We are into the second question time of the year and the chamber seems slightly more rowdy and alive than whatever yesterday was.

But that mood is quickly calmed by the condolence motion for Anthony John Messner, a former Liberal minister and senator for South Australia, in the Fraser government.

The house will hear the condolence motion before any questions get underway.

Meanwhile, we knew this was happening, but the Albanese government has officially moved to discharge its nature positive laws from the senate notice paper (which means the government has given up on having them passed and so is shelving them).

The government could have worked with the Greens, but doesn’t want to, mostly because WA and other mining interests were gearing up to run anti-Labor campaigns at the coming election and Labor is trying to hold on to what it can in WA (where so far, its vote is holding up ok, unlike the rest of the country where the mood is slipping – but not, it should be made clear, into what the vibe was when Morrison was turfed. Albanese isn’t popular, but he isn’t hated and Dutton is seen as kinda meh as well, so mostly people are fed up with major party politicians.)

The Coalition don’t want to work with the government, because it suits the Coalition not to work on these issues, even though Liberal senator Jane Hume was on radio this morning talking about how 95% of legislation is passed with bipartisan support.

So the government is officially shelving the legislation. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has responded:

“The Labor Party has abandoned the environment and sent a message to voters everywhere that they cannot be trusted to protect nature.

“What a shocking lack of leadership from the Albanese Government. Last week, these bills were listed on the draft Senate schedule but just days later it is again clear that it’s the mining lobby and the likes of Gina Rinehart who are calling the shots on what happens in this parliament. 

“This is a stunning capitulation to vested interests in the mining and logging lobby. Rather than work with the Greens to get an outcome to protect our environment and end native forest logging, the Prime Minister is letting the fossil fuel and logging lobby dictate Labor’s policy.

“Labor is now on a unity ticket with the environment-wrecking Liberal Party.

“This is not just a broken promise by the Albanese Labor Government, it sounds the death knell for our iconic koalas, native forests and the climate.

“The PM has bulldozed his own environment policy, leaving Labor with nothing to show but three years of broken promises. “

Well. That hour was quite the year.

We are now just under 15 minutes from the next question time, which is sure to take whatever it remaining of our sanity/will to live. Go grab what you need to get through it, while we mentally prepare for what’s coming.

Go on without us. Save yourselves.

Anthony Albanese appears frustrated that the health funding announcement is being overshadowed by what is a major change in geopolitical relations and the end of the international rule of law. What Donald Trump is planning is illegal. No question. It is an invasion of a sovereign territory and the ethnic cleansing (by force if necessary, by an allied military Australia has embedded ADF personnel with, as well as ongoing strategic security arrangements) of the Palestinians. So sorry if people want reassurance the Australian government has some sort of plan here?

Albanese:

“My job is to give Australia’s position. And Australia’s position is to support a bipartisan position – one where Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security.“

He takes one last question, which amounts to the same as the last few questions he has not answered on this – that what Donald Trump has said he will have the United States do is not just business as usual, but a complete break from a position most of the world has supported for decades, in favour of an invasion.

Albanese responds:

“What I’ve said is we will be consistent, as we are. I’ve also said that I’m not going to, as Australia’s Prime Minister, give a daily commentary on statements by the US President. My job is to support Australia’s position.

My job here today – I’ll tell you what Australians will be concerned about* – they’re concerned about Medicare, they’re concerned about education, they’re concerned about whether they have access to free TAFE, the debate that we’ve just had. I’ll continue to engage in that.

We will, of course – what we do is we take our considered positions when matters of international affairs are raised, and we do so in a manner that is consistent with Australia’s values.

And I can’t be stronger than saying what Australia’s bipartisan position has been for a long period of time across multiple governments, across many decades.

And of course, the United Nations – when Australia played, historically, a very important role in the creation of the state of Israel – it’s something that we and the Labor Party and my government and other governments consistently, since then, have supported. But those governments have also supported what happened then, which was the creation of two states – not just one – and that remains my position, and it has been a bipartisan position up to this point.”

*Pretty sure most Australians can walk and chew gum, in that they can care about their public health system AND what Donald Trump may be dragging the world into at the same time.

