Simon Rouse

The Australian Greens do not want you to see these documents! Many Australians are aware of the serious questions surrounding Senator Payman’s eligibility to sit in the Senate due to her dual citizenship status. Earlier this year, I gave the Prime Minister the opportunity to address this matter. He chose to take no action and instead protected Senator Payman. As a result, I followed Senate procedure, writing to the Senate President and asking her to refer this matter to the Senate Standing Committee on Senators' Interests for an urgent inquiry and report. The Labor Senate President ruled that she would not refer this matter to the committee. Her interpretation of an existing resolution means that, despite the lack of evidence provided by Senator Payman that she took the steps required under law to renounce her foreign citizenship, she will not be referred to the committee. Once again, Senator Payman is being protected by Labor. As this correspondence is not automatically made public, I sought leave to have it tabled in the Senate. Leave was granted by Labor and the Coalition but denied by the Greens. It seems they too are protecting Senator Payman. However, I have never been one to let obstacles stop me from doing what is right. This is why I have submitted a motion for tomorrow that allows the Senate to bypass the President’s ruling and make its own decision on whether Senator Payman's eligibility should be investigated. Unlike the Greens, I have no interest in hiding this apparent protection racket. Senator Payman is likely using her position in the Senate to automatically register a political party, one that may influence the outcome of the next federal election. And yet, Senator Payman may be ineligible to sit in the Senate. The Prime Minister’s failure to take the appropriate action risks undermining the integrity of our elections and the confidence of the Australian people in the integrity of our parliament. Tomorrow, the Senate will vote to have Senator Payman investigated, and I urge everyone to pay close attention to which politicians vote to keep this shameful protection racket going.

🇦🇺 AUSTRALIAN SENATE REJECTS 'FACIST' SOCIAL MEDIA MISINFORMATION BILL Australian Senate votes to withdraw a social media misinformation bill originally introduced by Labor Party Communications Minister Michelle Rowland. The bill would have given the Australian Communications and Media Authority unvetted power to fine platforms up to 5% of their global revenue if they didn’t comply with their censorship request. Elon commented on the bill in September, calling it ‘Fascist.’ Source: Reuters