Parliament rises for midwinter break; Coalition MPs try to put freeze on early election speculation

Extract from ABC News

By political reporters Julie Doyle and Matthew Doran

Updated about 5 hours ago

Photo: Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks during Question Time. (AAP: Lukas Coch)

Video: election speculation dominates last day of Parliament (7.30)

Related Story: Photo op for Coalition MPs with Abbott could signal early election

Related Story: Shorten 'regrets' denying discussing leadership with Rudd

As the chill of a Canberra winter descends on the nation's capital, Coalition MPs are trying to put a freeze on speculation the Prime Minister will call an early election.

On Thursday, the ABC saw dozens of MPs taking up an offer from the Prime Minister's Office to update their "working photographs" - posing for pictures with Tony Abbott used for promotional material.
They included frontbencher Paul Fletcher, Government Whip Andrew Nikolic and the man who instigated the spill for the Liberal leadership in February, Luke Simpkins.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has had to deal with days of questioning his conduct in toppling previous Labor leaders Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, and the anticipation for his appearance before the trade unions royal commission.
While that is enough to put a spring in the step of the Coalition party room, backbenchers are keen to tow the party line as dictated by Ministers, that Tony Abbott will not jump early and call an election.
"I'm going back to my electorate who are really happy, it's a good time to be a federal Member of Parliament in a country electorate," said Nationals MP Andrew Broad.
"I don't worry too much about an election, what I do worry about is trying to do the job."
Mr Broad said the photo shoot with the Prime Minister was merely routine, and a good opportunity for MPs to remind their electorates that their local members have a direct line to the decision makers.
"The people in the street, through one degree of separation to their local member, can have access to the leader of the country," he said.

Most members of the community are sick to death of all the self-indulgent squabbling and navel gazing.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie

It is a sentiment echoed by Liberal MP Dennis Jensen.
"You guys have got this crazy theory going about 'Oh, it's all for an election'. It's nonsense," he said.
"They're photographs to be taken at any time."
Liberal National MP George Christensen said he happily posed for a photo with Mr Abbott.
"I haven't got my corflute posters done yet, and I don't expect to in the next six weeks," he said.
"The Prime Minister has told the party room an election will be held next year."
Amid all the speculation of whether an election could be called during the six-week break, Independent MP Andrew Wilkie said he had had a "gutful" of the arguments.
"I'd like everyone to just take a big deep breath and get back to running the country," he said.
"I'm sure the Government will go to an election when they think they can win.
"Most members of the community are sick to death of all the self-indulgent squabbling and navel gazing."

Labor MP Terri Butler calls for Prime Minister to 'fess up'

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten conceded he regretted comments he made to Melbourne broadcaster Neil Mitchell at the height of Labor's 2013 leadership crisis, which the ABC's The Killing Season this week exposed as lies.
The documentary revealed details of a secret meeting between Mr Shorten and former prime minister Kevin Rudd on June 19, 2013 - the week before Mr Rudd unseated then-prime minister Julia Gillard.
As Labor MPs left Canberra, Queensland's Terri Butler, who took over Kevin Rudd's seat when he resigned from Parliament, wanted to shift the focus back on the Prime Minister's record.
"I'm from Queensland, right, in Queensland our politicians have got a pretty good history of fessing up when they make a mistake," he said.
"Bill Shorten did the same thing. You know who else should fess up? The Prime Minister should fess up.
"The Prime Minister should come clean, stop pretending that he hasn't made cuts to education when his own budget papers say that he has.
"He should come clean with the electorate, I don't think he will because he's a man who's already shown himself to be someone who will say anything at all to get elected, and then get in, with a smile on his face do the exact opposite. I'll take Bill Shorten any day."

Bill Shorten will give evidence to the trade unions royal commission on July 8, when he will be questioned over deals he supervised as leader of the Australian Workers Union (AWU).