Senate resumes after Hanson suspended from parliament – as it happened

7.36am GMT What we learned: Monday, 24 November With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Thanks for reading; Krishani Dhanji will be back first thing tomorrow to keep you company. Here’s what made news: Senators across the political divide have strongly condemned Pauline Hanson’s latest burqa stunt. Politicians and staff in parts of Parliament House were urged to turn off their phones, laptops and internet during a visit by Chinese officials. Malaysia has announced it will follow the Australian government’s lead with plans to ban people younger than 16 from accessing social media. The Greens say Labor’s nature laws are “still not good enough to protect the planet” and are demanding further changes in exchange for agreeing to pass them. Environment laws must “actually protect nature” says David Pocock, who has 15 changes he wants the government to make on its EPBC reforms. The environment minister, Murray Watt, says he’s not happy with the price hike of the Bureau of Meteorolgy’s new website. Not-for-profit NDIS providers are leaving the system, says Dr Martin Laverty, who helped design the national disability insurance scheme. Have a good evening. Updated at 7.40am GMT 7.28am GMT Special envoy against Islamophobia condemns Hanson’s latest stunt Australia’s special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, says he’s frustrated by Pauline Hanson’s stunt in the senate this afternoon. He just published this statement on social media: This will deepen existing safety risks for Australian Muslim women who choose to wear the headscarf, the hijab, or the full face and body covering, the burqa (which past estimates placed at around 250 women in all Australia). They already face harassment, threats of rape, and violence, not because what they have done, but because of what they wear. Veiled Muslim women have long been easy targets for bigotry and intolerance against Muslims. A proposed burqa ban will further stigmatise them as outsiders and embolden harassment and abuse. All women should be free to choose what they wear or do not wear. Updated at 7.30am GMT 7.14am GMT NSW man found dead in Tasmanian bush A bushwalker has been found dead in remote southern Tasmania, according to the state’s police force. In a statement, Tasmania Police said the body was found near Federation Peak shortly before 10am. The body of the 39-year-old man from New South Wales was retrieved by the crew of a Westpac rescue helicopter early this afternoon. Emergency services were contacted by the man’s friends earlier today, after he failed to return from a walk as planned yesterday. In a statement, a police spokesperson said “our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time”. Updated at 7.18am GMT 7.02am GMT Senate resumes after Hanson interruption The Senate has resumed after more than an hour’s suspension. Pauline Hanson has been suspended from the parliament for the rest of today, after refusing to remove a burqa during a stunt earlier in the afternoon. “Earlier today, the Senate voted to suspend Senator Hanson for the remainder of the sitting,” the Senate president, Sue Lines, said. She said she’d met with Hanson, who “understands that message from the Senate chamber”. The Senate has returned to normal business, but it’s likely more will develop in response to Hanson’s stunt. Updated at 7.05am GMT 6.50am GMT BoM issues severe thunderstorm and flash-flooding warning over parts of Queensland The Bureau of Meteorology is also warning of wild weather and possible giant thunderstorms in south-east Queensland. Here is its latest warning: Very dangerous thunderstorms are likely to produce large, possibly giant hailstones, damaging, locally destructive winds and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours in parts of the Wide Bay and Burnett and Southeast Coast districts. Locations which may be affected include Maroochydore, Gympie, Noosa Heads, Nambour, Rainbow Beach and Cooroy. Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours in parts of the Wide Bay and Burnett and Southeast Coast districts. Locations which may be affected include Brisbane, Caboolture, and Ipswich. Updated at 6.51am GMT 6.38am GMT Indigenous legal services organisation condemns expanded social security bill powers The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services has condemned the government’s controversial social security bill, which gives police the power to recommend the cancellation of welfare payments for people charged with serious crimes. The services’ chair, Nerita Waight, says the bill will have a “disproportionate and grave impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”: Access to social security should never be determined through a policing approach. There is clear evidence that policing in Australia is not experienced equally. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately subject to racial profiling and over-policing practices. This measure effectively introduces policing powers into the social security system. This represents a significant and concerning policy shift that requires full public scrutiny. Updated at 6.40am GMT 6.28am GMT WA residents ordered to evacuate as Cyclone Fina bears down Residents on Western Australia’s north-east coast have been told to take shelter and prepare for the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Fina. Emergency WA has issued a cyclone emergency warning for Cambridge Gulf to north of Faraway Bay. There is a threat to lives and homes. You are in danger and need to act immediately. Emergency WA has told people in this region to shelter indoors as “it is too late to leave”. Stay in the strongest, safest part of the building. Stay away from doors and windows, and keep them closed. Keep your emergency kit with you. Do not go out on the water while cyclone warnings are active as vessels can become overpowered and rescues may not be immediately possible due to the dangerous weather. According to the Bureau of Meteorology’s latest update, the cyclone is still producing sustained winds of up to 195km/h with wind gusts to 270km/h. Updated at 6.31am GMT 6.13am GMT Sea World helicopter crash inquest opens Panicking relatives and explosion risks confronted police after two joy flight helicopters collided mid-air outside a theme park, a coroner has heard. Four people died when the two Sea World choppers collided above the Gold Coast Broadwater and crashed on a sandbar in January 2023 during the busy summer holiday season. Almost three years later, coroner Carol Lee on Monday opened an inquest in Brisbane into 11 critical issues surrounding one of Australia’s worst air disasters. Justin Dunn, a supervisor with the Gold Coast water police, arrived on scene within minutes. He appeared before the inquest: It was absolute chaos, it really was. Members of the public performed CPR on a woman and gave first aid to an injured young boy, Lee heard. As Dunn approached an overturned aircraft, he was given a chilling warning by a concerned bystander: I felt a hand on my shoulder. He said be careful of pressurised fuel lines. As they could explode. It was a mangled wreck. - AAP Related: ‘How could that happen?’: footage of Sea World helicopters in deadly mid-air collision shown at inquest Updated at 6.19am GMT 6.01am GMT Hanson claims burqa stunt relates to national security but fails to produce any evidence Pauline Hanson claims her bill to ban the burqa was in response to concerns about national security - but when asked repeatedly in a press conference, could not point to a single example where cultural face coverings had been a factor in national security incidents. Hanson and her One Nation colleagues held a fiery press conference in Parliament House shortly after she was ejected from the Senate for refusing to remove the burqa, in a repeat of a stunt she carried out in 2017. Here’s what she claimed: It is a national security issue. It is about women’s rights, and a lot of women are forced to wear this garb. I don’t like putting this on. She went on to cite alleged anecdotal examples of hearing stories of people scared to travel to the “western suburbs of Sydney”. She denied she was contributing to social discord by repeating her burqa stunt, and said she was upset at not being given leave to introduce her bill to ban the burqa. But asked for data about how many incidents of national security risk she was aware of relating to face coverings like the burqa, Hanson said: “Can I suggest you call Asio.” Pressed further for any details, she could not provide any: I can’t answer you that question. Updated at 6.04am GMT 5.51am GMT Widespread condemnation over Hanson’s ‘disgraceful’ burqa stunt repeat Senators across the political divide have strongly condemned Pauline Hanson’s latest burqa stunt. Hanson initially walked in and sat in the wrong seat, and had to be quietly guided to the correct side of the chamber by a colleague. Greens leader Larissa Waters called the burqa stunt an “insult”. Labor Senate leader Penny Wong, who was clearly angry and upset, said senators should not be “disrespectful of the Senate” and said her conduct was “not worthy” of the parliament and politicians. Wong pointed back to the 2017 version of Hanson’s stunt, noting the bipartisan condemnation at the time. Liberal Senate leader Anne Ruston said “this is not the way you should be addressing this chamber”, and called for respect for others. Lidia Thorpe, interjecting loudly numerous times, called for Hanson to be ejected from parliament. Fatima Payman said Hanson was “disrespecting a faith, disrespecting Muslim Australians... this needs to be dealt with immediately before we proceed, it’s disgraceful.” Updated at 6.02am GMT 5.43am GMT Nationals on Hanson stunt: ‘most Australians will look away in disgust’ Nationals senator Matt Canavan has dismissed Pauline Hanson’s stunt as a disrespectful and debasement of parliament. Here’s what he told the ABC a minute ago: Pauline Hanson needs some new material because as you said she has recycled this from eight years ago. While this might attract the interest of a small fringe in our society, I just dont think middle Australia like to see our parliament debased like this. I think this is disrespectful to Muslim Australians as well, I don’t support you ridiculing people who have certain multicultural dress standards. It is not appropriate. Doing this kind of stunt… it weakens her case, it cheapens our parliament and I think most Australians will look away in disgust. Updated at 5.46am GMT 5.31am GMT Pauline Hanson condemned and ejected from Senate after repeating burqa stunt The Senate has been suspended and Pauline Hanson has been ejected from the chamber after repeating her widely criticised 2017 stunt of wearing a burqa into the parliament. Hanson wore the black face covering into the Senate chamber on Monday afternoon. It was seemingly a protest after having been denied leave to introduce a bill to ban the garment in Australia. It kicked off instant outrage in the chamber, with opposing politicians calling out “old hat” and “been there, done that”. She had undertaken a similar stunt in 2017. After Hanson refused to remove the face covering, the Senate resolved to ban Hanson from the parliament until she complied. After again refusing, the Senate was suspended temporarily. The chamber still sits suspended. After the chamber was suspended, Hanson and her fellow One Nation senators were the last to leave. She yelled comments to supporters in the public gallery, claiming she’d been denied her right to introduce her bill. Updated at 5.33am GMT 5.24am GMT Bob Brown on Labor environmental law changes: ‘changing the deck chairs on the Titanic’ The co-founder of the Greens, Bob Brown, was just on the ABC criticising the government’s proposed EPBC reforms, which it expects will pass parliament at some stage this week. Brown says changes proposed by Labor to secure the Greens support don’t go far enough: They’re not much more than changing the deck chairs on the Titanic. Look at logging. In Tasmania and New South Wales, the Albanese government could stop that tomorrow. It’s the biggest cause of extinction of everything from koalas to greater gliders to critically endangered swift parrots and Tasmanian devils. But the industry is being financed and subsidised by Canberra as well as by state governments. Updated at 5.26am GMT 5.07am GMT Search for missing four-year-old in South Australia to resume South Australian police will resume a search for missing four-year-old Gus Lamont on Tuesday with a focus on six mine shafts close to where he was last seen. A police spokesperson said officers would use specialist equipment to search the mine sharts that are located between 5.5km and 12km from the Oak Park homestead. The mines have not been searched and were previously unknown to police. The state’s deputy police commissioner, Linda Williams, said this part of the search could last for three days: We are determined to explore every avenue in an effort to locate Gus Lamont and provide some closure for his family These searches will either locate evidence or eliminate these locations from further investigation by the task force.’ The blond, curly haired Gus – described by a family member as shy but adventurous – went missing from his family’s outback sheep station more than two weeks ago. At 5pm on Saturday 27 September, Gus’s grandmother last saw him playing on a mound of dirt at the homestead, which is near Yunta, about 300km from Adelaide. Related: Police expand search for missing boy Gus in outback SA after advice from ‘survival specialists’ Updated at 5.09am GMT 4.54am GMT Malaysia to introduce under-16s social media ban Malaysia has announced it will follow the Australian government’s lead with plans to ban people younger than 16 from accessing social media. The country’s communications minister, Fahmi Fadzil, said the government was reviewing mechanisms used to impose age restrictions for social media use in Australia, citing a need to protect youths from online harms such as cyberbullying, financial scams, and child sexual abuse: We hope by next year that social media platforms will comply with the government’s decision to bar those under the age of 16 from opening user accounts. Malaysia has put social media companies under greater scrutiny in recent years in response to what it claims to be a rise in harmful content, including online gambling and posts related to race, religion and royalty. Platforms and messaging services with more than 8 million users in Malaysia are now required to obtain a license under a new regulation that came into effect in January. Australia’s social media ban will begin on 10 December. – with Reuters Updated at 4.58am GMT 4.43am GMT Thank you all for following along on the blog with me today, I will see you here bright and early tomorrow! I’ll leave you with the brilliant Henry Belot for the rest of the afternoon. Updated at 4.47am GMT 4.36am GMT Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time The opposition kept their questions energy-focused, trying to hammer the energy minister, Chris Bowen, and get the government to say electricity bills will drop. “Part time minister, full time president” was the Liberal party’s phrase of the day – I counted six mentions of it across the hour. The government tried to push back against the COP criticism and exploit the Coalition’s divisions (Brutus one and Brutus two, said Richard Marles – likely referring to potential Liberal challengers Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie). The crossbench got stuck into the government over its refusal to so far ban online gambling advertising and respond to late Labor MP Peta Murphy’s landmark report on reducing gambling harm. Updated at 4.40am GMT 4.17am GMT Greens say Labor's proposed environmental law changes 'welcome' but 'still not good enough to protect nature' The Greens say Labor’s nature laws are “still not good enough to protect the planet” and are demanding further changes in exchange for agreeing to pass them in parliament’s final sitting week of 2025. The government has so far dangled two amendments in front of the Greens to woo the party to support the EPBC revamp: a promise to exclude coal and gas projects from a special “national exemption” exemption and a commitment to subject native forest logging to national environment standards within three years. The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, said the proposed changes were “welcome” but not enough to win her backing. Whilst we welcome those offers, the bill’s still not good enough to protect the planet. It’s still not good enough to protect nature, and it still fast tracks coal and gas. The Greens environment spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, said a three-year timeframe to apply new standards to native forest logging was “far too long”. Three years to let the loggers get in there and trash our native forest is three years too long. I said that clearly to the government. I said it yesterday. I’ve repeated it again today. Three years is too long. Hanson-Young dismissed environment minister Murray Watt’s insistence that the bill pass this week, noting that deadline was entirely self-imposed. The Coalition is also refusing to support the legislation without major changes, leaving Labor without a clear path to get it through the Senate. If we can’t get this bill fixed this week, and I’m going to do everything I can to help do that, but if the government won’t come to the party and fix it this week, then I put it to the minister, let’s work over summer. Let’s roll up our sleeves. Updated at 4.21am GMT 4.08am GMT Question time ends With a final dixer to the health minister, Mark Butler, the first question time for the week ends. Updated at 4.10am GMT 4.07am GMT Labor does not confirm if government will respond to Murphy report recommending gambling ad ban For something a little bit different now, the Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown is asking a question to the chair of the standing committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, which is Louise Miller-Frost, whether the committee will force the government to take action on the gambling report tabled by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy (who was the previous chair of this committee). Milton Dick tells Watson-Brown that questions to a committee chair have to go to specific details, so she puts her question to the communications minister, Anika Wells: It has now been almost 2 and a half years since the Murphy report recommended banning gambling advertising and in that time Australians have lost well over $60bn. Why are you putting the interests of Sportsbet ahead of the interests of Sportsbet ahead of the interests of ordinary Australians? Wells says she has not met with any gambling companies but has “had meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes as we seek to further minimise harms of gambling”. She doesn’t say if or when the government will respond to the Murphy review. Updated at 4.10am GMT 3.59am GMT Chalmers tells Coalition leading Cop and lowering power prices aren’t mutually exclusive Back to the Coalition, Liberal MP Tony Pasin asks the government the same question – why is the energy minister brokering communiqués rather than lowering energy bills? (cue another part time minister reference here). Jim Chalmers takes the question and says the two aims aren’t mutually exclusive. Those are not conflicting objectives because the global shift to net zero is a massive economic opportunity for our country, our economy and for its people. I think if anyone is scratching around for a reason why those opposites are unfit for office, it is all of these questions that suggest that Australia should not have an influential voice in the direction that the world is taking on energy ... I know why they are doing it. They couldn’t give a toss about electricity prices for Australia, all they care about is the internal politics is of the inner Coalition rooms. Updated at 4.03am GMT 3.54am GMT Albanese issues one-word response on acceptability of online gambling ads Independent MP Zali Steggall asks the prime minister about a reported retreat from banning online gambling advertising and whether Labor believes advertising online gambling to vulnerable Australians is acceptable. Gambling has become a bit of a sore spot for the government, who haven’t