Di Natale: Roberts's story has changed more times than I've changed underpants – as it happened

The Greens have introduced a bill to the Senate to raise the Newstart allowance by $110 a fortnight. Newstart has not risen in real terms since 1994 and the maximum Newstart allowance is now $38.39 a day, less than half the minimum wage, and below the poverty level. The Greens senator Rachel Siewert said:

We are a wealthy country and have the resources available to us to significantly reduce the existing rate of poverty, if only there was the political will to do so. No one in a country as rich as Australia should be living in poverty.

The Greens are hopeful for Labor support for the bill, given their recent rhetoric on addressing inequality.

The bill also comes three weeks after the human services minister, Alan Tudge, used a speech to argue increasing welfare payments was not the way to solve poverty.

South Australian response:

Tony Abbott has spoken to Ben Fordham on 2GB in his regular spot. Inevitably, same-sex marriage comes up and Fordham asks about Abbott’s sister Christine Forster’s remarks on Twitter that we covered earlier this morn.

Forster was taking issue with Abbott’s remarks calling on people to vote no if they value marriage, freedom of speech and if they wanted to vote against political correctness.

Abbott says his sister is a great person but they have agreed to disagree on marriage.

He tells Fordham she wasn’t always a supporter of same-sex marriage.

I mean she joked years ago that she just got herself out of one marriage, why would she be rushing into another one. The gay activists at university, the last thing they wanted was same-sex marriage because they thought marriage was a bourgeois patriarchal institution so a lot of people are quite late converts to this thing which they are now absolutely passionate about.

The call for a judicial inquiry into allegations of water theft in the Barwon Darling section of the Murray Darling has passed. As I said before, there is no way the Senate can compel minister Joyce to hold this inquiry.

It is an expression of the Senate’s will but they have no big stick to wave.

The Senate is now debating the need for a national judicial inquiry into the Murray-Darling Basin. It was supported by Labor, NXT, Cory Bernardi and the Greens. It is not supported by the Coalition.

The Senate is voting now.

Even if the Senate supports this bill, which it looks like it will, it has now power to force the water minister, Barnaby Joyce, to hold a judicial inquiry.

I’m no shrinking violet but ...

The Senate president, Stephen Parry, gives a small lecture on the need for speed in the court processes.

Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson asks if Roberts can vote. Parry says it is up to Roberts.

Now Malcolm Roberts is mounting a defence of himself.

Roberts says he loves section 44. He and One Nation are not Johnny-come-latelys on this. They tried to get it changed. He has been misrepresented in the media, he says. He looks forward to the high court process ahead and revealing his documents in the court.

Senator Derryn Hinch said he was prepared to give Roberts the benefit of the doubt and was told assurances by Malcolm Roberts. Hinch has seen unnamed documents since that time. Hinch said while he would not accuse Roberts of lying, he would just say he was economical with the truth.

George Brandis notes six senators have fallen foul since the election last year.

One might think being a senator is one of the most hazardous occupations in Australia at the moment.

He finishes again on a warning not to regard this as regular.

Labor senator Don Farrell says he agrees with Brandis’s cautions and he congratulates Pauline Hanson for making the decision.

I think there is concern in the community about what’s happened in the community and I think the early we can resolve it for the community the better.

He says while there has been criticism of section 44 (the provision that knocks out dual citizens) “we” Labor do not believe it is antiquated.

George Brandis echoes Penny Wong’s point yesterday that if senators are declared elected and submit their documents, then they are a senator until they resign or declared to be disqualified.

Those who assert against a senator they are not capable of being chosen ... must demonstrate why a senator or member of house of representatives is disqualified.

I have seen nothing other than unverified and undocumented allegations in regard to Senator Roberts.

I caution the Senate; it is a very dangerous course for this chamber ... to decide on what might be a party-line vote in the absence of evidence that a member is not eligible to be here

In the senate, Penny Wong will be debating a motion calling for a national judicial inquiry into the Murray Darling. Specifically;

The need to establish an independent national judicial inquiry through the Council of Australian Governments following allegations of theft and corruption in management of water resources in the Barwon-Darling Basin’

Labor’s Tony Burke is prosecuting a matter of public importance on the Murray Darling Basin, carpeting Barnaby Joyce for (initially) dismissing the allegations of water theft on Four Corners as a state issue.

There is a question to justice minister Michael Keenan on the international drug bust yesterday and then question time is over.

Government leader of the house Christopher Pyne comes to do his housekeeping at the dispatch box, shakes his head and says:

ooh bad day for Labor today.

Jim Chalmers to Malcolm Turnbull: Why did the prime minister say if a royal commission into the banks went ahead, Austrac’s legal [action] against the Commonwealth Bank would have to be postponed, when there’s nothing to prevent a royal commission and related court cases going ahead at the same time? Shouldn’t the prime minister know this from the HIH royal commission, which he’s very familiar with, and [which] took place at the same time a senior company executive was prosecuted in court. When will the prime minister stop making excuses to stop a royal commission into the banks?

This is a reference to Turnbull’s involvement in the HIH case.

The honourable member’s challenging an opinion I gave on what the right relationship between an inquiry and a court case may be. I won’t embark on a debate about that

He says Labor should instead focus on all the measures his government has taken to crack down on the banks and let Austrac do its job.

This is coming up at 3.30pm.

Mark Dreyfus to Turnbull: I refer to the previous answer concerning Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy, engulfed in a scandal for dining with an alleged mafia boss. Has the prime minister done the same?

Speaker Tony Smith rules the question out of order. Here are his reasons:

The question went to two parts. Referring to the previous answer, one whether the prime minister had ever dined with a certain person and the other whether political donations have been received. On the last part, the prime minister has absolutely no responsibility and that is clearly out of order. I have ruled on that before, when the member for Isaacs has asked similar questions. On the first part of the question, what the member for Isaacs needs to be able to do, to relate that to the prime minister’s responsibilities, and it was sufficiently general that it doesn’t do that. So, on this occasion, I’m going to rule the question out of order.

Smith says if you want to re-word, go right ahead. Government gets the next question.

Labor shadow attorney Mark Dreyfus to Turnbull: I refer to the government’s responsibility for the Commonwealth Electoral Act. Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy is engulfed in a scandal for dining with an alleged mafia boss. The Victorian Liberals conspired to split his political donations into smaller amounts. Has the government asked the Australian federal police to investigate whether any criminal offences were committed under commonwealth law?

Turnbull does not engage.

I can assure the honourable member that those reports will be carefully examined by federal authorities.

Foreign minister Julie Bishop is asked to update the house on North Korea’s most recent threats.

Australia is constantly reviewing and extending our autonomous sanctions regime to complement Security Council sanctions. Mr Speaker, the best prospect for stability on the Korean peninsula and peaceful resolution to this challenge is for Pyongyang to abandon their illegal programs. It’s also the best prospect for North Korea’s impoverished people.

Mark Butler to Turnbull: The CEO of the Energy Consumers Australia said this morning, and I quote, “There is a real issue of governments coming together and implementing the Finkel report, all 50 recommendations. That is work that has to be completed to really settle this sector down for consumers.” When will the prime minister stand up to members in this party room and implement a clean energy target, as recommended by the Finkel review?

Turnbull says the biggest price driver for electricity is the price of gas.

He says that is Labor’s fault because in government they built the Gladstone export facility.

As a result, there is a shortage of gas in Australia, driving up electricity prices.

(It wasn’t that long ago that the PM was saying the shortage of gas was a result of states banning CSG. How times have changed.)

Paul Karp’s story on the court challenge against the postal survey.

Jenny Macklin to Turnbull: According to analysis by National Seniors, increasing power prices combined with this government’s plan to cut the energy supplement to new pensioners will mean that pensioners in New South Wales will be around $600 a year worse off. Why is the prime minister cutting the energy supplement, which will make it harder for pensioners to stay warm this winter?

Turnbull says the measures he negotiated this morning will help the pensioners.

Macklin asks, on relevance, why is the PM cutting the energy supplement?

Turnbull says the Labor party banked the energy supplement savings in their election costings.

Could someone in the chamber fill me in on the joke please?

