Key events
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Josh Butler
Some politicians and staff in Parliament House have been urged to turn off their electronic devices during a visit by Chinese officials today, with parliament administrators telling building occupants to switch off wi-fi and bluetooth on their phones and laptops.
An email from the Department of Parliamentary Services, sent to parliamentarians and their staff on Monday morning, states that the visit from Zhao Leji – chairman of the National People’s Congress of China – may cause disruptions to building occupants on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. It says the delegation will travel through parts of the House of Representatives wing, and the prime minister’s courtyard.
“There may be intermittent disruptions to wi-fi access,” reads the email, seen by Guardian Australia.
Within the identified areas, internet connected devices including phones, tablets and laptops should be powered down. Where devices must be used, please ensure phones and iPads are updated with the latest software version and placed in lockdown mode, and laptops should have wi-fi and bluetooth switched off.
The email does not state why this advice was given – but states the information is for “parliamentarians, their staff and other building occupants only.”
“Please do not distribute further,” it continues.
The email includes a map of Parliament House with the route of the delegation’s travel through the building marked. Building occupants in those parts of the building had been advised to use “alternative routes” and recommended to close their doors and blinds “for privacy”.
Leji will meet with the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House at Parliament, and will also meet Governor General Sam Mostyn and prime minister Anthony Albanese.
Sarah Henderson coy around rumours of Sussan Ley’s leadership
Conservative Liberal senator Sarah Henderson is keeping coy around Sussan Ley’s leadership as rumours to replace her continue to swirl.
Henderson, in recent weeks, has said Ley is “losing support” in the party, and told Sky News on 7 November, “I am just going to say at the moment that I cannot support the way things are.”
Returning to the Sky News interview chair today, Henderson was asked whether she would push for a leadership spill during a party room meeting on Tuesday.
I made some comments a few weeks ago, Kieran [Gilbert], we’ve got a very big mountain to climb. We’ve got a lot of work to do to win back the trust and faith of all Australians.
I certainly have no plans to do anything this week other than to prosecute really good policy in the best interests of the Coalition.
(L-R) Liberal senator Sarah Henderson and opposition leader Sussan Ley. Composite: AAPShare
Updated at 21.04 EST
Josh Butler
Greens want gambling ad ban inquiry
The Greens want the Senate to open an inquiry into a potential ban on gambling ads, as government progress remains stalled on long-awaited reforms to promotion of wagering.
Labor is under pressure to finally respond to late MP Peta Murphy’s 2023 report recommending a total ban on gambling ads. Industry sources anticipate an announcement could arrive in coming months, but a full ad ban is not expected.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young will push for an inquiry into how such a ban could work, saying there was momentum inside parliament and in the community for strong action.
If the Albanese government was willing to work with the Greens and crossbench we could ban harmful gambling advertising tomorrow. But Labor has repeatedly put the interests of the gambling lobby ahead of the community and families.
Despite their own inquiry led by Peta Murphy calling for a complete ban on gambling advertising two years ago, the government has gone soft on the online gambling and tech companies, at the expense of the wellbeing and safety of Australians.
This week we will see if Labor and Liberal senators have the courage to take a small step forward and hold an inquiry into what a ban on gambling advertising could look like.
Hanson-Young’s proposed inquiry would seek to prove the impact of gambling on Australian communities, families and children, the harm caused by gambling ads, and the financial relationship with media companies and sporting codes.
Updated at 20.45 EST
Josh Butler
Crossbench attempt to split controversial social security bill in Senate
The crossbench looks likely to fail in attempts to split up a controversial social security bill, which would give police the power to recommend the cancellation of welfare payments for people charged with serious crimes.
As we’ve reported previously, the government added the surprise amendment to an unrelated welfare bill, which has been strongly opposed by numerous civil society, law and human rights groups.
Groups including Acoss, the Human Rights Law Centre, Economic Justice Australia, Community Legal Centres NSW and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre joined more than 100 other academics and welfare groups in opposing the change – which the government says is necessary to limit assistance to serious criminals on the run from the law, who have outstanding warrants but have not been arrested or convicted.
The Senate crossbench pushed to cut out those specific sections from the bill. Senator Lidia Thorpe claimed the proposal “breaches fundamental legal principles and will cause serious harm”; Greens’ senator Penny Allman-Payne claimed it “criminalises people before they have even been convicted”, calling it “abhorrent” and “shameful”.
But the crossbench push to split the bill has failed. The Coalition has abstained from votes to split the bill, leaving Labor to oppose the push against the crossbench, with the Greens, One Nation and independents failing in votes so far.
It seems unlikely the Coalition will oppose Labor’s plan, seeing it likely to pass through in whole.
Updated at 20.31 EST
Jordyn Beazley
NSW police have now provided an update
NSW police have said the police operation in Beaumont Hills has now concluded after they found a man reported to be walking along the footpath carrying firearms was in fact carrying toy guns.
Police said:
A police operation at Beaumont Hills has concluded.
About 10.24am today … police were called to Guardian Avenue following reports a person was seen walking along the footpath carrying firearms.
Police commenced a large search of the area and, following inquiries, were able to speak to the person and established the firearms seen were toys that had been picked up from a local cleanup.
Several nearby schools were placed into lockdown as a precaution. Those lockdowns have since been lifted.
Police treat all reports seriously and thank the community for their assistance.
Updated at 20.24 EST
Jordyn Beazley
NSW police operation sees schools locked down
NSW police have said there is a police operation in the north-west of Sydney, with several nearby schools locked down as a “precaution”.
Police have not yet confirmed what the police operation is that’s under way in Beaumont Hills.
There is a large police presence and the public has been urged to avoid the area.
Police said:
Further information will be provided when available.
Updated at 20.13 EST
Dan Jervis-Bardy
‘What’s the rush?’ Littleproud chastises Labor for trying to ram through new nature laws
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, is in no rush to ram through new nature laws, downplaying the prospects of a quick-fire Labor-Coalition deal in federal parliament’s final sitting of the year.
As we reported earlier, the environment minister, Murray Watt, is desperate to pass reforms to the EPBC Act before parliament rises on Thursday and is open to a deal with either the Coalition or the Greens to make it happen.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has offered to work with Labor if it agrees to a raft of concessions that would water down environmental protections and strip back the powers of its proposed environment protection watchdog.
But even if Labor agrees to all of Ley’s demands, there is speculation the Nationals might still not support a deal.
The country party vehemently opposed the Albanese government’s first attempt to rewrite the EPBC Act, the so-called nature positive plan, in particular the creation of a new government agency to police nature laws.
The Nationals will debate the laws at a routine party-room meeting on Monday morning before the shadow cabinet meets this afternoon to discuss a position.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament House, Littleproud questioned why Watt was so adamant that the laws must pass this week, particularly given a Senate inquiry into the bill wasn’t due to report until March.
What’s the rush? Why wouldn’t you explore such a complex bill in an appropriate way where the parliament can understand every facet of it, whether it be tree clearing or whether it be any other facet of it? Why wouldn’t you take that time?
Why such the rush today that they’re prepared to trade away values, trade away industry, between the Greens and the Coalition?
The question to Murray Watt is, this is probably a bad bill. Why are you trying to do it in such a hurry, so quickly? It’s more about a political win at the end of the year, rather than good policy for the Australian people.
Nationals leader David Littleproud. Photograph: Sitthixay Ditthavong/AAPShare
Updated at 20.13 EST
Dan Repacholi gets colourful for mental health awareness
Labor MP Dan Repacholi has worn an incredibly lurid suit to federal parliament today.
It’s not a fashion statement, but instead part of a broader campaign to encourage tradies and blue-collar workers to openly discuss mental health.
The bright colours – also seen on workwear in the background – are designed to make mental health as visible as physical safety in the workplace.
Labor MP for Hunter, Dan Repacholi, wears a fabulous suit to parliament. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 20.00 EST
Henry Belot
Elective surgeries disrupted in Darwin after cyclone damaged roof of Royal Darwin hospital
A couple more updates on Tropical Cyclone Fina from the NT chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro.
She says the cylone has caused a “small disruptions” to elective surgeries in Darwin. On Monday, 10 surgeries were postponed and six are expected to be impacted on Tuesday.
A section of the roof at Royal Darwin hospital collapsed on Sunday, with water flowing into the wards. Finocchiaro says power was briefly affected by no one was hurt:
It would have been absolutely awful if that had impacted people.
No staff, no patients were injured. We were able to very quickly isolate the area from power so that it wasn’t a risk for anyone.
Finocchiaro says it is too early to estimate the costs of the clean-up.
Updated at 20.00 EST
Henry Belot
NT residents affected by cyclone may be eligible for support
The federal minister for emergency management, Kristy McBain, says some NT residents affected by Tropical Cyclone Fina may now be eligible for government support:
There will be personal hardship payments available for people in those seven local government areas, as well as a range of low-interest loans and freight subsidies for primary producers and additional assistance for not-for-profits for any assets that they may need replaced.
McBain says eligible adults can receive up to $611, while children can access $309.
Updated at 20.01 EST
Henry Belot
Chief minister says NT focused on ‘getting back to business’ after cyclone
The Northern Territory’s chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, has thanked people for listening to warnings from authorities about the dangers posed by Tropical Cyclone Fina:
Right around the top end and in our remote communities, there is debris everywhere, including downed power lines. So we continue to ask people to exercise caution, but move freely about their day to do what they need to do.
We are really focused on making sure that the territory gets back to business as usual as fast as possible.
We’ve seen a number of shops and government services reopen and, of course, making sure that people can go about their day safely.
A tree ripped from its roots in Darwin as Tropical Cyclone Fina tracked just north on Saturday. Photograph: (A)manda Parkinson/The GuardianShare
Updated at 20.01 EST
Jordyn Beazley
Brittany Higgins’ former boss to have her case heard in 2027
The former boss of Brittany Higgins will have her case again the commonwealth go to trial in March 2027.
Fiona Brown, the former Liberal staffer and chief of staff of Linda Reynolds, is suing the government over allegations her workplace failed to protect her by breaching her general protections after Higgins made her rape claim against former staffer, Bruce Lehrmann.
Brown appeared in the federal court on Monday before Justice Nye Perram for a case management hearing. Perram set down the hearing for her case from 29 March to 23 April 2027.
Former political staffer Fiona Brown, pictured in December 2023. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Brown was a witness in the defamation trial brought by Lehrmann against Lisa Wilikinson and Channel Ten after he claimed he was defamed by a rape allegation made by Higgins on Ten’s The Project. Justice Michael Lee found on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped Higgins.
Updated at 19.45 EST
Centre for Public Integrity’s chair warns proper scrutiny needed on EPBC deal
The Centre for Public Integrity’s chair, Anthony Whealy, has raised concerns about the government’s push to strike a deal on EPBC reforms.
Whealy is concerned any deal struck this week may not be properly scrutinised by parliamentary inquiries:
Government is in desperate negotiations with the Coalition and the Greens to push through the seven EPBC reform bills.
This would occur before parliament has had a proper chance to consider them – and before the Senate environment and communications committee has even finished its extensive public consultation.
Indeed, to achieve passage of this bill, the government would have to suspend the Senate’s standing orders.
The chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, Anthony Whealy. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 19.31 EST
Parliament hears names of 74 Australian women murdered in the last year
Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women tomorrow, Labor MP Sharon Claydon has introduced a motion.
Claydon says she reads a list of the Australian women who have lost their lives in the last year. She reads out their names to the chamber.
Every year I read this list in the hope it will be the last, heartbreakingly that day has not yet come. Today as we being the 16 days of activism we must recommit ourselves to ending this national emergency of violence against women and children.
Following Claydon, the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, calls out the women’s names as well.
She says it takes a “horrific event to force us to reckon with the scale of the challenge this list of women represents”.
These names are women, women taken from us, mothers daughters sisters friends, these women have been identified by the Red Heart campaign.
These names should echo through this building and echo across our country, 74 women have been killed in Australia since last time this year, 74 … How do we maintain the rage? How do we cut through, how do we overcome the fatigue? … We must continue to shine the light.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, speaks about the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in the House of Representatives on Monday morning. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 19.21 EST
‘We have to get this right’: Pocock seeks EPBC changes
Environment laws must “actually protect nature” says David Pocock, who has 15 changes he wants the government to make on its EPBC reforms.
While the government doesn’t need Pocock’s support to pass these bills in the Senate, the independent has been a loud voice on climate action.
He told ABC TV a little earlier, that the government is in an “awful hurry” to get these reforms out of the way, but they need to be done right.
Things like the exemption from our environmental laws for native forest logging – that clearly has to change. There’s exemptions for land clearing. Those things have to change. You actually have to have an independent EPA that is actually independent. It can’t just be independent by name … we are the world leaders in extinction, we have ecosystems in this country that are on the brink of collapse. And so, as a parliament, we have to get this right.
There’s a longer Senate inquiry that will go through the 1,500-page bill and report back to parliament in March. Pocock says that inquiry will be necessary to dig into the details, but the government doesn’t need it to be complete to pass the legislation.
Independent senator David Pocock: ‘We are the world leaders in extinction.’ Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 18.52 EST
Helen Haines says repealing net zero would deny the regions a ‘gold rush’ of cash
Regional independent MP Helen Haines – who has been pushing the government to take further action on climate – takes a stand against Joyce.
She says repealing net zero would deny the regions a “gold rush” of cash from renewables projects.
This bill would wipe out almost $10bn in projected payments to farmers, strip $1.9bn from community benefit programs for regional councils and undermine thousands of jobs expected from renewable projects, and there is no alternative proposal – just repeal, rescind, omit.
She points out that Armidale regional council, which is in Joyce’s seat of New England, has already established a multimillion-dollar renewable future fund.
Independent member for Indi, Helen Haines. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 18.50 EST
Barnaby Joyce’s repeal net zero bill up for debate
Over in the house, Liberal MP Ben Small is taking up the fight for Barnaby Joyce’s repeal net zero bill.
Joyce’s bill was first introduced before the Coalition came to a joint party position to dump net zero, but agreed to stay in the Paris agreement (which has its own remaining set of questions).
The government has kept putting the bill on the Monday program for debate as a political move to wedge the Liberal party.
Small points out that the speakers for the bill have grown as the Coalition has come to this position.
Slowly slowly and then suddenly, within the Coalition the speakers list on this bill started as something of a renegade action to begin a long and necessary debate on the need to dump Labor’s net zero agenda, especially the taxes, penalties and big government schemes.
We take tax money off a nurse to make a surgeon’s novated lease for his Tesla cheaper.
The government and crossbench have more numbers, however, to keep debating against the bill.
Liberal MP Ben Small. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 18.35 EST
Defence honours bill to be discharged
In the Senate this morning, the government is moving to discharge a bill that would limit the period of time – to 20 years – that a defence act can be honoured or awarded.
There has been heavy criticism of the bill inside and outside parliament, and in the last sitting week, there were moves led by David Pocock for that bill to be discharged.
While time ran out last sitting week, the government has this morning made that final move to have the bill removed. It’s a blow for Labor.
It’s been welcomed by Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, and Pocock who says:
One of the troubling things about this bill is that there was absolutely no consultation and I thank my Senate colleagues for sending a very clear message to the government that we expect you to go through a process of consultation before you move forward.
Pocock says that through the Senate inquiry process into the bill, just one of the many submissions supported the bill, and that submission was from the Department of Defence.
Updated at 18.26 EST