A couple of hours later,amid a wild squall of verbal slurs,the Prime Minister was ordered to withdraw the imputation that Labor members were a bunch of jailbirds.
Meanwhile,Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese called Leader of the House Peter Dutton a “boofhead”. Dutton accused Albanese of having a “glass jaw”.
In the Senate,accusations flew that unnamed senators had been heard growling and making “dog noises” as independent senator Jacqui Lambie gave a speech.
Just another day at the office,then.
It is,of course,the last week of parliament for the year,a period normally marked by get-squares from all sides as governments and oppositions try to leave the impression each is more rugged than the other.
PM Morrison,we should explain,had legitimate reason to spend the morning calling for better behaviour in Parliament.
He unveiled a review that found more than half of all people in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces hadexperienced bullying,sexual harassment or actual or attempted sexual assault.