Paul1405,

To your one 'stunned mullet' I raise you 67 big fat ducks. The Greens put up 67 candidates in Queensland and none, nil, nada got up.

The comedy highlight of the Queensland election was Greens Larissa Waters very much out of her depth on Q&A and doing a very good imitation of Nancy Reagan on one of her not-quite-with-it days. The lights were on but there was definitely no-one at home. This is the same Larissa that The Courier Mail challenged for her big spend on an already swish executive suite in trendy Paddington,

"GREENS Senator Larissa Waters spent a whopping $414,000 to fit out her trendy Paddington office – more than any of her Queensland political colleagues at the time.

The office, on the top floor of a pristine-condition, split-level building on Given Tce, includes a rooftop patio with timber outdoor furniture and artificial turf."

http://tinyurl.com/mre6ntt

The Greens obviously know how to live. It was most fortunate for the Queensland taxpayer that all of the 67 Greens scored big fat ducks in the Queensland election.

Turnbull probably the best of a bad bunch, even that will cause chaos in the camp. It may even be better if Abbott was allowed to prove himself , give the man a chance.

If you change leaders now most of the front bench would have to go also, Abbott has got it stacked to suite himself, that includes the PM’s office. Turnbull wouldn’t live with that.

Julie is loyal to the PM, but all that could change, they tend to look after number one. No matter what happens we are in for a torrid time, just as well we are equipped with auto PM

579,

Yes, good old Tones makes a point that Julie Bishop is standing beside him on the spill motion.

She is doing such purely on protocol.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-inside-story-of-how-the-liberal-leadership-duo-of-tony-abbott-and-julie-bishop-cracked-20150206-13884m.html

"When Julie Bishop returned to Australia from visiting Afghanistan last week, she could see that Tony Abbott's prime ministership was in serious difficulty.

She phoned him on Thursday last week and told him she was not campaigning for his job. Neither was anyone else, as far as she could see. The deputy offered to work with the leader to improve the government's fortunes. She offered to help him with the major speech he was scheduled to give to the National Press Club the following week.

Abbott, apparently suspicious of Bishop's motives, brushed aside her offers and a tense and sometimes angry conversation followed. Abbott rejected his deputy's help...."

"But after rebuffing Bishop's spontaneous offer of unity last week, Abbott next tried to engineer a forced one this week...."

"In a private conversation before the dinner, Abbott probed Bishop's loyalty. "Come on," she replied, "I shouldn't have to do this. I'm not your problem. You're your own worst enemy." The next morning Fairfax Media reported that Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop, under growing pressure from colleagues to challenge Abbott, were actively considering their options for the first time."

Julie Bishop has obviously given Hartcher the inside running on this - or he wouldn't be quoting her.

OTB,

She had green artificial turf; 'artificial' does shew a certain consistency though.

Is it any wonder that public opinion currently
dictates that the voters have had enough.

The state of affairs in both Victoria and Queensland
clearly show how unhappy voters are with
the current state of political affairs.

It is no longer acceptable (or convincing) for
politicians to talk about the "Age of entitlement"
being over - while they continue to enjoy their
generous perks that include tag-along overseas trips
for spouses, business-class airfares for kids',
chauffer-driven cars, and so on.

According to the Courier-Mail - more than
$35 million was spent on office fit-outs - which
undoubtedly did not include the taxpayer money that
funded a second custom-built bookshelf for the
library of Attorney General George Brandis and also
for the stocking of his library, and lets not forget
the obscene cost of the dinner that was funded by
taxpayers in his hotel in London - all this while
the Treasurer was flagging that the "Age of Entitlement"
was over and that the rest of us should "tighten our
belts" and that coming generations would have to work
until they're 70, and relegating pensioners to the
Budget hit list.

Senator Anne Ruston racked up a $438,800 bill for her
office fit out in South Australia - And what about
Mr Newman? - and the list goes on.

In Queensland the result was remarkable. That Labor should
get from a mere nine seats - to over 40 says it all.
And unless things do change - the "Age of Entitlement" will
indeed be over for those politicians who are deaf or
indifferent to the concerns of the voters. Finger-pointing
no longer works. Not when they're all in the same sinking
boat.

Suseonline ...

Actually, and without trying to justify the award itself or being overly pedantic, Prince Phillip is the husband of the Queen of Australia as well as Queen Elizabeth II being the Queen of other countries. Until Australia makes the decision to separate itself from the Monarchy and become a republic (or some other state structure devoid of the Monarchy, like it or not, Queen Elizabeth II will still be this country's Queen.