Morrison went down ‘slippery slope’ with secret ministries: PM
The PM has continued laying into Morrison, adding the current opposition leader Peter Dutton to his sights, saying Dutton wants to avoid scrutiny on the situation, and that the former PM was on a “slippery slope”:
Peter Dutton said very clearly that he basically – everybody should just move on. It was nothing to see here. We just had a shadow government operate, but ask me questions about something else, please.
He sat there in the cabinet as well when Scott Morrison appointed himself as the sole member of a cabinet committee simply so that he could avoid scrutiny in any meetings that he had with other ministers, he could say they were co-opted onto that committee of one. It’s a farce.
This was a slippery slope that Scott Morrison went down, that Peter Dutton and the rest of his cabinet went along with, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, for four years.
For four years this guy stood at press conferences and said for example, in the United States, the issue of invites to the White House was just gossip, when he knew it wasn’t gossip, it was fact.
Key events
South Australia records two Covid deaths and 210 people in hospital.
There were 1,458 new cases in the last reporting period, and seven people are in intensive care.
Paul Karp
Raising foreign worker pay floor would ‘kill immigration overnight’: business chamber
The head of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Andrew McKellar, has spoken to the National Press Club about the upcoming jobs and skills summit.
Unions have given conditional support on increasing migration to 200,000, but warned employers must first lift pay before seeking foreign workers. They want the salary floor for temporary skilled migrants lifted to average full time weekly (about $91K), and indexed to the wage price index.
McKellar said wages should be “a question for the marketplace” and “many businesses” are lifting wages to attract workers. McKellar said the wage price index only measures the “standard remuneration employees are getting” and did not show that employees are getting pay rises through “changes between jobs”.
He said:
The idea here we need some sort of artificial mechanism or checkpoint before we start responding to the crisis that we have is not the right notion … The threshold, the income threshold, before a business can access the immigration [system] – [unions] want to increase that from the current level of $53,000 a year to $90,000 a year. This would kill many areas of the immigration program overnight.
McKellar said some increase could be contemplated, up to $59K or 60K which would be “more realistic”.
Mostafa Rachwani
Fire at bread factory could lead to shortages in NSW
A fire at a bread factory in western Sydney could cause a bread shortage in NSW over the coming days.
Goodman Fielder, the company that owns Helga’s and WonderWhite, confirmed that customers may face a “shortage of products” over the next week, but added that they are working to ensure disruptions will be minimal.
In a statement, they said the fire, which broke out last week, did not harm anyone but did damage their bakery production line. They are working with authorities to determine the cause of the blaze.
We are doing everything we can to minimise disruption to our customers and consumers.
We are scaling up our baking capacity at our other plants around the country and utilising line haul into NSW. We are also working with third party bakeries for additional support.
There will be some shortage of our products on shelf over the next few days, however by the end of next week we expect the supply disruption will be minimal, albeit with a reduced range.
A spokesperson for Coles confirmed there would be a shortage of “several bread products” in the coming days, and asked customers to be “flexible”:
Due to a fire at a supplier’s factory in New South Wales, we have been experiencing shortages in several bread products at some of our stores.
We are working with suppliers to minimise the impacts, and while we expect shortages to ease over the coming week, we ask customers to be flexible if their regular brand of bread isn’t available in the meantime.
Wage growth to be a “key focus” of jobs summit, treasurer says as he releases issues paper
It’s been a hectic morning of press conferences, but I’d like to take you back to what the treasurer Jim Chalmers had to say at his media conference just before Scott Morrison took to the microphone.
Data out today showed wages rose well below inflation, which Chalmers said “means real wages are still going backwards substantially.”
He said getting wages growing at a sustainable rate so Australians aren’t falling behind will be a “key focus” of the upcoming jobs and skills summit, but not the only concern.
We want to make sure that we’re getting productivity growth, we want to make sure that we’re filling labour and skills shortages around the country. We want to make sure that we’re investing in the industries which will create more of those secure, well-paying jobs into the future, and so today we are releasing… the issues paper which will inform the discussion at the jobs and skills summit.
The jobs and skills summit is all about bringing people together around our bill, economic challenges, and we’re looking forward to bringing people together here at the beginning of September so that we can work together to deal with some of these big, economic challenges, bring the country together.
Severe weather warning issued for southern NSW tomorrow
PM to travel to Torres Strait to ‘engage with Australians’ on voice to parliament
So questions have shifted slightly from discussion of Morrison’s secret portfolios, with Anthony Albanese announcing he will be travelling to the Torres Strait this week to engage with people on the voice to parliament:
We’ll go to Thursday Island tomorrow and we’ll also have a ‘come one, come all’ forum in the afternoon. I want to engage with Australians, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, to consult with them. I gave a substantial speech in Garma.
I’m very pleased – I thank Premier Palaszczuk for her support – I think … all the premiers across the political spectrum, have indicated their support for recognising Indigenous Australians in our constitution and having an enshrined voice to the parliament.
