'Order, order.....'

....the Speaker shouts, sometimes in vain, as she tries to bring the House of Representatives to order in Federal Parliament.

There was no need for order yesterday morning as the Leader of the House droned on whilst he tabled a series of new Bills relating to the media.

Notice the banks of empty seats behind him? You know, the ones that are usually filled with nodding heads during the cut and thrust of Question Time. Actually for a while there was no one behind him at all when the camera panned for a full view of the empty chamber. There was one, just one, Opposition member seated on their side facing him. I don't know who that member was but he must have drawn the short straw for 'duty member'!

For a while the number of officials present outnumbered our representatives.

Two Clerks, three Public Servants and one attendant outnumber the Speaker, the Leader of the House, one Minister doing his own thing on the front bench, the 'duty' Opposition member and one sole Government back bencher alone amongst a sea of empty seats. Come to think of it why is that one back bencher there? Hasn't he got things to do or constituents to see like all of his colleagues? If I were his constituent I'm not certain whether I'd be happy or angry to see him there slacking off on the back bench.

The newspapers huffing and puffing about the injustices of the proposed media legislation might lead one to believe these bills are a matter of great significance. Yesterday our elected representatives, by their absence, appeared far more sanguine.