Ciccone, a federal Senator from Victoria, held his 10-week-old son inside the chamber on Wednesday during Question Time. 

“I had a memorable day yesterday when baby Ciccone spent time with me while I was working in the Senate chamber,” Ciccone said.

“More fathers should have the opportunity to take their child to work wherever possible.”

Ciccone thanked his parliamentary colleagues for creating such a “family-friendly environment” in the Senate. He noted the day was particularly memorable as it also marked the second anniversary of the Set the Standard report, which was instrumental in making parliament a more inclusive place to work. 

Conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission and led by the former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, the report was the culmination of an independent review into commonwealth parliamentary workplaces.

Ciccone also shared a photo of himself, his son and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, writing: “Great to start the week by introducing the newest member of the Ciccone family to the Prime Minister @AlboMP and colleagues today.”

Ciccone’s milestone as the first father to bring their baby to the Senate follows a precedent set by Senator Larissa Waters, who was the first federal politician to breastfeed their baby in parliament, back in 2017. Prior to that, it had not been generally accepted for babies to enter parliamentary chambers.

Indeed it wasn’t until 2016 that parliamentary rules were changed to enable female MPs to breastfeed in the chamber. Children had previously been banned from entering during divisions.

And while it is still rare for a parent to bring their baby into work with them in parliament, it is slowly becoming more accepted. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sparked international attention when she brought her child, Neve, to the United Nations General Assembly in 2018.

It’s also significant that it is no longer just female politicians who are bringing their babies to work. Ciccone’s milestone this week will play a role in normalising it for fathers too.

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After Senator Hanson was issued a temporary gag order in the Senate on Wednesday, Senator Faruqi from the Greens Party reminded the Senate of the importance of taking action against racism and discriminatory language.

“Words don’t matter unless we hold people accountable,” Faruqi said.

“That is how we set the standard in this place – by holding people accountable for what comes out of their mouths, especially language which is a racial slur.”

Earlier, Faruqi’s fellow Greens Senator Larissa Waters made a speech to the Senate, condemning Hanson’s remarks directed at Faruqi, who was born in Pakistan, on Monday.

“On Monday evening in this chamber, in the course of debate on the counterterrorism bill, Senator Hanson’s contribution was awash with racist language, including some despicable race based personal remarks about Senator Faruqi that should be withdrawn and that Senator Hanson should apologise for,” Waters said.

The Queensland Greens Senator was referring to Hanson’s comments, where she told Faruqi: “If you don’t see yourself as loving this country and abiding by the laws of the country, I have no problem. I will actually take you to the airport and put you on a plane and wave you away.”

Waters said the remark was a breach of the behavioural code of the Senate and was a “personal reflection” of another Senator.

“It is tantamount to saying ‘Go back to where you came from,’ as if Senator Faruqi is not an Australian, as if Senator Faruqi is not a citizen of this country, as if she is not an elected representative for the people of New South Wales,” Waters said.

“People of colour deserve to feel safe and welcome in this country and not have the likes of Senator Hanson say foul and racially discriminatory things which amount to ‘Go back to where you came from.’ 

“There is no place for this kind of hateful language here or anywhere in this country.”

The President of the Senate, Sue Lines, asked Hanson several times to withdraw her comments, which Hanson at the time refused to do.

In response, Lines used her discretion to issue a rare temporary gag order to Hanson, prohibiting Hanson from speaking in the Senate until she has reviewed her comments.

In May this year, Senator Faruqi launched a lawsuit against Hanson for a racist tweet directed at her last year. Faruqi wants Hanson to donate $150,000 to charity and to post a public tweet acknowledging that her language was offensive.

Hanson withdraws comments amid blistering statements

Women’s Agenda understands Hanson has now withdrawn “any remarks considered unparliamentary this week”.

As reported by The Guardian, Senator Hanson returned to the near-empty Senate chamber at around 7:15pm on Wednesday night, announcing: “I withdraw any remarks considered unparliamentary this week.”

This means her temporary gag order has been lifted and Hanson is no longer at risk of being censored by the Senate.

Senator Faruqi released a statement on Thursday, hoping this week has sent “a strong message to Senator Hanson that she cannot continue to make this parliament an unsafe workplace for people like me day in, day out”.

“If Parliament is to be a safe workplace, then it needs to set a standard that any form of bigotry and racism are unacceptable,” Faruqi said.