Anthony Albanese will not move from his original statement – that he won’t run a commentary on Donald Trump’s statements, and Australia still supports a two-state solution.

It is pointed out by Mark Riley at the Seven Network that Albanese has previously criticised ‘land grabs’ by other nations such as China and Russia as well as the relationship between the US and Australian defence forces. Albanese doesn’t budge.

“I’m not going to have a running commentary on statements by the President of the United States. I’ve made that very clear.

…When it comes to our position on Gaza, we have not received any request regarding the rebuilding of Gaza. What we have said, though – clearly, we’ve supported a ceasefire. We’ve supported hostages being released. And we’ve supported aid getting into Gaza. There is a need to do that, and Australia is willing to assist getting aid into Gaza to provide that support. We have done so. That is consistent with what Australian governments have always done, which is to provide support.

Anthony Albanese is asked about Donald Trump’s (illegal) plans for Gaza and says:

“I’ve said before that I don’t intend to have a running commentary on the President of the United States’ statements.…What I would say is that Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year and it was 10 years ago and it was under the Howard government.

The Australian government support, on a bipartisan basis, a 2-state solution in the Middle East.

With his threat to “take over” the Gaza strip this morning, Donald Trump – with an all too willing accomplice in Benjamin Netanyahu – has finally broken what was left of the international rule of law. 

For Australia, this means that the values that supposedly underpin our Alliance with the United States are also gone. Trump has thrown them out, as he always said he would. 

It is in Australia’s interests to stand up for the international rule of law, in Gaza and elsewhere. It is in our interests to stand up for our values, and to use this as the basis of a renewed conversation with the US.

We should never be complicit in Trump’s violent imperialism. The international rule of law matters to us, because without it, the world – already a dangerous place – will be a lot less safe for everyone.

When the NDIS reforms were going through, part of the agreement was that the states and territories would take on some of the foundational supports within the NDIS, in exchange for more health funding.

This agreement for an additional $1.7bn (over one year) is happening ahead of any agreement on foundational supports.

Health minister Mark Butler said:

“The Prime Minister’s right – the Commonwealth’s very satisfied with progress on NDIS rule reform and also the development of foundational supports. But states and territories understand that the conclusion of a 5-year deal – which is what they’re after and what was committed by the Prime Minister at the National Cabinet meeting in December 2023 – remains tied to that NDIS reform process continuing as it would. This is a 1-year rollover. It does not deliver exactly what the states would have got in the first year of a 5-year agreement. The negotiation of the 5-year agreement continues between jurisdictions and remains tied to positive progress on NDIS reform.“

The prime minister’s press conference has been called to announce a new funding agreement the Albanese government has struck with the states and territories which will mean another $1.7bn in health funding.

The official release says:

The Albanese Labor Government is building Australia’s future and strengthening Medicare, delivering an additional $1.7billion to fund public hospitals and health services next year.

This is in stark contrast to Peter Dutton, who was voted Australia’s worst Health Minister by Australia’s doctors and cut more than $50 billion from public hospitals.

Under a new Agreement between the Albanese Government and all state and territory governments, the total Commonwealth contribution to state-run public hospitals will increase by 12 per cent to reach a record $33.91 billion in 2025-26.

This funding will be delivered to states and territories, to help cut waiting lists, reducing waiting times in emergency rooms and managing ramping.

* Estimate based on Commonwealth share of estimated hospital activity in 2025-26, including expected growth under the one-year extension to the NHRA. Sum of states and territories may not equal national figure due to rounding.

Is there any one issue which would decide who Zoe Daniel would support in a minority government situation?

Daniel:

“I don’t think any one thing is going to tip me. The world is a lot more complicated than that. I would say that the Coalition also jumped on the idea of a partial ban after myself and particularly Kate Chaney were jumping up and down about this and while the Murphy report was under way or in train. And so I see a potential discussion with them about whether they are prepared to go further on that. But I think when you are considering that really complex question of what is the actual will of the people? If it’s that tight, what do people want the outcome to be? Or do they want to leave them?

How can I contribute to being a part of that if it comes to it? And then there would have to be a series of issues. It won’t be any one thing.