The end of the day. They don't call Wednesday hump day for nothing. What happened?
- the Australian Federal Police will investigate the leak of a draft of the Defence white paper that was written during the prime ministership of Tony Abbott;
- Mr Abbott denies he was the source of the leak;
- meanwhile the government got on with the job of trying to spruik good economic news while also criticising Labor's negative gearing policy;
- Opposition leader Bill Shorten has chosen Indigenous leader Pat Dodson to fill a Senate vacancy created by the resignation of West Australian senator Joe Bullock;
- Senator Bullock is leaving because he does not agree with Labor's support for same sex marriage; and
- the government has agreed to some changes to its Senate voting reforms which are speeding through Parliament.
My thanks to Andrew Meares and Alex Ellinghausen for their super work and to you for joining us.
You can follow me on Facebook.
Alex, Andrew and I will be back in the morning for the final day of the sitting fortnight. We hope to see you then. Good night.
Political reporter Heath Aston wraps up the state of play voting changes wise.
His last line is particularly amusing.
Mr Abbott has denied being the leaker of a draft of the Defence white paper.
"I don't leak, I don't background," Mr Abbott said. "If I've got something to say, I say it."
Gary Gray is no longer the opposition's shadow special minister of state. That was only a matter of time once he voiced his opposition to the position Labor came to on changes to Senate voting.
Brendan O'Connor picks up the portfolio. Mr Gray hangs on to resources and northern Australia.
Marriage equality. Everyone wants in.
Lets not get too cute about #equalmarriage, Labor: if you'd all voted for my Private Members' bill in last parl, it'd be law already!
— Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) March 2, 2016
While that was happening the soon to be former Labor senator Joe Bullock was talking about his reasons for leaving politics on Sky News.
"Principle comes first," he says.
Senator Bullock's concern about same sex marriage is that it will lead to the "redefinition of family".
For him, the "gold standard" for children is to be raised by their mother and father.
Which the government wins which means that is it for that matter.
There is now a vote on the matter.
Mr Pyne says the place for this issue to be decided is not the Parliament but the plebiscite.
"We don't want to play politics with this issue," he says.
"It is too important to play cheap politics."
Leader of the house Christopher Pyne says Labor is "publicity seeking" and trying to make "political use out of relationships".
His views on marriage equality is known, he says, but this is a debate about process.
(For the record Mr Pyne supports marriage equality.)
Back to topDeputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek is seconding the motion: "This Prime Minister has broken the hearts of gay and lesbian Australians."
Ms Butler "calls on the Prime Minister to be the Prime Minister that Australians hoped he would be and allow a free vote in the Parliament on marriage equality".
Labor knows full well this is not going to work.
Ms Butler will get the time to make her speech but the government has the numbers and will vote it down.
Mr Pyne says he was going to wish the manager of opposition business, Anthony Albanese, a happy birthday but he feels like changing his mind what with the frisson of unpleasantness.
Ms Butler now gets the call.
She is trying to get the legislation voted on. Which the government is opposing.
Labor's Terri Butler is on her feet (she wants a vote on whether or not the cross party legislation on marriage equality should come to a vote).
Speaker Tony Smith gives the call to leader of the house, Christopher Pyne, who has "machinery" to attend to (as he always does at this time).
What Labor wanted to do was keep Mr Turnbull in the chamber so his vote would be recorded and photographed.
But Mr Pyne was too quick.
And Mr Turnbull calls an end to question time.
Mr Turnbull is moving the boundaries of the negative gearing to housing affordability.
There is plenty of demand but a failure of supply which is the fault of the state and territory governments, he says.
The debate is also one about rental affordability, he says.
"Their policy has the logical consequence of reducing the affordability of rental properties," Mr Turnbull finishes.
Mr Morrison sounds very much like a man who is not preparing to make any changes to negative gearing at all (which, of course, is what the backbench wants).
"What would be the impact if you made any changes? And that's what the government's doing," Mr Morrison says.
The government will continue to give people "every opportunity".
"Does the Treasurer actually know what negative gearing is?" the opposition's treasury spokesman, Chris Bowen, wants to know.
Cue withering looks from Mr Morrison and much outrage from the government backbench.
Mr Turnbull is, again, questioning the opposition's negative gearing policy.
He is firmly back in explanatory, rather than attacking, mode.
In the "socialist paradise" that would be life under a Labor government people "will still be allowed to go to the bank and borrow money" but not for investment properties, Mr Turnbull says.
"Naturally, Mr Speaker, that is not a very attractive proposition."
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has given notice that he will introduce a private member's bill to legislate $1 maximum bets for pokie machines.
This will challenge the "parasites" of the pokie machine industry, he says, and wants to know if Mr Turnbull will support the legislation.
Mr Turnbull says it is a matter for the state and territory governments.
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