The Senate’s president Sue Lines and the deputy president, Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan, also issued a rare joint statement, saying “unparliamentary language” no longer has “any place in this senate”.

“We have a strong view that Senators must take responsibility for their actions and their words,” the statement read said.

“Of course, we do have standing orders which ensure that highest standards are upheld. But ultimately what is said and done in this space is the responsibility of each and every senator.

“We urge senators to always withdraw any language and actions which offend others and to do so willingly.”

Women’s Agenda contacted Senator Hanson but she declined to comment.

PHOTO CREDIT: Instagram @mehreenfaruqi

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The inquiry would look into how people who menstruate are significantly impacted – health wise and financially – during the biological life stages. The Senate would also investigate the effects on the broader economy in Australia.

Senator Larissa Waters, the Greens leader in the Senate and the spokesperson for women, said it’s time for the needs of women to be heard and listened to.

“People experiencing physically and mentally debilitating menopause and perimenopause symptoms have for too long been forced to suffer in silence,” Senator Waters said.

“Women are sick of being invisible and their health needs neglected. We need good policy to address the economic, social and health impacts of peri and menopause.”

Around 32 per cent of women in Australia are currently experiencing symptoms they attribute to menopause, which severely affects day-to-day life for at least one quarter of Australian women aged between 45-64, according to data from Jean Hailes.

While menopause tends to happen between the ages of 45-60, perimenopause can begin as early as your 30s and last up to ten years.

“The financial impact of this can be profound, for women, as well as their employers and the economy, as many women at the peak of their career are leaving the workforce,” Senator Waters said.

More than 70 per cent of women going through menopause are employed, but research from Macquarie University estimates around 10 per cent of women leave work prematurely as a result of severe symptoms.

Menopause costs female workers more than $17 billion each year in lost salary and superannuation and can cost Australian businesses more than $10 billion annually, according to the Macquarie Business School.

Senator Waters said the solution to this gendered “financial burden” is evidence-based policies, including paid leave entitlements for people who experience painful periods and menopause. This can start with the Senate inquiry.

“Unions have already started campaigning on this issue, proposing a policy to give employees who have painful periods or menopause symptoms paid leave — similar to the family and domestic violence leave policy,” Senator Waters said.

“We also need more awareness both by GPs and by patients of the symptoms of peri and menopause, so that people know what treatments are available to them, and make them affordable.”

Senator Waters will move to establish the inquiry next week when parliament resumes. Once the inquiry is underway, women, health professionals, employers and experts will have the opportunity to submit and participate in the inquiry.

Last week, the NSW Government launched the Perimenopause and Menopause Toolkit, a free resource to raise awareness in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

The launch of the toolkit is part of a $37.3 million campaign over four years to improve access to advice and support for people experiencing severe symptoms of menopause.

PHOTO CREDIT: Supplied – Senator Larissa Waters

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The victory in the Georgia Senate runoff has secured a 51-seat majority for the Democrats in the Senate, after two years under a 50-50 divide with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote.

The win bolsters the Democrats’ power in the Senate and gives President Joe Biden a clear path for getting legislation through.  

Walker, a former football player, had been handpicked by Donald Trump. His loss in Georgia is damaging for the former president, who has seen many of his chosen candidates perform poorly at the ballot box during the midterms.

Warnock, the incumbent Democrat senator, won the Senate spot with overwhelming support from Black voters in Georgia, who account for one third of the electorate.

Claiming victory on Tuesday (US time), Warnock said: “It is my honour to utter the four most powerful words spoken in a democracy: The people have spoken.”

On Twitter, Vice President Kamala Harris congratulated Warnock on his win that will see him sit in the Senate for another six years.

“Georgia voters said they wanted a Senator who would fight for them – and made it a reality when they reelected @ReverendWarnock,” she wrote.

Walker’s candidacy had been defined by a series of accusations from his personal life, including being accused by two former girlfriends of paying for their abortions, despite his outspoken opposition to abortion rights. During the campaign he had supported an outright national ban on abortion. Walker denies the allegations from both women.

Walker’s ex-wife Cindy Grossman has also accused him of violent, threatening behaviour during their marriage. Her allegations featured in advertising run on television as part of Warnock’s campaign.

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It was confirmed today that Payman has won Western Australia’s sixth senate spot for the Labor Party. At just 27 years old, she will also become the first Afghan-Australian to enter federal parliament.

