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idiotic laws from a stupid government...

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As parliament wrapped its final sitting week of the year on Thursday, three key pieces of legislation were left looming over the lead-up to the federal election in early 2022.

Long-awaited proposals for a federal anti-corruption commission and religious discrimination laws dominated debate, but neither came to a vote. Meanwhile, the government’s contentious voter identification proposal – only recently heralded as essential by the Coalition – failed to get up, after Mr Morrison was met with ferocious opposition from Labor and the crossbench.

With Mr Morrison hinting at a May election, and with a maximum of just 10 sitting days left in this parliament, there is barely any time to look at these bills before the election – if parliament returns at all in 2022, which some believe is not certain.

 Federal anti-corruption commission 

 A long-awaited federal integrity body is no closer to becoming a reality, with the Morrison government yet to introduce its bill while stonewalling attempts to debate a more popular crossbench proposal.

Mr Morrison blamed the delay on a lack of support from the Opposition– despite the government holding a majority in the House of Representatives (unless their own members cross the floor against it).

Labor argues the government’s proposed commission is not strong enough, complaining it would have no power to investigate scandals such as the ‘sports rorts’ funding controversy or the Leppington Triangle airport land deal.

The Prime Minister tabled the Coalition’s draft bill on Wednesday, but MPs won’t be able to debate or make changes until it is formally introduced to parliament, which the government has so far declined to do.

“We have done the work to ensure that an effective Integrity Commission can be implemented,” Mr Morrison told parliament on Wednesday.

“There is only one obstacle to that being passed in this parliament –the Labor Party.”

However, there is growing unrest within Coalition ranks over the government’s appetite to introduce the legislation.

Last week, Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer twice crossed the floorto back an independent MP’s federal integrity bill that the Morrison government opposes.

 

On Tuesday night, Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells questioned Mr Morrison’s delay introducing the government’s bill.

“Those who resist the introduction of an effective federal integrity body raise people’s curiosity,” she told the Senate.

“One has to ask the question: are they conflicted? Why are they resisting the implementation of such a body?”

Religious freedom

The Morrison government is still negotiating support for its contentious religious discrimination bill, after brokering a deal with moderate Liberal MPs to protect gay students from being expelled from religious schools on the basis of their sexuality.

The bill was first proposed three years ago and is designed to extend more freedoms and protections from discrimination for people to exercise their religious beliefs.

While the Coalition negotiates concessions to appease party factions and religious groups, Labor has reserved its position until after a committee inquiry.

“Our preference is for the committee process to run its course and then for us to finalise our position,” Labor’s shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers told reporters on Thursday.

“If there are other proposals that the government is putting to us through the course of the day, then obviously we’ll engage constructively.”

Mr Morrison referred the bill to a joint human rights committee inquiry on Friday. Public hearings are scheduled for December 21, and January 13 and 14. The committee is due to report back to the government on February 4, before the first sitting weeks of 2022.

A separate Senate committee will also probe the bill.

Voter ID  

The government’s hot-button push to force Australians to provide official identification documents at the ballot box was quietly dumped after Labor brokered a deal with the Coalition.

Morrison hoped the bill would pass in the final sitting fortnight of the year, but it was strongly opposed by Labor, the Greens and some crossbenchers, who argued it would suppress votes among marginalised or vulnerable communities.

 

Under the Coalition proposal, Australians would have had to provide official identification documents, like drivers licences or passports, before casting a ballot. People unable to immediately provide ID would be able to cast a “declaration vote”, which would have allowed another voter with the appropriate identification to attest to someone else’s identity.

The government argued the laws were necessary to prevent voter impersonation and fraudulent voting. But with only One Nation supporting the bill and rebel Coalition Senators Gerard Rennick and Alex Antic abstaining from voting with the government, hopes of it passing were bleak.

By Wednesday, the decision rested with key crossbench senators Stirling Griff and Jacqui Lambie.

Senator Griff said he would not support the bill until it was scrutinised by a parliamentary committee. Senator Lambie didn’t declare her position until Wednesday afternoon, announcing she would not support the bill due to concerns it could discourage voters.

The final blow came when Labor entered into a deal with the Coalition late on Wednesday afternoon to dump the voter ID proposals in exchange for supporting a proposal to crack down on charities’ advocacy work.

Labor previously said that scrapping the legislation would be the first thing it would do if it won government.

– with AAP

 

 

 

 

Read more:

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/12/02/morrison-key-laws-parliament/

 

 

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giving up...

Further delays to setting up a federal integrity commission have been labelled a government failure after the Coalition indicated it would not introduce the measure before the next election.

Despite a promise before the last poll that the government would introduce a “robust” Commonwealth Integrity Commission, Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said such reforms would have to wait, in favour of religious discrimination laws.

The Coalition government has argued it has not introduced its proposed anti-corruption body – despite a 2019 election commitment – because it doesn’t have the support of Labor and would therefore fail to pass both chambers of parliament.

