The day that was, Thursday 23 March
We will wrap up the live blog here for the night on a momentous Thursday.
Here’s what made the news today:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, in an emotional press conference revealed the referendum question to be asked to Australian voters later this year on an Indigenous voice to parliament and the proposed change to the constitution ahead of legislation to be introduced into parliament next week.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has said the Liberal party needs more detail on the proposed change before announcing a position. The Nationals remain opposed.
The Australian Federal Police will conduct a professional standards review into an incident at an anti-trans rally outside parliament house after the independent senator Lidia Thorpe was pulled to the ground after attempting to storm the stage.
Justice Michael Lee has begun deliberating on whether to allow Bruce Lehrmann an extension of time to sue News Corp, Network Ten, Samantha Maiden, and Lisa Wilkinson.
A helicopter carrying 10 ADF personnel ditched into Jervis Bay, but all on board escaped serious physical injury.
The health minister, Mark Butler, has said the government is working to get vaping under control.
We will be back with you again in the morning with all the latest news. Until then, enjoy your evening.
Updated
A lack of procedural fairness and a shifting of regulatory definitions were behind a Supreme Court decision that halted native logging in parts of Victoria, a court has been told.
AAP reports VicForests is appealing a 2022 ruling that the company failed to adequately survey and protect the endangered greater glider and yellow-bellied gliders in its operations.
The state-owned company has since halted native timber harvesting in East Gippsland and the Central Highlands while it develops new survey techniques to comply with the court orders.
Senior Counsel for VicForests Rachel Doyle argued the terms of the initial trial launched by environmental group Environment East Gippsland had shifted during proceedings and the decision lacked fairness.
“It drifted miles away from that quite traditional analysis to bring an inquiry into the most appropriate or most proportionate approach to conservation of gliders,” she told the court.
Doyle also argued the goalposts had been shifted on endangered glider exclusion zones from centering on habitats to taking a radius 240m from any glider sighted.
“The trial would have been different or could have been different, had VicForests been on notice at first instance of the approach that Your Honour intended to take,” she said.
Environment East Gippsland lawyer Jonathan Korman argued the matters in the previous trial were clearly established and therefore VicForests was given a fair opportunity to defend its actions.
“The applicant (VicForests) had every opportunity to meet that case,” Korman told the court.
“That was the case that was argued at trial. That was the case that Her Honour found in favour of the respondents and there is no challenge to those findings.”
The matter continues on Friday.
Deliberations begin over time limit in Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial
Justice Michael Lee has begun deliberating on whether to allow Bruce Lehrmann an extension of time to sue News Corp, Network Ten, Samantha Maiden, and Lisa Wilkinson.
The federal court must decide whether it was not reasonable for Lehrmann to file his defamation claims over initial reporting of Brittany Higgins‘ allegations in the usual 12-month window. That reporting took place in February 2021, more than two years ago.
Lehrmann has argued that he was following advice from his then lawyers to delay defamation proceedings. He has also argued he was facing the spectre of criminal charges in 2021 and that starting civil proceedings could have caused him prejudice, including by potentially compromising his right to silence.
Lawyers for media outlets say text messages, sent while Lehrmann was in his lawyer’s office on the day of the initial publications, show he clearly believed that he would not face criminal charges and had a “red hot” defamation claim.
In those circumstances, they argue, it was not reasonable for Lehrmann to wait longer than 12 months to file a defamation claim.
The arguments were heard over two days in the federal court.
Lee’s decision will be handed down at a later date.
If the defamation case is allowed to proceed, it would take many months to get to trial. Lehrmann’s lawyers said on Thursday that their resources mean they cannot be ready for a trial in August.
Lee has asked all sides to give thought to when it could be heard at trial, and for how long.
Updated
No Thursday night escape for senators this week.
The #Senate has now adjourned. Unusually, tomorrow is also a sitting day - so we shall see you back here at 9.30 am!
— Australian Senate (@AuSenate) March 23, 2023
Law Council of Australia backs voice amendment
The Law Council of Australia has backed the proposed constitutional amendment to establish an Indigenous voice to parliament and the executive.
Luke Murphy, the president of the council, said it will represent “an acceptance of the invitation extended to all Australians in goodwill by First Nations people through the Uluru Statement”.
Murphy said:
The Law Council considers that amending the Constitution to provide for a voice is a modest step in respecting the enduring value and strength of First Nations culture; recognising the unique place First Nations occupy in Australia’s history as its Indigenous peoples; and overcoming an indisputable legacy of dispossession and disadvantage since European settlement.
The Law Council considers that the voice is a necessary and overdue advancement of the right of First Nations peoples to self-determination. The right to self-determination is a fundamental principle of international law.
Too often the voices of First Nations persons go unheeded amidst the formal, complex and time-critical processes of lawmaking and implementation. This can, and does, have disastrous consequences.
Empowering First Nations peoples and enabling their voice to be heard on policies and legislation that impact them will help ‘close the gap’ and address the significant disadvantage First Nations peoples experience across several key indicators such as life expectancy, health, household income, experiences of violence and education.
Updated
Lawyers for Network Ten have questioned “how on Earth” it was reasonable for Bruce Lehrmann to sit on his hands and not file a defamation claim for 12 months, despite being told he had a “red hot defamation case”, was going to “make millions” and that he didn’t need to worry about a criminal prosecution.
Government nears deal with Germany to manufacture heavy weapon carriers
The defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, says he has signed a letter of cooperation with his German counterpart, Thomas Hitschler, to start formal negotiations for the Boxer heavy weapon carrier vehicles to be supplied to the German army.
The vehicles are manufactured in Queensland by Rheinmetall and 100 would ultimately be supplied if the deal goes ahead.
Conroy said:
We are excited about the prospect of Boxers for the German army being built in Brisbane, using suppliers across Australia to assist in the production.
This export opportunity would secure well-paid secure jobs in Queensland and across the country, helping to build Australia’s defence industry and boost our economy.
We are keen to export this world-leading capability to a trusted and respected security partner, and to further strengthen the defence relationship between our countries.
Updated
Man charged over attack on LGBTQ+ activists sorry for video inciting violence
A man charged over a violent Sydney street attack on LGBTQ+ activists has apologised for a video he made before the fracas, encouraging people to “drag protesters by their head”, AAP reports.
Three men have been charged over the confrontation which erupted at south-west Belfield on Tuesday night when the small group of LGBTQ+ peaceful protesters were attacked outside a church before Mark Latham gave a speech.
The NSW One Nation leader was invited to speak at the church hall about parental rights ahead of Saturday’s state election.
Police said the activists were attacked by a large mob that pelted them and police with glass bottles and other projectiles.
A constable was injured and the riot squad was called to disperse the out-of-control crowd.
Christian Sukkar who is charged with encouraging the commission of crimes now says a provocative video he made was not meant to encourage violence.
In the video he said, “You go there tomorrow and you f***ing shake them up, and you drag them by the f***ing head, and you remove them from St Michael’s Belfield.
“Time to rise, time to let them know where we stand,” he said.
After his arrest he told the ABC he regretted the video and didn’t post it on social media, but did send it to “a couple of boys”.
“I’m very apologetic if my message turned very harmful ... if they took my comments as an incitement of hate,” he said.
“This is not what I am about.”
Detectives on Wednesday night charged a third man, 42, with assaulting a police officer during public disorder, hindering or resisting an officer in the execution of duty and affray.
He was granted conditional bail and will appear before Bankstown Local Court on 11 April.
Updated
China 'very secretive' on space activities, Nasa head says
China is being “very secretive” about its space activities, the head of Nasa said in Canberra on Thursday.
Bill Nelson, the administrator for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), spoke at the National Press Club about how future space missions would be international, rather than US-run.
But, he said, China “have decided a different course”, and pointed to their lack of transparency when parts of huge rockets plummeted to Earth while they were launching their own space station, and their lack of cooperation on scientific endeavours.
Nelson said he ran into the Chinese ambassador at a Sunday brunch in Washington and told him “China has been very secretive, very non transparent”.
“I gave the example that they had put up one component of their space station and the big rocket that put it up was tumbling back to Earth. They did not save enough fuel for a controlled re-entry and they would not give any information or coordinates about the rocket,” he said.
The China Manned Space Agency claims most components of the rocket stages burn up on re-entry.
Nelson, who has been in Canberra and Adelaide meeting with ministers as well as space industry and academics, criticised China earlier this year. He warned the US needed to “watch out” for its lunar rival, who might compete for the moon’s resources.
On Thursday, Nelson said he also brought up the lack of sharing of lunar soil samples with China, saying the Apollo missions had made their samples available to the international community.
The relationship used to be better, Nelson said, recounting how he introduced the first Chinese taikonaut, Yang Liwei, to Buzz Aldrin, the “second man on the moon”.
Earlier, Nelson met with the US ambassador, Caroline Kennedy, and in his press club speech he talked about her father (the former US president John F Kennedy) and his famous moonshot speech, in which JFK said: “We go to the moon not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard”.
Nelson said Nasa will announce the crew for the Artemis moon mission next week, and that it will include a Canadian. He has said he is keen for Nasa to fly an Australian astronaut.
Updated
Pills but no pillows: bedding shortages reported at Adelaide hospitals
Adelaide hospitals are doing an urgent audit of pillow and blanket supplies after multiple reports some patients are going without, AAP reports.
SA health minister, Chris Picton, says the government has been told by management of the Central Adelaide Local Health Network there are plenty of supplies, yet patients and families are still reporting problems with access.
“There have been repeated patient concerns raised about the availability of pillows and blankets in public hospital emergency departments and inpatient wards and this is simply not good enough,” Picton said on Thursday.
“I thank patients and their families for raising these concerns to ensure that South Australian patients can receive basic comforts when they are in hospital.”
The minister’s action follows a number of cases highlighted by the state opposition where people have relayed stories of being forced to go without a pillow because there weren’t enough to go around.
In one case raised on Thursday, the opposition said a 93-year-old man with a heart condition was left for 23 hours in an emergency department with just a small blanket folded up to use as a pillow.
“This horrifying revelation that an elderly man had to use a folded blanket as a makeshift pillow for more than 20 hours is unacceptable,” the opposition leader, David Speirs, said.
Updated
Sydney University strikes uncertain as vote on new EBA tied
The jury is out as to whether Sydney University will go ahead with industrial action planned for next week after a perfectly tied vote at a chaotic meeting this afternoon.
Union members were split down the middle on delaying the strike to negotiate a new enterprise bargaining offer that was issued to staff on Thursday morning.
The union has held seven days of industrial action since negotiations for a new agreement began 20 months ago and had vowed to hold two further strikes on 29 and 31 March if their demands were unmet.
In an email sent to staff this morning, management committed to preserving the 40/40/20 model – a key union demand that ensures academic loads are split evenly between research and teaching, with 20% of time allocated to administrative work.
The proposal also offered a 10% increase on new continuing academic roles from 300 to 330, with a “significant number” put aside for casual staff. The university’s current financial offer is around a 15% salary increase over three years plus a $2,000 sign-on payment. It’s been the longest bargaining period in the university’s history.
In an email sent to members after the meeting, branch president Nick Riemer said the tied vote had placed the committee in an “unprecedented procedural situation”.
Despite the tie, speakers on both sides made it clear that we all find management’s offer unacceptable. Branch committee will be meeting as soon as possible and we’ll be communicating ... tomorrow about the way forward.
Updated
Media union warns of ‘ethical breaches’ from outlets using Chat GPT
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance has warned media organisations against using artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT to replace job opportunities for journalists, and said the companies must be transparent with their audiences about the use of AI tools.
The union’s media federal president, Karen Percy, said media professionals must be given a say in decisions by publishers and broadcasters to require the use of AI tools, and said caution must be exercised when adopting the tools.
A balance must be struck between the promise and opportunities of AI and the unique threats it poses to the public’s ability to trust in the news they read, as well as the work, income, rights and creative agency of media workers.
Responsibly designed, AI has the potential to usefully supplement, extend and enhance our work, but it also has far-reaching consequences that need careful consideration, consultation and regulation.
AI can provide efficiencies and new opportunities for storytelling techniques, but it also has the potential for errors and ethical breaches, reduced editorial independence and control and reduced job opportunities for media workers.
Percy also warned media organisations have ethical obligations to be met including fact-checking and appropriate sourcing, and the use of AI raises questions on how this will be achieved.
We also know that there are inherent biases built into all technology, so it’s important to ensure that existing discriminatory practises and shortfalls in diversity are not exacerbated.
Updated
Telcos must had over customer data during emergencies under law change
Changes to telecommunications law to allow telcos to provide information about its customers in emergency situations to police and emergency services passed the Senate on Thursday.
The changes will cover missing people and Australians at risk of serious harm during “time critical” investigations.
The NSW deputy state coroner had raised the issue with the minister for communications, Michelle Rowland, in October after there were inquests into two missing persons cases in NSW.
Under the legislation telcos will need to keep detailed records and report when such information has been disclosed.
Rowland said:
These are life-saving changes to the Telecommunications Act, which is why the government acted swiftly to remove these barriers just five months after the deputy coroner urged us to take action.
We know how time-critical cases of missing persons are, and the passing of this Bill will bolster the powers of law enforcement and emergency services as they work to return missing loved ones to their families and friends.
These important changes strike an appropriate balance between maintaining individual privacy and protecting public safety, and I am confident they will make a real difference.
Updated
I am going to hand you over to Josh Taylor now to take you through the afternoon. We will be back with Canberra news tomorrow, and of course, the Australia news live blog will keep you up to date in politics live absence.
I’ll be back on Monday bright and early for the final sitting week before the May budget. It is going to be a HUGE week, so make sure you get some time to switch off before then.
Thank you to everyone who followed along this week – I truly appreciate it. I’ll see you Monday – until then, please, take care of you.
Updated
'There are traps right throughout the budget': Jim Chalmers
(Continued from previous post)
A final change is that migration has bounced back much faster than expected.
Treasury now expects net overseas migration to be for this financial year in the mid-300,000s or more, compared to 235,000 in the October budget,” Chalmers said, adding that inbound tourists and international students were faster than expected, and more Australians were staying at home. [Blame the impact of higher borrowing costs or even bracket creep, perhaps.]
