Coalition senators split in voting on Ralph Babet motion on abortion – as it happened | Australia news

This is where we’ll wrap up the blog for today – but first, a quick recap:

Coalition senator says Parliament ‘is not our playground’ and ‘the things we do here matter’ amid divisive abortion motion

Maria Kovacic, a Liberal senator, told the Senate when it was considering a motion regarding abortion proposed by the UAP’s Ralph Babet:

What is critically important in relation to this issue, and any other issues for that matter, that this chamber addresses is that we keep in mind the language that we use, the accuracy of the information that we share and the transparency for the reasons that we share them.

This is not our playground. The things that we do here matter.

There are also questions as to the accuracy of the information contained in this motion. This is a matter of great sensitivity. There is no question about that. The motion as set out is very black and white. The matters for which it deals with are not.

Kovacic told the Senate that the constitution was clear that abortion was a matter for the states, not for the federal parliament:

More broadly, the complexity of issues that arise from the contents of this motion are challenging for most people, but particularly for women, and they are deeply personal. They are not decisions that are made either lightly or flippantly, and should not be open to judgment by others. In many cases, these decisions are informed on the basis of medical necessity, and we should think very, very carefully as to the appropriateness of elected representatives making healthcare decisions for Australian women.

The Greens senator Larissa Waters told the Senate:

I am appalled that once again, we’re here debating women’s choices over their own bodies, choices that are no one else’s to weigh in on. Senator Babet’s claims are incorrect. Late-term abortions resulting in a live foetus are extremely rare, and they only occur in situations of lethal foetal abnormalities or serious risks to the pregnant person.

Medical practitioners are already subject to ethical responsibilities that manage those complex situations, and moreover, the vast majority of terminations in Australia occur prior to 16 weeks, at which time a foetus would not survive outside the womb.

If you want to prevent unwanted pregnancies, then support the calls by the Greens to make contraception free, but you just want to control women’s bodies.

Daniel Hurst

Coalition split over support for failed United Australia motion on abortion

Coalition senators have split when voting on a divisive motion regarding abortion, with a Liberal moderate imploring fellow politicians to “mind the language that we use” because “this is not our playground”.

Ralph Babet, the United Australia party senator, sought to move an urgency motion on “the need for the Senate to recognise that at least one baby is born alive every seven days following a failed abortion and left to die, and that Australia’s health care system is enabling these inhumane deaths; and for the Senate to condemn this practice, noting that babies born alive as a result of a failed abortion deserve care”.

The urgency motion failed to secure adequate support, with 18 voting in favour of Babet’s motion and 32 voting against, but it split the Coalition. Those voting in favour of Babet’s urgency motion included Coalition senators Michaelia Cash, Sarah Henderson, Bridget McKenzie, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Hollie Hughes. Those opposing Babet’s motion included Coalition senators Simon Birmingham, Andrew Bragg, Jane Hume and Maria Kovacic.

Babet told the Senate that he could not understand “how we can bang on every single day in this place about the importance of human rights while allowing the most vulnerable human beings to be treated like garbage”.

But Kovacic, a Liberal moderate senator, told the Senate that there were “questions as to the accuracy of the information contained in this motion”.

Continued in next post.

Highlights from the meeting between Australia and Qatar

Daniel Hurst

Let’s return to the meeting between the Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the prime minister of Qatar, a country that has been playing a key role in attempting to broker a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

One of the main items on the agenda was an attempt to deepen trade and economic ties. But developments in the Middle East were also on the agenda, with the Australian side expecting to hear an update on progress on the ceasefire talks.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who holds the dual roles of prime minister and foreign affairs minister of Qatar, said at the beginning of the meeting that it was a “critical moment” for the region. He said he looked forward to discussing “recent developments in our region, mainly the war in Gaza and also what’s happening on the regional level”. He said:

Also, I would like to convey my condolences for the loss of the Australian citizen in the World Central Kitchen incident. Also we want to thank you for all your contribution to the Palestinian cause and to the Palestinian people.

It also sounded like he thanked Wong for the resumption of funding for the UN aid agency Unrwa, although the parliamentary division bells were ringing at the same time so one or two words couldn’t be heard clearly.

As we reported here earlier, Wong said at the beginning of the meeting that the situation in Gaza was “catastrophic” and the humanitarian situation was “unacceptable” and reiterated Australia’s backing for a ceasefire.

Ben Smee

Children’s commissioner finds evidence of ‘most egregious’ human rights breaches in Australia

The national children’s commissioner says interviews with more than 150 young people about their experiences in the criminal justice system have revealed “evidence of the most egregious breaches of human rights in this country”.

