Let's not waste time raking over history and who did what to whom. Let us leave for another time the merits or otherwise of candidates not yet in Parliament, or punditry about who will/won't win.
Instead, let us catalogue the dead wood in the Australian parliament today, people who can and should be removed by those responsible for such matters (including, but not limited to, the voters) in the lead-up to the coming election. Young MPs deserve the benefit of the doubt, up to a point. To nominate those who aren't contesting the next election as 'dead wood' is redundant; I have not included Craig Thomson, who, if vindicated, deserves as much of a political future as anyone in Parliament. Here are the MPs and Senator who should be placed on the front verge for collection by either the great grinding rubbish-trucks of state, or by random opportunists who could make better use of them:
Labor
- Anthony Byrne
- Jacinta Collins
- Doug Cameron
- Yvette D'Ath
- David Feeney
- Laurie Ferguson
- Joel Fitzgibbon
- Mark Furner
- Alex Gallacher
- Chris Hayes
Harry Jenkins(retiring)- Joe Ludwig
- Jenny Macklin (oh all right, but straight after NDIS)
- Gavin Marshall
- Robert McClelland
Claire Moore(see comment below)- John Murphy
- Helen Polley
- Michelle Rowland
- Mike Symon
- Matt Thistlethwaite
- Lin Thorp
- Anne Urquhart
- Maria Vamvakinou
Liberal
- Eric Abetz
- Kevin Andrews
- Chris Back
- Cory Bernardi
- Julie Bishop
- Bronwyn Bishop
- George Brandisandbrettmason (often assumed to be two separate people)
- David Bushby
- Michaelia Cash
- Peter Dutton
- Sean Edwards
- Concetta Fierravanti-Wells
- Mitch Fifield
- Teresa Gambaro
- Barry Haase
- Bill Heffernan
- Gary Humphries
- Greg Hunt
- Dennis Jensen
- Craig Kelly
- Helen Kroger
- Andrew Laming
- Ian Macdonald
- Sophie Mirabella
- Stephen Parry
- Chris Pyne
- Don Randall
- Rowan Ramsey
- Michael Ronaldson
- Philip Ruddock
- Scott Ryan
Dean Smith(see comment below)- Tony Smith
- Alex Somlyay
- Andrew Southcott
- Ross Vasta
Nationals
Ron Boswell(retiring)- George Christensen
- John Cobb
- John Forrest
- Luke Hartsuyker
Paul Neville(retiring)- Ken O'Dowd
- Bruce Scott
- Nigel Scullion
- Warren Truss
- John Williams
Greens
- Lee Rhiannon
All of those people have had their go, and more of a go than most get.
It is eminently possible that any of those people could be replaced by someone worse: this is not a reason for retaining them in Parliament. The above includes many who are regarded as rising stars in their respective party (Josh Frydenberg is not on this list, even though he is a waste of skin; the Victorian Liberals need to work him through their system, as they have with Smith, Mirabella and Hunt). The list excludes a number of Last Chance Larrys/Lisas, who may yet distinguish themselves this side of 2016.
The party committed to getting rid of its dead wood can truly demonstrate a commitment to our nation's future.
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