5&5: Incredible interjections

This was a short, sharp one week sitting with the PM there for the first two days, before he headed off to represent the nation in India.

Here’s the 5&5:

BEST

  1. One step closer to a Future Made in Australia

  2. Australia’s first Federal Government with a majority of women

  3. Paid Parental Leave passed the Parliament

  4. Angus Taylor versus Angus Taylor

  5. The Premier slip

WORST

  1. Stuart Robert playing the Robodebt victim card

  2. The No-alition strikes again

  3. Peter Dutton picked on the wrong Independent

  4. Ted O’Brien's lacklustre sign

  5. Pot, kettle, pork barrel

1. In his first Budget Reply Anthony Albanese committed Labor to his plan for a Future Made in Australia. This week we took a major step with the National Reconstruction Fund passing the House of Representatives. Well done to Ed Husic for getting it through the House. Next stop the Senate.

2. International Women’s Day celebrations looked a little different in Parliament this year. The Albanese Government is Australia’s first Federal Government with a majority of women. As Minister for Women Katy Gallagher told the Senate, “This is a Government that puts women at the centre.” We’re doing that by:

  • investing in cheaper child care;

  • legislating for 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave;

  • boosting and expanding paid parental leave;

  • banning pay secrecy clauses;

  • securing an increase in the minimum wage;

  • increasing wages for aged care workers;

  • putting gender equity at the heart of the Fair Work Act;

  • legislating to prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace;

  • introducing the Closing the Gender Pay Gap Bill;

  • and improving access to multi-employer bargaining

3. On Monday our changes to Paid Parental Leave passed the Parliament. PPL is an important Labor legacy and we’ll always support it. These changes extend the amount of leave parents can take and increase flexibility in the scheme. As Amanda Rishworth explained, “This is a win for working families”.

4. Angus Taylor’s statements from a few years back turned out to be the exact opposite of what he’s now arguing in response to our modest changes to super. As the PM told Question Time: “At last, a fair fight. A fight between the Shadow Treasurer with the Shadow Treasurer … Angus versus Angus. A true battle of the lightweights.”

5. In the rough and tumble of the Chamber, sometimes the wrong words come out. This time it was the Speaker, Milton Dick, who momentarily mixed up his Queenslanders and referred to Jim Chalmers as the Premier. Realising what he’d said Milton announced “Don’t tell the Premier that!” and Jim responded “I won't tell her if you won't, Mr Speaker!”

1. They still don’t get it. Last week Stuart Robert gave extraordinary evidence to the Royal Commission into Robodebt that he had knowingly publicly defended the scheme, while privately questioning its legality. When Bill Shorten highlighted this evidence to the Chamber – Mr Robert complained that he’d somehow been misrepresented. That prompted Bill to outline the actual timeline of events: Stuart Robert had waited 155 days (with substantial misgivings) before moving to shut it down. Bill summed it up perfectly: “I remind the member for Fadden, and Coalition, you are not the victims here.”

2. The Opposition were back in familiar territory this week - saying no to absolutely everything. They were particularly feral in Question Time, with the Leader of the Opposition constantly interjecting. It prompted the PM to ask: “What happened to the smile? You were going to smile more, Peter. What happened to happy Peter?” Imagine what he’d be like if he was smiling less!

3. It wasn’t really a good week for Peter Dutton’s interjections. During a question from Monique Ryan he thought it would be a good idea to yell out about her apparent plans to be Prime Minister one day. Monique didn’t miss a beat. “I’ll be there before you are!”  

4. Shadow Energy Minister Ted O’Brien was back in Parliament after last month’s nuclear tour of Japan. How we missed his contributions! On Wednesday he decided to hold up a sign while Chris Bowen was answering on emissions reduction. There was only one problem – whatever he’d written on it was in fine point pen. As Chris helpfully advised, “If you’re going to write a note, you have to do it in texta. Nobody can see that.” Perhaps there was nothing written on it. Or maybe he was finally waving the white flag?

5. The Opposition has recently been hyperventilating about the Government funding its election commitments through the Mobile Black Spot program. Michelle Rowland wasn’t going to let them off the hook when it came to their record on the same program. Guess how many grants went to Coalition seats under them? “Out of 125, it was 124 — 99.2 per cent of the funding was driven to Coalition seats. We will not be lectured to by this rabble, these mates of John Barilaro.”

Parliament returns on the 20th of March.

‘til then,

Tony

PS In honour of International Women’s Day, here’s terrific Australian artist Jessica Mauboy.

Tony Burke