Senate question time finishes.

Greens' senators walk over to Senator Brandis to shake his hand.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham pats him on the back.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale would like to know if the government will "consider the establishment of a multicultural act to enshrine in law protections for multicultural communities for religious communities right across the country".

Senator Brandis refers to the Racial Discrimination Act and protections of religious freedom.

He says when it comes to Parliament "I think this chamber and the other place is well able to by its own will indicate its support for and respect of all faiths and cultures".

Senator Di Natale uses his final question on the issue to "actually congratulate the Attorney-General on his strong, impassioned, personal response and on behalf of the Australian Greens I want to
thank you for showing leadership in this Chamber, leadership that is so often lacking in this Parliament".

Senator Hanson has a supplementary question: "If a person who wears a balaclava or a helmet into a bank or any other building or on the floor of a court they must be removed. Why isn't it 
the same for someone who is covering up their face and cannot be identified? Will the government make changes to the laws?"

Senator Brandis: "No."

Labor senator Penny Wong: "I make this point on behalf of all of us on this side of the chamber, it is one thing to wear religious dress as a sincere act of faith, there is another to wear it as a stunt here in the chamber."

Labor and Greens' senators rise to give a standing ovation to Senator Brandis whose voice was shaking as he made the comments.

Senator Brandis does not mince words: "We have about 500,000 Australians in this country of the Islamic faith. And the vast majority of them are law abiding good Australians."

"Senator Hanson, it is absolutely consistent with being a good, law-abiding Australian and being a strict adherent Muslim."

 

Senator Hanson has stood up and taken the burqa off.

"Will you work with me to ban the burqa in Australia?" she asks Attorney-General George Brandis.

Senator Parry: "I'm not going to dictate the standard of dress for senators in this Chamber. I believe senators should be making their own decisions about the standard of dress."

In the Senate Pauline Hanson is wearing a black burqa - presumably as a stunt because she will be making a statement on the burqa at 4.30 pm.

Senate President Stephen Parry does not know what to do.

He says her identity was known before she entered the Senate so it's not a matter of nobody knowing who she is.

He notes there are rules about "inappropriate attire like pyjamas" but will hear senators views about the matter after question time.

Question time begins with a question from South Australian Labor MP Nick Champion who wants to know why Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is spending more time worrying about his job than the jobs of factory workers in his electorate.

Mr Turnbull is quite happy about the turn of events because it allows him to talk about "the state with the most expensive, least reliable energy in the OECD".

Given props are a definite no-no in question time it seems unlikely Labor MP Rob Mitchell's tin foil hat will make an appearance.

Nearly question time.

There's a noticeable lack of energy in the building today - will it continue?

Michael Nelson Jagamara is the artist who created the mosaic on the forecourt of Parliament House.

A new addition to the Parliament House art collection - The Messenger by Michael Nelson Jagamara and Imants Tillers.

Former UK Labour cabinet minister, Ed Balls, is in Canberra at the invitation of former treasurer Wayne Swan to talk about inequality.

Mr Balls is speaking to the National Press Club and says it is "very good to put British politics aside and come to the tranquility and stability of Australian politics".

#shade

Meanwhile, the government is refusing to release the legal advice it has regarding Mr Joyce's citizenship.

The Senate passed an order to release the documents but Attorney-General George Brandis says no.

Senator Brandis says it is a "long-standing practice" of the successive government not to release "sensitive legal advice".

The opposition isn't so sure the whole Parliament should be suspended - just that it shouldn't vote on anything.

Labor MP Tony Burke will move a motion when everyone returns (on September 4) that there should be no votes in the House of Representatives until after all the citizenship questions have been resolved by the High Court.

FYI - the High Court will hear the brace of citizenship cases on August 24.

Senator Bernardi refused to name names.

"It's a serious allegation but it's the truth," Senator Bernardi said.

Senator Bernardi is suspicious of some of his colleagues. 

Fresh from saying he thinks Parliament should just be put on hold until the whole citizenship thing is sorted out (se 10.46 am post) Senator Bernardi says some MPs are outright lying.

"I can tell you that some staff members in this place tell me that they know their MP is not eligible to be here," he told Sky News.

This is a public service announcement regarding the same-sex marriage postal vote.

You have one more week (until Thursday 24 August) to enrol to vote or to update your details with the Australian Electoral Commission.

You can do so here.