responded to the landmark inquiry by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy which was tabled more than two years ago. Anthony Albanese seems a bit irritable as he answers: No. And then immediately sits back down. Updated at 3.59am GMT 3.50am GMT Liberals continue today’s attack line over Cop31 presidency and power bills I’m starting a tally on the number of ‘part time minister, full-time president’ mentions in the chamber – I’ll come back to you at the end. Liberal MP Rick Wilson asks why Chris Bowen is “more concerned with the COP31 negotiation then he is with power bills?” Jim Chalmers says the opposition is being “tricky” and that the Australian Energy Council has said in its report (that the Coalition has been quoting today), “the lowest-impact pathway is an energy system dominated by renewables”. Chalmers then turns the spotlight (and twists the knife) into the Coalition and gives Nikki Savva’s new book a plug. They [the Coalition] are all lining up to dump on the former leader, they are all trying to blame Peter Dutton for their woes, and in his defence, look what he had to work with over there. The least-talented, most-divisive, most-divisive bench ever. Updated at 3.52am GMT 3.43am GMT Nationals join attacks on Labor over power prices Nationals leader David Littleproud takes the next opposition question, and asks the government when its promised $275 cut to electricity bills will take effect when there are just five weeks left of the year. The government abandoned that promise several years ago. Jim Chalmers – representing Chris Bowen – takes the question (to the opposition’s chagrin). Alex Hawke says it’s “the biggest hospital pass from the prime minister to the Treasurer.” Australia’s best chance to put downward pressure on electricity prices is from introducing cleaner, cheaper, more renewable, more reliable energy sources. Mr Speaker, that never used to be, for a long time it was not an especially controversial proposition. There’s plenty of yelling in the chamber so Milton Dick tells everyone to calm down and stop shouting (but there have been no ejections as yet). There are a couple of points of order on relevance but Dick bats them away and says the opposition can’t “can’t jump up and say whatever you feel like”. Updated at 3.51am GMT 3.38am GMT ‘Brutus one and Brutus two’ sharpening their knives, deputy PM says Labor are trying their darned hardest to keep the spotlight on the Coalition, and pressing the flesh on the deep divisions within the party. During a dixer, the deputy PM, Richard Marles, takes us back a few years and brings up the Roman Empire (do people still think about this all the time?) No matter what they are talking about, what fundamentally characterises the Coalition is that they are deeply divided … You have Brutus one and Brutus two up there, knives sharpening. Updated at 3.43am GMT 3.32am GMT Albanese goes for joy as Coalition attempt attack on energy prices Keeping on energy, the shadow energy minister, Dan Tehan, asks the PM about comments by an energy sector CEO who said the current price rises are just the “calm before the storm” – so how much further will electricity bills rise? Anthony Albanese quotes the Australian energy council who, he says, warned that keeping coal operating for longer “can increase costs rather than decrease cost.” The Australian industry group I’ve quoted before said there was no interest in going backward on net zero. The Business Council of Australia CEO said this: ‘we need to make sure that we continue to keep Australia as a competitive place to do business … we need to a clear plan, a pathway towards what that net zero looks like’. Pushed on a point of order to talk directly about the possible increase in power prices, Albanese says he’s already spoken about what the lost cost of transition is. Those opposite have 23 plans, they’re still fighting each other. Still fighting each other, Mr Speaker. One thing is very clear, love will not stop them from tearing each other apart. Labor LOVE referencing Joy Division (context below for those who might have missed the reference). Related: Sussan Ley goes after Anthony Albanese’s Joy Division T-shirt as the Coalition tears itself apart, again Updated at 4.06am GMT 3.23am GMT Spender questions housing minister over interim payments Over to the crossbench: Allegra Spender says the latest rental data shows just 2% of rentals are affordable to essential workers like teachers. She asks the government if it would reconstruct its $3bn new home bonus scheme, which provides money to the states, to provide interim payments to accelerate rezoning, speed up approvals and build infrastructure. The housing minister, Clare O’Neil, says the housing issue has been “cooking” for more than 40 years, and that she is in “constant negotiation and discussion with the states” on home building. She won’t say specifically whether the new home bonus will be changed to provide those interim payments: We have a problem in our country when it has become too hard, too difficult and too lengthy to have a home built in this country. She adds that the $3bn new home bonus is one part of the $43bn spend on housing in total which also provides money through other housing programs to the states, Updated at 3.25am GMT 3.14am GMT Labor and Liberals tussle over climate action Sussan Ley goes on the attack again, with the “part time minister, full time president” line. This time she asks how long Chris Bowen will spend overseas in his COP role. Albanese says the “crunch points” on negotiations on climate will come when the summit is held this time next year. The PM also brings up this infamous moment when Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton joked about rising sea levels in the Pacific. Albanese said: [Climate action is] the first priority, the second priority, and the third priority because without action on climate change, countries like Kiribati and Tuvalu will disappear, they will disappear underwater. Those opposite aspire to make jokes about water lapping, lapping at the doors. That is what they did when they were in government. Related: ‘Culture cringe’: experts dismiss Coalition claims Chris Bowen cannot remain minister while leading Cop31 negotiations Updated at 3.19am GMT 3.08am GMT Opposition calls Bowen ‘part-time minister, full-time president’ Sussan Ley starts the questions today taking a firm jab at energy minister Chris Bowen, who under an agreement with Turkey will lead climate negotiations at the COP conference next year. Why is it that this part-time minister, full-time president, isn’t using this unprecedented influence to lower energy bills for Australians? Bowen isn’t in the chamber today. Anthony Albanese says the Coalition consistently talks Australia “down”. He says countries in the Pacific have welcomed Australia’s involvement in next years’ COP. Over recent days, there are communique issued by every single country supporting the Paris agreement, supporting a reduction in emissions, recognising that it is not a choice between a strong economy and sustainability, that in order to have a strong economy, you need to deal with the challenge the threat of climate change which is real. Updated at 3.23am GMT 3.06am GMT The shadow cybersecurity minister, Claire Chandler, has raised concern about possible cyber threats, after advice given to parliamentarians to turn off their phones and devices during a visit from a delegation from China. As we reported earlier, MPs 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. Chandler, in written comments to Guardian Australia, said she was alarmed by the advice. “It’s incredibly concerning that parliamentarians and their offices are expected to go to extreme lengths like locking down or shutting down devices and disabling Wi-Fi just to protect our data in Parliament House during this visit from Zhao Leji,” Chandler said. ASIO has warned that China state-backed actors are targeting Australia’s critical infrastructure, and Parliament House is the heart of our democracy. We’ve already seen CCP-linked cyberattacks on parliamentarians, including myself. It’s fair to expect all parliamentarians to be vigilant about their own cybersecurity, but the measures in place today go far beyond what’s usually expected for a visiting delegation. It’s a stark reminder of the reality of the cyber threats we’re facing. Updated at 3.09am GMT 3.01am GMT It’s question time! It’s the last week of parliament so anything could happen here today. Just a sartorial note before we get into it: Dan Repacholi – who was previously in a suit that looked like what can only be described as melted smarties, including during his 90-second statement to the chamber – has now changed into a much more muted olive green suit for QT. Repacholi is raising awareness for men’s mental health. Updated at 3.04am GMT 2.30am GMT Snapshot of rental affordability in Australia Housing is unaffordable, we already knew that, and now the 2025 National Shelter–SGS Rental Affordability Index shows us what it looks like across the country. The index compares rents with incomes and has found Perth, Sydney, regional Queensland and regional NSW are the least affordable places in Australia to rent. Affordability has improved 1% in Sydney and 4% in Canberra, while remaining steady in Melbourne and Adelaide, over the last year. Affordability declined 1% in Hobart, 2% in Brisbane and 4% in Perth. Greens senator Barbara Pocock says the data is a “wake-up call” and that the government should stop prioritising property investors over renters. Record rent hikes and record vacancy lows. This is a crisis for anyone out there looking for rental accommodation, especially in our regional areas, our country towns, in cities like Perth, where we see a spike right now in rental prices … in Sydney, in Adelaide and in every country town, police officers, teachers, nurses, who want to live and work in their communities cannot do it. Updated at 2.46am GMT 2.07am GMT Some MPs and staff warned to turn off phones when Chinese delegation visits Parliament House 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 wifi 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 wifi 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 wifi 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 the governor general, Sam Mostyn, and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese. Updated at 2.11am GMT 1.59am GMT 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. Updated at 2.04am GMT 1.39am GMT 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. Related: Labor urged not to ‘go soft’ on gambling ads after reports the government may resist a total ban 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 1.45am GMT 1.22am GMT 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 1.31am GMT 1.17am GMT 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 1.24am GMT 1.11am GMT 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 1.13am GMT 1.05am GMT ‘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. Updated at 1.13am GMT 12.55am GMT 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. Updated at 1.00am GMT 12.40am GMT 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 1.00am GMT 12.35am GMT 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 1.01am GMT 12.31am GMT 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. Updated at 1.01am GMT 12.28am GMT 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. 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 12.45am GMT 12.21am GMT 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. Updated at 12.31am GMT 12.07am GMT 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. Updated at 12.21am GMT 11.41pm GMT ‘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. Updated at 11.52pm GMT 11.34pm GMT 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. Updated at 11.50pm GMT 11.28pm GMT 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. Updated at 11.35pm GMT 11.20pm GMT 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 11.26pm GMT 11.09pm GMT Eyes on the parliamentary corridors Here’s a little look at who popped up in the press gallery corridors this morning: 10.58pm GMT NSW Liberal leader ‘not going to tell my federal colleagues what to do’ on net zero Returning to the new NSW opposition leader, Kellie Sloane says she is “not going to tell my federal colleagues what to do” on net zero after the state Liberal party voted to back the policy in contrast with Sussan Ley’s federal position. Asked by a listener on ABC Sydney if she will try to convince federal Liberals to reinstate the commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, Sloane says: We have different responsibilities when it comes to the energy rollout and the roadmap in NSW. We’ve got those practical on-the-ground considerations in NSW, the Coalition's … position on this has been consistent since 2016 when we had the roadmap. We’re not going to turn around and change that decision, and certainly I’m not going to do that a week after our parliamentary colleagues made that decision. Sloane, who in her appearances since being named leader has echoed her predecessor Mark Speakman’s calls for NSW to build more metro lines, is played a clip from an early parliamentary speech in which she said “asset recycling has helped make this state what it is today”, including funding roads and public transport infrastructure. Sloane refuses to be drawn on whether she would sell assets such as the remaining publicly owned half of Sydney’s power grid, but eventually says she is “open to it”. I’m not going to get into specifics on day one. You know, a few, just a few days ago, I