Hartsuyker forgets his history in headlong rush for media attention in the wake of HoR Speaker Jenkins' resignation

"There would not be a person on Capital Hill here that believes for a moment that Mr Jenkins' resignation was anything other than a political execution by a Prime Minister who has fallen" said the Nationals MP for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker in The Daily Examiner last Saturday. He went on to add that Mr Jenkins had been "a fine Speaker" and had the full support of the Coalition.

This is the same Hartsuyker who so disrespected the Office of Speaker that he refused a lawful direction from the chair to remove himself from the House of Representatives – causing the sitting day to be suspended:

Nationals MP Luke Hartsuyker was later ordered from the chamber after holding up the cut-out of Mr Rudd.

He passed the cardboard Kevin Rudd to opposition house leader Joe Hockey and other opposition frontbenchers, infuriating deputy speaker Anna Burke, who ordered its removal….. Mr Hartsuyker was ejected after he ignored the speaker's request to resume his seat.

He was later "named", a parliamentary move used to suspend unruly MPs from the chamber for 24 hours.

…. Ms Burke ordered Liberal MP Joanna Gash to leave for one hour, but then was forced to suspended the sitting as it descended into chaos.

The very same man who has been sent from the House on numerous occasions since that time, after ignoring warnings given by The Speaker. Who was sitting on the Opposition benches in the House on 31 May this year; the day that Harry Jenkins threatened to resign because a slim majority of MPs present including (Hartsuyker and Oakeshott) had refused to vote in support of the Speaker and expel a fellow Coalition parliamentarian for twenty-four hours.

As The Australian reported the next day:

Mr Jenkins said he would be forced to consider his position at the end of question time after the parliament rejected his decision to name Liberal MP Bob Baldwin -- a precursor to suspending him for 24 hours.

A subsequent Labor motion to eject Mr Baldwin, who had defied an order for silence, was rejected by 71 votes to 70…. The ballot effectively amounted to a vote of no confidence in the Speaker.

One of his own recent suspensions was reported by The Coffs Coast Advocate on 11 June 2011:

COWPER MP Luke Hartsuyker is cooling off in the sin-bin after his suspension from Federal Parliament for 24 hours.

The Opposition frontbencher was hurled out of a rowdy question time and won’t be entitled to re-enter the House of Representatives until 2.50pm on Thursday.

He’s spending time on the sideline after Speaker Harry Jenkins became fed up with his interjections.

It is worth noting that Luke Hartsuyker was also one of the first MPs the new Speaker Peter Slipper sent from the House on his first day in office - or as Annabel Crabb so colourfully tweeted;  Peter Dutton and Luke Hartsuyker get a Slipper to the bum - they're out!

In light of this it is risible for the Member for Cowper on the NSW North Coast to claim any degree of respect for the Office of Speaker or for Mr. Jenkins.

Because Hartsuyker has joined the chorus of Opposition supporter’s shouting about Westminster conventions it is well to remember that, according to House of Representatives Practice ( Fifth Edition), the very first Commonwealth Government elected in 1901 was a minority government formed by the Protectionist Party and its first Speaker was Sir Frederick Holder of the Free Trade Party in Opposition.

As Speaker, Frederick Holder changed parties after that to become a Protectionist MP under an Australian Labor Party Government and then an Anti-Socialist Party MP under successive Free Trade-Protectionist Coalition, Labor Party and Fusion Party governments, before dying as Speaker in 1909.

The second Speaker on the historical record was none other than Charles Carty Salmon of the Liberal Protectionist Party serving the House during a Labor Government. While Labor MP Charles Kennedy McDonald briefly served as Speaker during a Nationalist Government.

So all one can conclude from Luke Hartsuyker’s bluster about "execution" and "respect" is that he cannot or deliberately will not recall either his own personal or Parliament’s history.

Turf out the daily prayers in Australia's parliament

Well, wouldn't you know it?

A number of Aussie pollies are jumping up and down over a proposal to have a public debate about whether or not the daily prayer that precedes events in the Australian federal parliament should be rewritten or replaced.

And, guess what? Yes, Immigration Minister Chris Evans is right up there at the front of the group of protesters.

smh.com.au reports that Evans has poured cold water on a suggestion that the Lord's Prayer be replaced by an acknowledgment of the traditional owners of the land at the daily opening of parliament in Canberra.

That comes as no surprise to those who are aware of Evans's background. Prior to entering federal parliament in 1993 Evans was the State Secretary of the WA Fire Brigade Union, so he has form when it comes to pouring cold water on things that have any potential to spark things up.

The Speaker in the House of Representatives, Harry Jenkins, said the prayer was the most controversial aspect of parliamentary procedures and had been raised with him by MPs and members of the public.

Not unexpectedly, church groups (have) reacted angrily to any suggestion of replacing the Lord's Prayer.

But, get this. Senator Evans said he did not think it was uncomfortable for MPs who were not Christians to have to recite the prayer at the beginning of each sitting day.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said it was the responsibility of the parliament's presiding officers to decide whether the Lord's Prayer needs replacing.

Earlier this year the Australian parliament had a formal Welcome to Country and then the Apology, but still the parliament opens with the reading of prayers.

Truly, the time has arrived for daily prayers to be dispensed with and proceedings to commence with the Speaker in the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate beginning the sittings of the houses with an Acknowledgement of Country.