Losing control before you gain it. Whoops!
There was a very embarrassing lacuna for Peter Costello in the House of
Representatives yesterday afternoon. It’s the Government’s responsibility to
provide a quorum in the chamber – and when oppositions are feeling stroppy,
they love to call quorums. That’s just what they did after a fiery Question
Time and heated IR debate – and to the Government’s embarrassment, not enough
of its MPs turned up. Sitting was suspended for ten minutes, the bells rang
again, and finally enough MPs arrived. The Government Whips have no doubt sent
some strong memos around – but Manager of Opposition Business Julia Gillard has
used the slip to make Acting Prime Minister Costello squirm. After all, the
real PM takes these sorts of etiquette issues very seriously.

Sense of perspective. Let’s all applaud to
Ray Kearney from the Lane Cove Tunnel Action Group, who yesterday likened air
quality issues over Sydney motorway tunnels to the Holocaust while attacking
NSW Minister for Roads Eric Roozendaal – NSW’s only Jewish Minister – on radio
station 2SM. Nothing like having a sense of perspective, Ray, is there?

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christian@crikey.com.au