Australia news live: Mardi Gras to allow NSW police to march out of uniform

Key events

Jason Clare is asked about the response to sexual violence at universities. We will make an exception on our no dixers rule for it, because it’s important:

Imagine finishing high school and then moving away from home and going to university. You’re living in student accommodation and one night you’re assaulted by someone who lives on the same floor as you. You reach out for support from your university, and it doesn’t come.

For the last 10 years, Sharna Bremner has been fighting for the rights of students like this. That’s what her organisation End Rape on Campus does. And she’s not alone.

Camille Schofield and the team at the Stop Campaign and Renee Carr and the team at Fair Agenda do this too. Supporting survivors and fighting for change on university campuses and in residential colleges. Change that has been a long time coming.

One in 20 students report being sexually assaulted since they started university. One in six report having been sexually harassed.

And one in two students say that they haven’t been heard when it happens. That the response hasn’t been good enough.

This isn’t just a problem in our universities. It exists in all workplaces. It exists here at Parliament House. But universities aren’t just places where people study or where people work.

(Continued in next post)

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Updated at 23.16 EST

Sussan Ley is next on the Mad Dutts Express:

I refer to the prime minister’s answer in question time yesterday regarding the new electric version of the RAV4. Can the minister confirm under this government’s new tax on cars and utes, this car is set to sell for $74,900, $35,000 more than the base model of this vehicle sold in Australia today.

What is left to say here? It is a fuel efficiency standard. Not a tax.

Chris Bowen goes through pretty much all the same things we have heard, but none of it matters, because none of these questions is aimed at being anything remotely serious, but all about the tradie vote in Dunkley.

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Updated at 23.12 EST

We are back to more questions from the opposition about the (current) cost of electric vehicles.

No one is forcing people to buy electric vehicles if they don’t want to. But by having a fuel efficient standard, then more vehicles will become available in Australia.

At the moment, Australia is a known dumping ground of inefficient vehicles, because most of the rest of the world has standards.

And let’s remember these questions are coming from the same side of politics that is seriously advocating for nuclear power to be considered – despite the evidence from everyone, including people who had been seriously attempting to build one, that they are not cost effective enough to be competitive.

So: nuclear good, despite the increased cost to consumers in energy prices.

Fuel efficiency standards bad, despite bringing in more choices.

This is so, so stupid.

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Updated at 23.07 EST

It is worth pointing out that there was no disinformation in Kylea Tink’s question.

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The independent North Sydney MP, Kylea Tink, asks Anthony Albanese:

Yesterday myself and others on the crossbench were briefed by the director of UNRWA in Gaza … he confirmed that unless funds previously committed by countries like Australia are reinstated as a matter of urgency, UNRWA’s entire humanitarian operation in Gaza will collapse by the end of March. This will be devastating for the region, ending Medical and emergency accommodation services in Gaza, as well as schooling for thousands of refugee children. When will the government reinstate the additional $6m for UNRWA?

Albanese:

The government, when we came to office, doubled our funding for UNRWA, up to above $20m. And we have forwarded every single dollar of that doubling of support for the people of Gaza, but of course also the West Bank, to provide that essential humanitarian support. The food and the essentials of life.

We are greatly concerned, as has been indicated by the joint statement that I released with the prime minister of Canada and the prime minister of New Zealand about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which is why we have made a very clear statement about that issue.

We suspended the additional funding to UNRWA … whilst allegations were dealt with, about where those dollars potentially were going, and we did so on the basis of like-minded countries did such as Canada, who have joined with us in calling for a humanitarian ceasefire, in calling for increased support for humanitarian assistance in Gaza. We did that because it’s a principled and right thing to do.

I do note that in the member’s question, as well as other commentary that’s been made publicly, it seems to be completely dismissed, the fact we have delivered double the funding that the former government had.

It wasn’t in the question, the member for North Sydney, at all. There’s a lot of misinformation here is going around. And I’m very concerned, very concerned about social disharmony in this country, as a result of disinformation that is being spread throughout the community.

That does nothing to advance the interests of the people of Gaza or the people of the West Bank or the people of Israel. What my statement with the prime ministers of Canada and New Zealand made very clear is this government’s support for a two-state solution. This government’s support for peace and security in the region.

