Deceit

by Richard Evans

  Speaker Bagshaw was not alone. She had asked a parliamentary colleague to join her for what she guessed would be a stressful meeting. Everett Menzies, the highly regarded and distinguished attorney-general, the first law officer of the land, had joined the speaker to listen quietly to the protestations from the delegation, and provide legal advice if required.

  The delegation formed in front of her desk, with Stanley front and centre. Harper and Campbell stood to his right with Messenger and Hughes to his left. Gordon moved to one side, standing in front of the windows, which were now bright with sunshine.

  ‘Speaker, it gives us no joy to meet with you like this, especially under these circumstances,’ Stanley said.

  ‘I too am concerned about the circumstances in which we are meeting,’ Bagshaw replied, and Menzies stepped in to stand close behind her. ‘This afternoon you sought to move a motion that obviously would have required a vote, thus breaching your agreement that no formal votes would be taken on any issue within the chamber. An agreement Mr Harper signed just four days ago.’

  ‘That agreement between the opposition and the government, to which you refer, was made on two understandings,’ Stanley said confidently. ‘Firstly, the agreement was made with the knowledge that the Appropriation Bill was only for the disbursement of funds to the electorate in the form of an economic stimulus package. Secondly, the agreement was made with James Harper, the previous leader of the opposition, and as I did not co-sign such an agreement, I have little regard for it.’

  ‘Technically, you must, Peter,’ Menzies interrupted. ‘The wording of the agreement implies that his majesty’s opposition will comply with the request not to ask for a division for the purpose of counting votes. The recent tragedy has meant that the numbers in the house have changed, and to ensure secure control for the government your party agreed to the status quo. This has nothing to do with who was leading your party at the time.’

  ‘Everett, this is not a simple case of one in all in. Jimmy didn’t have shadow cabinet approval to sign such an agreement, and he has explained that he was pressured, indeed virtually forced to sign the agreement before it could be vetted by us.’

  ‘You may say that, but I say the agreement is binding upon the opposition and you were about to blatantly breach it in the chamber,’ Bagshaw said.

  ‘So what are you going to do? Send us to the naughty corner if we breach it again?’ Campbell couldn’t contain himself and Harper placed a reassuring hand quietly on his arm to hush him.

  ‘Madam Speaker, we believe you have failed in your duty to manage the chamber in an unbiased manner.’ Stanley formalised his position. ‘We believe you wilfully breached the protocols and practice of the House of Representatives. We also believe there is evidence to support a claim of your breach of standing orders, as we believe you are acting under the instructions of the government to withhold fairness, rather than following established parliamentary procedures. You are therefore threatening the institution of the parliament. For these reasons, regrettably, we formally ask for your resignation as speaker, effective immediately.’

  No-one moved. This moment in history slowly sank into those in the room as they attempted to grasp the significance of the request and waited for the speaker to respond. Bagshaw stood silently, staring at the men before her, rage building within her as she clenched her fists.

  ‘You can all go and fuck yourselves,’ Bagshaw snarled.

  Menzies stepped forward to divert attention from the speaker’s loss of control and stop a tirade that would later be regretted.

  Bagshaw reflected for a moment, staring at the delegation before collapsing into her chair and pulling it closer to the desk.

  Stanley withdrew a crisp white sheet of paper from his inside jacket pocket, unfolded it, and began to read. ‘Furthermore, we charge that you made an arbitrary and unjust decision in expelling the leader of the opposition from the chamber and adjourning the house without sufficient reason or notice of motion. We also contend you failed to interpret the standing orders in a fair and just manner today. And for these reasons, we again ask for your resignation.’ Stanley stepped forward and placed the notated request silently before Bagshaw. ‘Speaker, we again formally request you consider this submission and provide an answer before the resumption of the house at 1.30.’

  Menzies stretched over the desk and picked up the document, quickly scanning it and replacing it. ‘Peter, this is a very long bow you are drawing without much consideration for the history or process of the parliament. Your formal petition is potentially a disruptive instrument to the entire parliamentary process and could have serious ramifications if the speaker cedes to your request. Certainly, at the very least, it is politically provocative, and I ask you to reconsider your actions and withdraw your letter of request.’

