1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Well, that was as chaotic as you would expect. I 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: caught the first half of of Parliament's debate on hucker 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: Gate yesterday afternoon. Winston Peters went full attack dog, Willie 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: Jackson fought back White's he brought a noose into the 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:18,959 Speaker 1: chamber as a prop and Adrian Udhafi, the former Speaker 6 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: Labor MP he had the most sensible and respectable take 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: of the debate. I thought. I've had the pleasure of 8 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: meeting interviewing him a couple of times over the years. 9 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: He's a really humble guy, quiet, quite observant. He'll just 10 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 1: sit back and watch and you know, quick to a smile. 11 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: Loves a good argument. Not that you could hear that 12 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: in the house yesterday, thads of interjecting, lots of noise, 13 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 1: and Adrian gets respect because he shushed, and I like 14 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: it when people do this. He shushed his own side, 15 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: his own colleagues as much as he did the Treasury 16 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: benches when he was speaking. And he made two decent points. First, 17 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: the Privileges Committee is meant to be bipartisan. The fact 18 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: that this punishment was was handed out and it was 19 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: so severe is kind of a in moot point. It's 20 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: the fact that it wasn't a bipartisan decision because now 21 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: it's open season for governments of any persuasion to weaponize 22 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: the punishments, potentially weaponize the punishments in future against their 23 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 1: political opponents. As he points out, this was the government 24 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: punishing MPs, not the Parliament, which it ought to be, 25 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: and hearinized the problem with parliament as a whole these days, 26 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: there's no agreed standard of behavior that's universal to all MPs. 27 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:41,119 Speaker 1: Getting physically up in somebody's grill is considered okay by some. 28 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: Now the House is meant to be about what comes 29 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: out of your mouth, not how close to another MP 30 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: it is. Number two du Dafi scolded the Mardi party 31 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: for not apologizing for their bad behavior. He spoke of 32 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: his cousin, Dame Tadi Annatutia. She never skipped a vote, 33 00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: worked hard for her people and spoke on every bill 34 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: before the House. The question really is whether Tapatimarti actually 35 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: wants to be in Parliament or whether they want a 36 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: separate one, which they state they do on their website, 37 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: and that begs the question why are they there in 38 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: the first place. All in all, aside from Adrian's wise words, 39 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: there's a few hours wasted that the house won't get back. 40 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live 41 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays, or 42 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.