The Sketch: summer of love ends with a wave of hostility in federal parliament

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg makes a point during question time in the House of Representatives yesterday.

As question time morphed swiftly into a noisy struggle to determine which was the mightier weapon — boats or banks — a solitary shaft of sunshine slanted down into the House of Representatives. For a few minutes it favoured Labor MP Julie Owens, setting her aglow.

Slowly it slid across to her colleague Cathy O’Toole and her edifice of red hair blazed fiercely. It didn’t always have so much to work with, as was clear when it reached Warren Snowdon’s head. As if exhausted by that final, futile effort, the beam faded, leaving nothing but the verbal fireworks.

The shouting kept escalating and it was clear the summer of tough love — such as it was — was over. The summer of open hostilities is upon us.

Bill Shorten. Picture: Kym Smith

Various topics were explored, and at high volume. Was Bill Shorten fit to be prime minister? (Suggested answer from Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton: no.)

What sort of people get into Australia thanks to Labor’s laxness? (Suggested answer: Bikies, criminals and rapists.)

When would the PM apologise for his recalcitrance on the banking royal commission? When would Labor apologise for deaths at sea?

How closely did Human Services Minister Michael Keenan’s words on media tip-offs about police raids on the Australian Workers Union align with those offered in court by Michaelia Cash’s former media adviser David De Garis? So many questions.

To Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s credit, he managed amid his marathon of heavy lifting to combine his own portfolio with the theme of the day: “I tell you what weakens a country’s budget. It’s the same thing that weakens a country’s national security and that, Mr Speaker, is weak borders.”

Christopher Pyne holds court in Question Time. Picture: Gary Ramage

Christopher Pyne charted a slightly different course as he got up to speak about military spending.

“Tell us about the English Civil War,” called Labor’s Ed Husic, still dwelling on the Defence Minister’s dark but unheeded warning from the day, adding, “He’s jumped the moat.”

Some queries about Narnia drifted in Pyne’s direction but he was not to be knocked off course as he delivered a backhander to Richard Marles.

“I thought the shadow minister for defence has finally had a win. He doesn’t have much of a profile but he’s finally had a win.” Then evidently remembering he and Marles share a show on Sky News, Pyne chirpily popped in a qualifier: “Except when he’s on my show.”

Later in the day, the din momentarily faded as John “Wacka” Williams gave his valedictory speech to the Senate. Broadly liked and quietly effective, Williams spoke warmly and dropped jokes aplenty. Even when he touched on his Parkinson’s disease, it was wrapped in a layer of Wacka-ness.

Then, in his closing lines, he looked up at his wife, Nancy: “I look forward to getting home and spending every minute with you for the rest of my life.” With that, he called stumps and for a moment, the glow was back in the building.