New Parliament Meets This Week; Speaker To Be Decided Monday; Crean Proposes Reforms

The first meeting of the 40th Parliament takes place in Canberra this week, following the elections of November 10, 2001. The House of Representatives will convene on Tuesday for the swearing in of new members and the election of a Speaker. The House will then adjourn and join with the Senate to listen to the Opening Address by the Governor-General, Dr. Peter Hollingworth.

The Tuesday sittings will be largely ceremonial. The real business of Parliament will take place on Wednesday when the first Question Time in the House of Representatives takes place. The new Opposition Leader, Simon Crean, will be the focus of attention in a chamber that will dominated by an exhuberant government commencing its third term in office.

Political activity will not wait until the middle of the week, however. On Monday, the coalition party room will meet to elect a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker's position is chosen by a vote of the parliamentary party members, unlike ministers who are chosen by the Prime Minister.

The current Speaker, Neil Andrew, the Liberal member for Wakefield in South Australia, is recontesting the position. He has received the public support of John Howard, but the Prime Minister has said he has not participated in lobbying for the post. The member for Wannon in Victoria, David Hawker, has nominated, as have two Queensland members, the former minister and member for Fadden, David Jull, and Alex Somlyay, the member for Fairfax.

The National Party member for Page in New South Wales, Ian Causley, has nominated for the Deputy Speaker's job, a position that normally goes to the junior coalition partner. The National Party is disgruntled because the Liberal Party has told its members that they can nominate for either position. There is also speculation that oppposition to Causley may allow another Liberal to win the job.

Reforms to the position of Speaker have been proposed by the Opposition Leader, Simon Crean. He has undertaken to support the re-election of Neil Andrew if the government will agree to an ALP member as Deputy Speaker and a guaranteed two terms for the Speaker and a strengthening of his power to control parliamentary proceedings. Don't hold your breath on this one...

The ALP Caucus will also meet in Canberra on Monday. The main item on the meeting's agenda will be formation of a policy on asylum-seekers and refugees, the issue that many believe caused the party's third successive defeat last year. Since Christmas, the party has conducted a very public debate which has revealed cross-factional differences between shadow ministers and backbenchers.

Supporters of a tough line on asylum-seekers and detention centres include members of the Right, such as Mark Latham, and members of the Left, such as Laurie Ferguson. Supporters of a changed policy include Dr. Carmen Lawrence and Duncan Kerr.

The government can be expected to exploit Labor dissension on this issue when Question Time resumes later in the week.

The Australian Democrats will also convene in Canberra for the first time since the election. The minor party lost one Senate position in the election and was thrashed in the South Australian election on February 9. The party is riven with dissension about the leadership of Senator Natasha Stott Despoja. Her critics argue that she lacks substance and is presiding over a decline in support for the party, whereas her supporters argue that that, in the aftermath of the events of September 11, voters have retreated to the safety zone of voting for the major parties. Either way, the Stott Despoja-Aden Ridgeway leadership duo will be closely watched in the coming months. Supporters of the deposed leader, Senator Meg Lees, remain dominant in the party-room.

The more significant political focus will be on the government's third term legislative agenda. It appears that legislation to sell the remainder of Telstra could be sent to the Parliament this year. It will be opposed by the ALP which has said this policy is the only one not under review following the election. Whether the Democrats will continue their opposition to the sale remains to be seen.

Legislation to relax the media ownership laws is also expected soon. Speaking on Channel 9's Sunday program, John Howard foreshadowed legislation to permit newspaper proprietors to own television stations and to relax the foreign ownership requirements.

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