Labor pursues environment minister over grant to private foundation and fallout continues from Fraser Anning’s ‘final solution’ Speech. All the day’s events, live
• Fraser Anning calls for ‘final solution’ on immigration
• Exclusive: Centrelink trial bypasses safeguard for mentally ill
Postscript
The Senate has voted on David Leyonhjelm’s bill to restore the territories’ rights to legislate for euthanasia and it has been voted down:
I’ve had a good and proper scrounge around and all has gone quiet up here on the hill.
To be honest, I think the last 24 hours has left most MPs exhausted. I don’t blame them.
The debate on restoring territory rights – so the ACT and NT can decide whether or not to pass euthanasia laws – has resumed.
Numbers are very, very tight on this. It is possible there will be a vote tonight, but just as possible we’ll be back here tomorrow.
Tony Abbott phoned in for his Wednesday afternoon chat with 2GB.
Newsflash – he is still very against the Neg.
“He should never have used that phrase that evokes the Holocaust. That was a serious error of his” – @TonyAbbottMHR on Fraser Anning #auspol
“When sensible centre-right people run away from these issues, less sensible people jump in” – @TonyAbbottMHR on Fraser Anning #auspol
The numbers on the euthanasia legislation in the Senate seems pretty touch and go at the moment.
Peter Georgiou announced this morning he would be voting ‘no’
EUTHANASIA DEBATE | My personal reasons on why I will NOT be supporting this bill.
WATCH HERE: https://t.co/XoWXe79RCa#OneNation #Auspol #Wapol #PeterGeorgiou #Euthanasia @OneNationAus @PaulineHansonOz @westaustralian @australian @theboltreport @PerthLive6PR @abcperth pic.twitter.com/WkcSjdmY7S
The Greens have just managed to get a Senate committee inquiry set up into the JobActive scheme , despite the Coalition and Labor opposing it.
The Greens moved a motion for the education and employment committee to consider whether JobActive provides “long term solutions to joblessness” , whether mutual obligation requirements such as Work for the Dole are fair, and penalties against jobseekers who breach rules.
One of the speeches I meant to come back to from this morning, but ran out of time, was Lucy Gichuhis:
At what point are we going to say you are Australian? Full stop. Period. Finished. #auspol pic.twitter.com/oOgGpXzemR
Not the usual Politics Live fodder, but there is a pretty serious bushfire burning through the Shoalhaven and Illawarra region. In August.
Stay safe if you’re in that area.
Well, it looks like things are well and truly back to normal in the Senate.
In response to this motion from Cory Bernardi:
And it’s official, official
The New South Wales Parliament has selected Dr @MehreenFaruqi to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator @leerhiannon
Given what has gone on in the parliament over the last couple of days, Q&A has come under some fire for its line up next week.
It has just responded:
The 5 panellists in Mackay are literally representatives of Queensland in the Australian Parliament. They don’t speak for everyone but they have the right to be heard. #QandA pic.twitter.com/LVJZ4trviB
Sussan Ley is on Sky discussing ‘borrowing’, although bringing forward is probably more accurate, water from the Murray Darling to ensure the crops can be watered during this next crucial fortnight – the crops which have been planted for the next season’s reaping need water now, or they’ll die.
She says critics have misunderstood and the environmental flows would still be there for the Murray-Darling – but that the water farmers will be getting down the track will be coming too late, which is why she is asking for it to be released now.
Asked on Sky News if the government fails to get its company tax plan through the Senate, will Scott Morrison says:
“We are putting it to the parliament..I took a promise to the last election and I said I would implement it in this parliament and that is what we are seeking to do.”
How Mike Bowers saw question time:
And as promised – Malcolm Turnbull’s full speech from the motion this morning:
I condemned the racist remarks of Senator Anning last night as soon as I heard of them. I’ve condemned them already today and I condemn them again here in this House.
Let me say Mr Speaker, we live in the most successful multicultural society in the world and our success is built on a foundation of mutual respect. We have one of the most successful immigration programs in the world. We are a migration nation. Who could claim to have a better one? And we manage it on a thoroughly nondiscriminatory basis. It too is built on a foundation of strong leadership and the control of our borders, so that Australians know that people who come here, come here because the government has agreed to them doing so. The people’s representatives agree to them doing so.
On that little tidbit of the crisis talks with the backbench Tanya Plibersek asked Malcolm Turnbull about – here is how the prime minister ignored it.
