PoliticsNow: David Feeney might take battle to High Court
David Feeney says his renunciation documents have been lost but Matthias Cormann isn’t buying it, calling Bill Shorten ‘dishonest’.
- Abbott’s pious SSM ammendment
- Labor probe PM’s photo crop
- Turnbull’s foreign ban
- Hanson front row for Milo
Hello and welcome to PoliticsNow, The Australian’s live coverage of the happenings in Parliament House.
Conservative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has spoken to a small crowd at Parliament House on the invitation of crossbench senator David Leyonhjelm. Yesterday, there was violence in Melbourne as left- and right-wing groups clashed outside a venue where Yiannopoulos spoke.
Tony Abbott will move a “pious amendment” at the final stage of the same sex marriage bill to restate the need to protect religious freedom.
Rowan Callick 9.40pm: Carr blasts foreign interference legislation
Former foreign minister Bob Carr has lambasted implications from the new legislation “protecting Australia from foreign interference,” while proposing the ban on overseas donations to political parties should go even further.
He told The Australian from Shanghai that he is “proud to work for a think-tank (the Australia-China Relations Institute) funded by the University of Technology, Sydney.”
He said: “I don’t work for a foreign entity or a foreign government.”
On the other hand, he said, “there are think-tanks that express consistently pro-America positions and receive funding from US companies including armament makers” - referring to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Mr Carr, the director of ACRI, said: “I haven’t hesitated to criticise Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, and I say in my current role as I did when Foreign Minister that international law must apply, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
He said that he had praised the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiabo, who died in July in Chinese detention.
He asked: “How does the Turnbull government propose treating Tony Abbott’s former advisor Andrew Shearer, who is on the payroll of a US think-tank in Washington, and gives regular advice for Australia to adopt a pro-US policy position?”
In contrast, Mr Carr said, “my salary is paid for by an Australian university.”
He said that the proposal for the new legislation comprised “an attempt to create a distraction after the Liberals’ own fund-raising from a Chinese donor had been brought to light.”
While the legislation might be aimed at China, he said, “its implications extend all over the place.”
He asked: “How could you exclude the Australia-Israel Jewish Affairs Council,” which has funded about 700 visits by Australian MPs and journalists to Israel, “and is openly committed to aligning and shaping Australian foreign policy on Israel-Palestine?”
Mr Carr said: “I support the ban on foreign donations to political parties, and would go further.”
He said he would “ban donations to political parties even from Australian sources, where there is reasonable suspicion that they are being made to shape our country’s foreign policy.”
Rachel Baxendale 8.15pm: McCormack in the clear
Small Business Minister Michael McCormack has provided a letter from the Greek government, confirming that neither he nor his Greek-born grandfather is considered a Greek citizen.
Both of Mr McCormack’s parents were born in Australia.
Rachel Baxendale 8.05pm: Khalil safe and so too might Aly be
Victorian Labor MP Peter Khalil has submitted a letter he received from the Egyptian Embassy confirming that he is not an Egyptian citizen.
Mr Khalil’s letter prompts questions about why Professor Aly did not receive a similar letter, but also suggests that if Professor Aly did not apply to retain her Egyptian citizenship within a year of becoming an Australian citizen, she is unlikely to be a dual citizen.
Mr Khalil was born in Australia to Egyptian parents.
The letter, dated July 31 2017, makes reference to him making contact with the Embassy in April 2016 and emailing again on July 28 2017.
“We would like to re-confirm to you that according to our records your Egyptian parents became naturalised Australian citizens in 1971 and 1972,” the letter says.
“Under Egyptian law Egyptians who obtain foreign citizenship relinquish their Egyptian citizenship unless within a year of the date of acquiring foreign citizenship they apply with appropriate Egyptian officials to retain their Egyptian citizenship and hold dual citizenship.
“Your parents did not do so and thereby relinquished their Egyptian citizenship.
“Our records show as well that you have never applied for or received Egyptian citizenship under Egyptian law.”
Rachel Baxendale 7.55pm: Husar claims to have renounced Polish roots
Labor’s MP for the marginal Western Sydney seat of Linday, Emma Husar, has provided details of a letter she wrote to the Polish Consul-General in Sydney, but no evidence that she ever received a response.
She may have inherited citizenship through her Polish-born paternal grandparents.
The letter is dated May 24, 2016.
In the letter, Ms Husar says: “I would appreciate your earliest acknowledgement to my correspondence, and confirmation of renunciation of Polish nationality.”
Ms Husar has provided no documentation demonstrating she ever received such confirmation.
Rachel Baxendale 7.25pm: Aly might find herself in trouble
WA Labor MP Anne Aly has provided a letter from the Egyptian embassy dated July 31, 2017, confirming she applied to “relinquish her Egyptian nationality” on May 4, 2016.
The document says nothing about whether or not her request was approved, and the July 31 date was long after the July 2 election, casting doubt over her eligibility at the time of nomination.
Professor Aly was born in Egypt to Egyptian parents.
Rachel Baxendale 7.11pm: Zappia has house in order
South Australian Labor MP Tony Zappia has provided a letter from the Italian Consulate in Adelaide, dated July 2, 2004, confirming that he is “not an Italian citizen subsequent (to) the acquisition of the Australian citizenship through naturalization from 17th December 1958 onwards.”
Mr Zappia was born in Italy to Italian parents.
