Parties clash over penalty rates as George Christensen says failure to amend section 18C a ‘breach of faith’ with Coalition’s base. As it happened
5.39am GMT
OK people the carnival is over. Today:
Brendan O'Connor to Malcolm Turnbull "your like a shop steward for the banks" @murpharoo @gabriellechan @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/2eeYsAgwBV
5.03am GMT
Barnaby Joyce, speaking to David Speers on Sky, appears to rule out any support for a Clive Palmer-led clean coal power project. This is a reference to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation now taking submissions for clean coal projects, one of which might be owned by former politician Palmer.
Joyce said yeah-nah, when Speers asks about support for a possible Palmer project.
Clive unfortunately has had a very bad day at the track.
4.53am GMT
Barnaby Joyce again threatens to intervene in the sugar dispute after the Queensland LNP opposition’s legislation to force a resolution between sugar growers and the Wilmar milling company.
He again says a sugar code of conduct is a real option but there is no cabinet meeting so he cannot “telegraph” his punches.
4.49am GMT
Speaking of Joel Fitzgibbon, he has accused his shadow Barnaby Joyce of being all hat, no cowboy on the sugar dispute.
Barnaby Joyce confirmed again today he is all hat, no cowboy. All spin, no substance.
Last week he told Queensland cane growers he would intervene in their dispute with Wilmar if the Queensland parliament did not act this week.
4.41am GMT
Labor loses the suspension motion on the numbers.
Question time ends.
One of the good things about being in government is you have access to some very smart people...
Thanks mate, says Joel Fitzgibbon.
4.35am GMT
4.30am GMT
4.28am GMT
Strategist in chief Christopher Pyne.
4.26am GMT
The House is now voting on Labor’s motion to suspend standing orders to debate penalty cuts.
4.23am GMT
4.21am GMT
4.12am GMT
Malcolm Turnbull also repeats his points in reply.
The commissioners on the Fair Work Commission were appointed by Labor.
What he is seeking to do yet again is turn Australians against each other, turn workers against business, divide the country, stifle investment, stifle employment, all in his campaign to do anything to secure an election to government on the basis of a populist antibusiness campaign. He has no principle, no consistency, no integrity.
Wakey, wakey.
4.07am GMT
Bill Shorten says grandfathering the penalty rate decision, proposed by Eric Abetz “the ghost of banquets past”, is not the solution.
There is no government worth its salt in this country that could sit on its hands and do nothing.
We will fight this issue in the house ... we will fight it all the way to the next election.
4.02am GMT
Bill Shorten says this pay cut could not have come at a worse time for workers.
He says this is about real people’s lives.
What have the regions ever done to deserve Barnaby Joyce?
3.58am GMT
Bill Shorten tries to suspend standing orders mid-question.
He is told to wait until the PM has finished his answer.
3.55am GMT
Shorten to Turnbull: Today the prime minister has heard from just some of the nearly 700,000 Australians who will have their pay cut because of the prime minister’s support for the penalty rates decision. The prime minister has the power to stop this decision and he won’t stop the cuts. Why is this prime minister doing everything he can to give big business a tax cut but doing absolutely nothing to stop workers getting a pay cut?
Turnbull says Shorten constantly traded away penalty rates as a union leader.
That is a very substantial number but it is not 700,000. It shows the way the honourable member is loose with the truth.
3.51am GMT
2 arrivals #QT @gabriellechan @GuardianAus @murpharoo #politicslive pic.twitter.com/QOSrnuCfx4
3.50am GMT
I can feel a suspension of standing orders coming on.
3.46am GMT
Labor to Turnbull: Ruby lives in my electorate and works two casual jobs whilst studying part-time at university. She says she works in retail on Sundays because it makes a huge difference to her low income. She says this pay cut would be devastating and the owner of the business will just keep the money taken from her pay. Why won’t the prime minister stand up for the penalty rates of workers like Ruby and use his power to stop the pay cut?
Turnbull says again, Labor has to work out whether it supports the independent umpire.
