6 hours ago
Pocock ‘flattered’ but declines Hanson’s nomination for Senate president
Josh Butler
Staying with the Senate president election, the Greens put forward their senator, Penny Allman-Payne. So it was briefly a three-horse race at that stage: Sue Lines for Labor, Allman-Payne for the Greens, and David Pocock – who had been unexpectedly nominated by Pauline Hanson.
Lines accepted Labor’s nomination, saying she would seek to ensure “every voice is heard, in a respectful way” in the Senate. Allman-Payne said she would bring decades as a teacher to the role.
Pocock said he was “very flattered” by Hanson’s nomination, laughing that he was “surprised” by her support, joking:
Just as surprised as people from NSW were in game three of the State of Origin.
(The former rugby union star from the ACT knew he was making a sensitive gag, after NSW were upset in the rugby league decider a few weeks ago)
But Pocock went on to say that while flattered, he was focusing on his constituents in the ACT, and would respectfully decline Hanson’s nomination.
It’s now a two-horse race between Lines and Allman-Payne. The Senate is now voting on its president.
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Colleagues call Milton Dick a speaker for all
Joanne Ryan, the chief government whip, gave a nice speech about her colleague before the dragging, pointing to Dick’s longstanding work to speak for all members of the House. She said:
There is no better to take the chair as speaker than the member for Oxley. Nothing demonstrates his appointment more than the outstanding record.
The member for Oxley was a speaker for all members of the House of Representatives, extending the same opportunities, fairness, and, yes, even leniency, to every member, regardless of political affiliation or position.
Josh Butler
Milton Dick dragged into the speaker’s chair
We’ve whipped over to the House of Representatives now, where members have been sworn in, and the chamber is now voting on the Speaker of the House.
Labor MP Milton Dick has been nominated by colleague Joanne Ryan, and his candidacy has been seconded by s MP Michael McCormack. Dick was speaker in the last parliament, and has been roundly praised by politicians of all sides for his fair and unbiased operation of the House.
Dick was been elected unopposed, to a large round of applause from across the chamber.
Ryan made a speech nominating Dick, praising his efforts to champion Australia’s democracy and parliament in more than 100 schools visits during the last term of parliament. McCormack said Dick brought “panache and style” to the role.
Dick’s brother Cameron, the Queensland state MP, is in the chamber watching proceedings. So is the former House speaker Liberal MP Tony Smith. Anthony Albanese’s fiance Jodie Haydon, and his son Nathan, are also in the chamber watching, alongside family members of other politicians too.
Independent MP Bob Katter got up and started making a speech on another topic, but was cut off quickly because the speaker vote was still ongoing.
Dick has now been “dragged” to the chair, as is tradition, by Ryan and McCormack.
Sue Lines returned as Senate president
Josh Butler
Labor senator Sue Lines has, as expected, been returned as the Senate president. She prevailed over Penny Allman-Payne, the Greens’ candidate, in a ballot of senators by a margin of 55-12.
There were also five “informal votes”.
As we mentioned, David Pocock was briefly nominated by Pauline Hanson, in an unexpected move, before he respectfully declined. The Coalition didn’t put up a candidate of their own.
After a pen-and-paper vote, with senators indicating their choice on pink ballots dropped into a wooden box, Lines will stay as president for this term of the Senate. There was a round of applause as Lines was announced the winner.
She walked up to the president’s chair on her own, a contrast to the tradition of the House speaker being “dragged” to the chair upon their election.
Josh Butler
A bit of insight on today’s proceedings, and the dozens of extra chairs needed
A short ceremonial gathering of all the MPs and senators now being over, the Senate and House are swearing in new members of the chambers.
It’s relatively rare for both chambers of parliament to officially meet, and custom is that the members of the House trudge over to the Senate. It might be one of the only times we see everyone in the one chamber, and it was a pretty stark illustration of Labor’s big majority. To accommodate an extra 150 people on the Senate floor, dozens of extra chairs were put along the walls – but even with that, and many Labor MPs squeezing onto the normal Senate benches alongside their colleagues, the government members spilled over to the opposite side of the chamber, while there were many empty chairs behind the Liberal side.
