Gumleaf
February 21st, 2008, 11:19 PM
Friday Feb 22 14:59 AEDT
The federal opposition has pledged further disruption of parliament after brandishing a life-size cardboard cut-out of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the House of Representatives.
Nationals MP Luke Hartsuyker was kicked out of the chamber on Friday after passing the cut-out among opposition frontbenchers, infuriating deputy speaker Anna Burke.
The stunt came amid continuing uproar in the lower house as the opposition demanded Mr Rudd and other ministers attend parliament's new Friday sitting day, which has been set aside for backbenchers.
A defiant manager of opposition business, Joe Hockey, said disruptions would continue until the government agreed to hold a question time on the Friday sitting day.
"Unless the government does something about their conduct in the parliament, they will continue to have us press for a question time every Friday," he told reporters.
"This will make a point - we don't want cardboard Kevin here, we want the real Kevin Rudd."
Earlier a coalition MP was physically escorted from the chamber and parliament was adjourned temporarily after the opposition tried to move a motion calling for a question time to be held.
Mr Hockey said he was "absolutely" comfortable with the move to bring the cut-out on to the floor of parliament.
Asked if the stunt was an agreed tactic between opposition MPs, Mr Hockey said: "Of course I'm aware of what happens in the chamber... I make no apologies whatsoever for the fact that we are trying to have a democratic parliament with an executive, a prime minister and ministers who are accountable to the Australian people."
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard had brought Work Choices brochures, mousepads, pens and folders into parliament as props during the week, he said.
And Mr Hockey said MPs were entitled to challenge speakers' rulings, after some coalition MPs defied the speaker and refused to leave the chamber.
"There was no proof that the speaker in fact had made a binding decision because there was no vote to support the speaker," he said.
Mr Hockey said the government had refused to call divisions on Friday because it could not be assured of having the majority to hold the house.
"They have got themselves into a complete mess in the running of the parliament," he said.
When the prime minster announced last year that parliament would sit for five days, he said it was to make MPs work harder, Mr Hockey said.
"It's not good enough that Mr Rudd and his ministers are not here five days a week when they demand other members of parliament to be here five days a week."
Mr Rudd is visiting an indigenous community in NSW and the flood-hit Queensland city of Mackay on Friday.
©AAP 2008
The federal opposition has pledged further disruption of parliament after brandishing a life-size cardboard cut-out of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the House of Representatives.
Nationals MP Luke Hartsuyker was kicked out of the chamber on Friday after passing the cut-out among opposition frontbenchers, infuriating deputy speaker Anna Burke.
The stunt came amid continuing uproar in the lower house as the opposition demanded Mr Rudd and other ministers attend parliament's new Friday sitting day, which has been set aside for backbenchers.
A defiant manager of opposition business, Joe Hockey, said disruptions would continue until the government agreed to hold a question time on the Friday sitting day.
"Unless the government does something about their conduct in the parliament, they will continue to have us press for a question time every Friday," he told reporters.
"This will make a point - we don't want cardboard Kevin here, we want the real Kevin Rudd."
Earlier a coalition MP was physically escorted from the chamber and parliament was adjourned temporarily after the opposition tried to move a motion calling for a question time to be held.
Mr Hockey said he was "absolutely" comfortable with the move to bring the cut-out on to the floor of parliament.
Asked if the stunt was an agreed tactic between opposition MPs, Mr Hockey said: "Of course I'm aware of what happens in the chamber... I make no apologies whatsoever for the fact that we are trying to have a democratic parliament with an executive, a prime minister and ministers who are accountable to the Australian people."
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard had brought Work Choices brochures, mousepads, pens and folders into parliament as props during the week, he said.
And Mr Hockey said MPs were entitled to challenge speakers' rulings, after some coalition MPs defied the speaker and refused to leave the chamber.
"There was no proof that the speaker in fact had made a binding decision because there was no vote to support the speaker," he said.
Mr Hockey said the government had refused to call divisions on Friday because it could not be assured of having the majority to hold the house.
"They have got themselves into a complete mess in the running of the parliament," he said.
When the prime minster announced last year that parliament would sit for five days, he said it was to make MPs work harder, Mr Hockey said.
"It's not good enough that Mr Rudd and his ministers are not here five days a week when they demand other members of parliament to be here five days a week."
Mr Rudd is visiting an indigenous community in NSW and the flood-hit Queensland city of Mackay on Friday.
©AAP 2008