Lidia Thorpe accuses Senate chair of being ‘asleep’ amid Senate chaos
Senator Thorpe wasn’t the only one asking what was happening – Liberal senator Maria Kovacic, who had waited over an hour to speak, was also asking for clarification over what was going on. By then, Labor senator Louise Pratt was the acting senate deputy president (they do a bit of musical chairs) and was trying to deal with the previous rulings, senator frustrations, more confusion and rising tensions from all sides.
Because that is what happens when the senate president’s chair swaps over and over – not everything is communicated as well as it should be as the new chair tries to interpret what the previous chair had ruled.
That led to exchanges like this:
Chair: Senators! It is a courtesy to the chamber— Senator Thorpe interjecting— Stop! Stop interjecting, Senator Thorpe, and I will tell you what the rules are.
Thorpe: Wake up, because you’ve been asleep in that chair, and I have a mother who lost a son to your system
Chair: Senator Thorpe, sit down now!
(Senator Thorpe interjects)
Chair: Senator Thorpe, you will come to order.
Thorpe: Wake up! Wake up!
Chair: Senator Thorpe, I’ve been listening intently to the speeches before me –
Thorpe: No, you have not –
Chair: – Senator Polley’s speech on dementia and the speech on concussion, which I note you were taking a deep interest in because of your parliamentary work.
Key events
Peter Hannam
What’s an extra day in February worth? About $6bn – to the economy
On the subject of quirks, 2024 as a leap year adds a day to the February quarter.
According to Brendan Rynne, KPMG’s chief economist, the December quarter GDP figures out next Wednesday might see growth close to or actually negative.
With weak momentum in the economy, it’s not out of the question the March quarter might also be close to zero or negative growth. Having the extra day in February – which Rynne says the ABS doesn’t adjust for – should add about $6bn to the quarter’s output.
Two quarters in a row of negative GDP growth would constitute a “technical recession”, which is a bit moot since in per-capita terms GDP has been going backwards since the start of 2023. Still, having an extra day in February might just come in handy later in the year.
Or as Rynne puts it:
This 1.1% kicker to quarterly GDP should be enough to ensure that the March quarter will not fall into negative territory thereby allowing Australia to skirt the possibility [of] falling into a technical recession … We aren’t called the ‘Lucky Country’ for nothing.”
Peter Hannam
CPI figures due in this week
We’ll get our first official look at how inflation is tracking in 2024 later this morning when the ABS releases the consumer price index numbers for January.
It’s well-known the monthly CPI figures can be a bit quirky because the ABS doesn’t review the whole basket of goods and services each month. That’s why the quarterly numbers are treated more seriously by the Reserve Bank when it considers if we’re still on the track to its 2%-3% target range (and hence when it can start cutting its key interest rate).
Still, the arrow of direction will be noteworthy. Economists predict the January CPI will be 3.6%, ticking higher for the first time in four months, from December’s 3.4%.
Perhaps wary of a dunking at Saturday’s byelection in Melbourne’s south-eastern seat of Dunkley, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has circulated prepared comments aimed at calming the horses should we see a rise in inflation.
The defensiveness might be unnecessary. Some goods’ prices are actually getting cheaper (thank China’s weak domestic demand for part of that) so CPI will probably remain around 3.5%. That’s lower than the 4.1% pace for the December quarter, for instance.
Lidia Thorpe on being prevented from giving speech about first cousin, who died in custody, due to procedural issues
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has explained what happened in the Senate adjournment debate overnight:
Last night in the Senate I had a speech prepared about my first cousin Josh Kerr, who died in custody, and whose coronial inquest finished last week. I was going to read a statement from Josh’s mum, Donnas Kerr, who was watching the proceedings.
There was an agreement around speaking order and speaking time limits, which was not observed by the new acting deputy president.
Two other senators and I asked for clarification about the order change. I wanted to know when and whether I could read my speech. This clarity wasn’t provided, and then the president told me I couldn’t present my speech about my cousin’s death.
I’m speaking with the government to sort this, and make sure the rules are followed and communicated in future. And I’ll be giving that speech about my cousin Josh today – the story of what happened to him needs to be heard.
In case you missed it yesterday, here is Paul Karp’s take on Scott Morrison’s final speech:
Aside from one passing reference by Morrison to the fact his faith gives him the ability ‘to both forgive but also to be honest about my own failings and shortcomings’ one could easily come away from the hagiography with the conclusion that in Morrison’s view he had no shortcomings at all.
There have been a couple of questions in recent days (in the parliament and in interviews) on whether or not the government will honour Peta Murphy’s legacy and ban gambling ads.
So far, the answer has been “we are working through it and won’t be rushed” (that is paraphrased, obviously.)
Well, here is our own Henry Belot on how they are working through some of it:
Woolworths announces price drops amid multiple inquiries into supermarket powers
Lol.
There are six inquiries in various forms and jurisdictions currently underway into supermarket prices and lo and behold Woolworths has just announced:
Woolworths has dropped the price of more than 400 items by an average of 18% to help customers spend less when they shop at the supermarket this あutumn.
How fascinating that all those supply chain issues and forced increase costs (which didn’t impact billion-dollar profits) were suddenly able to be overcome just as an intense political spotlight (in response to intense public rage) was turned on the major supermarket practices.
Deidre. Chambers.
Some notes on pre-politics jobs from Jason Clare yesterday
Speaking of Jason Clare and jobs before politics, the education minister took a dixer on paid practice yesterday (meaning students in courses where practical work is required as part of the degree – think teaching, nursing etc – would be paid to undertake that work, to stop financial disadvantage from preventing people from being able to complete their degree) and went through some of the jobs MPs had before parliament.
