Politics live: Company tax cut in spotlight as Coalition splits over free speech

That's all from me and the Fairfax team at Parliament House for Wednesday. 

Thanks for joining us. Here's what happened today: 

• Treasurer Scott Morrison and his department refused to make the case for a cut to penalty rates, stressing they have "no opinion" on whether the change will create jobs.
• Senior ministers resisted renewed debate over section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act, as a fresh backbench push threatens to once again divide the Coalition over free speech.
• Australia's electronic spy agency was forced to rely on diesel backup generators when the nation's power supply came under intense pressure.
• Coalition MP Ann Sudmalis cried in question time amid attacks over her comments on penalty rates.
• The National Party says it is nation building as it tries to force more force federal public servants out of Canberra and into Nationals-held electorates.

Don't forget you can follow me on Facebook.

Andrew, Alex and Steph will be back tomorrow. Have a great night. 

Defence Minister Marise Payne is speaking to estimates hearings in the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade committee. 

Last month the government backed down from plans to compel Queensland landholders to sell their properties to make way for expansions to Australian Defence Force training bases in the Coalition's most marginal electorate. 

Ms Payne said the multi-billion-dollar deal, will see Singapore invest in the Australian-owned Shoalwater Bay training facility in return for access, won't require compulsory acquisitions. 

Here's the background from Amy Remeikis in February.

Canberra is getting ready for the annual Enlighten Festival, which starts this Friday. 

The front of Parliament House is set to be bathed light, along with a series of buildings around the capital.  

This news from former MP and keen Twitter user Clive Palmer raises at least one question: 

We're told Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will meet with her French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault on Friday, with the pair expected to sign an enhanced strategic partnership agreement between Australia and France in Melbourne. 

Don't forget you can keep up with political news anytime on my Facebook page. 

Special Minister of State Scott Ryan says a parliamentary report on foreign political donations has been delayed. 

The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has requested a short extension and won't deliver its report as planned on Friday, March 3.

Instead Senator Ryan has agreed to a request from chair Senator Linda Reynolds to table the report on or before Friday, March 10.

The public sector union is taking a bleak view of plans by Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce to relocate government agencies to regional areas. 

Here's the latest from the Community and Public Sector Union, via Twitter. 

Here's some news from crack Senate estimates-watcher Adam Gartrell.

Australia's electronic spy agency was forced to rely on diesel backup generators when the nation's power supply came under intense pressure during last month's heatwave.

The Defence Department and the shadowy Australian Signals Directorate was asked to help with load shedding during soaring temperatures on February 10, when Canberra Airport was moved onto backup generators.

Read Adam's story here. 

Great to be with you, Politics Live readers. 

The Senate Economics Committee is discussing the electorate allowance paid to all MPs and senators. The Greens want it scrapped, saying the payment of at least $32,000 is regularly misused. 

Australian Taxation Office bureaucrats say the allowance is part of politicians' income, but Greens leader Richard Di Natale asks why its separate from MPs expenses. 

"It's funny how everyone gets very touchy when it comes to MPs' pay," Senator Di Natale said when the committee chair tried to move things on. 

Time for me to head off so I'm handing over to my colleague Tom McIlroy.

Thanks for your company today.

I'll see you in the morning. Don't forget we can chat on Facebook.

The government is also not happy about penalty rates - but for a different reason than Ms Sudmalis.

You can catch up on the issue in this video.

The Age's political editor, Michael Gordon, takes a look at the politics of penalty rates.

Step up Mr Turnbull, is his conclusion.

You can catch up on the penalty rates story in this piece by Michael Koziol.

Don't forget you can follow me on Facebook.

"There are some people who are very dependent on those penalty rates, and I get that and I understand that, but there are some others who might be able to pick up an extra day," Ms Sudmalis said.

"There'll be opportunities for more people to get more work, rather than just people losing part of what they believe is 'I'm working on a Sunday, I should get paid more'." 
 

A bit more on Ann Sudmalis's comments.

Ms Sudmalis, who holds the NSW seat of Gilmore, told her local paper yesterday that cutting Sunday and public holiday penalty rates are "not cutting wages" but rather "opening the door" on more jobs. 

"It's not cutting wages, it's opening the door for more hours of employment and in a regional area like Gilmore, with almost double the national youth unemployment, that's a gift; that is a gift for our young people to get a foot in the door of employment," Ms Sudmalis told the Illawarra Mercury.

And that's it for question time.

For the third day in a row every opposition question was on penalty rates.

The opposition repeatedly referred to Ms Sudmalis's comments during question time yesterday and today is heckling the Liberal MP.

It's a tough game, for sure. Still, making someone cry is never a good look.

Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis is copping a lot of flak from the opposition over comments she made to a local newspaper in which she said the penalty rates decision was a "gift" in an area like hers with high youth unemployment (because lower wages would mean businesses could employ more people).

It's getting to her.

Dad and Mum aren't getting along again.

Veterans Affairs Minister Dan Tehan has told the house that a Defence Signals Directorate facility and Canberra Airport had to rely on back-up generators during the load shedding that took place on February 10.

Eek.