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Liberal senator calls for police inquiry into texts leak after ‘ugly’ scenes in Senate
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg says watching what unfolded in the Senate yesterday was “very ugly”.
He is referring to the Coalition questioning Labor senator Katy Gallagher over what she knew about Brittany Higgins’ allegations before they were made public.
That emerged because Higgins’ phone messages with her fiance David Sharaz were leaked to News Corp, Network Seven and the Daily Mail.
You can read more about that here:
But Bragg seems to have no time for what he saw in the Senate yesterday – which was led by his side of politics.
Host: You were in the Senate yesterday, finance minister Katy Gallagher made her statement in relation to what she’d said previously. I note your colleague Jane Hume has also said that Brittany Higgins’ private messages should never have been made public. Do you agree with Jane Hume?
Bragg:
Look, I think his whole thing has been a tawdry affair and it is hugely regrettable how it’s played out publicly. I don’t know how these messages have been put into the public domain. I expect that there will be a proper investigation into that. Because I mean, why would anyone come forward with allegations of assault if this is the result?
Host: So you believe there should be a formal police investigation?
Bragg:
Well, there needs to be an inquiry to how this has happened. I mean, this can’t happen again. This is supposed to be a country which values the rule of law and proper process.
Host: And watching this all unfold in the Senate. What’s it what’s it like, briefly?
Bragg:
Very ugly, very ugly.
Key events
What is on the government agenda today?
Mark Dreyfus will introduce the Nazi Hate Symbols bill sometime this morning. It’s not just about Nazi symbols, so we will look through that bill when it is tabled.
The Whistleblower bill (public interest disclosure bill) will make its way through the senate (although there remains calls for Dreyfus to drop whistleblower prosecutions currently in front of the court)
And the referendum legislation bill will be on the senate agenda but not until this evening. The senate will be sitting on Friday to get through its workload, but will also sit late tonight. So far, only five of the 52 listed speakers have given their speech on it.
Where are the opposition planning on going with the attacks on Katy Gallagher?
There isn’t a straight answer to that one, because no one can really figure out what the upside is here.
Gallagher made the comments that the Coalition are using as the basis for the “misled parliament” attacks while in opposition, in a different parliament.
She was not a minister at the time. So she didn’t make the comments as a minister and therefore did not breach the ministerial code.
Anthony Albanese has backed Gallagher in, so there is no movement there. And the Greens have already denounced the tactics and said they will not facilitate it in the Senate. Which means if the Coalition attempted to refer Gallagher to the privileges committee, they would not have enough support in the Senate.
So there is no movement there.
Which means that this is being played out for the cameras with no real goal in sight. And at the moment, no end in sight either.
The bells are ringing – the parliament session is about to begin. It looks like being another messy day – so take care of you.
Daniel targets gambling ads
Parliament will sit from 9am and Zoe Daniel is hoping to start the house session with a policy debate on gambling ads.
The independent MP will attempt to suspend standing orders to bring on debate on her private member’s bill to ban gambling ads.
Daniel notes:
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The evidence is that extensions to restrictions on gambling advertising around sports broadcasts are not effective.
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Enhanced restrictions on gambling advertising introduced in 2017 have proved counter-productive, with promotion shifting from sports broadcasts to general programming.
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Research commissioned by the Australian Communications and Media Authority found that the total volume of gambling advertisements on radio and television increased by 50% after the new restrictions were introduced.
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A survey for the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation found that 78% of respondents believe they should be able to watch sport free of gambling advertising.
The government is unlikely to support this – so far it has pointed to its inquiry looking at online gambling (mostly) and says it will wait for the recommendations from that.
NSW donates $100,000 to fund for bus crash victims
Tamsin Rose
The New South Wales government will donate $100,000 to support the victims of the Hunter Valley bus crash.
The money will go into a fund co-managed by the government and Rotary Australia to provide relief and support to survivors, victims and their immediate families.
Premier Chris Minns announced the donation would come from his discretionary fund before heading back to the region later this morning:
This is understandably a tragedy that has been felt right across the state. When tragic events like this occur, it’s the Australian way to reach out and support one another.
Singleton mayor Sue Moore said:
This accident has rocked our close-knit community – the ripples are being felt across Singleton as people come to terms with the scale of the loss and impact. I know the people of Singleton are big-hearted and generous, and this fund is a straightforward way that people can show their support and know that the help will go directly to those that need it.
‘A sackable offence’
Here is how that “conversation” played out.
Jane Hume:
What we want understand now is whether this Labor minister was in fact complicit in politicising this event. That is unforgivable.
Not only that, misleading parliament is a serious offence, a sackable offence and standing by this minister, if she has misled parliament, has consequences.