It is a longstanding practice to ensure that the objective of modern awards, namely that changes don’t result in a reduction in take-home pay.
3.41am GMT
Just a reminder. Work Choices 1.0.
3.37am GMT
"If the volume doesn't lower, I'll be lowering it" - Speaker
"Sorry my bad" - @edhusicMP but @GrahamPerrettMP is the one who gets booted #qt
3.36am GMT
Labor to Turnbull: Linda lives in my electorate and she works on Sundays as a hotel chef because her rent is more than half her wages and she needs the money. Linda previously relied on Centrelink but re-skilled to become a chef and she is proud she got off Centrelink and into a job. Linda can’t understand why the Turnbull government wants to cut her wages. Why, when the prime minister has the power to act, is he refusing to stop Linda’s pay cut?
Turnbull:
I trust the honourable member will be advising her constituent that the decision about penalty rates is not a decision of the government. What the honourable member said in her question is quite misleading. It is a decision of the Fair Work Commission.
3.30am GMT
Shorten to Turnbull: Margarita is a single mum with two children who regularly works Sundays at a hotel. The Sunday penalty rates help her put food on the table, buy shoes for her kids. She stands to lose thousands in take-home pay. She says, “Everything is getting more difficult. The bills go up so why is our wages going down? Where is the balance? “ Can the prime minister explain why he is willing to intervene in the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, the CFA decision, but will do nothing to stop Margarita’s pay cut?
(This is already feeling like Work Choices 2.0.)
The lady that the honourable member refers to, Margarita, may be affected in the manner he describes by the penalty rate change. We have learnt not to take our critical assertions of fact from the opposition but the fact is that the leader of the opposition, again and again and again, stated that he would support the decision of this Fair Work Commission. He gave them the reference to look at penalty rates.
3.27am GMT
NXT MP Rebekha Sharkie to Turnbull: It was revealed in Senate estimates yesterday that 75% of the contents of ration packs for Aussie diggers are foreign produced, including items such as biscuits, fruit cake, tea, coffee and tomato sauce. Even the toilet paper is from China. Does the prime minister agree that Australian troops serving our country should be supplied with Australian goods in their ration packs, which would support Aussie food manufacturing, and if so how would the government rectify this situation?
Turnbull:
The revised commonwealth procurement rules came into affect on 1 March or come into affect on 1 March this year and Senator Xenophon advocated for the changes. The commonwealth is required to assess the economic benefit to the Australian economy of each procurement. I am advised the vast majority of items in ADF ration packs are Australian and New Zealand products.
3.21am GMT
Labor’s Linda Burney to Turnbull: Terry works in a news agent in my electorate. He works on Sundays and sacrifices time with his family and friends at important events like birthdays to provide for his partner and a four-and-a-half-year-old son. Terry stands to lose almost $4,000 a year because of the prime minister’s support for cutting penalty rates. He says the cut to penalty rates will just mean the same work for less money. Why won’t the prime minister use his power to stop Terry’s pay cut?
Turnbull says the government is standing up for the independent umpire.
3.16am GMT
Government questions so far have been on the importance of economic growth and the national accounts.
3.12am GMT
Labor’s Tony Burke to Turnbull: (delivered in droll style) We all know what the prime minister meant when he said he supports the decision. What government policy was the prime minister referring to this morning when he said
There’s the, there’s no question for you if you, um, the evidence is strong that you, you have lower penalty rates or on a Sunday public holiday there is less or more incentive if you like. It is more affordable for businesses to employ people, that is common sense, that is one consideration”.
Don’t Australian workers deserve better than that?
I thank the honourable member for his comic interlude and recall on the subject of penalty rates his time as an organiser for the STA, the shop distributive and allied trades union. In those times the SDA negotiated one trade away of penalty rates after another.
