AM Agenda, Sky News – Japanese whaling; Labor’s soap opera; MP entitlements; Kevin Rudd’s failed border protection policies

  KIERAN GILBERT: With me on the program now for the rest of the day’s issues, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Ed Husic and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham. Gentlemen, before we start our discussion I want to play you a little of the closing arguments made by the Attorney-General, Mark…

Wong: carbon tax here to stay

  A senior Rudd Government minister has today confirmed the carbon tax is here to stay under Labor, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today.   Contrary to suggestions that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his new Minister for Climate Change, Mark Butler, are considering abandoning their carbon tax, Labor’s third most…

Doorstop interview, Parliament House, Canberra – Julia Gillard’s carbon tax; Gary Humphries; Labor’s soap opera

  SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Today in the House of Representatives the Coalition will move to stop Labor from increasing the carbon tax next year. Labor currently plans to increase its carbon tax by 5 per cent next [financial] year and to increase it again in 2014. They further plan to include Australia’s trucking industry in the…

Doorstop interview, Parliament House, Canberra – Coal seam gas; environmental regulation; Liberal Party; same-sex marriage

  SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Last night in the Senate, the Government rejected Coalition attempts to provide an option to streamline environmental laws as they relate to coal seam gas. Important new laws are passing the Parliament* as it relates to coal seam gas but the Coalition wants to make sure that we eliminate duplication between the…

AM Agenda, Sky News – Labor’s soap opera; federal election; the Government’s failed border protection policies

  KIERAN GILBERT: This morning, Labor leadership ‘take 20′ – in the face of dire polling around the country and immense pressure from Parliamentary and now union colleagues, powerbroker Bill Shorten’s understood to be reconsidering his support for Julia Gillard. His close ally Paul Howes from the Australian Workers’ Union this morning did express his…