Dan Tehan booted from the House under 94a
The Coalition continues its prosecution of Chris Bowen, with shadow energy minister Dan Tehan asserting that a former COP president, Alok Sharma, visited more than 50 countries while in the role.
Before Bowen starts, Milton Dick warns again to stop with the labels, and call ministers by their titles (Tehan nods emphatically in response).
Bowen says the role – contrary to the Coalition’s slogan – is not a “full-time job”.
The president of the first Cop I went to was the minister who continued in his role in the Egyptian cabinet while being president of the Cop.
To suggest [it is] a full-time job somehow is … a complete invention. A fantasy. You can say as many times as you like, it doesn’t make it true.
Tehan tries to make to make a point of order and again calls Bowen a part time minister, which Dick is very unhappy with, promptly kicking Tehan out.
Key events
Liberal backbencher Terry Young puts the spotlight on Chris Bowen again, asking when energy prices will come down. He says a business in his electorate paid 47.5% more for its power bill last month compared to November 2022.
Bowen says he’s happy to have the debate and spruiks the government’s home battery program, which he says has seen more than 136,000 Australians install a battery.
136,000 batteries, that is how it is going, that is how it is going, going great and they will continue to go strong because Australian households and businesses. They know that what is good for your pocket is good for the planet and it is true of households and businesses and countries.
At the end of the question, Milton Dick tells David Littleproud he’s “had a good go” interjecting, and better stay silent the rest of QT or face a similar fate to Dan Tehan (who was booted a little earlier). Littleproud laughs and checks his watch – he’s got to hold it in for another 35-ish minutes.
Crossbench continue hammering Labor over lack of gambling ad reform
To the crossbench: Andrew Wilkie says to the prime minister that he’s spoken to Labor backbenchers who want gambling advertising banned. So he asks, will the government allow a free vote on the issue?
Anthony Albanese gives something of a non-answer, but says again that the government has done “more than any other” to reduce gambling harm.
The government still hasn’t responded to a Labor-chaired report which made more than 30 recommendations and was handed down two and a half years ago. Albanese says:
Our Labor caucus makes decisions, which is why we have done more than any other government since federation to tackle problem gambling and we will continue to work as a caucus and as a government to continue to work on these issues.
That’s the whole answer.
Ley joins Plibersek in supporting funding boost for 1800 RESPECT
During a dixer, Tanya Plibersek speaks to the government’s funding announcement today to boost support for 1800 RESPECT.
Plibersek says the government’s investments are “beginning to make a difference”, but it’s not going far enough.
We have to acknowledge success when we see it, but do we think we have done enough? Not ever. Not while there is one victim of family domestic or sexual violence will this government rest.
We will continue to work and I know those opposite share our belief that every single one of us has a responsibility to act.
Sussan Ley makes remarks on indulgence to support the funding, and the need to take further action to prevent domestic violence.
Yesterday I read out the names of 74 women who lost their lives in the last 12 months and I made the point of 74 women their lives in a single event the whole country would pause and say what on earth is going on and we need to pause every single time this happens because every single one of those lives is precious.
Dan Tehan booted from the House under 94a
The Coalition continues its prosecution of Chris Bowen, with shadow energy minister Dan Tehan asserting that a former COP president, Alok Sharma, visited more than 50 countries while in the role.
Before Bowen starts, Milton Dick warns again to stop with the labels, and call ministers by their titles (Tehan nods emphatically in response).
Bowen says the role – contrary to the Coalition’s slogan – is not a “full-time job”.
The president of the first Cop I went to was the minister who continued in his role in the Egyptian cabinet while being president of the Cop.
To suggest [it is] a full-time job somehow is … a complete invention. A fantasy. You can say as many times as you like, it doesn’t make it true.
Tehan tries to make to make a point of order and again calls Bowen a part time minister, which Dick is very unhappy with, promptly kicking Tehan out.
Bowen has brought receipts on Ley’s international travel
Continuing on from that first post, Ley tries to make a point of order because Bowen hasn’t said how many days he’ll miss when leading COP climate negotiations.
It’s already getting rowdy today, because when Bowen responds and brings up the international trips of a certain former environment minister (Ley), the House erupts. Bowen says:
Apparently international trip are not appropriate.
This is a recent development, because on 11 July 2021 the minister for the environment announced she would be travelling overseas as part of the Morrison government’s campaign to stand up for Australia’s interests and support the Great Barrier Reef communities and tourism operators [as the] head of the Unesco World Heritage meeting.
