Tuesday, October 19, 2004
ALP embraces Family First.
"Former federal Labor minister Chris Schacht has criticised factional deals within the ALP which will decide who is included in the Opposition's new shadow ministry."
Kim Beazley, Craig Emerson, John Faulkner, Bob McMullan and 85 other members of the previous shadow ministry have already decided to take their bats and balls and retire to the backbench.
UPDATE: Now add Lindsay Tanner to the list.
UPDATE 2: "New South Wales MP Daryl Melham, Labor's spokesman for local government and housing, says he will not be nominating for the frontbench when the Caucus meets this Friday. Mr Melham says he does not want to comment any further."
(Errrm Dazza, if we knew youse were there in the first place, then we'd miss you. Sorry, must have been looking the other way when you made your contribution to the lively cut and thrust of parliamentary debate.)
Casting aside criticism from State premiers, Chris Schacht, Graham Edwards, former Chief of Staff to Kim Beazley, Michael Costello and "Disgusted" of East Malvern, Mark Latham today announced his new faction free shadow cabinet.
"In formulating the new shadow ministry, both the Caucus and myself have taken note of what people have been saying - have taken note of what people have been saying - in the wake of the defeat we had to have", the Leader of the Opposition told the waiting journalist.
" I believe the team that has been chosen will be entirely united - entirely united - in serving the great family that is the Australian Labor Party. I would like to thank those who bothered to turn up to the caucus meeting for providing me with what I believe to be a magnificently cohesive, coherent, dedicated and talented team - a magnificently cohesive, coherent, dedicated and talented team. A team that is ready, willing and able - ready, willing and able - to prosecute the case for a new government in the next parliament. I would also like to pay tribute to the late Jack Ferguson and his wife without whom none of this would have been possible."
Shadow ministers from left to right.
Laurie Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Add ups, Take-aways, Multiplication and Division)
Billy Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Interesting Stuff)
Bruce Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Laughing at Dolly)
Narelle Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Women's Trouble)
Kevin Ferguson (Manager of House Business)
Craigette Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Secret Women's Business and Interrupting Bronwen Bishop)
Ned Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Snotting Christopher Pyne)
Mark Ferguson-Latham (Leader of the Opposition)
Mar'n Ferguson (Deputy Leader of the Pack and Shadow Minister for Reading to Kiddies)
(The other) Bruce Ferguson (Shadow Minister Really Old Big Trees and Stuff)
Kelvin Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Baby Boomers and Other Endangered Species)
Brian Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Interrupting Bronwen Bishop Again)
Siddy Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Free Trade and Cheap Recreational Drugs)
Declan Ferguson (Shadow Minister for the Arts and Play Doh)
Reg Ferguson (Shadow Minister for the Stuff Nobody Would Touch with a Forty Foot Pole)
Billy Jo Bob Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Ingenious Affairs)
Wally Ferguson (Shadow Minister for Ferguson Affairs)
Arthur Ferguson (Not related) (Shadow Minister for Anything Left Over and Shadow Minister assisting the Shadow Minister for Washing the Dishes after Cabinet Meetings).
Sunday, October 17, 2004
The new Speaker - a woofer or a tweeter?
Bishop makes pitch for Speaker’s job.
Coalition MPs will choose a new Speaker before Parliament sits next month.
Queensland Liberal David Jull and Victorian MP Bruce Hawker are favourites to replace Andrew.
Federal Liberal Party backbencher Bronwyn Bishop has vowed to lift the standard of parliamentary behaviour if she is appointed Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Mrs Bishop says people want politicians to be better behaved during Question Time.
Asked why she would make a good Speaker Mrs Bishop said her strong knowledge of the standing orders and background as a lawyer would make her the best candidate.
“What you need in the Parliament is some strength and some authority,” Mrs Bishop said.
“I think a thorough understanding of the standing orders is pretty important and knowing that the standing orders are actually derived from our Constitution.”
CATHERINE MCGRATH: But that didn't last long, more points of order, most notably from Bronwyn Bishop. Not once…
BRONWYN BISHOP: That question is not to do with the business of state with which the Treasurer is connected.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: …but twice.
BRONWYN BISHOP: I would put it to you that the Member for Fraser has just shown himself to be vexatious in pursuing this issue…
(laughter from the House)
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Member for Mackellar will resume her seat.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop interjecting—
The SPEAKER —The member for MacKellar will resume her seat. Let me offer some clarification for all members of the House.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop —The additional point of order is that the concluding remarks in the question were not necessary to the asking of the question and were out of order in terms of the standing orders.
The SPEAKER —I did not note anything in the concluding remarks that caused me alarm. I will check the Hansard and report back to the member for Mackellar if I feel I have been in error.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop —Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The content of that question clearly makes allegations. It is clearly out of order and should be ruled as such. It should be dealt with on a substantive motion.
The SPEAKER —I will allow the question to stand.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop —Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. Standing order 146 says that, once a question has been answered fully, it may not be put again. I ask you to uphold that standing order.
The SPEAKER —I am very conscious of standing order 146 and I am aware that this is the third occasion on which the question has been asked. On each occasion it has been couched in different terms and I have allowed it to stand.
What was that Bronnie said again? — “I think a thorough understanding of the standing orders is pretty important.”
Bronnie was once touted as a future prime minister. Now she's touting herself as the new speaker. Wasn't John Elliot once touted as a future prime minister? Seems to me all that touting stuff doesn't ever seem to come to much.
Don't think the member for MacKellar is likely to change that any time soon.
File under "Useful/Useless Information".
If you use an online or a downloaded RSS reader you can keep up to date with Haloscan comments on various blogs.
Bloglines is the online RSS reader of choice round these here parts. (Highly useful. Highly recommended.)
O.K., the Haloscan comments how to do. This is the URL to use:-
http://www.haloscan.com/members/rss.php?user=XXXXXX
Replace the XXXXXX with the Haloscan username. If you are a Haloscan user you will know your own username. If you want to add other bloggers using Haloscan to an RSS reader just "View Source" of the blog and it will show up in the "head" section of the html. e.g. http://www.haloscan.com/load.php?user=sedge3041 (Mine in fact.)
You will now have a URL that looks like this http://www.haloscan.com/members/rss.php?user=sedge3041 .
You would paste this into the Bloglines "Blog or Feed URL:" box and click subscribe.
Screenshot of end result.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
