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Version 10 Version 11
Greg Hunt calls Greens medicinal cannabis motion 'reckless' – question time live Turnbull calls Labor dimwitted for playing politics over energy – question time live
(35 minutes later)
6.03am BST
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Shorten to Turnbull: Is the prime minister aware that in just 18 days time, on 1 July, AGL power prices in NSW will go up by 16%, penalty rates will be cut for nearly 700,000 Australians and millionaires will get a tax cut. When household budgets for low- and middle-income Australians are getting even tighter, why is the prime minister’s only priority giving people who earn a million dollars a tax cut?
Turnbull attacks what he calls Shorten’s feeble attempts at the politics of envy.
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05:52
Tanya Plibersek to Turnbull: Can the prime minister confirm wholesale electricity prices have more than doubled under his government?
Turnbull says increases in gas prices have been to blame – largely as a result of state government decisions,
but there is no doubt that wholesale electricity prices have considerably increased in very recent times.
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05:50
News from the Senate is that WA Liberal senator Chris Back is retiring immediately. His term expires in 2019.
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05:49
Emma Husar reacts to speaker Smith "Don't behave like a soccer crowd" @GuardianAus @gabriellechan #politicslive pic.twitter.com/arMYev8swj
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Shorten to Turnbull: On Friday for the first time in Australia’s history, gross debt will crash through half a trillion dollars. With debt at record highs under this government, how can the country possibly afford to give millionaires a tax cut in 18 days?
Turnbull attacks Labor’s plans, including its costings from the last election which had a slightly higher deficit before improving over the decade.
There is no answer to the question about removing the temporary deficit repair levy.
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05:43
Albanese to Turnbull: Is the prime minister aware that Brisbane’s cross-river rail project was approved by Infrastructure Australia in 2012? It was the subject of a detailed agreement between the federal and Queensland governments in 2013 and funded in the 2013 budget? Why is the prime minister purporting to support public transport in our cities while pretending this essential project is not ready to go?
Turnbull says the project is being considered by Infrastructure Australia now.
Urban infrastructure minister Paul Fletcher says the coordinator general in Queensland showed the differences between the version that was approved in 2012 and the version that is now lodged.
This is not the same project.
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05:40
People in glasshouses...
Gina McColl and Phillip Wen of Fairfax reported last year:
Chinese businessmen with links to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop have donated half a million dollars to the Western Australian division of the Liberal Party during the past two years, political disclosures reveal.
All the donors have links to the Chinese government, and the vast bulk of the money was given by companies with no apparent business interests in WA. Ms Bishop, the leading federal member of the party in that state, has singled out each of the three key donors for praise.
5.34am BST
05:34
Anthony Albanese to Turnbull: Is the prime minister aware that under the so-called national rail program, not a single dollar is available in this entire term of parliament? Nothing this year, nothing next year and nothing the year after that. Isn’t the national rail program in fact the new Naif [Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund] – the No Actual Infrastructure Fund?
Turnbull makes the inevitable jokes about Albo not able to get many questions through Labor strategy meetings.
He then moves on to how long rail projects take.
It is important that the commitment is made well in advance, which it has been and the money will be available as and when it is required.
Turnbull goes through various programs and then raises the national broadband network (NBN).
That hardly seems to have a commitment to the national interest. Right across the board, whether it is in rail, road, $75bn of commitment over the next decade and one of the honourable members opposite was speaking before question Time about the National Broadband Network. That train wreck we inherited from the Labor Party. We are connecting more paying customers every two weeks than Labor did in six years.
Uproar from the Labor benches at the thought of Turnbull claiming the NBN legacy.
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5.28am BST5.28am BST
05:2805:28
Labor MP responds to Dutton.Labor MP responds to Dutton.
Dutton trying to put the 'pressure' on #qt pic.twitter.com/pbnGEbPb8DDutton trying to put the 'pressure' on #qt pic.twitter.com/pbnGEbPb8D
5.27am BST5.27am BST
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Immigration minister Peter Dutton is taking a Dixer to attack Labor for not immediately supporting the citizenship package which is yet to be revealed completely.Immigration minister Peter Dutton is taking a Dixer to attack Labor for not immediately supporting the citizenship package which is yet to be revealed completely.