Now it’s time to have those consultation mechanisms. Linda Burney is meeting with Aboriginal affairs state ministers, and she’ll be travelling with us tomorrow up to the Torres Strait.
Albanese is asked whether Morrison should resign, and he references voters in the former PM’s seat of Cook:
I think – if I was a voter in Cronulla, or Caringbah, and I heard my local member say he didn’t follow day to day politics, then I think … I would want something a bit better than that.
Albanese: ‘It’s not my position’ to criticise governor general for his actions
Albanese next refused to criticise the governor general for his actions, after being asked if he thinks he should resign.
It’s not my position as prime minister. I have no intention of undertaking any criticism of the governor general. The governor general acted in accordance with the recommendations of the government of the day. The government of the day has to accept responsibility for this.
And the people who were involved in it directly have to accept responsibility. If there’s any changes that are required or recommended for any future examination of this, and quite clearly it does need to be examined, it’s not in spite of what Peter Dutton thinks is appropriate, it’s not just going to move on. This is fundamentally a trashing of our democratic system.
Morrison went down ‘slippery slope’ with secret ministries: PM
The PM has continued laying into Morrison, adding the current opposition leader Peter Dutton to his sights, saying Dutton wants to avoid scrutiny on the situation, and that the former PM was on a “slippery slope”:
Peter Dutton said very clearly that he basically – everybody should just move on. It was nothing to see here. We just had a shadow government operate, but ask me questions about something else, please.
He sat there in the cabinet as well when Scott Morrison appointed himself as the sole member of a cabinet committee simply so that he could avoid scrutiny in any meetings that he had with other ministers, he could say they were co-opted onto that committee of one. It’s a farce.
This was a slippery slope that Scott Morrison went down, that Peter Dutton and the rest of his cabinet went along with, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, for four years.
For four years this guy stood at press conferences and said for example, in the United States, the issue of invites to the White House was just gossip, when he knew it wasn’t gossip, it was fact.
Next up, Albanese is asked whether or not he thought the appointments were really made in the national interest, and whether they were legal.
The PM reiterates that he is waiting on formal legal advice, to arrive on Monday, and “decisions will be made based on that.” He refers to the former PM’s upcoming biography, and his 2GB interview yesterday morning:
We will receive that advice, I’m advised, on Monday. That will be considered advice from the Solicitor-General and that is appropriate. Because there are reasons why there’s checks and balances in our democratic system.
The reason why you have one minister who is responsible for making decisions about resources, or about environment, or about immigration, and by being sworn in, of course, to the home affairs portfolio, it also confuses that role, potentially, as well. The legal implications for this will be considered by the Solicitor-General.
That advice will come to the government and we’ll make decisions about a way forward based upon that. But this only came about, be very clear, this came about, be very clear, this came about because Scott Morrison was getting a biography written of him, with a couple of journalists who published this on Saturday, and then bit by bit, information came out. And yesterday morning, yesterday morning, Scott Morrison on 2GB said he couldn’t recall any additionals appointments beyond the 3 that have been released.
He couldn’t remember the fact he had been appointed to administer the treasury portfolio? And the home affairs portfolio? I mean, give me a break.
Albanese continues, saying it was “incomprehensible” to him that the documentation signed by the governor-general to appoint Morrison to his secret portfolios were kept in the dark.
The PM says Morrison was running a “shadow government,” and refers to the boat arrival on election day as an example of the former PM acting in his ministerial roles:
The fact is, there was at least three documents provided, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, I wrote to them today, asking in the public interest, after questions have been raised with the department, and with myself at yesterday’s press conference, that it be released.
The documentation of appointment, signed by the Governor-General. Those documents have now been released. Why there wasn’t any statement made at the time is incomprehensible to me. It is a government not being transparent. And this was a shadow government.
It’s one thing to have a shadow ministry. This was a shadow government, so that Josh Frydenberg, and Mathias Cormann, and Karen Andrews and others, weren’t even told, nor were the secretaries of departments like treasury and home affairs. So when the incident occurred on May 21, where you had that release of the text messages about – about the arrival of a boat, Karen Andrews, who had got the phone call, according to her, from Scott Morrison, asking for a release to be made in breach of what had been the government policy, including under minister Morrison when he had responsibility for that, at no stage did we know that minister Morrison had in fact been appointed as Minister for Home Affairs as well.
Now, it’s one thing for his ministerial colleagues to not be told, and I noticed in in the part of the press conference I watched, and I watched most of it, Mr Morrison spoke about apologising to his ministerial colleagues for how they felt, no that he had done anything wrong, he had accepted no responsibility.
Morrison ‘evasive’ and ‘self-serving’ over secret ministries: PM
First question up for the PM is of course about Morrison, and Albanese does not hold back, beginning with a reference to a 90s film:
The first rule of power grab club is don’t talk about power grab club, and Scott Morrison broke that rule today. Scott Morrison was evasive, he was defensive, he was passive aggressive, and of course he was self-serving.