was the shadow health spokesperson. Your listeners would expect that I need to come up to speed with all these matters … I’m not asking any of those questions yet. I’ll be honest, I’ve been running around Sydney over the weekend, I’ve been catching up with colleagues, I still have about 500 unanswered text messages. Updated at 11.00pm GMT 10.48pm GMT Labor advances plans for universal childcare rollout We know Anthony Albanese wants universal childcare to be part of his legacy, and signs are emerging on just how Labor plans to significantly expand services around the country. The government is pursuing new laws to require private operators to hand over sensitive commercial data needed to design a new national system, including on the costs and staffing requirements for running centres. The government has already commissioned a private research project on sector wages, property costs and the experience of families and operators, in order to understand the scale of the ambition. Now new changes to tax laws used to facilitate childcare benefits and other government payments are being progressed through parliament to allow the Department of Education to require private companies to hand over data about costs and services pricing. Full story here: Related: Labor advances universal childcare plan with new laws to allow collection of data from private operators Updated at 10.58pm GMT 10.44pm GMT Sloane would ‘love to’ see an outcome on NSW workers compensation this week The new NSW opposition leader, Kelly Sloane, says she would like to see an outcome on the government’s controversial workers compensation reforms before parliament breaks this week. Sloane has hit the ground running after being elected unopposed on Friday morning, making media appearances across the weekend, including in western Sydney, where she was heckled on Saturday, and this morning. Sloane, who is four days into the job, has been reluctant to commit to policy yet. But speaking to ABC Sydney earlier, Sloane was asked about an area that may require an immediate decision, as the government seeks to pass controversial workers compensation reforms before it breaks for the summer at the end of the week. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said this month that negotiations were “over” after the Coalition and cross bench rejected raising the threshold at which workers can claim for psychological injuries, although the treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, has since indicated that the government is open to further talks. Sloane says she would “love to see an outcome” this week. We know as an opposition that reform is absolutely necessary for workers compensation. We can’t justify the cost blowouts at the moment, but we’ve been working actively to try to reduce the front end costs of the scheme, rather than what Labor is doing and targeting the seriously injured workers who never have a hope of getting back to work. Sloane says she is being briefed this morning by the NSW shadow treasurer, Damien Tudehope, on the state of negotiations, saying the government needs to answer questions about changes to the threshold for psychological injury. Updated at 10.56pm GMT 10.35pm GMT What is the government putting forward in its nature legislation – and what are the Greens and Coalition demanding to help it pass? For a good look at what the government is putting forward with its environmental laws this week, and what the Coalition and Greens are pushing for, have a read of my colleague Josh Butler’s story here. Related: Labor pledges to pass long-awaited nature laws this week as Greens demand more concessions Getting these reforms through the Senate is the primary focus of the government this week. As we brought you a little earlier, Murray Watt is still confident a deal can get done before parliament rises for the year. Updated at 10.43pm GMT 10.24pm GMT Private members’ bills to be debated this morning Mondays during sitting weeks mean debate on private members’ bills. Up first – when the House begins sitting at 10am – will be a bill from Andrew Wilkie to end online wagering on greyhound racing. Then will come Barnaby Joyce’s end net zero bill (yes, again). We’ll see who lines up to the speakers list this time (and who the government puts up to debate against it – they have a much longer list MPs who can keep the debate running). Updated at 10.26pm GMT 10.03pm GMT Barnaby Joyce says he has not yet received dinner invite from Pauline Hanson Barnaby Joyce, who’s widely rumoured to be about to defect to One Nation, says he hasn’t yet been invited to Pauline Hanson’s house for dinner to discuss further. Speaking to journalists in the parliament’s corridors this morning, Joyce was also asked about the poor polling his current party is facing. Current Coalition polling is very, very bad, but we are in opposition [and] the government’s polling is also very, bad. It’s just that the Coalition is worse … And out of frustration, [voters have] gone shopping, political shopping. On whether he’s had a dinner with Hanson yet, Joyce revealed he hadn’t, and said he was “trying to wait till the end of the year” to make a decision on whether he would leave the Nationals. She [Hanson] hasn’t actually rung up officially – I’ve been invited on television, but I’m waiting for personal invite. That’s all colour isn’t it? Colour and movement. Updated at 10.14pm GMT 9.52pm GMT Liberals make light of leadership polling The latest Newspoll doesn’t paint a particularly bright picture for the Coalition and its leadership. Asked, ‘whom would you prefer as leader of the federal Coalition?’ Sussan Ley still sits ahead of the other contenders with 21%, followed by Andrew Hastie with 15%, then Angus Taylor with 9%, returned Goldstein MP Tim Wilson with 6% and Ted O’Brien with 3%. The kicker is that 46% of people selected the “don’t know” option. On the Today show earlier this morning, O’Brien joked that his votes were “thanks to Mum, who I think cast three votes”. Over on X, Wilson was also having a bit of a laugh, saying that after six months back in the house he’s “already at 6%. Gaining at a rate of 1% a month. 29 months to go!” Back in @AboutTheHouse for 6 months. Already at 6 per cent. Gaining at a rate of 1 per cent a month. 29 months to go! 