Still, the effect of Covid has meant migration over the five years to June 2024 will likely be 250,000 fewer than pre-pandemic forecasts had it.
As for the budget itself, there will be eight priority areas:
Cost of living relief; investing in growth and productivity; funding national security priorities including Aukus; strengthening the care economy and essential services; breaking down barriers to the full workforce participation of women in our workforce; targeting entrenched inequality; extending ‘time-limited’ programmes whose funding runs out in June; making the budget ‘as responsible as possible’.
Number seven was particularly irksome, it seems.
“It has been extraordinary and disappointing to see how many areas right across the Cabinet portfolios where there are programs which of course will be funded in an ongoing way but which in the Budget are only funded in some cases to the end of June this year,” he said, citing My Health as one example.
“There are traps right throughout the budget,” he said.
No doubt we’ll hear more about those traps as 9 May nears.
Updated
Chalmers getting two daily briefings on global banking woes, prepares for budget
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has told a closed-door Business Council of Australia breakfast (which we can only report now) that he receives twice-daily briefings on the volatility of the global financial system, and his second budget takes shape for 9 May. (Only 47 sleeps to go.)
It’s pleasing to see that the actions taken by central banks, the authorities, the institutions around the world have been working to boost liquidity, bolster confidence and keep credit lines open,” Chalmers said, referring to the failure of the Silicon Valley Bank and two other lenders in the US, and Swiss bank UBS taking over the ailing rival, Credit Suisse last weekend.
We convened last week APRA, ASIC, the RBA and Treasury, we’ve been taking soundings from the banks and others in the corporate world, and the consistent message from all of these briefings is that we are well-capitalised, well-regulated and well-placed as we confront this volatility in the global financial system,” he said.
Our banks don’t have the same exposures as some of their US counterparts, they regularly hedge their risks, and the regime is much tighter since the Global Financial Crisis as well.
Markets haven’t been so buoyant today, with the ASX200 share index shedding about 0.7% at the opening and trading roughly sideways since then.
Part of the gloomy mood was the decision by the US federal reserve to hike that country’s key interest rate by another 25 basis points overnight, opting to fight inflation rather than ease the risk of more bank failures as the US economy slows. The Bank of England is expected to lift its key rate by the same amount tonight after February’s annual inflation pace quickened to 10.4% in February. (It was running at 10.1% in January.)
Anyway, the ongoing tightening of monetary policy and resulting slower global growth will be a factor in the May budget, Chalmers said. On the plus side for Australia, the peak of inflation looks to be behind us, with the treasurer noting the RBA governor Philip Lowe’s views earlier this month that we are near to a pause in interest rises.
“That’s a key difference in the current conditions compared to what we were expecting in October,” Chalmers said, referring to the government’s out-of-cycle first budget.
Global commodity prices, while still high by historic levels, are lower now than in October, so the boost to budget is unlikely to be as big as it was back then, he said.
Updated
There is one more sitting week before the budget, so if the government is going to get movement on its housing fund and the safeguard mechanism legislation, it has to hope that the negotiations start moving in the right direction. Soon.
Lorena Allam, our Indigenous affairs editor, has given her analysis on today’s voice news:
Members were privately worried that any big concessions to constitutional conservatives would make the resulting proposition impossible to support or defend to their own communities, and risk failure. Appeasement, they said, was pointless. Critics of the voice would always find another thing to rail against. It seems their message was received.
Updated
Lisa Wilkinson was at ‘the top of list’ of Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation targets, court hears
Lisa Wilkinson’s barrister has lashed Bruce Lehrmann’s failure to send even a letter of demand or concerns notice to media outlets for two years after Brittany Higgins’ allegations were first published.
Sue Chrysanthou SC, representing Wilkinson, is fighting an attempt by Lehrmann to extend the usual 12-month time limit on bringing defamation claims. Lehrmann is suing for publications that are more than two years’ old and must convince a court that it was not reasonable for him to begin proceedings within the usual one-year window.
On Thursday, Chrysanthou lashed Lehrmann’s failure to even send Wilkinson a concerns notice during the usual 12-month limitation period.
The court heard Wilkinson didn’t receive notice of the defamation claim until the day after it commenced. Other publishers, including News Corp, Network Ten and Samantha Maiden, received notice of the claim on 16 December.
That indicated that Lehrmann had never wanted to settle with Wilkinson, Chrysanthou said.
He always intended to sue her, she was the top of his list.
Chrysanthou said there was no explanation for Lehrmann not sending a letter of demand or concerns notice to any of the publishers for almost two years after the initial publications:
Why did he not send a concerns notice ever, that has not been explained, within the limitation period, why was no concerns notice sent? Or even just a letter of demand sent to my client saying ‘I intend to sue you, be on notice’.
There has been no explanation for that and that is a highly relevant matter to the exercise of the discretion. Why should Mr Lehrmann be given any time after 2 December when he had nearly two years to send a concerns notice? Why is Mr Korn’s musings about waiting to see, what does that have anything to do with sending a letter to the publishers? Nothing. That didn’t affect his criminal charges, that didn’t prejudice his position. These publishers had no notice of this claim, in my client’s case until the day after it was commenced, in the case of the other publishers until the 16 December. And no explanation has been given for that.
Updated
Charlotte Graham-McLay has reported from Wellington:
A former New Zealand soldier who drew an online following with his dispatches from the frontline of the Ukraine war has been killed in fighting there.
The death of Kane Te Tai, 38, was confirmed by New Zealand’s foreign ministry Thursday, citing Ukrainian government sources.
Te Tai, who fought with the International Legion, is the third New Zealander known to have died in Ukraine.
I am being assured the speaker was sucking on a lozenge to help his voice; a soother to soothe the speaker’s voice.
I think banning question time would probably be more effective, but that’s probably against the standing orders.
‘Not right’ to suggest prospect of criminal proceedings should delay defamation claim, court hears
Lisa Wilkinson’s barrister has pointed to a series of high-profile defamation claims brought by rugby league player Jack de Belin and actors John Jarratt, Craig McLachlan and Geoffrey Rush to support her argument that Bruce Lehrmann should have filed defamation proceedings earlier.
Lehrmann is attempting to convince the federal court to give him more time to pursue his defamation claim against Network Ten, News Corp, Samantha Maiden, and Wilkinson over the February 2021 stories about Brittany Higgins.
Lehrmann is suing two years after the publication of the allegedly defamatory content, well outside the usual 12-month time window.
He is arguing the prospect of criminal charges delayed him from filing a defamation claim. He also says he was advised by his then lawyer, Warwick Korn, to delay defamation proceedings.
But Sue Chrysanthou SC said other plaintiffs had filed defamation claims within the 12-month period despite the defamatory material they complained about involving allegations that could be considered criminal. She said that included de Belin, Jarratt, McLachlan, and Rush.
Chrysanthou said:
The notion that there’s some generalized or ordinary rule in favour of extension because there’s a possibility of criminal charges cannot be right and the notion that there’s some ordinary rule when charges have already been laid is not right either.
She said:
No defamation lawyer advising a plaintiff would tell the plaintiff to miss the limitation period, no rational defamation lawyer.
Updated
Questions without answers: QT ends
Question time ends, and with it, my ability to take that part of the parliamentary sittings seriously.
Honestly, I have said it before and no doubt I will say it again – this is not a place for grown-ups.
To the summary (if anyone actually takes it seriously) the Coalition used it to once again stick to the BROKEN PROMISE lines when it comes to power prices.
The government used their sections to push the safeguaard mechanism, highlight the voice and give themselves a pat on the back for governing.
The crossbench tried to get actual answers on important topics.
No one received answers on anything.
Updated
The last week or so, it has sounded like the speaker Milton Dick has been eating or sucking on a lolly or mint* while question time is going on.
It makes things a little distracting, but I am not going to deny someone their sugar hit. Just maybe request it be kept away from the mic.
*We were later told it was a Soother for his voice.
Updated
Tanya Plibersek on IPCC environment report
Dr Sophie Scamps has another of the crossbench’s questions and it is to Tanya Plibersek:
In a July Club address about the state of the environment report you stated global warming multiplies environmental pressures everywhere. The IPCC, the preeminent international body on the science of climate again just two days ago emphatically stated that there must be no new fossil fuel projects if we are to meet our Paris Agreement obligations. Does the government accept or reject the IPCC advice?
I mean, someone had to ask it. This is one area where the opposition could have highlighted how Labor responded to IPCC reports while in opposition, compared to how they are acting now they are in government. But it has been left to the crossbench.
Plibersek doesn’t really answer the question, but at least the question was asked.
Plibersek (after saying the government takes the IPCC report seriously) says:
… I want to reassure her that we take her concerns seriously. We need to put Australia on a new path, a new path towards a renewable energy future. We believe that.
That’s why we’re doing it. That’s why the best and most important thing we can do as a parliament is pass the safeguard mechanism so we can get to net zero.
Mr Speaker, those opposite spent almost a decade in denial. If they had a deal when they could have we would be a lot further down the path towards a decarbonised future than we now are. They had 22 separate energy policies – the only place they actually overachieve, was in coming up with energy policies.
Sadly, they didn’t land a single one. We are on this side investing in renewables as a share of our electricity grid to 82%, as the minister says, 82% in months of that is a huge achievement – to 82%, six energy zones, Newcastle, the Illawarra, Bunbury, with Victoria, we are changing our environmental laws so that we can get these new renewable projects through the pipeline more quickly. We’ve got three billion dollars in the National Reconstruction Fund, of the $15bn fund, Lower Mission technologies and no new funding for coal and gas from that National Reconstruction Fund ...
We are supporting electric cars, we have signed the methane please can we have passed laws to protect the ozone layer, decarbonise in Australia is a massive job, but we are getting on with that job by constructing new renewable energy projects, by upgrading our polls and wires, by transforming our grid and getting cheaper, cleaner renewable energy into our homes and businesses. It’s not just good for the environment, is actually great for energy self-reliance as well.
And if we had started this massive job nine years ago when we could have we would be a lot further down the track now.
Updated
There is another attempt to trip the PM on energy prices, this time with the default market price, but it goes no where.
It’s almost like the Coalition have found a copy of the Abbott-era tactics book down the back of the opposition room’s couch and have decided to give it a whirl.
Question on cost of Brisbane Olympics
Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather asks Anthony Albanese:
You have said that you support the $2.7bn demolition and rebuilding that will seize the destruction of local public school and park and resuming homes. What are the federal government commit $3.4bn to the Olympics without first omitting the government rather destructive demolition and can you explain to the families of East Brisbane state school and residents of Kangaroo Point why you support destroying the public school and park?
(It is a very sweet school, so I can see why residents would be upset.)
Albanese takes the answer in the “we love the olympics” direction before landing at “we love the women’s world cup” (the ‘we love sports’ is implied):
The only part of the answer which applies:
These big events do require an investment. They do require an investment but they produce a return and I make this tip, there will be Greens MPs lining up for tickets at the time.
Updated
Energy bill question … again
The Liberal MP Nola Marino then has this question for the prime minister:
At the last election, did the prime minister promised the Australian people that power bills would go down by $275 per year?
He gives it to Chris Bowen.
There are groans and Bowen starts speaking about the rewiring the nation plan but Peter Dutton has questions. And those questions are why the prime minister isn’t answering the question.
The question was put to the prime minister, it is a question only capable of being answered by the prime minister because it goes to his commitment given to the Australian people at the last election and the question should be answered strictly by the prime minister.
But then SURPRISE, Tony Burke is up and he’s pointing out that the whole question is technically out of order (as well as the prime minister can direct it where he wants):
On a strict [reading] of the standing orders, the question is completely out of order anyway, completely out of order. Why? Because you have to ask about what people are doing as ministers. It makes no reference to it. Makes no reference.
And then Paul Fletcher is all “he is essentially arguing that if a minister is consistently breaking his promise, he can’t be asked about it, is that seriously what the Leader of the House is saying?”
It’s embarrassing for everyone, frankly.
Dick rules the question in order and that the PM can send it where he wants.
Bowen gives a run down on re-wiring the nation.
No one learns anything, everyone wishes they were elsewhere.
Updated
Chris Bowen on income from solar farms
I don’t know what that mess was.
David Littleproud asked Chris Bowen:
Can the minister advise the number of hectares of prime agricultural land that will be required for solar farms as part of their renewable energy mix of the government?
Bowen starts talking about solar farms.
Suddenly what seems like half the Nationals party is on their feet. Milton Dick tells everyone to sit down. Repeatedly. Then he tells everyone that he is not going to tell everyone to sit down again.
It’s like kindy, but without the cuteness.
Bowen eventually is allowed to get to his point – which is diversity of income for farmers who put solar farms on their land.
It is a diverse source of income. This is the point. They say that solar farms and renewable energy, they are wrong, they don’t understand the regions, they don’t understand the areas they are meant to represent, maybe if the member for New England turned up and listened then they would know. They would know.
Updated
Breakdowns on the NSW campaign trail
The NSW Liberals’ campaign bus has broken down days after NSW Labor’s electric bus broke down due to a charging issue.
The bus had been ferrying journalists along NSW premier Dominic Perrottet’s campaign trail today as he sought to shore up the safe Liberal-held Sydney seat of Drummoyne and Ryde.
Perrottet was not aboard the bus so was saved the ordeal, but his campaign managers did try to appease the journalists made to wait for the replacement bus with iced drinks and lollies.
When Labor’s bus broke down on Tuesday, Perrottet wasted no time to take a swipe at Labor, saying:
It’s no surprise that Labor’s bus has broken down, just like their budget broke down yesterday.
Updated
Jim Chalmers answers another question on rising prices
Angus Taylor has a question for the prime minister, who gives it to Jim Chalmers so he can feel included.
Kim, the owner of Barons Cafe in my electorate, says public bills are higher and the cost-of-living pressure [is increasing] every day spending. Will this out of touch prime minister finally admit that Australian families and businesses always pay more under Labor?
Chalmers:
My advice to the shadow treasurer is to get on the blower to Kim and explain to Kim how the shadow treasurer and all those members over there had the opportunity to vote for a little bit of help when it came to higher energy bills – [but] that those opposite left them hanging.
