And on that note, we are going to put the blog to sleep for a couple of days, until parliament resumes on Monday.

Thank you so much to everyone who came by and read this week – we are truly humbled by your support and interest. A very big thank you to Mike Bowers and The New Daily for taking us into the chamber and to all the researchers and experts who turned pulling their hair out into explanations and factchecks for us.

But as always, thank you so much to you for reading. It truly does mean the world. You can catch me with my other hat on in The New Daily on Sunday where I will take a look at some of the week, and on the socials or email if you have any questions.

Until Monday, please – get outside and breathe. There is a lot going on in the world at the moment and constant images of death and genocide and it is a lot to witness. If you are, thank you. It matters. Truly, it does. We can not fall victim to defeat because we must use that energy to force focus and change. And you’re not alone.

Take care of you Ax

Greens senator Larissa Waters (on behalf of Sarah Hanson-Young) has also used the senate production of documents powers to order Murray Watt to present the approval conditions, including draft versions, for the provisional approval of Woodside’s North West Shelf extension.

That’s for the ‘conditions’ the government keeps talking about but won’t make public.

We haven’t spent too much time in the senate today, but here is a bit of a catch up.

The minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy addressed the One Nation act of turning their back on the Acknowledgement of Country ceremony in the new parliament. PHON claims it was standing up for the Australians who voted against the Voice, but the problem with that (apart from you know – everything) is that acknowledging country had nothing to do with the Voice referendum. It’s a tiny mark of respect, just acknowledging the Indigenous land we are standing on. One Nation are also doing it on purpose – much like prayers, senators don’t have to be in the chamber when it happens.

You can read more on what McCarthy had to say, here.

Tony Burke and Anne Aly have made a statement on the recent racist vandalism attack on a Hindu temple and two nearby Asian restaurants in Melbourne:

The racist attacks on Asian restaurants and a Hindu temple in Melbourne are an attack on Australia and our core values.
They come on the back of a sickening string of racist and homophobic graffiti attacks in Melbourne in recent weeks.
When bigoted graffiti tells people to “go home” our response is clear: they already
are. Our government has taken the strongest possible line against hate speech and hate
crimes. We are committed to defending the right of all Australians to feel safe and be safe in
their communities. We stand with all Australians against anyone who would seek to make them feel
unwelcome or unsafe.

After winning the state of origin, Queensland also won the title of ‘first MP booted from the 48th parliament QT’ with the LNP MP for Wright, Scott Buchholz given his marching orders by Milton Dick.

That was after he interjected during a point of order debate raised while Jim Chalmers was answering a question.

After getting the boot, Chalmers quipped of the retreating member:

Nobody knew he was on the frontbench until you asked him to leave it.

Which is fair, actually. (He’s the shadow minister for skills and training. I also had to look that up)

The Speaker now has the power to eject someone from the chamber for up to three hours, but Dugald will stick to the traditional one hour escape, unless it is particularly annoying.

How did Mike Bowers see question time?

Well there were a lot of middle aged white guys in suits with a lot to say:

Thank you very much to Glenn for steering (get it) us all through QT – specialist appointments can be very pesky timing!

You have Amy Remeikis back with you for the last bit of this afternoon x

The Nationals might be yesterday’s story (figuratively and literally), but former leader Barnaby Joyce‘s response to Dan Tehan‘s suggestion he and Michael McCormack were like a pair of old steers in a paddock was … well … pure Barnaby.

“Steers don’t fight,’ he explained to a bemused Sky News Chief Anchor Kieran Gilbert.

“We castrate them so they don’t. Steers have their testicles removed and they sit happily in the paddock and they eat grass.”

As if that wasn’t bizarre enough, the Member for New England added a bit of vaudeville to his performance, with an impersonation of a fighting bull.

Now, KG is one of the coolest customers in the Gallery but even he nearly lost it as the twice dumped Nats leader showed us why a third tilt at the leadership would be, um, colourful, to say the least.

Deputy Liberal Leader Ted O’Brien leaps to the defence of the lucky few Australians with $3 million or more in their superannuation … asking Assistant Treasurer Dan Mulino if he said tax changes would affect 10% of Australians.

Daniel Mulino, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Financial Services:

This is a policy, as I stated yesterday, on a number of occasions, that is a well-designed, applies to around half a percent of members and applies to funds that are $3 million or larger.

David Littleproud, Nationals Leader:

My question as to the Minister for Agriculture and Water. Can the Minister confirm whether Australia’s bio security requirements from today’s announcement to import US beef will be at least the equivalent of bio security requirements Australian beef must be to be imported into the US?

Julie Collins, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry:

This decision has been made by my department and is through the usual processes that these decisions are made. As he would be well aware and has been an ongoing process now for over a decade in terms of US beef coming into Australia and US beef has been able to come into Australia since 2019 and in 2020 we asked for expanded access to allow some of the other beef from the supply chain sorted in the US to come from Canada and Mexico.

I would say to the member opposite that it has been done in the usual way, the department has published the review on website today in the usual way, the input details required for importers will be published on the website and provided on Monday in the usual way. 

As the member opposite would know the protocols in relation to the areas he is asking has actually already been provided to his office today on his email. So the member opposite needs to be very careful about trying to undermine Australia’s bio security system. Our biosecurity system is the strongest in the world for a good reason … you should not be undermining our scientific approach.