Speaker Tony Smith throws out Nick Champion and Dutton welcomes the move, suggesting it lifted the IQ in the chamber.Speaker Tony Smith throws out Nick Champion and Dutton welcomes the move, suggesting it lifted the IQ in the chamber.
Labor’s Graham Perrett protests and Smith said he did not hear Dutton’s comment.Labor’s Graham Perrett protests and Smith said he did not hear Dutton’s comment.
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NXT MP Rebekha Sharkie to health minister Hunt: In the past, cuts threatened the child dental benefits schedule, a program which provides $1,000 of free dental care for low income families because the government claimed the program was under-utilised. In March 2016, a review of the program made four recommendations to increase uptake including targeted promotion, making letters more recognisable as a dental voucher and providing follow-up notification to families. Would the minister advise which recommendations have been implemented in the 15 months since the review?NXT MP Rebekha Sharkie to health minister Hunt: In the past, cuts threatened the child dental benefits schedule, a program which provides $1,000 of free dental care for low income families because the government claimed the program was under-utilised. In March 2016, a review of the program made four recommendations to increase uptake including targeted promotion, making letters more recognisable as a dental voucher and providing follow-up notification to families. Would the minister advise which recommendations have been implemented in the 15 months since the review?
Greg Hunt says the government has lifted the child dental benefits scheme from $700 to $1000 but does not answer the question relating to the low income dental care. Greg Hunt says the government has lifted the child dental benefits scheme from $700 to $1,000 but does not answer the question relating to the low-income dental care.
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5.20am BST5.20am BST
05:2005:20
Malcolm Turnbull calls Labor fools and dimwits on energy policyMalcolm Turnbull calls Labor fools and dimwits on energy policy
Shorten to Turnbull: The chief scientist has said about new coal-fired power stations “It would be surprising if Governments were to endorse a scheme that incentivised them”. I give the Prime Minister another opportunity, does he agree? Shorten to Turnbull: The chief scientist has said about new coal-fired power stations “it would be surprising if governments were to endorse a scheme that incentivised them”. I give the prime minister another opportunity, does he agree?
Turnbull says the time for politics and ideology is over.Turnbull says the time for politics and ideology is over.
The clean energy target proposed by Dr Finkel ... would provide an incentive to forms of generation that are lower than the benchmark of so many kilograms per megawatt hour. That is how it would work.The clean energy target proposed by Dr Finkel ... would provide an incentive to forms of generation that are lower than the benchmark of so many kilograms per megawatt hour. That is how it would work.
The PM has its all very well to write him “lovely letters” but Australians just want consistent energy policy.The PM has its all very well to write him “lovely letters” but Australians just want consistent energy policy.
So dim-witted is this bunch of left wing ideologues opposite, so dim-witted are they, so dim-witted in anything to do with engineering or science, these fools were happy to have lots of renewable energy but it didn’t occur to them that sometimes the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine and they forgot to do anything about it. So dimwitted is this bunch of left wing ideologues opposite, so dimwitted are they, so dimwitted in anything to do with engineering or science, these fools were happy to have lots of renewable energy but it didn’t occur to them that sometimes the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine and they forgot to do anything about it.
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Foreign minister Julie Bishop is taking a Dixer so that she can criticise Sam Dastyari’s brief departure from Labor’s South China Sea policy following the Four Corners revelations last week.Foreign minister Julie Bishop is taking a Dixer so that she can criticise Sam Dastyari’s brief departure from Labor’s South China Sea policy following the Four Corners revelations last week.
Christopher Pyne is yelling incessantly “shame on Labor”.Christopher Pyne is yelling incessantly “shame on Labor”.
5.14am BST
05:14
Greg Hunt calls Greens motion on medicinal cannabis 'reckless and irresponsible'
The Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, has spoken at a doorstop about the successful Senate motion on medicinal cannabis.
What it means now is that a patient can go and see a doctor, a doctor can order medicinal cannabis for that patient if they’ve got a terminal illness. If it’s not available in Australia, they can get it overseas. Really important, very simple.
Di Natale also dismissed government claims this would open the floodgates to unregulated cannabis as “utter nonsense”. He said if the government accepts that cannabis is an effective treatment for people who are suffering, its access regime should be the same as for other drugs.
