What would Parliament be without some pomp and ceremony?
The Govenor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove this week recalled all MPs and Senators from their long break before the Federal Budget.
"Black Rod, please let the members of the house of representatives know that I require their attendence in the Senate chamber."
After all Lower House MPs entered the Senate, the Governor-General reminded everyone why they were there.
"The cause for which I have recalled the parliament is to enable it, in particular the Senate, to give full and timely consideration to two important parcels of industrial legislation."
One of those pieces of legislation - the Australian Building and Construction Commission bill - had been already voted down once by the Senate.
The Greens and the Opposition vowed to vote against it once more, which meant it had to be negotiated with the crossbench if Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wanted it passed.
"It is a matter for the Senate and we encourage them to get on with the job and deal with it. I think everyone would be pleased to see a quick decision but we are in the hands of the Senators."
A quick decision was what came.
Within 24 hours the Senate voted the ABCC bill down giving the Prime Minister his Double-Dissolution trigger.
It was what some Labor MPs, the Greens and all the crossbenchers suggested he wanted all along.
"My intention is that after the budget, an appropriate time after the budget has been delivered I will be asking the Governor-General to disolve both houses of the parliament for an election which I expect to be held on the second of July."
The Prime Minister chose his words carefully.
He wants to impress on the Australian public that the government is still governing, not campaigning.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten kept up his calls for a banking royal commission:
"When will the Prime Minister stop appeasing and apologising for the banks and launch a royal commission into the Australian banking sector?"
The Prime Minister responded.
"The Labor Party's concern is only to run a populist campaign against banks. It has no concern with small business."
The Abbott Government cut Australia's corporate regulator's budget by $120 million, two years ago.
That same regulator, ASIC, will now receive $127 million over four years.
Treasurer Scott Morrison denied he was caving to pressure from the Opposition, instead insisting it's the government's response to a review which has now concluded.
"A very serious review which, for those of you who have seen it and are receiving it, will know that it is a very candid report, it doesn't pull any punches and says very clearly what needs to be done when it comes to getting ASIC on the right track."
The majority of funding, $121 million, will come from a banking levy.
Mr Morrison says the banks have assured the government the cost won't be passed on to customers through higher fees.
"I think it's easily digestible by the banks and must be and should be, and I would be furious if I thought this was being sought to be passed on."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was unmoved by the funding boost.
"It's merely restoring cuts they made and the only people who will be cheering this announcement will be the big banks of Australia"
Bill Shorten was pressed to explain why he didn't push for this when he was a minister in government.
"I think most governments have one royal commission in them in their time in government and we chose to act on a royal commission into institutional responses to child abuse."
Polls show Labor is on a winner with its banking royal commission promise, so the Coalition is selling its announcement as concrete action rather than years of hearings.
But restoring cuts to an industry regulator which has failed to prevent plenty of scandals may not be what voters want to hear.
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