.@tanya_plibersek: Can the PM confirm reports he held crisis talks with MPs last night in a bid to stop them voting against his energy policy?@TurnbullMalcolm: It’s Labor that is refusing and failing to support the NEG, which will bring down prices
MORE https://t.co/ykweMevBOK pic.twitter.com/pnwZZBIT5L
The Matter of Public Importance today is on – ‘the government’s failure to invest in the early years of children’.
Question time ends.
Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull:
Yesterday, the government could not explain why the government had given $440 million of Australian taxpayers’s money to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Can the Prime Minister tell us who came up with a taxpayer funded idea, or to put another way, if it was such a good idea, why won’t the Prime Minister tell us whose idea it was?
Tony Burke to Josh Frydenberg:
How can the government claim there was extensive due diligence before offering the foundation almost half $1 billion when the government didn’t contact the foundation, didn’t go through the reports, didn’t know how much money the foundation had raised and as has been revealed today, is a foundation that has now had to contract out a fundraising plan consultant, which was the very issue the government had claimed was its core expertise.
Tony Burke to Malcolm Turnbull:
In QuestionTime on Monday, the environment minister claimed his department undertook the first phase of due diligence which vowed to contact theGreat Barrier Reef foundation but looked at its fundraising history. In his brief to the meeting where he offered almost half $1 billion in taxpayer money, what amount was the Prime Minister advised the foundation had raised from corporate or private sources over its entire history? What was the figure the due diligence told him they had raised?
Outlaw bikie gangs are bad. The CFMEU is bad – you are up to date with your daily Peter Dutton dixer.
Linda Burney to Michael Keenan:
I refer to the reports today that the government’s robodebt program is now charging the homeless and people with mental illness impairments and chronic illness. Given the government’s own figures show that the robodebt program has got it wrong in almost 20,000 occasions, why is the government continuing to target the most vunerable people in Australia?
The chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation John Schubert, who attended the April 9 meeting with Malcolm Turnbull and Josh Frydenberg, has agreed to give evidence at a public hearing for the senate inquiry examining the grant on September 18.
Two other board members – Stephen Fitzgerald and Grant King – have also agreed to appear.
Speaker Tony Smith just schooled Steve Ciobo on what he can and can’t say when addressing the honourable members – the opposition leader in this case – and when Ciobo talks back, he schools him some more.
Ciobo gets back the call, but you can tell that Smith really didn’t want to give it to him.
Mike Kelly to Malcolm Turnbull:
In Senate estimates, the Snowy Hydro chief financial officers was asked if the construction of new coal-fired power stations would put the viability of the Snowy Hydro in doubt, her responded simply, and I quote, ‘yes’. Prime Minister, why are you jeopardising Snowy Hydro?
Justine Keay to Malcolm Turnbull:
In support of the Battery of the Nation states, previous modelling shows that coal was more economic. This was carried forward as an assumption in the Battery of the Nation analysis. Can the prime minister confirme that his plan to build new taxpayer-funded coal powered plants will undermine the Battery of the Nation project in Tasmania?
That just reminded me of something I meant to mention yesterday – Andrew Hastie is one of the MPs who has reserved his right to cross the floor on the national energy guarantee – which is interesting, because Hastie is a Western Australia MP – and WA is not part of the Neg.
That’s because the Neg focuses on the national electricity market – and the Nem doesn’t include WA.
Justine Keay to Malcolm Turnbull:
Can the prime minister confirm that Energy Security Board modelling assumes Tasmania’s battery of the nation project won’t go ahead under his national energy guarantee?
Taylor Swift’s biggest parliamentary fan (apparently) Scott Morrison gets the next dixer and it’s everything you ever hoped Morrison would say on energy.
Still looking for that sarcasm punctuation mark.
Rebekha Sharkie has the crossbench question today, and I miss the exact words, but it is essentially asking Malcolm Turnbull whether Mayo will still receive the funding promises the government made during last month’s byelection.
Turnbull doesn’t directly answer, only saying that there is another election coming up and:
The reality is – the reality is the government made the commitments, Georgina Downer secured them, and the government will deliver them.”
We resume usual proceedings with Tanya Plibersek asking Malcolm Turnbull:
Can the prime minister confirm reports he held crisis talks with government MPs last night in a bid to stop them voting against his energy policy? Given the prime minister has failed to appease his internal enemies by trading his convictions on climate change for new coal-fired power stations, what else is he planning to give up to the right wing of his party in order to keep his job?
