The
Australian Parliament House Of Representatives and Senate now stand
adjourned until 12 noon on 8 February 2022.
This
is how the parliamentary year ended for the Morrison Government –
women both inside and outside the parliament were openly critical of the Prime Minister and the government he leads.
Political
commentator and author Niki Savva
writing in
The
Sydney Morning Herald, 2
December 2021:
The
last time Bridget Archer alerted the Prime Minister’s office in
advance that she was considering voting against the government, she
says she had two senior members of his staff literally standing over
her in her office.
Archer
told colleagues at the time, and has since confirmed it to this
columnist, that for almost two weeks she felt bullied, threatened and
intimidated by the staffers – one male, one female, both of whom
have been around politics a long time who should know better –
seeking to persuade her to vote with the government.
Archer
spoke against the cashless
welfare card legislation, then abstained from voting. Her
decision triggered a campaign of online abuse
…..
Lately,
constituents in her notoriously fickle Tasmanian seat of Bass, which
she holds with a margin of 0.4 per cent, have been stopping her on
the street, saying: “we like you Bridget, but...” The “but”
drips with portent for Scott Morrison and the government.
So
last Thursday Archer crossed
the floor to second a motion by independent Helen Haines for a
national commission against corruption. Archer regards the right to
stand up for a principle, even if it means going against the
government and the Prime Minister, as the defining feature of the
party. It’s what makes people like her become a Liberal.
To
avoid a repeat of her experience last year, the only people she told
in advance of her intention were her staff and Haines. She did not
even tell the Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, two nights before when she
and other MPs ate takeaway pizza and pasta in his office.
When
she burst into tears in Morrison’s office, after Frydenberg had
escorted her there like an errant schoolgirl, it was an emotional
release, not a sign of weakness.
Archer
had no problem with Morrison expressing his displeasure. He said his
piece. After composing herself, she said hers. She owned her actions.
She did not apologise for supporting Haines, she did not take a
single backward step. She told Morrison she was neither a
“drone” nor a “warm body” – words he later appropriated
to describe rebellious backbenchers and convey to the media his
tolerance of them.
Archer
told Morrison about his staff, pointedly asking that “they stay
away from me”. She also made clear she would cross the floor again
if necessary. Archer’s experience underlines the importance of Kate
Jenkins’ finding that cultural change to tackle bullying and
sexual harassment in Parliament House has to come from the top.
Archer
reckons the government has got its priorities all wrong. Although she
empathises with Gladys Berejiklian, she believes the ICAC was doing
its job, arguing such a body – rather than a religious freedom bill
– is essential to help restore people’s faith in politicians.
One
is a problem which exists that needs to be fixed, the other looks
like a fix for a problem which doesn’t exist, as the deeply
religious NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet implied on Sky by asking “why
now?”
Archer
fears the religious discrimination bill could be a “slippery
slope”. She says she will vote against it if it impinges on the
rights of others, particularly the LGBTIQ community.
At
least she will have company with Trent Zimmerman, Dave Sharma and
Warren
Entsch expressing similar views, which explains why Morrison is in no
rush to put it to a vote.
The
Prime Minister pretended to be as relaxed about Archer’s actions
this time as he was last time, saying what close friends and
colleagues they were and what a grand old party he led which allowed
members to express themselves freely.
He
does that often. Boasts about being good friends with people when
really it’s just heavy duty Spakfilla patter, sealing up the cracks
or covering his own poor behaviour.
He
has done it with Berejiklian too, even though she confided several
times to friends he tried to bully her, and while Premier she got her
office to tell Morrison’s office to stop undermining and
backgrounding against her……
ABC,
“7.30”
program,
2 December 2021:
LEIGH
SALES, PRESENTER: Laura Tingle is with us from Canberra. Laura, as
much as governments like to clear the decks at the end of the year,
especially going into an election year, there is always unfinished
business. What are the leftovers this year that are likely to be
significant going into 2022?
LAURA
TINGLE, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the leftovers are things
that probably never now see the light of day before the election,
Leigh.
The
big ones are the election promises for an anti-corruption commission
- not going to see the light of day at the rate we are going. The
government hasn't even tabled its proposed legislation on that and
has baulked at letting a debate go on about Helen Haines' alternative
model.
The
other one is the religious discrimination bill, another election
promise. It got about an hour's worth of debate this afternoon in the
House of Representatives but will be really struggling now to get
debated, if Parliament does indeed come back, and it's losing friends
as we go. The Christian lobby today signalled that it was not all
that keen on the way the debate was going.
And
finally, there was this very last-minute proposal about voter ID
legislation which offended a lot of people and outraged them. That's
now been dumped very unceremoniously, and Labor insists there wasn't
a deal on this, but one of the things that has come up as a bit of a
surprise is a move that really puts incredible pressure on charities
to declare themselves as political campaigners and that is going to
have a huge impact, particularly, I think, in the area of
environmental charities.
LEIGH
SALES: As we know, trust has been an issue for the Prime Minister in
recent times, how did that play into a matter that made headlines
today regarding the awarding of a quarantine contract?
LAURA
TINGLE: This is a story that's sort of come up a few times since
September, Leigh, including when the ABC's Andrew Greene reported it.
These are contracts to set up a private quarantine hotel arrangement
and it was let by a limited tender to two of Scott Morrison's closest
friends, including a former Liberal Party director or deputy director
called Scott Briggs.
Now,
the Prime Minister was really outraged at the suggestion that he had
somehow intervened in this policy or was somehow involved in the
letting of the contracts, but once again, because this issue of trust
has become such a terrible one and I think separate questions,
there's been this focus right through the whole year about
transparency and accountability in the awarding of grants, that this
is the last thing the Prime Minister needs, particularly on an issue
like quarantine where things haven't really gone all that well for
the Government this year anyway.
LEIGH
SALES: Just to switch the focus to Labor, stakes are also high for
Anthony Albanese going into an election year. What do you think are
the issues Labor is going to need to get in order over the summer
break?
LAURA
TINGLE: I think they'll have to look at making sure that they have a
sound story on the economy. I think the Government's now vulnerable
on that.
They
have obviously got their climate policy coming out over this next few
days and those are the two really big things that they are going to
have to sort out, other than that they have got to look, a bit like
Kevin Rudd in 2007, they are sort of like the government, only
trustworthy.
LEIGH
SALES: Laura Tingle, thanks very much.
LAURA
TINGLE: Thanks, Leigh.
ABC,
“7.30”
program,
2 December 2021:
RACHELLE
MILLER, FORMER COALITION STAFFER: Today I want to stand in my former
workplace and to say again that what happened to me was not okay.
LAURA
TINGLE, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Today former political staffer
Rachelle Miller said she wanted to tell her story. It involved
someone much more powerful and famous - Alan Tudge - currently the
Federal Minister for Education and Youth.
Miller
first disclosed a relationship with Tudge, her former boss, on Four
Corners ‘Inside the Canberra Bubble’ report late last year.
(Excerpt
from Four Corners - Inside the Canberra Bubble)
LOUISE
MILLIGAN, REPORTER: Rachelle Miller says her affair with Alan Tudge,
now acting immigration minister, was completely consensual.
(End
of excerpt)
LAURA
TINGLE: But today she had a lot more to say and the world has changed
considerably since she first spoke out. This week Australians were
shocked by the anonymous stories of sexual assault, harassment and
bullying in Parliament House.
Today
Rachelle Miller put a face to those stories and those stories were
not just about assault but about culture and power imbalances.
RACHELLE
MILLER: I am fully aware that a year ago I said that my relationship
with Minister Alan Tudge was a consensual relationship, but it's much
more complicated than that.
When
I spoke out, not a single person from this Government contacted me to
see if I was okay. One female chief of staff sent me a text and that
was it.
LAURA
TINGLE: Miller said this was a story about Parliament House and she
spoke at exactly the same spot where Scott Morrison commented about
the case of another political staffer - Brittany Higgins.
SCOTT
MORRISON, PRIME MINISTER (February): Jenny and I spoke last night,
and she said to me you have to think about this as a father first.
What would you want to happen if it were our girls? Jenny has a way
of clarifying things.
LAURA
TINGLE: Miller’s intervention today, challenging the voters of
Aston to consider the behaviour she alleges of Tudge - a man she
claims physically kicked her out of bed because her phone had
disturbed his sleep - is a suitable coda to a political year
dominated by the issue of the treatment of women in politics.
Mr
Tudge quote “completely and utterly” rejected Miller’s version
of events today and said he deeply regretted the consensual affair.
But
despite the denials, Miller’s statement still posed big problems
for the Prime Minister.
After
all, earlier this week, he had described the Jenkins reports’
findings of what goes on in Parliament House as ‘appalling’ and
‘disturbing’.
SCOTT
MORRISON: But given the seriousness of these claims that have been
made by Ms Miller, it is important that these matters be resolved
fairly and expeditiously.
To
this end, the Minister has agreed to my request to stand aside while
these issues are addressed by my department, but I wish to stress
that this action, in no way seeks to draw a conclusion on these
matters, Mr Speaker, but this is the appropriate action for me to
take under the ministerial standards.
LAURA
TINGLE: In a statement, Mr Tudge said he intended to submit written
evidence to the inquiry that would contradict Ms Miller’s position.
The
PM seemed to be very aware today that he needed to be seen to take
these allegations very seriously. He announced that Vivienne Thom
would be conducting the inquiry - the woman who ran the High Court
inquiry into former Justice Dyson Heydon.
Standing
Minister Tudge aside only added to the sense the Government is
disintegrating around him with a growing list of departures ahead of
next year’s election.
Late
yesterday, former attorney-general Christian Porter announced, via
Facebook, that he would not contest the next election.
FACEBOOK
POST FROM CHRISTIAN PORTER: Even though I have experienced perhaps
more of the harshness of modern politics than most, there are no
regrets.
