Peter Dutton is still stuck on this question of when Anthony Albanese was told about the police investigation, because it is apparently the number one issue on the minds of every Australian right now (yes, I know – he is trying to add to the narrative he is painting that Albanese is ‘weak’ and there will be plenty of people in News Corp happy to run this line, but the idea that this is something Australians actually care about is a joke)

Dutton:

“Will the Prime Minister be honest with the Australian people and advise why he didn’t receive a briefing for at least 7 days after the New South Wales Premier had been advised of the alleged planned terrorist attack in New South Wales?”

Albanese:

“There are a range of assertions in that question, that the Leader of the Opposition chooses to raise because that is the point – just to play politics. Not to try to find and hunt down the perpetrators, not to make sure that the perpetrators are held to account, not to find out who is behind the front people, not to discuss or get a briefing of intelligence. I stand with the AFP and ASIO and the ASD and all those who are working so hard to hold these people to account and to ensure that those are the perpetrators themselves or behind anti-Semitic attacks are held to account, arrested, charged and put in the clink. That is my priority. The Opposition Leader is showing what his priority is here today and it is all wrong.”

Anthony Albanese immediately points to when Peter Dutton was rebuked by the parliamentary intelligence and security committee for referencing confidential information in the parliament when he was in government.

Michael Sukkar uses his favourite point of order to say if Albanese is not going to answer the question he can “sit down” which was also Paul Fletcher’s favourite point of order, but Fletcher was always very angry when he spat out that final demand, in what we can only assume is a hangover from being Sydney University debate team pilled.

Albanese returns to his answer:

There are two choices you can make here. One – to prioritise getting to the bottom of what is happening here, supporting the police and intelligence agencies, or you can choose to play politics and play these games.

That is precisely what you are doing. No asking for a briefing of the security agencies, when I offer a briefing of the security agencies to others, no taking up of that, indeed an objection to a point of order to that as well.

[Albanese goes through the figures for operation Avalite but I miss one and don’t want to misreport]

That is the hard work that is conducted by our police and security and intelligence services. The idea that that is not the priority and that that should be not my focus is quite frankly absurd. Absurd and irresponsible.There are others on that side who know how irresponsible it is.

Peter Dutton is now getting to the crux of why the Coalition has spent the better part of two question times asking the prime minister when he was told by police of their investigation into the caravan of explosives police say was to be used against the Sydney Jewish community.

Dutton asks:

“Premier Minns’ was open and honest with the people of NSW when he briefly provided confidence to the public in declaring what date he had been advised of the planned terrorist attack by this unknown organisation or people or individuals. The Prime Minister has been embarrassed because he was not advised by the police because they were worried about him leaking the information ahead of any action by the police….“

Tony Burke is IMMEDIATELY on his feet calling for the imputation to be withdrawn. Dutton argues it is “a fact” and Albanese can say if he was misrepresented at the end of question time. Burke pushes again, so does Dutton and Milton Dick rules that Dutton re-ask the question without the imputation.

Dutton is “happy to assist”

“Premier Chris Minns was open and honest and transparent with the people of NSW when he declared that on the 20 January he was advised by NSW police about the planned terrorist attack. The prime minister has been asked on multiple occasions to be honest, open and straightforward with the Australian public as to why he was notified. The prime minister has previously advised dates he was notified of serious events by the AFP. Why can he not be honest with the Australian people?“

Photographer-at-large Mike Bowers seems to be having fun playing with shadows in question time:

Or at least more fun than anyone else could be having.

Taking a moment out from the very important and life altering discussion of ‘what is allowed in a compare and contrast’ dixer answer that is currently dominating the House chamber, to alert you to this statement from the US Centre for International Policy on Trump’s illegal Gaza plan:

Independent MP Indi Helen Haines has the first of the crossbench question and it is on the switchover from the 3G network leaving her constituents with worse coverage.

“Since it shutdown, my constituents have serious worse connectivity, completely losing the ability to make calls in some areas and have been told to spend their own money on aftermarket antennas. Will the minister recognise some people are worse off after the 3G shutdown and what will the government do to fix it?“

This is a perfect example of how the crossbench use question time to have actual questions which matter to their constituents answered. Which is what QT is supposed to be about.

Communications minister Michelle Rowland says she has requested weekly reports from the carriers on the switch over:

“I completely acknowledge the members concerned. It is very real and on 17 December I convened industry regulators, the mobile carriers, consumer groups to look at the lessons learned from this 3G switchover and I can give her some insights into what doing following up.

The government has stressed to the carriers that the benefits of the 3G switchover really need to be demonstrated and while it is a fact of physics the switchover is completed, there needs to be focus now on the consumer welfare and the member is right, it is true that there are multiple complaints from customers, particularly in regional areas, who have seen gratuitous coverage diminish and who have seen their services overall being challenged.

The question is how can I be improved? I’m happy to inform the member that while obviously it is concerning to hear those reports happening in regional areas, I am monitoring this very closely. I’ve made it clear to service providers the expectation that the 3G switchover will deliver on these benefits. The ACMA and the ACCC have both been highlighted in this, not only in terms of the technical requirements but also the representations that have been made to customers about coverage pre and post switchover. As many consumers will know, those coverage maps don’t always match what they actually received.”

