Many hope the Albanese government ushers in a kinder, gentler parliament – but civility be damned if it doesn’t change things for the better
Australia Greens senator for Victoria, Lidia Thorpe raises her arm during her swearing-in ceremony: ‘abrasive, performative and fully committed to blowing up the system’.Australia Greens senator for Victoria, Lidia Thorpe raises her arm during her swearing-in ceremony: ‘abrasive, performative and fully committed to blowing up the system’.
Many in the public will be hoping that the weakening of the Coalition signals the beginning of a kinder, gentler politics. Since taking office, Anthony Albanese has highlighted the importance of leading with compassion and decency. This commitment isn’t just a matter of personal style. The electorate has signalled that it is tired of warring politicians.
Still, it is unlikely that the relative calm of the first few months will continue for long. Even without the Coalition’s combativeness, the Greens, the teal independents and others on the crossbench, and a few members of Labor, will probably reject Albanese’s playbook.As the nation witnessed when Grace Tame refused to smile in the presence of Scott Morrison, there seems to be an appetite for figures who challenge the status quo by rejecting respectability.
In the last few years, the Australian parliament has been the site of an alleged sexual assault, a range of sexual dalliances carried out in places of business, and a culture of excessive drinking and sexual harassment. The newer members of parliament who were swept in on a wave of change want to rewrite the rules of play for an institution whose image has been battered by the sometimes aggressively sexist behaviour of an older generation of members. The Greens are already leading the charge.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised the Coalition care more about ties than people waiting years for social housingMore substantively, in the last few weeks we have seen the Greens – joined by the teals – insisting that theis a floor, rather a ceiling. The Greens have also raised questions about the proposed referendum that would seek to enshrine recognition of First Nations peoples in the constitution through a voice to parliament.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
McDonald’s sued by 250,000 staff over pay and entitlementsThe legal case is one of the biggest of its kind in Australia’s history, the union claims, and would capture 1.8 per cent of all working Australians.
Read more »
Discovery of small armoured dinosaur in Argentina is first of its kindJakapil kaniukura was about 5ft long and probably walked upright in then-steamy Patagonian landscape about 100m years ago
Read more »
Emergence of Langya virus in China 'not surprising', infectious disease expert saysA leading infectious disease expert has warned the world needs to be "vigilant" but not alarmed over new cases.
Read more »
A new ferry will soon take more visitors into the Daintree. But how many can it handle?There will soon be a new, bigger Daintree River ferry but conservationists and traditional owners warn the wilderness area can't cope with more visitors.
Read more »
Bunnies big guns fire warning shot in Eels shutoutNRLEelsSouths Match Report 📝 The Rabbitohs have leapfrogged Parramatta into fifth place on the ladder with an impressive 26-0 win.
Read more »
DoJ moves for Trump Mar-a-Lago search warrant to be unsealed – liveMerrick Garland says DoJ filed motion to make warrant public – follow all the day’s politics news
Read more »