Australian politics live: Scott Morrison says Chinese government should be ashamed of ‘repugnant’ tweet on ADF soldiers

November 29, 2020
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10.23pm EST22:23

OK. Back again.

The questions are all centred around how prepared Australia is for this bushfire season.




10.03pm EST22:03

There are some condolence motions to go through first – and there are still some audio issues to work out with the Lodge connection.

So hang tight for a few minutes.




10.01pm EST22:01

The transcription service is still down, so until that it is fixed, it is going to be a bit of a whoosh-whoosh recap of proceedings, I am afraid.




10.00pm EST22:00

Question time is about to begin – it will be the first time a PM has appeared virtually, from the Lodge.

Updated
at 10.02pm EST




9.59pm EST21:59

Paul Karp

Paul Karp

The Australian National Audit Office has released a report on defence’s biggest 25 projects.

The report finds that the total budget for the projects in June 2020 was $78.7bn, an increase of $24.2bn compared with when they reached “second pass approval” – although this is not just cost overruns but includes changes in scope.

For example, the joint strike fighter program will cost $14bn more than first thought, but $10.5bn of that is because Australia is purchasing 58 more fighters.

In terms of capability, 19 of the 25 will deliver all their capability requirements. The five projects “experiencing challenges with expected capability delivery” are the Joint Strike Fighter, MRH90 Helicopters, Hawkei, Battlefield Command System and Battlefield Airlifter.

One project office (AWD Ships) reports that it is unable to deliver all of the required capability by [final operational capability].

Fifteen of the 25 projects have experienced delays due to Covid-19, due to supply chain disruption, workforce limitations and contractor delays.

The defence department said the average delay is 3 to 6 months.
The ANAO found:

“The total schedule slippage for the 25 selected Major Projects, as at 30 June 2020, was 507 months when compared to the initial schedule … The total slippage of 507 months in 2019–20 is 144 months lower than the total in 2018–19 of 651 months.”




9.59pm EST21:59

In case anyone wondered what a virtual press conference looked like from the inside, Mike Bowers was there

The Prime Minister at a virtual press conference from his isolation at the Lodge to the blue room of Parliament House in Canberra


The Prime Minister at a virtual press conference from his isolation at the Lodge to the blue room of Parliament House in Canberra Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian




9.45pm EST21:45

Nino Bucci

Nino Bucci

The final report of the royal commission into police informants has been handed down in Victoria.

Commissioner Margaret McMurdo made 111 recommendations, including appointing a special investigator to examine whether crimes have been committed by current and former Victorian police officers or lawyer Nicola Gobbo.

The force’s handling of Gobbo during the gangland war sparked the royal commission, which was announced almost two years ago.

The full report can be found here.

Updated
at 9.46pm EST




9.45pm EST21:45

Question time will be in the next 15 minutes.

Updated
at 10.02pm EST




9.44pm EST21:44

Scott Morrison, before talking about the “tensions” in the Chinese-Australian relationship, opened his press conference with this:


It is utterly outrageous and it cannot be justified on any basis whatsoever.

The Chinese government should be totally ashamed of this post. It does diminishes them in the world’s eye.

… Australia is seeking an apology from the ministry of foreign affairs, from the Chinese government for this outrageous tweet.

We are also seeking its removal immediately and have also contacted Twitter to take it down immediately.

It is a false image, and a terrible slur on our great defence forces and the men and women who’ve served in that uniform for over 100 years.

Updated
at 9.47pm EST




9.41pm EST21:41

Scott Morrison finishes his press conference by saying he believes it is in the mutual interests of both nations to “reset” the relationship, and after this “low point” he hopes it can begin to rebuild.

He ends the press conference to get the technology ready for question time.

Updated
at 9.56pm EST




9.40pm EST21:40

The press conference makes it pretty clear, but diplomacy has its own channels.

Andrew Probyn
(@andrewprobyn)

BREAKING: Foreign Affairs Secretary Frances Adamson has spoken to Chinese Ambassador Jingye in the last 15 minutes to relay Australia’s position on Zhao Lijian’s dreadful tweet.


November 30, 2020

Updated
at 9.56pm EST




9.36pm EST21:36

Scott Morrison says he has asked Twitter to take action because the post is an “absolute falsehood, it is an absolutely outrageous and disgusting slur”.


And it wouldn’t be the first time that social media have censured posts. In this case, I would think that – in the interest of decency – they should take it down.

Updated
at 9.41pm EST

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