There is something about the last Federal parliamentary sitting week before the winter recess that sends everyone berko. It's like school muck-up day, but with more invective. Everyone is just sick of the place after months away from home. The long nights of debate get longer and longer as the Government tries to pass more bills. MPs, journos and staff are exhausted after living off pizza and coffee.
At least at the end of the year there is a bit of Christmas bonhomie.
This week is no different as the end-of-sitting madness plays out once again. With everyone in Parliament House caught in the vortex, we the public are left trying to unravel a matter involving car dealers, phone calls, faxes and emails to staff and senior members of the Government. Who said what to whom, when, was it proper, and was Parliament misled, makes for a confusing litany of actions which, in the end, hinge on an email that may be non-existent at best, or fraudulent at worst.
Either one of these latter options is a zero sum for the Opposition. It is a dent to their credibility. It is a dent to public confidence in their capacity to properly hold the Government to account. A sustained attack on members of the Government based on a document that cannot be produced is high-risk indeed.
But no one comes out looking good. Even if nothing improper is found, for the Government it leaves a smelly cloud, made darker by Labor's long-standing reputation for favouring mates and doing deals. In politics, perception is everything.