Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Hansard source

The opposition will not be opposing the proposed changes to the standing orders. However, there are a number of points that need to be placed on the record. The first point is that the Friday sittings have been a complete disaster for the government. They introduced Friday sittings and changed the standing orders in a very substantial way without in any way consulting with the opposition. Prior to Christmas the new Prime Minister boasted to the Australian people that if parliamentarians did not have five days of sittings then they were lazy. Quite frankly, that was an affront to every parliamentarian who has sat in this chamber since 1901, because the chamber has never sat on a regular scheduled basis for five days a week—never. It is also the case that, since 1901, there has never been a regular scheduled sitting day of this parliament without a question time.

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