After several
years in the country, Australia’s ‘warts and all’ style of politics still
intrigues me. The headlines of the Julia Gillard vs Kevin Rudd tussle to lead
the Australian Labor Party and the aggressive campaigning ahead of the 2013
federal election that featured some outrageous allegations about both sides
have been part of my Australian experience. So, when an opportunity came to
visit Parliament House, I was keen to see the politicians in action.
Before you get
anywhere, there are high levels of airport-style security screening, which you
have to complete before entering the building, and again if you wish to enter
the two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Built in 1988,
Australia’s Parliament building has a distinctly modern feel. The public is
only permitted access to limited areas, leaving the politicians to get between
their offices and the chambers uninterrupted. The main foyer is a marble
wonderland, with grand staircases, pillars and decorative elements, all created
with marble. The Great Hall is also on this floor and worth a quick look. A beautiful
tapestry of a New South Wales forest covers an entire wall. The design is a nod
to the vast land parliament governs. There is an elevator to the roof of the
building, from where visitors can enjoy the elevated lawn and admire the view
over Canberra from the base of the iconic 81 metre flag pole.
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| The GReat Hall, Parliament House, Canberra, Australia |
On the first
floor the walls are lined with portraits of previous politicians and numerous
displays of apology documents addressed to Aboriginal communities and others
affected by misguided policy. There is also a copy of the Magna Carta.
Question Time
Question Time
takes place from 2pm to 3pm on sitting days. It is a lively debate between the
members of parliament, where members can address, often impertinent, questions
to the sitting leadership party. The public is able to view proceedings from an
open gallery above the House of Representatives, but is requested to be silent throughout
and not disrupt proceedings, under threat of removal.
Having checked
our belongings into the cloakroom and undergone the second round of security
checks, we settled quietly into our seats above the House of Representatives. A
lad further along the row was leaning his crossed arms on the barrier in front
of us and was asked by a security guard to sit up properly. Whatever the
politicians get up to, the audience is expected to be on their best bahaviour!
The ‘pollies’ as
they are known in Australia, started to arrive in the chamber and chatted
casually as they found their seats. Prime Minister Tony Abbott entered, with an
arrogant stride. He almost looked like he was wading. With everything going on
at the moment (Oct 2014), perhaps that’s how he felt.
The Prime
Minister and his Liberal Party colleagues fielded questions from the house,
primarily queries about some rather draconian new national security legislation
and the recent budget. The debate was heated and it was as much as the speaker
could do to discipline one mischievous member before she got the next one’s
name out of her mouth. At one point, Previous Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan
was ejected from the chamber after refusing to retract his statement that
Treasurer Joe Hockey was a liar. So, although they often seem like an unruly
mob on television, there is some discipline, sort of.
The House of
Representatives is a vast chamber that feels hidden away from the world,
perhaps because of all the security measures, and technically being underground
(Parliament House is built into a hill). Even though the media are very visibly
there and broadcasting snippets of what is happening, it is exciting to be in
there with the decision-makers.
Controversy
A controversial
decision made the day I visited Parliament was the ruling that any visitors to
Parliament House wearing clothing covering their face, such as burqas or niqabs,
would be requested to sit in a separate gallery behind sound-proof glass, an
area usually allocated to school children. That certainly got the media
talking.
My favourite
comment about the whole issue came in response to the Prime Minister’s frank revelation
that he found women that chose to cover themselves ‘confronting’. Deputy Labor
leader Tanya Pilbersek said “I’d prefer it if Tony Abbott didn’t get about in
his speedos. But it’s a free country.”
Just another day
in politics, people!
