20:53
Joe Biden may not have spoken to Scott Morrison as yet over Afghanistan (at least as of yesterday) but he has a message for all Australians and New Zealanders on the Anzus anniversary:
20:43
There will be a clash between the NSW and Victorian press conferences – as is usual these days.
We will probably head to Victoria after getting the NSW numbers though, as we know there are a lot of people waiting to hear the transition plan.
We’ll also bring you the ACT updates – it will take a little bit, but I promise we will be able to cover it all.
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20:37
Just a note on the current deputy prime minister claiming he is not trying to be smart, because he’s not (a paraphrase of his quote to the house).
TCDPM talks a big regular Joe game, and loves to wear the hat, but he is also an Old Ignatians from Riverview – the exclusive Sydney school which also counts Tony Abbott among its alum, has a university degree and worked as a practicing accountant.
He is also the current deputy prime minister of Australia.
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20:34
Katharine Murphy
The deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce also contributed during the Anzus debate.
He noted that shared values were the cement that bound Australia and the US together. So far, so good.
But then things became more variable. Stay with me, I’ll do my best.
There was a reflection on democracy slipping “through a form of quasi democracy, and quasi democracy slips back to autocracy, where autocracy is not tempered by the collegiate aspects of cabinet forms of government, or by referring to an executive, but goes out and parrots the mouthpiece of the supreme leader. Mr Speaker, without being smart, because I am not …” (at this point some Latin was invoked) .. “if you want peace, then prepare for war. And we want peace, no-one ever encourages war, we want peace, but this is an essential component of what must happen if you want peace”.
Then there was more Latin. Joyce noted “it was Latin, because it has been the same through history. There is nothing new about this. And a preparation needs mass, and mass needs allies. Looking forward requires a learned experience, a learned experience over the long term, a learned experience over 100 years, not a memory of the 1990s.”
It kept rolling.
The world has changed, now the geopolitical circumstances of our region show an uncomfortable resemblance to the power jousting of Europe in a previous century. Mr Speaker, Anzus comes with costs.
Then there was a reference to bipartisanship and the requirement of parliament “to show to the Australian people why we were involved with Korea, why we were involved with Vietnam, why we were involved with Iraq, why we were involved for 20 years in Afghanistan.”
Because friends have to understand that your heart is where your legs are as well.
I can only leave this with you.
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20:30
No evidence face masks worsen asthma
Melissa Davey
The National Asthma Council Australia has urged health professionals to reassure patients with asthma that they should wear a face mask when outdoors or when they can’t socially distance from others.
National Asthma Council Australia director and respiratory physician Professor Peter Wark said:
There is no evidence that wearing a mask worsens asthma, and an article published in the European Respiratory Journal states that any exemptions of respiratory patients on the compulsory use of face masks is not evidence based and may carry increased risk of personal infection from Covid-19.
People with asthma, or their friends or family looking for advice, should know that face masks are essential for the protection of the person with asthma, as well as any carers or guardians looking after children with asthma.
Face masks, hand hygiene and social distancing will all help prevent the spread of infection and in fact, not wearing a mask could put adults and children with asthma at a disproportionate risk of getting the Covid-19 virus.
Wark said wearing a mask can make someone with asthma and other lung diseases feel more breathless, especially if they are more active.
However we know from the World Health Organisation that face masks of breathable material, worn properly, will not lead to health problems, still provide protection and are more comfortable.
If someone does become breathless whilst wearing a face mask they will be helped by moving to an open area with good airflow if possible then briefly removing their mask until they have caught their breath. Reapplying their mask when they are able to will help their symptoms and reduce their risk of infection.
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20:06
Katharine Murphy
A minute ago I sent a post on Scott Morrison’s contribution in the parliamentary debate about the 70th anniversary of Anzus. Before Covid, Morrison had hoped to be celebrating this milestone in the US, or to have been in a position to have invited Joe Biden to Australia.
But obviously that’s not possible. Anthony Albanese followed Morrison.
He used his speech to announce that Labor (if it wins the next election) will initiate a new defence force posture review to ensure arrangements are fit for purpose. The Labor leader also referenced the difficulties of the Trump period head on.
We welcome the return of American leadership in the rules based order under president Biden, and his dedicated effort in repairing alliances.
