Summary
Parliamentarians, returning to Canberra after a week’s grace, were straight back to business as the Prime Minister, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, delivered a national security statement to the House of Representatives. The Prime Minister said the threat of terrorism is “the new reality” and we must ask “what more can we do” to try and protect ourselves. The Opposition Leader, the Hon Bill Shorten MP, replying to those comments, pushed for global tech companies to “wake up” and do more to cooperate with agencies.
Politicians were also on hand as Australia officially launched its bid to host the 2023 Women’s Football World Cup. The Prime Minister, the Minister for Health and Minister for Sport, the Hon Greg Hunt MP and the Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, joined a number of Matilda’s players to launch the initiative.
In a boisterous Question Time, the Opposition used the recent release of the Finkel Review to wedge the Government over policies to mitigate climate change and policies that would mitigate the rising costs of electricity and gas in Australia.
1.The Opposition sought to expose tensions within the Government over power policy and the Government’s response to the Finkel Review. Knowing the Government’s joint party room meeting was suspended today, so that Members and Senators could again be briefed on the Government’s response to the Finkel Review, the Opposition used six of their nine questions to pressure the Government over their renewable energy target.
2.The Opposition’s Shadow Minister for Education and Women, the Hon Tania Plibersek MP, asked, “can the Prime Minister confirm wholesale electricity prices have more than doubled under his Government?”. The question forced the Prime Minister into admitting he could “not give the honourable Member confirmation about the exact percentage” of the price rises as he, and later, the Hon Josh Frydenberg MP, sought to attribute blame onto recalcitrant state governments for price rises.
3.The Prime Minister appeared to road-test a new line in Question Time regarding the Coalition’s energy policy. Answering a question from the Opposition Leader, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP replied, “ours (energy policy) is based on economics and engineering”. Will we see more of the ‘economics and engineering’ mantra next to the other favourite, ‘jobs and growth’ at the next election?
4.Sport was also a key theme in today’s Question Time with the Speaker, the Hon Tony Smith MP, bemoaning the behaviour of the House which he thought resembled a “soccer crowd”. Not to be outdone in the sporting stakes, the Prime Minister, answering a question from the Opposition Leader on gross Government debt, described the alternative prime minister as a “back-flipper of Olympic proportions” over his policies at the 2016 election that would have increased debt by $16.5b.
1.Dr Ken Boston, a former head of the NSW and South Australian Education Departments and a Gonski review panel member said it would be a “tragedy” for Australia if the Senate voted down the Turnbull Government’s new school funding model, Gonski 2.0.
2.The Australian is reporting tennis great Margaret Court is lobbying political figures, including former prime minister, the Hon John Howard AC, to back legal academic Augusto Zimmermann in his bid to replace Professor Gillian Triggs as president of the Australian Human Rights Commission.
3.Fairfax is reporting Australia’s next generation stealth fighter jets, the F-35s, have been beset with more problems, with the US Air Force grounding the aircraft due to a malfunction causing the pilots to be starved of oxygen.
4.The Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Tax Office, Mr Michael Cranston, and his daughter Lauren, have appeared before a Sydney court over allegations they were involved in a $165 million tax scam. The Cranstons were excused from attending upcoming hearings?—?set down for August 8 and 29?—?on the proviso they were represented by their lawyers. Both Mr Cranston and Ms Cranston are currently on bail.
Today’s legislation focus included:
1.Enhancing Online Safety For Children Amendment Bill 2017.
