The Abbott government is expected to unveil its post 2020 emissions reduction target for the Paris climate talks as parliament resumes normal business. All the developments from Canberra, live
2.28pm AEST
Labor’s deputy leader, Tanya Plibersek, to Abbott.
Q: My question is to the prime minister. Is human activity the main cause of climate change?
Climate change is important, humanity makes a very significant contribution and that’s why governments need to adopt strong and effective policies to deal with it.
2.24pm AEST
There is modelling, and it will shortly be released.
This is the prime minister, Tony Abbott in response to a question from Labor calling on him to release the modelling underpinning the climate targets decision.
Let’s be honest and up front with the people of Australia, if there is going to be significant emissions reduction, there will be a cost. There is no entirely cost-free way of significantly reducing our emissions.
We are not going to clobber the economy to protect the environment.
2.17pm AEST
To the chamber now.
Speaker Smith is making his debut in the big chair.
2.12pm AEST
Question time is underway but let’s take stock quickly because that was a break-neck hour and a half.
2.00pm AEST
Say cheese.
Not goats cheese.
#BlueRoom #Presser #Australia'sTarget @murpharoo @GuardianAus #politicslive http://t.co/Uj8celbKQT pic.twitter.com/VYLurAmjxh
1.57pm AEST
In case it’s not clear, putting this issue to the joint parties increases the no vote. It means a conscience vote on same sex marriage is less likely to proceed.
I’ve been saying for some time when people tell me that legalising gay marriage is inevitable – it is inevitable when there are 76 positive votes in the House.
1.54pm AEST
Questions have moved on to the special party room now.
Abbott says same sex marriage will go to the full party room this afternoon, not just to the Liberal party room.
I reviewed my pre-election statements and what I said pre-election was that, if this matter, if this matter, same-sex marriage, were to come up in the next parliament, it will be dealt with by the Coalition party room in the usual way.
Now, given that the Coalition party room didn’t have time this morning to deal with it, given that the people who did briefly touch on this matter in the party room today were very much of the mind that it should be dealt with as swiftly as possible, I’ve decided that the Coalition party room will effectively reconvene at 3:15 this afternoon specifically to discuss this subject.
1.48pm AEST
Sorry for the bedlam – a bit unavoidable I’m afraid.
Abbott has been asked whether he will attend the Paris talks. He says he will if the meeting turns out to be a leaders meeting, at the moment he’s not sure whether or not it is a leader’s meeting.
My view is that I will leave the science to the scientists. I will leave the statistics to the statisticians.
What I will ensure is that Australia’s actions are responsible, environmentally responsible and economically responsible.
1.40pm AEST
Excuse me elbowing out Murph.
Here’s the breaking news on same sex marriage. The Coalition has called a special joint party room meeting for 3.15pm today to debate its position on same-sex marriage, after a fresh push from advocates for a free vote.
I have also put a request to the Chief Government Whip asking for the opportunity for the Bill to be introduced in the Main Chamber, due to the significance of the legislation. It is now up to the Selection Committee to determine when the Bill is brought on and the co‐ sponsors will await this decision. The issue of a free vote was raised in the Liberal Party Room today, however it was determined that more time was needed for discussion and this has been deferred to a special Joint Party Room Meeting later today. The content of the Bill will not be discussed until it is tabled in Parliament, which is the appropriate place for debate.
1.37pm AEST
There’s some breaking news on same sex marriage but I need to power on here for now.
Abbott is asked about the costs of the government’s emissions reduction fund – a mechanism which many experts believe is an extraordinarily expensive way to produce abatement.
We are estimating that the ongoing costs of the Emissions Reduction Fund will be in the order of $200m a year.
We have, as Julie Bishop has said, reserved that position.
We have left it on the table and this process will go forward over many years. We’re able toachieve these reductions as they stand without doing that.
1.28pm AEST
Climate change is real and important and significant.
Cost of living and the cost of electricity are real and important and significant for families.
Greg Hunt, environment minister, is taking his turn.
