From the AbeeCEE

'Over the top' Senate fears dismissed
Federal Government MPs and senators have been defending changes to the Senate inquiry process amid anger from Labor and the minor parties.

Late yesterday, the Government announced it will be cutting the number of Senate committees from 16 to 10, and will only allow Coalition senators to chair them.

Federal Opposition Kim Beazley has described the changes as an "act of evil".

Another senior Labor politician, Wayne Swan, says the Government has let its power go to its head.

"Darth Vader would be very proud of the Howard Government this morning," he said.

"They have finally this morning ... managed to neuter the Senate - what's next the Death Star?

"This Government has got plenty of skeletons in its closet and that's why they're shutting down an effective Senate committee system."

Labor's Leader in the Senate, Chris Evans, says the changes will make the Senate powerless to hold the Government accountable.

"This is corrupting the role of the Senate and it makes democracy much more difficult to practice in this country," he said.

Greens Senator Christine Milne says it is an enormous power grab by the Coalition.

"I think it's quite clear that the Prime Minister will approve who goes to the chair of each of the Senate committees and if those chairs don't tow the party line, then the Prime Minister can always remove them," she said.

"It's just a simple motion in the Senate to change a committee chair.

"But what you're going to have here is the Government dominating every single inquiry, every single report, back to the Senate and the Government has the numbers as well."

Scrutiny 'increased'
But the Government's Leader in the Senate, Nick Minchin, says the reactions are "over the top".

He says the current committee process needs changing.

"It is really not working, it has become dysfunctional," he said.

"It is in a sense an experiment that has failed and we're actually proposing to go back to what prevailed for 11 of the 13 Labor years."

Coalition backbencher Guy Barnett also says the changes will not reduce scrutiny of the Government.

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Gus thinks the government will not flog itself, will it?

Govt not avoiding accountability, Howard says
Prime Minister John Howard has hit back at Labor's claims that his Government is arrogant and trying to avoid parliamentary scrutiny.

In Question Time, Opposition Leader Kim Beazley has listed areas where Labor thinks the Government is trying to avoid accountability, including plans to reduce the number of Senate inquiries and changes to the Electoral Act.

But Mr Howard has told Parliament his Government is more accountable than any other, saying he is the only Prime Minister who attends every Question Time.

"So long as I am Prime Minister of this country I will turn up everyday, I will make myself accountable and I will go on answering double the number of questions than any of my predecessors, let alone Labor predecessors ... this is the most accountable executive since federation," he said.
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Gus sees it: Yep, accountability by answering double the questions with triple the porkies... Pigs flying much higher more often these days...

Whilst any thinking Australian would deplore any action by the rodent's government to close-out the democratice process, including the opportunity of at least some transparency of government actions / behaviour / performance via the Senate Estimates process, unfortunately the Labor Party hasn't done much when it had the opportunity .... therefore, cynics might be forgiven for suggesting "what difference does it make"?

I have previously made representations to two Labor Senators, Chris Evans & Mark Bishop, to pursue Defence-related issues through the Committee system & didn't even receive an acknowledgement of my request.

The biggest threat to our democracy is not the power-grabbing, corrupt ways of the deceitful prime rodent, but the completely ineffectual nature of the "loyal opposition" .... too many comfortable time-servers, too many rewarded trade union officials, a lack of real "shared pain" with the constituents that Labor allegedly represents & a policy template which should simply be headed-up "us too".

The only effective opposition to the awful Cromwellian spectre of the current prime meanster is the 10 or so Liberal parliamentarians still blessed with some genuine effection for the principles supposedly underpinning our status as a progressive democracy & a willingness to stick by them. 

It is these individuals who deserve our acknowledgement & encouragement, not the pompous, ineffectual Beazley & his coterie of fellow-travellers.

As junior bushit would say: "You can take that to the bank". 

Just wanted to remind the dear readers to view the cartoon that leads this line of blogs...