Tink stands up to make a point of order, but Albanese decides he has concluded his answer. Tink makes her point anyway.

My point of order is disrespect.

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Updated at 23.11 EST

Allegra Spender has taken a stand against dixers, for which we salute her:

Point of order on standing order 75 which is irrelevant and tedious repetition. The point is, I now know, I now know how the tax cuts are going to affect almost every in this country and almost every sector of this community. I think these tax cuts are important but there are many other issues facing this country at the moment. And I think that they deserve to have that airing as well.

The teals have been trying to clean up question time by making clear the standing orders each day. Some would claim this observation as an “exclusive” that the teals are working together despite being independents, but others would realise that a group of people who campaigned on very similar platforms, and who agree on a lot of those principles would, of course, work together when it suited them and their electorates.

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Updated at 23.03 EST

Nationals MP Sam Birrell:

Last year the minister showed off Australia’s first EV ute, the LDV eT60. A ute that would cost struggling tradies an extra $46,000. Is the true the maximum range of this ute is 300km, but only if it’s empty? Is it also true if the back of the ute is fully loaded up, the maximum range drops to 150km?

Chris Bowen:

I wasn’t intending to comment on the price of any particular model but the member has really tempted me and I’m going to take up his offer. Because I’m going to, the honourable member asked me about the LDV eT60 electric ute. I will refer to him an article which says, “LDV eT60 electric ute now cheaper than its diesel twin, but only in New Zealand.” Why is it cheaper in New Zealand but not in Australia? New Zealand has vehicle efficiency standards. Australia does not.

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Updated at 23.28 EST

Did you know that the first mobile phone call was made in 1973?

Today, according to the Smithsonian, there are more mobile phones than people on earth.

The first commercially available mobile phones cost about AUD$18,000 (adjusted for inflation).

By the time most people in Australia began to seriously take up mobile phones in the 90s, you were charged by the character for a text message (changing language forever).

And now? It’s just part of life. And because of that, it became cheaper.

But for some reason (Dunkley, Dunkley, Dunkley) we are having to endure the most ridiculous argument since the $100 lamb roast about fuel efficient vehicles.

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Updated at 22.54 EST

Greens MP Stephen Bates has the next question:

Right now our country is burning from bushfires fuelled by coal and gas, threatening lives and communities.

So as the climate crisis gets worse, why is Labor trying to fast-track massive new gas projects with a bill that overrides environment laws, and why is one of Labor’s first acts since the voice referendum a bill that weakens First Nations power to oppose massive new climate bombs on their land and sea country?

Madeleine King:

Contrary to what you’ve just said, which is not true, the bill does not give me any – pardon me, what the member has said is not true.

The bill before the house does not provide me powers to override any approvals whatsoever. It includes a technical amendment allowing the government to adopt future recommendations of an offshore environmental management review and it should come to no surprise to anyone in this house that if a government undertakes the review that we might seek, a government might seek to indeed implement some recommendations of that review.

No surprises there. So this is what this bill enables us to work and implement recommendations of the review, a review which is being undertaken as we speak.

It might come as a surprise to the member to know that the Greens currently did forward a bill to try and do something similar but not the same.

They’re not any party of government. They would have to make exactly the same changes to the existing offshore regulations to implement what they want to implement.

In that respect, you’d be in the same boat as the government is or any future government would be to do any such changes to those regulations. It might be worth having a bit of a look at that and getting some more knowledge in your own mind, for your own sense of understanding of what the offshore regulations are.

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Updated at 22.50 EST

There is another ridiculous question on EV utes and “breaking even” on them (how does anyone break even on a petrol car? What world are we in?)

I refer to the minister’s last answer. Can the minister confirm the ute owner would need to own the vehicle for 33 years to break even?

What does that even mean? If I buy a Toyota HiLux and put $2.08/L of diesel into it, how am I ever breaking even? This is like listening to Old Baz who still sends chain emails written in Comic Sans and thinks Benny Hill was the pinnacle of comedy talk about the “woke agenda” at the pub.

(Your regular reminder that Taylor is a Rhodes scholar.)

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Updated at 22.45 EST