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| 'Significant day for democracy' as 'Mediscare' bill passes – live | 'Significant day for democracy' as 'Mediscare' bill passes – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Just a point which was raised on Twitter -the writs for the byelections have been officially announced: | |
| Federal by-elections for the electoral divisions of Longman (QLD), Mayo (SA), Braddon (TAS), Fremantle and Perth (both WA) will be held on Saturday 28 July. | |
| Australian Electoral Commissioner, Tom Rogers said people must act now to ensure they’re enrolled, and their details are up to date by 8pm local time Friday 22 June. | |
| “Australian citizens aged 18 years and over, and who are living in any of the five federal electorates are required by law to enrol and vote in their local by-election,” Mr Rogers said. | |
| “You can enrol or update your enrolment details online at www.aec.gov.au. If you are unsure, you can check your enrolment online or call 13 23 26 People can also go now to the AEC website to apply for a postal vote, or register their interest in working as a polling official.” | |
| KEY DATES FOR THE 2018 FEDERAL BY-ELECTIONS | |
| Issue of writs Friday 15 June | |
| Close of rolls 8pm local time Friday 22 June | |
| Close of nominations 12 midday local time Thursday 5 July | |
| Declaration of nominations12 midday local time Friday 6 July | |
| Early voting starts Tuesday 10 July | |
| By-election daySaturday 28 July | |
| Return of writs on or before Sunday 23 September | |
| So the Parliamentary Budget Office is NOT happy with how its costings have been treated by the government in its commentary today. It has just released this statement: | |
| Earlier today, comments have been made about the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) estimates of the gains to revenue that may flow from the Australian Labor Party’s (ALP’s) policy to make imputation credits non-refundable. | |
| “The PBO brings our best professional judgement to the independent policy costing advice we provide. We have access to the same data and economic parameters as The Treasury and draw upon similar information in forming our judgements,” Parliamentary Budget Officer Jenny Wilkinson stated today. | |
| “We stand behind the PBO estimates that have been published by the ALP in relation to this policy, noting that all policy costings, no matter who they are prepared by, are subject to uncertainty.” In its advice, the PBO is explicit about the judgements and uncertainties associated with individual policy costings. | |
| The PBO confirms that it always takes into account current and future policy commitments, as well as behavioural changes, in its policy costings. In this case, as outlined at the recent Senate Estimates hearings, these included the superannuation changes announced in the 2016–17 Budget and the scheduled company tax cuts. In addition, the PBO explicitly assumed that there would be significant behavioural changes that would flow from this policy, particularly for trustees of self-managed superannuation funds. | |
| The PBO was established as an independent institution in 2012 with broad support from the Parliament. A key rationale for the formation of the PBO was to develop a more level playing field, by providing independent and unbiased advice to all parliamentarians about the estimated fiscal cost of policy proposals. The purpose of establishing the PBO was to improve the public’s understanding of, and confidence in, policy costings and enable policy debates to focus on the merits of alternative policy proposals. | |
| From Julie Bishop’s office: | |
| Australia’s second session as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) commences in Geneva today. | |
| Gender equality and women’s rights is one of Australia’s priorities during our three-year term, and will be a prominent feature of the 38th session. | |
| Dr Sharman Stone, the Ambassador for Women and Girls will represent Australia, and will lead discussions on women’s participation in building resilience in small island developing states. Ambassador Stone will also deliver a statement on gender issues on behalf of a number of Pacific Island countries, elevating the voices of our Pacific neighbours at the HRC. | |
| Australia recognises that national human rights institutions and civil society make an important contribution to the discussions at the HRC. I am pleased that we are working with June Oscar AO, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner of the Australian Human Rights Commission, to promote the rights of indigenous women and girls. | |
| Over the three-week session, Australia will work with other UN members and civil society to protect and promote human rights worldwide. | |
| Chris Bowen has released correspondence between himself and the Treasury secretary, John Fraser. | |
| Bowen wrote to Fraser this morning after reading in The Australian that Treasury analysis had found that Labor’s dividend imputation policy will raise $10bn less over a decade than Labor believes ($45.8bn rather than $55.7bn). | |
| Bowen wanted to know if Treasury had modelled Labor’s dividend imputation policy. | |
| As you can see from the correspondence below, Fraser’s response was a little ambiguous. | |
| Two points to note. | |
| Bowen asked Fraser if Treasury was asked to provide costing advice on Labor’s dividend imputation policy | |
| Fraser replied: “We were asked by the government to cost a policy relating to the denial of refundability of franking credits to certain entities.” | |
| See how Fraser said “a policy” rather than “Labor’s policy”? | |
| Bowen also asked Fraser what assumptions Treasury had made in its analysis, and Fraser replied: “In deriving the costing, a number of assumptions were made around the expected growth in franking credits and expected behavioural responses by individuals, SMSF holders and Apra funds.” | |
| That is a politician’s answer, not the answer of someone who is being forthcoming. | |
| Have a read of the correspondence yourself. | |
| Bowen’s letter to Fraser: | |
| Dear Mr Fraser, | |
| I am deeply concerned about reports today of “Treasury modelling” being used to analyse Labor’s policy to reform dividend imputation, including the initiation of a so-called “external review”. | |
| Using Treasury resources to analyse and commission an external review of an Opposition policy for the Government would be extraordinary and would cause significant damage to the reputation of Treasury. | |
| If it is not the case that Treasury or a paid external party was used to model this Labor policy, I implore you to publicly correct the mischaracterisations immediately. | |
| As I’m sure you are aware, Labor’s policy to reform dividend imputation was costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office. And as you would expect, this modelling took account of a broad range of potential behavioural responses. | |
| I am concerned that the release of “Treasury modelling” not only undermines the perception of Treasury as an apolitical economic agency, but the exercise itself seeks to deliberately undermine the quality of costings provided by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office, a costing agency of equal standing under the Charter of Budget Honesty. | |
| It is critical that Treasury is seen as impartial and credible and not politicised by the government of the day. By 12pm today, the Opposition seeks from you answers in writing to the following questions: | |
| was formal Treasury costing advice provided to the Treasurer’s office on Labor’s dividend imputation policy; | |
| was the so-called external review commissioned at the direction of the Treasurer, the Treasurer’s office or the Treasury; | |
| who paid for the external review; | |
| what was the cost; | |
| when and to whom in the Treasurer’s office was this modelling and external review report provided; | |
| who were the participants of the external review, how were they selected, and what role if any did the Treasurer’s office have with this selection; | |
| what policy assumptions were made by Treasury in putting together the modelling; | |
| who and when were these assumptions provided to the Treasury; | |
| was the document ‘costing note – denying franking credit refundability’ that has been provided to journalists drafted by Treasury; | |
| what interaction did the Treasury have with the Parliamentary Budget Office in putting together the ‘modelling’ or the external review; | |
| a reassurance from you that a similar situation, where Labor policies are costed by the Treasury, will not occur again; and | |
| did the Deputy Secretary of Revenue Group know about this so-called modelling and supposed ‘external review’ of Labor’s policy, given repeatedly refused to answer questions in relation to this matter at Budget Estimates, instead taking them “on notice”; | |
| was the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet aware such ‘Treasury modelling’ and an ‘external review’ were being prepared by Treasury. | |
| Your sincerely, Chris Bowen | |
| John Fraser’s response to Bowen: | |
| Dear Mr Bowen, | |
| I refer to your letter of 18 June 2018 and also subsequent telephone call this morning. | |
| I provide the following answers to your questions: | |
| 1. We were asked by the government to cost a policy relating to the denial of refundability of franking credits to certain entities. | |
| 2. There was no external review. In preparing this advice and in accordance with normal practice, we consulted some external experts on the behavioural implications of such a policy change. This is consistent with our normal practice on complex policies with uncertain behavioural responses. | |
| 3. As there was no external review, there was no cost in eliciting the views of stakeholders. | |
| 4. See above. There was no cost. | |
| 5. Formal Treasury advice on the costing was provided to the Treasurer on 7 June. It was emailed to the Treasurer’s office in accordance with normal practice around the provision of advice. | |
| 6. There was no external review. | |
| 7. In deriving the costing, a number of assumptions were made around the expected growth in franking credits and expected behavioural responses by individuals, SMSF holders and Apra funds. | |
| 8. The costing was produced on the basis of policy specifications provided to Treasury by the Treasurer’s office. The assumptions relating to the costings are determined by Treasury based on internal deliberations and informed by external consultations. | |
| 9. Treasury supplied a document to the Treasurer on 7 June advising of our costing of a policy to deny franking credit refundability. | |
