There's no room at the Coalition ministry's inn for Tony Abbott: Julie Bishop

• 3:33pm on 28 Nov 2016

And there I am going to draw a line under the day. What happened?

• there was bad news for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in this morning's opinion polls;
• but the backpacker tax will get through Parliament after the Coalition cut a deal with One Nation and others;
• less clear is the fate of the government's building industry watchdog legislation;
• Attorney-General George Brandis explain his role in the Bell Group saga;
• the opposition smells a rat and pursued the matter in question time; and
• there was a rare moment of bipartisanship when MPs united to take a stand against Indigenous family violence.

Thanks so much for your company today. My special thanks, as usual, to Alex Ellinghausen and Andrew Meares.

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Alex, Andrew and I will be back in the morning. Until then, good night.

• 3:25pm on 28 Nov 2016

Here is the National Party. It's almost like someone got the handful of women MPs to cluster around leader Barnaby Joyce so when the television cameras zoomed in it would look like there were more of them.

• 3:22pm on 28 Nov 2016

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce pulled all his MPs out for a press conference to demonstrate their happiness with the deal on the backpacker tax. And don't they look happy?

• 3:19pm on 28 Nov 2016

While we were in question time, One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts released a video declaring his support for an idea the Greens have been pushing for some time - that parliamentary approval should be secured before the government of the day commits Australia to a war.

• 3:15pm on 28 Nov 2016

It's been so busy that we've not had a chance to discuss this morning's poll which had zero good news for Mr Turnbull in it.

Here is chief political correspondent Mark Kenny's take on the results.

Political editor Peter Hartcher looks at the record high level of support for minor parties (both the Greens and One Nation). 

• 3:01pm on 28 Nov 2016

Never let it be said that our office is immune from the silly season:

• 2:39pm on 28 Nov 2016

I missed this earlier so thanks to the helpful person who pointed it out.

The Nick Xenophon Team has reserved its position on the government's paid parental leave changes until after a Senate committee completes its report. The committee won't report back until mid February.

This would make it very hard for the government to introduce any changes before the start of 2018 assuming it (a) can get enough support from the crossbench and (b) MPs want to make sure any changes do not catch out women who are already pregnant.

• 2:12pm on 28 Nov 2016

And that's it for question time.

• 2:07pm on 28 Nov 2016

Mr Shorten cheekily asks Mr Turnbull about the advice of former prime minister Tony Abbott which he freely gave in an hour long interview yesterday.

"Nothing is more important to Australia's future than innovation," Mr Turnbull says.

"Innovation is key....Those who resist innovation are not defending themselves against the consequences of technological change, they are making themselves vastly more vulnerable
to it," Mr Turnbull says.

In other words - back in your box.

• 1:38pm on 28 Nov 2016

The opposition turns its attention to Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer in relation to her responsibility for the Australian Tax Office.

Ms O'Dwyer reads very carefully from a statement (which she goes on to say is a confidential document and cannot table) and says she "always" fully supported the tax office.

• 1:25pm on 28 Nov 2016

The opposition repeats its previous question.

Mr Turnbull says everything that needs to be known is in the documents that were tabled by Senator Brandis. He adds that he cannot be expected to know what conversations the Attorney-General did or did not have.

• 1:24pm on 28 Nov 2016

It's interesting to remember that this time last year (by which I mean the last sitting week of last year) we were watching almost the same scene except the person in the opposition's sights was Mal Brough.

The government sweated through question time throughout the week.

Mr Brough was no longer a member of the ministry by the start of the new parliamentary year.

• 1:21pm on 28 Nov 2016

The opposition asks Mr Turnbull if the Attorney-General instructed the Solicitor-General to run a particular line in the Bells Group High Court case.

(When Senator Brandis was asked that same question on Sky News shortly before question time he he said he would not go into the matter.)

"Not since Rumpole spilt claret on Humphrey's jabot has there been such a shameful enmity in the bar common room," Mr Turnbull says. 

Mr Turnbull begs the opposition, "in the spirit of Christmas", to find something nice to say about Senator Brandis.

• 1:13pm on 28 Nov 2016

Mr Turnbull takes things up a notch and accuses Mr Shorten of "misleading the house" about the matter.

• 1:11pm on 28 Nov 2016

"The leader of the Opposition has not simply taken leave of his senses, he has taken leave of reality," Mr Turnbull says.

"We are seeing, now, the absolute embodiment of post truth politics."

• 1:08pm on 28 Nov 2016

Question time begins with a question from Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull about the Brandis saga.

Mr Turnbull is not taking this lying down. 

He says Mr Shorten is a "would-be leader with no regard for the facts [and] has no regard for the people".

"His imagination is as boundless as his recklessness when it comes to dealing with the truth."

• 12:57pm on 28 Nov 2016

Nearly question time.

• 12:21pm on 28 Nov 2016

I missed this earlier demonstration of MPs getting into the Christmas spirit.

• 11:54am on 28 Nov 2016

Meanwhile, Fergus Hunter has filed this story about the rare moment of bipartisanship in politics earlier this morning.

• 11:34am on 28 Nov 2016

"You are only doing this because you had to," Senator Wong says.

"You were dragged kicking and screaming.

Senator Wong is battling a cough. 

"It was all that pesky Mr Hockey's fault!"