Category Archives: Australian politics

China accuses Australia of discriminating against Huawei

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Chinese ambassador says consumers not being served well by ‘politically motivated’ ban on tech firm’s entry into 5G network

The Australian government’s ban on Huawei’s participation in building the nation’s 5G network remains a “sore point or thorny issue” between the two countries, the Chinese ambassador said on Monday, as he criticised the government for discriminating against a Chinese company.

Cheng Jingye dismissed concerns Huawei may pose a threat to Australia’s national security given its links to the communist Chinese government, and said Australia’s ban was “politically motivated”.

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RFS denies sacking volunteer firefighter Paul Parker, who swore at Scott Morrison

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In an interview on Channel Ten’s The Project, Parker said he had been told to leave RFS leading to the hashtag #IStandWithPaulParker trending in Australia

The Rural Fire Service is investigating claims that a volunteer firefighter who told the prime minister to “get fucked from Nelligen” in a viral news clip was “sacked’”by his local brigade.

Paul Parker told Channel Ten’s The Project on Sunday that he was chastised by the RFS for directing the expletive toward Scott Morrison and that he had been booted from the organisation, contrary to reports from the time that he had been stood down due to exhaustion.

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Sports grants scandal: rural areas received less than $10m of $150m funds allocated

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Labor says National party seats shortchanged after projects in Liberal-held, non-rural seats got nearly $110m

Labor is accusing the government of shortchanging rural areas through a $150m sports fund that was overwhelmingly spent in marginal seats during the election campaign.

The $150m female facilities and water safety stream program, announced by the Coalition less than two months before the election, was funded in the 2019 budget for the purpose of female change rooms and swimming pool upgrades, but was all allocated in the election campaign.

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Albanese calls on Phil Gaetjens to make sports grants report public

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Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary must be seen to be independent, opposition leader says

The federal opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, has said top bureaucrat Phil Gaetjens must show his independence in the sports grants scandal “that just stinks”.

Gaetjens, the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, wrote on Friday to the Senate inquiry into the sports grants saga that cost the previous sports minister, Bridget McKenzie, her job.

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Australia’s offshore detention is unlawful, says international criminal court prosecutor

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Treatment of refugees and asylum seekers ‘cruel, inhuman or degrading’, but does not warrant prosecution, ICC office says

Australia’s offshore detention regime is a “cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment” and unlawful under international law, the international criminal court’s prosecutor has said.

But the office of the prosecutor has stopped short of deciding to prosecute the Australian government, saying that while the imprisonment of refugees and asylum seekers formed the basis of a crime against humanity, the violations did not rise to the level to warrant further investigation.

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Peter Dutton looking to ‘restrict the damage’ of high court Indigenous decision – politics live

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Parliament sits for the final time this week, with threats to the government’s promised surplus back in the spotlight. All the day’s events, live

The auditor-general will appear at the Senate inquiry into the sports grant affair in about 30 minutes.

Asked if he voted for Llew O’Brien in the deputy speaker ballot, Barnaby Joyce says it was a secret ballot and “the reason ballots are secret is that you don’t tell people how you vote. Otherwise don’t bother having them”. Which leads to this exchange:

Joyce: Who did you vote for at the last election?

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Anthony Albanese to give evidence at Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald’s trial

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Former NSW Labor MPs allegedly conspired over mining properties in Bylong Valley, near Mudgee

The federal opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, a former New South Wales premier, Morris Iemma, mining figures and public servants are expected to give evidence in the trial of former mining ministers Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald.

The former state Labor MPs – with Obeid’s son Moses, 50 – are being tried in the NSW supreme court over their alleged conspiracy to commit an offence between 2007 and 2009, when Macdonald was mineral resources minister and the Obeids owned land in coal country.

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Morrison vows new approach to Closing the Gap as he says latest results ‘not good enough’ – politics live

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Prime minister says reality for Indigenous children a ‘national shame’ as Senate turns up the heat on the government to release the PM&C report into the sports grants affair. All the day’s events, live

Scott Morrison:

There remains much to do.

And we will do it differently by working together. By moving from a fixation with what is going wrong to a focus on strength.

Scott Morrison:

I am saddened that we have not met the target for child mortality but I draw hope and result from the fact that we are making progress in tackling the risk factors.

More Indigenous mothers are attending antenatal care in the first trimester and more are going to at least five antenatal sessions.

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Chief medical officer warns against coronavirus xenophobia – politics live

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The fallout from last week’s leadership spill continues, with rebel MPs refusing to fall into line. All the day’s events, live

There is a real pattern emerging of Nationals MPs wearing green ties with dark blue suits, and really I can see why the party room is in revolt.

Josh Frydenberg is yelling again, and I can’t transcribe it, because GUESSWHOTHATFINANCIALGENIUSWASSIRTAXALOT is doing my head in, and really, you only get one life.

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High court rules Aboriginal Australians are not ‘aliens’ under the constitution and cannot be deported

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The four-to-three split decision giving Aboriginal Australians special status is a major defeat for the deportation powers of the home affairs department

The high court has decided that Aboriginal Australians are not aliens for the purpose of the constitution, a major defeat for the deportation powers of Peter Dutton’s home affairs department and a significant development in the rights of Indigenous Australians.