Greg Brown 7.05pm: Danby, Dreyfus site German law to say they are solely Aus citizens
Labor MP Michael Danby has provided no documentation proving he is not a German citizen.
Mr Danby said his German father arrived in Australian stateless having been stripped of his citizenship because he was a Jew. He did not provide any proof he was not German.
“My father (and his parents and brother) as Jews, were stripped of their German citizenship and civil rights by the German Nazi government and its Nuremburg Laws of 1935,” Mr Danby wrote in an update of his parliamentary interests.
“My father arrived in Australia as a stateless person in 1939.
My father, his brother and my paternal grandparents were further affected by (1941 German laws that) stripped Jews living in Germany of any remaining rights and stipulated that Jews living outside Germany were no longer German citizens.
“I have not acquired German citizenship from my father. Nor have I applied for it or any other citizenship.”
Labor legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus is in a similar position to Mr Danby but he explained that Germans stripped of their citizenship needed to reapply for it.
“Under a 1952 German law, former German citizens stripped of citizenship by the Nazi regime on racial grounds, and their descendants, have a right to apply for German citizenship if they elect to do so and undertake the requisite application process,” he said.
“Citizenship is not automatically conferred under this law.”
Rachel Baxendale 6.53pm: Labor gunning for Vasta
Labor sources have suggested that Queensland LNP MP Ross Vasta has questions to answer as he has not “provided proof” of renunciation of Italian citizenship.
In fact Mr Vasta has provided a copy of a letter from the Italian Consulate in Brisbane, stating that he renounced Italian citizenship on March 15, 2001.
Both of Mr Vasta’s parents were born in Australia but all four of his grandparents were born in Italy.
Rosie Lewis 6.25pm: Cormann savages Shorten over Feeney
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has accused Bill Shorten of being a “dishonest, sanctimonious hypocrite” over the citizenship crisis after Labor MP David Feeney revealed he may not have renounced British citizenship and will likely be referred to the High Court.
“Clearly nobody picked up the fact that for years now David Feeney didn’t do his paperwork properly and you can’t tell me that Bill Shorten only found out tonight that that was the case. You’ve got to assume that Bill Shorten has known for some time that David Feeney had this problem and really it just completely exposes his dishonesty and his hypocrisy when it comes to this issue,” Senator Cormann told Sky News.
Rosie Lewis 6.20pm: Labor back Feeney’s High Court solution
On the defensive, Labor sources have told The Australian David Feeney has “set the test” and if members can’t produce documents to support their citizenship claims they must go to the High Court.
On Labor’s hit list is Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg (Hungarian/Polish heritage), Jason Falinski (Polish heritage), Ross Vasta (Italian heritage) and Nola Marino (Italian, Swedish and US heritage, plus former Italian husband) because they have not provided documentary evidence to back up their claims.
The opposition says it is also not convinced about those with Greek heritage who have letters from the Greek embassy saying they are not citizens.
Rachel Baxendale 6.10pm: Georganas steadfastly requests to rescind Greek citizenship
South Australian Labor MP Steve Georganas has failed to provide any documentation of official renunciation of Greek citizenship, instead revealing that he has written to the Greek Consul-General every election year since 2004 requesting confirmation of renunciation.
Mr Georganas says on his citizenship form that he submitted a declaration of renunciation to the Greek Consul-General in Adelaide in 2004 and has reaffirmed the renunciation every year since, but has failed to provide any documentation other than a letter he wrote in 2016.
In the letter, dated May 3 2016, Mr Georganas writes:
“It is my intention to take whatever steps are necessary to comply with Section 44 of the Australian Constitution.
“Accordingly, I hereby declare that I voluntarily and willingly surrender and renounce all allegiance, obedience or adherence to Greece, and renounce Greek citizenship and all rights and privileges attached thereto, with immediate effect.
“I request that you forward this declaration of renunciation of Greek citizenship to the Minister for the Interior and Administrative Reconstruction, and ask further that the Minister approve the discharge of Greek nationality.
“I attach proof of my Australian citizenship, including a copy of my Australian passport and birth certificate.
“I would appreciate your earliest acknowledgement to my correspondence, and confirmation of discharge of Greek nationality.”
Mr Georganas has provided no evidence that he ever received such confirmation.
Mr Georganas’s situation contrasts with that of Liberal frontbencher Arthur Sinodinos, who yesterday provided a letter from the Greek government confirming he is not a Greek citizen.
Like Mr Georganas, Mr Sinodinos was born in Australia to Greek parents.
Greg Brown 6.05pm: Falinski says he’s Australian to the core
Liberal MP Jason Falinski has not provided documentation proving he rescinded an entitlement to Polish citizenship.
Mr Falinski’s mother was born in Britain and his father born in the former USSR. He has been linked to Polish citizenship but he says his father was actually born in the region now called Kyrgyzstan.
The Member for Mackellar said he had legal advice he was solely an Australian citizen but did not provide any documentation.
Rachel Baxendale 5.51pm: Frydenberg: I’ve not acquired Hungarian or Polish citizenship
Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg’s citizenship form reveals he has sought and received legal advice from Hungarian, Polish and Australian citizenship law experts to assure himself he has not acquired dual citizenship through his parents or grandparents.
Mr Frydenberg has not provided documentation of the legal advice with his citizenship form but has previously made ancestry documents public.