So there is a right way and a wrong way to address climate change. The right way is through incentives which improve our ability as a country to perform both economically and to take care of those who are most socially in need.
The wrong way is a massive electricity tax.
1.23pm AEST
The foreign minister Julie Bishop says 26 to 28% is an ambitious target. Bishop says Australia will halve emissions per person over the next fifteen years.
That is more than any other major economy or any other comparable country.
1.20pm AEST
The prime minister is addressing reporters in the Blue Room of parliament house about the emissions reduction targets we will take to Paris at the end of the year. Abbott says the government wants to be environmentally responsible but the environment can’t trump the economy.
Tony Abbott:
There is a definite commitment to 26% but we believe under the policies that we have got, with the circumstances that we think will apply, that we can go to 28%. It’s a good, solid economically responsible, environmentally responsible target.
1.15pm AEST
Look, go and ask George.
1.13pm AEST
One more from Daniel on the party room.
Abbott told party room the entitlements issue had "obscured" the government's message but the fundamentals had not changed. @murpharoo
1.11pm AEST
Across to the ABC, drilling down into the same sex marriage debate. We know the prime minister is trying to delay and obstruct consideration of same sex marriage. According to the ABC’s report, Abbott said this morning the issue needed to be considered by both party rooms – the Liberal and the National party rooms.
The ABC has been told Mr Abbott’s statement that the whole Coalition party room, not just Liberals, should decide on the issue was met with audible gasps from gay marriage supporters who felt blind-sided. It is understood Mr Pyne described this as branch-stacking and said the issue should be decided by the Liberal party room. The decision being made by the joint party room would likely make it harder for a free vote to be granted, given so few Nationals support gay marriage.
1.01pm AEST
Meanwhile, back with George.
21 Coalition MPs/senators contributed to party room debate climate targets. Gov is briefing reaction was overwhelmingly positive @murpharoo
12.59pm AEST
The prime minister will address reporters at 1pm on the climate targets.
My colleague Daniel Hurst has meanwhile followed Pyne’s advice and popped down to the Coalition party room briefing with Brandis.
PM to partyroom: "We have a great story to tell as a govt because we have a plan to promote jobs & growth & that plan is working" @murpharoo
It gives me great pleasure to announce today that the Australian government has lifted the ban on Roquefort cheese. We have an exhibit of the Roquefort cheese.
12.53pm AEST
Pyne met a small posse of reporters outside the Sky studio. He remained refused to say whether he had supported a conscience vote in this morning’s party room discussion about same sex marriage.
Christopher Pyne:
You get to ask me the questions and I get to answer them in the way I want to answer them and my answer is for these sorts of issues you need to wait for the briefing from George Brandis.
The prime minister is making sure we have a respectful and sensible debate about all issues of interest to the Australian public including marriage equality.
12.37pm AEST
Pyne has just invoked goats cheese. Labor is more interested in the goats cheese set of the voting public than the non-goats cheese set of the voting public.
I could be quite wrong, but I’d put $20 on Christopher Pyne being a secret goats cheese fan. Bit of quince paste. Some crackers. Mouth magic.
12.29pm AEST
Must have been lively, that party room briefing. Manager of government business Christopher Pyne is on Sky News declining to discuss this morning’s party room discussion.
12.19pm AEST
My colleague Lenore Taylor has updated her climate story. She’s been chasing modelling underpinning the government’s decision on the post 2020 targets.
Consider these three points.
12.09pm AEST
I’m sure the artist formerly known as Madam Speaker will be happy to provide guidance.
12.04pm AEST
The chambers are now in session. The new House of Representatives Speaker Tony Smith is in his new chair. I imagine there would have been considerable study of the standing orders in the Smith Canberra digs last night.
Question time underway at 2pm.
12.00pm AEST
I know this is eccentric but I’m going to post our lunchtime summary early on the basis that once the party room finishes and the climate announcement thunders out my feet aren’t going to touch earth for about five hours.
