Federal parliament will delay question time today so political leaders can attend the funeral of Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon, the special forces soldier who died in a parachuting incident last week.
The delay will enable Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and others to attend the funeral in the NSW Hunter Valley on Monday morning and return to Canberra for question time at about 3.30pm.
Fitzgibbon, the son of former Labor cabinet minister Joel Fitzgibbon, died when his parachute failed to open properly during a training drill at the RAAF base in Richmond, NSW, on Wednesday night last week. His death drew condolences from Albanese and others including Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has consulted Peter Dutton over a delay to question time today.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Parliament resumes today for a fortnight before Easter, followed by a break of six weeks before the government releases its annual budget on May 14. The delay to question time is expected to apply to the Senate as well as the House of Representatives because of the number of political leaders who may attend the funeral.
Albanese consulted Dutton on the delay, which has support from both sides of parliament. Dutton will also attend the funeral.
One of the priorities for parliament on Monday will be the arrival of Jodie Belyea, who won the byelection in the Melbourne seat of Dunkley on March 2 and will be sworn-in as a member of the House of Representatives, taking her seat on the Labor benches.
Another priority will be to mark the death of Linda White, the Victorian Labor senator who chaired the parliamentary committee that oversaw the National Anti-Corruption Commission. There will be condolence motions for her in both chambers.
Source Agencies