Clare O’Neil:
You were in the Senate yesterday when Katy went through what happened and what I’d like to understand from you is how is it the two years after this event you are trying to make this somehow the problem of the current government when we were not even in government, not four years after this event occurred.
The real issue is the fact that a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted in our workplace and I would really like to focus on that is the main issue here because that is the main issue here, because that is the subject that matters.
Hume and O’Neil clash over Coalition’s continued attacks on Gallagher
Over on the Seven network, Liberal senator Jane Hume and Labor senator Clare O’Neil clashed over the Coalition’s continued attacks on Katy Gallagher and what they claim was her “politicising” Brittany Higgins’ allegations.
Hume started by trying to walk both sides of the issue:
What we are finding out now is what the minister knew and why her testimony to the Senate as different from that. There’s a lot of considerations here, I know people are talking about how this information came into the media and certainly the media has a lot of considerations to make.
There has to be respect for the parliament and the court and the law but that information is now out there and journalists need to make decisions about whether it is in the public interest.
Now that that is out there, the onus is on us to make sure the evidence the minister gave the parliament is consistent with the new evidence out there.
Gallagher gave a statement to the Senate yesterday outlining the timeline as she knew it – she found out about the allegations four days before they were made public, but says she kept them confidential and did not act on them, or have anything to do with the stories themselves.
Liberal senator calls for police inquiry into texts leak after ‘ugly’ scenes in Senate
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg says watching what unfolded in the Senate yesterday was “very ugly”.
He is referring to the Coalition questioning Labor senator Katy Gallagher over what she knew about Brittany Higgins’ allegations before they were made public.
That emerged because Higgins’ phone messages with her fiance David Sharaz were leaked to News Corp, Network Seven and the Daily Mail.
You can read more about that here:
But Bragg seems to have no time for what he saw in the Senate yesterday – which was led by his side of politics.
Host: You were in the Senate yesterday, finance minister Katy Gallagher made her statement in relation to what she’d said previously. I note your colleague Jane Hume has also said that Brittany Higgins’ private messages should never have been made public. Do you agree with Jane Hume?
Bragg:
Look, I think his whole thing has been a tawdry affair and it is hugely regrettable how it’s played out publicly. I don’t know how these messages have been put into the public domain. I expect that there will be a proper investigation into that. Because I mean, why would anyone come forward with allegations of assault if this is the result?
Host: So you believe there should be a formal police investigation?
Bragg:
Well, there needs to be an inquiry to how this has happened. I mean, this can’t happen again. This is supposed to be a country which values the rule of law and proper process.
Host: And watching this all unfold in the Senate. What’s it what’s it like, briefly?
Bragg:
Very ugly, very ugly.
Questions surround Higgins investigation
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg believes there needs to be an inquiry into how things like Brittany Higgins’ phone messages from two years ago, which were downloaded as part of the police investigation into her allegations, have made their way to the media.
Labor senator Jenny McAllister tells ABC radio RN she doesn’t believe there needs to be an inquiry into that but she is worried about the “tone” of the debate.
McAllister also believes it is for the former government to answer questions about the Gaetjens review – which was looking into who knew what, and when in Scott Morrison’s office (the review was dropped so as not to interfere with the AFP investigation, and reports like that under previous governments are not privy to FOI laws):
I think it is appropriate that the former government answer questions about the way that that review was conducted and why its findings were never released.
Greg Combet to chair Net Zero Agency
The Albanese government has announced the chair and advisory board for the Net Zero Agency. Former Labor minister and trade unionist Greg Combet has the big job.
Members appointed to the advisory board:
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Prof Ross Garnaut AC – professor emeritus in economics at the University of Melbourne and professor emeritus, college of Asia & the Pacific at ANU
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Prof Paul Simshauser AM – chief executive of Powerlink Queensland and professor of economics at Griffith University
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Anthea Harris – chief executive of the Australian Energy Regulator
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Nicole Lockwood – chair of Infrastructure WA, board member of NBN and former shire president of Roebourne
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Kellie Parker – chief executive of Rio Tinto Australia
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Michele O’Neil – president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions
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Prof Robynne Quiggin – pro-vice chancellor of UTS and part of steering committee for the First Nations Clean Energy Network
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Anna Skarbek – chief executive of ClimateWorks, director of the Green Building Council of Australia, the Centre for New Energy Technologies, the Sustainable Australia Fund, Impact Investment Group, and Sentient Impact Group
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Tony Maher – general president of the Mining and Energy Union
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Laura Tyler – chief technical officer, BHP
Expect to see this enter the debate again – especially given the pushback against the minimum wage increase.
