Parliament 2014: The most ridiculous moments
FROM sleeping on the job to lusting after well hung men, our illustrious leaders have certainly done some embarrassing things this year.
GIVING his Christmas valedictory speech in parliament this morning, Tony Abbott deemed 2014 a “year of delivery”.
But by focusing on stopping the boats, the budget, and all the boring stuff, Mr Abbott failed to remind us of the more memorable moments our pollies delivered this year.
We’ve learnt a lot about our politicians, from what they seek in a suitor (one senator requested well-hung men only), to who thinks Africa is a country.
To celebrate the last scheduled parliamentary sitting day of the year, here are the weirdest political moments of 2014:
The time the budget sent Clive Palmer to sleep
After being up bright and early for TV appearances giving his take on the budget, Clive Palmer was feeling it when it came to Question Time.
The member for Fairfax’s eyes looked to be closing as Tony Abbott and his Treasurer were on their feet defending last night’s release, and soon nodded off.
@TonyAbbottMHR sent me to sleep during Question Time avoiding questions about his cruel & heartless budget #qt #auspol
— Clive Palmer (@CliveFPalmer) May 14, 2014Abbott’s ‘shirtfront’ call
This is one we’re not going to let the Prime Minister forget easily.
Flexing his muscles and laying down tough talk when asked how he would approach his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Abbott put forward the most bizarre threat we’ve heard from any politician this year.
“I’m going to shirt-front Mr Putin,” he said.
Followed up with: “You bet you are, uh, you bet I am”.
What does that even mean? The actual meeting was far less eventful.
Jacqui Lambie’s taste in men
Of all the bizarre things the now-independent senator has come out with this year, her ‘well-hung’ comment is the one we wish she could take back the most.
When asked about her ideal man she said, “They must have heaps of cash and they’ve got to have a package between their legs, let’s be honest."
Asking a 22-year-old how cashed up they are and if they are “well-hung” on radio? Just weird.
Bronwyn Bishop’s 94a blitz
There was the time Speaker Bronwyn Bishop booted out a record 18 MPs for disruptions during a heated Question Time — all of them Labor.
The Speaker has now clocked up 185 ejections this year — just five of them from the Coalition benches.
And we all got to know what ‘94a’ means in parliament.
When Seinfeld came to parliament
The absurdity of the Australian parliament found its perfect match in a hilarious mashup featuring the characters from Seinfeld.
The video Seinfeld in Parliament was created by Melbourne resident Huw Parkinson, who said he was inspired by the image of Seinfeld character George Costanza in parliament.
A perfect match.
We found out what America thought of Tony Abbott
The secret was out: America knows about Tony Abbott.
Satirical US news program Last Week Tonight, hosted by John Oliver stuck the boot in with a segment ruthlessly collating our PM’s most embarrassing moments.
We laughed, we cringed.
Tony Abbott’s creepy wink
We didn’t need a US comedian to point this one out.
When the Prime Minister found himself on the line to grandmother Gloria, a former sex worker, he couldn’t help but give his creepiest wink.
Ricky Muir’s incredibly awkward Sunday Night interview
It was one of the most painful scenes to hit TV screens this year.
The Motoring Enthusiasts Party Senator Ricky Muir stalled and backfired during the Channel 7 interview that became unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
And he hasn’t come too far since June, refusing to answer questions at a another bizarre press conference just this week.
Leaks finally cause Parliament House to crumble
Leaks? In Parliament? Who heard of such a thing?
A storm over the nation’s capital caused a different kind of leak in Canberra and had Speaker Bronwyn Bishop calling for a bucket.
“I notice that our roof is leaking,” she remarked.
“I realised leaking is a familiar problem to political parties ... I think we may need a bucket.”
Is it Wang or is it Wong?
The past week has delivered other memorable moments, like Christopher Pyne’s controversial Wang/Wong mix-up during an interview on ABC’s 7.30.
But it was host Leigh Sales who was left red-faced the next day when Senator Dio Wang revealed his friend Mr Pyne had actually pronounced his name correctly.
Julie Bishop shows her emoji game
The foreign minister’s popularity peaked on social media when she decided to reply to tweets exclusively in emojis for one night only.
“@lycanzayn: @JulieBishopMP send me an emoji story Julie pleaseâ€âœˆï¸ðŸŒâ˜€ï¸â›µï¸ðŸ‘’☕ï¸ðŸªðŸ™‹âœˆï¸
— Julie Bishop (@JulieBishopMP) November 23, 2014iPhone has been wrested off me - no more 😥 Time for 💤💤 Good 🌜Twitter
— Julie Bishop (@JulieBishopMP) November 23, 2014Tanya Plibersek called Africa a country
That was just a bit embarrassing.
Michael Danby hearts LOLCATS
Let’s not forget that time we thought Melbourne MP Michael Danby had been hacked.
But it turned out he just really really loved cat memes.
— Michael Danby MP (@MichaelDanbyMP) November 3, 2014
And this
Which we still can’t explain.
Dangerous act against posties on the rise
More and more Australia Post drivers are being subject to this concerning act, and it’s prompted a plea from the national service.
Aussie reveals big flexible work ‘red flag’
At first glance, a company saying they offer flexible working hours seems like a positive, but one Aussie says there is a big reason it’s actually a “red flag”.
Unusual job last straw for ‘tired’ cops
“Tired, overworked” police in one capital city say they are being called to jobs that others should do – and this request tipped them over the edge.