Anthony Albanese is actually showing some spine here and is essentially saying that the Coalition is deliberately not receiving a security briefing on this AFP investigation because then it would all the information and probably couldn’t politicise it. (But he says it in much more political terms)

Albanese:

“I would have thought on this issue, it is pretty handy to find out the facts, it is pretty handy to get a response because the issue here – you know what the Australian people want to know – they want to know who is behind this. They want to know who is engaged in anti-Semitic attacks. They want to know who, if people have been paid, they want to know where that trail leads. They want intelligence agencies to be able to do that work without political interference and without political games. That is what they want here. The priority of those opposite is to play political games.

I engage regularly with leaders in the Jewish community and what they are interested in, is keeping their community safe and you know what, that is what my priority is too.

The way you keep them safe is by having confidence in our national security agencies, making sure that they can engage in the sort of intelligence, if you look at the people who have been in custody, if you then look for what is behind that? Surely, the idea that that is where it stops is quite frankly not the case. The police have continued to be responsible for what is made public and I will let them to do their job and you know what, I will back them doing it, unlike those opposite who just want to play politics”.

Oh good. Sussan Ley has the second question.

It is the same question as the one before.

“When was the Prime Minister first informed of the planned mass casualty terror attack against Sydney’s Jewish community?’

Anthony Albanese:

“I refer to my previous answer. I note the characterisation of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. I am happy to provide a brief through the security agencies if requested by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition…If the Leader of the Opposition hasn’t got one but we are happy to provide that and then the shadow minister might be better informed.

The priority here is not the playing of political games, the priority…“

Michael Sukkar, as manager of opposition business has a point of order:

“The Prime Minister is avoiding answering the question. If he doesn’t want to be relevant to the question, he can sit down.”

Milton Dick is using his most patient voice here when he says:

“We are just going it deal with this issue of relevance quickly. The Prime Minister, if I think anyone was listening, would understand – I know the Deputy would like a date, a time. I want to bring her to the page of practice of 567 about the interpretation of relevance, which has been by all speakers very wide. This was a short question. It was a specific question but the standing orders provides the Prime Minister to speak on the policy topic, if he was to start talking about, for example, climate change, or another topic, I would bring him back to order but when he is giving specific information advice and I know it is not the answer that you want but I do not have the powers under the standing order to direct the Prime Minister to give you the answer you wish.”

Peter Dutton is not happy with Dick’s ruling and wants to know if the prime minister can speak about other issues, that are related, but not directly related to the question the Coalition wants answered.

Dick again uses his very patient voice to say as long as the PM is remaining “directly relevant to the topic” he is in order.

Anthony Albanese stands up, and Dutton seems to sledge him, which is not picked up by the microphones, but Albanese says:

“He is only happy when he’s angry”.

Chris Bowen pops up: “Give us a smile, Pete. Give us a smile” and is warned by the speaker.

It is, I regret to inform you, going to be one of those QTs.

Peter Dutton opens up the Coalition’s questions with:

“When did the Prime Minister first become aware of the planned mass casualty terror attack against Sydney’s Jewish community?“

Anthony Albanese:

“I thank the member for his question and I have said that the government has two priorities, the first is keeping Australians safe, the second is making sure that the ongoing investigation, which is ongoing, prioritises not just capturing those people who have been involved and there are at least two people who are in custody publicly but in order to ascertain who is behind this, it is absolutely critical that the AFP, that the state police agencies, the ASIO and the intelligence agencies be allowed to do their work!

And the Federal Government will provide every support for them.”

Dutton has some feelings about this and goes to stand on a point of order, but Albanese has concluded his answer and the chamber moves on.

Anthony Albanese then uses indulgence (a statement outside of the standing orders, made with the indulgence of the chamber) to give an update on the Queensland floods:

I want to, on behalf of the House express our sincere condolences at the second loss of life that we have seen in this floods, an 82-year-old woman who was found outside Ingham and we express our condolences to her family and her friends in their bereavement.

The ADF now has the four additional choppers available there providing assistance and that goes with the other emergency services personnel who are working closely with the Queensland Government. Senator [Jenny] McAllister remains there as the Minister for Emergency Management and we continue to provide whatever support is requested to Queensland but, once again, we are seeing at the worst of times, the best of the Australian character and I pay tribute to all those who have provided this assistance on the ground at what is a very difficult time.

Peter Dutton does the same thing:

On behalf of the Coalition, I extend our condolences to the family and friends of the lady who has passed away, lost her life in this tragedy. It compounds the grief for the Ingham community and I thank the Prime Minister for the advice in relation to the assets deployed by the Australian Defence Force and the comfort that comes from seeing those uniforms on the ground at a time of natural disaster will be of some comfort to people in the Townsville and greater region that has been effected by the flood and we hope waters recede and people can get back into a normal way of life at some point.

For many families that will take many years and there is a lot of heartache ahead and I praise the Premier of Queensland David Crisafulli for the swift response and the work that the government have done along with the Police Minister Dan Purdy and those in their darkest hours.

There is of course, no mention of the major thing needed – stopping fossil fuels.