The health minister, Greg Hunt, said at a later press conference the advice from the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Tuesday and earlier in the year at Senate estimates is that “removing the safeguards could potentially allow dangerous drugs that could take lives”.
He labelled the Senate motion “reckless and irresponsible” and said it amounted to supporting “unsafe drugs in unregulated quantities that could be diverted to criminal purposes”.
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5.11am BST
05:11
Turnbull: Finkel does not prohibit coal fired power stations
Labor’s Mark Butler to Turnbull: Modelling in the Finkel report assumes no new coal fired power stations will be built under a clean energy target. The chief scientist has said about new coal fired power stations “It would be surprising if governments were to endorse a scheme that incentivised them”. Does the Prime Minister agree with the chief scientist?
Turnbull says:
What Dr Finkel proposes as a clean energy target does not penalise coal, it does not prohibit the construction of a coal-fired power station or indeed a gas-fired power station. What he seeks to do there is to provide incentives for lower emission technologies including but not exclusively renewables.
5.09am BST
05:09
Shorten to Turnbull: Under this Liberal Government, wholesale electricity prices have doubled. Pollution is up. Jobs and renewable energy are down. Will the government commit to working with Labor through the Finkel report to address this massive policy failure?
Turnbull begins blaming the South Australian Labor government.
The Labor party left the engineering and the economics at the door and attacked Australia’s energy system armed with only politics and partisanship. They have no plan at all.
He says since the government announced the (threat of) domestic gas reservations, there has been a fall in wholesale gas prices on the east coast.
We have already arrested the rapid rise in prices on the east coast which were being driven by a shortage of supply, taking a tough decision, responding to the problem quickly. What is the long term answer? It is more gas.
This was a clarification from gas expert Bruce Robertson last sitting week.
PM tells parli: we have already seen reductions in gas price???Customers would love to know.AAH the #gascartel won't disclose prices
4.59am BST
04:59
Lunch time politics
The Greens have successfully overturned a government regulation which would have restricted access to medicinal cannabis. The regulation previously passed with One Nation support but the Hansons changed their vote to back the Greens move.
Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten have given national security statements to the house.
The Coalition party room has heard a long briefing from energy and environment minister Josh Frydenberg on the Finkel review into electricity policy. The party room needs to reconvene later in the day to discuss the report.
QT coming up.
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The Senate is debating the Indigenous land use agreements (Iluas) in the few minutes before question time, which is coming up at 2pm.
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They’re a weird mob.
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Coalition joint party room meeting: Part 1
Gareth Hutchens
Malcolm Turnbull told the Coalition party room today the threat from Islamist terrorism was “real and close” and warned the world would see “more [attacks] before we see less”.
He said immigration minister Peter Dutton’s changes to citizenship law – which will be introduced to the House of Representatives this week – will “underline our commitment to maintain and strong, cohesive society”.
Josh Frydenberg, the energy and environment minister, gave a 30-minute presentation on the Finkel report.
By the time the presentation was finished, the party room didn’t have time to discuss it because Malcolm Turnbull had to leave to attend an event backing Australia’s bid for the 2023 women’s football World Cup.
The party room will reconvene sometime after question time to discuss Frydenberg’s presentation.
The foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, talked about the UK election result. She warned the “left is on the move. They are globally networked.”
She referred to Momentum, the UK equivalent of GetUp!, and said “this group represents an ideology we thought had collapsed with the fall of the Berlin Wall.”
“Bill Shorten knows that this platform would lead to economic ruin and the loss of jobs. He’ll sacrifice anything to win the next election.”
She emphasised the importance of vigorously fighting back against the left.
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4.26am BST
04:26
One Nation overturns medicinal cannabis vote to improve access for terminally ill
The Greens have won a disallowance vote, which effectively means the Senate has supported an amendment to therapeutic goods laws to change category A of the Special Access Scheme for cannabis.
The effect of it will speed access to the drug for people with a terminal illness.
It came about because Pauline Hanson and the Hansons changed their votes on a previous regulation.
The independent senator Jacqui Lambie, who missed the vote last time, also turned up and voted with the Greens.
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