Category Archives: Liberal party

Australia budget 2019: Fraser Anning censured as Coalition extends energy payment – politics live

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The federal budget is done and the (unofficial) election campaign begins. All the day’s events, live

Penny Wong’s speech on Fraser Anning censure motion

Labor senator and Yawuru man Pat Dodson spoke powerfully about the “Killing times”, Australia’s massacre history, as part of today’s censure motion against Fraser Anning.

Our First Nations people have carried the consequence of murderous prejudice throughout our entwined history.

First Nations peoples in Australia know what it is like to be powerless in the face of hateful prejudice, fanned by the illusion of superiority; and the false courage created by a weapon in their hand and their victims are defenceless.

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Australia federal budget 2019: reaction to Josh Frydenberg’s first budget – as it happened

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Australia’s treasurer says the budget is ‘back in the black’. This blog is now closed

And that is where we are going to end tonight, before we all turn into pumpkins.

But don’t worry, we’ll be back early tomorrow morning for all the fallout. Plus, you know, parliament.

Mike Bowers has been out and about:

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Penny Wong warns racism and hate speech in parliament threaten democracy

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Labor senator says those who ‘see political or commercial advantage in heightening cynicism’ are diminishing civic life

Penny Wong will say that “racism is a threat to our democracy” in a speech taking aim at those who see “political or commercial advantage” in increased cynicism towards public institutions.

The Labor senator is set to warn that hate speech and extremist views in parliament and a “lack of unity in response to these” have harmed democracy, pointing the finger in part at the Coalition for its tardy response to condemn One Nation in the 45th parliament.

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One Nation’s James Ashby filmed seeking $20m from NRA to weaken Australia’s gun laws

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Al-Jazeera journalist posing as gun campaigner films senior party figures in Washington DC soliciting financial support to help One Nation seize the balance of power

Senior One Nation figures James Ashby and Steve Dickson have been caught seeking millions of dollars of political donations from US gun rights group the National Rifle Association in a bid to seize the balance of power and weaken Australia’s gun laws.

The revelations are contained in an al-Jazeera investigation which used hidden cameras and a journalist posing as a grassroots gun campaigner to expose the far-right party’s extraordinary efforts to secure funding in Washington DC in September.

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NSW election: Gladys Berejiklian confident Coalition will win a majority

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Government clings to power despite big gains from minor parties and independents

Gladys Berejiklian has said she is confident the Coalition will return to government in New South Wales with a razor-thin majority as counting continues after Saturday’s state election.

The premier, who is the daughter of Armenian migrants, reiterated her objection to comments by the Labor leader, Michael Daley, about young Sydneysiders leaving the city and being replaced by “Asians”, which surfaced in the final week of the campaign, suggesting her background had helped her connect with voters.

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Gladys Berejiklian leads Coalition to third term in government in NSW

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Premier says she will work closely with minor parties as prospect of minority government remains

Gladys Berejiklian has led the Coalition to a third term in government in New South Wales despite a rising tide of minor parties and independents, and has become the first woman elected premier of the state at a general election.

Many seats were still too close to call on Saturday evening but one thing was certain – the night had been a huge disappointment for Labor, with no chance of forming government and no major improvement in their statewide primary vote compared with the election four years earlier.

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Bangers and ballots: everything you need to know about the NSW election

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There’s a good chance Saturday’s poll will produce a hung parliament. Here’s how to make your vote count – and where to buy your democracy sausage

Almost 5.3 million people are enrolled to vote at more than 8,000 voting stations in Saturday’s state election. New South Wales has fixed terms, with elections held on the fourth Saturday in March every four years since 1995. About a quarter of voters cast their ballot before election day in 2015, and this is expected to rise in 2019. Almost 850,000 people had voted by Thursday morning.

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Former Liberal adviser appointed head of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

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Josh Thomas, who worked with three Liberal environment ministers, will get an annual salary of $353,180

A former policy adviser to multiple Liberal party environment ministers has been appointed the new chief executive of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the government body responsible for managing the reef.

Josh Thomas, who worked as an adviser to current minister Melissa Price, as well as former environment ministers Josh Frydenberg and Greg Hunt, will start a five-year term in the role on 18 March with an annual salary of $353,180.

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Coalition relaxes visa rules to make it easier for farmers to hire skilled workers

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Farmers say change ‘a good first step’ but separate agricultural visa still needed

Australia’s visa rules have been relaxed to make it easier for farmers to hire skilled workers.

Farmers have described the changes as a good first step but warned they are unlikely to dampen calls from the sector for a separate agricultural visa because labour shortages are mainly in lower skilled harvesting roles.

