Politics Live: August 10, 2015

That's it for today people.

What happened?

• Victorian Tony Smith is the new Speaker of the House of Representatives;
• Mr Smith promised to be a more bipartisan speaker than his predecessor, Bronwyn Bishop;
• this sentiment has been supported by MPs of all stripes;
• after Mr Smith's election the House of Representatives devoted itself to a condolence motion for MP Don Randall; and
• independent senator Jacqui Lambie gave a moving speech about her son's struggle with ice.

Thank you for joining me, Andrew Meares and Alex Ellinghausen. We always enjoy your company and look forward to it again tomorrow.

We'll see you in the morning.

Always good to rise above these matters.

Meanwhile, condolence motions for former MP Don Randall will continue in the House of Representatives under 7 pm.

Earlier today in the Senate Jacqui Lambie spoke on the government's welfare legislation which she says will adversely affect people like her son.

"I am a senator of Australia and I have a 21-year old son that has a problem with ice, and yet even with my title I have no control over my son. I can't involuntarily detox my own son, because I am not talking to my son anymore, I'm talking to a drug. And I can tell you, I'm not the only parent out there. There [are] thousands of us," Senator Lambie said.

"It's very easy to take a populist position and vote for legislation which takes a hardline against people who are alleged to have committed terrible crimes and have serious mental illnesses."

"I'm going to take the hard road on this issue and vote against the government legislation. In this debate I think the govt has forgotten that the people affected by this legislation have already been assessed by the courts and deemed to be very ill."

"Australian parents have the right to speak to their children, not the drug, when they're trying to put them back on the straight and narrow."

And on that note Senate question time concludes.

Senator Abetz is getting cross with Labor Senator Penny Wong: "You're becoming hysterical, Senator Wong. Just calm yourself."

Why, Senator Abetz, can barely hear himself over the "shrill, hysterical shrieking of Senator Wong".

Clearly Senator Abetz did not get the new Speaker's memo about there being no need for rudeness in question time.

The Greens' leader, Richard Di Natale, would like to know what greenhouse gas emissions reduction target the government is going to discuss at an upcoming cabinet meeting possibly as soon as this afternoon.

"Let me start by telling Senator Di Natale and the public exactly what the proposition is is before cabinet. I don't think so," Senator Abetz, who represents the Minister for the Environment in the Senate, says.