You have to wonder why we are here still having this conversation about a plebiscite on marriage equality when a majority of Australians support marriage equality, as has been demonstrated many times in much polling, but, more importantly, when a majority of parliamentarians here and in the other place also support marriage equality. 

Some commentators have been quick to champion the high vote for minor parties in this year’s election as inherently good for our politics. For them, minor parties offer a more wholesome, farmers market democracy than the supermarket democracy of the major parties.

Labor has confirmed that it will be putting One Nation last in every seat and every state this election. Labor has not made any preference deals with One Nation, and will put them last on every how to vote. Labor Senator Jenny McAllister said she was proud to put racism last.

Senator for NSW Jenny McAllister and Labor candidate Damian Wood have met with staff at Port Macquarie TAFE today to hear about the impact of the Abbott-Turnbull Government’s cuts to skills and training. The Liberals have cut $2.5 billion from skills and training over the past two years, including a $1 billion cut to apprentice programs and apprenticeship support.

Regional TAFEs like Port Macquarie have fewer students and less money, figures show. 

The Senate Inquiry into the Economic Security of Women in Retirement has found that if action is not taken now, women currently aged 25-29 will still face a less secure retirement than men of the same age when they retire in 2055. The Inquiry’s final report has been released today and provides 19 recommendations that, if implemented, would narrow the gap between men and women’s retirement security.  

Senior officials confirmed today that chaos and division at the heart of the Turnbull Government sabotaged outcomes from the 1 April COAG meeting and has driven a stake through the heart of Federation reform. Officials from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Treasury gave evidence that Malcolm Turnbull had been contemplating a plan for double taxation for months before the meeting – but didn’t bother to tell the states and territories, or even his own department.

We have heard this afternoon that there are some senators in this chamber who are concerned about tobacco taxes taking money out of people's pockets. On the Labor side, we are more concerned about tobacco taking years off people's lives. We heard a quite moving testimony from Senator Bilyk about the very personal cost that came about from tobacco-related disease.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations should never be put through the Government’s disastrous and mismanaged blanket tender process again, according to the final report of the Senate Inquiry into the Indigenous Advancement Strategy.

Safe Schools is an important program. The last parliamentary sitting showed perfectly why we need it –there remain some who refuse to acknowledge the challenges faced by young LGBTI students.