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George Christensen resigns as National party chief whip – politics live Labor targets Coalition MPs who say voters penalty rate cut is positive – question time live
(35 minutes later)
3.33am GMT
03:33
Labor’s Tony Burke has asked a backbencher Andrew Laming a question, in his position as chair of the standing committee on employment, education and training. He wants to know whether Laming, a bit of a rebel, would consider public hearings into the penalty rate cuts.
Burke says it is in order. Christopher Pyne, as leader of the house, says it is not in order.
Speaker Tony Smith allows the question.
Laming says the committee will consider it at its next meeting, given the public hearings are already scheduled.
3.28am GMT
03:28
3.27am GMT
03:27
Denison independent Andrew Wilkie to Turnbull: I met recently with Daryl Gangel, who has now lost his part pension and must live on just $26,000 a year from his superannuation. This is barely above the poverty line. I’ve also met with [those on] defined superannuation benefits who have had the pensions slashed and are also struggling. Prime Minister, the government is doing no better with aged care, despite my repeated representations, and in particular, it’s gutted funding for residential care to the tune of $1.2bn. Prime Minister, what will you do to end this ruthless campaign against older Australians?
Turnbull says the changes only apply to those with significant assets apart from the family home.
He said the expectation is that “people will draw down on the assets to support themselves in retirement where they can”.
He reminds the parliament that Labor and the Greens supported the changes and John Howard was responsible for them.
Now, in 2007, when the government was banking surpluses and had billions of dollars in the bank, the asset test was made more generous. That decision was changed, as I said, around 18 months ago in the middle of 2015. Times had changed and we had to live within our means, and that was the tough decision that was taken by the government.
Updated
at 3.29am GMT
3.22am GMT
03:22
Labor’s Jason Clare to Turnbull: The trade minister said today about people impacted by the cuts to penalty rates, and I quote, “It’s only those on the margins.” Why does this government think that a wage cut of up to $77 a week of nearly 700,000 low paid Australian workers is just a marginal issue?
Turnbull:
No individual in this parliament had more to do with setting up that review of modern awards and penalty rates than the leadership. He owns it, it’s his process. Is he seriously suggesting that it never occurred to him that any of these penalty rates would be reduced?
This is what trade minister Steve Ciobo said.
Council of Small Business said that 80% of people will not be affected by this decision … because they’re on EBAs. So it’s only those on the margins, the 20% that are likely to be affected.
Updated
at 3.28am GMT
3.17am GMT
03:17
3.15am GMT
03:15
Paul Karp
Sam Dastyari is trying to drill down into whether Australia Post’s chairman, John Stanhope, had discussions with the government about executive pay before it blew up as an issue in October.
Stanhope does not recall a discussion with communications minister, Mitch Fifield, although Fifield said he had mentioned when he became minister that executive pay was a matter that drew attention from time to time.
Stanhope does remember a discussion with then-communications minister Malcolm Turnbull about pay, in which Turnbull queried why it was so high closer to September 2013. Stanhope said it was to attract executive talent, because Australia Post is a parcel business that competes with commercial operations.
There’s a kerfuffle as Dastyari keeps calling Turnbull the “prime minister” rather than “then-communications minister”. The cheeky Labor senator quips that Turnbull was “planning to be but wasn’t yet [prime minister]”.
3.13am GMT
03:13
Labor to Turnbull: Does Government policy agree with the member for Chisholm who told Kristina Keneally on Sky Today that she would be telling her electorate the decision to cut penalty rates for 700,000 Australians is a good thing?
Question time is continuing as it did yesterday.
Labor is hammering the penalty rate cut. Turnbull is saying Labor supported the Fair Work Commission and it is the independent umpire. Labor appointed the five members of the FWC.
3.05am GMT
03:05
Shorten to Turnbull: Can the prime minister confirm his colleague, the Liberal member for Gilmore, was describing Government policy when she said, “It’s a gift for our young people that their penalty rates that been cut?”
Turnbull says the hardworking member for Gilmore knows the penalty cut will create more employment opportunities by allowing small businesses to open on weekends.
Let me look at the comparison between big business and small business. This is a very important issue. Now, we stand for small business. Labor invariably lines up with big business. How is it that a small take away business pays $29.16 on a Sunday for an employee under the award, whereas McDonalds down the street can pay $21.08 for the same worker doing the same work? Why? Because they’ve done a deal with the union.
3.00am GMT
03:00
I’ll just cross to question time now but Paul Karp will keep us up to date on Ahmed Fahour.
2.56am GMT2.56am GMT
02:5602:56
John Stanhope says Aus Post salary structures are referenced on salaries offered by similar businesses which are major global parcel companies.John Stanhope says Aus Post salary structures are referenced on salaries offered by similar businesses which are major global parcel companies.
He underlined that the board does not need to seek permission for the salary but communication of the salary to government has been traditionally through the annual report.He underlined that the board does not need to seek permission for the salary but communication of the salary to government has been traditionally through the annual report.
In 2014-15, it was no longer a requirement.In 2014-15, it was no longer a requirement.
He said it was a mistake not to disclose the salary (voluntarily).He said it was a mistake not to disclose the salary (voluntarily).
Stanhope says he will disclose the 2014-15 salary – on notice. That is, not now.Stanhope says he will disclose the 2014-15 salary – on notice. That is, not now.
