I’m not sure about you, but I was looking forward to a laidback week. I assumed we’d get some colourful comments and nice pictures of the upper house kids coming on their way to work; they’d all get sworn in; and then there would be some debate about the carbon tax, maybe even a vote. After that, we’d go home on Thursday evening, refreshed and well rested, in time for the last full sitting week before the winter break.
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Ha ha ha.
What we got was four days of procedural Bikram Yoga coupled with an amendment high-wire act that ended in the new Senate voting down the repeal of the carbon tax. Even though the majority of senators actually support said repeal. Yes, the carbon tax repeal can still go through next week. But what should have been a triumphant outing for the government with the new Senate, ended with so much egg-on-face, you could have made omelettes for the entire Coalition frontbench.
And so, the upper house – often seen as the poor cousin chamber – showed everyone that nobody puts the Senate in a corner. And that was just one of the lessons we learned. Four days of 100 per cent Senate have also taught us:
1. The new senators aren’t the only ones who are confused about how the Senate works.
On Friday, when asked about the government’s failure to get the carbon tax repealed, Prime Minister Tony Abbott downplayed it, explaining: ''This is the kind of thing that you could expect with a new Senate, with people coming in who don’t have a lot of parliamentary experience.''
But this week, as the fur was flying, you could have been forgiven for wondering if senior members of the Coalition were new to the Senate game too. The government lost votes by the ladleful. Starting with whether there should be a debate about the carbon tax repeal, to whether the package of bills should be considered as one, whether debate should be stopped and the vote brought on ... and then on the actual repeal itself. Take your pick.
2. The crossbench has minds of its own. And is bigger than you think.
They may be fresh off the vote, but the new crossbench was certainly not daunted by first week nerves or what the government really, really wants. Ricky Muir and Palmer United voted against the government in their first ever division on Monday (which stopped the carbon tax vote being brought on). And then Muir split with the PUPs to vote against a guillotining of the carbon tax vote on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, Bob Day and David Leyonhjelm successfully moved to keep $1.5 billion worth of tax relief associated with the carbon tax, teeing up even more budget woes for Abbott and company (is anyone even counting anymore?).
Meanwhile, old hat Nick Xenophon was almost successful at moving an amendment calling for a review of the national electricity rules, that noted the carbon tax is only partly responsible for the rise in electricity prices. The vote was negatived (with 37 votes each), but helped to a draw by Ian Macdonald, who sided with Xenophon against the government because he thought the amendment was a ''good idea''. (Yes, Macdonald is a paid-up member of the Coalition.)
3. Question time in the House isn’t that boring after all.
Regular readers of this column may have picked up a certain ennui I have about question time in the House of late (how many more questions about building a stronger economy can a human take?). But compared to Senate question time – which not only has dixers, but two supplementary dixers as well – the House is an Oscar Wilde fest of snappy dialogue.
4. Clive may not be a senator. But so what?
In the lead-up to July 1, whenever he was asked about what PUP would do in the Senate, Clive Palmer was at pains to point out that he is a mere member of the lower house. Even on Thursday, as all hellikins broke loose, he declared ''I’m not a senator''.
And yet, everywhere you looked in this new Senate week, there was Palmer. Whether it be at the National Press Club for a 10-minute address, in the chamber to watch his PUP team sworn in, back at the Press Club for early morning meetings with PUP and Muir, or outside the Senate chamber holding court while the government begged PUP – via him – to pass the carbon tax.
In fact, the only place Palmer wasn't was his 7.30 interview once he was asked about his Chinese business partners and Media Circus.
5. Anyone who says they know what’s going to happen next is making it up.
Even Clive Palmer.
Judith Ireland is a Fairfax Media journalist.
