The Coalition prepares to bring registered organisations bill to crack down on unions while the windfarm commissioner will appear before Senate estimates. Follow the day’s news live …
12.55am BST
Katharine Murphy is also trawling the additional information.
We learn more of the Lodge renovations:
12.53am BST
Nick Xenophon is questioning the department of parliamentary services. He wants to know about the email services for MPs and parliamentary staff are dealt with.
We learn that the:
12.43am BST
Senator Nick McKim is using Senate Estimates to quiz the Australian Federal Police about the department of immigration revealing that 19 referrals to the Nauruan police have been made over alleged violence and sexual assault.
AFP deputy commissioner Justine Saunders responded that 14 incidents were referred to the Nauruan police. Of those, nine were closed due to insufficient evidence, one was withdrawn, in one instance the investigation concluded no offence was committed and two remain open.
12.40am BST
Back to supplementary answers:
Back in February, then senator Stephen Conroy
What advice would you give to a high-ranking PM&C official who indicated that they were going on holiday in China? What advice would you give to that government official about their personal communications devices?
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) would provide a detailed security briefing to the travelling employee. Information on device security, exploitation methods, security measures and considerations while abroad would be provided.
Whole-of-government resources are used in the development of the briefings, with particular emphasis on Information Security Manual (ISM) controls, as published by the Australian Signals Directorate.
12.28am BST
In Senate Estimates, AFP assistant commissioner Ramsey Jabbour has revealed the federal police have not made any applications for a warrant to access journalists’ metadata in the last 12 months.
Nick Xenophon is annoyed that previously at estimates he was denied this information. AFP commissioner Andrew Colvin concedes he is prohibited from discussing specific cases but can give general numbers.
We did say it would be a very rarely used piece of legislation – we’ve been shown to be quite truthful. I won’t say we’ll never use it of course.
12.23am BST
There has been last minute drop of additional answers to supplementary questions. Let me explain. When the departments cannot answer a question, they take it on notice and the answers are delivered at a later time.
These additional answers from estimates in February have been dropped just before these estimates – hoping that it will be swept away in the news squall that generally happens around estimates.
12.14am BST
Treasurer Scott Morrison has spoken on 2GB Radio about the government’s bill to strip people involved in terrorist offences of their citizenship.
Morrison he had “no doubt” that advocates will legally challenge them in the High Court, but said in the meantime they are being implemented and “tightly followed”.
They’re dual citizens as well, so it’s not like they’re left stateless under these laws. By their own actions they’d be disqualifying themselves to the values of Australia. I’m very proud we put these laws in place – it’s a signal that citizenship matters, and obligations attach to [citizenship], not just rights. Those obligations include holding to our values.
12.11am BST
The finance committee is finished with the Parliamentary Budget Office and on to the Department of Parliamentary Services. This is the department that supports the functions of parliament and pollies. In another hour, we will be on to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, mustered by George Brandis.
12.06am BST
In case you are wondering what the cost might be of Hutchinson’s new special representational work for the Senate president, it could be up to $160,000 – under a special allocation from Turnbull.
Government personal employees other than senior staff, such as an adviser
12.00am BST
A round plug in a round hole.
11.56pm BST
In finance committee, senators are on to the Parliamentary Budget Office.
11.53pm BST
Top 50 domain visits in PM’s office since Malcolm Turnbull took over #auspol #estimates pic.twitter.com/F85zA69jcw
11.50pm BST
So just to be straight. Eric Hutchinson, a former Liberal MP who lost his seat at the last election, has been hired as an adviser to the Senate president for his presidential role – not his party role. It was made possible by an “extra allocation” by the prime minister.
But the Senate president, Stephen Parry, confirms Hutchinson will do extra “representational work” in Tasmania.
You appointed a mate to do work in your electorate, says Penny Wong.
If you were there, Senator Wong, you would equally … (Parry’s voice trails off … )
It was my fortune and his misfortune … a round plug into a round hole.
11.29pm BST
I’m told the Parry staffer is Eric Hutchinson, former Liberal MP for Lyons.
11.26pm BST
Wong notes that the crossbenchers have received extra funds from the prime minister’s office for extra staff to get across all the legislation. They receive an extra three staff – giving them seven staff in total.
Wong says, however, that the Senate department that supports the crossbenchers has received no extra budget.
navigate simple procedures for themselves.
11.17pm BST
Wong’s questioning has borne some fruit. Senate department admit that a shortage of staff led to absence of an officer within one of the public galleries last week.
The deputy usher of the black rod says “staffing across the galleries were a little bit stretched”. He says there was a couple of instances where officers were only outside the door.
11.11pm BST
The finance committee will drill down into the workings and budgets of the parliamentary building. Penny Wong is starting in the Senate department and its security checkpoints. Her presence is usually a good sign of where the interesting stuff is happening. She is Labor’s chief prosecutor in Senate estimates.
11.07pm BST
Hold on to your hats. The LNP senator James “Blue Poles” Paterson is chairing the finance and public admin committee which will start with the Department of the Senate. The Senate prez, Stephen Parry, is in the chair.
And that well-known conciliator LNP senator Ian Macdonald is chairing the legal and constitutional committee with the Australian federal police up first.
11.01pm BST
There has been significant movement on Liberals’ attempts to open up the NSW division to plebiscites, similar to moves Labor has made, though not stretching as far as a vote for the parliamentary leader.
All smoke signals suggest Turnbull is going to back a Warringah motion to offer plebiscites for all financial members.
Malcolm Turnbull is expected to support a motion to the New South Wales Liberal state council from Tony Abbott’s own Warringah branches which could open up preselections to ordinary members for all federal and NSW candidates.
If passed by the Liberal state council on 22 October, the motion from the Warringah federal electoral conference (FEC) would amend the NSW division’s constitution to allow each financial party member a vote for their local, state and federal Liberal candidates, senators and state upper house members.
10.30pm BST
Snap analysis from Paul Karp:
The Australian has reported that One Nation’s support has quadrupled nationwide, and almost doubled to 10% in Queensland.
10.17pm BST
Good morning, blogan family,
I am strangely calm this morning. It could be that we are in the eye of the storm. It could be that I have crossed into a parliamentary twilight zone. It is most likely to be this agenda today.
The guestlist is understood to have included editor of the Australian, Paul Whittaker, Chris Dore from Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, the Herald Sun’s Damon Johnston, and Courier-Mail boss Lachlan Heywood.
It comes weeks after editors from Fairfax Media met with Mr Turnbull at an afternoon tea event in Sydney.
Financial services minister Kelly O’Dywer will on Monday announce the government will create a new independent standards body that will be given broad powers to govern professional standards for financial advisers, including setting a code of ethics.
The big banks and AMP will bankroll the establishment of the statutory body and the minister will appoint members of the board. Once it is up and running, the government will work with the industry to develop an ongoing industry funding model.
When politicians are presented with a clear problem for which there is a proven solution, they have a responsibility to act. Parliament will soon be asked to pass legislation reintroducing the Australian Building and Construction Commission. The case is overwhelming and growing …
The Senate showed it can work to fix a problem, when 10 crossbenchers supported legislation that will protect Victoria’s Country Fire Authority and its tens of thousands of volunteers from a hostile union takeover. Soon these senators will have the opportunity to stand up to another bully and fix another problem. By restoring the ABCC, we can create a better construction industry, which in turn will build a stronger Australia.