In a four-to-three split decision on Tuesday the high court ruled that Aboriginal people with sufficient connection to traditional societies cannot be aliens, giving them a special status in Australian constitutional law likely to have ramifications far beyond existing native title law.

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Indonesian president Joko Widodo addresses Australian parliament – politics live

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The fallout from last week’s leadership spill in the National party continues as Queensland MP Llew O’Brien quits party. All the day’s events live

The hands have been shaken and the talks had – Joko Widodo has left the chamber.

This is interesting.

Joko Widodo:

I would like to propose a number of priority agendas as we head into the century of partnership.

First, we must continue to advocate the values of democracy and human rights.

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Private investors won’t touch new Coalition-backed coal plant, Labor says

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Morrison government to spend up to $4m in grant for feasibility study into coal-fired power plant in Queensland

The federal Labor opposition says private investors will not touch “with a barge pole” the Morrison government’s plan to support a coal-fired power plant in Queensland.

The government says it will spend up to $6m in grants for two new Queensland electricity generation projects, including a coal-fired power plant, as part of a bid to lower power prices.

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2020s vision: big ideas to make Australia better

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How shall we stare down the challenges of the next decade? Where will we find the hope and solutions required for the 2020s? Listen to a live Guardian Australia panel taking on these big topics. Featuring Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner, Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor, political editor Katharine Murphy, Indigenous affairs editor Lorena Allam and writer David Marr

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UK foreign minister urges Australia to strive for net zero emissions by 2050

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Dominic Raab calls on government to work with other countries to cut carbon pollution, saying Britain wants a ‘step change’ in international response to climate crisis

The UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has called on Australia to work with other countries to bring down carbon pollution as it works towards the “challenge” of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Raab, who met with Australia’s foreign affairs minister Marise Payne on Thursday, said the pair had a “good constructive conversation” about Britain’s goal to reduce emissions as it prepared to host the United Nations climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow later this year.

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Morrison staffer who helped club win grant caught on video urging crowd to vote Liberal

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Online video emerges as the Senate sets up an inquiry into the Coalition’s $100m sports rort grants

Video has emerged online of a member of Scott Morrison’s electorate staff being lauded for helping Cronulla Sailing Club win an $8,400 grant, as the Senate moved on Wednesday to set up an inquiry into the controversial $100m community sport infrastructure grant program.

In the video posted to Facebook, a representative of the club thanks the staffer, identifying her as “Scott Morrison’s PA”, for helping push her to apply for a grant for a new stainless steel barbecue. GrantConnect shows the grant was approved in December 2017 as part of the stronger communities program.

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National party tensions test Coalition as Scott Morrison reshuffles cabinet – politics live

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Prime minister must deal with the National party turmoil as the parliamentary year gets under way in earnest. All the day’s events, live

So what can we expect today, given that parliament is officially back and the climate fires have been acknowledged?

Well, probably an end to what has been described as the “sombre bipartisanship” between Labor and the Coalition.

Awwwwww. I bet he still believes in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and that the Great Barrier Reef can be saved too!

Here’s Scott Morrison on Barnaby Joyce and the Nationals on the Nine Network this morning:

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Jacqui Lambie wants deal on union-busting bill ‘as soon as possible’

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Crossbencher ‘hopes to think’ she is close to a deal with government on union penalty bill unexpectedly defeated last year

Senator Jacqui Lambie is looking to strike a deal with the government “as soon as possible” on the union penalty bill, while Labor struggles to contain a debate in its own ranks about union-backed superannuation funds.

Lambie is meeting the industrial relations minister, Christian Porter, on Tuesday to continue negotiations on the bill, which would lower the threshold for the deregistration of unions and disqualification of their officials.

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Matt Canavan quits cabinet to back Barnaby Joyce for National party leadership

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Joyce says he will challenge Nationals leader Michael McCormack for the top job when a party room spill is called on Tuesday

Barnaby Joyce will challenge Michael McCormack for the leadership of the Nationals when a party room spill is called on Tuesday, saying he has learned from his past mistakes and is the best person to lead the party to the next election.

The former leader’s tilt at a comeback won support from the cabinet minister Matt Canavan on Monday night, with the Queensland senator resigning his position to back Joyce in the leadership ballot.

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Jacqui Lambie says people scared and confused by Coalition’s cashless welfare card plan

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Senator says after visiting remote Indigenous communities that many there feel they have not been properly consulted over new card

Independent senator Jacquie Lambie says “the government has a problem” with the rollout of its controversial cashless debit card, after her fact-finding visit to the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Lambie visited several remote Aboriginal communities to “get a view from the ground on how the card is functioning, before voting on the government’s proposed changes for its future”, she said. Most of the people she spoke to “didn’t know any change was being proposed at all”.

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‘New underclass’: Labor warns on Australia’s reliance on short-term migration

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Large numbers of easily exploited temporary migrants could have a ‘corrosive’ effect, says Kristina Keneally

Australia’s reliance on temporary migration is creating a new economic underclass that risks having a “corrosive” effect on the nation’s society, Labor’s shadow home affairs minister, Kristina Keneally, says.

In a major speech to the Curtin institute on Thursday night, Keneally will step up Labor’s attack on the government for its reliance on temporary migration, saying current trends could see as many as 3 million people – or 12% of the population – living in Australia on a temporary basis.

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