THE PRESS FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1984. Parliament’s last session

Press, 1 June 1984, Page 14

THE PRESS FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1984. Parliament’s last session

The last session of the present Parliament began yesterday. It will be a short session. In less than five months the House will rise again and this Parliament will be at an end. Because this is an election year, politicians can be expected to deliver much noise and propaganda from the springboard of the House. The electorate can but hope that members will not let their electioneering enthusiasm so run away with them that responsible debate will fall victim to bickering and name-calling, or that the supervision of the country's affairs and the making of law will take second place to petty point-scoring and political one-upmanship. The Speech from the Throne foreshadows a lot of work that must be accomplished in a short time. With only 80 days or so to progress through the agenda that the Government has set Parliament, the members will not be idle. This is not unusual for the last year of a Parliament, as the Government in power endeavours to complete as much as possible of the legislative programme on which it was elected. The work-load of willing legislators, as distinct from any who are less energetic, is heavy enough in any event. The debating chamber, which is Parliament’s centre-piece, is not the only demand on members’ time. Members have commitments to their electorates. Most of them also spend long hours, outside the sitting time of the House, serving on the various Select Committees where the bulk of Parliament’s legislative donkey-work is done. Nevertheless, the sittings of Parliament and the debates that they produce are the most audible part of the work. When Parliament is in recess for the greater part of the year, and when the members are scattered for much of

that time, it is hard to persuade the average voter that Parliament remains a true expression of democratic will. The country continues to be governed — for good or ill — for most of the year without the restraints and balances of the representatives of all the people meeting in session. Parliament’s authority and influence over the Executive appear to have waned. One consequence is the apparent decline in public regard for Parliament as an institution. Parliament’s prestige is at risk to a graver threat than that posed by constitutional niceties, however. More damage can be done, and more contempt incurred, if the people’s chamber is turned into a circus. Some members of Parliament might find the temptation great in an election year to try to use Parliament for their electioneering, and to engage opponents in the heckling squabbles that are fine for the hustings but most inappropriate for the House of Representatives. The temptation should be avoided. Such shenanigans do nothing to persuade the electorate that longer, not shorter, Parliamentary sessions would be desirable; or that more, not fewer, members of the House of Representatives to share the work-load would improve performance. This session of Parliament will be a focus of close public attention. The forthcoming General Election will help to guarantee that. Members might well consider that, in the public view, those who serve their re-election chances best will be those who do most to maintain the standing of Parliament. When concern is frequently expressed about the growth of executive power in government, Parliamentarians are best placed to keep the House in high esteem.