Mr Frydenberg’s mother was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1943.
His Australian-born father’s parents were both born in Poland.
His mother and her family were considered stateless when they arrived in Australia in 1950, having fled the Holocaust.
Under a Hungarian citizenship law designed to address the stateless status of Jews, who were murdered in their tens of thousands and driven out of Hungary during World War II, anyone born in Hungary between 1941 and 1945 is automatically considered a citizen.
Section 3(1) of the Hungarian citizenship act states: “The child of a Hungarian citizen shall become a Hungarian citizen by birth.”
When The Australian contacted Mr Frydenberg last month regarding his potential to hold Hungarian citizenship, he said he had never applied for it and did not believe it could have been conferred without his co-operation.
“As someone who was born in Australia with Hungarian ancestors who arrived in Australia after the Holocaust, I would be required to initiate and undertake a lengthy and formal application and interview procedure in order to be considered a Hungarian citizen,” Mr Frydenberg said at the time.
“Neither I nor anyone on my behalf has ever made such an application or engaged in such a procedure.”
Like Mr Frydenberg’s mother and her family, former LNP MP Alex Somlyay was stateless when he came to Australia from Hungary as a child with his Jewish parents.
Mr Somlyay revealed this year that he wrote to the Hungarian embassy midway through his 23-year parliamentary career, to relinquish any citizenship rights out of concern that he could fall foul of Section 44.
Rachel Baxendale 5.43pm: Shorten renounced British citizenship in 2010
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten officially renounced his British citizenship just three days before nominations closed for the 2010 election.
Mr Shorten’s letter from the British Home Office shows the UK registered his renunciation on July 26. Nominations closed on July 29.
Mr Shorten inherited British citizenship from his UK-born father.
Greg Brown 5.39pm: David Feeney unsure of his fate
Labor MP David Feeney will ask to be referred to the High Court as British authorities have told him they cannot proof he rescinded his foreign citizenship.
In a statement to parliament, Mr Feeney said the British Home Office had told him they could not find his renunciation forms, which he said he sent before he entered parliament in 2007.
His father was born in Northern Ireland.
“I remain hopeful that continuing searches of UK records and archives will clarify this matter in my favour,” he said.
“Nonetheless I accept that at this moment my status as a citizen in UK law remains unclear. On this basis if the relevant documents are not dealt with by the time this issue is dealt with in the House of Representatives I will be asking the Manager of Opposition Business to refer this matter to the High Court.”
His statement came after Mr Feeney revealed in an update to the register of members’ interests he was yet to receive confirmation he has rescinded his British citizenship.
Mr Feeney wrote“as far as I am aware” British authorities received documents in 2007 where he sought to rescind his foreign citizenship.
Mr Feeney wrote he had not received confirmation he was eligible to sit in parliament.
“Further inquiries are being made of the Birtish Home Office to confirm the receipt of my renunciation,” he wrote.
Mr Feeney represents the inner Melbourne seat of Batman which is vulnerable to a challenge from the Greens.
Rosie Lewis 5.37pm: Susan Lamb could be in trouble over British citizenship
The Registrar of Members’ Interests has published lower house MPs’ citizenship disclosure statements earlier than anticipated. The deadline to get paperwork in was 9am today, so it’s a quick turn around.
One of the Labor members in the government’s sights is Susan Lamb, who acknowledges on her form she “may have acquired British citizenship” by descent of her father.
Her disclosure will do little to convince the government she is not in trouble as she officially acknowledges her renunciation request was not able to be completed.
Ms Lamb began the process to renounce her British citizenship on May 25, ahead of nominations closing on June 9, but the UK Home Office informed her in August it could not complete her request.
“We contacted you on 7 July 2016 (after the July 2 election) requesting additional documents in support of your declaration of renunciation of British citizenship status,” a letter from the UK government states.
“We have received your reply to our request but we cannot be satisfied from the documents available that you hold British citizenship.”
Ms Lamb has sought legal advice from Adrian Berry, the same lawyer and British citizenship expert who advised Labor senator Katy Gallagher.
“According to advice obtained from Mr Adrian Berry of the English Bar on 4 December 2017, upon completing the information required in Form RN and dispatching Form RN on 25 May 2016 I had satisfied all legal requirements for renouncing British citizenship according to British law,” Ms Lamb says in her disclosure statement.
“I am satisfied that I took all reasonable steps to renounce any claim to British citizenship prior to nominating for the 2016 federal election.”
Citizenship documents for Labor’s Justine Keay confirm she did not cease being British until July 11, a month after nominations closed. Like Ms Lamb, she argues she “took all necessary steps to renounce British citizenship” before nominating for the House of Representatives.
After weeks of refusing to confirm when his British renunciation took effect, the citizenship register has confirmed Labor’s Josh Wilson did not cease being a UK national until June 29. This puts him in the same camp as Ms Lamb, Ms Keay, Nick Xenophon Team MP Rebekha Sharkie and Labor’s Senator Gallagher.
In fact, British renunciations for Ms Sharkie and Mr Wilson came into effect on the same day.
A Liberal MP who had been in doubt, Julia Banks, has provided a letter from the Greek embassy that says: “According to the Greek Nationality Code, a Greek citizen is a person who is duly registered in the Record of Municipality of the Hellenic Republic … Per the records of the Municipality of Keratsini – Drapetsona, Prefecture of Attica, Mrs Julia Banks … is not a registered member.”