So politics, this Tuesday morning:
11.28am AEST
Back to the Labor caucus. Labor backbencher Terri Butler, who is co-sponsoring the same-sex marriage bill with Liberal MP Warren Entsch, has stood up in the Labor caucus meeting this morning saying she intends for the bill to be submitted today. It is then up to the Coalition-dominated selection committee to decide when the bill is introduced. It is possible that the bill could be presented as early as Monday, the next time that private members business can be debated.
11.02am AEST
Quite a bit of touchiness around the building today. Phil Coorey from The Australian Financial Review has filed a quick news update on the brief same sex marriage debate in the Liberal party room this morning, with a marvellous concluding paragraph.
News of the push leaked while the party room meeting was underway.
This caused angry scenes inside the party room as to who was leaking, according to further leaks.
10.57am AEST
Politics tragics who hang out on social media far more often than they should will know that Fairfax photographer Alex Ellinghausen snapped a picture at the Canberra Airport on Sunday night of the attorney-general George Brandis in a stylish looking jumper.
Unfortunately the jumper was offset by some sub-optimal footwear. Trainers and jeans should not be seen. It is a trap for 50-something men, a recurring fashion atrocity. Do a quick survey in any shopping mall in the country – you will see plenty a jean teamed with plenty a sand shoe.
Australia's next top attorney-general. #auspol pic.twitter.com/j7W49WFB4a
Bloody hell, it’s the Very Hungry Artsminister! #BrandisJumperDay #freethearts pic.twitter.com/AdH7oPgv2d
#BrandisJumperDay #freethearts pic.twitter.com/3XcfselyVM
10.46am AEST
The Australian’s David Crowe has rejected my characterisation of The Australian’s climate targets story as an “officialish looking drop.” I referenced the story first up on Politics Live this morning.
David would prefer that I characterised the story as a report for the reasons he outlines below.
@murpharoo Just a report. Drop suggests no work, just landed in our lap, PMO called, etc. That is not what happened.
10.30am AEST
Meanwhile, on the twits.
Tony Abbott’s sister, Christine Forster, on this morning’s same sex marriage gee-up by Liberal Warren Entsch.
Kudos to Warren Entsch MP for taking #marriageequality to the @LiberalAus party room. It's a discussion that has to be had #WeCanDoThis
10.25am AEST
Meanwhile, down the front.
10.17am AEST
Back to the Coalition party room. We are chasing the extent and temper of the same sex marriage debate in the Liberal party meeting, but it looks like the substantive issue of ‘to conscience vote or not to conscience vote’ won’t be resolved this week.
Going into the morning’s discussion about climate, Western Australian backbencher Dennis Jensen is unhappy that information has been telegraphed out of cabinet before going to the party for “proper” debate. I mentioned first up this morning that some backbenchers would be spoiling for a biff on the climate targets, no matter how modest they may be.
10.09am AEST
Quick welfare update. A Senate committee looking at the impacts of welfare measures like stopping young people from accessing the dole for four weeks, will report its findings later today, ahead of the bill being debated tomorrow. The social services minister, Scott Morrison, has told Macquarie radio tis morning that the bill’s fate is still unclear.
I’m still not confident we will see this bill passed this week.
10.01am AEST
Now "discussion proper" on same sex marriage in Lib party room referred to later meeting @SkyNewsAust
9.55am AEST
Sky News political reporter David Lipson.
I've been told there's a "level of debate" in the Lib party room now on same sex marriage. Indicates it may not be put to a vote today
9.50am AEST
Sky News has a breaking news alert that Liberal MP Warren Entsch has raised same sex marriage in the Liberal party room meeting this morning. The government has to decide whether or not to allow a conscience vote. I’ll keep you posted as we learn any particulars.
9.48am AEST
Shorten tracks the caucus plane back to the ALP conference a few weeks back. This conversation should really come with a trigger warning for those of us who covered the three day event – particularly the final mad Sunday.
A smart, modern and fair Australia.
National conference endorsed Labor’s values again of jobs, education, health and fairness and advance Australia.
9.43am AEST
The Labor leader Bill Shorten has invited fifty or so of his closest friends with cameras to this morning’s ALP caucus meeting.
