Australia politics live news: Covid vaccine booster shots approved; Morrison to push social media reform at G20; Tony Smith steps down as Speaker

Fiji’s prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, says he will push for high-emitting nations to halve emissions by 2030 at Glasgow, the “only goal” that can keep 1.5C warming alive:

Wilde says he still holds hope that what happened to Cleo Smith can be “resolved”:

We’ve got a very motivated team. I’m very hopeful and confident we’ll resolve this and find out what happened to Cleo. If anyone has information … there’s a million-dollar reward.

Come forward, give us that information, there’s a monetary reward there for you as well.

They look like they’ve got big ‘plans’ for the future.

FYI, we are waiting to hear from Detective Supt Rod Wilde at 6pm AEST regarding missing four-year-old Western Australian girl Cleo Smith.

Here’s more on that unreleased net zero emissions modelling from AAP. A consulting firm was paid more than $6m for analysis behind the federal government’s yet-to-be-released modelling for the 2050 target.

McKinsey and Company was awarded two separate contracts with the industry department for analysis underpinning the Coalition’s net zero assumptions relying partly on technology yet to be invented.

One contract was worth $4,864,750 for a technical analysis, while another $1,293,500 was awarded for follow-up work.

McKinsey’s work was used by the government to claim 62,000 mining and heavy industry jobs would be created while emissions fell to net zero.

Australia’s projected 30%-35% emissions cut on 2005 levels this decade assumes global warming of 2C above pre-industrial levels.

The industry department deputy secretary, Jo Evans, told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday modelling looked at what was needed to make priorities identified in the government’s “technology roadmap” cheaper.

These include controversial carbon capture and storage technology, hydrogen, long-duration energy storage and soil carbon:

We’re trying to understand the economic impacts of the global trends in demand for the products that are affected by countries choosing to pursue a 2C pathway.

She also said the modelling yet to be released by Scott Morrison was complete but still being worked into a form suitable for publication. It did not look at the economic impacts of climate change.

Instead, it examined how the global shift away from fossil fuels would affect Australia:

We’re trying to understand the economic impacts of the global trends in demand for the products that are affected by countries choosing to pursue a 2C pathway.

The technology roadmap and emissions cuts to date would get Australia 60% of the way to net zero, the government says.

“Global technology trends” and “further technology breakthroughs” are listed as making up another 30% of emissions cuts, with domestic and international offsets to close the remaining gap.

The industry department secretary, David Fredericks, said the “base case” behind the modelling was cabinet in confidence.

Morrison told parliament the modelling would be released “in the next few weeks”.

On the topic of storms, keep an umbrella handy in Melbourne tonight.

Nationals MP Bridget McKenzie and NSW minister for police and emergency services David Elliot have released a joint statement on disaster assistance for the LGA of Oberon following severe snow storms in August.

Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

McKenzie said the severe storm caused widespread damage in the area:

Strong winds and heavy snowfalls generated by the storm caused significant disruption to the Oberon community, with all roads closed due to snow or fallen trees. Numerous schools were closed, which would have brought significant distress to the community.

A range of practical assistance measures are now available through DRFA to help families and individuals to get back on their feet and to support the Oberon Council to repair and restore important public assets.

The funds will go towards costs associated with “operational response” and repairing damaged “essential public assets”, as well as individual grants to replace household contents or repair homes.

Thanks as ever to the unparalleled Amy Remeikis for keeping us informed and entertained on the blog. I’ll be with you for the rest of the night.

The house of representatives has adjourned – it won’t sit again until 22 November, which is the start of the last two weeks of parliament for this year.

Scott Morrison is about to leave the country, Barnaby Joyce will be acting prime minister and the rush to the Canberra airport has begun.

It’s been another strange few weeks in federal politics. The government is very happy to move on from focusing on the pandemic, and whatever it is we are calling ‘normal’ now, with the election campaign well and truly underway. No matter when you think the election will be, the countdown is on – it has to be held by 21 May (unless Morrison decides to do just a half senate election, which is very, very unlikely) and so you are all about to be bombarded with messages.

Morrison is hoping everyone gets reunited at Christmas once the borders are down, and with that memories of much of the last few years – and the federal government response – will be forgotten. So much happens, that it can be hard to keep track – it hasn’t even been a month since Gladys Berejiklian resigned as NSW premier – and the PM will be counting on people being pretty fuzzy on the details once we hit summer.

So that’s ahead of you. We’ll be bringing you all the news in between, as well as following up those issues the government wants ignored – but it is also important that everyone take their own breaks from the information deluge. There is a lot more coming before this year ends, and it is important you don’t burn yourselves out, especially after everything you have been asked to keep track of over the last 20 months.

Thank you to Mike Bowers, Murph (who is part of the travelling journalist pool with the PM, so you won’t miss a thing), Sarah Martin, Daniel Hurst and Paul Karp who are all still at their desks making sense of this day.

And of course, to all of the Guardian Australia staff who don’t all get the bylines, but work just as hard in keeping everyone safe and informed.

It’s back to general political news for me for the next couple of weeks – I’ll be back on the blog when parliament sits again, and of course, the Australia live blog will be back from tomorrow, with its broader focus on all things Australian news – I appreciate you all for sticking with the political deluge I press upon you.

Because as always, you, our readers, are the beating heart of the blog projects, and we couldn’t do this without you. Thanks for joining us for another couple of weeks, and please make sure you are taking all the time you need to adjust to this new normal. The reopening has to happen but it doesn’t have to happen at the same speed for everyone. The pandemic isn’t over – vaccines mean how we respond to it has changed – but it doesn’t mean we have forgotten.

Caitlin Cassidy will take you through what is left of the evening. Have fun – and please – take care of you.

