November 25, 2011
Opinion
The new prime ministerial pooch, Rueben, was passed carefully from hand to hand, like a newborn.
In between bouts of appreciative cooing, Labor MPs on Wednesday night downed party pies, onion tarts and beverages on the lawns of The Lodge. Christmas drinks for the caucus after a bone-jarring 12 months.
The longest night had finally yielded the mining tax. Host Julia Gillard cheerfully rattled off the achievements of the year, but unbeknown to most of the guests, another ''achievement'' was unfolding back at the parliamentary precinct.
Hot seat: Manager of opposition business Christopher Pyne talks with the newly installed Speaker Peter Slipper during question time yesterday. Photo: Andrew Meares
Speaker Harry Jenkins, mulling his future in the abstract for some months, and more intensively over the past few weeks, was building up to a momentous 24 hours.
Late on Wednesday, according to party sources, Jenkins sought the ear of his old mate and fellow Victorian Simon Crean.
Insiders insist Jenkins' mind was already made up at that point. He was out. Crean declined to comment when contacted by The Age last night.
Architect: Anthony Albanese. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Having spoken to Crean, late on Wednesday Jenkins ascertained whether or not the Governor-General would be at home if he called round before 9.30 the next morning.
Harry Jenkins was about to give the manager of government business, Anthony Albanese, his most devout wish: another number for Labor on the floor of the House of Representatives.
This would be the ultimate crash or crash-through politics. Controversial Queensland Liberal Peter Slipper, a figure of derision and loathing within Coalition ranks, was about to ascend to the speakership. Given the dancing partner of choice is Slipper, some in Labor fear the end result will be crash.
Government sources say Albanese has held Slipper carefully in his back pocket since the rancorous negotiation that installed the renegade Queensland Liberal as deputy speaker.
Not explicitly of course, that would be improper, but implicitly. The vibe. A love that cannot be spoken. That kind of thing.
The government watched on as events inside the Liberal Party pushed Slipper inexorably Labor's way.
Despite the best efforts of Tony Abbott and federal party officials to slow what was looking increasingly inevitable - a defection, most likely to the crossbench, in the first part of 2012 - the natives in Queensland were restless. Slipper's preselection would be challenged, whatever the consequences for Abbott, and that was that.
Labor of course had its own contingencies to sweat on. Some in the government were concerned the New Year might bring charges against Craig Thomson - the NSW MP who ran into trouble with his trade union credit card.
And there was the cursed pokies reforms - next policy heartburn off the rank. Labor is divided. The Greens running interference on the Left, Abbott not giving an inch. When it came to Andrew Wilkie and his foot stamping on pokies, insurance would be useful.
So rather than wait passively, and watch, Labor stole a march.
In near complete secrecy - many Labor colleagues who had known Jenkins for decades knew nothing of his intentions before yesterday morning - events surrounding the speakership began to play out over the past couple of weeks.
Some Labor people believe Jenkins was leaned on, heavily, to be a good soldier for the Labor Party.
Others insist that kind of rough housing would have backfired, given Jenkins has a tendency to stand on dignity. ''He would have said get stuffed,'' insists one of his parliamentary friends.
Was there reward in the offing? Like father, like son. Jenkins' father, Harry senior, vacated his seat and the speakership in 1985 and, courtesy of an agreement with Bob Hawke, was given an ambassadorial post to Spain.
Jenkins' increasing discomfort in his role was known to confidants. ''He wanted to be an independent Speaker, but the circumstances don't allow that,'' one of his friends told The Age yesterday.
He contemplated resigning in May when a critical vote went against him. But the desire to be Speaker trumped hurt feelings.
But not any more. The desire to be a good soldier apparently trumped the desire to be Speaker.
Julia Gillard insisted she knew nothing of Jenkins' decision until their conversation at 7.30 yesterday morning - although that seems difficult to believe, given those in the know were discussing the looming events sotto voce late Wednesday afternoon.
Albanese - the architect of the Slipperhood - said he had no discussion with Jenkins until yesterday, and no discussion with Slipper.
The other camp, naturally begs to differ.
The Queensland Liberal National Party director, Michael O'Dwyer, could barely contain his outrage, saying Slipper had significant questions to answer.
O'Dwyer claimed Slipper had disclosed ''to a third party that he was intending to resign from the party during the forthcoming state election campaign to purposely create a serious distraction for his state colleagues''.
He claimed evidence had been presented ''confirming that Mr Slipper had been planning for some time to leave the Liberal National Party, and this evidence confirms Mr Slipper's actions today were pre-meditated and in train for an extensive period of time''.
