Welcome back to your weekly federal politics update, where Courtney Gould gets you up to speed on the happenings from Parliament House.
asserted
Gould → welcome → House
An impassioned Jacqui Lambie struggled to get the words out as she shared details about the medical battle behind her five-month absence from Parliament House.
Six months ago, her vagina started to prolapse and three months later, she told the Senate, it took her "bladder with it" and required surgery.
asserted
it → struggle → surgery
Lambie said it was directly linked to her back injuries from her time serving in the army.
asserted
it → say → army
After hearing the story of female veteran Kate, who waited three years before she could find a gynaecologist "happy with the low prices [the Department of Veterans' Affairs] pay", Lambie took matters into her own hands.
uncertain
Lambie → hear → hands
Lambie says it's part of a broader issue with how the department treats female veterans and their health.
asserted
department → say → veterans
"I would like to ask the prime minister, minister [Richard] Marles, and minister [Matt] Keogh what they would do if their penises were hanging by a thread, and what they would do if treatment for that injury directly connected to their military service was denied by the Department of Veterans' Affairs," she said.
asserted
she → like → Affairs
Lambie used the speech to draw focus on the government's contentious proposed $5000 cap on veterans' allied health spending, which covers everything from chiropractors to physiotherapy.
asserted
which → use → physiotherapy
The cap was announced in the budget and is aimed at tackling dodgy providers.
asserted
cap → announce → providers
It doesn't come into effect until next year and the government argues that veterans will still be able to apply for more funding where it is clinically indicated.
asserted
it → come → funding
But veterans are sceptical about the department's ability to administer the cap.
asserted
veterans → administer → cap
Lambie's intervention came as the Coalition used Question Time to exploit the rift between the veterans' affairs minister and former defence personnel on the matter.
asserted
Coalition → come → matter
Keogh had initially knocked back a request to meet with The Coalition of Veterans' Voice, which is campaigning against the cap.
asserted
which → knock → cap
After pressure was applied, he conceded he'd "got it wrong" and sat down with them.
asserted
it → apply → them
He was later accused of rolling his eyes and crossing his arms during the meeting, a characterisation he rejected.
asserted
he → accuse → characterisation
The Coalition jumped on claims Keogh had disrespected veterans and called for him to be sacked.
uncertain
him → jump → veterans
Everything must go
asserted
Everything → go → ?
Lambie's speech cut through in a week where there was a lot going on.
asserted
speech → cut → week
A smorgasbord of deals saw the prime minister get a trio of inconvenient bills off his plate.
asserted
minister → see → plate
It was, as David Speers wrote this morning, a week of rare cooperation between the government and the opposition.
asserted
Speers → write → government
After striking an agreement with the Greens on negative gearing, the capital gains tax, and environment laws it was now the Coalition's turn.
asserted
it → strike → gearing
A bipartisan deal was struck on gambling advertising, which will result in the establishment of an opt-out register for online wagering ads.
asserted
which → strike → ads
How that would work, well, that's anyone's guess right now.
asserted
that → work → ?
The overhaul will be reviewed in three years' time, well after the next election.
asserted
overhaul → review → election
The debate was emotive across all sides of politics, especially for those who arrived in parliament at the same time as the late Labor MP Peta Murphy.
asserted
who → arrive → MP
She chaired the inquiry that led to the landmark report that called for online advertising and inducements to be banned completely.
asserted
advertising → chair → report
Her husband, Rod Glover, this week wrote on LinkedIn to say the reforms were limited due to the "considerable power of the gambling industry, major sporting codes and media organisations".
asserted
reforms → write → industry
Albanese was also willing to give the Coalition another win on the so-called "widow's tax" — an issue the opposition plucked from David Pocock to champion.
asserted
opposition → give → Pocock
The government says it was always going to patch up the unintended loophole left behind in its changes to negative gearing that removed the grandfathering arrangements in the case of inheritance or where a property was transferred by death or divorce.
asserted
property → say → death
But the fix was in the tranche of legislation it pushed out to later in the year.
asserted
it → push → year
Given nobody objected to its draft changes, Albanese said he it took him a "millisecond" to give the green light to put it on the fast-track after Angus Taylor issued an ultimatum to do so or else the Coalition would hold up the overhaul to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
asserted
Coalition → give → Scheme
Hanson continues to loom large
As much as this week was about the differentiation between what the major parties can achieve by cooperating and what One Nation is promising in protest, Pauline Hanson still hung heavy over debate.
asserted
Hanson → continue → debate
Her declaration that cash-strapped Australians struggling with the cost of living should be able to access their superannuation early was easy morning television fodder — and a fight for Jim Chalmers to jump on.
asserted
Chalmers → strap → fodder
The treasurer's office is in the much-coveted blue carpeted ministerial wing.
asserted
office → covet → wing
So, it's always curious to find him at the House of Representatives doors where reporters with cameras lay in wait to ask backbench MPs questions about the news of the day as they roll into work.
asserted
they → find → work
He declared the next election would be a referendum on super.
asserted
election → declare → super
It's a fight he's been wanting to have.
asserted
he → want → ?
And it's a fight that got quickly personal when Labor sent text messages to supporters taking aim at Hanson and Liberal senator Andrew Bragg (who also isn't shy in his opinions on super), while asking for a donation to the party.
asserted
who → get → party
Hanson said the treasurer was "full of sh**" while Bragg called him an "absolute loser".
asserted
Bragg → say → him
Meanwhile, a fight is also brewing over the tobacco excise.
asserted
fight → brew → excise
One Nation thinks it can wipe out the booming tobacco black market by cutting almost $30 off the cost of a packet of cigarettes — or slashing the excise by 75 per cent.
asserted
it → think → cent
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia