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To date the Abbott government has managed to pass only one piece of contentious legislation (the removal of the debt ceiling) with the assistance of the Greens.
All its key promises have been stalled, as the associated legislation has largely been rejected by the parliament. And true to form the Coalition has resorted to megaphone diplomacy in an effort to get through changes which involve pulling down effective policy and building nothing.
But good government is not just about legislating. There are a number of other important functions.
Such as: International diplomacy - FAIL, Building political capital - FAIL, Outlining a vision for the nation - FAIL, reinvigorating manufacturing - FAIL, building people's faith in parliamentary process... MONUMENTAL FAIL
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But what has been the real stand-out failure of the new Abbott government is the speaker Bronwyn Bishop.
Bishop is highly experienced and reportedly has an encyclopaedic knowledge of parliamentary procedure. She has been a mediocre performer over her years in parliament, and although once touted as a potential leader of the Federal Liberal party, she was stepped over for the job by an even more mediocre performer in Alexander Downer when she chose not to stand against him.
And now that she has been installed as speaker, it seems she is not up to the job.
According to Parliament of Australia website -
The Speaker is the principal office holder in the House of Representatives. He or she is the House's representative or spokesman and chairs its meetings. The Speaker is elected from among the 150 Members of the House and is usually a person of considerable parliamentary experience. The Speaker also performs a role similar to that of a Minister in relation to a government department, and oversees the administration of the Department of the House of Representatives.
The Speaker makes sure that Members obey the rules (standing orders) of the House and follow the correct procedures.
The government, while in opposition were critical of a number of speakers, from Harry Jenkins, to Peter Slipper, to Anna Burke despite all being good performers in the chair (the Coalition's problem with Slipper went beyond his expenses issues). They now seem quite happy with the performance of Bronwyn Bishop, but they are about the only ones.
Bishop has broken longstanding protocols for the speaker and has attracted criticism in relation to issues such as.. a lack of Independence and the Avoidance of partisan politics to attending party room meetings to being completely out of her depth to taunting the opposition from the speaker's chair.
The Abbott government is a complete disgrace, so it is somewhat fitting that the speaker is also the most disgraceful in the entire history of the Australian parliament.
It is fitting... but it is also a very bad thing. It will mean that the hopes that voters had of installing a competent government, and of placing 'the adults in charge' has been now shown to be completely empty rhetoric.
Poor fellow, my Country.