  Menzies opened his hands like a priest about to deliver the Sunday sermon. ‘Come on, boys, this can only end badly for you. The press will murder you, and you won’t be applauded by the electorate after you reject the stimulus package, as I assume this is what your prank is all about. Please reconsider, I beg of you.’

  ‘Is it any wonder you morons are stuck in opposition?’ Bagshaw abruptly stood with her fists resting on the desk. ‘Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you come in here with your pompous demands for my resignation?’ She thumped the desk, then took a breath. ‘You know something, Stanley, I don’t like you. I don’t like your party’s born-to-rule attitudes, the pompous manner with which you all swagger around the parliament as if you own the place. Who the hell do you think you are?’ Bagshaw snatched up the document, screwed it up and tossed it back at Stanley. ‘You will not have my resignation – you can shove it up your arse for all I care. You will not have a chance to overrule my decision, and believe me when I say, you will not be calling for any divisions today.’ Bagshaw pointed to the door and growled, ‘Now get out, the lot of you.’

  ‘Speaker, if I may,’ Gordon attempted to intervene. ‘Perhaps, I can offer some advice.’

  Bagshaw rounded on Gordon, her face contorted with anger. ‘What?!’

  ‘There may be a compromise. Why not let the chair of committees take the chair for the remainder of the day, thus alleviating the need for you to attend, on the proviso the opposition does not call for a vote?’

  ‘It seems a reasonable compromise,’ Menzies suggested. ‘What do you think, Peter?’

  Gordon was struggling to keep his breathing under control, hoping his discomfort could not be seen and his dishonesty detected, for he had no intention of the legislation being passed in the chamber today. The speaker vacating her chair would be the best result and would stop him from having to act. He hoped she would see sense. He took a deep breath, silently blowing away his nerves.

  Before Stanley could speak, Bagshaw’s face resolved into a sneer. ‘You have got to be kidding me, O’Brien. I am not giving up my job so some conservative moron can come in with his own interpretations of the rules.’ Bagshaw shoved back her chair and began to advance on the men. ‘We already had Stanley breach a signed agreement. What makes you think he will keep his word now?’

  ‘Pompous gentlemen always do.’ Stanley tried to break the tension with a little humour.

  ‘No, I will not agree. Now get out.’

  With her final words Stanley, Messenger, Campbell, Hughes and Harper turned and retired from the office. Gordon and Menzies replaced them in front of the desk.

  ‘Speaker, the compromise may have resolved the obvious tension we shall have for the rest of the day. Do you think it wise for you now to call on the Appropriation Bill?’ Gordon tried again.

  ‘I tend to agree with Gordon, Zara. Do we really need another confrontation in the parliament today? We must think how this will be played out in the media.’

  ‘The bill will go through today, of that I am sure,’ Bagshaw snapped. ‘We will stick to the notice paper, and it will proceed before question time.’

  ‘As you wish, Speaker.’ Gordon nodded
and withdrew.

  Bagshaw watched O’Brien leave, took a huge breath and sat as she tried to release the adrenalin coursing through her.

  ‘That was fairly ballsy, Zara, well done,’ Menzies offered after O’Brien closed the door. ‘I don’t think I could have handled it as well as you did.’

  ‘That’s because you’re one of them, Everett.’

  ‘One of them, how do you mean?’

  ‘One of the squattocracy.’

  The bells rang at 1.25, indicating the house would resume in five minutes. Gerrard finished his now cold beef sandwich and began the trek to the chamber, knowing that this could be the final time he would ever walk that route, feeling good and enjoying the four-minute walk. He met ministerial colleagues along the way and shared the latest joke, the Christmas holiday banter, all of them oblivious to what had happened ten minutes earlier in the speaker’s office. When Gerrard saw Menzies, he sidled up to him for a private briefing as they walked to the chamber.

  ‘She did really well, Prime Minister.’

