PARLIAMENTARY ROUND-UP

Widodo Addresses Parliament – On Monday 10 February, His Excellency Mr Joko Widodo became only the second Indonesian President to address the Australian Parliament, discussing the importance of Indonesia’s relationship with Australia. The Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP and the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, spoke prior to Mr Widodo’s address and emphasised the importance of Australia’s relationship with Indonesia.

Mr Widodo opened his address with a ‘G’day mate’, which received a hearty chuckle from all parliamentarians present and then spoke at length on the strength of Indonesia’s relationship with Australia as well as the Australia-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (AI-CEPA).

In addition to his address, Mr Widodo and senior Indonesian Government officials spent Monday holding trade talks with the Prime Minister, the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham and senior Australian Trade officials.

 O’Brien Leaves Nationals – Monday also saw the news that the Member for Wide Bay, Mr Llew O’Brien MP opted to leave the Nationals Party Room following the leadership ballot last week, which saw the reappointment of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Michael McCormack MP, as the Leader of the Parliamentary Nationals.

Mr O’Brien, who brought on the leadership spill on behalf of his close colleague and former Nationals leader, the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, has decided to sit in neither the Liberal nor the Nationals Party Room. Despite this, as a member of the Queensland based Liberal Nationals Party (LNP), Mr O’Brien will continue to sit in the Coalition Joint Party Room and will remain a member of the Coalition Government, who has committed in writing to the Prime Minister that he would support the Coalition’s legislative agenda in the House of Representatives

Former Senator Bernardi’s Replacement Sworn In – Former Liberal and Independent senator, Senator Cory Bernardi, has been replaced this week following his announcement in December 2019 that he would not be returning to Parliament in new year. He has been replaced by the former President of the Legislative Council and former SA Liberal member of the Legislative Council, Senator Andrew McLachlan CSC, who was sworn in on Monday.

Senator McLachlan represented the Liberal Party in SA’s Upper House since 2014 and will join his fellow moderate SA Senator and Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham.

Senator McLachlan is also previously served in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), achieving the rank of Colonel and was deployed in Afghanistan. For his service, Senator McLachlan was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC) in 2007.  Senator McLachlan is also a member of St John Ambulance and served on its State and National Boards.

 New Deputy Speaker – After the promotion last week of former Deputy Speaker, Mr Kevin Hogan MP to the Outer Ministry as the Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Parliament elected a new Deputy Speaker. Following his resignation earlier in the day, Mr Llew O’Brien was nominated by the Labor Party and went head-to-head with the Government’s nominee, the Hon Damien Drum MP.

Mr O’Brien won the secret ballot 75-67 ahead of Mr Drum, which has led to speculation that a number of Nationals MPs had to of gone against the Government elect Mr O’Brien and in turn support the Labor Party and the Crossbench in the secret ballot.

The election of Mr O’Brien as Deputy Speaker has further played into the reported instability within the Nationals Party with unsuccessful leadership candidate, the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, causing a split in the Nationals party room.

Business Supports Steggall’s Climate Change Bill – Independent Member for Warringah, Ms Zali Steggall OAM MP announced her intention to introduce a Private Member’s Bill into the House of Representatives that aims for Australia to have net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In addition, the bill set out a mandate for a National Climate Risk Assessment and a National Adaptation Program as well as the establishment of an Independent Climate Change Commission.

Business leaders have come out in support of the bill including the Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia, Ms Jennifer Westacott AO, who has said the bill could provide a ‘massive advance’ in concluding the climate debates that have spaned the previous decade.

Ms Steggall has the support of the majority of her fellow Crossbench members and the Labor Party has said it will engage with Ms Steggall regarding her Bill. Despite this, the Bill cannot progress or even be debated within the House of Representatives without the Government’s approval given that the Government has a majority on the floor of the House of Representatives.