Liberal MP Alex Hawke, who faced questions over his Greek heritage, also has a letter from the Greek embassy saying there is “no such registration of HAWKE Alexander George (son) of Richard and Evangelia, born in 1977 in Australia, in either the Municipal or Male Registries appeared”.
Greg Brown 5.22pm: Abbott wasn’t an Aussie citizen till 23
Tony Abbott did not become an Australian citizen until he was 23.
The former prime minister was British at birth, having been born in London in 1957, but did not become an Aussie until 1981, according to documents tabled on parliamentary registrar of members’ interests.
He rescinded his British citizenship before he entered parliament in 1993.
Greg Brown 4.37pm: ‘My son tried so hard to conquer his demons’
Labor MP Linda Burney has delivered an emotional speech on the same-sex marriage bill, dedicating it to her late son who died in October.
The Member for Barton, a former deputy Labor leader in NSW, fought back tears as she honoured her son Binni, who was gay.
“I support marriage equality as someone who has, and has had, loved ones who identify as LGBTIQ,” Ms Burney said.
“To them, marriage equality would mean so much. I honour these people and, in particular, my late son, Binni.”
Binni Kirkbright-Burney was found dead in the family’s Sydney home on October 24, aged 33. His death was not treated as suspicious.
Ms Burney released a statement the following day saying he “tried so hard to conquer his demons”.
“I don’t know what life will be like without him,” she said in October.
Speaking after her speech this afternoon, Ms Burney said her son was upset by the same-sex marriage survey.
“He was upset by the survey that is for sure and in fact he didn’t get his survey and then rang up and made sure he did,” Ms Burney told Sky News.
“I felt compelled, not just because I have had family members who are gay but because I believe in fairness, I believe in equality.”
Rosie Lewis 3.48pm: Greens back Gallagher referral
The Greens have vowed to support the referral of Labor senator Katy Gallagher on condition the opposition is in turn able to send any government MPs with “legitimate questions” to the High Court.
It is unclear whether the government has the numbers in the Senate to refer Senator Gallagher, whose citizenship documents released yesterday revealed she was a British national for two months after nominations for the 2016 election closed.
Labor frontbenchers are defending their colleague and declaring she is in the clear because she took “all reasonable steps” to renounce, as the government ramps up pressure on the opposition to refer her.
If Labor refuses to do so, the government will have to win over 10 votes to make the referral, placing the Greens in a potentially key position.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale said the referral process must operate in a non-partisan way.
“If the Labor Party wants to refer Liberal MPs because there are legitimate questions hanging over their head, then we need to do that. Obviously we’ll know once the information is disclosed in the House of Reps (tomorrow or on Thursday) as to whether there are continuing question marks around members of the government as well as the opposition,” he said.
“Providing we’ve got surety that all of those referrals will be supported then we’ll certainly support referral of Katy Gallagher.
“We think it’s important that where there are questions hanging over MPs, that they be resolved. We need to make sure the process that’s used is a fair one and it’s not used as a partisan exercise by one side of politics.”
Greg Brown 3.20pm: So ends QT
With that QT ends. Labor tried to make it all about the NBN while the government was all about Labor senator Sam Dastyari.
Greg Brown 3.18pm: PM goes to the source
Malcolm Turnbull has accused Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese of giving an unsourced quote to Fairfax Media which suggested Sam Dastyari should leave parliament.
“The Member for Grayndler was more convincing when when he was talking to James Massola and Nick McKenzie,” Turnbull says.
Albanese rose to lodge a point of order on the relevance of the statement to his question, which was about the NBN.
“Do you want to disavow it?” Turnbull yells at Albanese.
Greg Brown 3.10pm: NBN complaints roll on
Labor’s Michelle Rowland asks if Malcolm Turnbull knows how many people have complained about the NBN.
Turnbull says about 20 per cent of the NBN’s 350,000 customers were not satisfied.
“So they put the rollout on hold so the technical issues can be addressed,”he says.
He says the project will be delayed by six months.
Greg Brown 3.00pm: Husic and Hammond ejected
Labor’s Ed Husic and Tim Hammond - who are seated next to each other - are booted from parliament for heckling Liberal MP Jason Falinski.
Falinski goes on to ask his Dixer about energy, leading Energy Minister Josh Frydneberg lash Kristina Keneally’s power policies when she was NSW premier.
“When she was a power broker in New South Wales Labor, energy prices went up by 60 per cent,” Frydenberg says.
“So if you want higher energy prices, support Kristina Keneally. But if you want a more stable system, more affordable power, get behind John Alexander and vote Liberal in Bennelong.”
Greg Brown 2.47pm: Plibersek no fun, says PM
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek uses Liberal senators Jane Hume’s words to try and embarrass the government.
Ms Hume this morning criticised the fuss over right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, saying: “Young man, swaggers into Canberra, attention seeking, saying outrageous things and appeasing the far right and getting some media coverage. Sounds like the Coalition party room.”
Turnbull says Hume was merely showing her sense of humour.
“I can see why the honourable member was taken by those remarks because they demonstrated something she obviously lacks, which is a sense of humour,” he says
Greg Brown 2.45pm: Burke oversaw ‘thousands’ of deaths: Dutton
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton accuses Labor’s Tony Burke of presiding over “thousands” of deaths when he was overseeing Australia’s borders.
