Off the Record: Which MP is kicked out of parliament most often?
In this week’s Off the Record, we look at the MPs kicked out of parliament most often, reveal what superstar Sia has been invited to open in Adelaide and how the UK’s Brexit shambles could influence Australian politics.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
In this week’s Off the Record we count the numbers on which MPs are kicked out of parliament most often, what has superstar Sia been invited to open in Adelaide and how could the UK’s Brexit shambles influence Australian politics?
Breaking the house rules
If you have had the misfortune to wander down North Terrace and popped your head into parliament this year, you may have noticed it’s even more unruly than usual.
MPs, mostly Labor but the occasional Lib as well, are being kicked out of the chamber by Speaker Vincent Tarzia so often a revolving door will soon need to be installed.
So far in 2019, 24 pollies have been booted a total of 168 times from the lower house. And there are still five sitting weeks to go.
Last year’s numbers were 20 MPs being kicked out a combined 85 times.
Retaining his crown as the king of the heave-ho, the earl of the ejection, the baron of banishment is Labor’s Tom Koutsantonis. The former treasurer has been ousted 27 times in 2019. In only 41 sitting days. The frequently ejected Koutsantonis rejected any notion he was badly behaved. He said the issue was the Speaker’s bias and determination to protect the government from hard questions.
“The speaker is especially sensitive to any criticism of the premier’s land tax policies and any mention of Wok in a Box will see you removed for all of question time,’’ he said.
Tarzia rejected this and said he tried to be “firm but fair’’.
Koutsantonis was joined on the podium by colleagues Michael Brown and Stephen Mullighan who posted 17 and 15 departures respectively. Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas made the walk of shame 10 times.
The baddest of the bad boy Libs were backbenchers Sam Duluk and Adrian Pederick who walked six times apiece.
Upstairs in the Legislative Council, standing orders do not permit President Andrew McLachlan to throw people out but it is hard to deny tensions have been running high this year.
A video (see above) put together by some of the Liberal’s political opponents has laid bare some cringe-worthy interactions for Trade Minister David Ridgway.
McLachlan told Off The Record he treats everyone equally before adding “some of my colleagues require a little more love and attention than others.”
Will Sia swing from the chandeliers?
Adelaide High School’s most famous wig-wearer, not to mention songsmith, Sia Furler, has been invited back to her alma mater to open its new Performing Arts Centre.
School principal Cez Green confirmed the invitation had been sent to the global superstar and they were now waiting for a reply.
“As Sia is an old scholar we thought she would be a fantastic choice to open our new Performing Arts,’’ she said. No date has been set for the opening as yet.
Sia attended Adelaide High between 1988 and 1992 and has become one of the world’s most in-demand songwriters and performers.
She has written songs for other performers including stars such as Britney Spears, Rihanna and Beyonce.
Example of UK could flow to SA
The ongoing shambles that is Brexit could have implications for Australian politics, especially when it comes to proroguing parliament.
The Supreme Court in the United Kingdom created a legal precedent last week when it ruled Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament was unlawful. The court ruled there had been no reason “let alone a good reason’’ to prorogue parliament.
Prorogation of parliament ends the session and means all business on the notice paper lapses and is usually done before an election.
Proroguing parliament outside of an election was a favoured tactic of ex-premier Jay Weatherill. Weatherill did it in 2011 after knocking off Mike Rann for the top job. He controversially did it again in 2014, only nine months after that year’s election.
Adelaide Uni law professor John Williams, who is a leading constitutional law expert, said while Australian courts had been reluctant to “venture’’ into politics “it is hard to resist the view that in the future this UK precedent will be called into aid if a government attempts to avoid the scrutiny of parliament’’.
Book smart
It was the book Penny Wong didn’t want written. The Labor senator resisted entreaties from journalist Margaret Simons to co-operate with the book, but relented when it became apparent it was going to be written with or without her help. Now Wong has come full circle and will launch the book — Penny Wong Passion and Principle — on Friday at Adelaide Uni.
An all-star cast of Labor luvvies will no doubt turn up and will also hear an introduction by former Senator John Faulkner. Read more about the book in Saturday’s SA Weekend.
Shine off
He was once seen as something of a golden boy within the Liberal Party. Talked of as a future MP.
Daniel Gannon had done the hard yards in working for Liberal luminaries Rob Lucas, Isobel Redmond and Steven Marshall before leaving to run the Property Council. One fractious land tax campaign later and some of those relationships may be beyond repair.
On Peter Goers’ ABC radio show this week, Lucas listed Gannon one “of our former friends’’. At least he knows where he stands.
Sand which?
Locals down Semaphore way have been up in arms recently protesting the state government’s decision to take away vast swathes of their beach to deposit at the sand-deficient West Beach and Henley Beach. They are worried about the damage to the environment and the effect of huge trucks on local streets and homes.
But the Environment Department has come up with a new term to describe what’s going on.
It’s not sand carting (although that term is used) or even sand mining.
What, in fact, is happening is “sand recycling”!?