Taylor not ‘reading the room’ in Haines speech, Steggall says
Sarah Basford Canales
Warringah MP Zali Steggall says she’s personally disappointed by Angus Taylor’s speech paying tribute to Helen Haines this morning, where the opposition leader denied any connection between robust parliamentary debate and political violence.
The independent MP, who sits next to Haines in the lower house, said “there is a link between our words and actions”.
At a press conference shortly before question time, Steggall said:
I did not feel that Angus Taylor read the room when it comes to the lesson that Helen would like us all to learn. To make what’s happened to her, the utter tragedy of it, make sense to all of us, makes sense for Australia, then we have to be able to take responsibility for the impact our words and our debate has beyond the walls of Parliament. And the same goes to the words and the images and the editorials used in media, social media … what ads we authorise at election time for a party.
These were all part of Phil [Haines]’s speech to us this morning, his words to us, asking us to raise the bar so that when Helen does come back to this place, there’s been a meaningful shift in how we can have a respectful debate.
We can disagree respectfully, but words matter and have an impact.
Key events
Ryan hits out at ‘tone deaf’ Taylor comments after Haines attack
Following parliament’s tributes to Helen Haines, the independent MP Monique Ryan has said that politicians must change their conduct in the wake of the “unthinkable” attack on her crossbench colleague.
Appearing on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Ryan said political leaders should listen to security experts who correlate the tone of political language with rising community aggression.
She criticised the opposition leader Angus Taylor’s speech paying tribute to Haines this morning as “tone deaf” and “hugely disappointing”, particularly in light of remarks made by Haines’s husband earlier in the day.
If Angus Taylor doesn’t think that the words that we use matter, I don’t understand how he aspires to lead a political party …
If we can’t rise to the occasion now after something as unthinkable as what happened to Helen and think about how we behave in the house and in the public space … we’re never going to do that.
First international flight touches down at Western Sydney airport
Western Sydney airport welcomed its first international passengers this morning, after Air New Zealand flight NZ165 touched down.
The arrival marks the start of commercial international services at the new airport – Australia’s first major new airport in more than 50 years.
Following a brief turnaround, the return flight (NZ166) departed fully booked. Air New Zealand will operate three return flights weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, welcomed the arrival as a milestone for the area:
Western Sydney is now connected directly to the world, bringing more jobs, more visitors and more opportunities for local businesses.
And importantly, it means people in Western Sydney can fly overseas without having to travel across the city first.
Benita Kolovos
Big Build royal commission to hold public hearings through much of the Victorian election campaign
The royal commission into allegations of corruption on Victorian government construction sites is set to hold two weeks of public hearings in the middle of the state election campaign.
The inquiry updated its website on Monday afternoon confirming the first block of public hearings from 9 November to 20 November.
This falls during the caretaker period, when the election campaign is expected to be in full swing, and includes a few days of early voting, which opens on 18 November.
Labor MPs are bracing for potentially damaging allegations.
Here’s what the royal commisison heard on the first public hearing last month:
Kat Wong
That’s all from me today, thank you for following along.
My colleague Ima Caldwell will take you through the rest of today’s updates. See you back here tomorrow morning.
Melissa Davey
Government accused of ignoring lessons from robodebt
An algorithm used by the federal government to assess the level of care older Australians are entitled to is unreasonable, unfair and lacks human oversight, according to a damning investigation by the commonwealth ombudsman.
The investigation also found transparency recommendations from the robodebt royal commission have been ignored.
The investigation followed reporting by Guardian Australia that older people were being left distressed and without adequate care after their home support needs were assessed by an “inhumane” algorithm as part of the government’s mandatory Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT).
Aged care assessors are barred from overriding the IAT’s funding package recommendation, even when the decision is wrong.
Documents released under freedom of information reveal departmental panic, severe clinical distress among frontline assessors, and secret IT workarounds after officials realised in the hours before the rollout of the algorithm that legislation legally barred human override, and that this was causing distress within days of implementation.
The shadow health minister, Anne Ruston, said the report shows: “The algorithm must be scrapped.”
Labor defended this system for months while the Coalition and the crossbench said it was broken. Today the independent umpire has agreed with us.
Nick Visser
NSW police minister says gun buyback reflective of ‘very sensible approach’ by government
The NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, and police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, held a press conference earlier today to detail the state’s gun buyback program. As we reported earlier, eligible licence holders are now able to book an appointment to surrender any excess or reclassified firearms from next Monday, 2 November.
Catley said bookings were essential as the buyback program began, saying people cannot walk into police stations without an appointment. Those who do turn in eligible weapons will receive compensation ranging from $450 to $1,000, depending on the firearm. Small businesses affected by changes to gun laws will also be eligible for grants up to $25,000.
A second phase for high-value firearms will begin next year.
“This has been a very sensible approach by the government,” she told reporters.
A very sensitive way of responding to the worst terrorist attack that we have seen on our streets in this country.
When asked about a draft proposal to allow some to apply for more than 10 firearms in limited circumstances, Catley said people would need “a very good reason”, such as competitive sport shooting.