Mr Dutton did not take kindly to an interjection from from Burke when he was selling the government’s border policies.
“He was an immigration minister when thousands of people arrived and people drowned at sea, I won’t be taking a lecture from you, sunshine,” he says.
Greg Brown 2.39pm: Treasurer attacks Keneally’s credentials
Scott Morrison uses a Dixer to savage Kristina Keneally’s economic record when she was premier of NSW.
The Treasurer also accused senator Sam Dastyari of being “between the sheets” with China.
“The Leader of the Opposition thinks one of the architects of economic vandalism in NSW, Kristina Keneally, should join the Labor Party ranks here in Canberra as the member for Bennelong,” he says.
“It’s bad enough the Leader of the Opposition’s first draft pick in the Senate for NSW is Senator Dastyari, who remains his first draft pick for the Senate for NSW, bad enough someone like that who has been caught cheating on his country, metaphorically between the sheets.”
Greg Brown 2.30pm: Labor seek to take heat of Dastyari
Labor’s Mark Dreyfus reads a quote of praise from former trade minister Andrew Robb about Huang Xiangmo.
Malcolm Turnbull says Mr Robb - who controversially took a job with a Chinese billionaire immediately after he left parliament - “always put Australia first”.
“There is a big difference between Andrew Robb and Senator Dastyari is that Andrew Robb always put Australia first. Senator Dastyari sold Australia out,” he says.
He says Labor’s proposal for a ban on foreign political donations was “completely inadequate” and the government’s reforms, announced today, were more comprehensive.
“It basically only prohibited donations from foreign bank accounts. So you can drive a truck through it,” Turnbull says.
“The legislation that Senator Cormann will introduce in the Senate this week is far more comprehensive as we have described.”
Greg Brown 2.22pm: Labor probe PM’s photo crop
Labor’s Tony Burke uses a prop to question Malcom Turnbull about cropping himself out of a photo his media team distributed yesterday showing Bill Shorten with controversial Chinese donor Huang Xiangmo.
Burke showed the full photo which also had both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader with Mr Huang.
Mr Turnbull said “half of Sydney was there” and claimed he was never critical Mr Shorten was at the function for Chinese New Years.
“Senator Dastyari sold out Australia and you know the Labor Party have made themselves the subject of contempt everywhere and nowhere more so than in China,” Turnbull says.
“Can you imagine that how the Chinese government would look at this alternative prime minister? They’d say, ‘This guy was prepared to allow one of his frontbench to switch on a matter of national security in return for $1600’.
“Senator Dastyari’s integrity and the Labor Party’s foreign policy was pretty cheap, it was pretty easy to acquire.”
You have literally cropped PM🎩 out of this photo you dumbos #auspol #qt pic.twitter.com/5t7dqIsCFN
— Shorten_Suite 🌈 (@Shorten_Suite) December 4, 2017
Greg Brown 2.11pm: Turnbull challenges Shorten’s character
Malcolm Turnbull uses a Dixer on his proposed espionage reforms to savage Bill Shorten for not asking Labor senator Sam Dastyari to leave parliament.
“This is a test of the character of the Leader of the Opposition. Does he stand for Australia? Does he stand up for our national security? Well, if he does, then he knows Dastyari has to go,” Turnbull says.
Greg Brown 2.10pm: Question Time begins
Bill Shorten opens question time asking if Malcolm Turnbull will support Labor’s policy of legislating for 10 days leave a year for domestic violence.
The Prime Minister says the Fair Work Commission rejected a similar proposal from the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
“Australian men must think about what they can do to advance equality and call out violence whenever they see it,” Turnbull says.
“In our roles as fathers, sons, brothers, colleagues, mates and leaders, all of us are capable of saying that behaviour, that language is not okay.”
He ridicules Shorten for sticking by the CFMEU despite reports its members were threatening violence.
“I want to remind the honourable member, the Leader of the Opposition, that he recently made a very deliberate decision to visit the CFMEU picket line at the Oaky Creek mine where the union has been running an outrageous campaign of vile abuse,” he says.
David Crowe 2.04pm: Abbott’s ‘pious amendment’ to SSM bill
Tony Abbott will move a “pious amendment” at the final stage of the same sex marriage bill to restate the need to protect religious freedom, telling his Coalition colleagues of his intentions but drawing an instant rejection from colleague Christopher Pyne. Mr Abbott outlined his plans toward the end of Tuesday’s regular meeting of all Coalition MPs, saying he intended to move the amendment when the same sex marriage bill was put to its final vote, known as the third reading stage.
Another supporter of traditional marriage, Victorian MP and former defence minister Kevin Andrews, also told the meeting he would co-sponsor the amendment. Neither asked the Coalition party room to endorse the amendment, which is yet to be publicly revealed.
Mr Turnbull warned in response that the move must not derail the bill at the final stage of the vote. Mr Pyne, the leader of the House of Representatives and an advocate for same sex marriage, spoke out against Mr Abbott’s plan. Mr Pyne argued that if the amendment was successful, it would “negate the bill” and force a recommittal of the reform. Two other MPs also spoke against Mr Abbott’s plan.
While the level of support for Mr Abbott’s amendment is difficult to gauge at this stage, it appears unlikely to have enough support within the Liberals and Nationals to succeed. It appears destined to fail and will not delay the same sex marriage bill, but will assert a key principle among those who oppose marriage equality.