Even when the United States stepped back from its long-standing leadership on trade and other forms of multilateralism during the Trump administration, Australia held the line, and importantly, held the door open for the United States.
There was also a significant chunk on the security implications of climate change. The Biden administration has publicly criticised the Coalition’s lack of ambition about climate action. Albanese’s contribution ran along that faultline.
“Climate change remains beyond this government’s grasp,” the Labor leader said.
Albanese says if he wins the election, he would “immediately deepen US-Australian cooperation on climate change security issues”.
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20:04
Queensland has not lifted its pause on domestic arrivals – but it has cleared spaces for 50 families to come into its hotel quarantine system.
That follows criticism over the families of NRL players being able to come into the state for the coming finals. Those families aren’t taking the same places, but the optics are terrible when you have people just trying to get home or be with loved ones having their exemptions denied because of a lack of quarantine places, but the families of footballers being able to enter the state.
South Australia is trialing the home quarantine program the national cabinet is investigating. The plan is to roll that out more widely when vaccination rates increase.
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19:52
We’ll hear the transition plan from Daniel Andrews today. Victoria is no longer aiming for zero Covid cases and instead has switched to “as close to zero as possible”.
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19:51
Katharine Murphy
Good morning everyone. Parliament has kicked off today with speeches marking the 70th anniversary of the Anzus treaty. Scott Morrison has told parliament American leadership remains indispensable and “essential” to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.
The prime minister said the treaty, managed by 14 prime ministers and presidents since it was signed, “breathes and adapts with each passing generation”. Morrison said: “Together we share hope, we share burdens and we share vision.”
As could be expected, there is much in the prime minister’s speech about mateship, much about freedom, and much, inferentially rather than directly, about the challenges of China’s rise and the importance of a world order that champions freedom.
The Labor leader Anthony Albanese is speaking too. I’ll send a post on that contribution shortly.
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19:42
Rex Patrick pushes to refer ATO commissioner for contempt
Paul Karp
The Senate has begun with a bang – independent senator Rex Patrick has sought to refer the ATO commissioner Chris Jordan to the privileges committee for refusing to produce documents revealing big business recipients of jobkeeper.
As Senate president Scott Ryan explained, the tax commissioner declined to respond to an order of production of documents on 4 August, citing public interest immunity. On 23 August the Senate explicitly rejected that – and insisted on the documents by 26 August.
The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, then made a separate public interest immunity claim, and Jordan said he would wait til that claim was dealt with before he responded. Jordan missed the 26 August deadline.
Ryan said that it is clear that Jordan’s actions “could substantially frustrate orders of the Senate”, clearing the first hurdle to refer the matter to the privileges committee, and that he was satisfied that it “could warrant a contempt” of the Senate.
Ryan said that it is a matter for the Senate to determine if Jordan had a “reasonable excuse”.
Ryan suggested it may not be necessary to refer the matter to the privileges committee because there are other remedies available – such as first dealing with Frydenberg’s public interest immunity claim, or bringing amendments to legislation to force production of the jobkeeper information.
Patrick then gave a speech arguing that Frydenberg’s additional public interest immunity had no power to countermand and order of the Senate, and Jordan therefore lacked a reasonable excuse.
He’s given notice of a motion to refer Jordan, to be debated and decided on Thursday. We’re now on to the Respect at Work bill.
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19:41
Khal Asfour, the mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown continues with why the hotspot mayors want to meet with the premier:
We want to convey our concerns to her from the stories that we’re hearing every day.
Secondly, we need more vaccination hubs and thirdly, we want more government support. It defies belief that the Premier just doesn’t want to hear these concerns and she doesn’t want to hear from the 12 mayors that are doing it tough and representing these two million people in western and south western Sydney.
$750 a week doesn’t seem to cut it. We have people who are really struggling and are stuck at home obeying the health orders.
Our people are getting vaccinated. We are making sure the numbers are increasing so we can get out of this lock down and we are doing our bit but we are doing it tough and the lock down seems to roll on month after month and the $750 a week doesn’t cut it for a lot of the members of the community.
…The Premier has referred us to the Local Government Minister. This is not a local government issue. This is a health issue and it is an all of New South Wales issue. We want the Premier to reverse her decision and give us one hour of her time to meet with us.