Category Archives: Coalition

Australians are asking how did we get here? Well, Islamophobia is practically enshrined as public policy | Jason Wilson

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Any 28-year-old has grown up in a time when racism was ratcheting up in the public culture

The worst terror attack in New Zealand’s modern history took place on Friday, and the alleged perpetrator is an Australian.

Appropriately, this calamity has started a process of deep reflection in the man’s home country. Everywhere, decent Australians are asking, how did we get here? Do we own him?

There has been extensive, international discussion about the role of the online subculture of the far right in these events – the codes, memes and signals of internet-mediated white supremacy.

Related: To prevent another Christchurch we must confront the right’s hate preachers | Jonathan Freedland

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Even in its dying days, the government denies the need for climate action | Peter Lewis

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The reckoning for this failure will come at the next election. And it can’t come soon enough

For all the skittishness of Australian politics through the years of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison governments there’s been one factor that has been remarkably consistent.

Amid leadership coups, cultural offensives and the revolving door of energy policy acronyms, the Australian public has remained steadfast in its belief that more needs to be done to address climate.

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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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‘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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Weakened aid budget may be used to fund $2bn Pacific island infrastructure bank

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Aid groups fear money will be diverted from the aid budget, risking doors ‘closing to us in Asia’

Aid groups fear the federal government is on the verge of taking more money from the strained aid budget to fund a $2bn infrastructure bank for Pacific island nations.

Prime minister Scott Morrison announced the Australian infrastructure financing facility last year as part of Australia’s “Pacific step up”, which is aimed at combatting rising Chinese influence in the region.

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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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Scott Morrison says people smugglers will ‘have a crack’ if Labor is elected

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Bill Shorten dismisses PM’s comments, saying it’s possible to have strong borders and treat people humanely

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has sent out a fresh message on border security, saying “people smugglers know they won’t get through me and Peter Dutton” but would “have a crack” if Bill Shorten became prime minister.

Morrison said the government had “increased the strength, resource and capability again of Operation Sovereign Borders” after the asylum seeker medevac legislation passed parliament this week, in spite of the Coalition’s best efforts to block it.

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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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Medical evacuation bill still alive with Phelps open to amendments – politics live

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Key crossbencher Kerryn Phelps indicates she would consider Labor’s changes to the medevac legislation. All the day’s events, live

The PMO has released the transcript of Scott Morrison’s doorstop this morning:

JOURNALIST: Prime minister, if you lose the medevac bill today, why should you not drive to Government House and call an election?

You may remember from Luke’s report yesterday, that David de Garis declined to answer how he found out about the AWU raid. Looks like shiz is about to get reeeal interesting in the federal court.

Justice Bromberg has ruled Michaelia Cash's former media adviser David De Garis will have to give evidence about who tipped him off that federal police were set to raid the AWU's offices. #auspol

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Labor caucus signs off on medical evacuations bill – as it happened

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Labor has been holding talks all day and has agreed on three principles. All the day’s events, live

And that is where we are going to call it quits tonight.

But fear not – we’ll be back in about 12 hours. It is going to be that sort of year, me thinks.

Scott Morrison and Marise Payne will hold a press conference at 8.45 tonight to talk about Hakeem al-Araibi.


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For the sake of trust in politics Tim Wilson must go – the problem is he can’t see that | Katharine Murphy

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Tim Wilson, in his hurry to ‘help’, has overreached and anyone can see his position isn’t tenable

If it wasn’t already obvious, we have entered the “whatever it takes” stage of proceedings.

The Coalition wants to get back into the contest, and is on the hunt for the knockout blow, or blows. The core objective at the moment is to get the whole country roiling about Labor’s “retirement tax” (that isn’t a tax, just like the carbon tax was never a tax despite what Tony told us).

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Josh Frydenberg defends Coalition’s climate record as he faces challenge in Kooyong

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Treasurer says climate change is real and Scott Morrison’s government takes emissions reduction ‘very seriously’

Josh Frydenberg has defended the Coalition’s record on climate change and says he will work hard to earn the trust of his constituents in the face of a challenge from long-time Liberal and now independent Oliver Yates.

Yates, a former Macquarie banker and head of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, confirmed on Wednesday he would run in Kooyong at the coming federal election, declaring Frydenberg deserved to be challenged because of a lack of action on the environment.

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Peter Dutton tops GetUp’s ‘hard right’ hit list for federal election

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Tony Abbott in second place as activist group looks to extend list of targets

Peter Dutton is the most unpopular Australian politician among GetUp supporters, with the activist organisation now looking to extend its “hard right” MP target hit list for the upcoming federal election.

The home affairs minister, who is already facing an established GetUp campaign against him in his marginal Queensland seat of Dickson, dominated the activist group’s poll of most loathed politicians, attracting 22,028 first-place votes.

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Rahaf al-Qunun: Labor says Saudi refugee should be resettled in Australia

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Bill Shorten urges Scott Morrison to accept Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun now that the UN has validated her refugee claim

Labor has said the Saudi teenager Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun should be resettled in Australia now that her refugee claim had been validated.

The party’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Penny Wong, told ABC radio on Thursday Bill Shorten had written to Scott Morrison urging him to accept Qunun.

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‘I’ll eat my hat’: Tanya Plibersek trashes Liberals’ stand on female representation

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Deputy Labor leader says Liberals cannot use ‘merit’ argument, considering some of its ‘unimpressive blokes’

The Liberal party cannot fall back on the argument it preselects candidates on merit, given “some of the blokes” it counts among its parliamentary ranks, Tanya Plibersek has said.

Responding to frontbencher Sussan Ley’s push for the Liberal party to work towards a “sensible number” to improve its female representation and break ranks from the majority who remained opposed to quotas, Plibersek said it was beyond time this happened.

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