PUP chief a leader on truancy

CLIVE Palmer has one of the poorest attendance records in parliament and has not shown up for 17 of the 58 sitting days since he was elected.

CLIVE Palmer has one of the poorest attendance records in federal parliament and has not shown up for 17 of the 58 sitting days since he was elected.

As parliament resumes today after the winter break, an official report issued by the House of Representatives Chamber Research Office shows Mr Palmer attended just nine of the 15 sitting days last year and 32 of the 43 days so far this year.

Mr Palmer’s office did not respond to questions but previously the leader of the Palmer United Party, who won his Sunshine Coast seat of Fairfax by just 53 votes, said he could better represent his constituents outside the chamber.

“Not everything that happens in parliament is of any substance or any reality,” he said when quizzed in the past about not attending parliament.

In the last session, Mr Palmer was more frequently seen outside the Senate chamber where the votes of his three PUP senators can veto government legislation when it is opposed by Labor and the Greens.

Trade Minister Andrew Robb has the lowest attendance record, missing 22 days because he was overseas representing Australia in trade negotiations.

South Australian Liberal Rowan Ramsey has missed 19 days due to ill health. Tony Abbott missed five days because he was either overseas or attending a funeral and Bill Shorten has missed two for the same reasons. Bob Katter, who has a reputation for not being at parliament, has only missed four sittings. Leader of the house Christopher Pyne is one of 70 out of the 150 MPs who have a perfect attendance record.

The former leader of the house, Labor’s Anthony Albanese, has missed nine sittings, which has included time away to campaign in the West Australian Senate election.