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie asks Turnbull: the National Disability Insurance Scheme is obviously an important reform and, in principle, I support budget measures to better fund it. However, my constituents tell me the scheme has many problems. For instance, they talk about an intractable bureaucracy, as well as hopeless delays with internal reviews that lead to unnecessary distress and frustration. If ever there was a government program that had to be user-friendly, this is it. What will you do to ensure it works?

Turnbull flicks the question to social services minister Christian Porter.

Porter says there are difficulties but he offers Wilkie an open invite to bring any issues and problems. He says the rates of successful payments on the portal has increased from 70 to 93%.

The NDIA board, the NDIA executive, and there’s a new CEO, are committed to understanding difficulties that are arising, and where there’s 90% saying their experience is good, there’s 10% room for improvement. If we can have a talk about that, we’re very live to issues and problems and working very, very hard to improve the experience for all participants.

Shorten to Turnbull: Today the member for Warringah warned Australians to vote no in the plebiscite for reasons unrelated to marriage equality, claiming if you’re worried about religious freedom and free speech, vote no. If you don’t like political correctness – vote no. When asked about marriage equality, Bronwyn Bishop referred to bestiality, and the killing of children. How can the prime minister guarantee there would be respectful discussions sticking to the issues, when his own Liberal colleagues behave like this?

Speaker overrules Christopher Pyne’s objections to the question.

Turnbull rises.

I can tell you, in this debate, I will be encouraging Australians to vote yes. I will be encouraging Australians to vote yes. Others will encourage them to vote no. I encourage every participant in the debate to act with responsibility and respect for the other side. How they act is a matter for them, and it’s a matter for them and they will be judged by Australians as will their arguments.

It was over university cuts.

Plibersek to Turnbull: Is the prime minister aware that the $122 million that he is wasting on his voluntary, non-binding postal plebiscite could instead fund over 1800 aged-care places, or support over 2.7 m bulk-billed GP places. Why is the government wasting $122m on a postal plebiscite that the prime minister has told his party they can ignore.

Turnbull says he is giving people a say and keeping the government’s promises.

First government question is on the measures to reduce electricity prices to Turnbull.

Matt Hatter on Malcolm Roberts.

Shorten to Turnbull: Under this government, Australians are struggling with rising electricity and gas bills, so why is the prime minister wasting $122m of taxpayers’ money on a pointless and unnecessary postal plebiscite when he could use that money to help fund this year’s energy supplement for 334,000 pensioners?

Turnbull says Labor doesn’t have a plan for creating jobs and describes Shorten’s Labor as the most leftwing, anti-business Labor party we have seen.

There is also a condolence motion for soccer commentator Les Murray.

Question time is on and starts with a condolence motion on Betty Cuthbert.

A spokesman for Malcolm Roberts has told Gareth Hutchens “Senator Roberts will continue to vote and participate fully in Senate procedures” while the high court case continues.

I am going to eat before I pass out but here is a musical interlude.

Excuse me, you don’t understand the full situation.

This is a moment.

This is what Malcolm Roberts used to say.

Roberts was asked today, why did you lie? Why did you say you were never a British citizen when official documents showed that you were, when you were 19 years old?

I was a citizen of the UK and colonies. We all know that back ... I’m answering your question ... We all know that back then we were very strong members of the Commonwealth, we still are, we sang God Save The Queen until not long before then, I always thought that I was Australian, always thought I was Australian.

Q: You signed a document.

Hanson steps in.

Excuse me, as I said, it is a very complex case with regards to Senator Roberts. You don’t understand the full situation, so therefore I’m not going to go into this. It will be decided by the High Court.

Malcolm Roberts doesn’t want to go into details but then starts going into details. Hanson shuts him down.

My belief is he is not a dual citizen.

Journalists are pressing Roberts on details and he tries to start up again but Hanson underlines that he is not a dual citizen. (But when?)

He is asked about the date of renunciation.

Roberts says he is not going through it with bush lawyers.

It descends to farce and they walk off.

#choosingtobelieve

This is for Captain Haymaker and everyone else who is asking. about the deadline for registering on the electoral roll if the postal survey goes ahead, given the challenge.

