Australia politics live: Howard says Labor’s dominance won’t last long; emissions bill haggling down to the wire | Australian politics

David Pocock has been working on these issues since he came into the parliament – and today’s report showing that the community want more done is only going to bolster that work. Given his importance to the federal government getting legislation through the senate, something is going to have to give.

Joyce says NSW wanted ‘a change’ after 12 years of Coalition

Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce also thinks the NSW election result was down to ‘it’s time’. He told the Seven network:

I don’t think splitting the Coalition achieves an awful lot, but that’s a decision that my colleagues in New South Wales have to make. I really do think it’s a time to change the curtains. The curtains were working perfectly well, but after 12 years, people want a change. But, now, with the Labor Party all across Australia, they’ve got no‑one else to blame. But they’ve got to look after the cost of living, so food prices are their issue, power prices are their issue, fuel prices are their issue, rent is their issue, and they’ve got no excuses, because that’s the biggest issue on people’s minds. They’ve got to fix it.

Meanwhile, doesn’t look like the Liberals want the media coming too close as MPs enter the party room meeting which will decide Moira Deeming’s fate within the party.

Fletcher warns voters against turning to independents

Paul Fletcher wouldn’t get drawn into whether the NSW Liberals’ embrace of climate change policies helped starve off the teal independent challenge in NSW state electorates.

Instead, he warned against voters turning to independents. He said that the voting landscape was now 30% rusted-on Labor, 30% rusted-on Coalition and 40% floating. That, Fletcher said, presented a danger that people might start voting against (gasp) the two party system:

One of the big dangers that we face is the idea that if you keep adding more and more independents, it doesn’t threaten the stability of government.

It’s very important we don’t end up a country like Israel; like Belgium, where I think after one election for 10 months, they were wrangling about who is going to form government; like Italy, where government changes regularly.

The two party system has served both our nation and our states. Well, now the imperative is on us as a Liberal party to make the case at both federal and state level as to our capacity to govern in the interests of the broader community, and we’ll obviously continue to do that at federal level and at state level to make that case very strong.

Fletcher won’t offer ‘gratuitous advice’ on Moira Deeming move

The vote on whether or not first term Victorian upper house Liberal Moira Deeming will remain in the Liberal party is to be held today (there is a party room meeting in just under two hours).

Does Paul Fletcher support the bid to expel Deeming from the party?

What I support is that the leader in Victoria and the party room in Victoria.

My Victorian state colleagues will make the decision that they determine is in the best interests of the Liberal party but, more importantly, of the people of Victoria who they seek to serve.

So I won’t be offering gratuitous advice from the sidelines.

They’ve got an important responsibility and I’m sure they’ll discharge that as they judge is the best way to do so.

Fletcher will not go into whether he would be concerned at anyone in his party room attending an anti-trans rights protest.

I’m not going to be offering commentary on these matters.

Is there a place for those views in the Liberal party?

I’m not going to be commenting on hypotheticals.

Patricia Karvelas tries again – does he believe there is room for those views in the Liberal party room?

My view is that we are a party with a diverse range of views. And what’s very important is that we can have a vigorous exchange of views within our party room. We take our internal party democracy, democratic process very seriously. And that is how it should be. And look, I’m not going to get into ruling in or ruling out particular viewpoints on this or any other issue in an abstract, hypothetical way.

Fletcher won’t say if he’ll seek another term

Paul Fletcher won’t answer the question of whether or not he will run again in Bradfield.

He is dancing around this question like he is auditioning for the new Fred Astaire biopic. (Tom Holland has the role, and anyone who has seen his Umbrella dance will know why.)

I continue to consider serving the people of Bradfield to be an enormous privilege and … any rational politician always considers what they’re going to do as you come to the end of each term.

I’ve done that before the end of each past term, but what I can tell you is it’s an honour to serve the people of Bradfield. I continue to be committed to it, energetic in doing, so I spent most of Saturday across a whole range of polling booths engaging with my constituents. I enjoyed it. I found it energising, and I believe that the Liberal party has a very important role in serving the people of Australia and certainly in serving the people of Bradfield and that’s something I’m committed to.

Fletcher puts NSW election loss down to long incumbency

Federal Liberal MP Paul Fletcher, whose electorate of Bradfield covers northern Sydney, is now speaking to ABC radio RN Breakfast and he thinks the NSW election loss was down to time.

I think the first point is that after three terms and 12 years, inevitably, it becomes harder to win a fourth term.

It’s the nature of our democracy, of Australian democracy, that the electorate starts to look for alternatives.

And of course, 12 years of good government – extraordinary rollout of infrastructure, Metro north-west Metro City and south-east West connects north, connects new schools, hospitals all across Sydney, all across New South Wales – a government with a very good track record.

But inevitably, after 12 years, it’s not surprising that people look for a change. That’s that’s been a pattern in Australian politics for decades.

Constitutional law expert professor Greg Craven has disagreed. He said last week the inclusion of executive government could open it up to all sorts of challenges.

