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Retiring Speaker of the House comments on accountability
Neil Andrew, who is retiring as Speaker of the House (the Member of Parliament responsible for chairing the House of Representatives), has made some comments on accountability. In his address to new Members of the House, held in the House of Representatives chamber, he told them that "this is the place where everyone has the right to put a point of view without fear or favour in order to hold the Prime Minister, and in this case his Executive to account."
This is not only the right of members of the House of Representatives - it is their duty. But it is a duty that has been neglected on both sides of the House:
- The Labor party has always maintained strong party discipline where the members are subject to the direction of the caucus; and
- The Liberal Party has been holding its members subject to the direction of the Cabinet (the Executive) since 1996 (and more blatantly since 2001), even though this is contrary to the Liberal Party of Australia Federal Constitution (see clause 2(d)(i)).
Asked if he would ask curly questions of the PM, new Member for Wentworth, Malcolm Turnbull, replied "Oh I think you'll um… I think if that's your expectation of me as a new Member of Parliament you'll be sadly disappointed."
Turnbull's planned delinquency of his duties as a Member of Parliament has unfortunately become the norm, and it has done so because of the increasing control of the parties to the exclusion of basic principles of our system. This is something that demands that we, as citizens, take steps to remedy.