Payman arrived in Australia as a refugee from Afghanistan when she eight, and grew up in Perth’s northern suburbs with her family.

The confirmation of her election to the senate will see Labor holding 26 seats.

Payman has said her father, who worked as a kitchen hand, a security guard and a taxi driver after arriving in Australia as a refugee, instilled in her the values of hard work and perseverance, and she’d like to be able to represent hard working Australians like her father.

Payman has a professional background as an organiser at the United Workers Union.

Her election to parliament builds on the diversity of the new Albanese government, that recently appointed Australia’s first ever Muslim cabinet ministers, Anne Aly and Ed Husic.

The final count of the senate has now been confirmed, with Labor holding 26 seats, the Greens holding 12, the Jacqui Lambie Network holding two, and independent David Pocock elected in the ACT. The Liberal and National parties will hold 32 seats when combined, One Nation will hold two seats, and the United Australia Party will hold one.

It was also confirmed on Monday morning that United Australia Party candidate Ralph Babet has won Victoria’s sixth senate spot.

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Her win means LNP senator Amanda Stoker has lost her seat and will depart politics, four years after she was selected to replace George Brandis.

With some of the final results of the Senate race coming in this week, it is also now clear that United Australia Party candidate, Ralph Babet, has been elected to Victoria’s sixth Senate spot.

Babet, a real estate agent from Melbourne, won the seat from Liberal Greg Mirabella, and is the only United Australia Party to win a seat this election.

The senate results so far have seen a shift away from the Coalition, with Labor potentially holding 26 seats, the Greens holding 12, the Jacqui Lambie Network holding 2, and independent David Pocock elected in the ACT.

The Liberal and National parties will hold 32 seats when combined, One Nation will hold 2 seats, and the United Australia party will hold 1.

The Centre Alliance’s Rex Patrick and Stirling Griff have both lost their seats in South Australia, after the Greens and the Liberal Party each picked up a seat.

Western Australia’s final count is still to be declared, but it looks like Labor’s Fatima Payman is likely to pick up the final and sixth senate spot.

While the overall senate results have not been officially declared by the Australian Electoral Commission, it is clear that the Senate will continue to be dominated by women, as it was during the previous parliament.

There could be up to 56 per cent women in the senate in the 47^th parliament. Meanwhile, Senator Penny Wong has been confirmed as the government’s Senate leader.

According to the ABC’s election analyst Antony Green, the Labor party will need the support of the Greens and at least one other crossbench member to pass legislation in the senate. In this scenario, ACT independent David Pocock’s vote will be crucial, as will the votes of Jacqui Lambie and her new senate colleague Tammy Tyrrell.

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Unlike other former PMs like Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott, and even Paul Keating, we haven’t seen her get involved in policy debates or commentary up till now.

However, Gillard showed there’s an issue she’s willing to stick her neck out for before we cast votes next weekend: The endorsement of ACT Labor Senate candidate and Shadow Finance Minister, Katy Gallagher.

In a letter to ACT residents as well as a recorded video, Gillard noted her recent reluctance to “talk about politics” but said Gallagher deserved the continuing support of Canberrans.

“There’s been a lot of talk about independents recently,” Gillard said. “What our federal parliament needs is more strong, experienced women. And that’s why I believe the choice you face this election matters so much.”

She added that Canberra voters “have the opportunity to make sure we keep one of our best, brightest and strongest women in the Senate”.

“Katy Gallagher is more than just a good friend to me, she is a strong advocate for the values that matter to Canberrans,” she said. “That’s why I would encourage you to ask yourself this question before you cast your vote – can I really risk losing someone like Katy from the Senate? To me, the answer is clear, and that’s why I’m asking you to put Katy Gallagher number 1 on the Senate ballot paper”.

Gallagher is a popular Senator in the ACT, and for the past 50 years, the two ACT Senate spots have only been held by the Labor and Liberal parties.

In 2022 however, two high profile Independents are contesting spots, with former rugby union star and lawyer, David Pocock barrelling ahead in popularity. Constitutional law professor, Kim Rubenstein is also well known in the nation’s capital. They’re vying to replace the Liberal incumbent, Zed Seselja.

Pocock told The Guardian recently that his impetus to run stemmed from seeing so many Canberra residents ignored. “We are such a safe seat, as a result of that we’ve had a huge underinvestment in infrastructure” he said.

Both Gallagher and Pocock support Canberra’s transition to 100 percent renewable energy as well as a federal anti-corruption body– two issues front and centre for ACT voters ahead of next weekend’s vote.