Bret Walker says in his experience, that will not be the case.

These are not laws which will hand over to the voice without parliament being able to control it, the extent to which weight has to be given to what the voice says by the executive government from time to time. That’s within the parliament’s control.

And it is simply not the case that there is any prospect of litigation that would cause even a slight tick up to executive government.

Executive government lives day by day in the courts of this country with checks on its lawfulness, ultimately administered by the court.

That’s not only not a bad thing … that’s exactly what courts are for and what the rule of law means.

So no, there is no trick, there is no inconvenience for government. And there is, in particular, in this recently announced wording, here is the double precaution against any such prospect emerging.

Barrister says voice question won’t open floodgates to constitutional challenges

On Thursday, the referendum question for the Indigenous voice to parliament will be introduced into the parliament.

That doesn’t mean it will be the final wording – there is a parliamentary committee process and that could lead to some changes.

And it also hasn’t stopped the calls for “detail”, primarily from the opposition, with critics saying it could open the floodgates to constitutional challenges.

One of the high court’s busiest barristers, Bret Walker SC, told ABC radio RN Breakfast no.

What does Walker think of the wording and principles released by the prime minister?

They seem to me to be a very safe formula with a bit of a double precaution against some of the notions that were floated by opponents. So, for example, there’s absolutely no possibility now that parliament will not be able to control the manner in which the executive, for example, will deal with representations by the voice. All of that now has been put beyond any doubt by the explicit capacity of parliaments from time to time to check adjust and control the way in which procedures will operate.

Aston byelection looms

All eyes are now on the Aston byelection, which could also end up deciding Peter Dutton’s leadership.

It would be historic if Labor won the seat. Not just because it has been a Liberal stronghold but because governments don’t win byelections from oppositions as a general rule.

But there is a lot of chatter that Labor is doing better in Aston than it is saying and that the contest is closer than is comfortable for the Liberals.

Does Michelle Rowland think that the mood from NSW will carry into the Aston byelection in Melbourne on Saturday?

She is not saying:

I think it would be quite extraordinary for government to win a by election like this of the opposition party, not even a year into its first term, but that will be up to the voters of Aston to decide in a few days.

‘He’s also very committed to harm minimisation’

So would Michelle Rowland like to see Chris Minns and Labor adopt the stronger gambling policy the Liberals took to the election?

Not exactly.

Well, he went to the election with a clear policy in this area, people made their decision there. This is an area that is regulated under state law and I expect that he will hold true to his election commitments.

And I also expect that as premier he will be open and consultative about that process. That he’s also very committed to harm minimisation and that he will ensure that what the community expects in terms of delivering on his commitments he fulfils.

‘Chris Minns spent a lot of time in western Sydney’

Michelle Rowland is a NSW Labor MP, so what did she take from the NSW Labor win?

I think it came down to probably two factors. The first is there was certainly a sense of this is was a tired government. But I think that it was more nuanced than that. I think Chris Minns asked a very genuine question – do you really think this government’s best days are ahead of them?

And I think that prompted people to consider not only the then current premier, but also everything that had gone on in the past, how their quality of life had progressed.

But I also think that there is there’s something going on in the outer and growth suburbs of our metropolitan areas, but also our regional areas, like around Monaro. There’s something going on there where the electorate expects a certain level of services and good planning, so that they can have confidence in the future.

They have the right health services, education, that they have the infrastructure that they need. And I think in these areas, those electors felt let down after 12 years, and I think by picking up on that by being very engaged, particularly in north-west and south-west Sydney, I know that one of his first acts as coming to Labor leader, which wasn’t even two years ago, was that Chris Minns spent a lot of time in western Sydney even when we went into lockdown.

He also spent a lot of time in western Sydney, doing things for the community, packing hampers for people who were in isolation. So I think he demonstrated he was someone who was very in touch with those basic needs.

Gambling harm minimisation plans

Communications minister Michelle Rowland is out and about early this morning talking up the government’s harm minimisation reforms when it comes to gambling.

Rowland drew controversy a little while ago when it was revealed she had accepted donations and hospitality from online gambling giant Sportsbet while the shadow minister. Now as the minister with responsibility for online gambling, Rowland is having to work to ensure people have trust that she will go far enough in regulating that industry.

Rowland tells ABC radio RN Breakfast:

It’s clear that we have an agenda to minimise harm and to keep Australians safe, and that includes in relation to people who are vulnerable and at risk of harm in this space. The entire premise here is about harm minimisation. We went into we were in opposition, having a strong track record on harm minimisation, we’ve come into government with a clear agenda in this area. We are actually doing more in our first year about tackling this problem, getting the right settings, getting the evidence and setting an agenda than the last government had in its entire term. So I expect that this government and myself as minister will be judged on our record. It’s very clear that we understand the community expects action in this area. I’ve made my position very clear in relation to those other matters. And I’m getting on with the job.

The government has launched an inquiry into some of the issues surrounding online gambling, including limiting exposure to children.

Good morning