It’s
now time to give more of what is left to those around me whose love
has been unconditional.
LAURA
TINGLE: Porter’s departure has been reported very much in terms of
the allegations and controversy he has faced this year.
But
the policy issues over which he presided are perhaps more important
signposts to the history of this government, and the policy
controversies - and approach to accountability - in which it has
often been embroiled.
As
minister for social services, he played a key role in establishing
the controversial Robodebt scheme, which saw hundreds of thousands of
people facing devastating claims of overclaiming welfare benefits.
Porter
was occupying the office of attorney-general when the Government was
later forced to concede that the scheme had ‘no legal basis’ and
was ‘unlawful’. The government eventually repaid $720 million of
the falsely raised debts
Also
as attorney-general, Porter would not rule out prosecuting
journalists, and sending them to jail, for publishing public interest
stories.
He
also made the decision to proceed with the prosecution of the man
known as Witness K and his lawyer Bernard Collaery. Witness K was the
whistle-blower who revealed Australia had bugged a room in the
offices of Timor Leste’s Prime Minister at the time the two
countries were negotiating resource rights in the Timor Gap.
Last
year, Porter used his national security powers to have the court
hearing of this case held in the strictest secrecy.
KERRYN
PHELPS: There is an urgent medical crisis in Australia's offshore
detention centres.
LAURA
TINGLE: In 2019, the government lost an historic vote when Labor and
the crossbench forced through what was known as the so-called medevac
laws - designed to more easily allow seriously ill asylum seekers to
be evacuated from Australia’s offshore detention centres.
During
that process, Christian Porter resisted attempts to have advice on
the legislation from the Solicitor General tabled in the Parliament.
TONY
SMITH, SPEAKER (2019): I'll advise the Attorney-General that, as
Speaker, it's important I ensure, in this instance, all material
available to me is also available to all members of the House.
LAURA
TINGLE: After the 2019 election, Porter oversaw the repealing of
those laws.
The
former attorney-general also released the original proposal for
religious freedom legislation - subsequently dumped.
And
his proposed model for a national anti-corruption commission has been
derided as a toothless tiger.
Late
this afternoon, Health Minister Greg Hunt told Parliament he will be
leaving Parliament at the election.
GREG
HUNT, HEALTH MINISTER: On Sunday, they looked at me, and said, "Dad,
this is your last chance to be a proper dad and it's time to come
home, Dad.”
LAURA
TINGLE: That’s a senior cabinet minister leaving, a former senior
cabinet minister - once seen as a future PM - leaving, and another
senior cabinet minister with his future under a cloud.
There
are also seven other MPs leaving at a time when the Government has
gone from eyeing seats it can win from Labor to having to defend
seats across the country
In
the PM’s home state of New South Wales, bitter divisions within the
Liberal Party have seen pre-selections delayed for both House of
Representatives and Senate seats.
Incumbency
is supposed to give governments a political advantage. As this ugly
political year ends and we approach a federal election campaign, that
advantage is far from clear.
Liberal
and Nationals MPs who have stated they are not
standing in the 2022 federal election
Kevin
Andrews (disendorsed by party) – Menzies Vic – Margin 7.0 LIB
George
Christensen – Dawson Qld – Margin 14.6 NATS
Andrew
Laming – Bowman Qld – Margin 10.2 LIB
Greg
Hunt – Flinders Vic – Margin 5.6 LIB
Christian
Porter – Pearce WA – Margin 5.2 LIB
Tony
Smith – Casey Vic – Margin 4.6 LIB
Nicolle
Flint – Boothby SA – Margin 1.4 LIB
John
Alexander – Bennelong NSW – Margin 6.9 LIB
Steve Irons – Swan WA – Margin 3.2 LIB
Ken O'Dowd – Flynn Qld – Margin 8.7 NATS
Damian Drum – Nicholls Vic – Margin 20.0 NATS
Then
there was this in the House of Representatives during Question Time
on 2 December 2021…..
Mr
BRENDAN O'CONNOR (Gorton) (14:02): My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, Sky News reported two of the Prime Minister's
best mates received $80,000 of taxpayer money, without a tender, to set up their own private sector quarantine business known as Quarantine Services Australia. Sky News also reported that Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo told business leaders that this was a really important
project for the Prime Minister. Is Mr Pezzullo right?
The
SPEAKER: The Leader of the House, on a point of order?
Mr
Dutton: There is an imputation that's implied quite clearly in the
question that's been asked, and that is against the standing orders.
That's the first point, Mr Speaker. If there are allegations to make,
then those allegations should be put in another forum, not here in
this House.
The
SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business?
Mr
Burke: Ministers are expected to be across media reports; that's in
Practice. The question specifically goes to a media report and
describes the source. It then refers to that particular payment being
a priority for the Prime Minister as being attributed to the
secretary of a department. It simply asks whether that is accurate.
It goes no further than asking whether it was a really
important project for the Prime Minister. So the extra layers that
the Leader of the House is referring to are not in the question that
was just asked.