New senators taking the oath or affirmation for the first time include Warwick Stacey, Charlotte Walker, Corinne Mulholland and Ellie Whiteaker.
We’re now also getting a look at the new makeup of the Senate for the first time, with the House members having gone back to their normal chamber. Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has doubled its representation, from two to four. There’s also a number of new faces on the Labor benches.
Michaelia Cash and Penny Wong are up at the front table, leading their respective sides.
Pocock ‘flattered’ but declines Hanson’s nomination for Senate president
Josh Butler
Staying with the Senate president election, the Greens put forward their senator, Penny Allman-Payne. So it was briefly a three-horse race at that stage: Sue Lines for Labor, Allman-Payne for the Greens, and David Pocock – who had been unexpectedly nominated by Pauline Hanson.
Lines accepted Labor’s nomination, saying she would seek to ensure “every voice is heard, in a respectful way” in the Senate. Allman-Payne said she would bring decades as a teacher to the role.
Pocock said he was “very flattered” by Hanson’s nomination, laughing that he was “surprised” by her support, joking:
Just as surprised as people from NSW were in game three of the State of Origin.
(The former rugby union star from the ACT knew he was making a sensitive gag, after NSW were upset in the rugby league decider a few weeks ago)
But Pocock went on to say that while flattered, he was focusing on his constituents in the ACT, and would respectfully decline Hanson’s nomination.
It’s now a two-horse race between Lines and Allman-Payne. The Senate is now voting on its president.
Pauline Hanson nominates David Pocock for Senate president
Josh Butler
There’s something interesting happening in the Senate right now. The upper house is now deciding on who will be the president of the chamber, keeping it in order for the parliamentary term.
The former president Sue Lines, the Labor senator, has been nominated by her party to run for the Senate. But Pauline Hanson has just nominated the independent David Pocock after the Senate clerk threw open the floor to nominations from anyone.
Pocock appeared surprised by the nomination. Others in the Senate were also surprised. More to come shortly.
Tony Burke brings back the ‘really large old Bible’ as he entered parliament
Tony Burke, the minister for home affairs, entered parliament toting a very large (some would say giant) Bible for his swearing-in.
Burke previously carried what he described as a “really large old Bible” during his swearing in as minister for employment and workplace relations and minister for the arts in 2022. He said at the time:
Dad’s grandfather came to Tumut from Ireland after the famine and bought it on 28 March 1880.
There’s been some interest in the really large old bible I was sworn in on today as Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for the Arts.
Dad’s grandfather came to Tumut from Ireland after the famine and bought it on 28 March 1880. pic.twitter.com/Pysj3J9xj5
As we brought you earlier, prime minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Sussan Ley both addressed the great hall after a Welcome to Country by Aunty Violet Sheridan.
You can see some of the prime minister’s address here:
Parliament officially opens
The deputy of the governor general, appointed by the governor general, Sam Mostyn, has officially declared open the parliament for a 48th time.
Now all the MPs file back to the House of Representatives, following the usher of the black rod.
The Senate will shortly elect its president, and the House will elect its speaker (where they’ll be dragged to the chair).
Mostyn will arrive at parliament to address the members and senators herself a little later this afternoon.
We have some more pics of the Smoking Ceremony outside parliament house this morning.
You can see new MPs including Ali France, who defeated former Liberal leader Peter Dutton, as well as our two tallest MPs (I believe), Matt Smith, the new Labor MP for Leichhardt in Queensland, and Dan Repacholi, the Labor MP for Hunter.
The bells are ringing!
For the first time in more than 100 days, the bells are ringing in the chambers.
The deputy of the governor general, chief justice of the high court and a justice of the high court are in the Senate.