The press release says Minister Ley will visit a number of countries.
It does not tell us how many visit there were, we had to read the Australian to find out Sussan Ley travel[led] to more than a dozen countries … to secure support.
That’s what you call a COP out.
Coalition knives out for Chris Bowen
The energy minister is back in the House today, and the Coalition has whipped out the “part-time minister, full-time president” line for a second day in a row.
Sussan Ley starts saying “welcome back to Australia!”, prompting jeers from the Coalition benches.
How many days of Parliament will [the] part-time minister miss in 2026 and what will be the cost to Australian taxpayers of the minister’s full-time presidential duties?
Bowen – who loves some QT banter – gets up and starts listing off a bunch of former Coalition ministers who chaired international summits.
When you are a patriotic party of government you celebrate national successes, whether you are in opposition or in government.
That is the approach the Labor party in opposition talk when John Howard chaired APEC, with our support.
It is the approach the Labor party took when Tony Abbott chaired the G20, with our support.
The approach the Labor party took to support the appointment of Mathias Corman as Secretary general of the OECD.
Milton Dick has a lot less patience today and warns MPs to behave (he name-checks Angus Taylor, who keeps making interjections).
Ley joins tributes for Graham Richardson
Opposition Sussan Ley also extends her condolences, and says Richardson represents “so much of the Labor party tradition”:
A tough political operator, committed to advancing the cause of Labor. His approach to politics is exemplified by his autobiographical book Whatever It Takes.
He never pulled punches and fought for the labor cause; he was a larger-than-life character who was a constant presence in Australian politics for almost 50 years.
It’s question time!
After an intense couple of hours in the Senate, we move over to the House for QT.
Before questions begin, Anthony Albanese marks the death of former Labor MP Graham Richardson.
Once branded the “minister for kneecaps”, Richardson passed away earlier this month. Albanese says “Richo’s” greatest impact was during his role as environment minister.
He was characteristically self-effacing, as he put it, ‘my memory will not be around for very long but the rainforest of North Queensland will around forever’.
There is no escaping the fact that his life was often colourful and sometimes controversial. Yet while he was not perfect, he was always very direct. That much was evident in the famously self-aware title of his memoir: ‘Whatever it takes.’
Tom McIlroy
Hanson’s Senate suspension first since 1979
Pauline Hanson’s suspension from the Senate will see her miss the start of next year’s parliamentary sittings.
After her stunt wearing a burqa into the chamber on Monday, the One Nation leader was censured and suspended for seven sitting days on Tuesday.
If the Senate sits until Thursday this week, as is expected, Hanson will still be suspended for the first four sitting days of 2026.
It is only the fifth time since 1901 that a seven-day suspension has been put in place and the first time since 1979.
Benita Kolovos
Victoria’s new opposition leader guarantees ‘no reduction to frontline services under a Liberal government’
After emerging from the spill victorious last week, Labor immediately accused Wilson of presiding over a plan to cut government services. But Wilson told the CEDA event she would guarantee there would be “no reductions to frontline services under a Liberal government”. She said:
We don’t want to fix the budget for its own sake. We want to fix it because we want to guarantee the essential services Victorians rely on and indeed we want to build on them. We will guarantee essential services because unlike Labor, we can manage the budget.
Wilson also made light of the spill, admitting to the audience that “a week is a long time in politics”.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, will deliver her “state of the state” address at a seperate CEDA event on Thursday.
Benita Kolovos
The new Victorian opposition leader, Jess Wilson, has used a speech at Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) event to propose setting up a bipartisan commission to reduce the state’s debt.
Wilson, who became Liberal leader following a spill against Brad Battin this time last week, told the event she had written to the premier, Jacinta Allan, on Tuesday morning with the proposal.
She said the commission – made up of former Victorian treasurers, senior figures from the treasury department and previous auditors-general – would be tasked with coming up with policies to address the state’s growing debt. This would include recommendations designed to reduce the debt-to-GSP ratio over the short, medium and long term.
The proposed commission would also be able to call for submissions and hold public hearings.
Wilson told the CEDA event Victorians debt was forecast to grow to $194bn in 2028-29, with the government expected to be paying “$1.2m in interest every hour”. She said:
We are now at the point where net debt and the associated interest payments are becoming an existential threat to the Victorian economy. We cannot assume we will simply bounce back out of this. This issue is so serious that I strongly believe we must place this beyond narrow party politics.
This challenge does not get solved by the normal back and forth of parliamentary debates and mud slinging. We have to take the politics out of solving this crisis.