Greg Brown 1.51pm: Turnbull proposes ban on foreign donations
GetUp! and other activist campaigning groups will be banned from taking foreign donations under reforms proposed by the Turnbull government.
Malcolm Turnbull unveiled a legislative package aimed at preventing foreign influence on the Australian political system, which includes tougher laws for engaging in foreign espionage or seeking to covertly influence our political system on behalf of a foreign entity.
The Prime Minister will also push to establish a “foreign influence transparency scheme” requiring the public registration from a person or company that is trying to influence Australian politics on behalf of a foreigner.
Under the reforms, a former cabinet minister would be forced to register if they work for a foreign entity when they leave politics.
“If you fail to disclose your ties, then you will be liable for a criminal offence,” Mr Turnbull said.
“This will give the Australian public and decision maker’s proper visibility when foreign states or individuals may be seeking to influence our political processes and public debates.
“As a set of reforms any one would be significant, but together this will be the most significant overhaul of our espionage, counter intelligence, political donation legislative framework in decades.”
The government will introduce the legislation into the parliament through three separate bills.
Special Minister of State Mathias Cormann said any group that was engaged in political campaigning would be banned from taking foreign donations, including GetUp!.
“GetUp! is a political campaigning organisation. In the year leading up to the 2016 election, they spent more than $10 million on political expenditure,” Senator Cormann said.
“I’m not aware of an organisation, third party organisation or political campaigning organisation, other than a political party, that spent more than GetUp! on political expenditure.
“Now, to ensure that there is no inappropriate foreign interference in our democratic system, we are banning all foreign donations. Not just for political parties, but also for candidates, Senate groups, and for political campaigning organisations.”
Linking the proposals to Labor senator Sam Dastyari’s China woes, Mr Turnbull accused Bill Shorten of “shameful” abandoning Australia’s national interests by refusing to tell Senator Dastyari to leave parliament.
“He is backing him every inch of the way, you know why? Because his job depends on Sam Dastyari. But I tell you what Bill Shorten is doing is abandoning Australia’s interest,” Mr Turnbull said.
“Australian prime ministers and anybody who wants to be an Australian prime minister should stand up for Australia, Bill Shorten has failed to stand up for our nation.”
He added foreign powers were taking “unprecedented steps” to influence Australian politics.
“We should not be naive about this. Foreign powers are making unprecedented and increasingly sophisticated attempts to influence the political process, both here and abroad,” he said.
Rosie Lewis 1.40pm: Greens staffers heckle Milo
Milo Yiannopoulos was met by a mini-protest of two Greens staffers calling him a “racist” and “sexist” as he arrived at a private dining room inside Parliament House.
The duo, who work for Greens senator Lee Rhiannon, took issue with comments he made in a speech last night in which he reportedly mocked Aboriginal welcome to country ceremonies and indigenous art.
“You’re a disgrace, shame on you, you should not be welcome here, disgusting, racist and sexist. Shame on you,” one of the staffers, who only wanted to be identified as Brigitte, said.
“We saw a portion of Milo’s speech last night where it really denigrated 50,000 years of Aboriginal history. We think Aboriginal Australians have a proud history in this country, he said they were backwards basically. That is not true,”the other staffer, who only wanted to be identified as Bjorn, said.
“We were here to take a stand on behalf of all of them and say that people like Milo aren’t welcome here. Free speech is welcome but you don’t abuse and you don’t denigrate tens of thousands of years of culture.”
The staffers said they were there in a personal capacity and not representing the Greens.
Rosie Lewis 1.08pm: Milo’s ‘warning from America’
Controversial commentator Milo Yiannopoulos says he is in Australia to deliver a “sort of warning from America”, as he called on a small number of conservative politicians to “start fighting” against the left.
The event, hosted by Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm, was attended by Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party, including former Queensland senator Malcolm Roberts, as well as Nationals MP George Christensen and Liberal MP Craig Kelly.
Senator Leyonhjelm acknowledged Mr Yiannopoulos, wearing sunglasses and apparently Gucci, was largely speaking to “friends” in the room as the “alt-right” figure spoke against identity politics, feminism, Muslims, the Left, universities and the establishment.
He also criticised violent protests outside his event in Melbourne last night that saw “offensive behaviour” from both left and right demonstrators.
“I came to Australia as a sort of warning from America, I came to Australia to try to implore you not to go down the path America’s just gone down,” Mr Yiannopoulos said in one of parliament’s private dining rooms.
“Last night in Melbourne I think the Left showed us who they are, they demonstrated us that those wars are already here. The problem is conservatives and libertarians don’t realise it and haven’t started fighting yet. You need to start fighting, and you need to start fighting fire with fire.
“You need to reject identity politics and you need to reject political correctness if you want to save your country and save western civilisation, you need to reject all of the tenets that the progressive left is attempting to establish in culture, and that includes from journalists, from the academy, from the entertainment industry, they’re all complicit in this.
“While they are in the minority, they don’t reflect the views of the public, they’re drifting ever further from the language and concerns of ordinary Australians, ordinary people all over the west. Don’t side with them, side with us, side with your voters, side with ordinary people because we don’t believe the stuff the ABC puts out, we don’t believe what we see on our televisions, we don’t believe what university professors are telling us and politicians who side with the establishment police, and the language policing and political correcting, in other words organised enforced lying in public life, are going to be abandoned from their voters.”
