JAMES MARAPE, PNG PRIME MINISTER: Our two countries are stuck with each other. We have no choice but to get along. We have no choice but to get along.
The name Gough Whitlam will forever live on because of Papua New Guinea.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: We know that independence was never our gift to give. Independence was the people of Papua New Guinea's right to assert.
REPORTER: And those negotiations in the Senate over the Government's industrial relations package are continuing.
JACQUI LAMBIE, INDEPENDENT SENATOR: You have about two hours to get your crap together.
ANNOUNCEMENT: The matter is resolved in the affirmative.
SARAH FERGUSON, PRESENTER: Chief political correspondent Laura Tingle joins me now. Laura, a lot of argy-bargy in the House today?
LAURA TINGLE, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of argy-bargy in the House today.
SARAH FERGUSON: What was the actual impact?
LAURA TINGLE: I think, Sarah, if we just remember what this was about, it was supposed to be closing loopholes which is what the Act is called, looking at trying to give greater protections to workers in the gig economy, trying to make it easier for casual employees to become full-time, fixing up problems in the road transport sector, but a lot of it ended up being about subsidiary measures in all of that, but I think overall you would have to say the Government has got most of those measures through, but with, I think David Pocock emerging as a really key player in just pulling back from the Government and ACTU agenda to make things work a little bit more smoothly.
SARAH FERGUSON: That's very interesting. Do we know exactly what he was able to, how exactly he was able to amend the law, the legislation, rather?
LAURA TINGLE: Well, things like it looked like there were going to be two paths via which casual employees could become full-time. He has pulled that back so it's a much more straightforward procedure.
There was some talk that there was some offer of bike paths being involved in some of the negotiations, but I don't know whether that actually landed anywhere, but they seem to be, he seems to have played a really good role in just stopping too much overcomplication in the laws, and bringing it back to more manageable...
SARAH FERGUSON: So do I understand by that, that what he is doing is speaking up, as it were, on behalf of smaller or medium or smaller businesses wanting not to have too much complication? It does seem kind of obvious, but it obviously wasn't?
LAURA TINGLE: Yes, he has played a really good honest broker role here. I think one of the problems here Sarah, is that a lot of this has been very last-minute, so employer groups in particular are complaining they haven't seen what a lot of this legislation looks like.
But I think overall David Pocock's role has been to try to deliver what the Government wanted but to avoid what often happens in these negotiations is you get layer upon layer of complexity as everybody negotiates and he seems to have got that skill of being able to say, "Well, actually what we are trying to get to is here," and he has been able to pare it back.
SARAH FERGUSON: And how did the unions responded? Did we hear from them today?
LAURA TINGLE: The unions are basically happy. I mean it does deliver on a lot of the things they wanted, so they're pretty happy.
SARAH FERGUSON: Now, as we just referred to, we've had this historic visit from Marape today. What was he there to say because this wasn't so much about big announcements, was it?
LAURA TINGLE: It wasn't. It is obviously really interesting in the context of what is happening in PNG at the moment. He is facing a no-confidence motion as early as tomorrow after those riots last month and of course, the suggestion is that those riots may have been actually fermented by some of his opponents.
So he has come here at a period of considerable instability at home and when there is a lot of excitement going around the China-PNG relationship.
Prime Minister Marape gave, you would have to say it was a completely charming speech. I think he charmed the Parliament. Essentially said, "Look, don't give up on us."
Most of the speech was about gratitude and saying, "Look, we understand how much Australia has done for us and we want to stand on our own two feet and we are trying to get there, we are trying to fix things up."
He had a huge rap for Gough Whitlam as the person who delivered independence to them, almost 50 years since that happened.
So it was a speech that reflected beyond the usual cliches about close relationships and there was pointed messages which I think were basically aimed at reassuring Australia that it remains the primary relationship for PNG, rather than others who may not be mentioned as such.
SARAH FERGUSON: But at the same time, he is talking directly about the issue of corruption. Obviously the Australian Government agreed to a substantial aid package. Now those questions around corruption were raised. He did refer to them today, didn't he?
LAURA TINGLE: He acknowledged that the government up there has significant problems and he talked about how Australia was helping it through its teenage years, but, as I said, he was saying, "Look, don't give up on us. We are doing our best to get our public service into good shape, into making our systems work," and that he and his current generation of leaders is ambitious to put the country in a position where it's standing on its own two feet economically.
SARAH FERGUSON: I didn't see the speech. I had a look at some of it later, but what I don't know is if he used the word "China"?
LAURA TINGLE: I think he didn't use the word "China" Sarah, and so that was the elephant hanging in the room, but I think the overall message was, as I he said that Australia is absolute, he sort of said you can't choose your family, you can choose your friends and we are family.
So I think the message there was pretty clear, at least from him, presuming he survives whatever happens in PNG politics in the next couple of days.
SARAH FERGUSON: Well, we will keep an eye on that. Laura Tingle, as always, thank you very much indeed.
LAURA TINGLE: Thanks Sarah.
SARAH FERGUSON: When the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea addressed the Parliament today, he spoke of the strong bond between our countries as Laura just referred to.
He opened his speech with a story of a leader from Highlands of PNG speaking to politicians in Canberra back in the 1950s.
JAMES MARAPE, PNG PRIME MINISTER: He made a speech in his own mother tongue because he knew no English and he drew some laughter from the crowd, and he made a statement that is quite sentimental and historic.
He said, "Today I come to you and speak to you in my language, and you laugh at me. One day my son will come to you and speak in your language, and you will certainly listen."
Today as I stand before you in your wonderful house, this prophecy has been fulfilled.
The last day of the first sitting week of the year saw a history-making address by the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, and Labor’s industrial relations laws pass the Senate.
Laura Tingle speaks to Sarah Ferguson to report on the events of Parliament House today.