Joel Fitzgibbon’s last word: let MPs speak their minds

Outgoing Labor MP Joel Fitz­gibbon has urged the ALP to allow members greater freedom in speaking their minds and for question time to be overhauled.

Old mates … Joel Fitzgibbon, left, with Anthony Albanese during question time on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Outgoing Labor MP Joel Fitz­gibbon has urged the ALP to allow members greater freedom in speaking their minds and for question time to be overhauled, including the scrapping of Dorothy Dixers.

The Labor veteran and former defence minister served in parliament for 26 years for the seat of Hunter, which was held before him by his father, Eric, from 1984 to 1996. In his valedictory address on Thursday, Mr Fitzgibbon said parliament was not working in the way the “founding fathers” would have wanted.

“I might not be popular saying it but I think party discipline is strangling our democracy in an era where the world is changing so dramatically,” he said.

“I fear the House of Representatives has become not much more than a rubber stamp for the executive. I think community attitudes are changing so much, the world is changing so much … I think major parties will be forced to ask themselves whether that strict discipline is sustainable.

“I think the Australian Labor Party possibly has the strictest party discipline in the world.”

Mr Fitzgibbon said while Liberals were more able to act against their party, it still came at a cost. He said it was obvious “how traumatic” it was for MPs to cross the floor, as five of them did last week when the government tried to pass the religious discrimination act.

“We all know they’ll be reflecting … on whether that’s ruined their prospects for advancement in this place, and surely it has knocked it around,” he said.

Mr Fitzgibbon also called for question time to be reformed, and for Dorothy Dixers to be axed.

The MP for Hunter quit the frontbench in late 2020 after speaking out against Labor’s climate policies and urging the party to reconnect with working-class values. He has since been one of the key voices urging Labor to fund a power plant in Kurri Kurri, which it committed to this month on the proviso it run 100 per cent off hydrogen by 2030.

He also used his address to condemn bad behaviour in parliament, which he said had “gotten much worse”.

Anthony Albanese said Mr Fitzgibbon was one of his “closest friends”, despite them disagreeing at times. “Joel Fitzgibbon and I haven’t always been completely in-sync,” he said. “What we have been always is mates.”

Mr Albanese thanked Mr Fitzgibbon for his loyalty, despite the Hunter MP agitating in Labor’s right faction over the direction of the party before ultimately leaving the frontbench.

Defence Minister and leader of the house Peter Dutton said Mr Fitzgibbon was “well ­respected”.

Mr Dutton said the Coalition was “pretty tough” on Mr Fitzgibbon but he had done a “good job” during his time in parliament and could retire with his “head held high”.