If you walked down a south side Canberra road during the lead-up to the last federal election, as this spectator did, you may have noticed something odd.

Canberra’s inner south suburbs – usually hotly contested during both the federal and ACT elections where they are awash with corflutes bearing the visages of candidates – had no Labor corflutes. Nary a one. Instead, we were invited to vote for a former Wallaby, Zimbabwe-born David Pocock, running as an Independent.

Many Canberrans, especially those more accustomed to spending other people’s money rather than their own (if not rabid Labor voters), voted for Pocock. They did so after taking a look at their ever-mounting rates, power bills, and the seemingly insane Green-hatched plan to construct another track line along Commonwealth Bridge across the lake. These construction costs are threatening to eat Canberra, or at least, its ratepayers.

Even voters inclined to vote left-ish in the past had a ‘yeah-nah’ moment and voted for a rugby star, even if he was a political unknown and even if Pocock and his wife had eschewed parenthood on grounds that bringing children into the world further increased population numbers.

It was generally understood by voters (and more importantly, assumed by the government), that Pocock would fall into Labor’s camp and submissively vote with whatever Labor wanted.

But recently Pocock sported a surprise. Pocock – star openside flanker whose position allowed movement in any direction – shocked both Labor and media by firmly sticking to his position on the government’s IR Bill push. Apparently more time and change is needed.

‘I see it as my job, and one I take very seriously, to make sure we get the legislation right … this, coupled with the confusion and complexity associated with the legislation, says to me that we need more time. That’s why I suggested splitting the Bill.’

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke, interviewed on ABC RN shortly after, couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice, especially as it slid into despair.

Ordinary Australians may not understand, or have time to understand, the convolutions of an industrial relations Bill which, in effect, is the government giving a free pass to the unions. However, they understand that, right now, that we can’t afford to have things hurried through because the fine print wasn’t scrutinised thoroughly.

David Pocock isn’t alone in the conviction that less haste and more light on this matter needs to be taken; Independent Member for Curtin, Kate Chaney, interviewed on ABC Insiders on Sunday, holds the same opinion on the IR Bill. More time and more changes needed

We’re going to have to watch particularly closely what, and where, the government plans to spend money…

A Great Plan for African nations to make up for our supposed lack of climate sensitivity – hang on, has anyone asked how much China is going to contribute to this?

A proposed COP Climate Change conference planned for a couple of years away? Wait – aren’t we still paying for our massive Covid expenses?

Parliament has only a few more Sittings Days before everything winds down and 2022 – the year we want to forget – becomes 2023. Our ballooning national debt isn’t going away soon, so let’s thank the Independents for their courage. 

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