Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s decision to cancel the penultimate sitting week for the House of Representatives has far-reaching consequences, not least of all for Canberra’s formal party scene.
Yes, lots and lots of parties have been ruined by Turnbull’s last-minute captain’s call. Why? Because the penultimate sitting week happens to coincide with one of the busiest social periods in Canberra — several annual dinners and various Christmas parties are clustered around this time of year.
The department of Parliamentary Services (who take care of catering and events and Parliament house) told Crikey they could not confirm specific details around cancelled events. However, Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell mentioned on The Drum on Monday night that this was the busiest week of the year for annual dinners for associations, and that her calendar had been greatly freed up by cancelled events.
And the Pharmacy Guild executive director David Quilty has already emailed attendees of the guild’s annual parliamentary dinner to say it has been cancelled. Indeed, Labor Senator Sue Lines wondered aloud on Twitter whether Turnbull intended to cover the costs of any non-government organisations who had been forced to cancel events due to the cancelled week.
Eliza Berlage, research assistant and podcast producer at The Conversation, told Crikey the impact of postponing the sitting week does not just effect official events or associations.
“A lot of press gallery journalists are having to re-think or move around their regular media gigs, because everything is so chaotic,” Berlage said. “And there was going to be a Christmas party for the crossbench, but it’s not clear if that’s still going ahead. But it does seem like there will be caroling going ahead.”
The Conversation themselves had had to cancel the launch, intended for next Monday, of their 2017 Yearbook (a collection of the best of the year’s articles).
“We usually have an event where all the MPs can have a drink and grab a copy of the book, but obviously, now none of them are going to be around,” Berlage said.
Have you heard of any other parties pooped by Turnbull’s pronouncement? Let us know here.
10 thoughts on “Killjoy-in-chief Turnbull poops the party”
aliso6
November 21, 2017 at 2:08 pmload of rubbish!!
klewso
November 21, 2017 at 2:19 pmOvershadowed only by the joint perfidy of Malfoy’s and Tiddles Pyne’s hypocrisy.
JocelynP
November 21, 2017 at 3:27 pmCommentary suggests that this is because of a desire to avoid debate of marriage extension, or citizenship matters. neither is urgent, both will still be there on Dec 4. I suspect it is to avoid debate of the Manus detainee siege. Those desperate men may be dead or defeated in a week
Annalise Lampe
November 21, 2017 at 4:35 pmThis is the government which constantly lectures us mortals about working harder and being efficient, working on improving productivity. I’m sure a lot of us would like to cancel a week of work to xmas shop or get a tan, but we can’t. Not allowed. We’d get sacked. Now there is an idea.
But if you are a hopeless, useless, do-nothing prime minister, you can not only cancel a week of work for a whole parliament but get paid as well. He must be absolutely desperate to pull this one, but I’m sure no one in the real world out there working their guts out for no wages increase is fooled about his cowardice and his motive. The banking lobby sure got to him fast. Scared him into fleeing the parliament. Please someone find a way to put him out of his misery so he can play with his sqillions and bore his eastern suburb wanker friends to death with tales about what a wonderful job he did for them as their
(not our) PM. Get rid of him, anyway anyhow.
Anne
Bob the builder
November 21, 2017 at 7:40 pmBoo hoo free parties cancelled.
Is this rubbish what Crikey thinks passes as …. what exactly?
AR
November 21, 2017 at 8:20 pmHaving to rejig their party Party!
Oh the horror, the humanity, the…waydaminit
Bob the builder
November 22, 2017 at 12:26 amOf all the things to criticise Turnbull for, spoiling a few parties isn’t one of them!
Is Crikey maybe getting a little too comfortable, a little too much a part of the commentariat? Most of us might have a few uncomfortable hours in the afternoon drinking lukewarm goon or maybe an overpriced Friday night out with barely edible food and worse entertainment.
Anyway, what’s to stop the passengers on the gravy train from staying in Canberra and getting some other work done for a few days, if it’s so important that the Party Must Go On?!?
klewso
November 22, 2017 at 3:03 amIt will be interesting to see how much this costs the Canberra economy.
brian crooks
November 25, 2017 at 1:56 pmcaptain turnmball has cancelled the party on the deck of the titanic, says that`ll get rid of that bloody iceberg, its full steam ahead.
JocelynP
November 27, 2017 at 3:58 pmTurnbull may have cancelled a week of sitting to avoid debate on citizenship or gay marriage, but neither of those will go away. I suspect the issue he really wants to avoid is the refugee siege on Manus Island.