 

However, shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said the backdown represented another government failure.

“All we’ve seen is scandal after scandal go unchecked, endless excuses and a weak, pathetic, desultory exposure draft that was so bad,” he said in a statement on Monday.

“This is a government that lives in fear of accountability and what a powerful, independent and transparent anti-corruption commission would reveal.”

The previous exposure draft of the bill would have set up – according to the Centre for Public Integrity – the weakest watchdog in the country.

An attempt to force debate on an integrity commission in parliament late last year was led by independent MP Helen Haines, prompting Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer to cross the floor.

While the government lost the vote in the House of Representatives, the debate on the issue was avoided due to a technicality.

Ms Haines blasted the delay in establishing the commission and said the government was dragging its feet.

“Today the Attorney-General admitted what we have known to be true for a long time: Integrity is not a priority for the Liberal-National government,” she said.

 

“We knew a government that sees no difference between taxpayer money and Liberal-National party money wouldn’t value integrity, but now they have proven it.”

The independent MP said a “majority of MPs who do value integrity” were ready to vote on her own legislation to set up a commission.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher defended the deferral of the commission, saying there were trade-offs to be made.

“The Prime Minister determines, in consultation with senior colleagues, the government’s priorities. We’re juggling a lot of things. Inevitably, there are choices and trade-offs that need to be made,” he said.

Asked why the government was proceeding to introduce its religious discrimination bill, which doesn’t have the full support of its own MPs, but not an integrity bill, Mr Fletcher said there was “limited parliamentary time” left before the election.

There are likely to be only five Senate and 10 lower house sitting days before the election. It is due by the end of May.

-AAP

 

 

Read more:

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2022/02/07/federal-icac-paul-fletcher/

 

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SEVEN YEARS WORKING ON THIS SIMPLE LEGISLATION IS OBVIOUSLY NOT ENOUGH: the definition of corrupt is so difficult...

 

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not giving up...

 

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, says there is still a chance to legislate a commonwealth integrity commission before the election, after the attorney general suggested the government would run out of time to do so.

Establishing a federal anti-corruption commission in this term of government was a key pledge made by the prime minister before the last election, with a draft of the bill released in November 2020.

 

But with just seven parliamentary sitting days before the budget, the attorney general Michaelia Cash indicated in an interview with the Australian Financial Review, that the government would not have enough time to fulfil the election pledge.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Morrison suggested Cash was referring to the current sitting fortnight, and dismissed suggestions the government had broken an election promise.

 

 

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/07/michaelia-cash-shelves-pledge-on-federal-icac-as-liberal-mp-urges-debate

 

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SEVEN YEARS WORKING ON THIS SIMPLE LEGISLATION IS OBVIOUSLY NOT ENOUGH: the definition of corrupt is so difficult... But ScoMo is still working on the definition of the word RORTS which does not exist in the English language, only in the Orstayan lingo...

 

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rushing crap scomo-law...

 

A leading opposition Australian lawmaker has made an emotional plea not to rush through a controversial bill aimed at protecting religious people.

If approved, the legislation would allow Roman Catholic schools to fire teachers or expel gay students in the name of "religious ethos".

Mentioning his late gay nephew Wally, Labor MP Labor Stephen Jones said the bill had not been thought through. 

"He was just 15 when he took his own life" last week, he said in parliament.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the Religious Discrimination Bill will ensure protection for religious people and organisations to express beliefs. Critics say it is deeply unbalanced.

In an emotional speech in parliament in Canberra on Tuesday, Mr Jones, the shadow assistant treasurer, said the bill in its current form "pleases no-one".

 

"I support freedom of religion. I understand many in our community who want to see the existing laws strengthened to protect their freedom of religious expression. I support that too," he said.

But he stressed that "the sometimes toxic debate that has been unleashed by the prime minister has put a spotlight on the fact that no rights are unlimited".

Only last week his family said farewell to his nephew Wally, Mr Jones added. 

"He was a beautiful, creative, courageous young man. He was loved and accepted by his parents, brothers and friends. His mum and dad are in anguish. We all are. He was gay. He was uncertain about his gender and struggled with his mental health." 

In his speech, Mr Jones also said he was worried his own gender non-conforming son may be attacked for just telling people who he was. 

"Let's not do something in the name of freedom of religion that does damage or harm to those of us who we love.

 

"We've been to too many funerals, let's get this done but let's do it properly," Mr Jones said.

Introducing the bill last November, Mr Morrison said it aimed to protect people's "statements of belief" as long as it was not "harassment, vilification or intimidation of anyone".

Human rights and LGBT groups say the law would enable people to express bigoted views.

Equality Australia, a gay rights advocacy group, has given an example when the new legislation might be abused.

"When… a nurse says to a patient with HIV that their HIV is a punishment by God, for example…[that] could constitute a statement of belief, would be protected under the law under this bill," the group told Australia's national broadcaster ABC last year.

 

 

Read more:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-60152011

 

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