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'I feel very sad' for Pauline Hanson, says Australia Post's Ahmed Fahour – question time live
'I feel very sad' for Pauline Hanson, says Australia Post's Ahmed Fahour – politics live
(35 minutes later)
4.44am GMT
04:44
Man arrested in Young for alleged assistance to Islamic State
Malcolm Turnbull says the Australian Federal Police have arrested a 42-year-old man in the New South Wales town of Young in relation to terrorism offences.
This operation does not relate to any planned terrorist attack in Australia. Police will allege that the man arrested has sought to advise ISIL on how to develop high-tech weapons capability.
4.42am GMT
04:42
The AFP has arrested a man in NSW in relation to alleged terrorism offences. More details soon. #auspol @AFPmedia
4.37am GMT
04:37
4.33am GMT
04:33
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04:32
4.28am GMT
04:28
Press conference coming up with Malcolm Turnbull, justice minister Michael Keenan and AFP commissioner Andrew Colvin.
4.23am GMT
04:23
Back to Ahmed Fahour now.
Asked whether he received a phone call from his former communications minister Malcolm Turnbull prior to his criticism of his salary, Fahour says:
Unfortunately no I didn’t …When he gets a chance I am sure he will.I’m sure he will ring me up and offer to buy me a beer.
Updated
at 4.26am GMT
4.18am GMT
04:18
That’s it for QT.
The ABC understands there's an AFP op currrently underway near Young, north of Canberra. Expecting a press conference in Parli after #qt
4.12am GMT
04:12
Ahmed Fahour says no golden handshake: I hope I’ll get a stamp though
Still in the hot seat, managing director of Australia Post Ahmed Fahour is asked whether he’ll get a termination payment on the way out the door. He says he’d structured his departure as a resignation, which doesn’t trigger the various provisions in his contract.
Ahmed Fahour:
There’s no golden handshake, there’s no watch, I hope I’ll get a stamp though.
4.11am GMT
04:11
Labor’s Tim Hammond to Turnbull: It’s reported today that company profits have increased and if the prime minister gets his way, the same companies will receive a generous tax cut. At the same time, the decision to cut penalty rates will mean that workers in the shopping centre in my electorate will have their pay cut. Is this the prime minister’s future for my state in Western Australia, taxpayer-funded handouts to big businesses but pay cuts for low-paid workers because he supports the decision to cut penalty rates?
Turnbull:
That was a very revealing question. The honourable member described a proposed cut in company tax as a taxpayer-funded handout to business. So that’s the view of the Labor party. They believe that the profits of every business in Australia, every company, basically belongs to the government. And that anything that is left after tax is a handout from the government.
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at 4.12am GMT
4.08am GMT
4.08am GMT
04:08
04:08
Labor’s Tanya Plibersek to Turnbull: I refer to the Prime Minister’s answer to my question yesterday. Does the Prime Minister acknowledge that 77% of pharmacy workers are women? Did the Prime Minister avoid mentioning these workers yesterday because he knows that cutting wages in female dominated industries will increase the gender pay gap?
Labor’s Tanya Plibersek to Turnbull: I refer to the prime minister’s answer to my question yesterday. Does the prime minister acknowledge that 77% of pharmacy workers are women? Did the prime minister avoid mentioning these workers yesterday because he knows that cutting wages in female dominated industries will increase the gender pay gap?
Turnbull says of FWC president Iain Ross:
Turnbull says of FWC president Iain Ross:
The president comes from a lifetime’s experience in the Australian Council of Trade unions. So there is no question about their backgrounds and their experience.They considered, very carefully, the modern award’s objective of maintaining equal rates of pay between men and women for comparable work, and that’s one of the objectives of modern awards. They considered that. And they concluded that the awards that they agreed on were appropriate ones. Now, we support the independent umpire doing that detailed work.
The president comes from a lifetime’s experience in the Australian Council of Trade unions. So there is no question about their backgrounds and their experience. They considered, very carefully, the modern award’s objective of maintaining equal rates of pay between men and women for comparable work, and that’s one of the objectives of modern awards. They considered that. And they concluded that the awards that they agreed on were appropriate ones. Now, we support the independent umpire doing that detailed work.
4.04am GMT
04:04
Labor to Shorten: Last financial year, Harvey Norman increased the profit by 30% to over $348m. If the prime minister gets his way, it will also receive a generous tax cut. At the same time, the decision to cut penalty rates will mean thousands of Harvey Norman workers will have their pay cut. Is this the prime minister’s Australia? Taxpayer-funded handouts to big business, but pay cuts for hardworking Australians?
Turnbull again asks if Labor has checked whether the workers are on an enterprise bargaining agreement or a modern award.
He repeats his statement that the Fair Work Commission is an independent umpire which spent a lot of time assessing its decision.
