Key events
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Josh Taylor
Triple zero calls during Optus tower outage yesterday did not require further assistance
Yesterday we mentioned in the blog that there was an Optus outage in parts of the Hunter Valley caused by a cut to the fibre connecting the tower that is now being investigated by police.
During the outage yesterday, 13 customers in NSW and Victoria attempted to call 000 but could not connect. All confirmed on Thursday they did not require further assistance, an Optus spokesperson said.
Two of the calls were accidental dials to triple zero.
Optus’s camp-on function that allows a mobile to connect to triple zero during an outage worked for some calls during the outage.
Updated at 00.09 EST
Jordyn Beazley
Hello, I’ll now be with you until this evening.
Share
Krishani Dhanji
Thank you all for joining me on the blog today, there was so much procedure in the chambers to keep across I’ll be having a long nap this arvo!
I’ll hand you over now to the wonderful Jordyn Beazley for the rest of the afternoon.
ShareTl;dr here’s what happened in question time
The Coalition started firing off questions to the government on the cost of living, citing Foodbank and Anglicare reports about financial hardship and households going hungry. The PM called the Liberals a “temple of doom” in response.
Independent MP Monique Ryan pushed the health minister to explain why the medical research future fund isn’t spending more of its huge budget on research projects.
Labor MP Ed Husic was ejected from QT during a spar between Angie Bell and Tony Burke on environment reforms. Husic fist-bumped the air as he left the chamber. Soon after, Nationals MP Alison Penfold was also booted during a dixer.
There seemed to be a larger share of crossbench questions today. Bob Katter – fresh off seeing his new portrait in parliament – asked the government about truth in political advertising laws, after accusing the Queensland LNP of lies during a byelection campaign.
And before QT even started today, Anthony Albanese was locked out of the chamber for a vote on an amendment to the environment protection bill (it didn’t result in any adverse impact for the government but the photo is good).
Updated at 23.56 EST
Ariel Bogle
Change to firearm prohibition orders in NSW a ‘sensible reform’, justice advocate says
Back in May, Guardian Australia reported on growing concerns that Firearm Prohibition Orders (FPOs) in NSW were being used as a “blank cheque” to target Indigenous young people.
A FPO can be made if it’s deemed by police that someone is not fit, or in the public interest, to possess a firearm – even if they have never been charged with a weapons offence or any crime. The powers allow someone with a FPO to be searched at any time without a warrant.
Guardian Australia found that of the 125 people under 18 who had been served with an order, 54% identified themselves as Aboriginal. But also, while people as young as 14 were subject to a FPO, a legal loophole prevented them from being able to appeal it to the NSW civil and administrative tribunal (NCAT) – a right granted to adults.
A recent legislative change by the NSW government has changed what it called “a long-standing drafting error” dating back to 2013, now allowing young people to challenge the orders in the NCAT.
Lucy Kelley, solicitor at the Justice and Equity Centre, which has been lobbying for changes to the regime, said FPOs give “NSW police extraordinary and excessive powers without accountability to the community”.
We’re pleased the government has listened and made this sensible reform, which means children can now challenge an FPO in the tribunal in the same way adults can.
It’s a small change but it will have a huge impact as FPOs never expire, so a successful challenge by a young person under these new laws could protect them from years of invasive searches and ongoing police targeting.
Yasmin Catley, NSW police minister, told Guardian Australia the change “restores the intent of the law and ensures all people, including those under 18, have access to a fair and transparent review process”.
These orders will remain an important tool used by NSW Police to prevent members of the public, including children, from obtaining firearms where inappropriate.
Updated at 23.34 EST
Question time ends
After a final dixer to the prime minister, question time is over for the fortnight. Next one on 24 November.
Bob Katter asks about byelection ‘lies’
Independent MP Bob Katter gets the next question (a somewhat rare occurrence of two crossbench questions in a row).
He asks the minister representing the minister of state about “lies” by the Queensland LNP in a state byelection.
Amanda Rishworth (representing Don Farrell) says the issue isn’t in her jurisdiction but that truth in political advertising is a “genuine issue”.