So the very same big business bosses who say workers don’t deserve a pay rise that keeps up with inflation got an average of 15% increase in their own pay. https://t.co/yfYENXL9Cf
— Michele O’Neil (@MicheleONeilAU) June 13, 2023
Good morning
Welcome to day two of the parliamentary sitting. Thank you to Martin for kicking us off – you have Amy Remeikis with you for most of the day now as we navigate parliament.
The Senate will keep itself busy with the referendum legislation, while negotiations over the housing fund continue in the background. In the house, Tony Burke will continue to press the case for the same-job, same-pay legislation.
Outside of policy, the Coalition will continue to pursue Katy Gallagher in a pretty similar vein as what we saw yesterday. The Liberal party national conference is being held this weekend in Canberra and it’s hoping to end the week on a high.
We’ll keep you up to date.
Josh Butler
Push to improve gender equality in workplace
Skills minister Brendan O’Connor says the government is keenly focused on getting more women into male-dominated industries, telling an International Labour Organisation meeting in Switzerland that Australia wants to improve gender equality in the workplace.
Giving a plenary address to the ILO overnight, O’Connor also said the Indigenous voice would play a role in workforce participation:
We want to increase the representation of women in historically male-dominated industries, while strengthening wages and conditions for workers in professions dominated by women.
These industries are historically some of the lowest paid, yet their place in our communities are among the most important.
O’Connor reeled off a list of the government’s achievements in this area, from a payr ise for aged care workers and boosts to government-funded paid parental leave to childcare cost reductions and increases to domestic violence leave.
He also talked of leading a “tripartite group”, including workers and businesses, to move forward in key areas in skills and training:
The Australian government is prioritising a labour market that is fair for all. It’s vital that everyone can participate on an equal footing, in safe, secure and well-paid work – while being given the opportunity to access the right skills and training to adapt to a changing economy.
NSW government reveals Coalition looked at new tolls for Sydney’s roads
Elias Visontay
Introducing tolls to landmark Sydney motorways including the Anzac Bridge and Warringah Freeway were among options being investigated by the previous Coalition government, the new Labor administration reveals today.
Before releasing a discussion paper of its review into Sydney’s toll road network, the Minns Labor government has released information about tolling options investigated by the previous government.
An excerpt of the review of previous tolling options said:
A new motorway network pricing structure could apply to the existing tolled network, or to all motorways (the continuous motorway network (CMN)). A CMN option could involve tolling some previously untolled roads, but could create a more efficient continuous motorway network.
The excerpt listed the following untolled roads as potential motorways that could have tolls introduced: Anzac Bridge, General Holmes Drive, Gore Hill Freeway, M4 West (M7 to WestConnex M4), Southern Cross Drive, Warringah Freeway and the Western Distributor.
Introducing a CBD congestion charge – an idea that has been around for a while in Sydney – was another option prepared by the transport department to be considered by the previous Coalition government, according to information released by the Labor government on Wednesday. The excerpt said:
The creation of a CBD zone was considered, charging an access fee on entry – by motorway and/or arterial road – into the CBD.
This option was considered to have the potential to deliver a multitude of benefits, including: potentially reducing the numbers of cars entering the CBD (for example, during the morning peak by up to 40%); potentially increasing average speed on CBD; supporting mode shift to public transport; a more pedestrian friendly CBD.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of all the Australian news that’s fit to read about. I’m Martin Farrer bringing you the best overnight lines before Amy Remeikis takes charge.
New South Wales premier Chris Minns will travel to the site of Sunday’s bus tragedy today amid questions about whether the law needs to change to make wearing seatbelts compulsory for such transport. He told the ABC yesterday:
[If] there’s a recommendation made to us about law changes in relation to safety on buses or coaches or in cars and vans in NSW, we’ll of course take action.
We’ll be following his visit and he is expected to give a media conference later.
The Australian defence force cannot continue to help with natural disasters and defend Australia at the same time, a senior defence chief has told MPs. Air Vice Marshal Stephen Chappell said the “unrelenting tempo” of bushfires, floods, and the pandemic had strained resources, damaged morale and interrupted training, making such duties “unsustainable”.
Debate will continue on the voice referendum. Yesterday the Indigenous Australians minister, Linda Burney, accused the no campaign of importing “American-style Trump politics” into the debate. But prominent yes campaigners say their job is to “keep the faith”.
There may also be reaction today to the news last night that the Liberal senator Linda Reynolds is planning to sue Labor’s Tanya Plibersek over a television interview regarding Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation. Plibersek, the environment minister, confirmed she had received a concerns notice from Reynolds – but also appeared to hint she was considering legal action of her own. A concerns notice is the first step in beginning defamation proceedings.
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