Australia politics live: Penny Wong says Rafah assault could have ‘devastating consequences’ | Australia news

Adam Morton

Department officials questioned about potential conflict of interest for consulting firms

Over in Senate environment estimates, Greens Senator Barbara Pocock has been probing officials over potential conflicts of interest at major consulting firms that do work for government departments. Specifically, EY Oceania.

Officials from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water confirmed EY is being paid by the federal government for advice on climate policies while also doing work for the gas industry.

Guardian Australia’s Henry Belot exclusively reported on this issue last month.

The officials say the firm was contracted for work completed late last year that cost about $300,000. Most of it related to advice about international best practice for the design of the safeguard mechanism, a policy that covers emissions from major industrial sites.

Pocock has asked if EY has a conflict of interest, given it is a member of the gas industry lobby group, which was recently rebadged Australian Energy Producers, and the Minerals Council of Australia, and its clients include Australian Energy Producers, the gas producer Santos, the energy company Origin and BHP.

The department secretary, David Fredericks, says the firm “fell short” in failing to declare what could have been perceived as a conflict of interest, but he did not say there was an actual conflict. He told Pocock future contracts would be considered on a “case-by-case basis”.

Our obligation, always, is to contract for value for money. So it’s not possible for me to predetermine an answer to [whether EY would win future contracts] … but the considerations that you’ve raised and the circumstances that we’ve now experienced will be highly relevant.”

Officials said EY has three ongoing contracts with the department valued at about $1.2m.

Israeli military operation in Rafah could be ‘devastating’, Wong says

Daniel Hurst

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has expressed deep concerns about plans for an Israeli military operation in Rafah, warning of potentially “devastating consequences” for civilians sheltering there.

Asked for comment on the matter, Wong has issued a statement saying that 153 countries, including Australia, have already called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire (a reference to the December UN general assembly vote). Wong adds:

Many of Israel’s friends, including Australia, have expressed deep concerns about reports of an Israeli military operation in Rafah. There is growing international consensus: Israel must listen to its friends and it must listen to the international community.

There are more than a million civilians sheltering in and around Rafah. Many civilians who were displaced in Israeli operations in the north have moved south to this area, often under Israeli direction.
Israel now must exercise special care in relation to these civilians. Not doing so would have devastating consequences for those civilians and cause serious harm to Israel’s own interests.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has sought to brush off international criticism about the planned operation in Rafah, saying: “We’re going to do it while providing safe passage for the civilian population so they can leave.”

Daniel Hurst

Greens MP Jenny Leong has apologised for ‘Jewish lobby’ comments, Bandt says

We asked the Greens for a response to the Labor MP Josh Burns’ speech to parliament, which was covered on the blog earlier today.

Burns says Greens MPs have remained silent and failed to rebuke the party’s NSW state MP for Newtown, Jenny Leong, over her prior comments that “the Jewish lobby and the Zionist lobby are infiltrating into every single aspect of what is ethnic community groups” and that “their tentacles reach into the areas that try and influence power”.

Burns told parliament the silence of Greens MPs is “really hurtful”.

The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, has responded:

Last week the NSW State Member for Newtown wholeheartedly and unreservedly apologised and that was the right thing to do. The Greens oppose antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism. When someone makes hurtful comments, they should acknowledge it and apologise, as happened here.

Sarah Basford Canales

Shorten declines to comment on Barnaby Joyce footpath incident

On non-NDIS matters, Bill Shorten was earlier asked about whether Barnaby Joyce should be dropped from the frontbench following footage emerging of him last Friday lying on a Canberra footpath and swearing into his phone.

Joyce told the Seven network this morning he was “not looking for sympathy” but said the incident was the result of combining alcohol and prescription drugs.

Asked whether Joyce should be reprimanded, Shorten told reporters:

I don’t think it adds anything to have Labor politicians commenting on Barnaby Joyce.

And on whether the reaction to Joyce’s behaviour has shown a double standard between male and female politicians, Shorten had this to say:

I’ve never commented about Senator Thorpe … I’m not going to comment about Barnaby Joyce … I’m not against double standards, but it’d be a double standard way to start gossiping about stuff I really don’t know about. I’m interested in what people do in terms of their day job.

Sarah Basford Canales

Pro-Palestine protester asked to remove sticker before entering parliament lawns, Senate estimates told

The Greens senator, David Shoebridge, has asked officials of the Department of Parliamentary Services this morning whether they were aware of an incident involving a pro-Palestinian protester at Parliament House last Wednesday.

Shoebridge said he had been told a woman wearing a keffiyeh – a traditional Palestinian scarf – had been denied entry by Parliamentary security after being told she wasn’t wearing appropriate clothing.

The department’s acting security head, Leanne Tunningley, said she was aware of the incident and was told the woman was allowed entry.

Tunningley said she had been briefed on the matter and had been told the woman was asked to remove a sticker from her top and then provided entry. Staff were briefed that morning about traditional wear relating to the pro-Palestine rally occurring on parliament lawns that day, she said.

Tunningley said she would be “certainly happy” to look into it further.

Sarah Basford Canales

Shorten ‘gets the anxieties’ over NDIS registry but says he is confident it will not limit access

The NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, says he “gets the anxieties” many in the disability community have over a potential move to force NDIS providers to register on a central database but insists it’s an “overdue conversation”.

This morning Shorten announced a new taskforce would be established to “overhaul” the current system, which allows NDIS participants to choose either registered providers or unregistered providers to provide their support plans.

The NDIS review, released last year, said this system was plagued with risks and recommended mandatory registrations and a new risk framework. Disability organisations have expressed some concerns that such changes could impact access for some participants, especially those in regional and rural areas.

The taskforce is due to report back to the government in mid-2024 with the best way forward.

Shorten said he’s confident the taskforce will offer a model that addresses the risks while not limiting access:

We’ve got to have this overdue conversation that if you’re delivering a service, you’ve got to be qualified to do it … If you’re handling some of the most complicated issues, then you’ve got to have a high level of clinical governance.

Shorten said it was in the best interest of participants and taxpayers to ensure resources are being used appropriately and not being exploited by “opportunists and rent-seekers”.

If we were designing the NDIS from scratch again, we wouldn’t create two worlds – the unregistered world and the registered world.