Liberals, Scott Morrison find parliamentary mojo in fiery, funny Question Time

After a wobbly start to the new year, the Coalition front bench not only picked a strategy but stuck to it during parliamentary Question Time, writes James Morrow.

The Morrison government has finally found its parliamentary mojo.

After a start to the new year that can only be called wobbly, the Coalition front bench Monday not only picked a strategy – personalise and target its enemies opposite – but stuck to it.

It was more effective than anything close watchers of Question Time have seen for some time, with ministers turning dixers around into blasts at the “alternative policies” of their alternate members.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison also seemed content to sit back and let Josh Frydenberg and Peter Dutton take centre stage – much like John Howard playing good cop to Peter Costello’s rhetorical nuking of the opposition.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison during Question Time at Parliament House Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg during Question Time at Parliament House Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The parries and thrusts were marked moments of high comedy, too.

Anthony Albanese, attempting to make light of an attack on him for a speech endorsing death duties he’d given as a young Laborite in the ‘90s, tried to table a hand-written economics assignment he’d handed in at Sydney Uni way back in 1991.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg called it a “two page document, crowned with pictures”, and wouldn’t allow it to be tabled.

Interestingly, Albo’s press people wouldn’t release the homework to the media afterwards either.

But it was the Treasurer’s spruiking of his own government’s tax cuts and claims that in “coalition” with the Greens, Labor would blow up the economy that hit home.

“This can’t be in order for him to just go on for three minutes, not in his portfolio, with an attack on myself and the leader of the houses,” interjected Albanese.

Peter Dutton during Question Time at Parliament House Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Coalition MPs were buoyant at what was clearly the most successful Question Time they had had in months.

Not only had they landed some real punches on Labor that clearly got under Albo’s skin, but they also seemed to find a way forward.

One would later say that it was the sort of strategy they should, arguably, have been executing since last year.

Another said simply, “so good”.