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Caro, who has long been a fierce advocate for gender equity, announced on Thursday she will be chasing a NSW Senate seat at the upcoming election.

“There’s a point at which you have to put your money where your mouth is, and I think we’re going in the wrong direction in this country,” Caro said on Sunrise on Thursday morning. “So it’s time for me to stand up and do something about it, if I can.”

“If not me, who else? It may as well be me, so I’m doing it.”

Caro is running with the Reason Party, on a platform of climate change action, equality of opportunity for all, particularly for women, improving public education and public health funding, as well as evidence-based, secular government policy.

“It’s time to get shit done and stop electing governments who don’t believe in governments,” she posted on her official Facebook page on Thursday morning.

Caro has been a well-known advocate for many decades, and has become a household name for many Australians with frequent media appearances. She is the author of multiple books, both fiction and non-fiction. Her next book, The Mother, will be published in March 2022.

She has served on the boards of The Song Company and Bell Shakespeare, and is currently on the board of The Public Education Foundation.

You can find out more about Jane Caro’s candidacy here.

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The government had originally wanted to make current trials at Ceduna in South Australia, the East Kimberly and Goldfields regions of Western Australia, and Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region in Queensland permanent.

Instead, the cashless debit card scheme was extended at these “trial” sites for another two years, and people in the Northern Territory will be given the option of moving from the BasicsCard to the Cashless Debit Card, instead of being forced to do so.

These last-minute amendments put forward by Social Services Minister Anne Ruston were enough to satisfy Senator Griff. He abstained from the voting, giving the government the numbers they needed to pass the legislation.

Senator Griff did not explain his decision to abstain from voting, despite his previous opposition to the bill. His Centre Alliance colleague Rebekha Sharkie had earlier voted against making the scheme permanent in the House of Representatives. It was reported that Senator Griff left parliament long before the final vote.

Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said that the Centre Alliance’s decision to “back out at the last minute is just heartbreaking and unforgiveable”. She said it was a “shameful, dirty deal”.

For @MakeMayoMatter & @Stirling_G to back out at the last minute is just heartbreaking and unforgivable.

This is a shameful dirty deal.

I am so sorry that this card is continuing.

— Rachel Siewert (@SenatorSiewert) December 9, 2020

Senator Griff has since said there was “nothing sinister” in his decision to abstain from voting.

Labor, the Greens and independents senators Jacqui Lambie and Rex Patrick opposed the bill.

While Senator Lambie acknowledged there were people who have benefited from the cashless card, she said she was “washing my hands of this policy”. In years past, she had shown support for the card but now says it’s not delivering results.

“There are people who feel the pain of this policy failure, by being forced onto this card without getting any benefit from it,” she said.

We've been at the cashless debit card for years, but it's still not delivering the results. The Government keeps saying, "give it time, it's getting there." But sooner or later, you've got to call it. pic.twitter.com/4VNTUtcRJY

— Jacqui Lambie (@JacquiLambie) December 9, 2020

The cashless debit card scheme quarantines 80 per cent of an individual’s social security payments to a cashless card, which cannot be used to buy alcohol, illegal substances, gambling products or to withdraw cash. 

Only 10 of the 132 submissions to a Senate inquiry into the scheme supported the cashless card, and there is a host of research that suggests the theory behind the card does not work, and disproportionately targets Indigenous people.

The card was originally proposed as a recommendation in mining billionaire Andrew Forrest’s 2014 National Indigenous Jobs and Training Review and was lobbied for by the business and political elite.

Independent Senator Rex Patrick did not support the legislation, and said the government failed to provide any data that showed the scheme was effective. In the absence of data from the government, Senator Patrick said he visited and consulted with the communities effected by the scheme.

“On balance I can’t support the card. It doesn’t do what it’s intended to do. It causes too much harm. After weighing everything up, I’m not convinced,” he said.

Prior to the final vote, Northern Territory Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said the crossbench should not “reward a government who has been lazy, inefficient and abrogated the responsibilities of this Senate in having the right kind of evidence”.

“The Cashless Debit Card legislation is wrong. It is unjust. It is racist. It and un-Australian. It is a complete abrogation of the Morrison Government’s responsibility to do its job properly and listen to Australians,” she said.

Labor’s Linda Burney said the card was “structurally racist”, with two thirds of participants being First Nations people and 83 per cent in the Northern Territory. She said it was also clear the government is planning to roll out the card nationally.