Michelle Landry delivers a government dixer to Michael McCormack, which gives us another opportunity to find out if the deputy prime minister has found his QT personality yet….
Ahhhhh, no. Still looking.
Another 30 seconds later and Christopher Pyne is back with a point of order (it’s essentially the same point – that Shorten can only stick to the technical elements of the bill).
We have now spent more time on points of order than we have on the actual dixer.
It is urgent to deal with our proposal to restore Sunday and public holiday penalty rates because the workers of this country are going backwards under the Turnbull government and they need a wage rise!”
Christopher Pyne is very much enjoying getting to interrupt with a Tony Burke style point of order – ensuring that Bill Shorten sticks to the “technical aspects” of dealing with the bill.
Tony Smith rules that while Pyne is correct – “so far” Shorten is “completely in order”.
Susan Lamb with a question for…..
Bill Shorten.
The House is rather subdued, even accounting for this being a dixer answer.
And in the Senate:
Senator @leerhiannon has resigned her place as a senator for New South Wales
Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull:
Today’s disappointing ABS wages data confirms that this prime minister continues to preside over record low wages growth. Given that everything’s going up, except people’s wages, why is the prime minister making it harder for working Australians to make ends meet by supporting unilateral cuts to penalty rates? Why does the prime minister only ever look at the top end of town?
One Nation have released this statement:
Today Senator Pauline Hanson will introduce her Plebiscite (Future Migration level) bill 2018 to the Senate. The bill proposes to give voters a say on whether Australia’s immigration levels are too high by casting a vote at the next general election.
Julia Banks is delivering her statement – she is also in tears as she says she couldn’t sleep after reading Fraser Anning’s speech overnight.
But she says she is proud to represent the multicultural community of Chisholm – and that the display of unity in the parliament this morning has given her heart.
Moving across to the chamber, where the Members’ 90 seconds statements are on….
And Nicolle Flint has the floor.
And the national energy guarantee negotiations are still ticking over – last night, following the phone hook-up, the states agreed to release the draft exposure legislation they require to underpin those changes the Neg would bring.
You may have missed it this morning, but the government has basically conceded it needs Labor’s support to get its part of the legislation through the parliament. While the House is a problem, given the number of Coalition MPs reserving their right to cross the floor, the Senate is an even bigger one.
There is quite a bit going on today, but it is important to draw attention to this story from Chris Knaus:
Centrelink is for the first time trialling a version of its automated debt recovery system on the nation’s most vulnerable welfare recipients, bypassing previous safeguards designed to protect those with severe mental illness, intellectual impairment or drug addiction.
People with mental illness, intellectual or cognitive impairment, those requiring regular medical treatment, people experiencing homelessness and people recently released from prison are among those who will now be subjected to Robodebt.
This is a particularly cruel expansion of Robodebt. People in these circumstances are more likely concerned about their personal welfare than where they have filed their payslips.”
We are sliding into question time – you know the drill, predictions below.
In the Senate, the euthanasia debate has restarted – or to be technical – the debate to reinstate the rights of the territories to pass voluntary assisted death legislation if they so desire, is being debated.
The Senate can’t deal with any other legislation until this is voted on. The speakers list has been long – and there are still quite a few to go.
I cannot transcribe all of this. I won’t. It’s wrong and it’s hateful and it’s incoherent.
Anyone who is listening to this, and still thinks Bob Katter is a harmless joke, someone who is good to make fun of in parliament, because he says his bullshit with a laugh and a reference to thousands of flowers blooming, I hope you have found your line.
Do you support Fraser Anning’s comments?
“Absolutely, 1000%. I support everything he said.
Bob Katter is doubling down on Fraser Anning’s comments.
He is referring to Muslims as “them”.
Some scenes from the House from this morning:
Bill Shorten’s office has transcribed his speech – the PMO would be doing the same thing as we speak. In case it needs to be said, the motion was carried unanimously.
I move this motion today because we need to defend the great national convention of Australian politics: race is beyond politics.
