Scott Morrison’s minority government has scored a significant “victory” on the floor of parliament which removes the threat of being humbled over independent and Green proposals to force a vote on a federal corruption commission, evacuating refugees from Nauru and preventing funding for coal-fired power.
A series of motions, including from the new independent member for Wentworth, which promised to defeat the minority government, humiliate the Prime Minister and overturn the Coalition’s agenda on refugees, coal-fired power and an integrity commission have now been taken off the agenda.
Greens MP for Melbourne, Adam Bandt, sought to test the government’s discipline and numbers on the floor of the House and lumped together a progressive agenda of promises contained in private members bills.
Like the threatened referral of Peter Dutton to the High Court over claims he is ineligible to sit in parliament the rainbow agenda from the cross benches failed and left the government untouched.
Despite Labor support for the move to suspend standing orders and immediately debate the new agenda the vote fell four MPs’ votes short of the required absolute majority of 76 and therefore failed.
What’s more, the Parliamentary rules are that those motions cannot be submitted again having failed.
The minority Morrison government has now survived or fended off a raft of promised threats to defeat it on the floor of the house. It’s another small sign of the pendulum of crisis swinging back.
1. Private Members’ business order of the day no. 17 relating to the National Integrity Commission Bill 2018 standing in the name of the Member for Indi being called on immediately and being given priority over all other business, except for Question Time, for final determination by the House;
2. Immediately on conclusion of consideration of the National Integrity Commission Bill 2018, Private Members’ business order of the day no. 23 relating to the Coal-fired Power Funding Prohibition Bill 2018 standing in the name of the Member for Melbourne, being called on immediately and being given priority over all other business, with the exception of Question Time, for final determination by the House;
3. Immediately on conclusion of consideration of the Coal-fired Power Funding Prohibition Bill 2018, Private Members’ business order of the day no. 25 relating to the Migration Amendment (Urgent Medical Treatment) Bill 2018 standing in the name of the Member for Wentworth, being called on immediately and being given priority over all other business, with the exception of Question Time, for final determination by the House.
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