This time it was not Liberal politicians in federal government but Victorian Liberals on the state opposition benches who were behaving badly.......
The Age, 30 March 2018:
The Victorian opposition
has broken a promise and reneged on long-standing parliamentary custom by
breaking its ‘‘pairing’’ to vote down the Andrews government's controversial
fire service reorganisation bill.
Government and
crossbenchers in Parliament’s Upper House were in uproar after two Liberal
members who had told Labor they could not vote or be present because of their
religious beliefs suddenly arrived to vote on Good Friday morning.
‘This is ball tampering
of the highest order,’’ said crossbencher Fiona Patten from the Reason Party.
She said the Coalition’s
conduct would make it very difficult for her and others in minority parties to
have a working relationship with the Opposition.
The controversy erupted
after a marathon sitting over the government’s bid to restructure the fire
services.
This is the first time
the upper house has ever sat on Good Friday.
Around midnight, Ms
Patten said that Liberal MP Bernie Finn had told the house he could not work on
Good Friday. At the same time, Craig Ondarchie also indicated he was not going
to be in Parliament House for similar reasons. One Labor MP said Mr Ondarchie
had been acting like he was ‘‘holding a prayer vigil’’.
Mr Finn on Thursday
night had told Parliament, in a debate about Labor pressing on with its
legislation despite it being Easter: ‘‘I have long believed in: you do not work
on Good Friday — any other day of the year. That is the rule. Even when my
birthday falls on Good Friday, I do not celebrate it on Good Friday.’’
In a similar vein, and
at about the same time, Mr Ondarchie said: "Today is the day that Jesus
died. It is a very important day. Today I want to be with my church family. I
want to take up your offer, as do some of my colleagues, about accepting the
pair that you have offered."
A ‘‘pairing’’ is an
unofficial agreement from both sides of politics that, when an MP is unable to
attend a vote, allows an MP from the opposing side to also miss the vote, so
numbers remain matched.
The government granted
the pairs requested by the opposition and Labor ministers Philip Dalidakis and
Jaala Pulford, the deputy leader in the upper house, excused themselves from
the vote and went home.
Mr Dalidakis, assuming
he had a pair, travelled to Sydney on Friday morning.
But when the vote
occurred just after 11am, Mr Ondarchie and Mr Finn returned to the chamber.
After Mr Finn and Mr
Ondarchie’s return to Parliament, Labor’s bill was defeated 19-18.
Labor Upper House MP
Cesar Melham said the pair were dishonourable and ‘‘should hang their head in
shame’’.
Ms Patten said that when
the Mr Ondarchie and Mr Finn came back into the chamber they could not look
anyone in the eye.
Labor's upper house
leader, Gavin Jennings, said the government ‘‘had generously offered those
pairs because we had members praying in the parliament last night to be with
their families and be with their church communities on the most holy day on the
Christian calendar’’.
‘‘And those people who
prayed in front of us and begged us to let them go, returned after we had given
them a pair – right at the death knell, was when they returned, to betray
parliamentary convention.’’……
09:55am Thursday 29 April 2018
Mr ONDARCHIE (Northern
Metropolitan) (09:55) — As John 3:16 teaches us:
For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Today is Maundy
Thursday, tomorrow is Good Friday and it is the most solemn day of the
Christian year. It is the day our saviour died for us. It is the day we were
redeemed from our sins by the voluntary death of God himself at the hands of
man. On Good Friday, according to the gospels, Jesus was taken before Pilate in
the morning, sent to Herod, returned to Pilate, was mocked and beaten, saw
Barabbas released in his stead, was crowned with thorns, was condemned to
death, carried the crushing burden of the cross, told the weeping women what
would happen in his future, was crucified between two thieves and forgave those
who crucified him. As Luke 23:34 tells us, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know
not what they do’, and he cried out and died. It is the most solemn day of the
Christian calendar.
I close my contribution
in prayer:
Jesus,
Today we pause to remember your sacrificial love
That
shone light into the darkness
That
bore life from such emptiness
That
revealed hope out of devastation
That
spoke truth through incrimination
That
released freedom in spite of imprisonment
And
brought us forgiveness instead of punishment.
Thank
you that we can now walk in the light of your life, Hope, truth, freedom and
forgiveness, This day and everyday. Amen.
Approx.
23:12pm Thursday 29 April 2018
Mr ONDARCHIE — Members,
the blackness that hangs over my head tonight is associated with the passing of
my Lord and Saviour on this evening. At this very time on the first Good Friday
Jesus had been arrested and taken before the high priests Annas and Caiaphas
and it was during this time that Peter denied him. I think this place is not
about being tactical for me, Mr Jennings; it is about respect. It is about
respect for —
00:15am
Friday 30 March 2018
Mr ONDARCHIE — I move:
That the committee now report progress. In doing so I alert the house to the
fact that we are now officially in Good Friday. I have made my point very
clear. I do look to get some confirmation from the minister at the table,
Minister Jennings, and the other minister who made an offer to members of the
house that anybody who wants a pair can have a pair. This is a very religious
day for me. You heard me talk about that –
00:20am
Friday 30 March 2018
Mr FINN — I very
strongly support the motion moved by Mr Ondarchie, and I have to say to you I
have been sitting here since midnight and I feel quite ill, physically ill, to
be sitting here on Good Friday when I know that I should not work on Good
Friday, that this is a day of extreme solemnity; it is a very sacred day. I
know there are some members on the government side who do not understand those
of us of faith, but the fact of the matter is that it is beyond the realms of
decency to force people to work, to breach their religious rights, as we have
seen. I know there are members of the government who do not actually believe in
freedom of religion — and they are showing that just at the minute. I heard Mr
Jennings say that every one of us who asked for a pair would get one. Now, I
want a pair because merely being here, as I say, is making me feel ill when I
know I should be elsewhere. I want a pair; Mr Ondarchie has said he wants a
pair. I would be very, very keen for Mr Jennings to get to his feet and clarify
if the offer still stands for each and every member, as he said, who wants a
pair to be given a pair. That is something that I think he has got to do,
because he said it. I mean, we didn’t ask for it; he offered it, and it is only
reasonable that he now clarify the situation, given that there is some
significant confusion as to whether that offer was genuine. He is either fair
dinkum or he is not fair dinkum. If he is fair dinkum, then we can get on with
it. If he is not fair dinkum, we know that he can’t be trusted and we move on
from that in my members statement today. You heard me talk about it when we
broached this subject an hour or a bit more ago. This is the day that my Lord
was crucified. I do not want to be here. I want to be with my family and I want
to be with my church family. I find it highly disrespectful that on this very
important day in my faith’s calendar we are still here. I think it appropriate,
Minister, that with respect, selfishly, to me and to others who understand the
importance of this day today we stop this now. We can come back to this. It is
not time critical. I note that in your motion this morning on the rising of the
house that we are going to reconvene early in May. We can come back and do this
then. Today is the day that Jesus died. It is a very important day. Today I
want to be with my church family. I want to take up your offer, as do some of
my colleagues, about accepting the pair that you have offered. This is not acceptable.
Those with long memories will recall that Coalition MPs and senators have a history of attempting to distort parliamentary processes. The Night of the Long Prawns during a federal parliamentary sitting in 1974, the refusal of NSW Premier Tom Lewis in 1975 and Qld Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen also in 1975 to follow parliamentary convention and accept a nominee put forward by a political party to fill a casual vacancy in a seat which to that point in time had been held by that same party, are just three examples.
