Andrew Leigh

TURNBULL AS BEREFT OF IDEAS AS TONY

The Turnbull Government has today shown that the policy vacuum of Tony Abbott’s leadership continues unabated.

Instead of seizing the day to progress important issues like marriage equality or violence against women, Malcolm Turnbull’s MPs wasted more than four hours of the Parliament’s time droning on about the Omnibus Repeal Day Bill 2015.

Speaker after speaker lined up to sing the praises of a Bill which replaces the term ‘reference base’ with ‘index reference period’ in 31 acts, and boldly updates ‘Chairman of Committees’ with the more PC ‘Chair of Committees’ in the Public Works Committee Act 1969.

In office, Labor repealed over 16,000 redundant Acts, regulations and legislative instruments. But we didn’t make an elaborate show of it like the Coalition because tidying up legislation is simply part of the day to day work of government.

Today’s performance shows the Government remains bereft of ideas and has no plan for our economy under its new leadership.

In announcing his intention to roll the former Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull said: “We have to make a change for our country’s sake.”

Does a change of leader mean anything at all when a day in Parliament under Malcolm Turnbull is just as vacant and directionless as under Tony Abbott?

THURSDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2015

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