The citizenship crisis has been described by one politician as a "festering farce" embroiling the federal parliament but Australians don't appear to be seeing the funny side of it.
Consumer confidence sank to its lowest level in more than two years in the past week as the number of potentially ineligible politicians rose to seven, including Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.
Australian Conservative Cory Bernardi is calling for the parliament to be suspended until the High Court determines the citizenship cases, and for the Speaker and President of the Senate to conduct an audit of all members.
"What I want to do is see this parliament regain some credibility," the former Liberal senator told Sky News on Tuesday.
"What must the public be thinking - that these blokes and women are a bunch of people that cannot be relied on and cannot be trusted."
The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan confidence gauge, a pointer to future consumer spending, fell 2.2 per cent and the third consecutive week of decline.
Despair over what is happening in Canberra builds on the deteriorating mood from subdued wage growth and ever-rising energy costs.
Figures last week showed private sector annual wages grew 1.8 per cent, the lowest in at least 20 years, with the average salary inching up to just shy of $80,250.
That compares with the basic salary of a politician of $203,030.
The High Court will hold a direction hearing on Thursday to map out the timetable for hearings.
Attorney General George Brandis believes, realistically, formal hearings won't start until October.
It leaves Malcolm Turnbull's one-seat majority hanging in the balance.
The precarious nature of the government has to yet to leave its mark on financial markets, which seem to be preoccupied with events overseas.
National Australia Bank economist Tapas Strickland expects if Mr Joyce is found to have breached Section 44 of the Consitution, the government would attempt to form a minority government with the support from crossbench.
"In the unlikely event of fresh general elections, both major parties remain publicly committed to a path back to surplus with the major election difference being policies around company tax and negative gearing," he said.
However, Royal Bank of Canada, Sydney Branch, head of economics Su-Lin Ong believes markets may be a little too complacent.
This could be because Australian politics have been particularly "volatile and fractured" for much of the last decade and markets may have become use to the "dysfunction and uncertainty".
"We think this is a little complacent. The probability of parliament dissolving and an early election is small but not insignificant," Ms Ong says.
"We would expect the currency to bear the brunt of any rising political risk."
