The last full sitting week for both the House and the Senate before the end of the year and we got through a lot of important legislation (including Closing Loopholes in the House).

This week on the podcast I’m joined by the Labor MP for the seat of Jagajaga in Victoria, Kate Thwaites. Have a listen at this link.

Here’s the 5&5.

BEST

Murray Darling win
Positive energy
Help to buy for Australians
Bill Hayden condolence
Thalidomide apology

WORST

Dutton voted against what?!
Flat-footed failure from the Opposition Leader
Pat Dodson retiring
Andrew Wallace’s beneath contempt comments
David Littleproud’s broad question

1. Tanya Plibersek secured a really important reform this week – passing the Restoring Our Rivers legislation through Parliament to get the Murray Darling Basin Plan back on track. No surprises, the Liberals and Nationals voted “No” to it. On Wednesday while Tanya was explaining the significance of the bill to the House, Sussan Ley interjected, saying “That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said”. What might have been the most ridiculous thing Sussan’s ever said came on Thursday when she asked a question to Andrew Giles criticising the Government’s legislation from a couple of weeks ago. Andrew didn’t miss a beat.

“I thank the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party for her question, although perhaps it's a question she could have addressed to herself as someone who voted for the legislation.

2. There was progress on energy policy in the last week, with Chris Bowen announcing the expansion of the Capacity Investment Scheme. Under the previous government’s 26 failed energy policies we were increasingly relying on ageing coal-fired power plants and actually lost four gigawatts of energy from the grid, with only one gigawatt to replace it. The Capacity Investment Scheme will be a game-changer, as Chris explained:

“It will support much more reliable energy right throughout our country. In fact, the 32 gigawatts of generation it will support will be enough for 10½ million households. It's important that we replace energy that is leaving the grid before it leaves."

3. We want to make it possible for more Australians to own their own home and this week we took an important step towards that with the Help to Buy scheme. Housing Minister Julie Collins introduced the legislation on Thursday to make home ownership a reality for tens of thousands of Australians. She summed it up perfectly. “We are providing the support because we understand what buying a house means to Australians. It is security, stability, the Great Australian Dream. It is something everyone in this place should be able to support."

4. On Tuesday the House paid its respects to Bill Hayden. The PM, Opposition Leader, Nationals Leader, Treasurer and the Speaker all spoke to Bill’s great legacy as the member for Oxley, Treasurer, Labor leader, Foreign Minister and Governor-General. Here’s how Speaker Milton Dick – the current MP for Oxley – rounded out the speeches. “Bill will always be remembered with reverence in our community and without question will always be known as the best member for Oxley. Bill's legacy will continue to inspire the next generation just as his legacy continues to inspire me every day. May he rest in eternal peace."

5. Another really important moment in the Parliament this week when the Prime Minister offered a national apology to thalidomide survivors and their families. 62 years after thalidomide was withdrawn from sale in Australia - the Government and the Parliament said sorry. The mood of the Parliament isn’t just determined by the members. The public galleries were completely filled with people whose lives had been affected by thalidomide in every single way. Normally we would stand to observe a minute's silence, but to make sure that everybody could participate in an identical way, we remained seated. It was a reminder that the public galleries aren’t just a place to view what the Parliament’s doing, they affect us in the room too.

1. If you want proof that Peter Dutton will vote “No” to everything, this week really reinforced it. There was a vote on whether or not it should be a criminal offence for a convicted pedophile – who's been ordered to not visit a school … to then visit one. Pretty straight forward, you’d think. But it was government legislation so Peter Dutton voted “No” to it.

2. Peter Dutton amuses me every now and again. Well, not very often, But there was this one. On Wednesday it was his turn to ask a question, but he seemed not to have noticed and didn’t jump to speak. After a long pause he finally realised and got up to ask his question. His opening line was that the Government was caught flat-footed. The whole place erupted in laughter.

3. I still remember when we had a special caucus meeting and then Opposition Leader Bill Shorten walked in with Patrick Dodson. There was an immediate standing ovation. For most of us we are public figures because we have been elected to the Parliament. That’s not the case for Patrick Dodson. This is someone who has been one of the most respected Australians for decades. He’s had a really bad run of health lately and on Tuesday made the announcement to caucus that he’d be retiring. I’m not sure whether I feel sad or simply privileged to have been a member of the caucus with him.

4. During the debate on our Closing Loopholes Bill on Tuesday night – the Opposition stooped to a new low. Liberal MP Andrew Wallace (the former Speaker under them) accused the government of using the victims of domestic and family violence, as well as first responders with PTSD as cover to pass the legislation. It was utterly beneath contempt, and he should be ashamed for saying it.

5. This one might need to be in its own category as ‘dumbest question, best answer’. David Littleproud asked the PM an incredibly broad question that went to the cost of living, the referendum, the High Court case and whether or not we needed more politicians. The PM didn’t miss in his response.

“I thank the Leader of the National Party for his question, which goes to an attack on the existence of politicians. And on the suggestion that some politicians are a waste of money, I think he's right. Over there you could have one of those buttons that you press and it just says no in different ways: no, no, no, no, no. You could set that button up over there, and no matter what the legislation was, you could press the button and there it would be: no, no, no!"

The Senate is back on Monday next week and the House will sit one final time on Thursday.

‘til then,

Tony

PS. PS We had Ausmusic T-shirt Day this week and I had one of my DZ Deathrays shirts on. Song of the week is “No Talk” by them, because all of Peter Dutton’s talk is “No”.

5&5: Don’t press the red button