‘Zombie’ blockade to stymie Turnbull’s agenda

Malcolm Turnbull hits a new brick wall in the Senate as parliament returns today.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Malcolm Turnbull faces the threat of a new round of “zombie measures” in the Senate, with at least $12 billion in key revenue and savings policies in doubt.

The government will ramp up efforts to drive through its agenda as parliament resumes today, with concerns over several of its top legislative priorities, including changes to citizenship laws and welfare reforms.

Analysis by The Australian ­reveals just two out of 10 of the government’s big-ticket items are set to pass the parliament after the Coalition tried to clear the decks by dumping from the budget a suite of “zombie measures” that had been stuck in the upper house.

The abolition and replacement of the 457 visa scheme and tax ­increase on roll-your-own tobacco are expected to sail through after receiving Labor support. In trouble are the government’s media reform package, citizenship changes, the 2.5 per cent Med­i­care levy, ­random drug testing of welfare recipients, the higher education pack­age, the unlegislated company tax cuts, the first-home superannuation saver scheme and a gay marriage plebiscite — which already has been rejected once by the Senate.

GRAPHIC: The Turnbull agenda

The increased Medicare levy, designed to fully fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme, is meant to bring in $8.2bn over the forward estimates while the higher education overhaul, which includes a 2.5 per cent efficiency dividend on universities across two years, would save the budget $3.7bn over that time.

Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm said the government would “struggle” to legislate any of the eight measures under a cloud without Labor’s support and hit out at the Coalition’s “siloed” approach to crossbench negotiations.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said she held “grave concerns” about the Medicare levy, especially amid rising electricity costs, and said there were still some professions eligible for the new Temporary Skill Shortage visa — replacing the 457 visa — that she wanted removed.

Senator Hanson, the leader of a crucial bloc of four upper house MPs, said she would propose several amendments to the higher education overhaul and called for an “educational level standard” for all Year 12 students before they were accepted into university.

South Australian independent Lucy Gichuhi has not clarified her positions on most government policies, while Australian Conser­vatives senator Cory Bernardi said The Australian was “making ­assumptions” about his stand. Victorian crossbencher Derryn Hinch did not respond to The Australian’s questions.

The Senate is also expected to refer the elections of former Greens senators Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam and Nationals MP Matt Canavan to the High Court following dual citizenship bungles.

Senator Hanson said colleague Malcolm Roberts, who was born in India, would also table his renunciation documents in the upper house this week. But a source close to Senator Roberts said yesterday he would not lodge the paperwork until other MPs did the same, and was particularly interested in whether British-born Greens senator Nick McKim and Malaysian-born Labor senator Penny Wong released their documents.

Under section 44 of the Constitution a person who is a dual citizen is deemed incapable of standing for parliament, unless they can show they took “reasonable steps” to renounce before nominating as a candidate.

The Greens believe Senator Roberts’ eligibility to sit in parliament should be referred to the court but it is unclear if a referral motion will be put to the Senate or gain majority support.