Those opposite completely abandoned the people in every suburb of this country and every small business which will be eligible for energy bill relief that was passed through this parliament, no thanks to those opposite. And it is especially galling, Mr Speaker, to get a question from Australia’s worst ever energy minister about energy prices. Now, he was the worst performing minister in the worst performing government since federation.
There is a point of order. Chalmers is told to stay relevant.
Chalmers:
I was talking about energy prices of course. And the point I’m making is that when Kim and the other small business owners of this country, when the families and pensioners of this country needed the Liberal-National parties to support the government and provide them a bit of assistance with higher energy bills, those opposite left them hanging. Those opposite left them hanging.
The small businesses and the families and pensioners of this country, when the parliament had the opportunity to give them a little bit to help.
Those opposite went missing. And Mr Speaker, unfortunately, in particular when it comes to the member for Hume, there is a pattern of behaviour here.
The minister – the shadow minister now, the minister then – who is more responsible than anybody else in this place for the fact that we’ve had this energy market chaos for too long, which has made us more vulnerable to shocks in global energy markets – the guy that tried to hide the price rises during the election, the guy that voted against helping small businesses and families and pensioners and then the guy they complained that assistance wasn’t arriving fast enough, this is the guy who has the nerve to ask us about energy prices and the cost of living.
If those opposite genuinely care about the cost-of-living for Australian small businesses and families and pensioners, they won’t abandon them in the time of need like they did in December in this place.
Updated
Chris Bowen asked about the safeguard mechanism
The Independent MP for Curtin, Kate Chaney, has the first of the crossbench questions:
New fossil fuel projects have no place in our future net zero economy and at some stage they will become stranded assets. Under the proposed safeguard mechanism, both new projects in sectors with a future and new fossil fuel projects can buy unlimited emissions offsets. How will the safeguard mechanism differentiate between these two types of new projects, the ones we need and the ones that will make it harder?
Chris Bowen continues the “this is the best we have, take it or leave it” tour:
As the member knows, the safeguard mechanism covers 215 facilities and will cover any facility that is new of any type which emits more than 100,000 tonnes of emissions each year.
And indeed, that is part of the opportunity and the challenge of getting the policy right because it is important to capture every single facility of and new of varying types and it is important to ensure that there is a framework in place for emission reductions, I don’t care whether the facility is a long-standing … facility or a facility of any type.
It is also important to reflect the complexity of the different types and the types of abatement that are possible and the member refers to this. As I said yesterday in the House, some facilities have onsite abatement ecology available to them now, others do not.
Others are emerging at different rates and that’s why the use of offset is very important. In relation to how new entrants are treated, I make this point - at the moment, the emissions from facilities that were projected to join would be around 38 million tonnes, we can reduce that very substantially.
If we reform this, there will be constraints on emissions from new facilities.
If the reforms don’t pass, there will be no constraints. My constraints from emissions of new facilities or all facilities, that’s the choice of the parliament next week.
In relation to elements, I look forward to updating the public and the house and the Senate with the revised regulation. As I said when I released it, on the 9 January, the draft, I would take advice and there has been nine months of consultation, papers, many hundreds of submissions, many meetings including as to date between me and various industry groups and I look forward to that advice been reflected in the update regulation. I look forward to the regulation receiving the support of the crossbench and people of good faith across the parliament.
Updated
Chris Minns ‘condemns violence’ when asked if NSW LGBTI community under threat
The New South Wales opposition leader,Chris Minns, is in Yass with Labor’s Goulburn candidate, Michael Pilbrow.
We’re in Yass! Goulburn Labor candidate Michael Pilbrow announces $13.8m for emergency road repairs in the area. #nswvotes pic.twitter.com/c1LySG0L2w
— Tamsin Rose (@tamsinroses) March 22, 2023
They announced a further $13.8m for urgent road repairs ahead of Saturday’s state election after earlier pledging money for nearby Monaro.
Minns said he was “hungry but humble” ahead of Saturday.
Asked if he thought the NSW LGBTI community was under threat and what he would do if elected to ensure their safety, Minns condemned the violence this week.
He said:
NSW Labor condemns that violence. My understanding is that several people have been charged and no one should be assaulted for exercising their democratic rights in NSW.
He said Labor had committed money for the queer museum in Sydney and had vowed to support outlawing so-called gay conversion therapy in the next term of parliament.
He said:
Assaulting somebody in NSW for exercising their democratic right to free speech was illegal yesterday, it’s illegal today and it will be illegal tomorrow.
Minns was also quizzed on his plans for Eraring Power Station and said he would not take anything off the table, including buying it back.
I’m not going take anything off the table in relation to that and the reason I can’t be more specific is that we may be in a commercial arrangement with the private company after the 25th of March and I don’t want to give away NSW taxpayers negotiating positions.
Updated
PM questioned again on power prices
Sussan Ley gets the next opposition question, because that is the order the Coalition goes in.
It is on broken promises over power prices. Because of course.
Anthony Albanese does a different version of the same answer we have heard all week.
But he throws in a bit more theatrics because the NSW election is just around the corner.
Dominic Perrottet, remember him? He is the bloke who won’t be seen anywhere near this fella [Peter Dutton], but there are two days to go, don’t miss the opportunity!
Ley has a point of order on relevance:
A point of order on relevance, Mr Speaker, the prime minister has not mentioned the commitment to reduce power prices once. They believe he is flouting your ruling. I ask you to bring him back to the question or set him down.
There are ooooohhhhs at Ley’s order at the end.
Milton Dick:
I thank the deputy leader for her assistance. I always enjoy her contributions, so I appreciate her assistance.
Albanese continues, speaking about the war in Ukraine and how the opposition uses it in their questions but won’t acknowledge that it has had an impact.
Peter Dutton raises a question/point of order on how the prime minister is not being relevant.
There is a back and forth over whether the PM is being relevant by bringing up issues which are related to energy prices.
This goes for about three minutes, and in the end, we end up where we start – the same question, with the same answer.
Updated
Linda Burney on voice: ‘What improves people’s lives is when they get a say’
Linda Burney takes a dixer on the voice and finishes with:
The Australian people can be confident that the work has been done to ensure a voice that works. A voice that makes practical difference, a voice that is not another layer of bureaucracy, but a voice that will hold bureaucracy to account … When we listen to people’s lives change for the better.
As Marcia Langton said, we’re here to draw a line in the sand and say this has to change people’s lives, they have to improve. And we know from the evidence that what improves people’s lives is when they get a say.
So let’s work together to get this done.
Updated
Sydney Uni hails ‘renewed spirit of genuine negotiation and mutual compromise’
Jagose wrote the past two bargaining meetings had been “extremely productive”, bringing the parties closer to finalising an agreement.
She said the university’s position had not and would not alter through industrial action but “good-faith negotiation” via bargaining.
The proposal also offers a 10% increase on new continuing academic roles from 300 to 330, with a “significant number” put aside for casual staff. The university’s current financial offer is around a 15% salary increase over three years plus a $2,000 sign-on payment.
Jagose said she was “willing to discuss” the academic package further once the rest of the agreement has in-principle support.
We maintained our commitment to reducing the proportion of casual academic staff by 20 percent, and to introducing new employment categories ... to provide more opportunities for secure employment.
I thank the unions for their positive and enthusiastic engagement in bargaining over the past two weeks. I hope that this renewed spirit of genuine negotiation and mutual compromise will enable us to conclude an agreement in the two bargaining meetings that are scheduled across the next fortnight.
The NTEU was meeting with staff to discuss the proposal at 1pm.
Updated
Sydney Uni commits to key union demand in enterprise bargaining proposal
Sydney University has committed to preserving the 40/40/20 model – a key union demand in a revised enterprise bargaining proposal offered to staff.
The model ensures academic loads are split evenly between academic research and teaching, with 20% of their time dedicated to administrative work. As part of the package, the provisions would allow “flexibility” for staff who wanted a greater teaching load.
Ahead of a major union meeting on Thursday, deputy vice-chancellor Prof Annamarie Jagose emailed staff following the most “constructive engagement” since negotiations began 20 months ago. It followed the seventh day of direct action at the university – a national record.
THIS is a picket line! #Usydstrike pic.twitter.com/gdYNICAgpp
— USYD EBA 2021 (@USYDEBA2021) March 9, 2023
National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members, staff and students held their seventh industrial strike earlier this month, vowing to repeat the action in Week 6 and 10 if their demands are unmet.
Next strike dates announced! Wednesday March 29 and Friday March 31 (the student census date). Management can avert the strike. Put the dates in your diary! #USydstrike pic.twitter.com/YvSuiWwAAU
— USYD EBA 2021 (@USYDEBA2021) March 16, 2023
Updated
PM questioned on power prices
The first question is, as always, from Peter Dutton, who wants to know if Anthony Albanese will finally admit “he’s broken his promise” on power prices.
Albanese runs through the usual “there is inflation” and then starts to list the Coalition’s broken promises.
There are no winners here.
Updated
Question time
I regret to inform you that it is that time again.
Question time.
Last one for the week.
Let’s goooooo
Updated
Victorian Greens have concerns about Andrews government human sources bill
The Victorian Greens say they need more time to consider the Andrews government’s contentious human sources legislation in response to the Lawyer X scandal.
The decision will likely delay the Andrews government bringing on the vote for the bill. The proposed legislation is designed to prevent another Lawyer X scandal where Victoria Police used criminal defence lawyer Nicola Gobbo – dubbed Lawyer X – to inform on her gangland clients. The bill, drafted in response to the royal commission into the matter, would still allow police to register lawyers to inform on their own clients but create higher thresholds.
The Greens’ justice spokesperson Katherine Copsey said the party had concerns about protections for children who could be registered as human sources:
We’re also concerned about the lack of effective independent oversight or power to limit the recruitment of certain individuals being registered as reportable human sources.
We hope to continue constructive negotiations with the government so that these reforms can be improved before they are passed.
Updated
So far, referendum support is splitting down the expected lines
Simple wording of the referendum question announced today by @AlboMP
— Dr Monique Ryan MP (@Mon4Kooyong) March 23, 2023
I'll be voting YES to recognize the First Peoples of Australia in our Constitution. Will you join me? pic.twitter.com/ZNeimBLgL6
Nasa’s Bill Nelson takes swipe at China in space
Nasa administrator Bill Nelson tells the National Press Club China was “very secretive” about parts of huge rockets that plummeted to Earth while they were launching their own space station.
Nelson also spoke about the importance of going into space as “earthlings”, as international teams, but pointed out that China is not exactly onboard. He said he has told the Chinese:
You have returned samples of the lunar soil, we returned samples 50 years ago, we made it available to the international community [after the Apollo mission]. You should do the same.
Nothing [in response]. That was over a year ago.
So, I think it’s obvious that they have decided a different course. And it would be one that they will do their own without the sharing with others, sometimes they talk about that sharing but it doesn’t happen.
Updated
Peter Dutton asked if he was moved by the voice wording announcement
Dutton:
I’ve seen Indigenous women crying in the meetings that we’ve gone to.
And it’s heart-breaking to see the situation in Alice Springs. Heart-breaking to see a young person killed in Darwin. And I wrote to the prime minister last year asking for a royal commission into Alice Springs because the level of sexual violence against children is an abomination and a disgrace and I want the voice to provide a better outcome for those people.
And if it is not, is there a better way?
Is it going to make it more difficult because there is another layer of bureaucracy and makes it harder for the Indigenous women in the communities to be heard?
We don’t know that.
We don’t know in terms of what the prime minister is promising or the moment any of the detail of how it would help those kids.
And it breaks my heart to see those children and women in that dire situation, but I can tell you, when we went to Leonora or to Laverton, the voice is the furthest thing from their mind.
They’re already screaming to the government saying – re-introduce the alcohol bans. Re-introduce the cashless debit card and the government has refused to hear that voice.
And I think that it is reasonable that the government provide the detail and that’s the raw emotion that we’ve seen and that we’ve experienced. And I have the utmost respect. We’ve had a couple of meetings with the reference group committee, and I understand the passion in that room.
But my passion is for helping Australians who are desperately in need, and that includes, at the top of the list at the moment, those kids in Alice Springs, and I want a better outcome for them.
(Dutton was in government for almost 10 years and part of the cabinet which had the power to make some of the changes he is speaking about. Communities can opt in to the cashless debit card, which has not been abolished).
Updated
Nasa at the National Press Club
There was a very different atmosphere at the National Press Club today compared with when former prime minister Paul Keating delivered his somewhat pugnacious address last week.
Nasa administrator Bill Nelson and his deputy, Colonel Pam Melroy, were talking about Australia/United States space cooperation.
Nelson met with American ambassador Caroline Kennedy, and in his speech he talked about her father (former US president John F Kennedy) and his famous moonshot speech:
We go to the moon not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.
Nelson said Nasa will announce the crew for the Artemis moon mission next week, and:
In order to learn how to go out into the cosmos, as was said so eloquently by President Kennedy at Rice University stadium, we set out on a cosmic sea, exploring new worlds, venturing forth onto new cosmic shores. Why? Because it’s in our DNA. As part of us, of who we are as adventurers, as explorers, as frontier people. It is part of us also as we create and invent, as earthlings, new technologies to be able to venture forth.
Melroy described Australia’s recent advances in space:
It would be very exciting to see Australia continue to partner with the US long-term. We do hope that when we are ready to go to Mars we will go as international representatives of Earth, that is the future. We will be shaping the future of humanity as we explore the solar system and we want to do it together.
So it has been a delight to see Australia’s progress in the last five years alone, building on many decades of cooperation. And we can’t wait to see what will happen next.
Updated
Dominic Perrottet questioned over ambulance sent for his wife
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet was grilled again this morning while in the electorate of Drummoyne over the ambulance the NSW ambulance commissioner personally arranged for Perrottet’s sick wife, Helen.
Asked if the call resulted in an ambulance being diverted away from an emergency that was a high priority, Perrottet denied that was the case.
“It was in line with what it would have been for anybody who had spoken to NSW Health for an ambulance,” the premier said.
