The first time Labor frontbencher Clare O'Neil went to question time she was 'so incredibly shocked'. 'Nothing could prepare you for the level of aggression, just the sheer raw aggression that’s there on the floor of Parliament' auspol
Alex Ellinghausen
When she arrived in Canberra, Ms O'Neil had only recently given birth to her first son. She said the aggression in question time was particularly confronting for a new mother who was still breastfeeding a small baby."Your instinct is to just get up and leave. It’s almost like fight or flight," she says. "I don’t feel bothered by it now. I’m just used to it and I think that’s what happens to all of us.
Ms O'Neil said that while not all question times feature the extreme level of aggression, she believes the set up is so toxic, more fundamental change is needed. Ms O'Neil believes that apart from being "tedious" and "embarrassing", the level of conflict in question times makes it impossible for MPs to build functional working relationships across Parliament.
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