the Coalition is gaining on Labor in the opinion polls;
which has turned down the volume on leadership talk in governmentranks;
Attorney-General George Brandis was censured by the Senate for his attacks on the president of the Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs;
Labor has called on Senator Brandis to resign; and
Labor announced a policy to crack down on multi national companies dodging tax.
Right about now the opposition is meeting to consider its official position on the government's proposed data retention legislation.
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security earlier today released its report on the legislation and recommended it be passed but with amendments.
The opposition has sent out its assistant treasury spokesman, Andrew Leigh, to sell the policy.
Just between you and I, I wish he'd stop using the phrase "no mouth and no trousers" to describe the government's lack of action in this area.
Particularly when he mentions Treasurer Joe Hockey in the same breath.
I have been tardy in bringing you details of Labor's announcement on multi national tax avoidance (the most substantive policy announcement of its oppositionship).
According to the document put out by Labor to accompany the announcement the plan will recoup $1.9 billion in lost tax revenue over the next four years (this has been costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office).
This will happen through:
changes to the way multinational companies claim tax deductions;
more detective work by the Australian Tax Office to find and deal with corporate tax dodgers;
a crack down on complicated tax structures used by companies to reduce their tax burden; and
improved transparency and data matching.
How many cakes does one MP get?
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Further to the censure of Attorney-General George Brandis that was passed by the Senate shortly before question time.
The opposition is now calling on Senator Brandis to resign.
"Senator Brandis is responsible for significant damage to reputation of the Australian Human Rights Commission," the opposition's attorney-general spokesman, Mark Dreyfus, said in a statement.
"As Attorney-General his role should be to defend Professor Triggs. Instead he has joined with the Prime Minister in attacking her....The government should never have interfered with an independent statutory office holder undertaking her role in accordance with the law."
And that's it for question time.
You may be familiar with one of Mr Abbott's new favourite lines, "Canberra insider games".
It seems to have been joined by "jeering, smearing and sneering" which does have a certain ring to it.
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Never let it be said backbenchers get distracted during question time.