Checking in on what is coming up in the senate (another punishment) and we see that Labor senator Marielle Smith has been tapped to deliver the next volley in the tit-for-tat senate motion contest currently being played out.

David Pocock and others have wanted the Briggs report into the public service job for mates controversy which was given to the government two years ago. The government has said no and has refused orders for the production of documents and avoided the issue at question time and estimates.

In a bid to force the government’s hand, Pocock won the support of the majority of the senate in moving a motion to extend senate question time for at least 30 minutes, with an additional five more non-government questions being added to the list.

Labor then tried to amend Pocock’s victory by having Smith move motions to suspend standing orders so she could ask a question in that time period to extend it even further.

It has basically been silly buggers ever since.

Pocock went to the bathroom during one of the sessions, which Labor’s Tim Ayres tried to parlay into a gotcha moment and now the two sides are locked in a battle of wills.

Smith has now given notice that she wants to keep all senators in the chamber for QT (attendance is optional) except to breastfeed or go to the bathroom.

This is what your government is up to, in case anyone was wondering:

Smith has given notice that she will move—That the following apply as a temporary order until the arrangements for question time adopted by the Senate on 29 October 2025 cease to apply:

  1. All senators be required to attend the Senate whilst questions without notice are asked and answered.
  2. Senators may be excused from the requirements of paragraph (1) if they have been granted leave of absence by the Senate, or with the agreement of all whips and independent senators.