UpdatedUpdated
at 2.58am GMTat 2.58am GMT
2.52am GMT
02:52
Liberal chair senator Linda Reynolds thanks Fahour for outlining the “amazing transformation” of Australia Post.
Have I slipped into another portal?
2.48am GMT
02:48
Stanhope said Fahour has completely transformed the company.
Ahmed Fahour makes his own statement. He was thinking of resigning for sometime but he considered the recent pay debate and its impact on the brand and his family.
Under his leadership, Aus Post has ensured the “postie” delivers all parcels as well as letters, something that wasn’t happening before.
Aus Post has increased the annual payments to licensed post offices which ensured the viability of post offices, especially in rural and regional areas.
The business is worth $5bn-$6bn today. Aus Post is completely self-funded and does not “take $1” of taxpayer money.
Updated
at 2.59am GMT
2.40am GMT
02:40
John Stanhope, chair of Australia Post, is making an opening statement.
He makes the point Australia Post is now an e-commerce business, which needs remuneration in an industry which reflects a competitive recruitment market.
Nevertheless, Stanhope says it is clear the current chief’s salary is out of line with community standards.
2.37am GMT
02:37
Australia Post managing director Ahmed Fahour is in the hot seat. Labor, the Greens and the Coalition all (basically) say what a good job he has done.
Fahour must be laughing hysterically on the inside.
2.35am GMT
02:35
Re the last post on Christensen. The Queensland sugar dispute is one of George’s aforementioned problems.
Vote now in QLD parliament on whether LNP's sugar amendments (Wilmar v QSL) can be voted on urgently (tomorrow night) #qldpol
Ayes 45, noes 43. The LNP's sugar amendments will be debated tomorrow night, as a matter of urgency. #qldpol
When that is decided, we will have a clearer idea of whether Barnaby Joyce will intervene in sugar business – effectively part reregulating the industry – by imposing a code of conduct on it.
Updated
at 2.36am GMT
2.21am GMT
02:21
George Christensen has explained his move to the Australian’s Dennis Shanahan.
I don’t think people in Canberra understand what is going on in my electorate and I have to focus on holding my seat. Some people think I’m mad but there is method in my madness. I’m being challenged from the right now, not the left flank, and the polling in Dawson has the LNP on 51.5% and the Hanson party on 49.5%. The threat is not the Labor party.
Updated
at 2.30am GMT
2.13am GMT
02:13
Malcolm Turnbull: Unity!
Paul Karp
Malcolm Turnbull has stressed the importance of unity at the joint party room meeting, including that if the government sticks together, it will win the next election.
No mention was made of George Christensen’s resignation as Nationals whip, although deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce gave a speech about the need to talk about the government’s positive achievements.
Julie Bishop spoke about her productive meetings in the United States and the “very positive” attitudes to Australia from the vice-president, Mike Pence, secretary of state Rex Tillerson and national security adviser HR McMaster.
Bishop said that unions traded off penalty rates all the time, including Bill Shorten’s Australian Workers Union, proving they were not sacrosanct for the Labor party.
Updated
at 2.14am GMT
1.45am GMT
01:45
Just on George. It was obviously the right thing to do. You cannot expect others to stay in line when you are off on a frolic. This will free him up completely to dig in when required from his electorate in Dawson and cross the floor on the banking commission of inquiry.
1.41am GMT
01:41
George Christensen: I was not pushed
I have resigned as chief whip of the Nationals, effective 5pm this Thursday, March 2.
I made the decision to resign because my continued outspokenness on a variety of issues was obviously incompatible with the position of party whip in the long term.
It was my decision to resign and my decision alone.
I was not pushed by anyone.
However, I did feel some of my colleagues may have been aggrieved that the enforcer of discipline was being somewhat ill-disciplined himself.
Over the past week, as I’ve reached this decision, Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has been incredibly supportive and said he would have supported whatever decision I made on the matter.
I thank him and the rest of the Nationals team for the great honour of serving as their chief whip over the last six months.
Updated
at 1.46am GMT
1.34am GMT
01:34
Ben Doherty
We recorded this yesterday but this is the final instalment.
The Liberal senator David Fawcett has apologised after a “poor choice of words” in parliament appeared to describe asylum seekers coming to Australia seeking protection as “fleas”.
Fawcett’s comments were made during a Senate estimates discussion on asylum seekers arriving by boat, saying the Labor party had “brought the fleas” and was now attempting to “nitpick” in parliament with questions over asylum policy cost blowouts, wasteful and unauthorised spending.
“I just do question the ethics of nitpicking when your particular group perhaps brought the fleas in the first place,” he told the hearing at Parliament House, directing his comments at Labor members.
Unknown senators on the committee said “hear hear”, while Fawcett’s fellow Liberal and committee chair Ian Macdonald was heard on the microphones to say “nicely put”.
Following the comments, Fawcett sought to clarify that he had intended to suggest that Labor had created the “irritation” of stress within the immigration department, not that he was characterising asylum seekers as fleas.
But he made a further late-night apology to the Senate.
“I have just been on the phone to Mr Phil Glendenning, the president of Refugee Council of Australia. He has outlined how the words I spoke earlier today have been taken and the deep hurt that this has caused across the network of communities that his council represents.
“Whilst it was never my intention that my comments would refer to refugees in such a way, it’s clear that my poor choice of words has caused hurt to many people and consequently I sincerely apologise.”
Updated
at 1.47am GMT