While it is unlikely the government will agree to the proposal, it shows a shift in policy direction under Wilson when compared with Battin, who was criticised by his colleagues amid the spill for focusing too heavily on crime.
Censure doesn’t ‘worry me’ says Hanson
Speaking to the press after being suspended from the Senate for seven days, Pauline Hanson has again defended her stunt in parliament on Monday afternoon.
She says she was “upset” she wasn’t given more time to respond to the criticism levelled at her during the 30 minutes of debate today before the censure motion and suspension motion were voted on.
She says:
Does it [the censure] really worry me? No, it doesn’t. For seven days, not at all. I stand my ground and what I believe in, I will continue to do so.
It will be the people that will judge me. I will be standing for the next election in Queensland, and I will let the people of Queensland judge me whether I have earned my place to be reelected again or not. I will not let these people here judge me.
Hanson says Australia should look at other countries who have banned the burqa, and insists there’s public support for her stance.
In pictures: Pauline Hanson suspended from parliament for seven days
Tom McIlroy
Labor House members asked to prepare in case environmental laws pass Senate on Thursday night
Labor’s lower house members have been told to stay in Canberra until Friday morning in case changes to the country’s environment laws pass the Senate on Thursday night.
The legislation for changes to the EPBC Act would have to return to the House of Representatives if there are amendments in the upper house.
Sarah Basford Canales
Coalition to release principles on immigration policy before end of the year
The Coalition will release principles for its immigration policy before the end of the year, Sussan Ley told a joint party room meeting this morning.
Off the back of a bruising internal policy battle over net zero and energy policy, the opposition is hoping for a more “constructive”, as one Liberal MP might put it, few weeks to settle its next position.
The shadow home affairs minister, Jonathon Duniam, and shadow immigration minister, Paul Scarr, are holding consultations and open-door meetings with Coalition members between now and the year’s end to thrash out the stance it sells to the public before the next election (don’t stress, that’s at least two years away).
The deputy opposition leader, Ted O’Brien, told MPs and senators to rest up over the Christmas break, noting the Liberals had spent much of the past six months in the headlines. Perhaps not the headlines the opposition party was hoping for, however.
Pauline Hanson is suspended from the Senate for seven days
After she speaks, Penny Wong gets back up to move a motion to suspend Hanson from the Senate entirely for seven days.
There are just a few voices who object to the suspension, and a division is called, but then quickly cancelled as Hanson stands up and says, “you can cancel that division, the people will judge me at the next election.”
Senate president Sue Lines cancels the division, and after that very intense hour, the chamber moves onto its normal, regularly scheduled programming.
Hanson doubles down on burqa stunt: ‘You dare question me over my respect for this place?’
Hanson doubles down on her stunt yesterday in during the five minutes she has to explain or apologise following the censure motion.
She says the Senate should have allowed her to introduce her bill and debate it, and rejected claims she doesn’t have respect for people of faith.
You denied me and the people of Australia to have that voice, you chose to shut that down.
The parliamentarians that are here, you dare question me over my respect for this place? The senators in this place have no respect for the Australian people when they have an elected member who wants to move something and represent them and have a say.
Babet interjects during Wong’s speech and rails against ‘radical Islam’
Josh Butler
We need to go back to an earlier part of the debate, after UAP senator Ralph Babet interjected during Penny Wong’s speech to claim “I hate radical Islam”.
As Krishani brought you earlier, Wong was speaking about Hanson’s burqa stunt, saying:
“After what occurred yesterday, someone I’m close to this morning spoke about a conversation with her seven-year-old daughter last night and her daughter asked, ‘Mummy, do all Christians hate Muslims?’ That summarised where we find ourselves,” she said.
Babet was heard by Guardian Australia, and by numerous people in the Senate chamber, to have called out “I do” at this point of Wong’s speech.
Approached for comment, Babet did not deny calling out the remark, adding: “Radical Islam has no place in Australia, it is the sword that the radical Marxists will use to dismantle western civilisation.”
The words “I do” can be faintly made out on video recordings of the Senate debate, and were heard by several Senate sources from various political parties. Babet told Guardian Australia he had said: “I do, I hate radical Islam”.
Pauline Hanson censured by the Senate – 55 votes to five
After splitting the motion – the first which the Coalition did not support (except for Andrew McLachlan, who crossed the floor to vote with the government) – the second part, which was the substantive text of the motion, has passed, 55 votes to 5.
As per the motion, Hanson now has five minutes to make an explanation or apology.