Updated
Updated
at 4.05am GMT
at 4.11am GMT
3.59am GMT
03:59
Ahmed Fahour is feeling sad for Pauline
While the question time hurly burly thunders overhead, the Australia Post CEO Ahmed Fahour is in the estimates chair.
He has faced questions about Pauline Hanson’s role in his departure from the organisation in the middle of a furore about his remuneration package. The committee chair, Liberal senator Linda Reynolds, was inclined to shut the questioning down when it came around to issues of race and ethnicity, but the questions went ahead despite her initial reservation.
Hanson was chief among the critics of Fahour once his $5.6m package became a matter of public record. She was also critical of his decision to make a donation to an Islamic museum out of the proceeds of his executive bonus. Fahour was asked whether there was a racial dimension to her criticism. (Hanson denies this, for the record.)
He took a long pause before answering.
Ahmed Fahour:
I felt really sad for the Senator that she would descend to that level of commentary. I felt it was very ill-informed. I also felt it was hurtful to my wife, who is English-Irish and went to a Catholic school, and our four beautiful children.
We love our country. I love my country so much. So I feel sorry for Senator Hanson.
We came here legitimately. We assimilated, and we love being in this country.
It’s interesting to note that Hanson is not at today’s estimates hearing, where she could have pursued Fahour across the estimates table.
Updated
at 4.01am GMT
3.56am GMT
03:56
Trade minister Steve Ciobo has been up late writing jokes. He answered a government question and riffed on the Oscars.
There was actually power on in South Australia today and that meant that they could actually broadcast the Oscars. And I have to say, there were a few envelope stuff-ups yesterday.
Let me give are recap. Because there’s no doubt that the Oscar for best special effects should have gone to the former treasurer, the Member for Lilley, [Wayne Swan because] he made his surplus disappear. And may I say Mr Speaker, that the Oscar for best supporting actor should have gone for the member for Grayndler [Anthony Albanese] for the role in Get Shorten - sorry, Get Shorty!
Coming out of the most recent role as the man with two faces, the Leader of the Opposition should receive the Oscar because in his renewable energy La La Land, everyone will be living in Moonlight.
3.51am GMT
03:51
Shorten to Turnbull: Can the prime minister explain to the house why when company profits have increased by almost $26bn to record levels, he wants to cut company tax? And when there is record low wages growth, he does nothing to stop wage cuts of up to $77 a week for Australians? Prime Minister, why is it when profits are surging, companies get more and when wages are flat, workers get even less under your government?
Turnbull quotes previous Shorten support for company tax cuts.
Economics has been thrown out the window. We are now in a parallel populist universe of the leader of the opposition where apparently, there is no connection between the rate of tax companies pay and what they invest. That’s La La Land. Another part of La La Land says that you can stop trading with other countries and you can be a protectionist.
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at 3.54am GMT
3.46am GMT
03:46
Where is Pauline Hanson? After bragging about Aus Post she hasn't shown up to Senate Estimates. pic.twitter.com/XcpSdy718N
Government question to Peter Dutton on restoring integrity to the migration program.
3.41am GMT
03:41
Labor’s Tony Burke to Turnbull: In question time a few moments ago, the prime minister said that he supported the penalty rates decision and also said, “We support the independent umpire whether it is the courts or the Fair Work Commission.” Given this parliament regularly changes the law following the decision of courts and tribunals when they are not what the government wanted, including when the government abolished the road safety remuneration policy, they’re doing exactly that on native title before the Senate now. Is the reason the prime minister refuses to act in this simply because he supports the pay cut?
Turnbull again quotes Shorten’s support of the “independent umpire”, the Fair Work Commission.
Here’s a real fact to bear in mind. A person working in a dress shop, a clothing shop, is entitled to be paid $38.88 an hour on a Sunday, as a shop assistant.
If they’re working for Target, just down the road, they can be paid $31.02 an hour. Why? Because there’s been a deal done with the union. The union of which the member for Watson was an organiser has traded away their penalty rates and doing so in a manner that disadvantages small business.
Updated
at 3.52am GMT
3.37am GMT
03:37
Paul Karp
Australia Post chairman, John Stanhope, has already conceded it was a mistake that it did not disclose the CEO’s pay when the regime changed in 2015 (and no longer required it).
The committee is now asking chief executive, Ahmed Fahour, if he will also join the mea culpa.
At first, he won’t repeat that it was a mistake:
That’s not a matter for me anymore. My opinion is no longer relevant. We did everything we were required to.
Sam Dastyari tries again asking about the perception that Australia Post was not being transparent. Fahour backs the chairman and says “clearly it’s regrettable” in relation to that perception.
3.36am GMT
03:36
Christopher Pyne gets a government question on Labor’s ideological approach to renewable energy.