| 10. Treasury had two meetings with the PBO. | |
| 11. In line with longstanding practice, Treasury responds to requests on costing and policy advice by the government of the day. | |
| 12. See above. Treasury appeared at Senate Estimates on 29-30 May. The Deputy Secretary of Revenue Group took the question on notice. | |
| 13. Not to my knowledge. | |
| Kind regards | |
| Yours sincerely, John Fraser | |
| The Nationals got a little upset that a vegetarian ‘mince’ will be sold next to actual mince in the meat aisle. Calla Wahlquist has written that up here | |
| “Mince is mince, mince is meat,” the deputy prime minister and Nationals leader, Michael McCormack, told the ABC. “That’s my interpretation of what mince is.” | |
| Now I grew up fairly poor, so I might have to correct the Nationals leader there - not all mince is ‘meat’. | |
| And one more for good measure | And one more for good measure |
| From Mike Bowers eyeballs to your eyeballs: | From Mike Bowers eyeballs to your eyeballs: |
| Bill Shorten has responded to Wayne Swan’s election as ALP president: | Bill Shorten has responded to Wayne Swan’s election as ALP president: |
| It’s a great pleasure to congratulate Wayne Swan on his election as President of the Australian Labor Party | It’s a great pleasure to congratulate Wayne Swan on his election as President of the Australian Labor Party |
| Swanny lives and breathes Labor values, he’s given our movement a lifetime of service and it’s wonderful so many true believers have chosen him to serve as our next president. | Swanny lives and breathes Labor values, he’s given our movement a lifetime of service and it’s wonderful so many true believers have chosen him to serve as our next president. |
| Wayne has said it will be his mission as ALP President to lead the battle against inequality – I can think of no finer mind or more determined fighter for this task. | Wayne has said it will be his mission as ALP President to lead the battle against inequality – I can think of no finer mind or more determined fighter for this task. |
| I also congratulate Mark Butler and Mich-Elle Myers on their election as Labor’s Vice Presidents. | I also congratulate Mark Butler and Mich-Elle Myers on their election as Labor’s Vice Presidents. |
| Wayne, Mark, Mich-and Claire all ran positive, ideas-focused campaigns. We are very fortunate to have people of their standing care so much about making our Labor Party better. | Wayne, Mark, Mich-and Claire all ran positive, ideas-focused campaigns. We are very fortunate to have people of their standing care so much about making our Labor Party better. |
| On behalf of our whole movement, I thank Mark Butler for his service as President. Mark’s leadership was vital to the success of our 2015 National Conference and his passion for a bigger and more democratic party will continue to drive an important debate about Labor’s future. | On behalf of our whole movement, I thank Mark Butler for his service as President. Mark’s leadership was vital to the success of our 2015 National Conference and his passion for a bigger and more democratic party will continue to drive an important debate about Labor’s future. |
| I look forward to working with Wayne and every member of our movement in preparing the platform and policies of a new Labor Government. | I look forward to working with Wayne and every member of our movement in preparing the platform and policies of a new Labor Government. |
| Just further to the “Mediscare” bill, here is some of what Christian Porter had to say in that URGENT press conference: | Just further to the “Mediscare” bill, here is some of what Christian Porter had to say in that URGENT press conference: |
| It is a significant day for Australia’s democracy today. I just wanted to make three comments about the significance of this bill. The first is that the integrity of the Australian democratic system absolutely relies on the proposition that we have a clear, statutory statement of principle that it is a criminal act to use modern mass communications to deceive Australian voters, and that’s what the Mediscare bill does today. | It is a significant day for Australia’s democracy today. I just wanted to make three comments about the significance of this bill. The first is that the integrity of the Australian democratic system absolutely relies on the proposition that we have a clear, statutory statement of principle that it is a criminal act to use modern mass communications to deceive Australian voters, and that’s what the Mediscare bill does today. |
| The second point about this is that the new offence, which will make it a criminal act for anyone to impersonate or contend that they are acting on behalf of a Commonwealth body, will apply to a very broad range of Commonwealth bodies, from Commonwealth departments like the department of attorney-general to Commonwealth corporations like the NBN, right through to critical service delivery agencies of the Commonwealth such as Medicare, Centrelink and the NDIS. | The second point about this is that the new offence, which will make it a criminal act for anyone to impersonate or contend that they are acting on behalf of a Commonwealth body, will apply to a very broad range of Commonwealth bodies, from Commonwealth departments like the department of attorney-general to Commonwealth corporations like the NBN, right through to critical service delivery agencies of the Commonwealth such as Medicare, Centrelink and the NDIS. |
