Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

They do not understand the standing orders, which is the little book, or the House of Representatives Practice, which is the big book. There isn’t anyone on that side who has ever picked it up. They did not pick it up when they were in government. But I give them a bit of advice: they should pick it up when they are in opposition. That was the 502nd point of order moved during this year. They have interrupted you, Mr Speaker, in one of every three questions during question time because they do not have anything to say and are not prepared to engage in the real forms of the House for proper discussion.

The fact is that the number of sitting days under the Rudd government is higher than the number of sitting days under the Howard government. The fact is that the number of question times under the Rudd government is higher than the average number of question times under the Howard government. The fact is that the number of questions without notice answered by the government in this House is higher per question time than the number of questions answered by the Howard government. The fact is that we have had 53 ministerial statements in this House during 2008. They had two during 2007.

The fact is that during 2007 in the run-up to the election, when you would expect there to be more issues of conflict between the government and the opposition than during a post-election year, there was one dissent motion before this House. You will recall, Mr Speaker, there have been four so far this year from the opposition. In terms of censures or suspensions of standing orders to do similar actions, to disrupt question time, in the run-up to the election in 2007 there was a total of just 10—during the entire year in the lead-up to an election. So far this year the opposition has done that on 21 separate occasions. This took five hours of debate in 2007. The opposition has taken 12 hours and 40 minutes of the parliament’s time—more than double—so far this year in debating censures of the government or condemnations of the government or sometimes we are not quite sure what. ‘It’s Thursday so we’ll move a suspension.’ That is their attitude. And we await post question time today to see whether once again there is a predictable motion to suspend standing orders from the opposition—on who knows what and with no build-up whatsoever.

The fact is that the former Leader of the Opposition, Dr Nelson, was served very badly indeed by his tactics and strategy committee. We all recall him fumbling at the dispatch box, not having the appropriate motions to read, not being given any assistance by the Manager of Opposition Business, not being given assistance by the Deputy Manager of Opposition Business and not being given any assistance by the member for Sturt. The former Leader of the Opposition knows that he was served very badly by his tactics and strategy committee, because it was part of the undermining of the former Leader of the Opposition. But what we are seeing in respect of the new Leader of the Opposition is service just as bad, frankly—a tactics committee that is all over the shop, an opposition that thinks that it is okay to essentially vote for things, not put up alternatives or be prepared to put up any other options.

The opposition are doing it again today when it comes to the sitting schedule for 2009. They are going to vote for it. They know it is sensible. They know it is practical. The program put up raises the issue of one-week gaps in sittings. Go back and look at what occurred under them. In 2001, there were one, two, three, four, five one-week breaks. In 2002, there were one, two, three one-week breaks. In 2003, there were one, two, three, four one-week breaks. So do not listen to anything they have to say about either policy or organisation or running this parliament, because they are completely incapable. They walk both sides of the streets but somehow manage at the same time to stay in the gutter. That is where they are at—walking both sides of the street but somehow managing to stay in the gutter at the same time.

I commend the sitting schedule to the parliament. Also, for the benefit of newer members, we have given more notice than the former government gave. We waited. Often the schedules were released in November or December. That was when we got the schedules. This is a government that is well organised on policy and well organised in running this parliament.

Question agreed to.

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