Both the House and the Senate were back in session this week after the Winter break. There was a lot going on.

Here’s the 5&5.

BEST

15% pay rise for early childhood workers
And the ‘Cookers’ award goes to…
Taylor’s dodgy maths
Sally Sitou & Josh Burns & Zali Steggall
The NSW Liberals' failure

WORST

Peter Dutton’s reckless divide
They’re just a lighter shade of blue
Dutton’s missing courage
The Senate on the CFMEU
20 years of form

1. We spent the week firmly focused on the cost of living help we’re delivering for all Australians. Tax cuts, pay rises, electricity price relief, cheaper medicines, an expansion of paid parental leave. All the stuff Peter Dutton voted against. No wonder he looked even angrier than usual this week.

2. “If awards were handed out for cookers, this bloke would win a Michelin star” - Education Minister Jason Clare’s description of Coalition Senator Gerard Rennick on Monday after he said our childcare policies were destroying the traditional family unit. The truth is it's loose units like that who destroy the Liberal Party 's credibility. Jason went on: “If the Opposition Leader had any ticker, he would pull this bloke into line—maybe he would pull the plug on his computer—and then he would back this pay rise for some of the lowest paid and most important workers in this country. We want more kids to start school ready to learn. We want more kids to finish high school and then go on to TAFE and to university. We want a better and a fairer education system, and this is where it starts."

3. The Treasurer seized on a speech Angus Taylor gave about our Future Made in Australia policy, which the Coalition is trying to block because for some reason they’re against Australian jobs. “It was truly mad and bizarre stuff. It was truly unhinged, and it was factually wrong, as well. For example, he said that the PsiQuantum deal cost the Commonwealth $22.7 billion, when it's only $470 million. He was only $22,230,000,000 off! Then he handed his dodgy maths to the Member for Flynn, who repeated his points verbatim and stuffed it up as well. He shouldn't have taken the shadow Treasurer seriously when nobody else does.” Note to Coalition backbenchers if Angus Taylor asks you to do something, it’s a trap.

4. On Thursday, Sally Sitou and Josh Burns both gave 90 second statements which brought the house to a standstill. Sally spoke about her family's refugee journey and had a direct message to Peter Dutton: “Do not stoke fear in the communities. Do not undermine the work of our security agencies, because they are doing the important work of security vetting to keep us safe. Do not undermine the public trust in these institutions. From the daughter of migrants who had to flee conflict, this is my message to the Leader of the Opposition. I am appealing to the better angel of your nature. Be the person we need you to be, someone who aims to unite, not divide.”

Josh Burns had a similar message for Peter Dutton after he spoke about his family “I'm in full support of having a sensible conversation about our national security and immigration policy, but collectively categorising people fleeing from war is harmful. We don't have an immigration policy based on religion or race. We have not had one for a long time, and we should never go back."

Zali Steggall shared the story of Mohammed who came to the North Steyne Surf Life Saving Club to learn so he could give the children of Gaza an opportunity to learn water safety. Before Zali was able to finish her statement, Peter Dutton interjected “Complete rubbish! Stop repeating the government's lines.” Zali shut him down before he could think twice, “We heard you in silence; you can hear me in silence. Stop being racist."

5. The NSW Liberals' failure to enrol dozens of candidates for the upcoming local elections will cost them as many as 48 seats. As Kristy McBain pointed out on Thursday – if the Liberals can’t even lodge a form – how can they be in charge of the country? “And those opposite want us, want the Australian people, to believe they can run a country when they can't even lodge a form. They think the Australian people will fall for a nuclear plan. They're going to build them and run them, but they can't lodge a form!"

1. On Wednesday morning Peter Dutton was live on Sky News and started making up national security policy on the spot. It was totally reckless. The PM called out what Mr Dutton was up to: “Peter Dutton is always looking to divide. We'll listen to the security agencies when it comes to national security, and the Director-General, Mike Burgess, will play a critical role in that. And, you know, I seek to try to bring people together, not always looking for a wedge or to divide."

2. The list of issues on which the Coalition and the Greens keep banding together against the Government’s agenda is getting longer. Housing policy. Environmental policy. Climate policy. The National Reconstruction Fund. The NDIS. And now our Future Made in Australia legislation has been delayed because of this “no-alition”. On Wednesday Jim Chalmers said of the Greens: “They’re just a lighter shade of blue."

3. Ed Husic gave Peter Dutton a roasting over a recent visit to Western Australia. “When we announced our Future Made in Australia initiatives in our May budget, the Leader of the Opposition described our plans to scale up more work onshore as 'corporate welfare' and 'billions for billionaires'. Tough talk! But last week, on his way to Western Australia, it seemed like that courage evaporated over the Nullarbor, because, when he had to eyeball WA businesses keen to leverage off our announced production credits, the Leader of the Opposition did what he normally does when he is under pressure. He said, 'We'll have more to say about that later.' Tough guy! Where did you go? He's tough on the east coast, and then it just diminishes on the west coast. It just disappears."

4. On Thursday the Senate delayed legislation that would have placed the construction division of the CFMEU under administration. The problems that have happened within the CFMEU are not the fault of the ordinary union members. This legislation is all about making sure that they - like every other worker - have access to a strong trade union that acts in their interest, but the Opposition voted for delay.

5. In the wake of the debate about Palestinian visas, the Prime Minister ended the week by calling out the Opposition Leader’s form over the past 20 years. “We've seen the form in this before: the criticism of Malcolm Fraser for making what was called a mistake in bringing Lebanese refugees to Australia in response to the 1976 Lebanese Civil War, the claim that Victorians were scared to go out due to African gang violence and incorrectly blaming the death of a teenager on such gangs in a bid to score a point, the cruel war against the Biloela family and comparing their children to anchor babies, the catching of a senior member of the then government on a hot mic making jokes about Pacific nations facing rising sea levels."

To wrap up the week at the end of question time on Thursday, Peter Dutton complained that it went on too long. Funnily enough this is in complete contrast to Manager of Opposition Business, Paul Fletcher who at the start of the week was complaining Question Time was too short. Oh, Fletch...

Parliament is back on next week with both the House and the Senate in session.

‘til then,

Tony

PS. Song of the week is Come Undone by Robbie Williams.

5&5: Punching down