Spender:
Many constituents complain to me that Question Time is Question Time and not Answer Time and that’s driven by the standing orders that don’t actually force real answers from the government. They say to me that it means that we don’t hold the government to account in the same way that they expect us to in this House. I ask the Prime Minister have you considered reforming Question Time to give a greater expectation of answers and in narrowing of relevance so we can better answers in this house?
Albanese: (No, is the short version)
I’ll see if the Leader of the House, that was a job I used to have, might want to add to the answer. But one of the things that has improved I think, the reforms that have been placed in the parliament, while I was leader of the House, is a limit on time.
That wasn’t always the case. In asking the question, and a time in answering the question as well. One of the things you might notice as the member for Wentworth, I draw your attention to the time on the clock, one of the things I have done is not shut down Question Time after an hour, and in deed, and indeed if those opposite want me to shut it down in an hour, I’ll take it onboard.
But what I have done is make on average questions every single day I’m here. Every single day all my ministers are here. And we are actually the most accountable parliament, we are the most accountable parliament in the world. In the world.
Most parliaments in the G20, President Prabowo has not answered a question. Prime Minister Modi has not answered a question. In the UK, the Westminster system upon which we’re based, there is Prime Minister’s Question Time for one hour once a week. And the questions are taken on notice
There’s no parliament in the world in which a government is more accountable than this government*. And Australian governments of both persuasions. That is just a fact. Just a fact across the board. And one of the things that we do as to make sure as well that we have ensured that standing orders have been amended so that the crossbenchers get a fair crack. That’s something that we have done and this question is an example of that.
*Well that is misleading the house.
1 Comment
Albanese yet again confusing responding to a question with answering a question. Yesterday when Helen Haines asked when the government would ban gambling advertising Albanese responded with a barrage of over 500 words, but not one of them answered the question. He's done the same to Allegra Spender today.
It's terribly disappointing to watch a PM weasel out of providing a direct response to a fair and reasonable question and then, ham it up with claims of our parliament being more accountable that any other. It may be true, but for me, Albanese's well honed obfuscation skills do not inspire confidence or trust in his leadership.