Rachel Baxendale 1.02pm: Greens’ plan for QT
Greens Senator Nick McKim is planning to ask the Turnbull government about claims Immigration Minister Peter Dutton plans to close the regional processing centre on Nauru in a similar manner to the closure of the facility on Manus Island during Senate Question Time this afternoon.
However, Mr Dutton’s office says there is no truth to the claim.
“The Minister has consistently said that the government would keep Nauru open for as long as needed,” a spokeswoman form Mr Dutton said.
In April Mr Dutton said there was an “enduring need for Nauru, because the threat from people smugglers will never go away”.
The regional processing centre on Manus Island closed on October 31 and asylum seekers have since been provided with accommodation in the Manus community as per an agreement between the PNG government and Australia.
No such arrangement has been made with Nauru.
12.55pm: Hanson in front row for Milo
Although the number of politicians gathered to listen to Milo Yiannopoulos speak wasn’t large, it was telling. Pauline Hanson, in the front row, was one of the few women present. With her at the front were George Christensen, Malcolm Roberts, James Ashby, Brian Burston and Fraser Anning.
Rachel Baxendale 11.45am: Greens discuss early election
The Greens have discussed preparations for an early election in their party room, ahead of the pending publication of MPs citizenship documents.
The Australian understands the party hasn’t ruled out the possibility that government MPs may be referred to the High Court tomorrow, prompting an early election, and was preparing for all contingencies.
The Greens say they have been planning for the last couple of weeks for the possible resignation of government MPs, which could result in government changing on the floor of the House, a hung parliament, and/or an early election, depending on what dual citizenship problems emerge over the next 24-48 hours.
11.35am: Milo speaks to MPs
Milo has been speaking to MPs in the private dining room at Parliament House. We’ll bring you a report shortly. In the meantime, you can watch some of what he says here.
Yiannopoulos: It's very difficult to find normal women who describe themselves as feminists. MORE: https://t.co/VpnftKicSs pic.twitter.com/Nsgq6hkEW4
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) December 5, 2017
— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) December 5, 2017
Greg Brown 10.50pm: PM ‘stomach churning’ over SSM reform
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek says it was “stomach turning” for Malcolm Turnbull to take credit for legalising same-sex marriage.
Ms Plibersek said “it was a great feeling” when the Yes vote prevailed in the same-sex marriage postal survey but strongly rejected the Prime Minister’s argument the plebiscite process was worthwhile.
“I can’t tell you a single person, gay and lesbian friend of mine, who said oh well now that I think about it it’s all been worth it,” Ms Plibersek said.
“I had teenagers actually crying in my arms, strangers crying in my arms, because they had come out and the understated way they were saying these things like ‘my mum and dad aren’t very supportive’ or ‘my school friends aren’t very supportive’.
“I’ve heard Malcolm Turnbull in recent days taking credit for the glorious win, it actually is a bit stomach-turning given the cost of this in human terms, in dollar terms as well. It was the wrong decision the whole way through.”
Greg Brown 10.35am: ‘What’s the fuss about Milo?’
Liberal senator Jane Hume has slammed the fuss around the right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, comparing his “attention seeking” antics with conservatives of the Coalition party room.
In a slapdown of conservatives in her own ranks, Senator Hume said she could not understand why people cared about what Yiannopoulos had to say.
“I can’t understand what all the fuss is with Milo, if someone is an attention seeker you simply ignore them, you turn the volume down,” Senator Hume said.
“Young man, swaggers into Canberra, attention seeking, saying outrageous things and appeasing the far right and getting some media coverage. Sounds like the Coalition party room.”
Greg Brown 10.20am: ‘We’ll sit down with government over citizenship’
Bill Shorten says Labor will “sit down with the government” and try to deal with MPs who have questions surrounding their citizenship.
The Opposition Leader said Labor would try to negotiate with the government on dealing with questionable MPs but he declared there was no problem with senator Katy Gallagher’s citizenship.
“The difference between Katy Gallagher and Barnaby Joyce is the difference between night and day. The law’s very clear. If you are a dual citizen you have got to demonstrate that you take all reasonable steps to renounce the citizenship of another country,” Mr Shorten said.
“But let me also make this very clear: we are prepared, once all the disclosures are in, not just in the Senate but the House of Representatives, we will sit down with the government and the crossbench and hopefully in a bipartisan way work our way forward once the disclosures are in.
“When we have all the facts on the table from both sides then we will work through this in a bipartisan fashion.”
Rhian Deutrom 10.15am: Jones bonds with Milo
Milo Yiannopoulos may have found his number one Australian fan in Alan Jones this morning, following a bizarre 14-minute interview in which the pair espoused the values of far-right conservatism and descended into random fits of giggles.
Read the article in full here.
Greg Brown 9.50am: ‘Don’t suffer in silence’
Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten spoke at the White Ribbon parliamentary breakfast in Canberra this morning.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to all women who had been victims of domestic violence.
“To those who have had the courage to speak out, whether for themselves or on behalf of others, we thank you for your strength and especially the many people who are represented here today,” Mr Turnbull said.
“To those who can’t speak up and who suffer in silence, please know that you are not alone. The nation stands with you. And to those who are tragically no longer with us to tell their story, your story has added irresistible weight to a force that has broken through the silence, that has hidden domestic violence for too long.”
