Saturday 2 October 2010

'Only miss a vote if you're dead' - Warren Entsch

Returned Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch has told his Liberal MPs that they may as well be dead if they miss a vote in the new Parliament.

In a story in the Weekend Australian, Entsch says his role as party whip is enforcing the "new paradigm" to make federal parliament work.

The Australian says the party Whips are likened to "herding cats when a single MP down with the flu -- or overindulging the night before -- could be the difference between winning or losing on the floor of the finely balanced parliament."

Labor has appointed Joel Fitzgibbon as their chief whip and Warren Entsch is the Libs whimiester.

Entsch says there was no excuse "other than death" for missing a division.
  • "They'll feel not only the wrath of me but they'll be exposed to all of their colleagues," Mr Entsch said of Coalition MPs who might miss crucial votes without first informing him.

    And he has reached back to his past as a crocodile farmer in the deep north to make his point.

    "I have a rather large crocodile skin on the (office) floor, one that happened to step out of line when I had the . . . farm. It's a quiet warning to those who want to invoke the wrath of the chief opposition whip."

    Mr Fitzgibbon, the former defence minister, said his approach would be more subtle.

    "I prefer carrot to stick, but that doesn't mean I can't be very tough when I need to be," he said. "In this parliament, all members, no matter who they're representing, will be intensely conscious . . . that if they miss a division they will be the subject of national media attention for the wrong reasons.

    "(In) the new paradigm, I think the stick will be less necessary; people will be sufficiently motivated to meet all their responsibilities. But I send a general warning now -- the repercussions of doing the wrong thing will be significant."

12 comments:

Syd Walker said...

Hmm. I guess Warren may be too busy to lobby for FNQ getting decent high-speed broadband... for quite some time.

Another three years down the gurgler?

No Blake lover said...

I agree, we'll get nothing out of this guy, I hope all the mugs who voted for him are satisfied.

Oliver Stone said...

Syd, you know what... your a wet rag, guess you must be waterloged not just on the outside either!

Why would Entsch have to lobby for broadband at all...do you have information that Gillard is not going to go ahead with her fiberoptic roll out?

Syd, then again make it interesting; why don't you weave another conspiracy yarn.

Hans said...

Shit...even these comment boxes are beginning to sound like a parliament sitting now

Noj Nedlaw said...

Trust me Syd

You will never get fibre optic in your neck of the woods. $50 says so.

See Sense said...

There's no mugs voting for Warren. But there are a lot of disillusioned Labor supporters.
We don't have to worry about what Warren can do for us, because with a Labor Senator (who has just been promoted), a Cairns Labor State Member, a Labor Barron River State Member, a Cook Labor State Member, a State Labor Member for Mulgrave etc. all surrounding the region, I'm sure they'll take care of it.
Although previously, they haven't.

Stuey said...

Their support for Privatisation says it all.

Huey said...

Give it away, Stuey. Do you think Entsch and the other LibNats would be against privatization if Labor were not in favour of it?

The complacent majority is in favour of privatisation because they're sick of union featherbedding in govt jobs.

Entsch will take any position that he thinks will be popular. He is an integrity-free zone. I can't think of a single issue where he has taken a principled position that was not also the populist position.

Uuurk! I'm defending Warren Entsch said...

Huey, how about equal super rights for gay partnerships?

Thaddeus said...

Wonder if Katter will make more of an effort to attend the Parliamentary sittings now. I think from memory he holds thew record for the least number of days in attendance in the House.

Alison Alloway said...

That's a very pertinent point there Thaddeus. Katter does spend more time in his electorate attending community functions and funerals. He is quite open about the time he spends away from attending Sittings too. I guess this will probably see many clashes between Katter and Entsch, now that Entsch has the whip's role.

Unknown said...

Alison you seem a little ocnfused on this. Warren Entsch is the opposition Whip and therefore is in no position to take on Bob Katter or any other person who isn't a Liberal or Nat. Same applies to the Government's whip in relation to any of the other independents.

Whips are political positions inside their parties.

Marj