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| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| Tony Abbott urges Malcolm Turnbull to slash spending to fund tax cuts – politics live | Tony Abbott urges Malcolm Turnbull to slash spending to fund tax cuts – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.11am GMT | |
| 02:11 | |
| 2.08am GMT | |
| 02:08 | |
| Fifield is asked whether he’ll split the bill, given Labor will give him the reach rule but isn’t yet resolved to give him two out of three. The communications minister isn’t inclined to give up his leverage by letting Labor have a little think about things. Right now, the package is all or nothing. | |
| Bundling up is a punt: the media companies want deregulation so they can get bigger. The current industry speculation is a Fairfax merger with the Nine Network, and the Murdoch’s grabbing Network Ten. | |
| The media bosses want it. Will Labor pick a fight with the media owners in the countdown to a federal election? Hence, we get this, from the communications minister. | |
| Mitch Fifield | |
| I think it’s important that it’s looked at as a whole package and it’s my intention to secure passage of this, as a package. | |
| 2.02am GMT | |
| 02:02 | |
| Fifield says this package protects diversity. | |
| There are some organisations and people in the community who still maintain concerns about diversity and, for people who have those concerns, then we can direct them to the five four rule, we can direct them to the one to a market rule for TV, we can direct them to the two to a market rule for radio and we can also direct them to the ACCC provisions which remain in place – so we’ve taken an approach that we think would enjoy broad support. | |
| What about TV license fees? Again, some background. Kerry Stokes (the Seven Network boss and owner of West Australian newspapers) wants relief from paying TV licence fees (in fact that seems to be Stokes’ only pointy issue in this media reform debate.) Fifield says wait ‘til the budget. | |
| (I suspect we don’t have to wait. I’d be amazed if Kerry didn’t get what he wanted.) | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.19am GMT | |
| 1.57am GMT | |
| 01:57 | |
| The first question to Fifield is why is he not changing the anti-siphoning list? This is the regulation that reserves premium sport for free to air television. | |
| Fifield says, because there’s not consensus. (Meaning because the voters would go nuts.) Some necessary background. Mr Murdoch would like more premium sport for pay television. He’s not going to get it before the election. | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.18am GMT | |
| 1.54am GMT | |
| 01:54 | |
| Fifield says the government will implement some new local content requirements (basically to placate the Nationals). He’s going through those in some detail now. | |
| In summary this is good news for the media industry. It’s good news for consumers and it’s particularly good news for regional consumers. | |
| (Not great news for diversity, but I won’t digress at this stage.) | |
| 1.51am GMT | |
| 01:51 | |
| Hang onto your hats. Here’s the communications minister, Mitch Fifield, who is deciding that today’s the day to deregulate media ownership laws. | |
| Mitch Fifield: | |
| The legislation that will be introduced into the parliament will abolish what’s known as the 75% audience reach rule, which prevents anyone from owning or controlling television licences which reach more than 75% of the Australian population. | |
| The legislation will also abolish what’s known as the two out of three rule which prevents anyone from owning or controlling more than two out of three of the regulated traditional platforms of print, radio and TV in a radio licence area. | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.17am GMT | |
| 1.47am GMT | |
| 01:47 | |
| Foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop, on Abbott, in full. | |
| Q: How did the party room respond when it came to Mr Abbott making comments about the budget and having to rein in spending? | |
| Julie Bishop: | |
| I think that what goes on in the party room is generally confidential and it’s briefed out formally by I think George Brandis so, on the assumption that George Brandis has briefed out what Tony Abbott said in the party room, it was well received. | |
| The contributions of our colleagues are always well received. | |
| We are a party of lower taxes, smaller governments and we’re trying to find savings to repair the budget. I recall very well being in the Howard government that delivered successive surpluses and then when Labor came into government and panicked in response to the global financial crisis and then blew the surplus and then built up the most extraordinary level of debt and deficit and we have to find our way to repair the budget and that’s what we’re doing – so all contributions from colleagues in the party room are well received. | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.16am GMT | |
| 1.40am GMT | 1.40am GMT |
| 01:40 | 01:40 |
| Politics, this lunchtime | Politics, this lunchtime |
| That’s some pincer movement: preference whisperer Glenn Druery wedged between Green Lee Rhiannon and Family First senator Bob Day. | |
| This is my one and only shot at a lunchtime summary, so let’s crack on before the government unveils its media reform legislation before question time. | This is my one and only shot at a lunchtime summary, so let’s crack on before the government unveils its media reform legislation before question time. |
| Today, Tuesday. | Today, Tuesday. |
| To media reform and more besides. | To media reform and more besides. |
| Updated | |
| at 2.15am GMT | |
| 1.21am GMT | 1.21am GMT |
| 01:21 | 01:21 |
| Through the actions of my mum and others, I think I avoided a monster .. | Through the actions of my mum and others, I think I avoided a monster .. |
| Shorten is asked about this morning’s evidence from Cardinal George Pell to the royal commission. (I haven’t caught up with that yet but we have been covering it live.) | |
