Politics wrap: May 16, 2013

.....given there were a few flapping ears about they probably didn't go into too many details.

The leader of the opposition, Tony Abbott, and his treasury spokesman, Joe Hockey, do some preparation work ahead of tonight's budget reply speech (to be delivered in Parliament at 7.30pm)......

National Party Senator and lower house aspirant Barnaby Joyce says he wouldn't "cry himself to sleep" if Tony Abbott supported the government's cuts to the baby bonus in his budget speech tonight.

A couple of other things to consider coming up to date with on this busy day:

* Defence correspondent David Wroe has this story about the suspension of transfers of Afghan prisoners to the local Afghan run detention facility in Oruzgan province after allegations of abuse;

* the government has released the wording of the proposed amendment to the Constitution that will be put to people at the September 14 election regarding the recognition of local government.

Between 12.16pm and 12.49pm I posted a series of updates about the migration legislation debate taking place in the Senate.

Immigration correspondent Bianca Hall has this story on what happened during the debate and its implications for asylum seekers.

The legislation that provides for the Medicare levy increase to fund DisabilityCare has passed Parliament.

"With the increased Medicare levy's passage through the Senate, the lasting future of DisabilityCare Australia will be left in no doubt," the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said in a statement issued a short time ago.

"DisabilityCare will end the cruel lottery that currently exists, where the care and support a person receives depends on where they live and how they acquired their disability. It is the most fundamental social policy reform since the introduction of Medicare."

That's it for Question Time.

The manager of opposition business, Christopher Pyne, is removed from Question Time for trying the patience of the Speaker, Anna Burke, one too many times.