Australia politics live: Barnaby Joyce confesses to 'big mistake' over ...

Barnaby Joyce has spoken to the Seven network this morning explaining what happened, amid calls he should be dropped from the shadow frontbench.

Joyce said it was obvious he “made a big mistake” and while there was “no excuse for it”, “there is a reason”:

I’m on a prescription drug, and they say certain things may happen to you if you drink, and they were absolutely 100% right. They did.

Joyce said a taxi driver eventually came to his aid (there has been criticism of the person who filmed Joyce, for not offering assistance).

The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has told Brisbane radio 4BC Joyce would be offered support, but he would not be demoted over the incident:

There’ll be further conversations with Barnaby to make sure we put the environment around him that he needs to make sure whatever challenges he’s got.

Asked by Seven if he needed support, Joyce said:

I’m not looking for sympathy and I’m not looking for an excuse.

The wave of Taylor Swift mania across Australia has crashed into transport estimates on Monday.

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie has asked department officials how many meetings or in person engagements have been scheduled for staff in Melbourne on Friday, when “Tay Tay” (in McKenzie’s words) begins performing.

Maree Bridger, the department’s chief operating officer, tells McKenzie “we have no way of tracking that”.

McKenzie then asks for details of any staff travel arrangements to Melbourne approved for this coming Friday, seemingly to see if any travelling staff might be benefiting from the coincidence of being in Melbourne the day of the concerts.

Bridger takes the question on notice.

The home affairs department has provided the Coalition with answers to its questions on notice about NZYQ, the case in which the high court ruled that indefinite detention is unlawful where it is not possible to deport the person.

According to the department:

“As of 1 February 2024 six individuals have been arrested and charged for offences against the Migration Act 1958 for breach of visa conditions. Additionally, the ABF is aware that 18 individuals have been charged by State and Territory police for State and Territory offences.

As of 31 January 2024, nil individuals have been re-detained in an immigration detention facility on the basis that there is a real prospect of their removal from Australia being practicable in the reasonably foreseeable future.”

So far, 149 people have been released from immigration detention as a result of the decision.

Mike Bowers tells me that a potato has now replaced the can of diced beetroot that had been left on the chalk outline marking Barnaby Joyce’s incident on Wednesday night.

The independent Indi MP, Dr Helen Haines, has her sights on how government grants are treated. Haines will be introducing a private member’s bill later this month which would change the process – but it will need government support to get through the house.

Over in transport estimates, it seems like the Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie is having a good time (this is in response to what Elias reported on, just a few posts ago):

For those who missed it, here is Barnaby Joyce’s explanation of his planter box incident:

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Rights centre and other groups urge payments for whistleblowers and federal protection body

The federal government is being urged to pay public servant whistleblowers a reward as part of a new protection body proposed to keep them from harm.

A federal whistleblower protection body remains the “missing link” in Australia’s anti-corruption system, Transparency International Australia, the Human Rights Law Centre and Griffith University’s Centre for Governance and Public Policy said in a joint release on Monday.

The civil society groups have teamed up with former whistleblowers to present their preferred model to the attorney-general, Mark Dreyfus.

Robodebt whistleblower Jeannie-Marie Blake said she felt a protection body would make people feel more comfortable about coming forward.

Currently, you are left weighing up whether you can live with the consequences of going on the record or live with the consequences for the public if you don’t speak out.”

Rewards would be paid for by penalties, financial savings or other income gained by the commonwealth as a result of the disclosure, the groups say.

Allan Fels, a former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, also publicly backed a move toward paying whistleblowers last week in his National Press Club appearance.

Asked whether Australia should adopt the US policy of paying whistleblowers, Fels agreed it should.

One way of making it more effective would be to strengthen whistleblower protection. Cartels nearly always are only detected – it is almost always secret agreements – if there is a whistleblower.

JB Hi-Fi records near 20% drop in net profit but sales figures still high by historical standards

JB Hi-Fi has recorded a near 20% drop in net profit to $264.3m, weighed down by a sharp decrease in demand for household goods even as customers continue to buy gadgets and other electronics.