As parliament is winding down, MPs are giving their final speeches. Here is part of one from Andrew Giles:

Today there are 46 people detained at the Park Hotel, refugees and people who’ve sought asylum.

46 more than there should be.

21 of these vulnerable people have covid.

21 more than should have.

This is awful – and it simply should not have happened.

Places like the Park Hotel aren’t safe places for them to be, especially during this pandemic.

This is hardly a secret, and it’s something that I raised with then Minister Tudge in March last year. March last year.

Let’s remember that the human beings in the Park Hotel are there because they were unwell.

At least 14 people in the Park Hotel are immunocompromised and at a heightened risk.

Our duty of care to them was to keep them safe and get them better.

We have failed, profoundly. Failed these men and failed a wider test.

Australians are better than this – I don’t just think this, I know it. Every day during this pandemic we’ve seen demonstrations of our concern and care for those around us.

Informed by a sense of decency, and responsibility – and a recognition that covid hones in on of vulnerability. But not from the Morrison-Joyce government.

Where is the policy rationale for this cruelty? How is it that some have been released from APOD detention, but not others – when we’ve known for so long of the inherent dangers?

How can it be that vaccination rates amongst detainees are so low, given their vulnerabilities?

Only 64% of people in the immigration detention network have received their first dose of the vaccine – almost 30% lower than the general Victorian population.

What’s been done to work with these men, and their trusted advisers, to encourage vaccination?

Keeping people who are in our care safe is – or should be – non-negotiable.

This can’t continue. These men have been through so much, and now they must be so scared.

For no reason – save for a series of unacceptable failures by this government.

Who still, as I stand here now, won’t accept their responsibility.

For what they’ve done, and for what they’ve failed to do – provide decent care to human beings in need.

As a refugee in the Park Hotel said: “we are not just speaking about a visa, we are speaking about our lives”.

So what does acting prime minister Barnaby Joyce mean?

Well, we got a taste of it today. Joyce will use the coming week to sell his side of ‘The Plan’ – which has involved playing both sides. He is Schrodinger’s supporter – both for and against it – and it’s going to be a busy week for the Liberals as they try and keep all the rhetoric on track.

The PM is preparing to leave the country – in just hours, Barnaby Joyce will be acting prime minister for a week:

(Scott Morrison’s statement)

I will travel to Rome for the G20 Leaders’ Summit on 30-31 October and to Glasgow for the World Leaders’ Summit at Cop26 on 1-2 November.

I will be accompanied by the Hon Angus Taylor MP, Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction.

These important international meetings come as the world has reached a critical point in our health response and economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and our collective effort to address the challenges of climate change.

In Rome, G20 leaders will discuss action to ensure equitable access to safe and effective vaccines and to strengthen global health governance to prevent future pandemics.

We will also discuss how to achieve a sustainable and resilient recovery, including advancing the G20 agenda on debt sustainability, high quality infrastructure investment, gender equality, and women’s workforce participation.

The G20 also has a key role in ensuring we can fully harness the benefits of increased digitalisation during the recovery. I look forward to raising how we can enhance confidence in the digital environment, including by ensuring it is safe and secure for users.

Cop26 will be crucial in the global effort to address the challenges of climate change. I look forward to supporting prime minister Johnson, as host of Cop26, to achieve our Paris Agreement objectives and collaborate to collectively deliver net zero emissions by 2050.

Additionally, I will use this opportunity to meet bilaterally with key partners.

Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce will be acting prime minister during the period of October 28 to November 4.

Patricia Karvelas: Pauline Hanson says the voter identification legislation was a condition of her support for another vote. Is this true?

Simon Birmingham:

I’m not aware of that being the case, I am certainly aware as I said that the Joint Standing Committee on electoral matters recommended this action be taken after the 2015 and 2019 elections.

PK: If she said that, is she not saying the truth?

SB: I’m not aware of…

PK: You wouldn’t be aware because you are the leader of the government in the Senate?

SB:

Not necessarily, Pauline has discussions with various member for the government on various bells and issues, this could have been proposed as an amendment to other pieces of legislation, this is something the government was looking at responding to in relation to those Parliamentary committee reports we received.

Simon Birmingham is on Afternoon Briefing, doing his best to sell ‘The Plan’:

Patricia Karvelas: What is the difference between and the 35% pledge [2030]?

SB:

The commitment under the Paris Agreement, there is a detailed nationally determined process you go through and Australia will be updating its NDC as part of that.

There are longer-term commitments outlined as part of the structure of that Paris Agreement as countries engage, and Australia will be making a longer term commitment in terms of the net zero commitment by 2050.

PK: Why not make this 35% a nationally determined pledge?

SB: We are as part of our updated NDC outlining indeed that we made a commitment and how we are tracking against that commitment – extraordinarily well to meet and be the commitment.

PK: Is that 35% a pledge?

SB: Well, it is showing what Australia is doing.

PK: Is that a pledge?

SB: That is the reality. The reality is within a pledge.

PK: So it isn’t a pledge?

SB: I think reality – if it is a game of poker, reality trumps a pledge.

PK: And why not make it a pledge as well? I pledge lots of things and then I make them a reality because it is a part of a pledge.

SB: I don’t know why you want to take us into a word game.

PK: I am not being silly, I want to explain for my viewer so that they understand. If you pledge you are saying, I am going to make that happen…I am just saying that it will happen, I hope it happens, you are saying, I commit to it happening.

SB: The pledge we’re making is driving the reality, and the important part of the pledge is the pledge we are investing some public money, driving some further $60bn plus of private money across the years to 2030 into the technologies enabling us to achieve lower emissions, and will enable the rest of the world to achieve lower emissions.

Sounds like things are getting quite estimate-y