What we saw was all of his characters on full display. Blaming everybody else, not accepting any responsibility, saying, for example, that somehow when he said he was taking the decision on the resources as resources minister, when he said “I’m making this decision as Prime Minister” everyone should have known at that point in time, somehow that he had sworn himself in as the resources minister, in order to make that decision.
His extraordinary comments that he said, where he gave a press conference and said that he made the conscious decision to not tell his cabinet colleagues that he had also occupied their space as Treasurer, as finance minister, as industry, science, energy and resources minister, as Home Affairs Minister, that somehow he didn’t want it to be misinterpreted.
Which is why he didn’t tell anyone.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stepped up in Queensland, alongside premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, to (initially) discuss infrastructure projects in the state. I’m sure he will soon turn his attention to the former prime minister, and we’ll bring you the details when he does.
So, a quick breather while we wait for the current prime minister to step up for a presser (due soon), but I thought its a good opportunity to discuss the instruments used by Morrison to appoint himself to various portfolios.
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has released the instruments used by Morrison to appoint himself minister for Health (14 March 2020), Finance (30 March 2020), Industry (15 April 2021), Treasury and Home Affairs (6 May 2021).
Of note is the language used, which includes a note that these documents “direct and appoint [Morrison] to administer” the departments, which is interesting, in contrast to his repeated insistence just now that he wasn’t administering the departments.
Another interesting tidbit here is that Morrison took over the Home Affairs portfolio when Peter Dutton moved from the role into Defence, in May 2021.
Adeshola Ore
Victorian Trades Hall Council on Suburban Rail Loop decision
Victoria’s peak union body says the state opposition’s plan to shelve the Rail Loop will hurt workers and families across Melbourne by slashing construction jobs.
Victoria’s opposition has pledged to shelve the $34.5bn first stage of the project in order to divert additional money into Victoria’s battered health care sector. Opposition leader Matthew Guy made the announcement on Wednesday morning, setting up a pre-election showdown over transport infrastructure before the state heads to the polls in November.
Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary, Luke Hilakari, said the decision showed opposition leader Matthew Guy was focused on “getting himself through the next 100 days”:
The suggestion that he would redirect these funds into health would be laughable if the record on Liberals and health in Victoria wasn’t so serious.
This is the same party that sells off our hospitals, goes to war with our nurses and undermines public health experts at every turn. You can’t trust this Guy with Victoria’s health system.
“I intend to go on being a quiet Australian in the shire”: Morrison wraps up
Morrison ends the press conference on a note asking media again not to photograph his family as he continues to withdraw from the “day-to-day commentary” of politics:
I simply ask something of you and your colleagues in the gallery. As I said at the end of my statement at the start of this press conference – having come here today and having answered your questions to the best of my ability, I would ask that if you wish to be taking photos of me or why you’d want to see my driving around the shire, I don’t know, I don’t know if that’s terribly fascinating to the Australian public. But I would ask that you would not film my family, that you would not be standing on my driveway each morning as they go to school, I’d ask you to respect the privacy of my kids and my wife. We’re moving on with our life.
I’m serving as the member for Cook. Since stepping down as prime minister after being defeated at the last election, you have not heard me engage in the day-to-day commentary and the political to and fro. I sought to respect the decision of the Australian people. I made no statements critical of the government.
This government was elected and they should get on with the job with what they were elected to do. And as I said on election night, I wish them well with that task because Australia faces many challenges. I said the same thing to the leadership of my own party and I wish Peter and Suzanne and all the team all the best as they do their job. But as a former prime minister, I intend to go on being a quiet Australian in the shire and in St George doing my job as a local member and I would ask you to respect the privacy of my family and when we’re out and about doing things as a family, or down at the Sharkies seeing make them the semi-finals
Morrison is wrapping up the presser:
All I’m saying is they were contemporaneous interviews that were done over the course of the pandemic and that’s why I think it makes an interesting read, frankly, because it pretty much tells the story of what was an extraordinarily torrid time for the entire country and as governments at federal and state level sought to do everything they could to protect the Australian public.
And so I’m asked about what the Australian people think. I think they’re a bit, frankly, over this, going: “What is that all about? What has it got to do with me?”
There are important points here about, you know, I exercise powers lawfully, I exercised them as an elected member of the House of Representatives and an elected member as party leader that I went to an election over, and I was responsible, as you all reminded me everyday, and the opposition did, that I was responsible for all of it, and that I sought to exercise those responsibilities as best I could in the circumstances I faced and as a result, Australia came through and is seen around the world as one of the best-performing countries through the course of the pandemic from a health and an economic point of view and that is something I’m extremely proud of and I want to thank you all for your attendance today.
We had a quite robust and extensive conversation about the list and I thank you for your attendance and I just ask again – excuse me, excuse me! No, the press conference I’m about to conclude and I would – we had a lot of questions and I have been very happy to take them and I think we covered this material in a lot of detail.