In other words, update your deets ASAP.

The Senate is currently voting on the corrupting benefit bill but, in the meantime, I recommend this piece on the CommBank by Tom Westland.

There are too many good bits to highlight, but this might be a personal fave.

While the CBA board does not require Narev to be omniscient, they pay him as though he was: in 2016 alone, he received over $12m. This is many multiples of the salary of the manager of the CBA’s Leichhardt branch, who tried to raise the alarm over a series of questionable deposits in 2015, to no effect. And which of the two has behaved more in the bank’s long-term interest?

Because I was so worried about our collective electricity bills, I missed the closing note on the PM’s press conference regarding North Korea.

Malcolm Turnbull:

I just want to repeat the illegality and recklessness is that of the North Korean regime. Let’s just be very clear about this. They are the ones that are threatening the peace of the region.

They are the ones that are acting illegally, contrary to numerous security council resolutions. The threats to the peace of the region are coming from Pyongyang. This regime, its conduct is illegal, it is reckless, provocative and dangerous.

It threatens the peace of the region and the peace of the world. And the global community, led by the security counsel, including China and Russia, are all united in seeking to bring the maximum economic pressure on North Korea to bring them to their senses without conflict.

This call for maximum economic pressure can be compared and contrasted with Donald Trump’s #fireandfury.

There really are just too many things going on this morning and all of this while Shane Wright of the West Oz is waving his birthday cake around. (Happy birthday, young whippersnapper.)

So I will work in an orderly fashion.

Tony Abbott’s sister, Christine Forster, has had a little bit to say about her bro on the Twits. She is riffing on Tony’s formulation – if you value X, vote no.

Back atcha Tones.

The PM is asked if there was any discussion of the clean energy target, given the energy companies say they need certainty for investment, bringing more power online and to bring down prices.

Turnbull says he did discuss energy policy but the main focus of the meeting was on the short-term things that power companies can do to ease the burden on families.

He says other medium and longer-term issues are in train but these meetings will be on going.

When you look at the energy sector, there are short-term measures, there are medium-term measures, there are long-term measures. Clearly, a certain investment climate is required for long-term investment. We totally understand that and we have already committed to 49 of the 50 Finkel recommendations, as you know. Josh [Frydenberg] has been handling that.

There are medium-term measures, the abolition of the limited merits review is an example of that. It is not going to have an impact tomorrow but it will have an impact over the next few years.

Then there are short-term measures, the price of gas is absolutely in the here and now. This is is another one. Australian families are hurting now.

Turnbull’s press conference starts on North Korea.

Australia welcomes the new and harsh sanctions imposed on North Korea by the security council supported by China and Russia … The North Korean regime’s conduct is as illegal as it is reckless.

I notice there is some chat in the thread that the plebiscite vote will provide a possible double-dissolution trigger. This is not the case.

The vote was on a procedural matter to do with the bill – not the bill itself.

Therefore the bill has not been rejected twice. So no DD trigger.

Malcolm Turnbull and Josh Frydenberg are about to hold a press conference after the power company meeting. Stand by.

Who sat where in the plebiscite bill?

Labor, the Greens and Xenophon opposed the restoration of the plebiscite bill.

The Coalition, Lambie, Hinch, Gichuhi, Leyonhjelm, One Nation and Bernardi voted to restore the bill.

Note that Hinch wants marriage equality, is opposed to the plebiscite but was happy to bring on the bill for debate.

Where else would you turn at moments like these ...

Remember this vote is just to add the plebiscite bill to the motion paper.

It is not on the bill itself.

We have very interesting duelling debates in the house and the Senate so am flicking between citizenship and the marriage plebiscite.

The Senate is now voting on whether the compulsory plebiscite bill should return to the notice paper for debate.

Paul Karp is running to the chamber.

Cormann says as finance minister he has an allocation of $295m for unforeseen expenditures and the postal survey is one of those.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has the power to spend the money. They have the power to access the electoral roll. They can arrange for the secondment of officers to the ABS for the job.

The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, is up in the Senate now, arguing again for the compulsory plebiscite. If I understand it correctly, he argues that the people need a say because if the parliament went to a conscience vote, the losing side would not accept the outcome.

