The Weekly Round-Up: October 24th 2021
Welcome to the Weekly Round-Up — a series where we bring you five big stories from across the internet that you should know about. This week, we’re talking COP26, the Nats finally somewhat committing to not destroying the planet and the government’s latest efforts to protect Christian Porter.
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1. Nationals agree to net zero target by 2050 despite Barnaby Joyce’s opposition
Fresh off the presses is the news that the Nats have agreed to a net zero target by 2050 in exchange for a regional transition package and an extra cabinet position. So, basically being rewarded for dragging their feet for years on only one of the biggest issues of our time. A few things to come out of this Sunday’s two-hour party room meeting:
· MP George Christensen will now be reconsidering his position in the government in response to the party’s decision
· Nat Senate leader Bridget McKenzie was not impressed with the deal and kind of pushed for Barnaby to go back to cabinet for a better deal
· Joyce apparently does not support the decision but reluctantly agreed to it because he is not, in fact, in the majority on this decision
So, with a week left before COP26 talks officially begin, it seems like we might have finally been able to agree on a net-zero commitment from the Coalition. I guess that’s something.
2. Government shuts down move to refer Christian Porter’s secret funds to privileges inquiry
One of the biggest news stories of the week was the government’s decision to block an inquiry into whether Christian Porter breached parliamentary privilege by not revealing who donated to his legal costs — against the recommendation of Speaker of the House Tony Smith (need a refresher? Check out our previous round-up we’re we broke down the whole blind trust issue). The decision is the first time in 120 years that the government has gone against the speaker on something like this. So, kind of a big deal. In a classic case of ‘but they did it first’, the government is trying to shift attention away from the issue by pointing fingers at Senator Hanson-Young’s crowdfunded legal costs against Leyonhjelm even though the two cases are very much not the same.
3. Peter Dutton suggests public-funded legal fund for MPs to sue for defamation
And in the midst of a big public discussion around Porter’s suspiciously funded legal case against the ABC, Peter Dutton thought this week was also a great time to raise the idea of a taxpayer-funded legal fighting fund for MPs to pursue defamation claims, citing it as a ‘workplace entitlement’. Let us remember that Dutton is currently in the midst of his very own defamation case as he is suing refugee activist Shane Bazzi for calling him a “rape apologist” on Twitter. Aside from the truly problematic nature of having a fund to essentially allow politicians to sue for defamation on a whim, I think you’ll join me in saying that there is a loooong list of things we should be spending our tax money on before getting around the Dutton’s fund.
4. Protesters urge release of asylum seekers in Melbourne hotel after COVID-19 outbreak
Protesters gathered outside the Park Hotel in Carlton on Saturday to demand the release of refugees held inside. This came after news that a third of those detained there had tested positive for COVID-19. Adding to the mental and physical stress of being detained in the hotel with no access to the outside world for months on end, those who have contracted COVID-19 are now also having to deal with inadequate medical assistance. Currently, the 45 people held at the Carlton hotel are being attended to by only two nurses that are working very limited hours. And as Victoria is set to hit 80% fully vaccinated rates on Friday, only 55% of those detained in immigration detention centres are fully vaccinated, with 63% having received one dose so far.
5. Third of Pacific islands unable to attend COP26, sparking fears summit will be less ambitious
COVID-19 travel restrictions mean that around a third of Pacific small island states and territories will not be able to send any government figures to the COP26 summit in Glasgow. With restrictions meaning that delegations would have to spend up to a month in managed quarantine, many cannot afford to have high-level government figures not readily available for that long. In addition to making it so that some of the most affected by the climate crisis will not be present at a meeting designed to discuss how to address it, there’s also fears that not having a strong presence from the Pacific could lead to less ambitious commitments at the summit. Having Pacific leaders at COP21 a few years back played a huge part in influencing the way climate change and its impacts were discussed and brought about the 1.5 degree commitment that is currently in the agreement. To make matters worse, civil society organisations will also not be present in the numbers they were at COP21, with only 20 to 30 delegates attending compared to the usual 70 to 80.