If this is what good government looks like, what on earth does bad government look like?
9.38am AEST
Useful chart to visualise the putative emissions reduction target and base years via our data guru Nick Evershed and Climate Institute data.
Aus emissions target against other countries with diff. base yrs http://t.co/GFqgCsgKkD from @climateinstitut data pic.twitter.com/rPDaq29Y87
9.34am AEST
While still in the commentary space, I’ll loop in this analysis from Peter Hartcher of the Sydney Morning Herald this morning about the climate debate in the run-up to the election.
If you want to understand the frenetic claim and counter-claim you’re going to hear on this subject, you’ll find this simple, two-point guide indispensable.
The political rubric is:
9.25am AEST
I have mentioned the prime minister is looking a bit flat.
Dennis Shanahan in The Australian this morning notes “some Liberal MPs are again gossiping about Abbott’s leadership and reminding themselves that they gave their leader until about now to get things back on an even keel” – but – “there are many others fearful this time around of creating more damaging leadership destabilisation.” Shanahan’s thesis in his piece is things are challenging for Tony Abbott and the government six months on from the leadership spill in February, but it’s too late to do anything much about it given the proximity of the by-election in Canning and the election after that.
My guess is that the Abbott team may have no more than a month to make changes without seeming completely desperate and just trading concessions for survival. The urgency with which it changed around the time of the February scare vanished, and must be resumed.
Get more and better advice.
9.06am AEST
Can’t beat snowy roos.
Aus target worse than Canada's 30% - prev'sly the worst industrialised nation. But here's some snowy roos (by Bernie) pic.twitter.com/L9EmCX7UT9
9.04am AEST
Speaking of Lenore Taylor, she’s filed a news lead on the climate targets, with some initial reaction.
Conservationists and climate campaigners said the pledge, to be taken to the United Nations meeting in Paris in December, would be “pathetically inadequate”.
Business groups had been pushing for a promise closer to 30% below 2005 levels and have also been pleading with the Coalition to drop its opposition to buying emissions permits offshore, which would dramatically lower the cost of meeting the promise.
8.57am AEST
It being Tuesday, the Coalition party room and the Labor caucus will meet shortly.
The shadow environment minister Mark Butler has moved on to the Sky News studio. Butler was asked whether or not Labor will lend bipartisan support to the post 2020 target if it’s weak. Butler isn’t committing one way or another until we all see the details. Wise to wait for the details before pontificating. I’m trying to follow a similar strategy.
8.40am AEST
Speaking of Mr Bowers, he’s been wandering about this morning to capture the traffic through the corridor.
Senate independent Jacqui Lambie revealed yesterday that her 21-year-old son is addicted to the drug ice.
8.26am AEST
Politics Live regulars could have predicted that political events yesterday would have prompted Mikearoo to update our #BrickParliament.
Be assured, Mr Bowers worked throughout the night to ensure we were ready for whatever parliamentary Tuesday intended to deliver. Drum roll please. We are delighted to introduce #SpeakerSmith, who will face his first question time later today.
8.13am AEST
Both the ABC and Sky News are now reporting the target will have a range from 26% to 28% – rather like the US construction.
Anyone would think there was a tug of war going on in the spin stakes between folks in the government who would have preferred 30% and folks inside the government who would like it if they never had to utter the words climate change.
7.54am AEST
Hello everyone and welcome to Canberra. Given how deflated the prime minister looked yesterday I hope he’s had a seaweed smoothie and a Monte Carlo biscuit in preparation for the parliamentary day ahead, which threatens to be largish. We expect the government to unveil its post 2020 emissions reductions targets for the UN-led climate talks in Paris later this year.
An officialish looking drop in The Australian this morning reports that Abbott “is set to defy US president Barack Obama and other world leaders by releasing a post-2020 target that is lower than that of most advanced economies, on the grounds that Australia must bear the burden of stronger population growth.” (Stop scratching your head, we need to move on.) “In one scenario gaining support last night, ministers considered a 26% reduction on today’s carbon emissions by 2030.”
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