“The Gov just confirmed it has spent $3m on tech-fixes for the Cashless Debit Card,” she said. “And they’ve set up a working group with the big four banks, the supermarkets and Australia Post.”

“The only reason to do this is if you’re planning a national rollout.”

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The government’s Cashless Debit Card almost fell apart on Wednesday night.

Senator Rex Patrick’s refusal to support the government’s plans to make the scheme permanent gave some hope that this expensive, ideological and cruel policy would end.

Yet in the final Senate vote, it was revealed that Centre Alliance had reached an understanding with the government.

The trail at four sites outside the Northern Territory would be extended by another two years and people in the Territory would be given the option of moving from the green BasicsCard to the silver Cashless Debit Card (known searingly in East Kimberley as the “white” card).

Centre Alliance’s Stirling Griff abstained from voting in order to give the government the numbers.

On one hand, the government failed to make the cashless debit card permanent.

On the other, the government can continue to subject people to the card and use the Northern Territory as cover to continue to spend public money setting up the infrastructure needed to roll it out nationally.

Only 10 per cent of the 132 submissions to the latest Senate inquiry backed the extension.

Two more years of income quarantining

People opposing the Cashless Debit Card have peer-reviewed research on their side finding that by limiting access to cash and restricting what people can use money for, compulsory income management can cause problems from hardship, stigma to the reduction of birth weight in babies.

The trials underway in the East Kimberley and Goldfields regions of Western Australia, the Ceduna region of South Australia and the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region in Queensland direct 80% of each welfare payment to a card for use on essentials such as food and clothes, leaving only 20% which can be accessed as cash.

The green Territory BasicsCard was introduced in 2007 as part of the Howard government’s 2007 Northern Territory Emergency Response, made possible by the temporary suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act.

The silver cashless debit card came about as a key recommendation in mining billionaire Andrew Forrest’s 2014 National Indigenous Jobs and Training Review.

Both compulsory income management programs disproportionately target First Nations people.

The government avoids acknowledging this by saying they are targeting places rather than people, but that doesn’t change the fact that in the East Kimberley for example, 82% of the people in trial are First Nations people.

Real community support?

Throughout the debate in the Senate, politicians campaigning for the card referred to “community support”. Senators said that the “community was consulted” and that the “community had asked for the card”.

The truth is that rather than being a local initiative, both cards were developed by and lobbied for by Australia’s political and business elite.

The Northern Territory Emergency Response was heavy handed and involved the use of the military.

The Cashless Debit Card involved power of another sort, using sweeteners of much needed funding for starved services. One community was told it might miss out on funds if it didn’t support the card.

Decisions, then consultation

The limited consultation that followed has been more like select information sessions aimed at selling the card, flying in the face of what ought to be an indigenous right to free, prior and informed consent.

Real community participation, let alone self-determination, might have led to the experiment being aborted.

The government picked people to speak on behalf of the communities affected and claimed their views were representative. The views of people who opposed the card or had been forced to endure it were given less prominence.

It seemed disturbingly out of the settler colonial playbook – divide and conquer.

More than A$1 billion has been spent on compulsory income management to date without credible evidence that it works.

And yet the government is persisting.

This rubbishing of the public policy process needs to stop and the political and business elite need to get out of the way to allow genuine self-determined community development to flourish.

Elise Klein, Senior Lecturer, Australian National University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Voting against the Government’s proposed legislation to hike up uni fees, Lambie said “we aren’t living in the land of opportunity yet” and that many Australian kids in regional areas were being left behind.

“I’ll be damned if I vote to tell those rural and regional areas of Tasmania that they deserve to have their opportunities suffocated in a way they’d never even know. I’m not doing it, I’ll never do that,” she said vehemently shaking her head.

“I don’t care what you offer. You can offer me a billion bucks for Tasmania, but I won’t sell out our kids.”

“I refuse to be the vote that tells poor kids out there, those sitting on that fine line, that no matter how gifted, no matter how determined you are, you might as well dream a little cheaper. Because you can’t afford it.”

If you haven’t already watched, do yourself a favour:

It wasn’t like I chose not to go to uni. I don’t remember ever making that choice. Growing up like I did, where I did, you didn’t see it as an option.

