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PoliticsFederalThe Pulse Live

This was published 7 years ago

Politics Live: One Nation deals apparently fatal blow to company tax cuts

Pauline Hanson has again reversed her position on the government's proposal, saying it's "not good enough".

Fergus Hunter
Updated ,first published

See you tomorrow

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We'll wrap up there.

It's been a busy day. We've seen:

  • The government's One Nation-induced headache over company tax cuts
  • 'White hot' anger over live exports discussed in the Coalition party room
  • Sadness and anger over another refugee death on Manus Island
  • A fiery Cormann-Wong exchange in Senate estimates
  • The latest developments in the China-Australia relationship, with the Turnbull government doings it best to smooth things over

The blog will be back tomorrow.

Until then, you can find me on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks to Alex Ellinghausen and Dominic Lorrimer for the photos today.

As always, feel free to email me your feedback and hot tips at fergus.hunter@fairfaxmedia.com.au.

The PM.Alex Ellinghausen

AGL would face class action and fines under Coalition MP push

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Energy giant AGL would face heavy penalties and a possible class action under changes proposed by Coalition backbenchers who want the company punished for refusing to sell the Liddell power plant.

The push sets up a potential new front in government infighting over energy policy, as electricity reliability and affordability loom as big issues at the next federal election.

AGL on Monday announced it had knocked back a $250 million dollar bid by Alinta to buy the ageing Hunter Valley plant and would close the operation in 2022 as planned. The Turnbull government had exerted pressure on AGL to sell, saying it would increase competition, lower prices and shore up east coast energy supplies.

At a joint party room meeting on Tuesday, pro-coal Liberal MP Craig Kelly is believed to have called on the government to amend competition laws to prevent companies that provide "essential services" from acting uncompetitively. It is understood former prime minister Tony Abbott and former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce backed the proposal.

Read the full story here.

China's account of meeting in contrast to Bishop's

By Kirsty Needham

Beijing: Australia needs to take off its biased, "coloured glasses" and stop recoiling from China for the relationship to "return to the right track", China's foreign ministry has said in a terse statement following a meeting with Julie Bishop.

The Chinese version of events stands in stark contrast to Ms Bishop's account of the same meeting, which she described as "very warm and candid and constructive".

According to a cool statement from China, released on Tuesday afternoon in Beijing, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Bishop when they met in Argentina on Monday that it was "not an official bilateral meeting", but rather he wanted to "exchange views with you on bilateral relations".

The Chinese statement appears to confirm Beijing's recent freeze on high level official meetings with Australia, despite attempts by the Turnbull government to play down the diplomatic stoush.

"Due to the Australian side, China-Australia relations have encountered some difficulties recently, and the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries have also been affected. This is not what China hopes to see," Wang told Bishop, according to the Chinese statement.

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Analysis: Hanson the opportunist re-emerges, fighting for her party's life

By Tony Wright

If anyone in the Turnbull government really believed they'd locked Pauline Hanson into supporting tax cuts for big companies, they could only have been politically naive, lacking understanding of the concept of populism or ignorant of Hanson's history of leading the powerful up the garden path.

The idea that Hanson would be able or, in the end, willing to sell to her One Nation followers a multi-billion-dollar tax cut to the banks and huge multinational companies without an ever-escalating list of near impossible trade-offs, ending in a letdown, was always fanciful.

And suddenly, Hanson has a purely political reason to stare down the Coalition.

With a byelection approaching in the Queensland seat of Longman, the tax-cut horse trade has emerged as a potentially handy opportunity to try to force the Liberal National Party to toss aside the idea of putting One Nation last on the preference list.

Truth is, Pauline Hanson and One Nation are fighting for their political lives.

Read the full piece here.

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Shortly before Question Time got underway, the Tasmanian government confirmed it would join the national redress scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

The other states and territories already committed are NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT.

"Governments and institutions must take responsibility for the abuse that happened on their watch, and provide payment and support in recognition of the survivors," Social Services Minister Dan Tehan said in a statement.

"The Turnbull government continues to work with the remaining governments and non-government institutions about joining the redress scheme."

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The various votes set in motion are all resolved and Question Time is over.

Anne Aly in QT today.Dominic Lorrimer
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Stunt alert!

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Manager of opposition business Tony Burke seeks leave for a motion on the government's "secret deal" with One Nation.

The motion notes the secrecy and various government policies announced since the last election, including attempts to weaken section 18C, toughen language requirements for citizenship applicants and won't relegate One Nation to last spot in preference deals.

Leave isn't granted, the opposition seeks to suspend standing orders. A vote is called, with the inevitable result being a government victory.

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Q15 from Liberal MP Tony Pasin to Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.

Pasin asks about "the importance of strong and consistent border protection policies" and any risks to that.

Dutton says Bill Shorten "cannot be trusted" on any topic.

"It doesn't matter what topic we're talking about, it doesn't matter whether it's on the economy, it doesn't matter whether it's in relation to border protection, do not trust this man," he says.

He says Labor's position on asylum seekers is shifting and points to Ged Kearney's vow to soften the party's policy.

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Q14 is from Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull.

Shorten says One Nation has more say over government policy than Coalition backbenchers and asks why Turnbull won't "match the actions of John Howard and put One Nation last" on how-to-vote cards.

Turnbull says the government commends the budget to every MP, including those from One Nation and the Labor Party.

"We will continue to engage with all members to do everything we can to ensure the budget is passed," he says.

"While it may suit the Leader of the Opposition to give us advice about how to engage with the Senate crossbench, I can assure him we won't be taking his advice on that or any other matter."

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Q13 is from Liberal MP Nicolle Flint to Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne.

Flint asks about measures to help job creation.

Pyne trumpets the government's policies and says Bill Shorten has a secret agreement with the CFMEU to support policies that are bad for the economy.

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