3.08am GMT
In the style of finance department video:
Forget #paleopear... Australia Post's grad video has a triple shot, almond milk, decaf, chai latte with honey https://t.co/X0siO3W0kB pic.twitter.com/h9gbK2ovMF
3.06am GMT
Labor to Turnbull: Today, the prime minister said, “It is an element in a part of every modern award that it is the intention that any changes to awards will not reduce the take-home pay of employees but last week’s penalty rates decision will reduce take-home pay”. The prime minister has the power to fix this problem. Why won’t he and when will the prime minister join with Labor to change the law so the take-home pay of all workers is not cut?
Turnbull goes to the enterprise bargaining agreements negotiated under Shorten as a union leader.
That neither the making of the award nor the operation of transitional agreements is intended to result in a reduction in the take home pay of employees.
2.58am GMT
Question time in 5,4,3,2,1.
2.50am GMT
#Barnaby @gabriellechan @GuardianAus @murpharoo #politicslive pic.twitter.com/bARdNCvDNN
2.48am GMT
Christopher Knaus reports:
The office of the human services minister, Alan Tudge, mistakenly sent a journalist internal departmental briefings about a welfare recipient’s personal circumstances, which included additional detail on her relationship and tax history.
2.37am GMT
2.19am GMT
I have been running all morning but there has been only limited forward movement.
2.00am GMT
Barnaby Joyce’s shadow.
When @Barnaby_Joyce is out, @fitzhunter is sure to follow pic.twitter.com/EGe3ULk0W0
1.57am GMT
There is another mass Nat pack press conference down in the courtyard to announce a comprehensive review of regional education.
The education minister, Simon Birmingham, who appears to be the only Lib attending, says the point is to improve school outcomes and encourage regional, rural and remote (RRR) students onto further study, training and employment.
1.51am GMT
Pardon me. Computer crash allowed me to grab sustenance.
In the meantime, George Christensen has lobbed a statement into the middle of the leadership’s daily plans.
Some of the arguments put forward for failing to act on the issue of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act are a nonsense.
I have heard it stated that ‘this issue doesn’t create one job’.
1.02am GMT
John Ferguson of the Oz reports:
Former Howard government minister Peter Reith has nominated to contest the Victorian Liberal party presidency.
The Australian understands his nomination has been lodged this morning, opening the way for a bitter battle with incumbent president Michael Kroger.
12.51am GMT
There have been questions in the estimates committee, about foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop’s attendance at the Portsea Polo in 2016 which she charged to the taxpayer.
Asked about the trip earlier this year when the Sussan Ley expense scandal broke, Bishop issued a statement:
The minister was invited and attended in her official capacity as minister for foreign affairs and deputy leader of the Liberal party.
12.18am GMT
Last night, Barnaby Joyce spoke at the launch of the National Rural Press Club. It occurred in the Nationals’ party room. Notwithstanding its location, it was a bipartisan event organised by The Land journalist Colin Bettles. It included speakers such as the Labor senator Glenn Sterle, the Greens senator Janet Rice, the Indi independent Cathy McGowan and the keynote speaker, Joyce. (In the interests of disclosure, AFR journo Phil Coorey and I also spoke briefly.)
11.54pm GMT
Carly’s law.
11.44pm GMT
More on Centrelink.
DHS confirms it has spoken with privacy commissioner on the release of private info, not yet formal inquiry. #estimates @gabriellechan
11.41pm GMT
Just another middle-aged bloke trying to lose weight.
11.38pm GMT
The Senate crossbenchers Nick Xenophon and Skye Kakoschke-Moore have negotiated an amendment to the criminal code that is known as Carly’s law. It is due to come to the parliament this morning.
This is the amendment.
11.30pm GMT
The national disability insurance scheme savings fund – set up to quarantine savings from the uncertain omnibus bill – has just passed through the lower house.
11.23pm GMT
but says, in this case, woman's claims were "unfounded" and could make others worry they have not complied with own requirements. #estimates
11.21pm GMT
Bill Shorten is asked why he promised to support the independent Fair Work Commission decision before the election and then changed his mind.