Perrottet made the call to health minister Brad Hazzard to seek advice on what to do about his wife’s health condition. He claims he did not know the health minister was with the ambulance commissioner, Dr Dominic Morgan, at the time, nor that he made the call to receive special treatment.
Perrottet told reporters yesterday that the ambulance arranged by the ambulance commissioner was categorised as a low priority and took 40-50 minutes to arrive.
Perrottet was asked at a press conference this morning if he would release the call logs to prove his claims, but said that was a decision for NSW Health.
Updated
AFP releases statement on Canberra protests
Thursday, 23 March 2023, Publish time: 1:32pm
The AFP is aware of a matter relating to protests near Australian Parliament House today.
The interactions between the AFP and protesters will be reviewed, and an incident has been referred to the AFP’s Professional Standards Command.
Given a matter is now under investigation, no further comments will be made.
There is no context, but the only “matter” regarding interactions between the AFP and protesters which has been reported was Senator Lidia Thorpe being physically stopped from disrupting the anti-trans rights rally today.
Updated
Dutton asks government to release solicitor general advice on voice
Peter Dutton says the Liberal party still wants further detail on the Indigenous voice to parliament, not yet committing to a position on the referendum despite particulars of the vote and constitutional change being outlined this morning.
In a press conference in Canberra, Dutton asked the government to release advice from the solicitor general about the change, alleging that the government had gone against the advice of the top law officer.
Despite the referendum working group releasing a two-page document outlining the key design, principles and broad details of the voice, Dutton said he wanted more detail about the legal implications of the voice, and more information about how it would tangibly improve the lives of Indigenous Australians.
Dutton thanked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for an advance briefing of the change, before it was publicly announced, but wouldn’t say if he used that meeting to actually ask the PM for the solicitor general advice.
He said he had concerns about the voice’s power to advise executive government, pointing to issues raised by a small number of conservative critics that the provision could lead to ongoing court challenges to government action.
Updated
Dutton proposes ‘15 basic questions’ on voice
Peter Dutton wants the solicitor general advice given to the government and the working group to be released.
Dutton says he has written to the prime minister and is yet to receive a response:
I proposed 15 basic questions, pretty commonsense questions that Australians are asking, and the prime minister hasn’t responded with the detail.
Updated
Peter Dutton says he still wants more detail on voice
Opposition leader Peter Dutton and shadow attorney general Julian Leeser have held a press conference to respond to the new details on the voice which the government announced today.
Josh Butler was there and will have a quick report for you soon – you may not be surprised to learn that Dutton wants more detail.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton on the voice - says Liberals still considering their position but he says he still wants more detail
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) March 23, 2023
Says the design principles released by the working group today are still not enough to satisfy his requests for detail pic.twitter.com/3wIulGvg0M
Updated
Australian Conservation Foundation joins call to end new coal and gas
Further to Adam Morton’s post a little earlier this morning explaining the ACF position on the safeguard mechanism, the group has signed the open letter calling for a stop to new coal and gas developments.
Shoutout to @AusConservation and the other organisations that have signed on to the open letter, calling for putting science before politics and stopping new coal and gas developments in Australia.
— Australia Institute (@TheAusInstitute) March 23, 2023
Add your name > https://t.co/GyVUTFtHo2 pic.twitter.com/N2rOSFMOyk
Updated
NSW electoral commission allays ‘concerns’ about moving full ballot boxes
This appears to be in response to Lyle Shelton sharing photos of people wearing NSW Electoral Commission vests legally transporting full ballot boxes and writing to say he had “concerns” about the “chain of custody”.
When an early voting centre has taken a large amount of votes it is usual practice for full ballot boxes to be moved to the Election Manager’s office for secure storage during the early voting period.
— NSW Electoral Commission (@NSWElectoralCom) March 22, 2023
1/2
This relocation of boxes is permitted and there are processes in place to ensure a robust audit trail of the ballot box movements. You can find more information on our disinformation register: https://t.co/la2Oa2pKzX
— NSW Electoral Commission (@NSWElectoralCom) March 22, 2023
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If you want to know what culture warriors will attempt to bring to Australia next, just check out what has happened in the US about a year ago, or the UK about 18 months ago. It eventually filters down here.
Updated
The Nationals have planned a press conference today to talk regional program grants.
It has been postponed four times now.
You can almost taste the exasperation of the poor staffer who has had to send out the “new time” email three times already.
Updated
Lidia Thorpe has spoken about being stopped by police
Senator Thorpe says transphobes not welcome on Aboriginal land pic.twitter.com/BCxVQQBA8G
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) March 23, 2023
Not that many people could hear what Pauline Hanson or anyone on that side of the rally had to say:
Rice notes pro trans rally outnumber the Posie Parker crew pic.twitter.com/BNt4jISMju
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) March 23, 2023
Pauline Hanson used her speaking slot to tell people to vote for One Nation.
Posie Parker posing with Pauline Hanson, Malcolm Roberts and Ralph Babet. Hanson now speaking. pic.twitter.com/HIWaHe0S9m
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) March 23, 2023
Former New England independent MP Tony Windsor has released an open letter to the Greens leader Adam Bandt:
An open letter to @AdamBandt … pic.twitter.com/abSBKrO2WZ
— Tony Windsor (@TonyHWindsor) March 22, 2023
On Barnaby Joyce statement …
Barnaby Joyce, while in government, was one of the first to pick up and run with the line the voice would be a “third chamber of parliament”, which it wasn’t, isn’t and can’t be.
What he is also missing in his statement there is that the voice does not have veto powers. It can advise, make recommendations and it is up to the government of the day to explain why it would not be following that advice if it chose not to (assuming a voice to parliament is established) but it does not have the power to veto any legislation.
All legislation is examined by committees already. People can make submissions on it, reports are given and recommendations are made. That already happens. The voice would do it with an eye on the impacts to Indigenous people, something which doesn’t happen at the moment.
Updated
Joyce continues: ‘I urge Australians to vote no’
The question remains: as the body will be selected not elected to be ‘The Voice’, precisely who will be doing the selection, and could it be against the majority view of Indigenous Australians in an area?
This unelected body will have a purview over any legislation that may affect Indigenous people, which in Australia is virtually all legislation.
Recognition of Indigenous Australians in the constitution is one thing. However, for an unelected body to have potential power over all legislation is something entirely different.
I urge Australians to vote ‘no’.
Updated
Barnaby Joyce: voice would be ‘more powerful than any cabinet minister’
This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone – the entire Nationals party has resolved to vote no, but Barnaby Joyce has put out a special statement urging people to vote down the referendum:
New details of the question for a referendum to change the driving manual of government in Australia, our constitution, are now released and show that even the tempering calls from within the Labor party have been ignored.
As the proposed question has reference to the executive of government, that makes the body more powerful that any cabinet minister.
No cabinet minister can apply to the high court to have legislation struck out because they were not properly consulted. Yet the proposed ‘voice’ body will have that power.
More worrying, interpretation of that power will be determined by the high court, not the parliament.
The proposed change to the constitution will define the rights of Australians based on someone’s DNA – based on their race – which is a noxious concept to introduce in 2023.
Updated
Network Ten lawyers: ‘how on earth’ is Lehrmann defamation claim delay reasonable?
Lawyers for Network Ten have questioned “how on earth” it was reasonable for Bruce Lehrmann to sit on his hands and not file a defamation claim for 12 months, despite being told he had a “red hot defamation case”, was going to “make millions” and “not to worry” about a criminal prosecution.
Lehrmann is trying to convince the federal court to give him an extension to the usual 12-month time limit on bringing defamation claims, blaming the delay on pending criminal proceedings, prior legal advice to not immediately pursue defamation proceedings, and his mental health.
But Matthew Collins KC, representing Network Ten, said it was not reasonable for Lehrmann to fail to file the defamation claim within 12 months.
Collins said Lehrmann’s state of mind, shown by a series of text messages he sent following the initial publications in News Corp and Network Ten, suggest he was not worried about a criminal prosecution and had been advised he could make millions of dollars in a defamation claim.
Collins said Lehrmann was effectively told “you’ve got a red hot defamation case, you’re going to make millions, don’t worry about the prosecution”. To not file a defamation claim in such circumstances, he said, was clearly not reasonable.
Collins:
You’ve got a plaintiff who says I’m primarily focussed on my reputation, I’ve been told there won’t be a prosecution, I’m exploring getting a PR agent, I’m exploring talking to the media ... yet doesn’t send a concerns notice, doesn’t even put the defendants on notice of a claim.
Collins also rejected suggestions that Lehrmann could have been prejudiced by lodging civil proceedings while a criminal trial was ongoing. He said any defamation trial would obviously have had to wait until the criminal proceedings were over.
Even if he had to give evidence in a defamation trial first, Lehrmann could have been given certificates protecting his testimony from being used against him in criminal proceedings.
Updated
The Canberra Times’s Sarah Basford Canales recorded Lidia Thorpe being physically stopped from taking the stage
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has been stopped by police from Kellie-Jay Keen’s speech, right in front of Pauline Hanson before joining the counter-rally via @canberratimes #auspol pic.twitter.com/nYUPBAHWCF
— Sarah Basford Canales (@sbasfordcanales) March 23, 2023
Updated
Pauline Hanson steps up …
Back at the rally, and Paul says Pauline Hanson has stepped up to the microphone to speak in favour of Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull. Her offsider Malcolm Roberts is there, along with Palmer senator Ralph Babet, but that’s all the politicians he sees in support of the British agitator.
Updated
Lidia Thorpe sent out this tweet without context a little earlier today.
Cry me a river 🤮
— Senator Lidia Thorpe (@SenatorThorpe) March 23, 2023
The timestamp puts it at just a few minutes after the voice press conference concluded.
The senator is yet to formalise her position on the voice.
Lidia Thorpe returned to the counter-protest (which is much, much larger) to cheers, Paul Karp reports.
Posie Parker you cant hide, youve got Nazis on your side pic.twitter.com/isQvNScwrJ
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) March 23, 2023
Lidia Thorpe knocked to ground in struggle with police at anti-trans rights speaker's Canberra event
Paul Karp is at the “rally” and says independent senator Lidia Thorpe attempted to step up to the podium to disrupt what Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull is spruiking but was stopped by police.
Updated
Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull gathering
Looks like another huuuuge turnout. Bigly. The parliament lawns have never seen anything like it
(sarcasm)
Posie Parker rally about 30 for the anti trans side, incl Hanson, Roberts, Babet.
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) March 23, 2023
And 100+ pro trans rights pic.twitter.com/j0H8bbzUxD
Updated
Lehrmann would have been ‘exposed to prejudice’ if he brought defamation action within usual time limit, court told
Bruce Lehrmann says the criminal charges he faced, and the prospect of those charges being laid, means he would have been “exposed to prejudice” had he brought defamation action within the usual one-year time limit.
Lehrmann is seeking to convince the federal court to extend the usual time limit to bringing defamation claims. That would allow him to sue News Corp, Network Ten, Samantha Maiden and Lisa Wilkinson for their initial reporting of Brittany Higgins’s allegations in February 2021, more than two years ago.
His barrister Matthew Richardson SC is arguing that the prospect of the criminal charges - which were laid in August 2021, six months after the publication - is enough to show it was reasonable for Lehrmann not to bring the defamation claim.
If Lehrmann had brought defamation claims, it may have required him to give evidence in civil proceedings prior to any criminal trial, compromising his right to silence, the court heard.
Richardson:
Our position is that commencing civil litigation on almost entirely the same issues would have exposed him to prejudice.
The media outlets have previously argued that there was a six-month window between the publications and the charges being laid, during which Lehrmann could have brought a defamation claim.
But Richardson argued that his client was entitled to the full 12-month period to bring the defamation claim. He also said that there were statements from federal police well before the charges were laid indicating that there was a live investigation.
The media outlets have pointed to texts sent by Lehrmann on the day of the initial publication, suggesting he had legal advice that he would never face criminal prosecution.
Richardson said that, given what had appeared in the media, no competent lawyer would have told Lehrmann such a thing and told the court it was implausible that any advice of that kind was given.
It’s just silly, in my respectful submission, that something like that would have been said.
Updated
Bruce Lehrmann defamation case back in federal court
The court is continuing to hear arguments about whether the usual 12-month time limit on bringing defamation claims should be extended. If successful in extending the time limit, Lehrmann will be able to pursue his defamation claim against Network Ten, News Corp, Lisa Wilkinson and Samantha Maiden over their initial publications of Brittany Higgins’s allegations in February 2021.
Justice Michael Lee has begun proceedings by explaining his reasons for declining a previous request from Wilkinson’s lawyers to produce a report detailing the contents of Lehrmann’s phone. The report, a single document, contained almost 40,000 pages of contacts, calendar, calls, chats, emails, instant messages, GPS tracking notes, cookies, data files, audio, installed apps and searched items as far back as 2017.
Lee described the request as a “classic fishing expedition“ and said the case was not some sort of “roving inquiry” into everything that Lehrmann did, said and thought.
He said “on any rational view, it could never be discoverable, and more importantly has no apparent relevance” to the case.
The court instead received a more limited version of the contents of Lehrmann’s phone, which, among other things, showed his messages to friends on 15 February 2021, the date the Higgins allegations first appeared in the media.
In his reasons for delaying his defamation claim, Lehrmann said he was acting on the advice of his then lawyer, Warwick Korn, that he should wait until the conclusion of any criminal proceedings.
But the messages showed he was telling his then girlfriend on 15 February, while in Korn’s office, that defamation was a “definite” and “he says I’m up for millions as defamation”. He also told another friend that: “Criminal, he says, is off the cards completely”.
Lehrmann said he had fabricated those conversations with his lawyer to reassure his former partner, who was distraught.
The court heard on Thursday that Korn would not be called to give evidence. Lehrmann’s lawyers had previously signalled that it would attempt to call Korn to give evidence about his interactions with Lehrmann in February 2021.
Lehrmann has denied allegations he raped Higgins and pleaded not guilty at trial, which was aborted due to juror misconduct.
Updated
NSW Liberal party plan for first 100 days if re-elected
The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, has announced the Liberal party’s plan for the first 100 days if re-elected while campaigning in the safe Liberal seat of Drummoyne this morning.
