The winter break’s over and even though it’s still winter - the spring sittings have begun.

Here’s the 5&5.

Also in case you haven’t caught it yet, the 5&5 isn’t just an email. There’s also a podcast I do every sitting week. This week my guest is Chief Government Whip, Joanne Ryan.

BEST

We reintroduced the Housing Australia Future Fund legislation
Paul Fletcher's Dixer
We boosted support payments for the most vulnerable
Dutton's failed question
Jim Chalmers' one liner

WORST

Scott Morrison playing the Robodebt victim
The state that the Great Barrier Reef was left in
Remembering Simon Crean
David Coleman B-word mix up
Peter Dutton's stance on the referendum

1. This week we reintroduced our legislation to set up the Housing Australia Future Fund after the Liberals, the Nationals, the Greens Party, and One Nation teamed up in the Senate to say no to tens of thousands of new affordable and social houses. On Monday Housing Minister Julie Collins explained the importance of getting this leg passed, talking about a woman she met during the parliamentary break who struggled to find a house. Here’s Lorilee’s story.

2. There was a really weird thing procedurally that we did on Thursday – where we had a question that was not asked to a Minister. Kate Thwaites stood up and asked a really detailed question to Julian Hill as the Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit. He went through the details of an inquiry they’ve been having which related to some of the Stuart Robert issues. One of the key witnesses about where these payments may or may not have been going – John Margerison – has gone missing, and has left the country. The standing orders are really tight with what you can do as chair of a committee if you’re asked a question, so Julian had to be careful in what he could say. There was a lot he would have liked to have said, but couldn’t. But then, towards the end of Question Time, Manager of Opposition Business Paul Fletcher stands up and throws a complete full toss to Bill Shorten and asks about any criminal involvement in the NDIS. Bill gave one of the most spectacular answers I’ve heard for a while where he went through all the extra work we were doing on enforcement and then says, “If the Manager of Opposition Business can tell us where Mr John Margerison is, that will be helpful in our inquiries. He was a Queensland LNP fundraiser” which was one of the things Julian hadn’t been allowed to say! I laughed with Bill afterwards, and said to him he’s meant to get Dixers approved through me, not organise them with the Opposition!

3. Supporting Australians who are doing it the toughest is in Labor’s DNA. And this week we backed that in – boosting support payments for the most vulnerable, including single parents, older Australians, students and those on rent assistance. Though it was no surprise – as Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth pointed out – that the “cruel and callous” Coalition opposed doing it.

4. On Wednesday Peter Dutton asked a question – well sort of. He had a whole lot of statements with a question at the end, but had used up all of his time before he asked the question. In what was possibly the simplest point of order I’ve taken in my parliamentary career, I raised the fact that questions have to involve a question. The Speaker let the PM reply, but of course all bets were off in terms of what he could say. And he went straight to an article that had appeared that day.

“I did note the Leader of the Opposition's reference in an article today by that investigative journalist James Morrow. He had gone back to 1986—a time when Crocodile Dundee had just hit the theatres, most women didn't have paid maternity leave, and it was a crime in some states to be gay or lesbian and people were being jailed. And there was something else—terra nullius was still the law of the land. It was still the position that it was not acknowledged that there was ownership of the land prior to English people coming in 1788—terra nullius. In 1986 there was no Mabo decision, no native title and no Wik. Those opposite need to say whether that is still their position, because they were out there being critical about these issues. I am proud to have supported Aboriginal land rights in 1986 and been an advocate for social justice for First Nations people for four decades.”

5. There was a line that Jim Chalmers used that, with everything that’s been happening in the economy and what’s been happening with the shift to the right of the Coalition and the way they’ve been handling the referendum debate, brought it all together in the most simple statement. “Those opposite would rather fight Labor than fight inflation. Inflation is moderating but the Liberals and Nationals are not.”

1. He still just doesn’t get it. On Monday Scott Morrison got up to make a statement on indulgence – responding to the findings of the Royal Commission into Robodebt. What followed was close to 15 mins of denial, delusion and blame shifting – describing the Royal Commission’s findings as “wrong”, “unsubstantiated” and “absurd”. Bill Shorten hit the nail on the head on Tuesday, telling the House: “The Member for Cook is a bottomless well of self-pity with not a drop of mercy for all the real victims of Robodebt.”

2. On Tuesday we received the welcome news that UNESCO recommended The Great Barrier Reef not be listed ‘in danger’. They did this noting Australia’s “significant progress” being made on climate change, water quality as well as fishing practices. The fact that the Reef was on the verge of this listing was just more proof of the absolute mess left to us by the previous government. Here’s how Tanya Plibersek summed it up in Question Time.

Tanya had some other really good moments in the House this week. But this was my favourite - Sussan Ley never stops interjecting when Tanya’s on her feet. On Thursday after Speaker Milton Dick had called Sussan Ley back into line Tanya Plibersek just looked across the chamber, offered a friendly smile and said “How’s your preselection going?”

3. There have been eulogies every day this week, and there’ll be more next week, for Simon Crean. He was deeply respected by both sides of the Parliament. In many of the portfolios I’ve held Simon had been there before me: Primary Industries, Employment, Workplace Relations and the Arts. There’s been some really beautiful speeches. Once the tributes have finished I’ll send you some of the links in a future email.

4. During Question Time on Wednesday the Speaker called the next question as the Member for Brisbane. David Coleman – the member for Banks – walked to the dispatch box and started asking his question without the microphone on. Completely unaware after nine years representing a marginal seat – that his seat is known as Banks and is in Sydney, whereas the seat of Brisbane is in a different state called Queensland.

5. Question Time was interrupted on Thursday when Peter Dutton moved a suspension of standing orders over the upcoming referendum. We could have had the debate after Question Time, but I took the judgement just to let him go straight away – allowing him to have ten minutes and then the Prime Minister ten minutes to respond. The PM used his ten minutes to unpick the Coalition’s argument where they oppose a Voice in the Constitution, but believe that a Voice should be legislated. If they support legislating it, how on earth can all the things they say are wrong with it be true? The two arguments just don’t stack up. Peter Dutton, for his part ran out of material after seven minutes and not even all the Members on his own side voted with him.

We’re back next week.

‘til then,

Tony

PS. People can take this in honour of the own goal from Paul Fletcher or they can define it as broadly as they want – but this week’s song is DMA’s “Criminals”.

5&5: A bottomless well of self-pity