Tim Soutphommasane, in his final email as race discrimination commissioner, sent this out today:
“As I warned in [my farewell] speech, we are now unfortunately seeing a triple threat to our race relations: the return of race politics, the fuelling of racism by some sections of the media, and sustained attempts to weaken our institutional stance against racial discrimination. Last night’s speech by Fraser Anning in the Senate, praising the White Australia policy and calling for a ‘final solution’ to Muslim immigration, just underlines the dangers.”
I am going to try and get the video of this speech and put it up, because my transcription does not show the absolute raw emotion and power of someone who has had to fight their entire lives – not just for themselves, but for their children and those who came after them – for acceptance and suddenly finds themselves exhausted by that fight.
And then discovers they are not alone:
A tearful Anne Aly “I’m tired of fighting” as the House united this morning to condemn the first speech of senator Anning @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/LsCD0pCBSW
Ed Husic:
“There are a few improbable things in this place – one of them which is remarked upon from time to time is my friendship with the member for Kooyong. The two of us are properly the biggest dags in parliament – I don’t know if that is parliamentary, but we are.
Ed Husic and Josh Frydenberg embrace after Husic made a passionate speech as the chamber united in condemning senator Anning and his first speech this morning @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politicslive https://t.co/HqPLLv5rC4 pic.twitter.com/YScWO14um0
“I say to people all the time, who say to me ‘we should stop Muslim migration, or we should stop people coming into our country’ – intellectually, it is incompatible to say that you can have a migration program where we think every person from a particular race or religion is bad or good.
“As I said before, there are the vast majority of people who come from many communities, who are good people, who deserve to live in our community and will make a wonderful future. And those who don’t, don’t belong in our country. And we are very clear on that and the government’s position won’t change.
Anne Aly stands to speak to the motion, crying before she has even said the first word:
“This, today, means something,” she says.
The Courier Mail confirms that Katter’s Australia party will continue to support Fraser Anning, with the party president Shane Paulger saying it was “very supportive” of his speech.
From the CM’s report:
Word is beginning to filter through from north Queensland that Bob Katter plans on keeping Fraser Anning on.
He’s due to hold his media conference at 12.30pm.
Ed Husic and Josh Frydenberg have hugged each other following Husic’s speech, condemning Fraser Anning. Husic, a Muslim, quoted the Lord’s Prayer and said it never bothered him to hear it at the beginning of parliamentary sittings, despite his different religion, because “God’s word is God’s word”.
Prime Minister @TurnbullMalcolm and Opposition Leader @billshortenmp have shaken hands after condemning Senator @fraser_anning’s maiden parliamentary speech.
MORE: https://t.co/OaG8mGx35o #SkyLiveNow pic.twitter.com/Ax3Utt2hsK
I don’t have a list of everyone who shook Fraser Anning’s hand or congratulated him after his speech yesterday – to be honest I was triple checking my tape to ensure I had not misheard anything and that he had used the term “final solution” – but here is the footage from just after the speech:
Here’s the footage of all the Senators who shook hands / hugged / kissed Fraser Anning after his “final solution” speech. pic.twitter.com/rAF2xToimz
Bob Katter is due to speak on the issue in less than two hours (he is in Cairns, not Canberra, for what we understand to be a long-standing commitment).
Peter Whish-Wilson, who has worked with Katter on things such as the banking royal commission and regional issues – and who has a strong, working relationship with the Queensland MP, despite their different political ideologies – has personally called on him to show leadership.
I have just called on Bob Katter to expel Fraser Anning from his party. Bob and I have worked together on a number of issues, despite disagreeing on so many things, but Bob you have to call this out and expel him today. #auspol #greens pic.twitter.com/Jj6L6qSQLz
Peter Dutton is speaking in the House in support of Labor’s motion and has congratulated Bill Shorten and Malcolm Turnbull for their speeches.
We owe it to those people who have gone before us that we condemn that racism … it is inconceivable that reference to the final solution could be derived with any other meaning, any other intention and it should be condemned.”
Labor did not support the Greens’ censure motion in the Senate. Here is what Penny Wong had to say about the reasons:
Can I thank all senators for their contribution to this debate? Can I restate the importance of making a positive statement in response to the comments that we’ve been discussing of Senator Anning? Can I thank and acknowledge and reflect to all Australians, the overwhelming support across the chamber for this motion?
We have no intention of making Fraser Anning a victim. We have the absolute intention of both condemning these remarks and of taking on his arguments because they are wrong. I think today, what the Senate has shown, is that the best way to deal with division is to come together. The best way to deal with prejudice is to assert acceptance and tolerance. The best way to deal with people going low is to go high and, today, I think this is a chamber in the parliament of which Australians can be proud.