We know regulating paid political communication and indeed more broadly mis- and disinformation is a complex issue with many members and senators having varied ideas, concerns and views on these types of pieces of legislation.
Members of the crossbench like Kate Chaney and David Pocock have been pushing the government to introduce truth in political advertising reforms.
Updated at 23.23 EST
Independent Sophie Scamps questions Mark Butler on Northern Beaches hospital
Independent MP Sophie Scamps gets the next crossbench question, and asks the health minister for assurances that her community on the Northern Beaches of Sydney will get access to “world-class private services”. The Northern Beaches hospital – which provided public and private services – went into receivership and will become a public hospital.
Mark Butler first heavily criticises the Liberals broadly for “seeking to defend failed privatisation experiments” and states Labor has never privatised a hospital in the last 30 years.
On the issue at hand, Butler says:
This is all complicated by the fact Healthscope more broadly – which runs well over 30 hospitals including Northern Beaches, across the country – is now in receivership. So we are taking the lead as the commonwealth, making sure there is continuity of service from all those other Healthscope hospitals. But we took a decision as a government [that] NSW Health would lead on essentially unwinding arrangements and guaranteed private and public services on the Northern Beaches site.
Updated at 23.30 EST
PM asked, again, about Labor’s 2022 pledge to reduce power bills
It’s the short-lived promise that will plague Labor a long time. Anthony Albanese is asked again about the 2022 pledge to reduce power bills by $275 by 2025. LNP MP Andrew Wilcox quotes Labor MP Luke Gosling who, on a Sky News panel, said “how long are you guys going to hang on to that to $275 piece?”
Albanese returns serve to lay blame on Angus Taylor (as he’s done many times) for changing legislation ahead of that 2022 election to “hide where power prices were”.
The PM then bags the Coalition and its very public internal energy debate.
I congratulate him [Gosling] for squeezing in [on TV] between all those frontbenchers who have spent day after day, week after week, giving us I assure you quotable quotes …. for ever. Bagging each other, speaking about how Australia will become a pariah state.
Updated at 23.07 EST
Second ejection from the chamber
We have ejection number two in question time, with Nationals MP Alison Penfold booted under 94a, after interjecting during a dixer (government backbench question).
Milton Dick tells everyone to pipe down, even if everyone wants to get home for the weekend.
She [Penfold] has had a pretty good go this week. It may be Thursday but everybody still has to follow the rules.
Updated at 23.00 EST
Labor’s Ed Husic ejected from question time for shouted reference to Mamdani
Shadow environment minister Angie Bell takes the next question and asks the resources minister, Madeleine King, if she’ll listen to WA premier Roger Cook “to please, please, please, not cave into the Labor left dominated backbench on the EPBC bills.”
Before King gets up, Tony Burke raises an issue with the question, calling it bizarre, and says it doesn’t go to her portfolio.
Before they can continue, Labor MP Ed Husic shouts “You forgot to mention Mamdani” and promptly gets kicked out of the chamber under 94a. (Husic fist-bumped the air as he walked out.)
Take two. Bell asks the same question but adds critical minerals into it to make it more relevant to the resources portfolio. King goes on the attack:
I’m always pleased to be asked about the critical minerals sector of this country and I’m pleased to be asked about how Premier Roger Cook and I in this government are on a ticket with the development of critical minerals in this country.
Those opposite can interject all they want, they referred to unhinged backbenchers, well I can tell you I can see them! Only need to look straight ahead. You might need to look behind you.
Updated at 23.42 EST
Albanese says he ‘won’t be lectured’ on single-parent families by the Coalition
Liberal MP Mary Aldred is up next and says that according to Anglicare, single-parent families on the minimum wage are left each week with $1 after covering essential expenses like rent transport and food.
Anthony Albanese says Aldred – who was elected to parliament in May – wasn’t here “when all of the cuts [were] made by the former government”.
The PM gets heated and says he “won’t be lectured” on single-parent families by the opposition.
[The Coalition] stand up and continue to argue against minimum wage increases, continue to argue about tax cuts … the leader of the opposition gave a speech about the culture of dependency. What do you think that means? What do you think that means? That means cuts, more cuts and even more cuts.
Updated at 22.46 EST