t think they are suggesting that we go back to 1970s economic policy on price controls, that is what I was referring to yesterday, no one I don’t think is suggesting that sort of thing,” Mr Morrison said this morning.
“I mean for the last 20 years and more these have been important changes in our economy which have delivered great prosperity so I don’t think anybody wants to go back to that.
“What they think they are saying is what I think all members of the Coalition want to see is that the big energy companies don’t take customers for a ride.”
Mr Morrison said he was confident the government could ease the concerns of hostile MPs and get them to support the policy.
“The government is engaging constructively and positively with colleagues who have some reservations about a couple of issues and we will work those through, and those reservations work towards ensuring what the ACCC report recommends, that we make sure that big power companies don’t customers for a ride and don’t make prices higher than they need to be and I think there is a lot of wisdom in that,” he said.
Greg Brown 8.10am: Anning adviser quits over speech
A staffer of crossbench senator Fraser Anning has quit his office in protest of a controversial speech to the Senate where he praised the White Australia policy and referred to a “final solution”.
Richard McGilvray, a legal and legislative adviser to Senator Anning, posted on his LinkedIn account he resigned “effective immediately” after the speech.
“I do not condone Senator Anning’s speech. His reference to ‘the Final Solution’ was not something I had seen, heard of, or discussed prior to his remarks last night and as a consequence, within hours of Senator Anning’s speech, I resigned my position effective immediately,” Mr McGilvray wrote yesterday morning.
“I’d like to thank many of you for your messages of support and encouragement this morning.”
BREAKING Fraser Anning adviser resigns. Richard Mcgilvray says “I do not condone reference to ‘The Final Solution’†#auspol â¦@SkyNewsAustâ© pic.twitter.com/MsW0ZUnxUa
— Kieran Gilbert (@Kieran_Gilbert) August 15, 2018
Greg Brown 7.35am: Labor wants ‘ambition’ on emissions
Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke says Labor wants a national energy framework in place that would have a “proper level of ambition” to cut carbon emissions.
Mr Burke said Labor had not yet seen the government’s emissions reduction legislation that will be tabled in parliament next week but its support of the policy would be determined by its ability to cut emissions.
The national energy guarantee legislates an emissions reduction target of 26 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030, well below Labor’s policy of a 45 per cent reduction.
“The challenge that we have got is to make sure a lack of ambition is not permanently locked in, we haven’t seen the legislation, obviously you would expect we will end up moving amendments once we see it,” Mr Burke told Sky News.
“The key part that will be coming to the federal Parliament will be what the targets are on emissions reductions. Mark Butler has been making clear we are determined that Australia is not permanently locked in to targets that have almost no ambition attached to them.
“We haven’t seen the legislation yet that will be coming here but Mark Butler and Bill Shorten have been making clear that our way with dealing with that legislation will be trying to make sure that we can reflect the sort of targets that involve serious action on climate change.”
What’s making news:
• Federal government ministers are coming under pressure from colleagues to resign over the national energy guarantee in a counter-campaign by rebel backbenchers that risks further eroding Malcolm Turnbull’s authority as his attempts to win the support of wavering Coalition MPs appear to be failing.
• The Senate last night voted down a bill to give the Northern Territory and ACT the right to legalise voluntary euthanasia, handing Malcolm Turnbull a political reprieve and avoiding a damaging internal brawl.
• Australia would consider stepping up its diplomatic relations with North Korea if Pyongyang were to denuclearise, despite Malcolm Turnbull previously labelling the regime a “criminal operation”.
• Bill Shorten’s former union, the Australian Workers’ Union, has thrown its weight behind the national energy guarantee, telling Victoria to bargain hard but ultimately to back the agreement.
• A speechwriter criticised for Fraser Anning’s incendiary first speech to parliament is a former One Nation staffer said to be “fascinated with Nazi Germany”.
• Katter’s Australian Party senator Fraser Anning, who was elected on just 19 primary votes, was savaged almost universally by federal MPs yesterday over his first speech to parliament which referenced the Nazi-era “final solution”, called for an end to Muslim immigration and praised the White Australia policy.
• The CSIRO has raised the alarm over the creation of “layers and layers” of bureaucracy as a result of the government’s $443.3 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, amid the duplication of key scientific and administrative roles.
• James Jeffrey’s sketch: Anning barks but dag saves the day.
• Dennis Shanahan writes that the internal Coalition conflict over the national energy guarantee is developing dangerous leadership overtones.
More Coverage
Miners change tune on climate change
Peak mining industry body The Minerals Council of Australia has joined the fight on climate.
Labor to turn up heat on Taylor
Labor will use the final two weeks of parliament to heap pressure on Energy Minister Angus Taylor.