- Target:
- The Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard
- Region:
- Australia
Question Time is one of the most important pinnacles of our Parliamentary system and it is especially visible and transparent now to all Australians through its live broadcasts.
It is the only time that the Government is publicly held to account for their decisions and running of their departments. As citizens we are able to observe and critique the responses of our elected representatives and be informed in areas of importance to us all.
Sadly this is not happening as it should as "answers" are increasingly evaded and sarcasm is substituted.
It is becoming increasingly of concern that the Government, especially Ms Gillard and Mr Swan are basically refusing to answer direct questions with answers that are relevant and actually respond to the question answered. Many comments are just outright insults and this type of behaviour in normal business life would be very unacceptable.
Whilst we understand that QT can be robust and lively, it should also be noted that Australians want more mature and responsible behaviour from our heads of Government. Question Time is not a Game. Question Time is a valuable tool of democracy and it is very shameful to see that it is being misused so intentionally.
Politicians should operate at the very highest level of duty of care to its citizens at all times And they are clearly not doing so.
We the undersigned demand of Prime Minister Gillard and Treasurer Swan that questions in "Question Time" in Parliament, raised by The Opposition, on behalf of Australians, be answered directly, accurately and without malicious comment. This is their obligation to the Australia people.
"Question Time" is the only opportunity that the people have to hold the Government to account and to ask questions that are of importance to the Nation. We therefore find that the current attitude of non-compliance, with even The Speaker’s requests for addressing the question properly being ignored, is insulting and contemptuous towards the people of Australia who the Opposition are representing in Question Time.
We explicitly do not want to hear another demeaning and personal tirade about a member of the Opposition or another sarcastic speech. There are only a couple of minutes allocated for your important response and abuse of this time is not acceptable. This disrespects us all. Appropriate responses presented in a civilised manner should be a normal part of our Democracy at work and we are entitled to this respect.
As an Australian I want to hear, for example, what the budget deficit is predicted to be or how much mining tax revenue is expected to be raised. These are my rights as a citizen and the answers could hold important significance for a number of people. But we are given sarcasm and rudeness instead. This is not acceptable!
We respectfully remind The Prime Minister and Treasurer that you are servants of the people of Australia. You were voted into Parliament as REPRESENTATIVES OF US ALL and you should always remember that you are there to serve and represent ALL Australians and should NOT be engaging in petty and undignified behaviour which abuses the privilege of holding high office, and by doing so, thereby abuses us all in the process.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The The Government Must Answer Questions in Parliament petition to The Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard was written by ibetwecanget and is in the category Politics at GoPetition.