The Abbott government has resorted to delaying its own legislative program, including vital health reforms, by insisting on a faux parliamentary debate on its small business package even though the opposition is on board.
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In a bizarre turn of events, the government used its numbers in the House of Representatives on Wednesday to stop an opposition move to bring the package of tax cuts and cash-flow assistance to an immediate vote.
A procedural motion by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to put the question immediately was defeated after the government's duty frontbencher in the House, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, insisted on a division after the Shorten motion was first supported on the voices in a chamber almost devoid of Coalition members.
Instead, more than 30 Coalition backbenchers will get the right to speak in a debate that may take 10 hours to conduct even though the outcome is assured.
Its rapid passage on Wednesday morning would have ensured the package was sent to the Senate, where its support is also assured although Prime Minister Tony Abbott argues there is no hurry because the upper house is not currently sitting and will not do so until June 15.
The motion was defeated 47 to 77 prompting the opposition to claim blatant hypocrisy on the part of a government which had just one day before publicly called on Labor to allow the package through the Parliament without delay.
"Let us not let politics get in the way of economics. Let us not let self-interest get in the way of the national interest. Let us pass this bill straight away," Mr Shorten quoted Mr Abbott as having said in Parliament on Tuesday.
In response, Mr Abbott said the Parliament "certainly should pass these bills straight away, but added that if the Leader of the Opposition had his eyes open, he would notice that the Senate is not sitting".
Shortly afterwards, however, the government, via Small Business Minister Bruce Billson, revealed the real reason it had insisted on slowing the passage of its own "vital" legislation.
He said it was Labor's "disinterest" that had caused the problem because by allowing it to pass without extended debate, voters would have been denied a proper explanation.
"We voted against you gagging a discussion about what small businesses need to support their role in the economy," Mr Billson railed across the Parliament.
"We thought that, given the disinterest from Labor when in government and now in opposition, small business men and women, who mortgaged their houses, deserved a day to discuss their needs in the nation's Parliament."
Last week Mr Abbott had used the potential for a hold-up in passage of the small business measures as a reason not to facilitate a debate on same sex-marriage equality in the remaining three weeks of the budget session of Parliament.
But it is not just marriage equality that has been put on the backburner by an arbitrarily drawn out small business debate. Other major pieces of government legislation are also held up with potentially significant consequences.
These include the government's Medical Research Future Fund Bill which is due for debate but now looks unlikely to be passed in time to start in August – having already been delayed from January.
Also due for debate are the Private Health Insurance (Prudential Supervision) bill from the 2014 budget and the National Health Amendment (Pharmaceutical Benefits) bill.
In any event, Mr Abbott was unmoved by claims of double-standards.
"What we saw from the opposition this morning was yet another childish stunt from the Labor Party, an attempt by the Labor Party to deny 11 Labor members and 31 Coalition members the right to speak on this bill and ensure that they were able to demonstrate their support for the small businesses of Australia," Mr Abbott said.
"Madam Speaker, this bill will, in the ordinary course of events, pass this House either later today or tomorrow."
