Latest from Australia
Tony Abbott has done an open letter to the Independents in all the major newspapers.
I’m of the view that if your method of communication with the three men who will decide Government is through newspaper open letters, rather than face to face, then it is probably all over.
The possibly final issue being negotiated is over parliamentary reform, according to AAP:
The Coalition wanted the Speaker to be “automatically” drawn from the Opposition.
The document Labor has backed allows for the Speaker to come from either party or to be non-aligned.
If the Speaker does comes from a particular party the Deputy Speaker will come from the other side of politics. Pairing arrangements will be in place for both – meaning their vote will be cancelled out rather than lost.
“That will take away the need in the view of a tied vote for whoever’s in the chair to cast a vote,” Albanese said.
Further, both the Speaker and the Deputy will not attend their respective party room meetings.
I’m pretty sure the NZ Speaker does not attend caucus meetings, but the Deputy Speaker and Assistant Speakers do.
If they really need a neutral speaker, maybe we should lend them Lockie for six months, to show them what a good speaker does!
Questions during Question Time will be limited to 30 seconds and answers will be restricted to three minutes. They will have to be “directly relevant”.
I’m amazed there is no time limit on answers at the moment, and the limt they are going for is a whopping three minutes. In NZ the Speaker will cut you off if you go much over a minute I estimate.
A parliamentary budget office will also be established within the parliamentary library.
“It will be able to look at issues including costings, particularly from the Opposition but also individual members,” Labor’s house leadersaid.
Not a bad idea necessarily. However the current system where an opposition parliamentary party can have Treasury staffer seconded to them works pretty well.
I suspect we will get a decision today, or tomorrow at the latest.
September 6th, 2010 at 10:22 am
That’s an interesting point David, it’s my understanding that it was the convention in New Zealand that the speaker didn’t attend caucus, until the appointment of one Jonathan Hunt. He did attend caucus, and then Margaret Wilson continued the practice.
That’s Labour for you. Assholes.
September 6th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Abbot should let the traitors go with the woodpecker and then take the reins when the whole thing collapses in a heap soon after. At least the citizens who voted for the so called “Independents’ will now know where their true allegiances lie.
Polls in their own seats (after the election) showed there was much more support for them going with the coalition. If they go with Woody, they will get what they deserve in any fresh elections.
September 6th, 2010 at 10:39 am
RB your last para is predicated on the false assumption that the people who donate their vote to an Independent have 1 intelligence , and 2 believe that independent will stay true to their guiding philosophy.
How do we know when a politician is being economical with the truth, oh thats right, when they open their mouth.
September 6th, 2010 at 10:51 am
They’re not independent for nothing.
Best thing would be for the two to split and cause another election (That won’t happen simply because they would be the first ones fired).
Should the unlikely actually happen the coalition will need to find a real leader fast – preferably someone who is to the right of Labor.
September 6th, 2010 at 10:57 am
That’s an interesting point David, it’s my understanding that it was the convention in New Zealand that the speaker didn’t attend caucus, until the appointment of one Jonathan Hunt.
I don’t believe that is correct at all. In fact if I recall correctly Gray made the point to his constituents that he would be defending them in caucus, even if he didn’t in the house.
September 6th, 2010 at 11:04 am
“Best thing would be for the two to split and cause another election”
Doesn’t seem to be a favoured option:
September 6th, 2010 at 11:15 am
But another election should be on the cards if not now within a year.
Either the independents knew where they stood on issues or they didn’t.
The treasury figures are the issue and whether they are sound or not I don’t know but Abbot clearly thinks they aren’t.
He’s made sure that all the independents potential voters (and esp the liberal and middle ground swing) know where they stand with the liberals.
He also defangs hidden words and spin against the liberals from the media repeaters and Labour.
He wins either way if they go with labour or him and theres an election in a year they won’t get in and if there’s an election now they probably won’t.
September 6th, 2010 at 11:36 am
Now Cuzzies, settle. We’ll know in a few short hours or days, and then we’ll have two years at least to see how things go.
Listen to Bedrater at the peril of your sanity, if not your soul.
All 150 MPs are responsible for forming a gummint, and the three independents everyone is focussing on now have some of the biggest safety margins in the country.
I don’t know which way it’s going to unfold, and neither does anyone else here.
That’s what makes it interesting (that and the question of who’s first for the chop inside the Labor caucus (KRudd?).
September 6th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
The Australian parliaments question time is a joke compared to ours or the House of Commons.
Tony Blair in his book talks about the ordeal of question time in the Commons. A poor performance shoots you down.Blair usually to prepare for that ordeal by eating a special diet on that day.
Rudd used to answer for about ten minutes taking the sting out of any question, providing no answer.
In NZ Dr Smith has created a situation where ministers who don’t provide answers appropriate are really in the firing line. It’s good to see Messrs English and Key getting the tong up.
Watching the Dorothy Dixers from Canberra is a disgrace.
Ministers never answer the question and they go on and on. Lockwood would cut them down by half.
Australia has an incompetent speaker by the name of Harry Jenkins, who always agrees with Labor and turns down opposition points of order all the time. Just like Margaret Wilson and Jonathon Hunt.
What annoys me is that there are no supplementary questions, to tunnel deeper in the answer.Just remember Dr Smith,current speaker, with Taito Field. Labour was on the rack and ethical standards eventually won out.
In the Aussie parliament incompetent ministers like Swan,Albanese and Garrett can get away with murder by simply stone walling.
Costello made question time his when he turned the pathetic Labor questions into a full scale attack. Oh for Peter Costello as the leader of the Liberals – has a social conscience without the divisive views that Abbott has.Howard wasn’t bad but it was time for him to go. Andrew Robb looks a good prospect as does Joe Hockey. Please Australia avoid the rabid right wing Catholic zealots that seem to hang around.
September 6th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
If the thin lipped red head Welsh rarebit gets to govern Oz will be stuffed. The Unions will take control of her and the economy will tank quicker than it would with Abbot.
Alas as it will impact on us Oz is about to enter a down ward spiral. The Chinese are developing mineral sources in Africa especially Zimbabwe that will leave the Ozzies high and dry. PLus they have a huge water crisis creeping up on them.
She like Clark did to NZ will stuff them
September 6th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Coalition MP Warren Entsch thinks the trio of independents will back Labor:
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/liberal-mp-says-independents-will-back-labor-20100906-14wwa.html
He also seems to think the decision is a matter of days, not hours.
February 19th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
slow, was required 6 months ago,
peterquixote