On cost of living, the Liberal government would deliver its promised $250 energy bill rebate, bring down the Opal card cap to $40, and introduce legislation to do away with stamp duty for first home buyers in its first 100 days.
The state would also see registration open for the Kid’s Future Fund, and a transition team established to get the ball rolling on gambling reform across the state.
After the final leaders party debate delivered a decisive victory to opposition leader Chris Minns, Perrottet reminded voters of the Liberal party’s promise to deliver a stronger economy and ease cost of living pressures:
“Labor don’t have a plan, the economy is at risk. You will pay more under Labor.”
Updated
The Labor caucus lined the hallway between the press conference and the prime minister’s office as the group left the stage and applauded them as they walked away.
Albanese: ‘Australia will be seen as a better nation’
(Albanese’s final words continued from last post …)
But I also knew I had my party completely behind me. I also knew that I wasn’t staying in this place, making the relatively modest sacrifices and the privileges that I now get, to occupy the space.
I’m not here to occupy the space.
To change who is in the white car.
I’m here to change the country. And there’s nowhere more important [in] changing the country than changing our nation’s constitution to recognise the fullness of our history.
So I want this done for Indigenous Australians but I want it done for all Australians.
We will feel better about ourselves if we get this done.
We’ll just feel better.
You know what, I said this, and this has been contested, but the truth is that Australia will be seen as a better nation as well by the rest of the world.
That’s just a fact. It’s not – it shouldn’t be a source of argument. It’s just a fact. And our position in the world matters.
I conclude today by saying my thoughts are with one of the greatest of all Australians, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, at what is a very difficult time for him and his family.
Updated
Albanese: ‘I do feel a weight of responsibility’
Anthony Albanese gets the last word:
I do feel a weight of responsibility. It is a risk, having a referendum. They usually don’t succeed. If you were just about, you know, positioning on politics as usual, you might not – I might not do this. But the people here can’t wait. They can’t.
They’ve waited so long.
The people who aren’t here, like Noel [Pearson], and others as well, they’ve waited a long time for justice. And this is something where they are making such a modest request, that I do feel a responsibility.
I was very conscious about it, when on the evening of 21 May, I began my prime ministership, with a declaration about a referendum. I knew what I was doing. I knew the weight that was there. And I knew how that would be received by people on this, this occasion who are sharing this day with us.
(continued in the next post)
Updated
Linda Burney: ‘We believe we have history on our side’
Anthony Albanese and Linda Burney are asked about the weight they feel that the referendum succeeds.
Burney:
I was 10 years old in 1967, so I spent the first 10 years of my life not being counted. Not being considered, as did many other people on the stage today. This referendum, we are not unaware of just how difficult referendum change is.
We believe that this is so just, we believe this will appeal to the fairness of the Australian people, and we believe that we, we have history on our side.
And we are absolutely committed to the referendum, there is collectively on this stage we’ve been around a very, very long time.
We’ve seen the good and the bad. This is good.
Updated
'We’re here to draw a line in the sand': Marcia Langton
Marcia Langton finishes with:
But believe us – each one of us here has been involved in a major initiative. The royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. The inquiry into the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families. The Don Dale royal commission.
I could go on and on. And in each case we have doggedly recommended changes to stop the deaths, the incarceration, the early deaths, and the miserable lives and it is so infrequently that our recommendations are adopted.
This is why we cannot report on many improvements in the closing the gap indicators.
And each year, people like you come along to listen to that misery fest, and each year, people go away wringing their hands, we’re here to draw a line in the sand, and say, in this has to change, people’s lives have to improve, and we know from the evidence that what improvements people’s lives is when they get a say.
And that’s what this is about.
Updated
Marcia Langton continues:
I want to acknowledge people who are not here today. You know, there’s wonderful people who have been with us on this journey, Noel Pearson, and particularly Galarrwuy Yunupingu.
He taught me many years ago you know when you’re being told the truth, because the truth burns.
And truth is very much an Aboriginal value and the Torres Strait Islander value, across the country. So that is a part, very much a part of our thinking.
That’s why the Uluru Statement from the Heart calls for a Voice, Makarrata, and truth telling.
Before you all rush off and recite what was said yesterday, by a person who has never participated in any of these processes, I would like you to look for the evidence for such assertions.
Marcia Langton takes one of the final questions
How will this make a difference, when previous bodies haven’t?
Langton:
So yes, there have been many advisory groups and consultative groups and councils. There’s no evidence to suggest they didn’t work. And, you know, I have been around since the very first one. And indeed they did make a very positive difference.
But what has happened in most cases is that with each election, a party will use as its appeal to the voters that it will get rid of this X, Y, Z body, because it’s clear it’s not working.
And that’s happened, I think, we reckoned, seven times in our history.
And you know, there’s some of us here who have lived through every one of those encounters.
There’s no evidence for the proposition that they didn’t make a positive difference.
In fact, some of them made an enormously positive difference.
But you know, it was in a room like this, elsewhere on the planet, where the idea of the alternative facts was announced to people, just like you, and this is what we’re contending with, constantly.
Updated
'We’re not a homogenous group': Marcus Stewart on First Nations' voice concerns
Marcus Stewart answers a question about the concerns of First Nations people who fear the voice will entrench segregation:
I think I want to be clear that we’re not a homogenous group as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We have parts of our community who don’t agree, but we carry a responsibility to make sure we bring them along in this journey.
We understand there’s going to be people coming through parliament, like there’s us here, advising government, who will have a difference of views.
Today is a momentous day because the start gun goes, the race begins towards a yes campaign.
We’ve got an opportunity on the Sunday after a referendum to wake up a better country and that’s what is in front of us, that’s the opportunity, that’s the moment, and we can’t lose sight of that. We’ll work with our communities closely.
I think back to the question around what does representation look like? There’s a responsibility that we go out and speak to our communities to understand how they want to represent themselves as well.
That’s why we’ve got the design principle, that’s why we’ve got confidence in it, but we can’t lose sight of the moment in history of where we stand today, and we’ll get to, hopefully, on the Sunday after the referendum.
Updated
On the executive government point Paul Karp highlighted for you, Anthony Albanese says it’s inclusion was to try to stop scare campaigns:
It’s about clarification based upon the advice that we received. We had a bunch of lawyers sitting in – sitting in various rooms advising the referendum working group.
We think that – that clarity of being very clear, even though I think it was clear anyway, but to stop frankly some of the silliness that that will occur – will this advise state governments? Will this advise someone else?
Clearly, this is a voice to parliament and executive government of the commonwealth. So it’s about clarity.
Updated
Voice question wording can be altered through parliamentary processes
Can the question be altered through the parliamentary committee process which will look at the question?
Anthony Albanese says “of course”.
Of course it can be altered. We have a parliamentary process. Of course, it can be altered.
People can use the numbers to alter it. I said though, very clearly and unequivocally that this is the position, the government’s position, we arrived at it on the basis with the consultation process with the referendum working group.
This is something that has come up from the fine men and women who stand beside me now and I would take a lot of convincing before I would support any amendment.
This is quite clearly what we are going forward with. This has been adopted by the cabinet and I don’t know how we can make it clearer than that.
Updated
Anthony Albanese says the best legal minds in the country have given their advice on the wording and the principles.
Albanese feels ‘incredible responsibility to make a difference’
Q: Prime minister, can I just ask – there’s a lot of emotion on the stage here today including from yourself and some of the members up there with you. Why is this such an emotional day announcing these words?
Albanese:
It’s a big deal. It’s about justice. I grew up, and ask anyone else to add, but I grew up including with a little kid at my primary school who was an Aboriginal Australian who didn’t talk about it.
I’m not sure what all their circumstances were, but we have all had experience of – I grew up not far from Redfern, and a lot of kids from Redfern came to my school and I had that contact.
We didn’t have – we didn’t acknowledge country.
Now, we do.
And we’re richer for it.
And we feel, certainly I feel as the prime minister, an incredible responsibility to make a difference. There’s a whole lot of things we do in this place that no one will remember in a year’s time or a day’s time. This matters. This matters.
Updated
Voice is about ‘doing things with Indigenous Australians’, not to them – PM
Q: This is a great show of unity here, but these are not the people you have to convince to vote yes. What do you say to the portion of Australians who may be considering no?
Anthony Albanese:
I say to them this is an opportunity to recognise that, firstly, to recognise First Nations people in our constitution.
That this is about closing the gap and showing respect to First Nations people, making a practical difference.
I say to non-Indigenous Australians, this is also about you because it’s about how our nations sees ourselves.
Whether we have the confidence to embrace our history in all of it, in all the wonder that we have of sharing this island continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth should be a source of pride. But it also should be a source in which we’re prepared to acknowledge that what we have done up to now hasn’t worked.
If it worked, we wouldn’t have closing the gap reports. We can’t keep doing the same thing, if you keep doing the same thing, you get the same outcomes.
And we know that when First Nations people are consulted, when you look at issues like justice reinvestment, community health programs, Indigenous ranger programs, the success stories that are there, they are ones in which Indigenous people have been involved, not things that have been imposed for them.
So I say we have had 122 years of largely doing things to or for Indigenous Australians.
What this is about is doing things with Indigenous Australians.
Updated
PM has briefed Liberal and National leaders on voice wording
Question: Would you be open for unanimous support in June and for people to voice their reservations beyond that in the lead-up to the referendum rather than try to stymie debate?
Anthony Albanese:
I’m hoping for unanimous support when the referendum is held, that’s my starting point. I think that’s a bit ambitious. But it’s not too much to ask that people – I think it would be a very brave member or Senator who said they don’t want Australians to have the right to vote on this and I would expect that it will receive the support of every member of the House of Representatives and Senate regardless of their views on whether yes or no should be voted on, and I can say that in an authorised way, that I briefed the leader of the Liberal party, Peter Dutton, and the leader of the National party, David Littleproud, in between the cabinet meeting and this press conference and it was a courteous meeting.
Updated
For those looking at where some of the fights could be shaping up:
#breaking Proposed constitutional change: voice to parliament AND THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT.
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) March 22, 2023
Not just ministers of the crown, and no explicit reference to parliament limiting legal effect of its representations.#auspol #voice pic.twitter.com/frQCcDLiJy
There is a lot of emotion among the group facing the media – understandably.
The minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, is up next:
Today is a truly historic day. Today we take a big step forward on the long journey to constitutional recognition through voice.
Last night, the referendum machinery bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support. Constitutional recognition should be above politics.
Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution will be a simple, but powerful, act. It will move Australia forward for everyone.
It will give all Australians the chance to come together to recognise and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and story.
It will give our people a say in the matters that affect us so we can make better policies.
I want to thank all the members of the referendum working group for their wisdom, their dedication, and getting this right. And I want to thank the prime minister for staying the course and being such a strong, strong leader.
This has been a rigorous and comprehensive process. Australians can be confident that the work has been done to ensure – to ensure this is a voice that works – a voice that works.
A voice that will make practical difference.
A voice that will work for you. And so today the starter’s gun has been fired.
Let us get on with the campaign to deliver a ‘yes’ vote in this constitution to be held later this year.
Updated
Tony McAvoy outlines design principles of the voice
Tony McAvoy who is also on the referendum working group goes through the principles which have been decided upon:
Underlying those nine principles is an expansion which we hope will go a long way to eradicating the fears that some people might have about this Voice.
The design principles are:
Following the designed principles of the voice to parliament agreed by the First Nations referendum working group.
A. The voice will give independent advice to the parliament and government.
B. It will be chosen by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people based on the wishes of local communities.
C. It will be representative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, gender-balanced and include youth.
D. It will be empowering community-led inclusive, respectful and culturally informed.
E. It will be accountable and transparent.
F. It will work alongside existing organisations and traditional structures.
G. It will not have a program delivery function.
H. It will not have a veto power.
The referendum working group encourages everybody, everybody that has an interest this process, to pay close attention to the design principles. This is how we set out where the voice should go.
Updated
Pat Dodson says work on voice has 'laid the foundation to actually give hope'
Senator Pat Dodson is next to address the media conference:
The words that ring in my head from the Uluru statement is the tyranny of our dispossession.
Today is a clear example where the government and the Aboriginal leadership here have laid the foundation to actually give hope – to give hope – to the reversing of that tyranny because a successful referendum will give the Aboriginal peoples a voice to the parliament and to the executive on matters that affect them. This requires all Australians.
We need your help. All Australians to see the significance that this moment, with this level of unity here, this … level of magnanimity, that we as Australians can arise to a better relationship with our First Peoples. One where we are liberated and when our hearts and minds are clean from the tyranny of the oppression and suffering and shame that we have lived with.
Updated
Thomas Mayo continues:
It is profound because it includes over 60,000 years of continuous heritage and culture in our constitution - a recognition from that the moment we say yes, we are collectively as an Australian nation the longest continuing civilisation on the planet.
The constitution alteration bill goes to parliament next week, Indigenous people will be watching.
We want this to be above politics. We are tired of having our lives used as a political football.
We want all Australians to hear us, not just in rare moments like this, but any time decisions are made about us.
We want you to believe in yourselves, believe in us, walking together, believe we can do better.
We want the Australian people to vote ‘yes’.
Updated
'This is the culmination of generations of work': Thomas Mayo
Thomas Mayo, another member of the referendum working group, says:
You have heard about the incredibly hard work we have been doing as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This is the culmination of generations of work.
At Uluru, we gathered with an eye to the lessons from the past and we look to the future.
We suspended our disbelief that this nation would listen to us, we chose hope for a better future. We must have hope. We must believe in ourselves, we must do better.
It’s not good enough that here in this country the life expectancy of Indigenous peoples is almost 10 years less than other Australians. It’s not good enough that proportionately we are the most incarcerated people on the planet.
It’s not good enough that our youth languish in detention in obscene numbers. They should be our hope for the future. It’s time for us to have a voice.
Today, we have delivered on another major piece of work on this trek to a better future – we have a set of words, a new chapter nine, that does something simple and profound. In its simplicity, it is given Indigenous people who have been ignored and treated poorly for far too long a voice so that we may improve our lives.
Updated
Megan Davis continues:
Six to seven years ago, we ran 12 constitutional dialogues and a national constitutional convention and we said that a protected voice and an enshrined voice to the parliament is what we think is meaningful constitutional recognition.