If we were to proceed with a vote in the parliament before giving the Australian people the opportunity to have a say on this, that the losing side of the argument again … will not accept the outcome.

The government’s attempt to resurrect the plebiscite bill is up after this next ballot for the foreign affairs, defence and trade references committee.

Jacqui Lambie wins the ballot for the foreign affairs, defence and trade legislation committee by a handy margin over the Burster – sorry – One Nation senator Brian Burston.

The Senate has started with a ballot for a position on the foreign affairs committee between Jacqui Lambie and the One Nation senator Brian Burston.

There is general mayhem, not sure why. Lots of shouting and laughing.

Cut power prices or you will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.

The Roberts high court motion won’t happen in the Senate until after question time, which finishes at 3.30pm.

It could be a straight vote but if One Nation decides to “deny it formality” as it surely will, it would be brought back for a proper debate and vote between 5.30 and 7.20pm. It could be a long day for your fearless blogger.

As to the plebiscite bill, Mathias Cormann will try to restore it to the notice paper but if that move is voted down, it is an obvious indication of the numbers in support of the bill so it would be deady bones dead.

If Cormann succeeded getting it restored, it would mean some senators were taking another look at it and it would be debated and voted on as usual.

Nick Xenophon has been on the doors. He has also supported the referral of the One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts to the high court to clear up the questions. The Xen Master brings three Senate votes with him so, at this point, unless Roberts pulls a rabbit out of a hat – or some dated renunciation documents at least – he is on his way.

There has been an interfaith breakfast but because I was so obsessed with the Billson story, I missed the comments but I will bring them to you shortly. For the moment, here is your fearless leader at the brekkie.

I missed the 7.30 Report last night but it gasted my flabber to learn that the former small business minister Bruce Billson was being paid a $75,000 salary by his new employer the Franchise Council of Australia WHILE HE WAS STILL AN MP.

Billson retired at the July 2016 election after he was dumped as minister when Malcolm Turnbull came to power. At the same time, pressure was building to change legislation to protect vulnerable workers after the 7-Eleven underpayment scandal uncovered by Fairfax. The Franchise Council was not amused.

That vulnerable workers bill, which would make franchisors liable for underpayments by franchisees and give new investigative powers to the workplace watchdog, is before the Senate today.

Pat McGrath asked Billson when he started getting paid?

Billson:

I’d have to check, it would be around that time that that arrangement was announced and then we had some transition periods before I commenced in that role.

Turns out, company records showed Billson became a director on 9 March last year, months before he was due to retire.

A month before, a Senate committee was hearing evidence franchisees were still taking 7-Eleven workers to ATMs to withdraw and pay back wages, and some have resorted to violence and intimidation to deter underpayment claims.

When he was initially asked by the ABC why he had not disclosed his new role as per the rules, Billson said:

No, because I think it’s nonsense and utter crap. But if it’s something you want me to check out, I’m happy to do that.

Obviously, he sat down and had a think. Then he replied:

[It] was a discourtesy to the House of Representatives and an administrative failing of my behalf not to lodge a timely formal disclosure statement before the parliament was prorogued.

McGrath reports that Billson has written to the clerk of the house to apologise.

The Greens senator Lee Rhiannon says the apology is not good enough and the money should be donated to charity.

The former small business minister should be required by the prime minister and the Liberal party to donate to charity the salary he received while breaking parliamentary rules.

According to parliamentary rules failure to declare income sources could be contempt of parliament.

Katharine Murphy reports that the Greens want electricity prices re-regulated as the prime minister calls in Australia’s major power retailers to discuss steps companies can take to be more transparent with their customers.

The Greens are arguing that the commonwealth should give the states a Christmas deadline to re-regulate.

The Greens MP and climate change spokesman Adam Bandt says if that request fails, then the commonwealth should put the Australian Energy Regulator in charge of prices.

The roll call for the meeting includes Energy Australia, Origin Energy, AGL Snowy Hydro, Momentum Energy, Alinta Energy, Simply Energy and the Australian Energy Council in Canberra.