Pollies Working Week

The Rudd Labor government plans to extract more from our elected representatives, with Friday to become a scheduled sitting day. Joe Hockey says it’s undemocratic because Question Time won’t be a part of the scheduled sitting.

Well, anyone who has listened to QT would know quite well that QT is certainly not an information exchange. It’s a combative engagement between the two major parties, with the government fo the day indulging in pre-scripted questions of it’s Ministers by the backbench, which allows said government to promote itself while denigrating the opposition in a kind of free-kick bonus. The opposition, conversely, uses QT to attack personalities and policies for the sake of being in opposition to anything the government supports. It’s a game of chess which almost always leads to a stalemate. A waste of time & effort, but a hoot to listen to just the same.
I reckon, apart from being a bit of a farce anyway, that the tax paying electorate would be pleased to see their representatives at least still at work on a Friday, as most work-a-day folk are. If Question Time isn’t going to be held, so what?!! It’s not held on Fridays now anyway, and we don’t get that extra additional bang for our buck from the pollies either. That government business won’t be conducted isn’t exactly a loss, because the day will be turned to committee business. A good use of those six or so hours. More productive than vacant speeches to a one-quarter occupied House (or less) by speakers who feel the need to be heard, even if it is by very few.
The independant member for LeichardtKennedy, Bob Katter, doesn’t think much of the idea because, as he claims, it cuts into his off-work time, at home in his electorate. He reckons he travels nine hours both ways, if connections are on time, and if Friday’s aren’t available to him to travel, his weekends will be even busier. It’s like this Bob, I’m sad to relate. While some of your Parliamentary colleagues might be amused at the odd speech – and they’re all ‘odd’ – you make, no-one outside of Leichardt and probably few within it are going to miss you if you spend an additional day in Canberra. If you can’t handle the travel, the stress of the position and all it entails, must be time you retired, old son!
Good on Labor for at least giving the appearance of giving the people more for their tax-payer dollar. If I have to work Fridays, so should my elected representatives.