Senators had to wait a long time before they could leave the chamber empty on Thursday. Photo: JJ Harrison (AUSPIC).
Talk about winding up the parliamentary week in style – or rather, in total chaos.
The Senate made history on Thursday (30 October) in staging its longest ever Question Time, lasting three-and-a-half hours of stunt-filled mayhem across the chamber.
The shenanigans were sparked by Wednesday’s successful vote to force government Ministers to answer five extra questions from non-government senators.
The Coalition and the Greens backed independent ACT Senator David Pocock’s motion calling for that change in each Question Time until Labor tables its “jobs for mates” report that was delivered to Finance Minister Katy Gallagher two years ago.
In response, the government has threatened to remove Opposition MPs from senior roles in House of Representatives committees.
That led to Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie declaring in the Senate on Thursday that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was “bullying this chamber” even while he was overseas.
Labor’s acting Senate Leader Don Farrell replied, accusing the Coalition of taking part in “cheap tricks” by lining up with Senator Pocock’s motion.
“Maybe one of these days, you’ll be back into government and you’ll understand how important it is for the Opposition to act in a responsible way,” Senator Farrell said.
But that wasn’t the half of it. Labor had a few “cheap tricks” of its own to pull.
Initially, Ministers were answering questions quickly in what looked like an attempt to get to the extra five questions sooner rather than later.
Notably, unlike in the House of Representatives, Senate Question Time allows those asking questions to immediately follow up with two timed supplementaries.
So five questions can take some time to get through.
However, once QT, which usually runs for an hour, got well into the “extra five questions” zone, Labor backbenchers started jumping up to ask if they could ask questions on behalf of the states they represent.
It began with South Australian Senator Marielle Smith, who tried to ask a question just before the fifth of the extra questions was asked from the other side of the chamber.
When the rowdy chamber denied the request, Senator Smith tried to suspend standing orders to overturn the motion that prevented her, as a non-executive government Senator, from asking a question of a government minister that was important to her state.
That was denied, too, but after lengthy votes and divisions that interrupted proceedings.
Then, one by one, other Labor backbenchers attempted to do the same, all on the basis that they had important issues to raise on behalf of the constituents of their respective states.
They were all shot down, but the delays were lengthy.
Acting Opposition Senate Leader Anne Ruston made the point that if Labor’s questions were so important, they could have been asked of their Ministers during the normal first hour of QT when the government had its usual allocation of Dorothy Dixers.
Senator Pocock opened a question he was asking by noting that the session had become a “landmark” Question Time for the Senate.
“It’s a landmark Question Time because Senators are actually asking questions about their states and not just about Labor,” he said.
He was reprimanded by Senate President Sue Lines, who was struggling to maintain control of the chamber as its rowdiness increased.
And so the antics continued.
There were extended shouting matches, pedantic procedural delays, and frustration boiling over for many.
Liberal backbencher Jane Hume grew tired of it all and made a necklace from Minties wrappers, proudly holding it up for all to see.
The seemingly endless saga became too much for some, who left the chamber only to return for votes (even Senator Pocock reached that stage).
On Thursday afternoons, many Senators often make a quick exit for the airport once Question Time is over.
But this one wasn’t over by the usual 3 pm – not by a long shot.
Environment Minister Murray Watt told the Senate, long before the session was over, that two Greens Senators were spotted at the airport.
He didn’t name anyone, which brought the assertion into question.
But he added that he might move a motion himself to keep QT going much longer.
“If people are so insistent about doing Question Time, we are here all night,” he said.
Question Time finally ended at 5:30, leaving only a handful of Senators willing to stay back for the adjournment debate.
“Everyone’s racing out to get their little trolley bags and head off to the Chairman’s Lounge,” Senator Gallagher said.
“They couldn’t believe they’d been delayed. Frustrated, they had to sit in here.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