I think you need to ask [Malcolm Turnbull]. When the remuneration tribunal for truck drivers made a decision he didn’t like, he didn’t just overrule the decision, he sacked the tribunal. Not a lot of respect for the independent umpire was there then.
Or when the [Country Fire Authority] negotiated an enterprise agreement with professional firefighters last year, Malcolm Turnbull passed a law to overturn the enterprise agreement.
11.16pm GMT
Bill Shorten says it is a dumb idea to phase in penalty rate cuts through a grandfathering provision. Employers will just roster the cheaper worker ahead of the more expensive worker.
The problem is if you are a small business or a big business and you have the choice of rostering someone at eight hours on a Sunday at double time or rostering someone for eight hours on a Sunday for time and a half, you don’t need to be a Rhodes scholar to work out what will happen. This is a government desperate to cover a smokescreen.
11.13pm GMT
Bill Shorten is speaking in a workplace of some sort. He addresses the government’s attacks that he bargained away penalty rates. He says deals he negotiated increased workers’ overall pay.
Q: When you were the head of AWU, did you bargain away penalty rates?
Look, I’ve watched the government attacking me for standing up for workers. I will back my record for protecting workers’ rights and conditions against Malcolm Turnbull and his whole frontbench any day of the week. Malcolm Turnbull has been trying to look at union deals, negotiated on behalf of workers, approved by the Fair Work Commission, which see people increase their overall pay.
11.04pm GMT
There is peak derp happening today. The immigration minister, Peter Dutton, the man with the tan and the plan, is talking about his crackdown on 457 visas used in fast-food outlets.
PDuddy’s meditations on immigration policy are interrupted by leadership questions.
I have dealt with that. My loyalty was to Tony Abbott when I served in his cabinet.
My loyalty is to Malcolm Turnbull. I serve in his cabinet because I believe in him as leader and I want all my colleagues to do everything within their power to make sure the government succeeds, the prime minister succeeds.
He is a close friend of mine and has been for a long time. He was my shadow health parliamentary secretary. So I have had a close friendship.
I go to the gym, I am sorry it doesn’t show but I do exercise a fair bit. And he, like me, wants to lose a fair bit of weight. I am not sure if that accords with your conspiracy theory but two middle-age blokes trying to lose weight, I am not sure you can speculate on that.
10.49pm GMT
That's a remarkable interpretation of s202 of the social security (admin) act, which allows disclosure for purposes of social security law
10.47pm GMT
DHS confirms didn't have public interest certificate for release of welfare recipient's info, says didn't need it #estimates @gabriellechan
10.46pm GMT
I had this vague feeling that I was missing something, with Senate estimates committees rolling here. Then I realised it was actually the parliament.
*hits forehead on desk*
10.37pm GMT
On Centrelink:
Labor senator Murray Watt questioning on release of personal information, is asking where dept GM @HankJongen is. #estimates @gabriellechan
DHS agree the personal information it handed to journo was protected information, but was done so lawfully #estimates @gabriellechan
10.34pm GMT
Tony Burke has been prosecuting Labor’s penalty rate argument on Sky news. It looks like a dry run for a 2018 election slogan.
10.21pm GMT
Regarding the Centrelink release of personal information on a critic of the system:
Campbell defends release of personal information by dept, says it has the power to do so under social security law #estimates @gabriellechan
Welfare recipient Andie Fox wrote an article for Fairfax Media earlier this month setting out her difficulties dealing with the agency after she began receiving calls from a debt collector.
But, over the weekend, she was shocked to discover details of her interactions with Centrelink and claim history set out – with some information she says is incorrect – in a separate article by Fairfax Media.
10.21pm GMT
Penny Wong and her eyebrows are questioning the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Frances Adamson, on the global heads of missions meetings, which were revealed by the foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop.
This is the inaugural global heads of missions meetings where more than 100 ambassadors and heads of mission are brought back to Australia to discuss the government’s foreign white paper.
10.17pm GMT
Campbell agrees in some cases initial robo debt letters were sent to old addresses. Says 6600 addresses were old #estimates @gabriellechan
10.16pm GMT
My colleague Christopher Knaus is watching the the community affairs estimates. He did some great work on this over the Christmas period so he is worth following.