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/aYBzkOQM4Z— Tim Wilson (@TimWilsonMP) November 23, 2025 Updated at 9.54pm GMT 9.42pm GMT Snapchat begins to notify Australian users aged under 16 ahead of social media ban From this week, Snapchat users the platform believes to be under the age of 16 will begin getting notifications in-app, via email or SMS about the upcoming social media ban. Snapchat is using age signals for account activity to estimate ages in addition to those who have self-declared to be under 16, and those believed to be under 16 who are not will need to go through age assurance processes. The methods will be via checking an Australian bank account, government ID such as passport or drivers licence, or via facial age estimation, where a selfie is taken and estimated by age assurance company k-ID. Users under 16 will be able to download their data before 10 December such as chats, memories and videos. The accounts will be locked from 10 December for up to three years or when the user turns 16 and reactivates their account. Snapchat maintains that it disagrees that it should be covered by the ban, but is complying with the policy. Updated at 10.58pm GMT 9.34pm GMT Behind the new BoM website’s $96m price tag Let’s dive a bit deeper into how that $4m figure blew out to $96m. Yesterday, the new BoM CEO and Director of Meteorology, Dr Stuart Minchin, issued a statement explaining the issue: The total cost of the website is approximately $96.5m. This includes the previously stated $4.1m required to redesign the front-end of the website. The remaining cost reflects the significant investment required to fully rebuild and test the systems and technology that underpin the website, making sure it is secure and stable and can draw in the huge amounts of data gathered from our observing network and weather models. The timing is critical, as Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina hit the Top End over the weekend. Minchin said the bureau is continuing to make improvements to the website, and postponed a scheduled website update due to the tropical cyclone. Related: Cost of BoM’s website revamp revealed after deluge of public criticism Updated at 9.40pm GMT 9.22pm GMT Murray Watt ‘not happy’ about BoM’s website price tag Jumping back to Murray Watt: the environment minister was asked on ABC News Breakfast a little earlier about the extreme price hike on the Bureau of Meteorology’s website redesign. The environment minister says he’s looking forward to more transparency and cultural change in the bureau. Watt says he hauled in the acting CEO of the BoM when issues first surfaced over the new website. A new CEO, Dr Stuart Minchin, started just a fortnight ago, and Watt says he was “heartened” that he’s already done a media interview. We have had a new CEO of the BoM start only a fortnight ago. I met with him on his very first day to outline my concerns and my request for him to get on top of this. I’ve met with him again – twice in his first two weeks – so I’m looking forward to a bit of a change in the culture and the approach of the BoM. BoM had initially said the website redesign would cost $4m, so where did all that extra money come in? Watt says the initial estimate was “for one aspect of the website development”. It’s a matter for them why they chose to provide that figure rather than a broader figure. But there’s no doubt that there have been increases in the cost of this website as it’s been developed. One of the things that I’ve asked the new CEO of the BoM to get on top of is, what happened here? Updated at 9.40pm GMT 9.10pm GMT Coalition has requested at least seven changes to nature laws, Bell says Continuing her media rounds, Angie Bell, tells ABC News Breakfast there are seven changes “at a minimum” that the Coalition has put forward to the minister on the environment reforms that the government is hoping to pass this week. What are some of those red lines? The scope of the new environmental protection authority, the definition of “net gain”, and the definition of “unacceptable impacts” are in the top three. There are very many other measures that the minister needs to look at in order to come back to us with those amendments so we can find a pathway forward. “Net gain” means that a project will need to demonstrate that offsets to it can deliver a measurable “net gain” rather than just avoiding a “net loss”. To the political issues within the Coalition, host James Glenday asks Bell whether after all this negotiation Barnaby Joyce and Matt Canavan will come in and “scuttle things” at the last minute. Bell doesn’t quite answer the question. We’ll take the government’s amendments on their merit and make sure that we deliver, as a Coalition, good outcomes for jobs, in particular, across our country, to make sure that there is certainty around investment and productivity. Updated at 9.13pm GMT 8.59pm GMT Government in a “rush to fail” on environment laws, says shadow minister Sitting in the RN Brekky hot seat following Murray Watt is the shadow environment spokesperson, Angie Bell, who says she’s not “in a rush” to pass the EPBC bills. Bell says that the ball is in the government’s court. We’re certainly not in a rush to fail, Sally, and we’ve heard three days of inquiry where all of the stakeholders have agreed that the bills are unworkable the way they are. What I will say is that that the ball is firmly in the minister’s court. I have put forward those red lines, if you like, or those substantive issues that the Coalition has with this set of bills, and it’s up to him now to come back to us with the amendments. Host Sally Sara challenges Bell on whether the opposition has been “distracted”, as Watt has put it, by the Coalition’s own internal political turmoil. The shadow environment minister bats it away and calls it “rhetoric”. I’ve been solely focused on the EPBC reforms. There’s a 1,500-page package that I’ve read and I’ve been working absolutely 100% in lockstep with the leader of the opposition’s office and others to make sure that we understand what the ramifications are here. I’ve been meeting with stakeholders. So, certainly, we are 100% focused on EPBC reform. Updated at 9.06pm GMT 8.51pm GMT What about some of the other sticking points? Labor has been adamant from day one that it won’t establish a “climate trigger” which the Greens have been consistently calling for. But Watt says he is prepared to remove fossil fuel projects from the national interest approval. I recognise that’s a big ask from the Greens. But you will have seen over the weekend that we said that we are prepared to remove fossil fuel projects from the national interest approval mechanism that is included in the bill … that’s a bit of a nod towards the concerns around climate change and fossil fuels. Related: Labor to rule out controversial ‘national interest’ exemption for coal and gas if Greens back nature laws Over on the other side, the Coalition has said it wants penalties for breaches of the legislation scaled back. Watt says the penalties and maximum penalties are comparable with the US and UK. One area where there probably is some room to move is for the bill to make it a little bit clearer about what kind of circumstances would attract the maximum penalties. So we’re having a bit of a look at what could be done there. I don’t think that anyone would expect that a