Hard to imagine a more powerful symbol in our parliament – applause from both sides as Prime Minister @TurnbullMalcolm and Opposition Leader @billshortenmp shake hands – having both condemned and rejected Senator Fraser Anning’s maiden speech #auspol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/d0AOP9KqWc
Fraser Anning walked out shortly after Penny Wong began her motion.
Senator Anning left the chamber as politicians from all sides united in condemning his first speech this morning @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politicslive https://t.co/HqPLLv5rC4 pic.twitter.com/fyHccnK02D
Wrong and petty. https://t.co/9v3dy89EGz
I counted 7 Coalition MPs in the Chamber for the start of Bill’s speech and 24 for the start of the PM’s speech. That’s a fact and it matters.
The prime minister is speaking to the motion Bill Shorten has put forward:
I’ll put up the speech in full (as I will with Shorten’s) as soon as I am able, but he included this in his condemnation of Fraser Anning’s speech and the use of the term “the final solution”:
Now, I want to refer to the remarks that have been made about terrorism. Let me say this, the vast majority of the victims of Islamist terrorism are Muslims. The Islamic terrorists are, in the words of my friend, president Joko Widodo, president of Indonesia, they are blasphemous.
“He says they are not Muslims. They are denounced and abhorred by the vast majority of Muslims around the world, and, particularly here in Australia.
Labor has indicated it will not support the suspension of standing orders for the Greens censure motion to be heard.
Pauline Hanson:
Derryn Hinch:
The Justice party totally supports all the comments by Senator Wong, Senator Cormann and Senator Di Natale. I just want to place on record an action I took last night in this August chamber that I sincerely regret. Out of respect for this establishment I sat through the whole 30-minute diatribe, categorised as a first speech, from Senator Fraser Anning. I did not walk out, as one senator did during my first speech. At the time, I criticised the Greens for ostentatiously walking out on camera during Senator Hanson’s first speech. I believe in free speech, especially in these houses of parliament, but there are limits. That is why I voted in favour of the censure motion yesterday – of Senate Leyonhjelm, who made disgusting personal comments about Senator Hanson-Young.
I listened to Senator Anning’s speech in full. It was one of the most disgraceful, racist, homophobic, divisive, misogynistic, spiteful and hateful speeches I have ever heard anywhere in 50 years in journalism. It was Pauline Hanson on steroids. As I said on the ABC today, I felt like I was trapped in a Ku Klux Klan rally. I want to apologise to the Senate and the Australian people that, after that vomitus poison last night, I then stupidly, recklessly and unthinkingly – I did think about it – followed Senate protocol and dutifully lined up here and shook this unworthy man’s hand. I want to go on record and say I then went home and I washed my hand.
Richard Di Natale:
The Greens will absolutely be supporting this motion. We are a proud nation of immigrants. The things that bring us together are far more important and far more significant than the things that divide us. We should be very proud of the multicultural story here in Australia. Multiculturalism is often framed in language around people from multicultural communities needing to accept Australian values, but there’s something much deeper going on. What that means is that people who come here from right around the world actually enrich our values. They make us better. They make us think more deeply about our national character. They help us to reflect on those things which we can learn from those communities that come here, make a contribution and make Australia a better place.
Of course, we know that despite the fact that multiculturalism is embraced by the wider community, it’s something we never have to stop fighting for. If recent events have shown us anything, it’s that we have to redouble our efforts as a parliament to continue fighting for that great multicultural experiment that began several decades ago, which has made us the most successful multicultural nation on earth. That’s why that speech yesterday was just so disappointing. What it meant was that Australia was forced to confront the fact that there are individuals who will seek to exploit questions of race, ethnicity and religion for base political motives. We are very pleased that we are coming in here today and re-committing to the notion of a multicultural Australia. It has never been more important.
Mathias Cormann:
The government will be supporting the motion moved by Senator Wong. Australia is a great migrant nation. Australia is a country which has welcomed people from all corners of the world. Australia’s a country that whatever your background, you will have the opportunity to contribute, to reach your full potential, to build a life for yourself and your family. Ours is a nation where all Australians, whatever their background, should be judged by the content of their character and actions and not by the colour of their skin, their religious faith or any other consideration. So it is in that spirit that on behalf of the government, I’m speaking in support of this motion.