DHS secretary Kath Campbell defends robo debt system as fair, says initial letters not "debt letters"in #estimates @gabriellechan
10.13pm GMT
10.08pm GMT
One of the issues that has lobbed back on to the prime ministerial plate is 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. This happened after the report this week basically came up with every single option, from procedural changes to removing “insult” and “offend”. There was a prize for every child. Again it bounces back to the leadership group.
Scott Morrison has been quite forthright on this. A change to the act won’t create a single job, says the treasurer (ie, colleague frolic).
This is a very legitimate area to discuss, to debate. Scott’s right. It’s not going to result in people making another investment and taking on more employees. But nonetheless, we are here in a house of freedom in Parliament House, a house of democracy, and these issues are important.
9.57pm GMT
Malcolm Turnbull has been asked, do you think Tony Abbott’s intent on blowing up this government?
I’ll decline the opportunity to comment on personalities.
9.53pm GMT
Here is that quote from treasurer Scott Morrison on not spending any excess windfall in government revenue.
Q: There is no temptation to spend it?
John [Fraser] is right. That is government actual fiscal policy.
9.38pm GMT
Malcolm Turnbull lauds the national accounts figures while acknowledging that there are still parts of the country that are doing it tough. (Hello, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia.)
There’s no doubt that parts of regional Australia – not all, but parts – of regional Australia have done it tough, largely because of the downturn in the mining and construction boom.
You know, we have seen in this last quarter a pick-up in business investment which is a very good sign, but obviously … investment in mining was up to 8% of GDP. It couldn’t stay there forever.
9.28pm GMT
Malcolm Turnbull makes a couple of points.
The Fair Work Commission reduced some penalty rates, typically from 250% to 225% or 175% to 150%.
That is the take-home pay clause in every modern award. And the commission is now seeking submissions as to how to manage the transitional arrangements. [The FWC] have said that they do not support what’s called red circling, which is where you would say that employee A’s penalty rate remains the same but new employees, B, C, D, would be under the new arrangements.
It depends what you mean by grandfathering? They’ve said they’re not in favour of that. They’ve indicated that provisionally. They have asked for submissions on how the take-home pay orders could be conducted.
They have said – and this is consistent with the practice in the past – is that the changes to penalty rates should be phased in over a period of years …The employee’s overall pay packet increases and offsets the phased-in reduction in penalty rates.
9.18pm GMT
Malcolm Turnbull is speaking to Sabra Lane on AM.
He will not be giving an opinion on whether the government supports the penalty rate cut.
If you’re asking me do I think that the penalty rate for a public holiday should be reduced in one award from 250% to 225%, that is a matter that the government has not decided. That is a matter for the Fair Work Commission.
9.14pm GMT
The treasurer, Scott Morrison, has hardened his line on any increase in government revenue from commodity prices.
Yesterday, after the hopeful national accounts, Morrison was a little coy about what he would do with any coming windfall.
Mr Fraser told the committee that if the terms of trade stayed high, the government should “prioritise budget repair and ensure that any additional revenue is banked as an improvement to the budget bottom line”.
“We need to take great care not to fall into the trap of spending unexpectedly higher revenue, should it arise, in a way that would structurally weaken the budget as may have occurred through the early 2000s,” he said.
9.04pm GMT
Good morning blogans,
As you rub the sleep from your eyes, in this parallel universe of Australian politics, Eric Abetz has suggested no worker should be worse off under the penalty rate cut.
I am pleased that the Fair Work Commission made the decision that it did.
It’s now important that the Fair Work Commission’s decision is implemented in a fair and equitable manner for current workers in the retail, hospitality and tourism sectors.
This approach would ensure that “no worker is worse off” while allowing new opportunities for the unemployed and especially for young unemployed people. It would mean no existing worker would have their income or household budget adversely impacted while supporting small business and assisting the unemployed.”
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