Coalition loses a big, big vote



The Coalition has lost a vote on the contentious medical transfers bill. It’s the first time a government has lost a vote on its own legislation for almost 80 years and this has big political implications. The bill passed 75-74.



Losing these type of votes are often seen as a questions of confidence in the Government, although the Coalition insists that's not the case today. But politically speaking, it's a big blow to the Coalition headed into an election campaign.



This legislation included a series of amendments, allowing doctors greater say on the medical treatment of asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru. The amendments were agreed to by the Senate late last year, after Labor and the crossbench forced a series of measures into a government migration bill.



Attorney-General Christian Porter presented legal advice from the Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue at the last minute, suggesting the amendments agreed to by the Senate would be unconstitutional.



But Dr Donaghue also pointed out there was case law suggesting the High Court was generally reluctant to intervene in these matters, because it related to sections of the Constitution that gave power to the parliament to conduct its own affairs. For that reason, Parliament pressed on with the vote.