The Opposition Leader talked up Labor’s announcement it would legislate for 10 days domestic violence leave per year.
“We recognise that if you’re trying to extricate yourself from a violent relationship, that is your whole world. Please, I ask, let’s not have a long debate about the economic costs, how this proposal will lead it to a lot of phantom claims,” Mr Shorten said.
“I’ve never met a victim of domestic violence who goes through the process of domestic violence and family violence just to get the leave.”
Greg Brown 9.30am: ‘Idiots’ don’t like Milo
Crossbench senator David Leyonhjelm says a lot of people who don’t like right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos are “idiots” and he wouldn’t be surprised if they “engaged in something stupid” ahead of his address in parliament this morning.
The Liberal Democrat, who invited Yiannopoulos to address parliamentarians in Canberra, said he hopes security is able to ward off any danger after violent protests in Melbourne yesterday.
“He is able to outrage people a lot of people who are silly: Greens, lefties in general,” Senator Leyonhjelm.
“Some of the people that don’t like him are idiots, and violent idiots, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they engaged in something stupid but hopefully security people in parliament have prepared for it.”
Greg Brown 8.55am: Ciobo ‘satisfied’ over religious protections
Trade Minister Steven Ciobo says he is “pretty satisfied” the Dean Smith bill has adequate religious protections but he will review proposed amendments anyway.
Mr Ciobo said he had a strong belief in religious protections and that the Smith bill was probably adequate.
“I have said all along that I do believe there needs to be protections for religious freedoms ...I think that a lot of that is satisfied in the Dean Smith bill but I am going to exercise my due diligence which I would encourage every member of the lower house to do,” Mr Ciobo said.
“I am going to vote in support of same-sex marriage, what I am going to look at though is whether or not the Smith safeguards are adequate.
“I’m pretty satisfied that they are, I’m just going to do the right thing and have a close look at all of the amendments that are put forward and I will make an informed decision about all of those amendments as they come to light.”
Greg Brown 8.30am: Gallagher ‘took all reasonable steps’
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek says senator Katy Gallagher has no problem with her eligibility to sit in parliament because she took “all reasonable steps” to renounce her British citizenship before the last election.
Ms Plibersek said Senator Gallagher’s circumstances was nothing like the predicament of government MPs who were thrown out of parliament because the ACT senator attempted to renounce her dual citizenship before she was nominated as a candidate in 2016.
Documents tabled in the parliament yesterday showed Senator Gallagher was a British citizen until August 2016, despite entering the upper house via a casual vacancy in March 2015.
“Katy Gallagher took all reasonable steps to renounce her citizenship before she nominated, that is the point here, when you look at Fiona Nash, Barnaby Joyce all of these others that have been referred by the government, the point is they took no steps to renounce their dual citizenship,” Ms Plibersek told ABC radio.
“Katy, because she has taken all reasonable steps, is fine.”
Ms Plibersek rejected claims the last High Court decision on citizenship made the eligibility of Senator Gallagher less certain.
“The last High Court decision doesn’t change anything we still have the test that if a person has taken all reasonable steps to renounce their citizenship then that is what the High Court requires,” she said.
“The government is trying to portray the last High Court decision as somehow stricter, what the government argued last time they went to the High Court is that ignorance should be a defence.
“Of course the High Court didn’t agree with that, they said ignorance is no defence but taking all reasonable steps is the test that was established and that is the test that remains.”
Ms Plibersek said it would create a “very bad precedent” if the government referred Senator Gallagher to the High Court.
“The Attorney-General himself said that the majority referring the minority for hostile political purposes should never happen,” she said.
“I hope that the Prime Minister listens to the Attorney-General and understands that simply using your numbers in the House of Representatives to refer people who do not breach the rules of the constitution is another step along this path where the Prime Minister is prepared to cancel democracy.”
In news today
Labor’s vaunted citizenship vetting process was under attack last night as Bill Shorten resisted moves to refer senior frontbencher Katy Gallagher to the High Court despite her admission to contesting last year’s election as a dual British citizen.
Scott Morrison has launched an assault on Labor, arguing that religious safeguards must be included in a bill to legalise same-sex marriage and supported by Opposition MPs from No-voting electorates in Western Sydney.
Malcolm Turnbull has been forced to shelve wide-reaching reforms to tackle hidden payments in the union-controlled, $2.3 trillion industry super funds after Senate crossbenchers pulled their support yesterday.
Bill Shorten will today promise to legislate for 10 days of paid domestic violence leave if Labor wins the next federal election, doubling the pledge he made before the previous poll.
Bill Shorten was issued a veiled warning from Beijing that Labor’s support in the Chinese community could be influenced if the party did not support an extradition treaty promoted by the communist government.
Cabinet minister Steve Ciobo and LNP backbencher Warren Entsch were forced to apologise yesterday after their absence on the floor of parliament triggered an embarrassing loss for Malcolm Turnbull.
Victorian Liberal MP Tim Wilson and Ryan Bolger exchanged gold rings eight years ago, pledging to marry if and when it became legal for them to do so.
The Liberal Party is backing the abolition of a key Nationals seat in Victoria, sparking deep tensions in the Coalition over the next federal redistribution.
James Jeffrey writes about Liberal MP Tim Wilson’s proposal and the government’s attack on Labor’s links with Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo.
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.