| The third thing I’d like to note is that the bill contains a civil injunction power so that if something like the Mediscare campaign happened again, where Labor sent text messages reporting to be from Medicare, impersonating Medicare, then injunctive proceedings could be listed straight away to prevent that sort of behaviour and prevent the mass deception of the Australian voting public. | The third thing I’d like to note is that the bill contains a civil injunction power so that if something like the Mediscare campaign happened again, where Labor sent text messages reporting to be from Medicare, impersonating Medicare, then injunctive proceedings could be listed straight away to prevent that sort of behaviour and prevent the mass deception of the Australian voting public. |
| Just before question time, Bill Shorten gave a 90-second statement on Eurydice Dixon (I didn’t get around to transcribing it before QT, so here is the transcript Labor has just put out) | Just before question time, Bill Shorten gave a 90-second statement on Eurydice Dixon (I didn’t get around to transcribing it before QT, so here is the transcript Labor has just put out) |
| I offer the sympathies of this parliament to Eurydice Dixon’s family, all the people who loved her and the people she loved. | I offer the sympathies of this parliament to Eurydice Dixon’s family, all the people who loved her and the people she loved. |
| We remember that they are not mourning a statistic or a cautionary tale. They are grieving for a person: a funny, smart, clever woman with passions and opinions, friends and family. | We remember that they are not mourning a statistic or a cautionary tale. They are grieving for a person: a funny, smart, clever woman with passions and opinions, friends and family. |
| And she wasn’t seeking to make a statement that night, she was just living her life. She had her phone with her, now full of a hundred unfinished conversations. She was happy that her comedy performance had gone well, she was messaging a friend to check-in and to let him know that she was nearly home safe. | And she wasn’t seeking to make a statement that night, she was just living her life. She had her phone with her, now full of a hundred unfinished conversations. She was happy that her comedy performance had gone well, she was messaging a friend to check-in and to let him know that she was nearly home safe. |
| None of that cost her life. Nothing she did or didn’t do in any way makes her responsible for what happened. Walking home should not mean that you are risking your life. | None of that cost her life. Nothing she did or didn’t do in any way makes her responsible for what happened. Walking home should not mean that you are risking your life. |
| Getting an uber, a cab, catching public transport should not be a dangerous ordeal. Women’s rights in Australia must include freedom of movement. And that’s about more than better lighting and more CCTV cameras.It’s about attitudes, it’s about actions. | Getting an uber, a cab, catching public transport should not be a dangerous ordeal. Women’s rights in Australia must include freedom of movement. And that’s about more than better lighting and more CCTV cameras.It’s about attitudes, it’s about actions. |
| It’s about honesty. It’s about stopping violence and stopping the enablers of violence. It’s about deciding as a nation that violence against women is ultimately preventable. It’s about the example that we set for our sons. Our hearts go out to Eurydice’s loved ones today May she rest in peace. | It’s about honesty. It’s about stopping violence and stopping the enablers of violence. It’s about deciding as a nation that violence against women is ultimately preventable. It’s about the example that we set for our sons. Our hearts go out to Eurydice’s loved ones today May she rest in peace. |
| And then there are some more dixers, but this Monday has already been a complete punish and listening to Paul Fletcher talk about “Team Queensland” is more lameness than I can handle right now. | And then there are some more dixers, but this Monday has already been a complete punish and listening to Paul Fletcher talk about “Team Queensland” is more lameness than I can handle right now. |
| Terri Butler to Malcolm Turnbull: | Terri Butler to Malcolm Turnbull: |
| ABS statistics confirm company profits increased over the year, nearly three times as much as wages growth of 2.1%. Why does this arrogant and out of touch Prime Minister support further cutting the penalty rates of up to 11,000workers in Longman while giving it a tax cut to big business. | ABS statistics confirm company profits increased over the year, nearly three times as much as wages growth of 2.1%. Why does this arrogant and out of touch Prime Minister support further cutting the penalty rates of up to 11,000workers in Longman while giving it a tax cut to big business. |
| Turnbull: | Turnbull: |
