Who’s even in charge of Oceanic Viking and the Sri Lankan asylum seekers aboard? We’ve become a leaky boat without a captain, writes Annabel Crabb. Kevin Rudd has become an expert in giving very vague answers about the saga.
Question time
Question Time fun: See Kevin run. See Kevin hide.
The pursuit of the Prime Minister over the Oceanic Viking made, inter alia, for a rather more interesting Question Time yesterday than we’ve had in some months.
Crabb: How will we cope with leaky boats? Don’t worry, the sea levels are rising
Yesterday’s QT focused on each party’s respective Achilles heel, says Annabel Crabb. The government talked about climate change. The Opposition ignored them and asked about asylum seekers. The government ignored them. And repeat.
Crabb: How Rudd’s buttocks fear the wedgie of ‘01
Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull are just play fighting. In essence, they agree on asylum seekers. Except, its just easier for Turnbull to talk about leaky boats than farting climate change cows, says Annabel Crabb.
Question Time: is a long-winded answer better than a punch in the face?
Let’s turn to other democracies for inspiring tips on how to keep Question Time proceedings moving in a civilised way. Best to avoid South Korea though, writes Crikey intern Nina Nicoll.
Crabb: Is the Coalition a bunch of union bigwigs?
The Opposition is like a “crumbly old trade union”, writes Annabel Crabb. The evidence? Tony Abbott declared an industrial dispute on Question Time and threatened to strike.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Women at war
Crikey readers debate Guy Rundle and his views on women on the front line. Plus, the ridiculous actions of question time and will VCA never dance again?
Question Time has always been a farce
The days of Question Time actually being about accountability are long gone. If the Coalition is serious about improving things — and that’s a big if — Mr Keane has some suggestions.
True: Gillard is twice the talker Howard was
As it turns out, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard really DO take longer to answer questions than their predecessors.
Parliament House or animal house?
The conduct of Federal Parliament recently has descended from chaos into outright farce, says Christian Kerr. Both sides know they’re behaving badly, but will either fall back into line?
Crikey Says: Abbott’s Question Time antics
Yesterday Tony Abbott was booted from Question Time. Today he’s threatened that the Opposition might boycott it. His dummy-spit is particularly egregious as a senior member and, better yet, Leader of the House.
Play Crikey’s Question Time Bingo
You usually have to pay for fun this good. Download First Dog’s Bingo cards, put on a cuppa and join the Crikey team from 2pm.
Twitter: giving a voice to the biggest mouths in town
Enjoy the unfiltered tweets of pollies Joe Hockey, Kevin Rudd et al while you can. Pretty soon, press secretaries will be wrenching their Blackberrys from their hands, says Annabel Crabb.
Opposition makes public the losers
The Opposition politicians are lazy and don’t provide a clear political alternative. Instead their main aim is oppose everything: even things that will come back to bite them later, writes Alister Drysdale.
Only one thing worse than losing Opposition leadership: keeping it
Malcolm Turnbull asked a total of seven questions during four Question Times and looked bored and distracted throughout the week.
Craig Emerson wins QT Idol
Question Time has long been a warped type of talent show and the current stand out performer is Minister for Small Business, Craig Emerson, writes Annabel Crabb.
Question Time Bingo
Get your nanna on and play the craze sweeping the nation. Join the Crikey team from 2pm today.
Ruddinator 2: Judgment Day
Poor judgment. Bad judgment. Wrong judgment. Misjudgment. Flawed judgment. The word ‘judgment’ was uttered 24 times in Question Time yesterday.
Two schools and a clear felling: Question Time fails to inspire
Three Question Times so far this week, and a grand total of eight questions from the Opposition about actual economic matters. Bernard Keane is unimpressed.
Carry On Question Time: Opposition at a loss in the House
In a week when the Government should have been under pressure, given its inability to get key legislation through the Senate, Question Time has been like shooting fish in a barrel, writes Bernard Keane.
