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| Version 8 | Version 9 |
|---|---|
| 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) | |
| 2.54am GMT | |
| 02:54 | |
| Jane Norman from the ABC has tweeted that Cory Bernardi has been selected for one of the parliament’s prime junkets (sorry, study tours) – the three month sortie to the United Nations. Just out of interest, the government MP who last went on this trip was Barry O’Sullivan, the LNP Senator who used to make quite a sideline out of giving the HRC president Gillian Triggs an extremely hard time every time she crossed his path in an estimates committee. | |
| Happy days. | |
| 2.35am GMT | |
| 02:35 | |
| Apologies I should have explained that last video: that’s Tony Abbott in response to the prime minister’s pep talk to the party room earlier today. | |
| Clap along, if you feel, that happiness is the truth .. | |
| 2.32am GMT | |
| 02:32 | |
| The sound of half a hand clapping. | |
| Applause for the PM in this morning's Coalition joint party room meeting. pic.twitter.com/zjGK4T02VY | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.33am GMT | |
| 2.28am GMT | |
| 02:28 | |
| A nauseating exchange of compliments .. | |
| My colleague Lenore Taylor is just back from the official briefing after the Coalition party room meeting. | |
| The official briefer, outed earlier today as George Brandis by the foreign minister, Julie Bishop, told reporters the exchange between Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull was almost a love in. It could perhaps be characterised as a slightly nauseating exchange of compliments. | |
| Basically a number of MPs took the opportunity of today’s meeting to raise their concerns about the government fiddling with negative gearing. In the middle of that debate, Abbott made his contribution, which was, essentially, to remind colleagues of two truisms: the government had a spending problem and not a revenue problem. Abbott was cautious about going near negative gearing in part because of Malcolm’s brilliant attack on Labor’s policy. | |
| The prime minister responded to this performance assessment by noting that leadership was about continuity and change – he said the government was continuing the budget strategy that Tony Abbott had so openly and courageously begun. | |
| The prime minister apparently wound up by inviting the treasurer Scott Morrison to speak, noting the treasurer was handling a difficult debate really well. Morrison told colleagues the government was dancing on the top of pin head when it came to tax reform. Morrison noted that tax reductions could only come from another tax because spending reductions had to go to deficit reduction. | |
| Which is a little different to Abbott’s version. In any case, a nauseating exchange of compliments. For your lunchtime reading. | |
| 2.11am GMT | 2.11am GMT |
| 02:11 | 02:11 |
| Updated | |
| at 2.20am GMT | |
| 2.08am GMT | 2.08am GMT |
| 02:08 | 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. | 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 Murdochs 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. | 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 | 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. | 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. |
| Updated | |
| at 2.20am GMT | |
| 2.02am GMT | 2.02am GMT |
| 02:02 | 02:02 |
| Fifield says this package protects diversity. | 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. | 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. | 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.) | (I suspect we don’t have to wait. I’d be amazed if Kerry didn’t get what he wanted.) |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.19am GMT | at 2.19am GMT |
| 1.57am GMT | 1.57am GMT |
| 01:57 | 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. | 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. | 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 | Updated |
| at 2.18am GMT | at 2.18am GMT |
| 1.54am GMT | 1.54am GMT |
| 01:54 | 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. | 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. | 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.) | (Not great news for diversity, but I won’t digress at this stage.) |
| 1.51am GMT | 1.51am GMT |
| 01:51 | 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. | 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: | 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 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. | 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 | Updated |
| at 2.17am GMT | at 2.17am GMT |