The Turnbull government has suffered more embarrassing scenes in Parliament, with senators forced to give rambling monologues about their colleagues and favourite television shows because the government had no bills ready for debate.
The filibuster tactics in the Senate, which ran for four hours, followed the debacle in the House of Representatives two weeks ago when the government lost several divisions because MPs had left early.
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Senators have no work to do
With nothing to debate, senators have given long winded speeches reflecting on their favourite TV shows, superfoods and the Aussie flag.
Government senators were told on Monday morning that they would have to give 20 minute speeches to pad out the government business session until Question Time at 2pm.
Some of the government's most senior cabinet ministers, including Defence Minister Marise Payne and Cabinet Secretary Arthur Sinodinos, were called in to give speeches to keep the Senate operational.
![Senator Jane Hume speaks to a near-empty Senate at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.](/web/20160915120719im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/e/5/b/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gre6nr.png/1473726398753.jpg)
The government had two uncontroversial pieces of legislation listed for debate in the Senate on Monday but could not proceed with them until they had passed the House of Representatives.
Manager of Government Business in the Senate Mitch Fifield put the blame on Labor for playing "petty undergraduate games" in the House of Representatives by frustrating the passage of the relevant bills.
Queensland senator James McGrath used his address to give a lengthy history of the Australian flag and explain his enthusiasm for the Last Night of the Proms music concert, which he described as "one of my favourite TV programs".
"It was a fantastic spectacle," he said.
![Senator Zed Seselja speaks in the Senate.](/web/20160915120719im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/e/4/q/l/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gre6nr.png/1473748007265.jpg)
Nationals senator for Victoria Bridget McKenzie used her address to praise the performance of her colleagues during the election campaign but suffered several stumbles.
Commenting on Nationals Senate leader Nigel Scullion, she said: "He's a deep thinker. You wouldn't think it but he actually is."
![Illustration: Ron Tandberg](/web/20160915120719im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/e/p/s/i/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gre6nr.png/1473725920184.jpg)
Senator McKenzie then went on to praise the Nationals' candidate for McEwen but struggled to remember his name.
"In the seat of McEwen we ran Andrew...Andrew, Andrew, Andrew...It will come to me," she said.
"He runs a stock feed store in, sorry madam deputy president, in a place starting with T just down from Yea and Seymour."
The Nationals' candidate for McEwen was James Anderson and his store is in Tallarook.
Resources Minister Matt Canavan spoke of a chia seed factory and weir in his local area. Linda Reynolds used her speech to argue the case for amending Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act even though Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the government has no plans to make any changes to the Act.
Senator Fifield said: "Labor talk out of both sides of their mouth when it comes to the Parliament.
"This isn't smart or clever. It's not holding the government to account."
The filibustering was followed by rancorous afternoon in the Senate, where Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson accused Attorney-General George Brandis of being "full of sh-t".
Labor Senate Leader Penny Wong said the lack of bills to debate showed the government lacked an agenda.
Labor blamed the government for the absence of legislation, saying the relevant bills were not due for debate until two hours after the Senate began.
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