Omnibuses, Plebiscites and Mandates; a boring new world | Tuesday 30 August

We’re back for the first sitting week of the new parliament. Paula was unavailable, so this week Margo and Wes are joined by Dale Clisby, who mixes and edits the podcast each week and is also one of the co-hosts on Pidgin’s ‘A Troublesome Thought.’

We start by taking in what the government proposes to pass in the next few weeks, namely the $6.5 omnibus bill that springs from its as yet unconsummated budget. Will Labor give it the rubber stamp, or are there some things - like the ARENA cuts or clean energy supplement for welfare recipients - that might hold the whole process up?

What’s in a mandate? The government has been claiming they have one since before the result was even confirmed in their favour… but is this just grandstanding? We wonder at whether anyone can claim a mandate if they can’t pass policy, and with the ABCC legislation - which was the alleged drive for the double dissolution election - potentially unlikely to pass, can a government with one majority lean on the opposition to pass its bills?

And finally, we turn again to the plebiscite, which now looks unlikely to pass both houses given both the Nick Xenophon Team and the Greens will block it, along with a cautious Labor. Should, as some commentators have argued, those in favour of same sex marriage allow it to pass so we actually see a change within the next three years, or is the argument likely to be too damaging to those in the LGBTQI who are supposed to be the beneficiaries of a “yes” vote? And why would Labor be hedging its bets on confirming it will block the legislation?

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