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Politics Live: March 2, 2015

Hello, hello. The Prime Minister is up in the polls. But are his fortunes inside the party?

Updated March 2, 2015 — 4:38pm,first published March 2, 2015 — 9:01am

4.38pm on Mar 2, 2015

It's the end of the day. What happened?

the Coalition is gaining on Labor in the opinion polls;
which has turned down the volume on leadership talk in government ranks;
Attorney-General George Brandis was censured by the Senate for his attacks on the president of the Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs;
Labor has called on Senator Brandis to resign; and
Labor announced a policy to crack down on multi national companies dodging tax.

4.17pm on Mar 2, 2015

Right about now the opposition is meeting to consider its official position on the government's proposed data retention legislation.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security earlier today released its report on the legislation and recommended it be passed but with amendments.

Fairfax Media's deputy technology editor, Ben Grubb, has written this story about the cost of the scheme (higher than the government originally flagged) and the consumer campaign against the legislation.

4.08pm on Mar 2, 2015

Oops - nearly forgot the post question time wink.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott departs question time on Monday.Andrew Meares

4.06pm on Mar 2, 2015

The opposition has sent out its assistant treasury spokesman, Andrew Leigh, to sell the policy.

Just between you and I, I wish he'd stop using the phrase "no mouth and no trousers" to describe the government's lack of action in this area.

Particularly when he mentions Treasurer Joe Hockey in the same breath.

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and shadow assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh in Canberra on Monday.Alex Ellinghausen

4.03pm on Mar 2, 2015

I have been tardy in bringing you details of Labor's announcement on multi national tax avoidance (the most substantive policy announcement of its oppositionship).

According to the document put out by Labor to accompany the announcement the plan will recoup $1.9 billion in lost tax revenue over the next four years (this has been costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office).

This will happen through:

changes to the way multinational companies claim tax deductions;
more detective work by the Australian Tax Office to find and deal with corporate tax dodgers;
a crack down on complicated tax structures used by companies to reduce their tax burden; and
improved transparency and data matching.

Shadow assistant treasurer, Andrew Leigh, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and shadow treasurer Chris Bowen address the media at Parliament House on Monday.Alex Ellinghausen

3.49pm on Mar 2, 2015

How many cakes does one MP get?

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3.46pm on Mar 2, 2015

Further to the censure of Attorney-General George Brandis that was passed by the Senate shortly before question time.

The opposition is now calling on Senator Brandis to resign.

"Senator Brandis is responsible for significant damage to reputation of the Australian Human Rights Commission," the opposition's attorney-general spokesman, Mark Dreyfus, said in a statement.

"As Attorney-General his role should be to defend Professor Triggs. Instead he has joined with the Prime Minister in attacking her....The government should never have interfered with an independent statutory office holder undertaking her role in accordance with the law."

3.17pm on Mar 2, 2015

And that's it for question time.