The retailer, which owns The Good Guys, recorded more than $5.16bn in sales during the first half of the 2024 financial year, representing a modest 2.2% fall from the prior period’s record sales figures.

JB Hi-Fi has been one of the standout stock performers of the pandemic and inflationary period, backed by strong customer demand for entertainment and communication devices, gadgets and appliances.

Its shares are trading near record highs.

The company’s latest six-month results show that while overall demand is softening, sales figures are still high by historical standards.

The chief executive, Terry Smart, said he was pleased with the performance despite the pullback.

As expected, we saw the trading environment become more challenging, marked by heightened competitive activity and increased on-floor discounting.

Sales increased at the company’s electronics stores during the half, but fell by a sharp 9.9% at The Good Guys, which weighed on the overall result. The slump in spending on household goods coincides with rising interest rates, which is impeding many household budgets.

The retailer cut its interim dividend to $1.58 a share from $1.97 a year earlier.

‘It’s no surprise that they’re anti-employee rights’: Gallagher criticises Coalition position on right to disconnect

Katy Gallagher was also asked about Peter Dutton’s claims that the right to disconnect laws would impact Australia’s productivity. (Again, if productivity growth is reliant on unpaid labour, then doesn’t that sort of highlight a major problem?)

Gallagher:

I think this is more about the politics and political grandstanding. And sure, they’ve got to differentiate, and it’s no surprise that they’re anti-employee rights. You know, like that’s their signature IR position. But, you know, after seeing the worst productivity in the decade that they were in government, I think they’re hardly going to be ones to lecture us.

We have to work on productivity, we absolutely do, but to say that someone can have, you know, a position where if a boss is contacting them, and it’s unreasonable, and they’re not at work, that they don’t have any rights to say look, hey, I’m actually on the weekend break, is unreasonable as well.

Particularly as we’re living in such a digital and connected world, the demands on people are only going to get greater and there should be some regulation of it.

‘I hope he gets the help he needs’, says Gallagher after Joyce’s footpath incident

The Labor senator and finance minister, Katy Gallagher, spoke to ABC radio Canberra this morning where she was asked about Barnaby Joyce’s incident.

Gallagher said:

I think it’s just incredibly sad. I hope he gets the help that he needs. Obviously, there’s an issue there. And you know, these things do nothing for the profession of politicians. I think it confirms you know, in people’s minds, the public’s minds, negative association with politics, and I think that’s a real shame. But personally, I hope he gets the help he needs because it’s a very unusual position, I think, for someone of that age to be in.

In rural, regional affairs and transport estimates, coalition senators appear frustrated to learn the government is claiming public interest immunity over details of the modelling underpinning the landmark fuel efficiency standard.

The government unveiled its preferred option for a fuel efficiency standard last week, which is predicted to slice the nation’s carbon emissions by avoiding almost 100m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by 2035 and 369m tonnes by 2050.

Fuel efficiency standards – which are already in place in almost all nations with comparable economies to Australia’s – create a cap for emissions across a manufacturer’s overall sales, which provides an incentive for carmakers to supply low- and zero-emissions vehicles and penalises companies that do not.

Since the government released its proposal, the opposition has flagged its concern, including at the impact on car companies, with suggestions it could make utes tougher to access for Australians.

Opposition senators Bridget McKenzie and Matt Canavan appeared frustrated upon learning the immunity claim had been made by transport minister Catherine King earlier on Monday morning.

Labor’s Anthony Chisholm, answering questions on behalf of the government, said King had made the public interest community claim over the fuel efficiency standard modelling out of cabinet confidentiality, due to future market sensitivities due to the credit trading scheme that is part of the national vehicle emissions.

Canavan said the immunity claim suggested the government is admitting the scheme would have a negative impact. “Why else would there be commercial sensitivities?” he said.

You can read Paul Karp’s reporting of the Richardson review into home affairs procurement procedures here: