Labor blocks inquiry into OzCar affair

(AAP) Federal parliament descended into farce on Wednesday as Labor blocked opposition attempts to set up a judicial inquiry into the OzCar affair.

Amid constant, lengthy interruptions to question time, the government used its
numbers to shut down opposition moves to censure Treasurer Wayne Swan over
allegations that he misled parliament earlier this month.
A second attempt failed when the Speaker Harry Jenkins ruled Opposition Leader
Malcolm Turnbull's motion out of order.
As both sides hurled insults, the atmosphere took on a surreal air when
Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese compared Mr Turnbull to one of Labor's own,
failed leader Mark Latham.
Mr Albanese told parliament he thought he'd seen a ghost when watching Mr Turnbull
in a television interview early on Wednesday, saying he could have sworn he was
seeing Mr Latham.
"All the fake aggression, all the machismo," Mr Albanese said.
The opposition struggled to keep its focus on the treasurer, who they say is yet to
properly explain what assistance his office gave to John Grant - a car dealer friend
of the prime minister's - to access OzCar, the taxpayer-funded finance scheme.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd dismissed calls for a judicial inquiry and seized on an
outbreak of dissent within the coalition, accusing Mr Turnbull of having lost
credibility and authority.
Several opposition MPs crossed the floor on Tuesday to vote with the government to
support the alcopops tax hike, while a handful were planning to do the same on
Wednesday in support of a government bill to axe a requirement that asylum seekers
pay for their detention.
Mr Rudd accused Mr Turnbull of clutching at straws and acting in "desperation with a
capital D" with his call for a judicial inquiry, saying his authority within the
coalition had been "shattered".
"This is not a bad dream that will just go away; it is a nightmare and it won't go
away," Mr Rudd told parliament.
Earlier, Mr Turnbull dismissed as distractions questions as to how long he had known
about the fake email at the centre of the OzCar affair and about his relationship
with Treasury official Godwin Grech, who is now under police investigation.
Mr Turnbull tried twice to move to censure Mr Swan and twice to gag ministers
answering questions designed to further the government's attack.
With one more question time on Thursday before parliament rises for a six-week
winter break, Mr Turnbull accused the government of "running down the parliamentary
clock" in order to hide Mr Swan from scrutiny.
"If Prime Minister Rudd welcomes full transparency on this issue he should move
immediately to support the coalition and establish a full judicial inquiry into all
elements of this affair," Mr Turnbull said.
The coalition wants an inquiry to investigate all communications between Mr Grant
and his associate and the government.
In the Senate, the opposition succeeded in referring the treatment of Mr Grech, who
gave evidence to a Senate inquiry last Friday, to the privileges committee.
Veteran Liberal senator Bill Heffernan says the committee should investigate whether
Mr Grech was "threatened, and intimidated over his evidence".
While there was little that was new about the OzCar affair, there is bound to be
more aggression and abuse in the final sitting day on Thursday.