Gigglegate

A Labor MP is thrown out of parliament
for laughing and the speaker accuses the opposition of employing a new
parliamentary tactic.


Parliamentary question time, you would probably not know, is
no place for laughing. It could become an infectious disease,
apparently, and that would be disorderly.



We have it on the unimpeachable word of the Speaker, Bronwyn Bishop.


In this new era of knight and dames, it is also a poor idea to hum Rule Britannia or to quip that the whole thing has devolved into a ''royal comedy show''.

With question time in the House of Representatives on
Wednesday dissolving into its usual steady roar that regularly reminds
visitors in the public gallery of a primary school classroom after a
little lunch binge of red cordial, Ms Bishop had had quite enough.

With Prime Minister Tony Abbott launching yet another ode to
the wisdom of dumping the carbon tax, those occupying the opposition
benches clearly figured there was no response but to break into a wild
display of near hysterical whooping, cackling, guffawing. Interjections
could not even be deciphered.



Ms Bishop demanded Labor MPs desist and withdraw.



''We seem to have a new tactic of having an outburst of
infectious laughter — which I suspect may become disorderly — and I
suspect it might begin with the member for Franklin,'' Ms Bishop
declared.



The member for Franklin, Julie Collins - who is also an Opposition frontbencher - unwisely kept laughing.



''The member for Franklin is warned,'' Ms Bishop offered, altogether missing the joke.



The Manager of Opposition Business, Tony Burke, attempted to
soothe matters. With a conspicuous lack of success. We shall allow
Hansard to record the moment.



Mr Burke:  I rise on a point of order, Madam Speaker.



The Speaker:  It had better be a proper point of order.



Mr Burke:  Madam Speaker, are you ruling people out of order because they are laughing?



The Speaker:  The member will resume his seat. The member for Franklin will leave the chamber under standing order 94(a).



Ms Collins, her laughter thus banned, left the chamber.



Moments later, Mr Abbott tittle-tattled on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten for shooting an interjection across the table.



Mr Abbott:  The Leader of the Opposition referred to what
he called 'the royal comedy channel'. I think that is offensive and he
should be asked to withdraw.



The Speaker:  To assist the House, the Leader of the Opposition will withdraw.



Mr Shorten:  I withdraw the comment. I did not mean to offend the Prime Minister. I completely withdraw.



The Speaker:  The Prime Minister has the call, and you
can regard yourselves as universally warned. In accordance with
practice, I will not hear the Manager of Opposition Business. He has
abused the standing orders twice already.



And so it went.



Mr Abbott later complained that Mr Shorten had been humming Rule Britannia, but by then Ms Bishop was so busy tossing out opposition MPs that no withdrawal was required.



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