“If you are at those elite levels, then it may be the case that you do need more than the 10 guns,” she said.
Taylor not ‘reading the room’ in Haines speech, Steggall says
Sarah Basford Canales
Warringah MP Zali Steggall says she’s personally disappointed by Angus Taylor’s speech paying tribute to Helen Haines this morning, where the opposition leader denied any connection between robust parliamentary debate and political violence.
The independent MP, who sits next to Haines in the lower house, said “there is a link between our words and actions”.
At a press conference shortly before question time, Steggall said:
I did not feel that Angus Taylor read the room when it comes to the lesson that Helen would like us all to learn. To make what’s happened to her, the utter tragedy of it, make sense to all of us, makes sense for Australia, then we have to be able to take responsibility for the impact our words and our debate has beyond the walls of Parliament. And the same goes to the words and the images and the editorials used in media, social media … what ads we authorise at election time for a party.
These were all part of Phil [Haines]’s speech to us this morning, his words to us, asking us to raise the bar so that when Helen does come back to this place, there’s been a meaningful shift in how we can have a respectful debate.
We can disagree respectfully, but words matter and have an impact.
Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time
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The alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines loomed large over the House of Representatives, creating a civil yet sombre question time. Some politicians offered compliments to their counterparts across the aisle, others contributed by keeping their derision for dixers to themselves.
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The government faced questions on the sale of Victoria Barracks in Sydney.
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The impact of social media on violence against women, workers and politicians came under the spotlight.
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There were no ejections and just one warning.
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It is yet to be seen whether this question time atmosphere will last more than one day.
Helen Haines granted leave of absence until at least end of sitting year
The independent MP for Indi, Helen Haines, has been given leave of absence until 26 November after she was injured in an alleged attack in her electorate.
The leader of the House of Representatives, Tony Burke, clarified he had simply chosen the last sitting date of the year:
Obviously, we will continue to move resolutions for as long as Helen needs us to.
No leave of absence motion stops the fact that, if at any moment, Helen feels she’s ready to come, then obviously she immediately will.
Continuing from the previous post, social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, says the tenor of public debate has changed significantly during her three-decade long political career.
It is more violent in its tone, and I think the industrial scale of the abuse that all of us receive – but particularly the women here receive – that has changed.
It’s been supercharged by social media.
But I’d say this about social media … Social media companies profit by the division they drive in our society.
And that’s why all of us have a responsibility to resist that too. To resist that division, to resist the violence and discourse, that the big tech giants are forcing on us.
Tanya Plibersek is asked if public life is safe for women
Independent for Bradfield and the electorate’s first female MP, Nicolette Boele, directs a question to the longest-serving female member of the House of Representatives, Tanya Plibersek.
Boele says:
Violence against women, whether physical, spoken, or in writing, is used to silence them. And when it keeps women out of this place, it decides to represent us. That is not democracy.
What does the minister say to the young women of Australia now, wondering whether public life is safe for them?
Plibersek responds:
I’m not surprised if there are young women all over Australia looking at the horrific [alleged] attack on Helen Haines, and wondering whether a life in public is worth it, whether it’s safe for them.
And what I would say to them is 100% it is worth it.
Every single day in this place, we make important decisions that change this country and change it for the better.
We can’t vacate the field to the people who would stop us from doing that.
Sarah Basford Canales
Greens leader expects Steele-John to remain on leave until investigation complete
Greens leader David Shoebridge says he’s “glad” Jordon Steele-John made the decision to stay away from Senate estimates after a week of confusion following the release of a letter accusing him of inappropriate behaviour.
Over the weekend, Steele-John said he would not attend parliament next week after seven members wrote to Shoebridge urging an investigation into claims he had acted inappropriately towards women between 2017 and 2025.
Shortly after the letter’s release to parts of the media, Shoebridge said Steele-John would go on leave while an independent investigation took place. Steele-John publicly rejected the idea that he was on leave.
In a press conference before question time this afternoon, Shoebridge said other members of the Greens will ask questions of the departments and agencies involved in the NDIS when they appear later this week. He added he would not go into a “blow-by-blow discussion about the exchanges”.
Asked whether Steele-John would remain on leave until the investigation is complete, Shoebridge responded:
Well, I’ve made it very clear to Senator Steele-John what I believe the community expectations are. If you ask me tomorrow, I’ll say the same. If you ask me the day after it, I’ll say the same. I’ve made it very clear what I believe the community expectations are.
Online radicalisation involves mixed ideologies, with violence the ‘only principle’, Burke says
Home affairs minister, Tony Burke, is asked a dixer on how the government is working with neighbours and partners to keep Australians safe.
He says all countries are now dealing with the radicalisation of young people:
Every country is reporting a new cohort, and growing fast, of young people, particularly male, where we used to worry about people becoming involved and radicalised in their teens.
The radicalisation [is] happening online and involving mixed ideologies.
Ideologies that would be completely incoherent with each other, but only having violence together as their only principle.
I want to assure the House of the cooperative work that Australia is doing with all of our agencies and all of our effort.
