It's time to close the blog. Thanks for spending some (or all) of your day with me.
I'll see you again tomorrow for another day of parliamentary fun.
See you then!
It's time to close the blog. Thanks for spending some (or all) of your day with me.
I'll see you again tomorrow for another day of parliamentary fun.
See you then!
That's the question currently being considered by a little known committee chaired by Anthony Albanese.
The Historic Memorials Committee met in-person today for the first time in 50 years (the last available minutes of the group date back to 1973) to discuss if they should commission a one-off portrait of the independent MP.
So who has the final vote?
That's up to the PM, Peter Dutton, Speaker Milton Dick, Senate President Sue Lines, Katy Gallagher (in her gig as the Vice-President of the Executive Council — yes that's a job title), and Simon Birmingham.
Katter has 50 years of parliamentary service at state and federal level — including a more than 31-year long stint as the Member for Kennedy (granting him the affectionate title of "Father of the House").
If Albanese's quotes are anything to go by, it sounds like it could happen!
"So much has changed over the decades in this parliament — one of the rare constants has been Bob Katter's presence," the PM says.
"In this great democratic institution, Bob is an institution in his own right.
"It's hard to imagine this place without him and commissioning his portrait is a way to ensure he will always be a visible and colourful part of Australia's parliament.
"Bob inspires great affection but commissioning this portrait is, above all, an act of respect."
Labor's Josh Wilson is up next. He's long been an advocate for the shutdown of the live sheep trade to the Middle East.
The laws to ban the trade, which will be phased out over three years, passed parliament late on Monday evening.
Wilson says he understands there are people out there who want it to continue but doesn't anticipate a big farmer backlash given the trade has declined by more than 90 per cent.
"If there are parts of the world that want to campaign in Western Australia, advocating effectively for a Liberal government on the basis of further harm to Australian animals and the introduction of nuclear reactors, they can go for it as far as I'm concerned," he says.
Sitou is asked about Fatima Payman and her suspension from the Labor caucus after she said she would continue to cross the floor on matters of Palestinian statehood.
Would there be an issue of conviction Sitou would contemplate crossing the floor over?
Sitou notes that Labor does allow conscience votes (when the caucus agrees to it), but it is her view that if she has a position she feels strongly on, she can lobby ministers and talk about it in the caucus room.
"We've got forums to be able to air some of those concerns. And I think for me, that's the best way for me to achieve outcomes for my community," she says.
McKenzie says she is proud she has the ability to cross the floor if she wanted it.
When Ann O'Neill's children were violently killed in front of her in 1994, many around her in the aftermath didn't know how to respond.
"The death of a child presents us all with a moment where we go, 'I don't know what to say or I don't know what to do,'" she told the ABC.
"These types of losses are made even harder because we can't understand and we don't know how to have those conversations."
Dr O'Neill's two children were shot dead by her estranged husband, who also shot her — leading to her leg being amputated — before killing himself.
On average, a family loses a child or children to filicide almost every fortnight in Australia.
New research into filicides in Australia has found that intimate partner violence and family violence are significant risk factors for such killings.
You can read more from political reporter Claudia Long below:
A co-convener of the grassroots Labor Friends of Palestine says the vast majority of the party's rank and file would be behind Fatima Payman.
NSW upper house MP Anthony D'Adam said Labor needed to take a stronger position or voters would look elsewhere.
"I think … the vast majority of the party membership think that position she's taken is the right one, on the right side of history and want Labor to be on the right side of history," he told Afternoon Briefing.
"There is undoubtedly deeply felt views particularly in western and south western Sydney on this issue. Labor needs to take that into account.
"The correct path, the moral path, is obvious. Labor needs to take a stronger position and if we don't, voters are going to look elsewhere."
Earlier, Bill Shorten said he wasn't sure everyone shared Payman's opinion on the matter.
"That's his opinion … people are dying on all sides of the conflict," the Labor frontbencher said.
Great question!
The legislation, which changes indexation to match which ever is the lower of Consumer Price Index or the Wage Price Index, won't be introduced until parliament returns from the winter break in August.
On when we can expect it to pass, that's anyone's guess at this stage. But as soon as I know more, you will too.
In the meantime I recommend this read from national education and parenting reporter, Conor Duffy.
He is asked about how long the purgatory of Fatima Payman's non-participation in the parliamentary Labor Party can continue.
The frontbencher (and former leader) repeats much of the same lines. She's welcome back, just as long as she plays by the rules and votes on party lines.
"All of us as candidates, when we choose to get the privilege to run for the Labor Party, we actually sign a document which says we'll stick together. She's obviously finding that very difficult on the issue of Palestine," he says.
"I don't think anyone in the Labor is critical of her view about Palestine. I mean it's a traumatic time. People are dying. We all want to see the Israeli tanks out. We want the hostages returned.
"But we also need to make sure we have processes where the party is cohesive.
"So I think a bit of time and distance can work these issues through."