| The Labor leader says the evidence is personal. He feels he “avoided a monster” in his Melbourne parish. | The Labor leader says the evidence is personal. He feels he “avoided a monster” in his Melbourne parish. |
| Bill Shorten | Bill Shorten |
| In terms of some of the specific matters which have been asked of Pell, Cardinal Pell, it very personal because one of the terrible cases was a story from Sacred Heart and Oatley church in Melbourne and that used to be my parish. | In terms of some of the specific matters which have been asked of Pell, Cardinal Pell, it very personal because one of the terrible cases was a story from Sacred Heart and Oatley church in Melbourne and that used to be my parish. |
| The priest who went to jail who did terrible things which have caused such tragedy in the lives of families was my parish priest and, through the actions of my mum and others, I think I avoided a monster. | |
| So I think that the church does need to respond fully. | So I think that the church does need to respond fully. |
| Updated | |
| at 2.00am GMT | |
| 1.17am GMT | 1.17am GMT |
| 01:17 | 01:17 |
| The Shorten press conference is being replayed now. He’s been asked several questions on Senate voting reform. Shorten contends the Greens have been duped by the government and he warns of the risks of the Coalition getting control or defacto control of the Senate. | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.59am GMT | |
| 1.12am GMT | 1.12am GMT |
| 01:12 | 01:12 |
| To Labor. Bill Shorten has held a media conference about Linda Burney, the current deputy leader in NSW, running for the federal parliament at the coming election. | To Labor. Bill Shorten has held a media conference about Linda Burney, the current deputy leader in NSW, running for the federal parliament at the coming election. |
| I haven’t got to this news yet but this development was reported somewhere this morning, and Burney’s plan to run for Barton has been confirmed now. | |
| If Burney succeeds she’ll be the first Aboriginal woman to sit in the House of Representatives. | If Burney succeeds she’ll be the first Aboriginal woman to sit in the House of Representatives. |
| Updated | |
| at 1.59am GMT | |
| 1.06am GMT | 1.06am GMT |
| 01:06 | 01:06 |
| JSCEM has finished its hearings. I’ll sum that up when I get to the lunch time summary (she says, optimistically, knowing the tidal wave about to hit between now and question time.) Now I need to catch up with various things in a more comprehensive way. Give me a minute, and I’ll be back. | JSCEM has finished its hearings. I’ll sum that up when I get to the lunch time summary (she says, optimistically, knowing the tidal wave about to hit between now and question time.) Now I need to catch up with various things in a more comprehensive way. Give me a minute, and I’ll be back. |
| 1.04am GMT | 1.04am GMT |
| 01:04 | 01:04 |
| More from party room. As we predicted .. | More from party room. As we predicted .. |
| Complaints raised in Coalition party room about the tax reform process. Tony Abbott also urged lower taxes through lower spending | Complaints raised in Coalition party room about the tax reform process. Tony Abbott also urged lower taxes through lower spending |
| 1.02am GMT | 1.02am GMT |
| 01:02 | 01:02 |
| There’s been a brief barney in JSCEM over whether Druery should have to disclose whether or not he’s paid for his advice on preference deals. A question about income was ruled out of order earlier, but government MPs on the committee think they’d like an answer to the question. | There’s been a brief barney in JSCEM over whether Druery should have to disclose whether or not he’s paid for his advice on preference deals. A question about income was ruled out of order earlier, but government MPs on the committee think they’d like an answer to the question. |
| 12.58am GMT | 12.58am GMT |
| 00:58 | 00:58 |
| Back to JSCEM, Druery is insisting the Senate reform package will give the Coalition a blocking majority of 38 in some elections – as well as snuffing out the micro-parties. He thinks Nick Xenophon has taken an unfortunate decision in naming his political movement after himself: that increases the likelihood that the movement will extinguish itself once he retires. | Back to JSCEM, Druery is insisting the Senate reform package will give the Coalition a blocking majority of 38 in some elections – as well as snuffing out the micro-parties. He thinks Nick Xenophon has taken an unfortunate decision in naming his political movement after himself: that increases the likelihood that the movement will extinguish itself once he retires. |
| 12.55am GMT | 12.55am GMT |
| 00:55 | 00:55 |
| Just by the by, the first reports, post Coalition party room, are beginning to lob in. Phil Coorey from the Financial Review. | Just by the by, the first reports, post Coalition party room, are beginning to lob in. Phil Coorey from the Financial Review. |
| Former prime minister Tony Abbott has raised the temperature inside the Coalition over tax reform by calling on Malcolm Turnbull to make tough decisions to cut spending if he wanted to fund tax cuts. | Former prime minister Tony Abbott has raised the temperature inside the Coalition over tax reform by calling on Malcolm Turnbull to make tough decisions to cut spending if he wanted to fund tax cuts. |
| Mr Abbott, who as prime minister opposed tinkering with superannuation, negative gearing and the GST, told Tuesday’s weekly Coalition party room meeting “the only credible way to reduce taxes is to reduce spending”. | Mr Abbott, who as prime minister opposed tinkering with superannuation, negative gearing and the GST, told Tuesday’s weekly Coalition party room meeting “the only credible way to reduce taxes is to reduce spending”. |
| During discussion on tax reform, he said it was “time for the leadership to take on the savings challenge again”. | During discussion on tax reform, he said it was “time for the leadership to take on the savings challenge again”. |