Working at Sizzler helped get me through university. The prime minister worked at Pancakes on the Rocks when he was at university—am I right? (Albanese: Indeed)
The minister for local government [Kristy McBain] worked at Pedro’s Mexican restaurant and the member for Hinkler [Keith Pitt] worked as a paid lifeguard when he was doing his engineering degree at university. I see him nodding.
The minister for aged care [Anika Wells] served tea and coffee with her mum in an aged-care centre when she was studying at university; the minister for skills [Brendan O’Connor]—my bench buddy over there—worked in a petrol station and on an assembly line to get himself through university and the member for Paterson [Meryl Swanson] pulled beers at the Brewery in Newcastle.
A lot of us, all across the chamber, have stories like that. You worked in a butcher shop, didn’t you?
The hansard doesn’t say who that was directed to, but from memory Peter Dutton worked in a butcher shop while in high school (for cash in hand, I believe).
*Just a note following a message from a reader – it is important to note that not only do students have to give up paid work in order to complete their practical components, they also count as subjects, and so have to pay for the free work they are required to complete in order to achieve their degrees.
Caitlin Cassidy
Clare says accord at its core is about addressing disadvantage
Clare also revealed the personal reason that he chose to launch the Universities Accord report at the site of a former Fairfield car park.
After I finished Year 10, I got a part-time job collecting shopping trollies in the car park at Fairfield Woolies. That car park isn’t there anymore. Today it’s the site of Western Sydney University’s new Fairfield Connect … it opened on the weekend.
I still remember that 15-year-old kid in that car park. Shoving shopping trollies together and trying not to crash them into parked cars. Back then the percentage of people in Fairfield with a uni degree was about a third of what it was across the rest of the country.
Not much has changed. Today the percentage of people in Fairfield with a uni degree is about half the national average. And that, at its core, is what the accord is about.
Caitlin Cassidy
Education minister indicates drive to break down barriers to higher education
The minister underpinned equity in his address, pledging education “can be and should be the great equaliser in an unequal world”, while flagging future integration of VET and universities.
He cautioned that while demand for university places was currently “pretty flat”, it wouldn’t stay that way forever.
The Universities Accord says that in the world that lies ahead, we are going to need a workforce where 80% have a Tafe qualification or a uni degree. That’s no easy task.
He said two barriers needed to be broken down to achieve the target – better integrating vocational and higher education, and improving access to education amongst disadvantaged cohorts.
The accord peels away any misconception that it’s okay if kids from poor families don’t get a crack at uni, they all go to Tafe. 87% of young people from wealthy families have a Tafe or uni qualification. Only 59% of young people from poor families do …
A lot of people I grew up with just felt like university was somewhere else for someone else. That’s why over the next 12 to 18 months we will set up another 34 university hubs in the regions and the suburbs. It’s part of breaking down that invisible barrier.
Jason Clare flags Universities Accord implementation will be staged over decades
Caitlin Cassidy
The federal government will wait months before announcing any reforms recommended in the Universities Accord, the education minister has flagged, with a staged approach to legislation.
In his first major address following the release of the final report on Sunday, Jason Clare told a Universities Australia gala dinner on Tuesday night the accord was a “blueprint not for one budget, but for the next few decades”.
Over the coming months the government will work through it in detail and determine what needs to be done first. There is a lot in it … we can’t do everything at once. We have got to stage this. This is a long-term plan, but we have got to start now. And that means prioritising what we think is most important.
Clare acknowledged the target in the accord for 80% of Australians to have a tertiary qualification was set for 2050, the equivalent of eight future elections and beyond the lifespan of many careers.
None of us are here forever. Not even vice chancellors. But we have a chance in the next few years to start the work on something that will outlast us. To plant seeds in a garden we don’t get to see. The O’Kane reforms.
Greens to introduce bill banning live sheep export
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi will introduce a bill to the Senate which would legislate an end to live sheep exports.
The government is considering an end to the trade but has made no moves to set a phase out (The Liberal’s Sussan Ley was once a leading advocate to end this trade, entering her own private members bill into the parliament while the Coalition was in government).
The issue received public attention again recently when the Israeli-owned MV Bahijah ship was ordered by government officials on 20 January to return to Western Australia 15 days into a live export voyage. That was because of fears of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
The animals remained on board in limbo for more than a month before being ordered into quarantine yards. The exporter is attempting approval to have the animals sent to another middle eastern destination.
Faruqi wants the government to commit to an end date to the live export trade. Her bill, which would need government or Coalition support to pass the Senate and government support to pass the House, would begin phasing out the live export of sheep by sea by 1 May 2026.
Human Rights Watch says Australia must push Phillipines president on human rights issues
Human Rights Watch wants Australian politicians to raise human rights violations in the Phillipines with president Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who will address the Australian parliament on Thursday.
The group says the deepening relationship between Australia and the Phillipines lays the necessary groundwork for Australia to urge action against the crackdown on human rights defenders:
Marcos’s visit to Australia is an important opportunity for Australia’s leaders to address well-documented human rights abuses in the Philippines.
Ignoring them will only embolden Marcos and the prevailing culture of impunity. The people of the Philippines deserve more than warm words and empty rhetoric when it comes to respecting and upholding their human rights.
Katter and Wilkie cosplay as pigs to bring attention to supermarket bill (it is working)
Meanwhile, the independent MPs Bob Katter and Andrew Wilkie have wandered through the parliament dressed as giant pigs to represent the supermarket duopoly. The pair want the government to support their bill to reduce the supermarket’s dominance and this is how they raised attention for it.
This year, Bob Katter chalks up half a century in parliament (if you count his time in state alongside his time in federal parliament). Generations of the good people of Kennedy just can not get enough of him, apparently.
At the same time all of that was happening in the senate, this is what was going on in the Blue Room (the second most fancy government press conference room after the PM’s courtyard):