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Celia Hammond wins Liberal preselection in Julie Bishop’s seat

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Former university vice-chancellor was backed by prominent conservatives including Mathias Cormann

Celia Hammond has been named the Liberal party’s candidate for Curtin, the safest blue-ribbon seat in Western Australia held by the former foreign minister Julie Bishop.

The former University of Notre Dame vice-chancellor, who was backed by prominent conservatives including the finance minister, Mathias Cormann, was preselected at a meeting on Sunday as the candidate for Curtin to fill the seat Bishop has held for two decades.

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Nationals rebels put the boot into their leader as party feels regional backlash

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Many MPs are exasperated with Michael McCormack and despairing about where they have washed up post-Barnaby Joyce

In practical terms it’s a strange thing to demand – calling on the leadership to pass a package that has no obvious prospect of passing the parliament without amendment in the time left available.

But six Queensland Nationals have elected to put the boot into their leader, Michael McCormack, for failing on two fronts: failing to pressure the Liberals to pass the so-called “big stick” package, which they believe will lower power prices, and failing to sign up to new taxpayer-backed investments in power generation. For most Nationals north of the New South Wales border, that means new coal generation.

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Julian Burnside takes on Josh Frydenberg as Greens candidate for Kooyong

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The refugee advocate sets up a four-way contest with the treasurer, Liberal-turned-independent Oliver Yates and Labor

The human rights lawyer and refugee advocate Julian Burnside will run as the Greens candidate for Kooyong at the next election.

In a statement that appeared in Nine newspapers and the Australian on Tuesday the prominent barrister said he would take on the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, in the blue-ribbon Liberal seat because he believes the “political system is broken”.

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‘Not a life sentence’: Christopher Pyne plots next move after 26 years in parliament

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The ‘fixer’ intends to enter the world of business, and lists the advice he gave John Howard in 1993 as one of his big regrets

Regrets, the retiring Christopher Pyne may have had a few, but one quickly sprang to mind when he was asked whether, looking back, he wished he had done anything differently.

“I probably wouldn’t have told John Howard in 1993 that his time was over, we wouldn’t go back to him,” he said. “That led to some period in the freezer for me.”

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Last four refugee children leave Nauru for resettlement in US

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Move follows intense campaign by refugee advocates for all children sent to the island by the Australian government to be taken off

The last four children living in Australian government-run offshore processing on Nauru have now left the island, amid a group of 19 people flown to the US for resettlement.

The group includes a number of Iranians, according to refugee advocates, contradicting persistent suspicions that Donald Trump’s travel ban on six nationalities was blocking refugees from the resettlement scheme.

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Liberal party chooses Katie Allen to succeed Kelly O’Dwyer in Higgins

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Paediatrician wins preselection for plum Melbourne seat ahead of federal election

The Liberal party has chosen a woman to succeed the cabinet minister Kelly O’Dwyer in the blue-ribbon seat of Higgins in Melbourne.

The paediatrician and former state election candidate Katie Allen was on Sunday afternoon picked to succeed O’Dwyer.

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Michaelia Cash demands apology after Senate grilling – politics live

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Senate estimates continue, with three senior ministers in Labor’s spotlight. All the days events, live

Ugh. Now that I have wrestled with tech demons, I can tell you that as expected, the motion to suspend standing orders goes down, 69 to 74.

The division is called – to see if Labor can suspend standing orders.

It does not look like the Nationals will be backing it.

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Labor demands investigation into ministers Cash and Keenan over AFP raid on AWU – politics live

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Earlier Mathias Cormann admitted he books holidays by calling CEO of travel company, who is also Liberal party treasurer, directly. All the day’s events live

Wayne Swan is on his feet, talking about his career, which included eight election wins and one loss, since 1993. Or as he describes it, enough days to cover almost four continuous years of parliament.

Wayne Swan says yesterday was his 35th wedding anniversary, and two hours ago, he became a grandfather again.

So it’s a good week to be Wayne Swan.

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Labor issues please explain over Paladin’s $420m Manus contract

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Penny Wong says it’s ‘deeply concerning’ a company with ‘such a poor track record’ was awarded a lucrative sum through closed tender

Penny Wong has indicated Labor will target the Paladin offshore detention security contract in Senate estimates this week, accusing the government of failing to explain why the company was awarded $420m in contracts through closed tender.

The Australian Financial Review has reported that Paladin Group’s $420m of contracts to provide security to refugees on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea was extended by the home affairs department in January after a closed tender process.

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Labor starts fightback on border security as medical evacuation bill passes Senate – as it happened

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Labor, the Greens, Tim Storer, Derryn Hinch and the Centre Alliance vote in favour of the refugee transfer legislation. This blog has now closed.

That is where we will leave you today. It’s been a big week and after the last few days, I think we all need a bex and a lie down.

Obviously, for me, when I say bex, I mean vodka, but insert whatever self-care aid is necessary.

From the valedictories

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