Political circus
Parliament returned this week with ceremony, protest and posturing as Labor flexed its majority and early signs of its policy agenda for the new term began to emerge.
Nearly three months after Labor’s thumping election victory, federal MPs, armies of lobbyists and members of the Capital Brief newsroom (myself included) descended on the nation’s capital this week for the opening of the 48th Parliament.
The week began with the usual pomp and ceremony, only with a distinctly 2025 feel. The traditional 19-gun salute in the Parliament House forecourt was cancelled due to a large pro-Palestinian protest outside the building.
Inside, minor parties were doing what minor parties do — with One Nation senators turning their backs during an Acknowledgement of Country and the Greens staging a protest over Gaza during the governor-general’s official opening speech.
That speech — prepared by the government of the day but delivered for the first time by Sam Mostyn as governor-general — was also telling. It covered all the expected terrain, from Labor’s plans to ease cost-of-living pressures, strengthen Medicare and deliver affordable housing. But one throwaway sentence about halfway through did pique my interest.