It is symbolic recognition and substantive recognition. I think it was 12 years ago when the first expert panel was set up and many of my colleagues were involved in that, but prior to that, three decades of advocacy for constitutional recognition and I acknowledge the work of Patrick Dodson, Linda Burney, Marcia Langton and many here who have contributed to this journey.
Since that expert panel, we have had seven mechanisms and 10 reports – all on the public record, all published, all transparent. This is the second decade of constitutional recognition and thanks to the leadership of our prime minister, we are now going to a referendum.
There’s been a lot of work that has gone into this, a lot of work from Australians across the political spectrum.
First Nations and Australians working together.
So this is the culmination of many, many decades of hard work. It’s the culmination of the referendum council’s work and the Uluru statement from the heart and the many men and women who contributed to that dialogue, some of who are in this room today. We implore all Australians to unite behind us and walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.
Updated
'This is a historic day': Prof Megan Davis
Prof Megan Davis is now speaking:
This is a historic day, this is a historic agreement. There is still a long way to go, but today we must pause and reflect on this historic achievement.
When we ran the dialogues all over Australia, our people spoke about not being listened to and not being heard. They spoke about powerless and voicelessness.
This prime minister, this government, has listened respectfully, genuinely, authentically, this process bodes well for the future of the voice. Almost six years ago, we issued the Uluru statement from the heart to the Australian people and we asked Australians to read it and we asked them to hear our call that retail Australian politics, critical tribalism, means that things never change in our communities.
And the constitution is something that we have never tried. We have never tried in this country to empower our people, to empower our voice. This is about the right to be consulted on laws and policies that are made about our communities, to be heard on laws and policies about our lives.
Updated
Albanese calls for any debate to be based in fact not ‘nonsense’
Anthony Albanese continues:
Ultimately, though, there will be differences of opinion and I respect people’s right to have a different opinion and to say ‘no’.
That is their democratic right, but I would ask for there to be a debate based upon the facts, not based upon scare campaigns which have no basis, not based upon nonsense, and not based upon issues that aren’t respectful.
The people who stand with me on this stage I regard as a great privilege to be standing with giants of Australia.
I don’t know if I had their experience in life that I could be as generous and as modest in my request. I would like to think that I would be, but you can’t stand in other people’s shoes.
This is a modest request. I say to you … I say to Australia, don’t miss it. Don’t miss it.
This is a real opportunity to take up the generous invitation of the Uluru statement from the heart. This is about the heart, it’s also about the head.
If you think things have been working up to now, look at the closing the gap issue.
If you want to look at the best programs for Indigenous Australians, they have been successful, they have all been characterised by having that sense of ownership.
They’re the things that have worked. They’re the things that will work in the future. This is not about symbolism. This is about recognition, something that’s far more important, but it’s also about making a practical difference which we have – we have – a responsibility to do.
Updated
‘To not put this to a vote is to concede defeat’ – PM
Anthony Albanese once again gets choked up as he says:
To be very clear, because I was asked this question this morning. Are there any circumstances in which this will not be put to a vote?
The answer to that is no.
Because to not put this to a vote … [he pauses and is obviously fighting back tears]
To not put this to a vote is to concede defeat.
You only win when you run on the field and engage and let me tell you – my government is engaged. We’re all in.
Updated
Legislation to be introduce to parliament next week
The prime minister gives his thanks to the referendum working group for their work.
Legislation with the wording will be introduced to the parliament next Thursday and a joint parliamentary committee will be formed to consider any submissions on the legislation.
It will then be voted on in June (the legislation with the wording, not the referendum itself).
Updated
Anthony Albanese:
If not now, when.
That is an opportunity that doesn’t belong to the politicians or belongs to every Australian equally one person, one vote. People from all faiths backgrounds and traditions. All of us will have an equal say all of us can own an equal share of what I believe will be an inspiring and unifying Australian moment.
Principles of the Indigenous voice to parliament
The prime minister is going through the principles agreed by the working group and then adopted by his cabinet this morning.
Albanese:
Firstly, the voice will give independent advice to the parliament and government. It will be able to make proactive representations as well as respond to requests and the parliament and the executive government should seek written advice from the voice early in the development of proposed laws and policies.
The voice will be chosen by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people based on the wishes of local communities, not appointed by the government. Members will serve for a fixed period of time to ensure accountability.
It will be representative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities where the gender balance and include youth members will come from every state and territory the Torres Strait Islands and specific remote representatives.
It will be accountable and it will be transparent, subject to the standard governance and reporting requirements.
The voice will work alongside existing organisations and traditional structures respecting their work
Updated
‘Every Australian wants to see our nation do better’ – PM
This is maybe the strongest and clearest Anthony Albanese has been on the voice.
As Paul Karp reported earlier in the week, he told caucus that Labor needed to get on top of the “scare” campaigns around the voice. Seems like the clear messaging of what is being proposed begins today.
Albanese:
On every measure, there is a gap between the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the national average, a 10 year gap in life expectancy as suicide rate twice as high, tragic levels of child mortality and disease.
A massive over representation in the prison population in deaths in custody and children sent to out of home care. And this is not because of a shortage of goodwill, or good intentions on any side of politics.
And that’s not because of a lack of funds. It’s because governments have spent decades trying to impose solutions from Canberra rather than consulting with communities. I know that every Australian wants to see our nation do better than this, because our nation is better than this.
Every Australian wants to know that an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander baby born today will enjoy an equal right to grow up healthy and safe to get a great education. Find a good job to live a long and happy life.
That’s what this is about. That’s what this is about.
Updated
Josh Butler is at the press conference.
Breaking: the Indigenous Voice Referendum question and proposed alteration have been announced
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) March 22, 2023
Very similar to original draft proposed at Garma - with the power to advise executive government *remaining*
PM Albanese giving press conference now - choking up as he speaks about it pic.twitter.com/FU2cghnAeo
Updated
Indigenous voice referendum question revealed
The question which will be put to people at the referendum:
A proposed law to alter the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?
That’s the question before the Australian people. Nothing more, but nothing less.
Updated
Anthony Albanese holds back tears as he reads through his opening notes.
I want to thank sincerely all the members of the working group and all who have engaged with them. For many … this moment has become a very long time in the making. Yet they have shown such patience and optimism through this process and that spirit of cooperation and thoughtful, respectful dialogue, has been so important at arriving at this point in such a united fashion.
Updated
Voice referendum wording press conference beings
There is a large contingent with the prime minister this morning ahead of his announcement on the wording of the voice referendum.
Anthony Albanese is standing with minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Senator Patrick Dodson, and members of the referendum working group.
“Bringing people together starts right here on this stage, literally,” he says.
The press conference is about to begin.
Updated
PM comments on anti-trans rights rallies
Josh reported on this a little earlier, but here is the whole exchange when Anthony Albanese was asked about the anti-trans rights rallies:
Q: “Prime minister, on a different matter, there’ll be an anti-trans rally out the front of Parliament House today. Do you have any concerns about that event and the person involved? And if I could ask, what would be your message to transgender Australians who have been upset and concerned by the events of the last week?”
Albanese:
I just think that people should be respected for who they are. And it costs nothing for an individual to respect someone who is different from them, be it a different gender, a different race. Australia is a diverse place and we should look for ways of coming together, not dividing Australia. That’s the attitude that I take. I think that’s the attitude, overwhelmingly, that Australians take as well.
And then he left.
Updated
Assistant minister accuses Bob Brown of continuing ‘climate wars’
Meanwhile the assistant minister to the prime minister, Patrick Gorman, had a very normal reaction to Bob Brown standing for Bob Brown things:
We’ve already seen the ‘No-alition’ decide that they don’t even want to be part of the negotiations, they don’t even want to talk about acting on climate change.
This is the safeguard mechanism, let’s remember, it is a mechanism that came from the Coalition party room. And we’re just trying to make sure that it can actually do the job that it needs to do, which is to bring down carbon emissions.
But there are others who want the climate wars to continue.
And we saw climate warlord Bob Brown out there saying that he wants to kick on the climate wars for another decade. Australians don’t want that. Australians want us to get this done. It should not be a difficult question for the Greens political party.
Do you want lower emissions or higher emissions? That is the question in front of them, I say thank you to those who are negotiating in good faith, to make sure that we can take the next step on the journey towards 43% emissions reduction by 2030.
And a good sensible path to net zero by 2050. That’s what we want to get done this week and next week.
Updated
It has begun.
Great first few days on the job meeting the @AusintheUS Embassy team. pic.twitter.com/VGGDPGfnIz
— Kevin Rudd AC (@AmboRudd) March 22, 2023
Updated
Continued from previous post
So this is the argument that’s playing out. Some think the safeguard is not good enough and lean toward opposing it. Some think introducing a carbon price and emissions intensity limits for major polluting facilities is better than the alternative - which, at the moment, is nothing - and the safeguard should be beaten into the best shape possible. All agree the Greens should continue to campaign on coal and gas.
The negotiations are over, in part, what additional requirements may be placed on new coal and gas developments. It turns in part on what the government means when it says they will have emissions limits set at “international best practice”.
The argument over offsets integrity will be ongoing whatever is decided, and whether or not they form part of a deal. More data about offsets projects should soon be public - it was a recommendation of the Chubb review that the government has said it will back. That will lead to greater project level scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the talks - including with the independent David Pocock - continue.
PS: The Australian reported that Brown had urged the Greens to reject the safeguard. Brown told Guardian Australia he was verballed. “I haven’t urged the Greens to reject it. I’ve urged the Greens in passing the safeguard to stand firm on new coal and gas in the negotiations.”
Brown said he did not, as someone outside the political negotiations, want to say where the line in standing firm should be. Which, of course, is where we came in.
Greens divisions at centre of safeguard mechanism negotiations
Some quick context on the negotiations over the safeguard mechanism, and Bob Brown’s resignation from Australian Conservation Foundation life membership, which we reported on yesterday.
As this stands (and this, like everything, could change), the question of whether a strengthened version of Labor’s safeguard plan to deal with industrial emissions gets introduced will depend mostly on the Greens party room.
Some Greens think they should get the best deal they can (we haven’t seen what that is) on coal and gas, pass it and keep fighting on fossil fuels, including in the upcoming debate over changes to national environment laws and at the next election. Others want to oppose it and campaign against it. And there are obviously different views along that spectrum. There are different views within the party on what the political fallout for the Greens would be if the policy fails.
The ACF position is more consistent with the “improve-it-and-pass-it” Greens than Labor. Its press release is mostly about climate science and how the safeguard should be improved. The Climate Council has a similar position. Some in the climate and environment movement, notably the Australia Institute, take a more stridently critical and oppositional stance against the policy.
The dispute between Brown and ACF is about this – he thinks they should be arguing for the best environmental result, and that the ACF position gives Labor cover – but is also more complicated. Senior Greens figures have a longstanding unhappiness with ACF that extends back to the fight over (wait for it) the carbon pollution reduction scheme in 2009.
Updated
We are expecting to hear from the prime minister in the next half an hour
PM ‘really listened’ to voice working group, Prof Megan Davis says
The Indigenous voice will be “a very powerful mechanism”, promises Prof Megan Davis, a referendum working group member and Uluru statement co-chair, as we await the prime minister’s confirmation of the proposed change to the constitution.
We’re hearing that PM Anthony Albanese and the Indigenous Australians minister, Linda Burney, will give a press conference shortly. The PM was non-committal this morning when asked about the proposed constitutional change, saying he would have more to say later today.
Davis, one of the key members of the working group and a constitutional academic, told Radio National this morning that recent discussions with the government had been “really respectful” and that the working group “believe we’ve been heard”.
[Albanese] has really listened to what we’ve had to say, he’s listening and really marked these deliberations.
Australians will find out more later today. It’s a momentous occasion, a very historic occasion for the nation. We can see the aspirations of our people are on the horizon, the nation needs to grasp this moment.
Davis again stressed that the voice needed to talk to executive government, shrugging off concerns from a small number of conservative critics about that element of the proposed change. The University of New South Wales academic says the amendment that will soon be revealed “covers off” on any concerns they may have, and noted that the process had been advised by the nation’s best legal minds.
This has been a very comprehensive and rigorous process. The amendments have been really thoroughly debated and scrutinised, that will continue to happen in the course of the committee process,” she said.
We’ve had the best legal minds in the country working on this … we believe very much we’ve got the balance right now, and people will see that in due time, but I would say to those people, listen to what we are saying, listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
In the RN interview, Davis was also asked about concerns from progressive critics that the voice wouldn’t be powerful enough. She rejected those suggestions too.
I’ve never really understood the argument that this voice is merely advisory. The function of the voice is to make representations to the parliament and the executive, it will have an extraordinary impact on the work of the government of the day and the parliament,” she said.
The language of making representations is proactive, it doesn’t have to wait to be engaged by the parliament, it doesn’t have to wait to be consulted, it can make representations on its own initiative … it’s a very powerful mechanism and it will have an enormous impact on the way in which the nation engages with first nations communities.”
Davis noted 2023 marked the second decade of consultation and work around Indigenous constitutional recognition in Australia, pointing out there had been at least seven processes and 10 national reports conducted.
Updated
Claire Chandler pulls out of speaking at anti-trans event due to ‘security concerns’
Tasmanian Liberal senator Claire Chandler was to speak at the rally being held by British anti-trans rights agitator Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull in Canberra today, but announced on her social media this morning she was pulling out due to “security concerns”.
It seemed to me that a Let Women Speak event was a perfect opportunity to draw attention to what these women are saying.
Sadly, I no longer feel that delivering this speech in Canberra on Thursday will enable these voices to be heard. I haven’t seen a single word of a speech given at the last two events reported by Australian media, with the entire focus consumed by those there to disrupt and scream over the top of women trying to speak about their rights, or, in the case of the Melbourne event, to hijack the event and the media attention for their own abhorrent purposes.
There is no assurance that it is even going to be safe for women to attend Thursday’s event.
One of the main groups who had organised a counter protest to Keen-Minshull is the ANU Women’s Collective who have said they are standing with the trans community, given the vilification of trans people at Keen-Minshull’s events.