minor breach of the law would result in an $850m fine, which is the maximum. Updated at 8.57pm GMT 8.45pm GMT Watt ‘prepared to compromise’ to pass environment laws this week Continuing his media rounds this morning, Murray Watt says he’s feeling confident that a deal is “very close” with either the Coalition or the Greens. He tells ABC’s Radio National Breakfast the number of issues each side is seeking change on is “smaller than it was this time last week”, and that there’s more room to move. I’m in under no doubt that we will pass these laws this week. It’s really a matter of whether it’s with the Coalition or the Greens. I’ve always said that I’m a realist. I am a senator, I work in the Senate, I understand that you’ve got to make changes to bills to get them through … I am prepared to compromise a little bit more on either side to get this through as long as we don’t get rid of those core principles. Asked more specifically about some of the Greens demands, like ending native forest logging, Watt says even under the new act, which would remove an exemption for native forest logging, the logging could still continue. We’re not going to be ending native forestry altogether and we’re not going to be getting rid of regional forest agreements under which native forestry occurs, but we are open to increasing the environmental standards expected of native forestry, and that’s one of the things that Graeme Samuel recommended. Updated at 8.58pm GMT 8.39pm GMT Not-for-profit providers leaving ‘train wreck’ NDIS, warns industry expert Not-for-profit NDIS providers are leaving the system, says Dr Martin Laverty, who helped design the national disability insurance scheme and now runs registered provider Aruma. Speaking to ABC’s AM program a little earlier, Laverty said the situation in the NDIS is a “train wreck”, with not-for-profits now in their fifth year of consecutive losses. Laverty says a key issue is the pricing that the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) sets. Over the five years that have just concluded, registered not-for-profits have suffered 12% losses. That’s unsustainable. And what we’re now seeing is a number of not-for-profit organisations have chosen to exit. Others are on the precipice and the National Disability Insurance Agency has put the government in a really awkward position. The reason for these losses is price. The NDIA is running a flawed pricing system. It’s a train wreck. This, for those of us who were involved in setting up the scheme are horrified with what’s happening. Updated at 8.46pm GMT 8.22pm GMT Abandoning net zero is “economic insanity” Chalmers claims The Coalition’s plan to dump its net zero emissions policy would “decimate investor confidence” in Australia for clean energy projects, claims the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, warning about risks to investment in critical minerals projects. Chalmers is this morning talking up the economic benefits of Labor’s plans for the energy transition, pointing to billions in investment into critical minerals projects. He claimed that the Coalition’s pledge to drop a net zero target, and unwind the government’s production tax incentives, would put those projects at risk. What the Coalition is proposing would decimate investor confidence around Australia and risk billions of dollars of investment. Abandoning net zero would swing a wrecking ball through the energy market, through investor certainty and put billions of dollars of critical minerals projects at risk. He called the net zero transformation “a golden economic opportunity for Australia”. Abandoning net zero is economic insanity that would mean less investment, higher energy prices and fewer jobs. Updated at 8.35pm GMT 8.20pm GMT Environment deal “getting closer”, Watt says The environment minister, Murray Watt, has one big task this fortnight – to pass the environment protection and biodiversity conservation (EPBC) bills with the support of either the Coalition or the Greens. Unsurprisingly, Watt says, both parties want quite different concessions from the government. He tells ABC News Breakfast this morning he spoke to representatives from both parties over the weekend and they’ll continue negotiating today. The Coalition want more changes to support business. The Greens want more changes made to support the environment. You will remember what I’ve always said through this process is that we need to have a balanced package that delivers wins for both the environment and for business. It’s not one or the other … I suspect that we’ll end up going with whichever of those two parties is more prepared to come closer to the package that we’ve already passed through the House of Representatives. Updated at 8.28pm GMT 8.16pm GMT BoM facing increased heat as $96m website upgrade cost revealed The pile-on continues on the Bureau of Meteorology for their controversial website redesign, which we now understand has cost $96m. Over on Sunrise this morning, Labor cabinet minister Tanya Plibersek and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce both say it’s not a great look for the bureau. The figure is a whole lot more than the $4m originally estimated. Plibersek, in defence of her government, says the website rebuild started under a former BoM CEO back in 2019. When we came to government there was a rebranding exercise going on where the asking people to call it the Bureau instead of the BoM. I said at the time we needed to focus on the weather and not rebranding. There were some upgrades necessary, the security systems on the computers of the Bureau of Meteorology were very prone to hacking. The government was told that. Plibersek is pushed on when the cabinet knew how much it would cost, and whether it approved that figure – the now social services minister says she suspects there was “overrun” in the spending on the project, but that the work started before the Albanese government took office, and it was necessary to improve cybersecurity. Updated at 8.36pm GMT 8.12pm GMT Good morning Krishani Dhanji here with you for the final parliamentary sitting week of the year, and boy is it going to get busy. The environment protection and biodiversity conservation bills are up for debate in the Senate, with Murray Watt hopeful he can negotiate an agreement with either the Greens or the Coalition by the end of the week. It’s like the Bachelor … except serious, and with lots of real-life consequences. Also likely to keep the drama going is the instability in the Liberal party – following leadership spills in both the Victorian and NSW parties last week. New polling in the Australian isn’t helping their case. And everyone’s on the bandwagon criticising the new Bureau of Meteorology website – particularly now that it’s been revealed that the total price tag was nearly $100m. Stay with us.