Labor dumps tradition to knock Coalition MPs from key parliamentary posts

Coalition MPs face being dumped from the top spots of key parliamentary committees that scrutinise legislation after Labor broke from tradition and ended a bipartisan practice guaranteeing balanced leadership.

The move opens the deputy chair position on three key committees – climate change, the environment and energy; healthcare, aged care and disability; and economics – to crossbench MPs, reflecting the Coalition’s diminished numbers in parliament after the May election.

Leader of the House Tony Burke.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

But manager for opposition business Alex Hawke accused the government of introducing the change without notice and using it to avoid scrutiny. “The Albanese Labor government has the worst track record for blocking freedom of information requests and orders for the production of documents,” Hawke said.

“Now, the prime minister has barred Coalition MPs from being deputy chairs on three important committees. Labor’s plan to stop Coalition MPs from being deputy chairs was kept secret and sprung on the opposition at the last moment.”

While Coalition MPs are not barred from the deputy chair positions, the change makes their selection more difficult.

Traditionally, the government of the day picks who chairs lower house committees and the deputy chair positions are designated to opposition MPs. However, the government used its numbers in parliament to change the rules last week, meaning a committee vote will decide who gets to be deputy chair from all non-government MPs.

Former deputy chair of the standing committee on economics, Liberal MP Garth Hamilton, said he would be unlikely to get the role again because he would not have as many backers as some independents.

“The clear alignment of voting behaviour between the teals and Labor will render these committees mere echo chambers under these changes,” he said.

Parliamentary committees are designed to examine legislation and government administration.

The chairperson of each committee takes part in the substance of discussions and upholds procedure at hearings and deliberative meetings.

The deputy chairperson fills in when a chair is not present, and the position is seen by the opposition as a crucial part of scrutinising government performance.

A spokesman for the manager of government business, Tony Burke, was contacted for comment but did not respond.

Burke said last week that the crossbench was a third the size of the opposition, yet the Coalition controlled all the deputy chair positions on committees. The change to the three committees, Burke said, would ensure committee leadership numbers reflected the make-up of the parliament.

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