Malcolm Turnbull comes home to guns, Senate success, free-thinking and Rod Culleton

• 4:13pm on 22 Nov 2016

Time for me to call it a day. What happened?

• Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has backed Immigration Minister Peter Dutton over comments he made on Monday;
• Mr Turnbull also defended his ministers who failed to back the government's line on the Adler shotgun in the Senate last night;
• the Senate has passed the government's registered organisations legislation;
• it will now consider its proposal for a building industry watchdog; and
• Pauline Hanson and Rod Culleton are not speaking to one another.

My thanks to Andrew Meares and Alex Ellinghausen for their work and to you for reading and commenting.

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Alex, Andrew and I will be back soon. Enjoy your evening.

• 3:47pm on 22 Nov 2016

A couple of things to draw to your attention.

Australian whistleblowers could be paid a lavish "bounty" for exposing wrongdoing in companies, government departments and charities under reforms to be introduced to Parliament next year by the Turnbull government, as Matthew Knott reports.

And Pauline Hanson and Rod Culleton are on no speakies.

• 3:30pm on 22 Nov 2016

Labor MP Linda Burney has written to Mr Dutton about his remarks:

• 3:11pm on 22 Nov 2016

Mr Turnbull calls time on question time although he notes it might "break the heart" of the shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus.

• 3:06pm on 22 Nov 2016

Funny.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has been asked a question. Speaker Tony Smith, sensing the rambunctious mood in the chamber, issues a pre-emptive warning.

• 2:58pm on 22 Nov 2016

He is unsuccessful and we return you to your regularly scheduled program.

• 2:40pm on 22 Nov 2016

Mr Shorten is seeking to suspend standing orders over Mr Turnbull's inability to discipline the National Party ministers who did not support the government's position on the Adler shotgun.

• 2:23pm on 22 Nov 2016

And again with the same issue.

Mr Turnbull reminds the house the decision to put the ban in place was a decision of the cabinet.

• 2:15pm on 22 Nov 2016

Mr Shorten returns to his theme and wants to know why the ministers have not been disciplined.

Mr Turnbull says he "cannot claim to be an expert on the practices of the Senate" but refers to a tradition that if a vote is going to be supported by both the government and the opposition then frontbenchers do not have to be present.

(Just as a reminder - Liberal ministers showed up and voted on this matter but it was National ministers who abstained.)

• 2:08pm on 22 Nov 2016

Mr Shorten asks about a meeting of the National Party held last night after which three ministers failed to vote along government lines (this is in relation to the Adler shotgun ban).

He wants to know what the consequences are for ministers who do not vote along party lines.

Mr Turnbull says he cannot possibly be expected to answer a question about a meeting of a party of which he is not a member.

• 2:02pm on 22 Nov 2016

Question time begins with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten asking Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull about Peter Dutton's comments.

Mr Turnbull says he does not accept the way Mr Shorten has categorised Mr Dutton's comments.

He says "the greatest mistake made in immigration was by those opposite".

"They can't stand the fact that he succeeded where they failed."

• 1:52pm on 22 Nov 2016

Nearly question time.

• 1:43pm on 22 Nov 2016

National Party senator Bridget McKenzie is giving an interview defending the majority of gun owners who are law abiding and yet are painted as criminals and law breakers.

I'm just noting the lack of Coalition MPs rushing out to do media interviews about Lebanese Muslim Australians.

• 1:33pm on 22 Nov 2016

Not mincing his words was Greens leader Richard Di Natale.

​He said Mr Dutton was "a scumbag".

"Does the minister think my Italian relatives should not have come here because of the mafia?" he asked.

• 12:59pm on 22 Nov 2016

Mr Dutton's comments were also the topic of conversation in this morning's Coalition party room meeting.

Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman said they were "unhelpful" but Michael Sukkar, who is of Lebanese descent, was on Team Dutton.

Political correspondent James Massola has more.

• 12:41pm on 22 Nov 2016

And that's it for the PM and Senator Cash.

• 12:40pm on 22 Nov 2016

Senator Cash is tight lipped about the construction watchdog legislation.

It will be up to the Senate to decide when it comes on for a vote, she says.

• 12:35pm on 22 Nov 2016

Mr Turnbull is asked if Malcolm Fraser did the wrong thing in the 1970s in admitting Lebanese Muslims into Australia.

"There is no question that there are lessons to be learned from previous immigration policies," Mr Turnbull says.

"It's fair for all of us to reflect on past policies."

Mr Dutton is "a thoughtful and considered and compassionate immigration minister", Mr Turnbull says.

• 12:33pm on 22 Nov 2016

Mr Turnbull is asked about the National Party's behaviour on guns in the Senate last night.

"In our parties backbenchers are able to cross the floor...and we respect that right," he says.

Senator Cash tries to help him out but the Prime Minister excuses it as "special Senate business".

• 12:29pm on 22 Nov 2016

Mr Turnbull is asked about Immigration Minister Peter Dutton's comments about Lebanese Muslims.

"Peter has been outstanding in his work," Mr Turnbull says.

"People smugglers have been stopped, people are not drowning at sea."