Parliament has returned with the Abbott government hoping to negotiate its budget measures through a hostile senate as senate estimates quiz ministers. Follow it live
1.08pm AEST
We are just informed that the person exposed by CCTV footage pursued by Faulkner was Faulkner himself. Which is a pretty good reason for him to pursue it. He will be taking it up with parliamentary privileges committee.
1.04pm AEST
In this crowded hour, Labor's Anthony Albanese is also holding a press conference at 1.20pm on infrastructure details out of senate estimates which Daniel Hurst will be bringing you shortly.
12.59pm AEST
Press conference from immigration minister Scott Morrison, at 1.20pm when he will release the independent review of the disturbance at Manus Island that lead the death of Reza Berati.
12.55pm AEST
Hold the vegemite sandwich, here is your lunctime summary of the first parliamentary day of the sitting week.
12.42pm AEST
Bridie Jabour reports:
Senator John Faulkner has accused the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) of spying on a politician using CCTV cameras which are in the parliament.
12.35pm AEST
Health minister Peter Dutton has been out this morning, not negotiating on the $7 Medicare co-payment because it was part of a bigger plan. In 17 different ways, Dutton indicated he was not dancing with crossbenchers.
Journalist: Are you saying that youre not going to be discussing with the crossbenchers at all about some of the measures that youre wanting to push through the Senate?
Well well have discussions with the crossbenchers as we always do. We will talk through the issues they have, I think most importantly. Firstly well properly explain what it is that the Government is putting because I think some of the senators have taken a kneejerk, populist reaction, particularly given that the (Australian Medical Association) supports this in principle, particularly given that we believe very strongly that this strengthens Medicare going forward.
I think when the Senators properly understand the layers of support the fact that bulk billing is still retained in this model going forward that we will still be spending money in relation to chronic disease management plans and as I say we have been having that discussion ongoing well before the Budget, indeed just after the election, discussions between the College, the AMA and the Government about how we can provide additional support to people most in need.
My judgement is that senators are positioning, some for populist reasons at the moment.
12.14pm AEST
Independent senator Nick Xenophon has extracted the legal costs spent by the Australian Federal Police in a case of Seven West regarding the search of their premises while the AFP was investigating whether Schapelle Corby had breached the Proceeds of Crimes Act over an interview.
The AFP told senate estimates that it has spent about $220,000 on legal costs in the case, which amounted to $60,000 in internal legal costs and $160,000 in external lawyers, including Geoffrey Watson SC of Icac fame.
11.49am AEST
11.45am AEST
Greens senator Lee Rhiannon has asked AFP commissioner Tony Negus about referrals to the AFP about improprieties in voting.
Michael Phelan of the AFP notes that there were 24 complaints made in the past year, of which six were immediately rejected and 18 were investigated. None have been referred for prosecution yet, though Negus said it doesn't mean they will not lead to charges. He said complaints have related to allegations of enrolment fraud, multiple voting and false how-to-vote cards.
11.39am AEST
Labor's communication spokesman Jason Clare has used the trees in the parliamentary courtyard to make a point about the wintry nature of some of the government's budget cuts.
Parliament - Pre Budget / Post Budget pic.twitter.com/zrnGtnYWrj
.@ianw84 @JasonClareMP Yes! Please change asylum seeker policy to something humanitarian that you, & your supporters, can be proud of.
11.30am AEST
Remember when Tony Abbott said he was no "tech head". Neither is Labor's senator John Faulkner. Bridie Jabour tells me in the finance and public administration senate estimates hearing, Faulkner is asking about the code of conduct for use of CCTV in parliament. He is also marvelling at our modern world.
After being told the code was difficult to find, Faulkner revealed he had managed to get a hold of it through some nifty means.
I did get a copy of the code by a google, whats called a google search, which of course I didnt undertake myself as everyone would appreciate, my staff were able to do it for which I do appreciate.
11.24am AEST
The legal and constitutional affairs senate estimates committee is now on the issue of the prime minister's residence. That is, the PM's lodge is currently being renovated and Tony Abbott is staying in the police college, as Gillard did for a couple of weeks during her term. Labor's Joe Ludwig wants to find out where Abbott eats but the Australian Federal Police is loathed to go into details given there are security issues involved.
Ludwig is also looking for how the AFP and others assess the threat levels around the PM.
11.05am AEST
In finance and public administration senate estimates, Phil Bowen has detailed the "efficiency dividend" to his parliamentary budget office will mean a reduction in funding of around $162,000 over the next four years. Bowen says he does not expect to have to cut staff.
10.53am AEST
It's only fair, since this is going to be a long week, that we give Peter Sellars a run on the security issue.
10.45am AEST
Heffernan, who is a farmer from Junee, is quoted in News as saying you could blow the place out of the ground with a pipe bomb the size of which he brought into the parliament.
Heffernan, like many farm kids, learnt the art of explosives blowing stumps out of the ground - a.k.a. "to buggery". He said without proper security scanning, people could bring in bomb ingredients one by one and build a bomb.
You could blow a tree the size of this building out of the ground. There is nothing to stop anyone bringing those ingredients in here over a period of time.
10.38am AEST
Thanks to Andrew Probyn of the West Australian, the aforementioned faux pipe bomb.
Oh dear. Has Bill Heffernan got a suspicious pipe through Federal Parliament's new (discriminatory) security? pic.twitter.com/roG8JglSgm
10.32am AEST
Bill Shorten has just spoken on his private members bill on education funding. It seeks to ensure that states, which were given extra funds over the next four years under Gonski reforms, do not cut back their own education funding.
He says the Liberal Party is no longer the "party of Menzies" and while the government refuses to tie the states to education funding, it is quite happy to ensure the states provided religious chaplains.
They are saying on one hand we're not going to fund you properly in the future, but on the other hand we'll make sure your chaplain belongs to a religious organisation.
10.15am AEST
It may have looked a little Noodle Nation, but Anthony Albanese' whiteboard video explanation of infrastructure budget changes went gangbusters on our site on budget night. Now it has been raised in senate estimates, as my colleague, Daniel Hurst, reports:
The Abbott government spent $85,000 to produce videos promoting its infrastructure package but the key clip has been viewed just 2358 times on YouTube, a Senate estimates committee has heard.
10.11am AEST
There have been changes in the security of Parliament while I was away. Where everyone used to be scanned, including their belongings, now journalists, contractors, diplomats and members of the public are the only ones who require screening at staff entrances plus as well as anyone entering through the building's main entrance.
Tom McIlroy did a story on this last week and it did cause a bit of a flurry. This morning, for example, everyone lined up and only those of us in the dubious category have to put our belongings through. But Liberal Bill Heffernan, who was supposed to be chairing the rural and regional senate estimates committee, popped into another committee to raise his objection to the relaxing of security. Turns out he may have been conducting his own security experiment, as Karen Barlow among others tweeted.
Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan says Parliament is no longer secure due to security budget cuts.. brought a "bomb" in today to demonstrate.
9.57am AEST
Long time National Party senator Ron Boswell gave a doorstop interview on his way in this morning and, looking as though he was choosing his words very carefully, said the budget had an "equity" problem. Now that members have had a little excursion into their communities, they have had a chance to do a little bit of opinion polling for themselves. Watch this space.
9.54am AEST
Immigration minister Scott Morrison has a press conference right outside our very door over Labor's manager of opposition business, Tony Burke writing a letter on behalf of a constituent who was asking the government to free a convicted drug dealer. Burke said this morning that he was just passing on his constituent's request.
On the way past, Morrison calls Burke a "bit of a sook" for complaining about the Speaker Bronwyn Bishop about having a fundraiser in her office.
9.41am AEST
My good ear is on the senate environment and communications committee. Labor senator Louise Pratt is asking Dianne Carlos of the environment department about a range of issues including voluntary redundancies and the indigenous carbon farming program. More of that later.
The other issue that may be raised in this committee from a story my colleague Katharine Murphy has broken.
Labor has signalled that it will pursue the Coalition government over its appointment of Bill Morrow to run Australias largest national infrastructure project, given that the new NBNCo chief executive is named in current legal proceedings in the United States.
Guardian Australia has previously revealed that Morrow, appointed by the government in December 2013 to run NBNCo, is named in a shareholder action connected to his management of an American gas company that was subsequently responsible for one of the largest utility disasters in Californian history.
9.27am AEST
Bill Heffernan, chair of the rural and regional senate estimates committee, began with a reminder.
Can I remind everyone - especially myself - to render their phones inaudible or turn them off.
9.16am AEST
In the great tradition of naming legislation for your message, Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie has a private members bill worth mentioning: Migration Amendment (Ending the Nation's Shame) Bill 2014. We will endeavour to find out more about this one soon.
9.09am AEST
Top of the government's agenda today are the two budget appropriation bills which will pass the house on the numbers while at the top of Labor's agenda is a private members bill by one Bill Shorten, called the Australian Education Amendment (School Funding Guarantee) Bill. This is a bill to draw attention to the government's plans not to commit to funding the Gonski education agreements with the states after four years.
9.04am AEST
Good morning,
The day has dawned over Canberra to burn off patches of low lying fog. That opaque start is the perfect reflection for the Senate chamber as there is little clarity around many of the Abbott government's budget measures.
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