This chamber in many ways is a true reflection of what a great migrant nation we are. We have in this chamber representatives of our Indigenous community. We have in this chamber representatives of Australians whose families have been here for generations, who are the descendants of migrants to Australia of more than 100 years ago. We have in this chamber first generation migrants from Kenya, Malaysia, Belgium, Germany and Scotland. What a great country we are – where first-generation Australians can join first Australians and those Australians whose families have lived here for more than 100 years and all work together to make our great country and even better country.
In putting forward the motion, Bill Shorten says he understands the desire not to give attention to views such as those of Fraser Anning – but that a line has been crossed, and the parliament must stand up against it.
He says it is rare for the parliament to unite against the words of one MP – but that Anning has managed to do this.
Senator Pauline Hanson says she was “appalled” by Fraser Anning and his first speech in the senate chamber this morning @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politicslive https://t.co/HqPLLv5rC4 pic.twitter.com/yGcmyBybgz
Tim Storer on why he shook Fraser Anning’s hand, despite his objections to the speech:
I like to think that I am a courteous and polite individual. That was the reason I was in the Senate yesterday to listen to Senator Anning’s first speech. It is Senate practice to shake the hand of senators after they have delivered their first speech, which I did.
That act was not an endorsement of the contents of Senator Anning’s speech, just a common courtesy and in line with Senate protocol.
We have moved across to the House, where Bill Shorten will move a motion acknowledging Australia’s multiculturalism.
Tim Watts has given us the historic context for this:
Historical context for the motion to be moved at 10:30 https://t.co/Je5z8NWQJz
Penny Wong’s speech in full – I will note, that this was, as were most of the speeches we saw this morning, delivered off the cuff:
Yesterday in this chamber we saw a speech which was not worthy of this parliament. We saw a speech that did not reflect the heart of this country. We saw a speech that did not reflect the strong, independent, multicultural, tolerant accepting nation who we are.
We saw a speech that did not reflect a nation which has been built by people from every country, every part of this world, a strong, independent, multicultural nation.
The Senate votes in favour of Penny Wong’s motion.
David Leyonhjelm didn’t speak and neither did Cory Bernardi.
The chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, Dr Dvir Abramovich has commented:
What a poor and inappropriate choice of words by Senator Anning to make a point about immigration. I will remind him that the Nazis’ ‘Final Solution’ was the deliberate, systematic and mechanised extermination of European Jewry. Invoking terminology from the darkest and most unique tragedy in human history cheapens and taints this important debate. Mr Anning is entitled to his views, but he discredits himself and his argument by irresponsibly referencing an evil plan that led to the calculated murder of 6 million Jews and millions of others in the Holocaust. This is historical trivialisation of the worst kind imaginable. As we remember those who lost their lives as a result of Hitler’s Final Solution, let’s hope that Senator Anning refrains from indulging in the future in such misplaced rhetoric.
Peter Whish-Wilson calls on Bob Katter to act:
“Bob, expel this senator from your party.”
Given Fraser Anning is from Queensland and its state leader is of Polish descent, I see a few of you have asked what Annastacia Palaszczuk has to say:
‘Final solution’ comments from @fraser_anning are disgusting. There is no more to say than that. #qldpol #auspol
Senator Derryn Hinch wipes away tears after an impassioned speech where he condemned Fraser Anning and his first speech @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politicslive https://t.co/HqPLLv5rC4 pic.twitter.com/x4XOKSpDA0
Lucy Gichuhi is talking about her own citizenship journey and how because “Australia is Australia” she has found herself in the Senate. But she seems absolutely fed up.
“Senator Anning is a leader … what am I going to say to my daughter?
Malcolm Turnbull says Senator Anning’s remarks “are appalling. I condemn them and I reject them in their entirety.”
We are a nation that does not define its nationality, its identify by reference to race or religion, or cultural background or ethnic background. We define ourselves by commitment to shared political values of freedom, of democracy and the rule of law. And people from every corner of the earth, from every religion or of none, and every race, can connect, be inspired by, be part of those values. That is Australia. So we reject, we condemn racism in any form, and the remarks by Senator Anning are justly condemned and rejected by us all.”
The Centre Alliance and the Nationals have also given their support to Penny Wong’s motion.
It is exceptionally rare for so many in the parliament to be on the same side of something.
