Hung parliament driving pollies to drink: GP MP
Jessica Wright
March 2, 2012 - 10:53AM
Liberal MP and medical doctor Mal Washer has called for a limit on how late parliament sits for the sake of politicians' health.
Politicians are being driven to drink to cope with the demands of the hung parliament, according to the only medically qualified MP in federal politics.
West Australian Liberal MP Mal Washer — the only GP in Parliament — first raised concerns in March last year that longer working hours and strict parliamentary procedures could cause serious illness in MPs, including cancer and depression.
In a submission to the standing procedures committee, Dr Washer outlined his concerns for his colleagues, their staff and the staff of Parliament.
Dr Washer debated a motion in Parliament yesterday that formally called for the House of Representatives to close at 11pm.He said MPs were using alcohol to cope with sittings that extended past midnight.
''The later and longer people are here, there's a tendency for people to drink more alcohol,'' he said.
He pointed to studies taken within parliament that showed tired people were less productive.
''Decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision-making,'' he said.
NSW Labor MP Jill Hall has supported Dr Washer's call, while Victorian Liberal MP Russell Broadbent said some politicians' performances were ''atrocious after 11 o'clock at night''.
NSW Labor MP Daryl Melham proposed more radical measures, saying that Parliament should sit no later than 8pm.
''We are walking around this place like zombies,'' he said. ''It is insane, it is madness. No one else would cop it. We should not cop it.''
Dr Washer anticipated that any move to reduce the working week of politicians would attract public criticism but said that he preferred ''politicians to be healthy, efficient and productive''.
''These additional hours are having an adverse effect on the mental and physical health of members,'' he said.
''Physically, there is a drop in fitness levels and reduced immunity which would affect resistance to infection and malignancy and exacerbate chronic disease.
''There is a greater tendency for the use of medication to assist with sleeping and with some increased alcohol consumption.''
Read more: More Politicians Drink To Cope With Demands of Parliament