Sam Dastyari resigns from Parliament, says he is 'detracting from Labor's mission' amid questions over Chinese links.

The ABC reports that ALP senator Sam Dastyari has said he will not return to the Senate next year, amid questions over his links to China.

"Today, after much reflection, I've decided that the best service I can render to the federal parliamentary Labor Party is to not return to the Senate in 2018," he told reporters at a media conference in Sydney today.
"I've been guided by my Labor values, which tell me that I should leave if my ongoing presence detracts from the pursuit of Labor's mission.
"It is evident to me we are at that point, so I will spare the party any further distraction."

It is reported that Sam Dastyari has been under sustained pressure from Government and within Labor to resign. The ABC reports that allegations of links to Chinese Government have piled up over the last year.

He says his "ongoing presence detracts from the pursuit of Labor's mission" so will not return

Turnbull's approval rating up but Coalition still languishes – Guardian Essential poll.

The Guardian reports that Malcolm Turnbull has capped off a bad parliamentary year with a positive shift in his approval rating, and he remains ahead of Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll. It is reported that while Turnbull ends the parliamentary year buoyed by the passage of a bill legalising same-sex marriage and Barnaby Joyce’s win in the New England byelection, the latest survey of 1,831 voters confirms again that the ALP remains well in front of the Coalition, leading on the two-party preferred measure 54% to 46%. The Guardian reports that the Turnbull government has not led ALP on the two-party preferred measure since 1 July 2016. It is reported that the gap between the major parties narrowed briefly around the time of the May budget but widened for the remainder of 2017 as the government became bogged down in infighting and multiple challenges – from the dual citizenship fiasco to settling energy policy, to the eventual resolution of the marriage debate. It is reported that the government has now been behind for 72 polls. It is reported that a fresh Newspoll published by the Australian on Tuesday morning also has the critical byelection contest in the Sydney seat of Bennelong on a knife edge, with the Liberal and Labor parties on 50-50. It is reported by the Guardian that in terms of approval ratings in the latest Guardian Essential survey, Turnbull got the thumbs up from 41% of the sample (up 4% from last month) and 44% disapproved (down 5%) – which translates as a shift in his net approval rating from -12 to -3.

'Elaborately dishonest': Turnbull remarks on Indigenous voice to parliament cause anger.

The Guardian reports that Malcolm Turnbull was disrespectful, dismissive, and “elaborately dishonest” about Indigenous recognition during Monday’s Q&A appearance, a range of critics have said. It is reported that Turnbull was combative during his solo appearance on the ABC’s penultimate Q&A episode for the year, particularly when questioned about why he rejected the voice to parliament proposal put forward by the Referendum Council and the Uluru conference. Audience member Teela Reid it is reported, a Wiradjuri & Wailwan woman and lawyer who was part of the constitutional dialogue process, said the government gave Indigenous people the opportunity to tell it what they thought meaningful recognition was.

“We rejected symbolism and reached a national consensus for a representative First Nations voice to advise parliament on the issues that affect our lives,” Reid commented. “Not a third chamber and not an advisory council handpicked by you, and not even those MPs that are in parliament currently.”

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