| The honorable member knows very well, I’m sure, because it was, as the Leader of the Opposition once said,a fact that every student of Australian economic history would be well aware of it. He said every student of Australian and economic history would be aware of the fact that reducing company tax results in higher wages, more jobs, more investment, higher productivity, all of those good things. And you know, we are starting to see them now and that’s why we have record jobs growth. It is a very competitive world out there. The honorable members opposite should recognise the world is getting more competitive than ever and what we need to do is ensure that every element of our tax system ensures that Australian businesses can compete and win. The member for McMahon set all it out in his famous book years ago. He is munching his way through one copy of it after another. He is being forced to eat his words. Talk about dry economics,very dry. Munching away through all of those books, Mr Speaker. The fact of the matter is, a more competitive corporate set results in more investment, more jobs. That is why we are seeing record jobs growth.The Labor Party should recover the economic good sense they had in the years passed and support our enterprise tax plan. | The honorable member knows very well, I’m sure, because it was, as the Leader of the Opposition once said,a fact that every student of Australian economic history would be well aware of it. He said every student of Australian and economic history would be aware of the fact that reducing company tax results in higher wages, more jobs, more investment, higher productivity, all of those good things. And you know, we are starting to see them now and that’s why we have record jobs growth. It is a very competitive world out there. The honorable members opposite should recognise the world is getting more competitive than ever and what we need to do is ensure that every element of our tax system ensures that Australian businesses can compete and win. The member for McMahon set all it out in his famous book years ago. He is munching his way through one copy of it after another. He is being forced to eat his words. Talk about dry economics,very dry. Munching away through all of those books, Mr Speaker. The fact of the matter is, a more competitive corporate set results in more investment, more jobs. That is why we are seeing record jobs growth.The Labor Party should recover the economic good sense they had in the years passed and support our enterprise tax plan. |
| Bill Shorten tries again on the football coverage question: | Bill Shorten tries again on the football coverage question: |
| “Is the prime minister aware that today the managing director for SBS has said about the decision to license the World Cup games to Optus, and I quote: “Had I not looked at our budgets, we probably would have retained it like we were planning to.” Therefore, when will the prime minister apologise to Australian and football fans for his cuts to the [SBS World Cup coverage] | “Is the prime minister aware that today the managing director for SBS has said about the decision to license the World Cup games to Optus, and I quote: “Had I not looked at our budgets, we probably would have retained it like we were planning to.” Therefore, when will the prime minister apologise to Australian and football fans for his cuts to the [SBS World Cup coverage] |
| Paul Fletcher takes the question: (representing the communications minister) | Paul Fletcher takes the question: (representing the communications minister) |
| I am pleased to have the chance to respond to what is as is usually the case with the Leader of the Opposition, a misrepresentation of the facts. The SBS received about $280 million in funding every year from the government. How SBS decides to use this funding is a matter for the board and management of SBS, a fairly basic principle of governance, and I want to make the point that in exchange for sharing the World Cup rights, SBS secured some rights to the English Premier League matches. In other words, board and management of SBS made a commercial decision. On this side of the house, we believe they are best placed to make those decisions.” | I am pleased to have the chance to respond to what is as is usually the case with the Leader of the Opposition, a misrepresentation of the facts. The SBS received about $280 million in funding every year from the government. How SBS decides to use this funding is a matter for the board and management of SBS, a fairly basic principle of governance, and I want to make the point that in exchange for sharing the World Cup rights, SBS secured some rights to the English Premier League matches. In other words, board and management of SBS made a commercial decision. On this side of the house, we believe they are best placed to make those decisions.” |
| Best placed, that is, unless you are AGL, in which case, the government should totally be able to tell you what to do with your assets. | Best placed, that is, unless you are AGL, in which case, the government should totally be able to tell you what to do with your assets. |
| It’s all cool though: | It’s all cool though: |
| I have spoken with the Optus CEO, Allen Lew. He assures me he is giving the World Cup streaming problems his personal attention and he believes it will be fixed this evening. | I have spoken with the Optus CEO, Allen Lew. He assures me he is giving the World Cup streaming problems his personal attention and he believes it will be fixed this evening. |