Updated
Australia committed to ‘a world without nuclear weapons’, Tim Watts says
Obviously this long-scheduled nuclear risk reduction workshop is being held the week after the Aukus announcement (which involves the acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines). It couldn’t go without mention.
The assistant minister for foreign affairs, Tim Watts, told delegates that Australia had “committed to transparency in our ambition to acquire conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines”.
He said the government understood that “acquiring this critical capability comes with a responsibility to engage with our friends and partners in the region”.
Watts said that was why Australia had been talking with the International Atomic Energy Agency to “ensure we set the highest non-proliferation standard”. He said:
This Australian government deals with the world as it is.
We are committed to further strengthen the non-proliferation regime.
Most of all, we remain committed to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons.
It is my hope that the participants in this workshop share that goal.
I also expect that many of you share Australia’s firmly held view that risk reduction measures are no substitute for tangible progress on disarmament.
But I hope you will also agree that there remain clear and present risks which cannot be ignored.
Through this workshop and other complementary efforts, we have an opportunity to make the world we live in today a safer place – safer, so that we can take the steps needed for disarmament, and so we can pursue our shared goal of a world without nuclear weapons.
Let us work together toward a productive dialogue that contributes to the uptake of practical risk reduction measures in our region and beyond.
Updated
Cabinet is meeting this morning to discuss the voice referendum wording – we hear that meeting should be breaking soon.
Nuclear risk reduction workshop being held in Brisbane
The assistant minister for foreign affairs, Tim Watts, has called for “a realistic and tangible approach to nuclear risk reduction” as he declared the region “knows too well the devastating consequences both of nuclear weapons and of conflict”.
Australia is co-hosting a two-day Asean regional forum nuclear risk reduction workshop in Brisbane. The long-scheduled event, held in Brisbane, is also co-hosted by the Philippines.
A transcript shows Watts said in an address to the delegates yesterday that the Indo-Pacific “is witnessing the largest military buildup anywhere in the world, with limited transparency and reassurance by some states”.
He said:
In our region and beyond, states refuse to comply with their non-proliferation obligations or make reckless threats to use nuclear weapons.
A realistic and tangible approach to nuclear risk reduction is an important step forward.
He doesn’t name countries, but the threat to use nuclear weapons most obviously applies to North Korea and Russia.
Watts said Australia would continue to work with Asean to support the peace and stability of our region, and “shares Asean’s wish for parties in the region to consider how they can best contribute to upholding regional peace and stability, including by reducing the risk of escalation and miscalculation”.
He added:
We continue to work with Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and others to build practical safeguard capabilities through the Asia-Pacific Safeguards Network.
We will continue to advance the objectives of the NPT through the twelve nation Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative, established by Australia and Japan.
In partnership with other members of the Pacific family, we remain steadfastly committed to the South Pacific nuclear free zone treaty.
(The South Pacific nuclear free zone treaty, also known as the treaty of Rarotonga, commits its parties not to station nuclear weapons in the region.)
Updated
Coalition jumps on Senator Don Farrell answer to power price question
Penny Wong has Covid, so has missed this parliamentary sitting.
So Don Farrell is the minister representing the prime minister in the Senate, in her place.
Farrell’s way of answering questions isn’t as … sharp as Wong’s, leading to exchanges like this, which the Coalition is celebrating today:
LNP senator James McGrath:
My question is to the minister representing the prime minister, Senator Farrell. Can the minister name anywhere in Australia where power prices have been reduced since Labor have been in government?
Farrell:
I thank Senator McGrath for his question. I do not follow power prices closely enough to be able to answer the question.
I am not sure that there’s any person in the chamber who so closely watches power prices that they are able to get that answer.
You know what he was trying to do, but he obviously didn’t quite get there. But it has made Ray Hadley happy from what I heard this morning.
Updated
The crossbench has been urging the government to go further in its safeguards mechanism as we come to the pointy end of negotiations.
The safeguard mechanism as it’s stands appears to be a ‘pay to pollute’ model that protects the future of fossil fuel companies, rather than our climate.
— Dr Sophie Scamps MP (@SophieScamps) March 22, 2023
We can do better - our climate and Australia’s future economic prosperity are on the line #auspol #ClimateAction pic.twitter.com/cvMzqErC16
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No serious injuries after ADF helicopter ditched into ocean
The defence minister, Richard Marles, has commented on the ADF helicopter accident overnight. A helicopter carrying 10 ADF personnel ditched into Jervis Bay, but all on board escaped serious physical injury. A wreckage retrieval operation is under way as you read this:
At about 9pm last night, there was a ditching of an MRH-90 army helicopter. It happened on a routine exercise which was around counter-terrorism training in a maritime environment. It happened around Jervis Bay, so the helicopter was ditched into Jervis Bay. There were 10 crew aboard – a mixture of army and navy, special forces. Everyone has been able to walk away, there were two minor injuries, one hit their head and another person took on some sea water, but they’re being looked after.
And essentially, people have been able to get out of this without any serious injury. That represents an incredible achievement on the part of the crew. This was a textbook response to a loss of power the engine stopped, the crew were able to shut the engine down and to ditch the aircraft into Jervis Bay in a way where it was able to keep the aircraft upright. So, we should all be thankful for the professionalism of the men and women of our defence forces. In this instance, they responded to a very terrifying situation, and in the midst of a crisis managed to act in a way which has kept everyone alive.
Updated
Coalition, Greens and crossbench unhappy with housing fund bill
The Senate inquiry report into the government’s housing fund bill has been returned and the Coalition, the Greens, Lidia Thorpe and David Pocock have issued dissenting reports.
The Greens, Thorpe and Pocock all say it doesn’t go far enough and won’t actually lead to increases in the social housing stock.
Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather says the government has to give if it expects to pass the legislation:
With almost the entire Senate crossbench, and everyone from the CFMEU to Anglicare and Master Builders, all calling on the government to invest more in social and affordable housing, it’s time the government came to the table and stopped standing in the way of progress.
It’s clear the government has no support for a housing plan that will make the crisis worse – it’s time for the government to accept that they’ve failed and agree to the almost universal call to invest billions of extra dollars in social housing.
It’s beyond comprehension that the government would refuse to work with the Greens and the crossbench to secure a housing plan that could invest $5bn a year directly in social and affordable housing and lay the foundation to finally tackle the housing crisis.
The Greens have on the table a proposal to invest a modest $5bn a year in public, community and affordable housing, which would build 225,000 homes, along with introducing a national freeze on rent increases.
Updated
ACT independent senator David Pocock is not overly happy with how last night played out in the Senate:
The Senate voted on the Referendum Machinery Bill last night. This sets out how the referendum will work and what rules will apply.
— David Pocock (@DavidPocock) March 22, 2023
Labor, Liberals and Nationals voted against my amendment to introduce ‘real-time’ political donation disclosures. Bringing it to 14 days.…
Labor and Liberals also voted against having the pamphlet that will be mailed out to every household fact-checked. We know truth in political advertising is an issue yet rather than taking steps to address this, we just hear ‘trust us’ from the major parties.
— David Pocock (@DavidPocock) March 22, 2023
The Labor government also argued against adding social media to the advertising blackout period before the referendum. This covers TV, newspapers, subscription TV, etc but not social media. Some interesting arguments as to why we shouldn’t include social media in 2023 🤔
— David Pocock (@DavidPocock) March 22, 2023
Updated
Those noon showers have started a lot earlier in Canberra – it looks like it is about 10pm. And it seems Melbourne is more moody than usual:
Absolutely pelting down at Victorian parliament this morning and plenty of thunder and lightning. Can’t say we’ve had any pollies come through doors yet @AmyRemeikis pic.twitter.com/akx68NawBa
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) March 22, 2023
Bob Brown sets the record straight
Adam Morton, who reported on Bob Brown resigning his life membership from the Australian Conservation Foundation yesterday, has had another chat to the former Greens leader over a story in the Australian newspaper today.
Spoke to Bob Brown, he says he has been verballed on p1 of The Australian today: “I haven’t urged the greens to reject [the safeguard mechanism] - I’ve urged the Greens in passing the safeguard to stand firm on new coal and gas in the negotiations.”
— Adam Morton (@adamlmorton) March 22, 2023
Updated
Sikh community protesting against treatment in Punjab
The federal parliament lawns often feature protests. For the past couple of days, Sikh protesters have been filling the space, in a bid to highlight alleged genocide and human rights breaches by the Indian government against Sikhs in the northern Indian region of Punjab.
The big rally was yesterday and organiser Ravi Singh found support in Bob Katter who joined the protest on Wednesday:
Katter said:
I have said constantly in this place (parliament) that if you’re going to bring in people to Australia, surely you bring in the persecuted minority from the Middle East – the Sikhs, the Jews and the Christians.
I’ve been impressed with Sikhs, they come to Australia, and they become Australians. And I got so fascinated by that I took out books on the Sikh religion and discovered the Sikh religion is almost identical to Christianity.
Don’t think this won’t have an impression on the parliament of Australia, we’ve always prided ourselves on being a country of a fair go. Well today we want the Australian Government to put their money where their mouth is and come out and say to the Indian government that ‘we will not accept religious persecution’.
Singh, who travelled from Melbourne to host the rally said he, like thousands of others, was worried about his loved ones in Punjab.
We’re worried for our families because we’ve been trying to connect with them for three or four days, and we can’t speak with them.
We’re fearful of what might actually happen to them, and what will get reported back to us here.
… We’d like to hear the government raise the issue in parliament as a signatory to international human rights treaties, and we’d like to see if the federal foreign (affairs) minister can make a statement on what Australia can do to help; not just people of Punjab, but the Australians who are there.
Updated
Peaceful protest planned at Kellie-Jay Keen rally in Canberra
It is a grey old day in Canberra today, with the possibility of showers from noon, when Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull is planning to hold a rally outside parliament.
The Greens and university groups have been planning a (peaceful) counter-protest for some time but looks like the weather also has a little to say.
Updated
Voice referendum wording update to be held later today, PM says
PM Anthony Albanese says he will have more to say on the Indigenous voice referendum later today, with news expected on the exact wording of the constitutional amendment and the referendum question.
The prime minister held a brief press conference at a childcare centre in Queanbeyan this morning. We reported overnight that the referendum working group of Indigenous leaders had reached an agreement with the prime minister over the crucial referendum details, but the particulars still have to be approved by federal cabinet in a special meeting this morning.
Albanese told journalists to “be patient” for another press conference later in the day.
Can I say this about the referendum working group and the work that they’ve done. It’s incredibly constructive and I give such praise to the leaders of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander peoples who have done work in a way that is so patient. This is a very modest request about being recognised in our constitution.
The PM said he was happy the Coalition backed the referendum machinery act changes last night. He said the opposition’s wider position on the referendum itself was a matter for them – but urged them to support it.
I can’t conceive of why a political party would ask to bind its members to a position of opposition to a referendum.
Asked about the anti-trans rally being held outside Parliament House today, following ugly scenes at other rallies from the same speaker in Melbourne and Hobart, Albanese stopped short of criticising the events.
I just think that people should be respected for who they are. It costs nothing for an individual to respect someone who is different from them – be it a different gender, a different race.
Australia is a diverse place, and we should look for ways of coming together, not dividing Australia. And that’s the attitude that I take. I think that’s the attitude overwhelmingly that Australians take as well.
Updated
In case you missed it yesterday, Adam Morton reported on former Greens leader Bob Brown quitting the Australian Conservation Foundation over its support for the safeguard mechanism:
Former Greens leader Bob Brown has quit his life membership of the Australian Conservation Foundation in protest after the environment group urged parliament to “strengthen and pass” a signature Albanese government climate policy.
Brown said he had returned his life membership – awarded in the 1980s for his leadership in the campaign to save Tasmania’s Franklin River – over ACF’s position on the safeguard mechanism, an industrial emissions policy that is the subject of negotiations between Labor and the Greens.
It came after the ACF chief executive, Kelly O’Shanassy, released a statement on Tuesday that said a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed deeper and faster cuts in greenhouse gas emissions were needed.
Asked if the Coalition’s position against bills like the safeguard mechanism will hurt it in its goal of winning back the seats the teals won at the last election, Bridget Archer says:
It’s probably for others above my pay grade to to determine that, but I mean, I don’t think it’s helpful.
You know, it is something that I think, even within the political environment – as I said, both major parties have accepted that emissions reduction target, we’ve accepted that we’re working towards a net zero by 2050 position.
So let’s talk about how we’re going to achieve that.
Let’s get on and do that.
Archer frustrated with Liberals for not collaborating on climate bill
Bridget Archer also expanded on her exasperation with her party for not engaging on legislation like the safeguard mechanism. Archer gave a speech in the parliament yesterday where she said she was frustrated with her party for just saying no.
We talk about how the you know, balance of power in the Senate may be held by the Greens and others – it also could be held by the Coalition, in part at least and we’ve seen even this week in terms of the negotiation that’s happened in the referendum machinery bill that it is possible to get negotiated outcomes between the major parties as well.
… As I said in my speech yesterday when I supported the government’s climate bill early in their term, I said then that you know, I want to see the climate wars put aside.
I want to see the ideology put aside and to see all parties working constructively towards this common aim and I think if we have an accepted position that we’re seeking, you know, emissions reduction targets now, then how we may choose to arrive at that may differ, but we should be open to collaborating, you know, on the on the way I think
Updated
Bridget Archer says she is proud of Tasmanians for rejecting anti-trans 'nonsense'
Liberal MP Bridget Archer has urged people not to join in support of a “hateful agenda” after the anti-trans rights Melbourne protests.
She told Patricia Karvelas on ABC radio:
I think they’ve almost stopped pretending that it’s about women’s rights and they are openly saying that it is an anti-transgender protest, as you have said, and, you know, I think I’m bewildered as to what rights it is that they think that they are protesting for, for women. If they want to talk about women’s safety. I don’t think that the issue of same you know, same sex bathrooms is where the issue of women’s safety is at.
If you want to talk about women’s safety, the most unsafe place for women to be is in their own homes.
And if these women care about women’s rights, and they want to do something to make the world safer for women, I suggest that they concentrate some more of their time on some of those efforts.