Commissioner Anne Hollonds released a landmark report on Tuesday, titled Help Way Earlier, which calls for the establishment of a national taskforce to reform child justice systems.

It also recommends raising the age of criminal responsibility, a cabinet minister for children, and a ban on the use of solitary confinement.

More on this story here:

Jordyn Beazley

Hello, I’ll now be with you until this evening.

Amy Remeikis

Jordyn Beazley will take you through the evening. Politics live will return very early tomorrow morning for the second last sitting day of this sitting.

No doubt, it will be more of the same, but we are also waiting on what will happen with the NDIS bill and also the aged care reforms.

We’ll bring you all of that as it happens tomorrow – until then, take care of you.

Penny Wong holds meeting with Qatari prime minister

Daniel Hurst

Let’s cut away from the domestic political unhinging for a moment.

While the House of Reps question time was still under way, Penny Wong reiterated her call for a Gaza ceasefire at the outset of a meeting at Parliament House with the visiting prime minister of Qatar.

Qatar has been playing a key role in attempting to broker a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The media was allowed in for the start of the meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who holds the dual roles of prime minister and foreign affairs minister of Qatar.

Wong told her counterpart:

Can I also express publicly our recognition of and our appreciation for the work that your country and you yourself have been playing in the negotiations for a ceasefire.

This is a very hard task, but so important for increased humanitarian [access], the return of hostages and a ceasefire to protect civilians …

We know the situation in Gaza is catastrophic and the humanitarian situation is unacceptable. Not only the loss of life but we now see the emergence of polio and it makes a ceasefire all the more important.

We’ll bring you more details about the meeting a little later.

It was another day of not learning a lot. Less than usual, and that is saying something.

It is obvious that the Coalition is intent on continuing to prosecute what it thinks is a winning issue, which is the security arrangements around Palestinian visas. Peter Dutton and his team think national security is one of his strengths and it is an arena the Coalition want to fight the government on.

That serves a couple of purposes – it muddies the (political) waters ahead of the government having to make a decision on what to do with the 1,300 or so Palestinians who are in Australia with a ticking clock on their visas (the visas granted only last year). And it means the Coalition sucks up all the political oxygen.

Labor’s tactics team seem to have cottoned on to the latter part of the political strategy, with Anthony Albanese repeating the same answer, no matter the question, and then sitting down before the Coalition could drag him into a fight over what he wasn’t saying.

What is interesting to note though, is that this is only playing out in the house. There have been no questions on this issue from the Coalition in the Senate for the past two days.

Jim Chalmers gets a dixer just so he can say:

All we get from those opposite, Mr Speaker, is another day doubling down on divisiveness and diversion. Another day of scaremongering from the leader of the opposition, and another day of silence from the shadow treasurer on the economy.

I was thinking a moment ago when Minister Rishworth was talking about Prime Minister Morrison swearing himself in to multiple portfolios. The former government had two Treasury spokespeople. This opposition has none. Mr Speaker, it has none. So it averages out. It averages out, one each.

Mr Speaker, either side of the election, one of them is on the dog whistle, the other one is in the doghouse, Mr Speaker. And whenever he plays his little dog whistle, the shadow treasurer rolls over every time he plays his dog whistle, Mr Speaker, he sits there voiceless and clueless on the most important issue that people can face right now.

Today in question time, every single question on the Middle East. Not one single question on middle Australia. Not one question about middle Australia.

There are a bunch more points of order on imputations on members and then Peter Dutton tries to move that Chalmers no longer be heard.

The whole chamber is a big ole mess and then Anthony Albanese calls time, putting everyone out of their misery.

The whole chamber is up in arms by the time Dan Tehan tries, once again, to get an answer to this question:

My question is to the prime minister. How many of the 2,900 visas from Gaza have been cancelled?

Anthony Albanese:

I thank the member for his question. We’re being guided every step of the way by our security agencies. What our agencies do is to constantly examine issues. That doesn’t stop when someone is granted a visa.

The opposition has had enough and wants Milton Dick to rule on whether Albanese is being relevant to the question.

Everyone is interjecting and everyone has points of order and everyone is cranky. Albanese eventually returns to the dispatch box and says:

Mr Speaker, I’m speaking about the process that happens with the granting of these visas, and that is what I am asked about. And from a group of people who held press conferences and used to say they wouldn’t discuss anything at all about whether there were any visas at all, because this whole area was because of security issues like on border matters.

It is unbelievable that they expect that. They expect that.

Now when it comes to the granting of a visa, they’re granted in the same way, our security agencies are involved, the same security standards.

Dugald tells Peter Dutton to stop interjecting.