Uni was for other people. Other people who don’t live in public housing, with dads who don’t drive trucks. pic.twitter.com/W4soKOJ1sy

— Jacqui Lambie (@JacquiLambie) October 7, 2020

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When we turn on our tvs or radios or pick up the paper, we’re more likely to be faced with another partisan scandal or tale of corruption than anything that makes us truly proud of our elected representatives.

But sometimes, rarely, there are notable and surprise exceptions.

When Jacqui Lambie entered politics as a member of the now derailed Palmer United Party in 2013, she was quickly dismissed as an unruly outsider. Prone to angry outbursts, Lambie was impulsive and seemingly ill-prepared for the rigours of political life.

By her own admission she was a “bloody wrecking ball”- perhaps symptomatic of how badly she sought to propel change and shape fairer policy in Australia.

As a single mother from a gravely disadvantaged background, Lambie’s perspective was markedly different from most others sitting atop Canberra’s Capital Hill.

Her openness in speaking about her story- her struggles with mental health, her son’s ice addiction, her troubled marriage- was a refreshing and sometimes disarming change from the overly manufactured responses we come to expect from politicians.

But she was also unpredictable, volatile- the risk of implosion never far from anyone’s minds.

When she was forced to depart politics in 2017 after being caught up in the citizenship scandal, she acknowledged and took accountability for such public perception.

“I just had no idea what I was doing. I’d come from 10 years, basically, between the bed and the couch and a couple of years in a psych unit. I thought I was fine. When I look back, I think: ‘well, actually, you weren’t bloody fine'”.

Her stint out of Parliament however, was potentially her biggest saving grace.

It’s hard to imagine that any of the major parties expected Lambie to make the comeback she did. But when she re-entered the Senate earlier this year, there’s no denying a new resolve was clear. Lambie’s mission was to hold colleagues to account while acting on her own agenda.

Unlike others sitting in the chambers, Lambie is deeply reflective about the pitfalls of her past. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s that you need to keep the doors open,” she said earlier this year.

Certainly, in recent policy debates, she’s held to that line.

Open-minded and strategic in her negotiations with all major parties, Lambie has secured some momentous wins in just a short timeframe.

In September for instance, the Federal Housing Minister, Michael Sukkar agreed to write-off Tasmania’s public housing debt of roughly $230 million after Lambie agreed to support the Government’s income tax cuts package in the Senate in return.

She also held firm on her rejection of drug testing for all Newstart applicants- a controversial policy proposed initially by the Turnbull government.

Now, her latest play, regarding the proposal to scrap Medevac legislation, shows just how far Lambie has come as an effective and measured politician.

On Wednesday afternoon she publicly recognised the government’s objections to Medevac laws which give doctors greater autonomy in deciding whether refugees from offshore detention be moved to Australia for medical treatment.

But in a press release, the Senator stressed she would refrain from backing a repeal of Medevac if other conditions (currently not stipulated) weren’t met.

“I support the government’s position on Operation Sovereign Borders”, it read.

“I do not believe this position is undermined by the presence of medevac. But the government has made clear to me that it has concerns with the way that medevac is functioning. I recognise those concerns.

In recognition, I have proposed to the Government the only condition on which I will support the repeal of the Medevac legislation.

If that condition is met, I will vote in favour of the repeal of Medevac.

If that condition is not met, I will oppose the repeal of Medevac.”

STATEMENT ON MEDEVAC

In light of considerable community interest in my position on the Government’s legislation to repeal the Medevac provision, including the thousands of Australians who have petitioned me directly, I wish to outline my final position on the bill.#auspol pic.twitter.com/Ink1iBU4cn

— Jacqui Lambie (@JacquiLambie) November 27, 2019

While she’s yet to reveal what her condition is, most speculate that it’s to have the government accept New Zealand’s resettlement offer of taking 150 refugees currently languishing on Nauru. It’s an option so far rejected by the Coalition Government despite wide public support.

Clearly rattled, the government has remained quiet over Lambie’s ultimatum, with Peter Dutton telling 2GB Radio, it wasn’t something he could “comment on publicly at the moment.”

“I think Jacqui can support the bill and I think she should support the bill,” he added.

But clearly, the ball is very much in Jacqui Lambie’s court.

Irrespective of political persuasion, there’s no denying the evolution of Lambie over the past six years. When she entered parliament, she was ridiculed- perhaps fairly so. Now however, she’s consulting widely, negotiating expertly and putting pressure on those at the top to do the same. In my eyes, that can only be viewed as positive.

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