Parliament is going to be boring, and more productive, without decoys and scandals

Australians were used to turning to Parliament for a bit of entertainment — politicians with props, cleverly worded insults, dissent among parties. But the 47th Parliament promises something different — and something much more boring. 

For democracy, this is of course a good thing. For entertainment and TV grabs, not so much. 

This morning, Leader of the House Tony Burke introduced standing orders to address long sitting hours and the useless gridlock on debate. To make Parliament more family-friendly, there’ll be no votes or quorum checks after 6.30pm and no sitting days during school holidays. Parliament will start half an hour earlier — at 9am on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Question time questions will be kept under 30 seconds, and Burke is pushing for debate to be more frequent but shorter and controlled. 

“What’s in front of us now is much better than nine years of spending hour after hour in here, fighting over whether or not people were allowed to talk,” he said.

(Last night, Burke suspended the automatic adjournment of Parliament, meaning when the bells went off at 7.30pm it kept sitting — but in the end, it went only 19 minutes over time.)

It’s all part of sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins’ recommendations for a safer, more respectful Parliament — including normal working hours. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he’ll lead a different kind of government, one that is more collegial and less combative.

Ensuring this happens will be in the hands of Speaker Milton Dick, who was booted out of Parliament in 2018 for bringing Muppets into question time. Dick reconfirmed his commitments to a safe and inclusive Parliament, welcoming the challenge to restore order and respect. 

(It’s perhaps slightly noteworthy that, while announcing Liberal MP Ian Goodenough’s nomination for second Deputy Speaker and exploring his achievements and migrant background, Albanese turned his back to the opposition to gasbag with frontbenchers). 

Parliament officially opened yesterday to much pomp and faff, including a speech from Governor-General David Hurley, prayers and afternoon tea. (Do we need to acknowledge the Queen and God, or is it simply that without it and aside from the welcome to country, opening day wouldn’t have any substance?) Scott Morrison’s absence was the only scandal of the day, though Tomorrow Movement climate protesters being removed from Parliament also made the news. 

Thanks to all the procedural stuff politicians needed to get through, there was limited time for debate. The Coalition criticised Labor’s decision to abolish the joint statement on Northern Australia, though its heart wasn’t in it. Four MPs delivered maiden speeches. There were long condolence speeches for Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe. The most rambunctious time was when new Liberal MP Aaron Violi referenced his support for Collingwood football team. 

Parliament doesn’t just feel different — it looks it. It’s the most diverse ever, with 38% women in the House of Representatives and 57% in the Senate (although just 6.6% have overseas non-European backgrounds). Splashes of pink, hijabs and saris dotted the chamber. 

Labor has a tough term on its hands — it’s dealing with record-high inflation (potentially the highest since 1990), a fight with the Greens on the climate change bill, and an extremely tough budget. It has some really serious issues to contend with and, as Albanese said yesterday, politicians need to always be on the clock, making their work a source of pride. 

As its first working day kicks off — with a new version of question time getting under way at 2pm — it will be interesting to see just how much more cohesive, respectful, and productive a Parliament under Albanese will be.