  ‘I would have expected nothing less from my girl.’

  ‘The clerk mentioned something about the chair of committees taking over and the opposition agreeing not to vote.’

  ‘Moron, Christ, it’s his last day. Why does he have to spoil it with rubbish like that?’

  ‘Zara saw him off in no uncertain terms, so I think we’ll be fine for the rest of the day. How are you feeling?’

  ‘I feel great,’ Gerrard smiled. ‘It’s a great day, isn’t it?’

  They walked into the chamber together and assumed their places on the frontbench, the prime minister sitting at the table beside the despatch box. The opposition was already in place, subdued, but ready for a fight. The press gallery, high above the speaker’s chair, was unusually full of journalists, presumably following on from the opposition leader’s press release, keen to witness the parliamentary proceedings and record any disruptive action. Some of them would have been surprised to see the prime minister looking so cheery as he waved to them with a broad smile. Even the public galleries were fuller than usual. Perhaps the word had got about, and staff and other visitors anticipated interesting times in this next session.

  At precisely 1.30 the bells stopped and the serjeant-at-arms announced the speaker. She took her place, first bowing to the government benches and then to the opposition benches.

  ‘Before continuing with the business of the day, I would like to make a statement.’ Bagshaw picked up a paper and read the words prepared for her by the prime minister’s office. ‘Members will be aware that this is the last day of sitting for the year. It is my intention to not allow unparliamentary behaviour to continue, and I provide a general warning to all members. I will remove any member creating a disturbance and not following my rulings, under Standing Order 94A. They will be asked to leave the chamber immediately.’

  A smiling Gerrard scanned the opposition, pursed his lips in a silent kiss and gave a knowing wink to Stanley.

  ‘It has been agreed by the leaders of both parliamentary parties that there will be no divisions or votes, out of respect to our fallen colleagues, tragically killed last week. I remind members that we should honour their memories by not allowing the parliament to fall into disarray with poor disruptive behaviour during this day. Clerk.’

  Stanley rose to get the call before the clerk could respond.

  ‘Leader of the opposition.’

  ‘Madam Speaker, I seek leave to table a letter addressed to you from the opposition seeking your resignation from your position. The letter cites our reasons, and I think it should be made public.’

  ‘Is leave granted?’ Bagshaw looked to Meredith Bruce for direction, who was shaking her head in the negative. ‘Leave is not granted.’

  Gordon, watching the proceedings on his television, quickly pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and tapped a message.

  MOVE A NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION ON THE SPEAKER.

  ‘Madam Speaker, on a point of order.’

  ‘Leader of the opposition, on a point of order.’

  Messenger felt his phone buzz and read the message.

  ‘Speaker, we would like to know when you will respond to the house on the matters contained in the letter.’

  ‘There is no point of order.’

  ‘Rubbish!’

  ‘The Member of Brand will remove himself from the chamber for one hour, under Standing Order 94A.’

  Wilson Campbell remained firmly seated; he had no intention of moving. ‘Serjeant, please escort the honourable member from the chamber.’

  The serjeant, seated by the front door to the chamber leading to the ministerial wing and directly opposite the speaker, rose in his place and began walking toward Campbell to escort him out.

  ‘Don’t bother, I’m going.’ Campbell stood and moved past the despatch box, shaking his finger at Gerrard. ‘You’ll get yours one day, we know all about you.’

  Gerrard was fairly sure they knew nothing, and it was all bluster and bluff. He gave the victory sign to Stanley, ‘Two more, keep going.’

  ‘Madam Speaker, on indulgence. I would like to know—’ Stanley continued as Campbell moved past him.

  ‘The leader of the opposition will resume his seat,’ Bagshaw interrupted Stanley.

  ‘… why you believe I have no point of order to this—’

  ‘The leader of the opposition will resume his seat.’ Bagshaw stood, immediately stopping Stanley, and he sat waiting for the call. As he sat, Messenger quickly moved into the vacant seat beside him.

  ‘Move a motion of no confidence,’ Messenger urged.

  ‘We can’t vote. They won’t let us.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter, at least it will be on the record.’

  The speaker resumed her seat. ‘On the matter raised by the leader of the opposition, I can advise him I shall seek legal counsel and formerly write to him with my response.’

  Stanley snapped to the despatch box, ‘On indulgence, Madam Speaker.’

  ‘No indulgence given, resume your seat.’ Bagshaw was out of her chair again silencing potential dissent. Gerrard leaned back in his chair, rocking back and forth, following the proceedings with an admiring smirk.

  Still standing, the speaker said, ‘This is a house for the consideration of bills that come before it. I have a bill at the third reading stage, which I would like to have passed by the house before we move to question time. It is time the leader of the opposition stopped his political game-playing, and allowed me to get on with the business of the house.’

  As she resumed her seat, Stanley stood waiting for the call, prompting groans of contempt from the government backbench.

  ‘The leader of the opposition,’ Bagshaw sighed.

  ‘I seek leave to move a motion that the house has lost confidence in the speaker and in the manner in which she is discharging her duties.’

  ‘Is leave granted?’

  Bruce shook her head.

  ‘Leave is not granted.’

  ‘I therefore move for the suspension of standing orders and the order of the day, so that the following motion can be moved: that this house has lost confidence in the speaker and in the manner in which she is discharging her duties.’ Stanley passed his handwritten notice to the clerks. ‘Madam Speaker, the opposition is moving this motion today …’

  ‘I move the speaker no longer be heard.’ Meredith Bruce was quick to respond.

  ‘The question is that the speaker be no longer heard. All those of that opinion say aye, to the contrary no, I think the ayes have it. Resume your seat,’ Bagshaw demanded of Stanley, who complied. ‘Is the motion seconded?’

  ‘I second the motion. Madam Speaker, this motion is important to debate today—’ Messenger didn’t have much time to get his first sentence out.

  ‘I move the speaker no longer be heard.’ Bruce was again quickly at the despatch box.

  ‘The question is that the speaker be no longer heard. All those of that opinion say aye, to the con
trary no, I think the ayes have it. Resume your seat.’

  ‘The question is that the motion moved by the opposition leader be agreed to. All those of that opinion say aye, to the contrary no. I think the noes have it.’ It was over in a few short minutes and the opposition had nothing left. ‘Clerk.’

  ‘Order of the day, resumption of debate on the third reading of Appropriation Bill Seven.’

  ‘I call the prime minister.’

  Gerrard came to the despatch box, jostled a few papers – just a twenty-minute speech to wind up the debate, a quick vote on the voices and the job would be done. He would then seek indulgence from the speaker and make a statement to the parliament resigning his commission as prime minister, immediately retiring from the parliament. Then it was Paris for Christmas.

  ‘Madam Speaker, the legislation before us is a reward. A reward to the many hard-working Australians who have had a difficult year and deserve a good Christmas. We have seen the opposition attempt to oppose these payments and deny the electorate a good Christmas. Australian taxpayers will punish them at the next election for their callous behaviour, and the total disregard for their needs. Let the Australian people know that the opposition is now focused on an exercise of rejection and rebuff, and reduced to muckraking and nitpicking, pursuing matters of no substance so that they can stop Australians getting their Christmas bonus.’

  As Gerrard continued his speech, Messenger ignored it and fidgeted with his phone, hoping for another message.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  THURSDAY 1.35 PM

  ‘What’s wrong, Gordon, are you okay? You look very pale. I’ll get you some water.’

  As Marjorie dashed off to get a glass of water from the cooler in her office, Gordon sank into his lounge, uncertain what to do next. Should he take the initiative to restore the integrity of the parliament? Would anyone care if he did, or not? He was a servant of the parliament, not the guardian – the politicians were the sentinels, not him. The politicians determined standards, putting their careers on the line every election to be judged by the people; he didn’t. Democracy: for the people, by the people. It was not the job of a servant of the parliament to restore propriety to the institution and protect it – it was the politicians who had that responsibility, not him.