In terms of safety, the transgender community have much higher rates of violence perpetrated against them, then even women do so. I think it’s just nonsense. It is nonsense. And I’m so proud of Tasmania, the other day showing up in huge numbers in Hobart to reject this hateful agenda.
Updated
Chris Minns also urged Australians not to adopt “American-style politics”, referring to the ugly anti-trans clashes in Victoria and New South Wales over the past week.
He said:
It’s never really been a part of democracy in Australia, let alone recent political history in NSW. The tone of the campaign so far between Labor, and I have to say the premier, has been civil and constructive and largely about issues not about personalities and certainly not about violence. We don’t want to go down that American-style politics in Australia. They’re deeply distressing scenes.
Mid-career entrants to teaching are key to education sector, expert says
The chair of an expert panel tasked by the federal government to examine teacher education, Prof Mark Scott, says increasing the number of mid-career entrants into teaching will be key to addressing shortages hitting the sector.
It follows the release of the panel’s discussion paper today which outlines four key areas of reform, including providing greater flexibility in postgraduate teaching courses.
Scott said diversifying the teaching profession with a greater pool of mid-career entrants was a goal of the panel but it would require reform to the tertiary sector.
We know mid-career entrants generally have greater personal and financial responsibilities and the loss of income during study, the length of an ITE [initial teacher education] program and competing commitments such as family and work can be significant barriers to making the switch.
The panel has identified opportunities to address these barriers and support mid-career entrants into teaching by getting them into the classroom sooner and improving the flexibility of available postgraduate ITE programs which helps manage competing commitments.
Also recommended was the development of performance measures for education courses and linking achievement to government funding.
Scott:
By setting standardised performance measures and making these publicly available, it helps to recognise those highly effective ITE programs, as well as create a culture of continuous improvement and inform student choice.
We think student retention should be a focus in high performing ITE programs – and therefore included in the performance measures for ITE – because higher education providers play an important role in supporting their students to complete their course.
Updated
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns is campaigning in Monaro
The New South Wales opposition leader, Chris Minns, is in the marginal seat of Monaro with the Labor candidate, Steve Whan, this morning.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is also in Queanbeyan for a press conference but he is not appearing with Minns.
Minns said they had done many press conferences together in recent months but today the schedules did not work.
He said:
We’ve done many press conferences with Anthony and he’s been fantastic for our campaign over not just the last week but the last several months.
Minns questioned if the federal opposition leader, Peter Dutton, would be joining the premier, Dominic Perrottet, in his efforts ahead of Saturday’s poll.
Whan and Minns pledged $50 for local road upgrades if Labor forms government.
Opposition leader Chris Minns is in the seat of Monaro this morning with Labor candidate Steve Whan. Labor is announcing it will upgrade two local bridges if elected. #nswvotes pic.twitter.com/uHlxZZPRAo
— Tamsin Rose (@tamsinroses) March 22, 2023
Updated
Asked about the anti-trans rights protest planned for outside parliament today and the agitator Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull who has led the events Australia has been witnessing the past week or so, Mark Butler says:
It’s inflammatory and it’s hateful and it’s designed to divide our community and it preys upon a group in our community who are far more susceptible to mental health issues and suicidal ideation.
… These protests are divisive, they are hateful.
Updated
Mark Butler says part of the issue is that vaping was allowed to “explode” so it’s a case of putting the genie back in the bottle – but he says the government is determined to do it, so the tobacco industry doesn’t win.
A parent told us last week that they found in their very young child’s pencil case, not a 16/17-year-old but a very young child’s pencil case, a vape that was deliberately designed to look like a highlighter pen. I mean, these things are insidious.
They are causing very real damage not just to the health of very young children but to behavioural issues at schools as well.
So I don’t pretend this is going to be easy. This thing was allowed to explode over the last several years the number of vapours has skyrocketed particularly during the Covid pandemic.
But we can’t just say oh, well, it’s all too hard. Let’s just normalise it because we know why these products exist. Why these products exist and are pushed so hard by the tobacco industry is because they want to create a pathway back to cigarettes.
We’ve seen research this week produced that if you vape you are three times as likely to take up cigarettes and that’s why you see behind all of this, all of this advocacy, all of these ideas about how we can regulate these things.
You don’t have to look very hard to find tobacco industry lobbyists, essentially funding and driving this work.
Updated
Vaping creating ‘a new generation of nicotine addicts’ – Mark Butler
Sorry – under four-year-olds?
Mark Butler:
This is now the biggest behavioural issue in primary schools. I mean, this is this is an industry shamelessly marketing, not just to teenagers but to young children. When you look at these things, with pink unicorns on them and bubblegum flavors, these aren’t marketed to adults.
This is an industry that is trying to create a new generation of nicotine addicts so they get around all of the hard work. Our country and other countries have done over recent decades to stamp out smoking.
Updated
Health minister criticises vaping industry’s ‘shameless’ marketing to children
The health minister, Mark Butler, is on ABC radio RN Breakfast speaking about the government’s work to put a lid on vaping.
Vaping has exploded on the black market (you are not supposed to be able to buy nicotine vapes in Australia without a prescription).
Butler said the government is working to stop vaping, particularly because of its impacts on children:
I’m committed to making sure we get this back under control because we absolutely must. You’re right vaping in and of itself is dangerous. It is bad for your health to be ingesting that many chemicals into your lungs.
We know that it causes substantial lung damage including diseases like popcorn lung, but we’re also particularly concerned because this industry is so shamelessly marketing to children.
I mean products with pink unicorns on them. Bubblegum flavor and suchlike I mean it is causing very real harm to our children right now. The Victorian poisons hotline and the state you’re in right now is reported that in the last 12 months, more than 50 children under the age of four have had to be reported to that hotline because of the dangerous ingestion of nicotine.
Updated
Voice referendum question wording imminent
We could be hearing more about the Indigenous voice to parliament question we’ll be asked at the referendum, Josh Butler reports:
The exact wording of the Indigenous voice referendum question and constitutional amendment could be released as soon as Thursday morning, following a second consecutive night of meetings between the referendum working group and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to finalise changes to his original draft.
Prof Megan Davis, a key member of the advisory group of Indigenous leaders and co-chair of the Uluru statement from the heart, said the process was “very close” to completion and was still adamant the voice must have the power to talk to government, despite concerns raised by a small number of conservative critics.
As the Coalition agreed to back the government’s proposed reforms to the referendum machinery act, the no campaign in the referendum dialled up its rhetoric against the change. Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, a Nationals senator, claimed the voice would “segregate” Indigenous Australians.
Updated
Burns urges federal Liberals to ‘stand up to’ those who protested alongside Nazis
Josh Burns continued asking Peter Dutton to uphold the same standards as his Victorian counterpart.
Josh Burns calls on Peter Dutton to uphold same standards as Vic Lib leader John Pesutto.
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) March 22, 2023
Name checks Antic, Chandler, Canavan and Price as people who have supported the anti-trans campaigner coming to Canberra. pic.twitter.com/Mwsc1y2fpy
The question remains. There are rumours that this very same activist is coming to Canberra [on Thursday].
Apparently they will be speaking on the lawns of parliament, and apparently they will be joined by members of the opposition. I say this sincerely: I really hope that the leader of the opposition upholds the same standard for his team that the Victorian Liberal leader does for the Victorian Liberal team.
At the moment, we’ve had public statements from senators Canavan, Chandler, Antic and Price for this particular individual who the Victorian Liberal leader has said to his own party has direct links with extremists and with neo-Nazis.
We even have a member of the shadow cabinet intervening in this process. It is not me saying this; it is the Victorian Liberal leader. I say to the members of this house and the members of the Senate: think about what happened in Melbourne on the weekend. Think about the scenes.
Think about the week that we have just had. Think about the message that you send by standing alongside this particular activist.
The Victorian Liberal leader has thought about that. He has thought about those consequences, and he has moved to remove one of his own members.
So I say to the leader of the opposition and to all those opposite that I believe that the intent to show unity from this weekend’s activities is real. But I hope that the federal Liberal party can do what the Victorian Liberal party is doing and stand up to these activists who have marched alongside and have known links to far-right neo-Nazi activists.
This place should be united. I hope we see the best of this place, and I hope we all stand together to say that all Australians deserve acceptance, deserve a sense of community and deserve to be free from discrimination and bigotry
Updated
Labor MP Josh Burns commends John Pesutto for seeking to expel Moira Deeming
In the closing hours of last night’s parliament sitting, Labor MP Josh Burns spoke about the Melbourne rally where neo-Nazi’s attended and gave Nazi salutes on the steps of the Victorian parliament.
He also spoke about the anti-trans rights protests at large:
This past weekend, we saw confronting sights on the streets of the city I love. Melbourne and Spring Street were filled with anti-trans activists who were supported by a squad of hooded neo-Nazis giving Nazi salutes. Both of these groups turned up to spread hate and vilify minorities through their dark ideologies. But, from these ugly scenes, we are presented with an opportunity to come together, to send a different message and to take action. We’ve seen incredible responses from governments and communities across the country. The leadership from the Premier of Victoria has been exemplary. I acknowledge today and over the last couple of days the strong statements by our prime minister, and I acknowledge the statements of condemnation by the leader of the opposition.
I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the leadership of John Pesutto, the Victorian leader of the opposition. He understands that all major political parties should be united against the dark ideologies that we saw on display out the front of the Victorian Parliament House. Mr Pesutto has made the decisive, bold decision to remove a member of his own team. Let me quote for the Hansard from the motion that the Victorian Liberal leader put to his party room: ‘On 19 March 2023 and on days prior, organising, promoting and attending a rally where the principal speaker – “I’m not going to mention her name” – was known to be publicly associated with far right-wing extremist groups, including neo-Nazi activists.’
Let me rephrase that. The Victorian Liberal leader is moving to expel one of his own because of the direct links with far-right extremist groups, including neo-Nazi activists.
Updated
Good morning
Welcome to the last sitting day of the week – which will open with Anthony Albanese campaigning with the NSW Labor leader, Chris Minns, just over the border from the ACT.
The NSW election is in its last days and is looking close so Albanese is lending his popularity to the cause ahead of what is going to be a pretty messy sitting day.
The British anti-trans rights agitator Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s “tour” hits Canberra today, with counter protests planned for the event which will be taking place on the parliament lawns.
So far, there’s no confirmation certain politicians will attend the event, but it’s something people are keeping an eye on.
Meanwhile, there is the voice and the safeguard mechanism negotiations which remain ongoing.
It’s going to be one of those days. Thanks to Martin for kicking us off – let’s get into it.
Updated
NT government trying to 'jail its way out' of a problem
The Northern territory government has been accused by the Australian Lawyers Alliance of trying to “jail its way of out” of a law and order problem with new bail laws, AAP reports.
The territory chief minister, Natasha Fyles, unveiled a suite of measures yesterday aimed at addressing antisocial behaviour and violence after the death of 20-year-old Darwin bottleshop worker Declan Laverty who was stabbed multiple times on Sunday.
The government swiftly announced it would review bail laws for offences involving a weapon, including the presumption for and against bail.
It follows controversial laws passed in Queensland last week to criminalise bail breaches for children and allow courts to fit 15-year-olds with GPS trackers.
The Australian Lawyers Alliance national criminal justice spokesperson, Greg Barns SC, said making bail more difficult would lead to overcrowded prisons and would not to lead to any reduction in crime in the NT.
“We are disturbed to see the NT government following the lead of Queensland in thinking it can jail its way out of criminal activity,” Barns said.
“All the evidence available shows that placing young people in particular in the jail environment is more likely to increase the risk of criminal activity on release.”
High-visibility policing patrols will target known hotspots in Darwin and Alice Springs and capsicum spray canisters would be provided to public transport safety officers and permitted for crowd controllers and security guards, Fyles announced.
The move to allow transit officers to use capsicum spray was also of concern, Barns said.
While capsicum spray can be used in extreme situations, it’s use must be carefully monitored.
Overseas experience suggest people with mental illness or with other unusual behaviours can be the victims of spraying.
If spray is to be used there must be video footage of its use.
Fyles said the safety of communities was paramount and enough was enough.
“Our government … is fed up with acts of violence on our streets and towards our workers,” she said on Wednesday.
Updated
University funding should be tied to performance, panel says
An expert teaching panel has released its much-awaited discussion paper into how teaching courses should be reformed at university to address critical shortages in the sector, suggesting funding could be tied to individual program performance.
The teacher education expert panel, established by the federal government to develop a quality measure for teaching courses and chaired by Prof Mark Scott, listed four key areas of reform.
They included strengthening initial courses, drawing a link between performance and funding, improving the “practical teaching experience” and luring mid-career entrants to postgraduate teaching by allowing them to enter the classroom sooner as part of their degree and grant greater flexibility of learning.
The education minister, Jason Clare, said workforce shortages and high drop-out rates remained a large problem in the education sector. Dropout rates in teaching degrees are among the highest industry-wide, sitting at about 50%.
There aren’t many jobs more important than being a teacher and we don’t have enough of them. Not enough people who start a teaching degree finish it either. In the first few months in this job I have got a better insight into how hard and complex the work of being a teacher is.
The work of the expert panel will be important in helping us to strengthen initial teacher education, increase completion rates and deliver more classroom ready graduates.
The discussion paper, provided to Guardian Australia, suggested introducing public performance reports would increase accountability of universities and provide students with more “choice” to choose the best provider.
High performers would then be rewarded with additional federal government funding.
It proposed a standardised metric considering those which attracted diverse, “high-quality” candidates, retained students to graduate and supported them to be “classroom-ready”.
It also suggested the government could require a commitment from providers to improve their performance.
Scott said the role of teaching was increasingly demanding while also, at its best, valuable and rewarding.
We have to work together across the country to improve conditions for teachers and raise standards for students. Initial teacher education can play a significant role in making sure our future teachers are properly prepared for the classroom and that they are spending time on the things that matter most.”
The paper is open for consultation for the next month, with a report to be delivered before the end of June.
Updated
Welcome
Hello again and welcome to our rolling coverage of Australian politics and news. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight news lines before Amy takes her rightful place in charge.
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