Advertisement

No speaker, no hugs, no hubris – the odd world of pandemic politics

Not since “Red Ted” Theodore had to order sick members into parliament to avoid losing a vote has Queensland seen such an extraordinary display of pandemic politics, writes Sean Parnell

Apr 22, 2020, updated Apr 22, 2020
A reduced number of members due to social distancing measures is seen during a sitting of the Queensland Parliament in Brisbane, Wednesday, April 22, 2020. Queensland has recorded no new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours. (Photo: AAP Image/Dan Peled)

A reduced number of members due to social distancing measures is seen during a sitting of the Queensland Parliament in Brisbane, Wednesday, April 22, 2020. Queensland has recorded no new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours. (Photo: AAP Image/Dan Peled)

The Speaker wasn’t there today, nor the Deputy, having been kept away by COVID-19 concerns. The fill-in speaker was a Labor backbencher who, due to pre-arranged limits on the Legislative Assembly, had no more than 19 of the normal 92 members to watch over at any one time. Everyone was given a colour-coded seating plan, to enforce social distancing, although the Liberal National Party complained that one cross-bencher had moved between three seats in the first 15 minutes.

Where the Speaker would normally have the ceremonial, quasi-independent role of swearing in two new members – one Labor, one LNP – standing orders were suspended to allow that to be done by the Premier. There were no hugs, no hubris: this had all the colour of a routine court appearance. The Labor Government was judge and jury, accused by the LNP Opposition of being the executioner as well.

Annastacia Palaszczuk was clearly only there to get urgent business done. Yet not even an hour had passed before the LNP’s Manager of Opposition business, Jarrod Bleijie, was on his feet, condemning Labor’s management of the crisis and lack of accountability. To the Premier, Bleijie said, “what an inconvenience this parliament has become to you”.

This unprecedented sitting of the Queensland Parliament was designed to keep members and staff safe, while allowing pandemic-related legislation to be passed. It was getting more volatile by the minute – but it could have been worse and had worse outcomes.

In the years after the so-called Spanish Flu outbreak, then Premier Edward “Red Ted” Theodore was offered even less bipartisanship than Palaszczuk has now. In 1920, the Opposition seized on the government’s slim majority and brought on votes when Labor members were away ill. A defiant Red Ted demanded sick members be dragged into the chamber – one account has a member having to be carried in on a stretcher – so as not to lose a vote. Within a few years, Red Ted had poached an Opposition member, abolished the Legislative Council, and today sick MPs are afforded the luxury of a proxy vote.

InQueensland in your inbox. The best local news every workday at lunch time.
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement andPrivacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

A century on, the need for parliament to scrutinise government decisions, and for committees to scrutinise legislation, is up for debate (the LNP wants greater say, even recalling how Labor abolished the Legislative Council). Future sittings of parliament may take place online – they somehow struggled to keep track of fewer members today – however the Budget session scheduled for next week has been postponed indefinitely. The state election, nonetheless, will still go ahead at the end of October.

Even virtual sittings of parliament must demonstrate actual results for Queenslanders, regardless of their politics. Otherwise, the decisions made now will be debated for years to come and become more and more divisive.

Today, parliamentary attendants sterilised speaking boxes and microphones, kept paperwork to a minimum, and asked that members have bottled water instead of freshly filled glasses. For the most part, members took the health precautions seriously.

Queensland politics must remain clean, but remember that the sunlight of transparency and scrutiny is needed to achieve the best results for democracy.

Local News Matters
Advertisement

We strive to deliver the best local independent coverage of the issues that matter to Queenslanders.

Copyright © 2024 InQueensland.
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy