6 November 2008

Come to Australia and see the ACT Legislative Assembly

| johnboy
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While looking up sitting dates for the Legislative Assembly* I was surprised to see this high up the google rankings.

It seems Holidays Hub rates the Legislative Assembly as a “Major Attraction” in Australia. Along with some history (and missing date fields) it helpfully informs international visitors how they too can marvel at our elected representatives:

    “Visitors as well as local people are welcome to visit the ACT Legislative Building to learn in a detailed way about the workings of the legislative system and other important historical changes till the territory began self-government. Visitors can take a tour of the building as there are facilities of guided tours available for which prior bookings are required. The building remains open for visit from 9 am to 5 pm from Monday to Friday.

* They’re taking a little break before coming back for three days sitting from 9 December. Plenty of time for Shane to bone up on the rules.

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disenfranchised8:35 am 08 Nov 08

The Legislative Assembly represents largesse we can ill afford. It is very enlightening to go and see the MLAs in action. Even during key debates (eg Budget) there were very few locals present. Let’s face the facts. It is a gigantic waste of time and money running a westminster adversarial parliamentary system in the ACT. Locals aren’t interested. You can’t get a crowd there and it is in Civic! The political point scoring in that chamber is futile. Bring on the Council!

Pommy bastard4:58 pm 07 Nov 08

Come to Australia and see the ACT Legislative Assembly, if you need a cure for insomnia.

Only if I’m on the tour ….

*heh heh heh*

Jonathon Reynolds6:36 pm 06 Nov 08

jimbocool said :

As an aside, the Speaker hosts these delegations and he is also on the list of notables that new Ambassadors present their credentials to. Our Mr Rattenbury is going to have to have a least one or two ties hanging on the office door for these occasions.

Isn’t the convention if you see a tie hanging on the door then you know it is a sign not to enter because intimate liaisons are occurring?

I didn’t realise that this was a privilege that was afforded to the Speaker…

Granny said :

As Dame Edna would say, that Shane Rattenbury can put his slippers under my bed any time …. Did I mention he reminds me of Bobby Kennedy?

*chuckle*

You crack me up Granny!

Oh, c’mon! I reckon anybody could be Speaker. I reckon my twelve-year-old could do it!

barking toad5:22 pm 06 Nov 08

Shane is multi-skilled. He went to a gorebull warming conference in Bali so the speaker’s job will be a breeze.

And the press release about his job as speaker suggests he will be the King Canute of the ACT – he’s going to stop the weather from changing.

School tour guide seems appropriate job description.

Wow!

Shane Rattenbury is the tour guide?

Sign me up, jimbocool!!

As Dame Edna would say, that Shane Rattenbury can put his slippers under my bed any time …. Did I mention he reminds me of Bobby Kennedy?

*chuckle*

Beleive it or not, tours of the Assembly are popular. Admittedly not so much gawping tourists as such, but there are a remarkable number of parliamentary delegations that go through (as well as school groups). Generally these delegations come from Commonwealth Nations that only have a recent or sporadic experience of democracy and are particularly interested in the ACT’s fusion of state and local government functions.

As an aside, the Speaker hosts these delegations and he is also on the list of notables that new Ambassadors present their credentials to. Our Mr Rattenbury is going to have to have a least one or two ties hanging on the office door for these occasions.

The Assembly’s education office runs a great program – you should check it out and thus move from being ill-infromed critics of the Assembly to well-informed ones 🙂

It’s just so popliar!!

Sometimes the tour guide even has to wake up and do something, by gum!

“prior bookings are required”? WTF?! This must be so the tour guide can take a sicky from his normal job and go and conduct the tour when required. Either that or thay can alert the media in advance that somebody actually wanted a 10 minute tour.

*guffaw*

Are you serious?

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