Time for me to call it a day. What happened?
- the day began and ended with tax;
- the government has been spruiking a report warning against changes to negative gearing;
- even if the report was not based on the opposition's policy and contains a couple of errors such as getting Australia's GDP wrong;
- Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has denied reports that he will make no changes to negative gearing saying the government is still engaged in careful policy consideration; and
- Papua New Guinea's prime minister Peter O'Neill has said the Manus Island detention centre is a problem which the Australian government needs to fix.
My thanks to the magnificent Andrew Meares and Alex Ellinghausen for their work and to you for reading and keeping us company.
You can follow me on Facebook.
Alex, Andrew and I will be back - with Parliament - on March 15. We hope to see you then. Until we do - go well.
Before the Senate rises tonight the Greens will table two petitions - with a combined total of 70,000 signatures - in support of the Safe Schools program.
"The program reminds young people dealing with their sexuality that they are not alone. It creates happier and safer school yards and would have made a huge difference to me as a teenager," Greens senator Robert Simms said.
For a more detailed account of what Papua New Guinea's prime minister, Peter O'Neill, told the Press Club (see 1.27 pm post) you might like to read Nicole Hasham's story.
Senator Johnston says he was not the source of the leak but the document was not that sensitive.
"They're a set of ideas and I don't give them much weight," he tells Sky News.
Submarines are so hot right now. Everyone wants to talk about them.
Former defence minister David Johnston says the issue of how long it will take to finish them is not a problem: "I'm pretty relaxed about the whole thing. I'm just glad we're getting started."
He says the program is Australia's equivalent of "putting a man on the moon".
Back to topParliament finishes up today. There is a week's break before it resumes on March 15 for three days. Then there is a seven week break before the budget on May 10.
Bear in mind the gossip that suggests the government will call an election the day after the budget.
So Labor has been spending the past fortnight laying the ground for a possible election campaign. It has been doing a pretty good job but the government has made ground this week in its attack on Labor's tax policies.
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash told the Senate Mr Lawler's resignation was effective immediately.
While question time was going on this other story was breaking.
Mr Lawler has been embroiled in controversy for taking paid sick leave from his $435,000-a-year job while helping his partner - disgraced ex-union leader Kathy Jackson - defend a lawsuit over large-scale theft from the Health Services Union.
And that's it for question time.
Mr Turnbull continues.
Of course no one modelled Labor's policy "because it is so inconceivable, so reckless".
"It is a dramatic extensive attack on the entire Australian economy."
Optics people, optics.
The government, "wreaking assaults" aside, is making a more considered case for why Labor's policy is a bad idea.
It would mean, Mr Turnbull explains for the umpteenth time today, that people could not offset losses from shares and other investments against their wages unless they invested in new residential housing.
It is "an assault on private enterprise, an assault on economic freedom".
It is Mr Turnbull's chance to talk about the BIS Shrapnel report (there's no such thing as bad publicity, as they say).
He says it is true that the report did not take into account the issue of capital gains tax but that is because "Labor's policy is so much more extreme".
"No one could have imagined such a wrecking assault," Mr Turnbull says.
The former deputy prime minister is following the lead of many backbenchers in question time and turning to social media:
Glad to join 650 friends and supporters to celebrate 20 year anniversary of election of Howard government. Great night. Great government!
— Warren Truss (@warrentrussmp) March 3, 2016
In a move that will comes as no surprise to anyone the opposition's treasury spokesman, Chris Bowen, asks Treasurer Scott Morrison why he is relying on a discredited report "with a trillion dollar error".
Mr Morrison says it is true that there was "a typo in the report" but that that there were plenty of those in Mr Bowen's own book.
Other than that there was plenty in the report that was very relevant and scary, Mr Morrison continues.
Labor's Andrew Leigh gets an honourable mention for trolling. He is holding up a copy of "Cherry picking for dummies" while Mr Morrison speaks. He even made the prop himself. Well, his office did.
The switch is flicked to politics as usual with Mr Shorten asking Mr Turnbull if he can rule out the leaker of the draft Defence white paper as a current member of the national security committee.
Mr Abbott snaps to attention.
Mr Turnbull says he has "confidence in all my ministers" and warns Mr Shorten against "making mischief" with matters of national security.
"As this matter is part of an ongoing investigation, including careful investigation by the Australian Federal Police, I'm not going to comment on it any further."
Opposition leader Bill Shorten asks Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull if he will adopt the recommendation by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to adopt a national redress scheme.
"We recognise the importance of developing such a national approach to redress as quickly as possible. Survivors want redress, they deserve redress to assist with the healing process," Mr Turnbull says.
Okay nearly question time.
On more serious matters.
Government MP Bert van Manen has told Parliament he cannot support the government's life insurance legislation because of the "significant damage it would inflict on independent financial advisers".
Said politician ended up not doing it so that was a worthwhile phone call.
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