Australian prime minister admonishes absent colleagues

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Australian prime minister admonishes absent colleagues 
ROD McGUIRK, Associated Press

 

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's prime minister said Friday that he "read the Riot Act" to lawmakers who caused the government to lose votes in Parliament by sneaking out early.

 

The government lost three votes in the House of Representatives late Thursday because the absence of several government lawmakers gave the opposition Labor Party a majority.

 

It was a humiliating blow to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's promise of a stable government in the first week Parliament has met since a July election left his conservative coalition with a single-seat majority.

 

Turnbull said it was a wakeup call to the lawmakers, including three ministers who left Parliament House early on the final sitting day of the week.

 

"They know they did the wrong thing. I read the Riot Act to them, their colleagues will all read the Riot Act to them," Turnbull told Melbourne Radio 3AW.

 

Australians are used to federal governments with commanding majorities and disliked the uncertainty that surrounded a precarious minority government that was thrown out after three years in 2013.

 

Parliament ends its week at 5 p.m. on a Thursday, and the adjournment motion is usually a formality that doesn't require a vote. But Labor took advantage of the government lawmakers leaving early by defeating the motion 69 votes to 67 and forcing the chamber to continue the session for more than two hours.

 

Labor then won three votes on procedural matters which did not affect government legislation. The adjournment motion was eventually passed.

 

Turnbull said Labor's temporary control of the House of Representatives before the absent government lawmakers frantically returned did not mean his government would not be able to survive for its full three-year term.

 

"There's no doubt last night was embarrassing, there's no doubt it was a wakeup call. In fact, in some respects it's good to have got it in the first week," Turnbull said.

 

"I'm very disappointed that members (of Parliament) left when they shouldn't have left, but it will not happen again," he said.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten said Turnbull was leading the first majority government to lose a vote in the House of Representatives in 52 years.

 

"Mr. Turnbull lost complete control of the Parliament," Shorten told reporters. "Turnbull has no authority over his party."

 

Constitutional lawyer Anne Twomey said the opposition could create unprecedented political chaos if it managed to pass through the House a bill that had already been passed by the Senate, where the government is in a minority.

 

While the government could reverse the vote in the House, it would be unlikely to have enough votes to succeed in the Senate.

Lawmakers who need to leave Parliament early are expected to tell their parties. Their parties then ask their opponents for a "pair" — a lawmaker who agrees to abstain from voting and cancels out the absent lawmaker.

 

The absent lawmakers have apologized for leaving early without permission.

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-09-02

 

[halloween]

Thais reading this would be surprised. Not by 3 MPs absenting themselves from parliament, but by a PM that didn't.

[billd766]

quote from the OP  " Parliament ends its week at 5 p.m. on a Thursday, and the adjournment motion is usually a formality that doesn't require a vote."

 

Why did they knock off early? They only work a 4 day week anyway.

[bridge2bridge]

He should SACK the lot of them that went early.

Don't they realise that the Public put them there.

Their own personal gain is more important to them than the Taxpayer.

 

[manfredtillmann]

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

quote from the OP  " Parliament ends its week at 5 p.m. on a Thursday, and the adjournment motion is usually a formality that doesn't require a vote."

 

Why did they knock off early? They only work a 4 day week anyway.

they don't 'WORK' at all!!!

[manfredtillmann]

4 minutes ago, bridge2bridge said:

He should SACK the lot of them that went early.

Don't they realise that the Public put them there.

Their own personal gain is more important to them than the Taxpayer.

 

come on, mate, this is oztralia!

everyone always looks after themselves first. everywhere, at all times, no exemptions!

are you still living there or reminiscing the '80s?

[Prbkk]

It's a trivial matter: the opposition won a couple of meaningless procedural votes. The only good thing for them in it : it took their own corruption off the front page, briefly. Hardly a good week for Labor when one of its own Senators gets caught taking money from. Chinese govt controlled company ( for a3rd time) and when a union official gets charged with stealing $1.something million from her members. I'm no fan of the Liberals but this is no triumph for Labor.

[tifino]

 

and don't forget the 'sleeping' one(s) in the Senate chamber

[Pepper1959]

I want a refund from those politicians who are always belting us over the head and saying how hard they work. It is too easy to say they were heading home. You stay until the job is done and then catch the next flight, even if it means the next day; they get significant allowances for living away from their electorates and honestly, I never saw my local politician once in  the time I lived in that electorate, so no rush to hurry back.

[elgordo38]

When your personal popularity sinks to new lows you have to crack the whip and keep up appearances of doing work which of course you don't. Its the same the world over with these political scum bags. They only want to see and hear from you at election time otherwise (watch my language here) fuggar off. 

[bridge2bridge]

23 hours ago, manfredtillmann said:

come on, mate, this is oztralia!

everyone always looks after themselves first. everywhere, at all times, no exemptions!

are you still living there or reminiscing the '80s?

So does that make it right- NO

And yes if only we could bring back the Eighties.

 

[manfredtillmann]

11 minutes ago, bridge2bridge said:

So does that make it right- NO

And yes if only we could bring back the Eighties.

 

no, 100% not, and i hope that i did not give you the impression that i thought it would.

i came to oz in the early 80' and loved the country and the people with all my heart. even paying 17% interest on my first home loan did not defeat that.

but 35 years later... but that's another story.

 

too cold for water skiing now? be good and live well.

mft

[bridge2bridge]

On 9/3/2016 at 2:29 PM, manfredtillmann said:

no, 100% not, and i hope that i did not give you the impression that i thought it would.

i came to oz in the early 80' and loved the country and the people with all my heart. even paying 17% interest on my first home loan did not defeat that.

but 35 years later... but that's another story.

 

too cold for water skiing now? be good and live well.

mft

There was more to the EIGHTIES than interest rates.

And yes i had one too.

What about the quality of living and morals.

And people helping each other.

NOW it is all about money.

Just IMHO.

 

[manfredtillmann]

23 minutes ago, bridge2bridge said:

There was more to the EIGHTIES than interest rates.

And yes i had one too.

What about the quality of living and morals.

And people helping each other.

NOW it is all about money.

Just IMHO.

 

of course there was more to it.! a communal spirit, working with each for a common good. the americas cup win, what a combiner that was.

you could have a beer with your boss, talk to your neighbour - instead of fight with him over boundary disputes - or just about anyone in the streets, as a father - take your girl children to the pool without being sneered at, call a black black and a white white... and look at the mess now.

there is a poster on a parallel thread, an uneducated, overpaid, aggressive and immature bogan (you know who i am writing about). a self centred supremacist with not enough sense to make it through a drunken night without getting into at least 3 fights.

he and his 'love it or leave it' mates are one of the main reasons why the country has gone to the dogs.

just IMHO.

[bridge2bridge]

TOTALLY Agree.