The usher of the black rod is currently walking over from the Senate to the House to bring all the members over to the lower house (where it’s a tight squeeze to fit everyone).
As I said, lots of pomp and ceremony today.
Cash says Australian condemnation of Israel ‘disappointing’ and Hamas should be blamed for lack of aid
The shadow foreign minister says it’s “disappointing” that the government supported the statement overnight, with other countries including the UK and France, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Sussan Ley, after the ecumenical service this morning, told reporters the focus should be on Hamas and releasing hostages. Her colleague and shadow frontbencher Jonno Duniam went further on Sky News, criticising the government and calling the statement “alarming”.
The shadow foreign minister, Michaelia Cash, has also released a statement, saying any “moral outrage” should be directed at Hamas.
It is disturbing but not surprising that Hamas has welcomed the statement signed by the Albanese government…
It is important that aid flows into Gaza, but unfortunately Hamas has not a been allowing this aid to flow freely. Proper quantities of food and other aid must be provided to the people of Gaza.
The Albanese government’s decision to blame Israel for Hamas’s disruption of the flow of aid is appalling.
Labor will have a (literally) sprawling majority in this parliament, and you’ll be able to see it most clearly in the House of Representatives chamber.
The government has released a seating chart showing which MPs will be desk buddies. You can have a little more of a read of that here:
Security measures at Parliament House remain egalitarian
Security is tighter than usual at Parliament House today, with much of the ceremonial welcome activities closed off to the general public and the main entry doors temporarily shut down due to the politicians filing in and out.
It meant that one main door downstairs was far busier than usual – and even famous faces didn’t get a shortcut. We spotted Julie Bishop, the former Liberal foreign minister and now United Nations special envoy on Myanmar, lining up quietly at the back of a long queue alongside other staffers and entrants to Parliament House this morning.
Bishop appeared to ask security if there was a quicker way in, but a visitor guide indicated it was the only door operating at the time. It’s an egalitarian building. The line moved quickly, and the UN envoy made her way in.
Coalition to back Hecs debt cuts
Caitlin Cassidy
The Coalition will support legislation to cut student debt by 20%, the shadow education minister has confirmed, in a policy backflip since the federal election campaign.
Jumping back to his interview on Sky News this morning, Jonno Duniam, said it was “our intention” to back the bill.
It was ... one of the centrepieces of the government’s agenda at the last election and obviously we had a view that was not supported by Australians, so we’ll work with them. We have our concerns, they remain. We’ll talk about those, but I expect them to pass parliament.
The former shadow education minister, senator Sarah Henderson, said last year the policy was “profoundly unfair” and signalled Labor had “given up on the fight against inflation”.
Asked if the Coalition would be less of the “no-alition” this term of parliament, as Anthony Albanese stated yesterday, Duniam said backing education was in the national interest.
When you’ve got all of our metrics – standards in literacy, numeracy, science, history – all heading downward, funding going up, I’m not sure how arguing about stuff around the edges is going to help us deal with issues in the national interest. Education and educational outcomes are in the national interest, and I stand ready to work with Labor on good outcomes there.
Josh Butler
Ceremonies continue with smoking ceremony outside Parliament House
The welcome to country has concluded in Parliament House, but the scent of eucalyptus smoke still hangs heavy in the air in the building’s main foyer.
Parliamentarians and their families are buzzing through the halls this morning, with a number of ceremonial activities to mark the opening of the 48th parliament.
As Krishani has been bringing you this morning, that included a welcome to country and a smoking ceremony on the front forecourt of Parliament House.
Dozens and dozens of MPs and senators filed from the Great Hall outside onto the forecourt, being invited to waft smoke over their bodies from a fire burning in a trough on the cobbled floor.
Many were accompanied at the start of parliament by their spouses, children or even parents, taking happy snaps and introducing their families to colleagues.
The ceremonies will continue through the day, and we’ll bring you more.