Right.
So the Greens were moving to censure Fraser Anning.
This may be the first time many people have heard of senator Fraser Anning, so here’s a brief reminder on how he got into the Senate.
On 8 May 2016, Malcolm Turnbull called a double dissolution election, at which the entire Senate was emptied and up for re-election. Double dissolutions tend to favour minor parties because the quota to be elected is halved with 12 senators elected from each state rather than six at a regular half-Senate election.
Pauline Hanson says she was “appalled” by the speech. She was not in the chamber, but watched it in her office.
But she says Fraser Anning did not write it – he delivered it – but it was written by Richard Howard, who she says is a former propaganda specialist and one of the people she warned Anning against hiring, which contributed to the split between them.
Doug Cameron:
I thank Senator Cormann for the contribution he made. He is a first, you know, a first generation migrant himself. But I would say to Senator Cormann, make sure the rest of your senators, make sure the rest of your MPs understand how difficult it is for migrants when they come to this country. They are faced with challenges and they don’t need Senator Anning and they don’t need Pauline Hanson trying to rip them down. It’s just unacceptable. We are a better country than this. And we need to stand up, we need to stand up for the issues that are important to this country – treating everyone fairly, treating everyone equitably. I support this resolution. I support it because it’s the right thing to do. Because when we allow racism to run unchallenged in this place, if we can’t deal with it at the apex of our constitutional operation, then what happens out in the streets will become even worse.
Tim Storer is also explaining why he shook Fraser Anning’s hand – “a common courtesy” and following Senate protocol.
He says he found the speech to be incendiary and supports the Senate motion to censure Anning.
Doug Cameron says Fraser Anning’s speech is the first maiden speech he has walked out on, in more than a decade in the Senate.
He did so shaking his head.
And I’ve witnessed some terrible things here with One Nation and some of the nonsense we hear from One Nation. But this took it to another level. And my concern is that as long as we sit in this place, and we say nothing about that type of race-baiting, then we weaken democracy in this country. I have taken the view that free speech is important. But I did follow one senator on the doors this morning who was arguing that this was free speech in action. This was not free speech. It was race hate. It was racism of the worst kind.”
Derryn Hinch apologises for “stupidly, recklessly and without thinking about it” shaking Fraser Anning’s hand following his speech yesterday.
He wasn’t alone. Several members of the crossbench and the government congratulated Anning on his speech, as is traditional, overnight.
Mathias Cormann said in support of the censure motion:
The government will be supporting the motion moved by Senator Wong. Australia is a great migrant nation. Australia is a country that has welcomed people from all corners of the world. Australia is a country where, whatever your background, you have the opportunity to contribute, to reach your full potential, to build a life for yourself and for your family. And ours is a nation where all Australians, whatever their background, should be judged by the content of their character and their actions and not by the colour of their skin, by their religious faith or any other considerations. So it is in that spirit that on behalf of the government, I’m speaking in support of this motion, and I mean, this chamber, in many ways, is a true reflection of what a great migrant nation we are.
Fraser Anning has left the chamber.
Labor’s motion in the Senate, which has the support of the government and the Greens, is:
That the Senate acknowledges the action of the Holt government, with bipartisan support for the Labor party, in dismantling the White Australia Policy; recognises that since 1973, successive Labor and Liberal party National governments have pursued the non-discriminatory immigration policy to the overwhelming and international benefit of Australia; and gives unambiguous and unqualified commitment to the idea that whatever criteria are applied by Australian governments in exercising their sovereign right to determine the composition of the immigration intake, race, faith or ethnic origins shall never explicitly or implicitly be among them.
In the House, Bill Shorten has announced he will be seeking to move this motion later this morning
That this House:
Penny Wong is delivering a very emotional speech on the censure motion, condemning Fraser Anning’s speech, where she talks about the history of Australia and the bipartisanship of the parties standing against racism, prejudice and division, and how it needs to happen again.
I want to say something on a human level – think of what might be happening in the school yards of Australia today. Because those of us who have been on the receiving end of racism know what leaders say matters. Know what leaders say matters.”
Bob Katter has called a press conference for 12.30 in Cairns.
For the second time in as many days, Richard Di Natale and the Greens will move to censure a senator for what was said in parliament:
“I seek leave to move a motion that the Senate censure Senator Anning for:
The bells are ringing – parl
