Ready for battle, but let's hope for a civil war in federal parliament Christopher Pyne lets rip in Question Time during the previous parliament. ARMY, navy and air force personnel were marching in front of Parliament House yesterday morning in a display of military drill that greatly impressed the tourists. They were members of the Federation Guard, rehearsing for the ceremony that will open the 44th Australian Parliament on Tuesday. All the dignity that should be associated with Parliamentary proceedings will be on display as Governor-General Quentin Bryce inspects the guard and addresses members of both Houses. The important question is whether that dignity continues as the new Parliament, with a big Coalition majority, gets into its stride. Behaviour in the 43rd Parliament - the "hung" Parliament - greatly undermined respect for the institution and increased the disdain with which Australians regard their MPs. As I write in Remarkable Times, my new book on the past three years in federal politics: "I recall an MP complaining that he felt dirty just sitting in the Chamber." With Tony Abbott's Opposition knowing an election could be just a heart attack away, there was a permanent campaign outside parliament and a no-holds-barred cage fight inside. The strategy was to create an impression of disorder and instability that would damage the Labor government. The tone of Parliamentary discussion became toxic. After one particularly unpleasant Question Time at the end of 2012, Speaker Anna Burke, addressing government and Opposition MPs, said despairingly: "It is absolutely disgraceful that you treat your parliament with such contempt." Now that he is PM, Abbott says he wants to set an example that will improve the tone in the parliament.He could have done that as Opposition leader, but it did not suit his political purposes then. But Abbott knows that, if parliament is a shambles that disgusts voters, it matters little who is responsible. The incumbent Government gets the blame. The formidable Bronwyn Bishop, as Speaker, will play a key role in trying to restore dignity to the Parliament. She will have no illusions about the political importance of the task. "Bronny will be firm with both sides," a colleague said yesterday. She knows all the tricks. That is certainly true. The Speaker-designate was expert in Opposition at raising points of order to discombobulate ministers and disrupt proceedings. The extent to which she practices what she used to preach will be fascinating. Bishop once reminded Burke, for example, that "you have sufficient authority to deal with irrelevancies and tedious and repetitious answers." Ministers who offended, she said, should be ordered to sit down. The new Speaker will have extra authority because she is Abbott's "Captain's pick." He once described himself as the political love child of Bishop and former PM John Howard. When that was mentioned in the chamber in June, Bronny (as she is universally known) interjected: "I promise you it was an immaculate conception." Education minister Christopher Pyne, who is also Leader of the House, gave an assurance in a speech well before the election that a Coalition Government would restore faith in the parliament. One of his ideas to improve the mood in Question Time is to get rid of old-style Dorothy Dixers - questions that invite Ministers to expound on their own brilliance and detail the hopelessness of the Opposition. In an email to Coalition MPs a few days ago, he said that "we will try to ensure all questions have a genuine constituency element to them." In other words, questions from Coalition MPs should localise issues by referring to people, schools, organisations and companies in their electorates. He wrote: "The (Government's) Question Time committee will select the best questions submitted each day; those that fit the Government's agenda and include a constituency angle." So much for any pretence that Questions Without Notice are without notice. PYNE wants a formula that will improve decorum by lowering the Parliamentary temperature. It is similar to Abbott's attempt to reduce the impact of the frenetic 24/7 news cycle on politics. The Government has overdone the communications shutdown. Some key figures in the Coalition know it and are trying to get the message through to Abbott's office. A government can't withdraw from battle without giving an advantage to its opponents. When issues are running, ministers need to deal with them. And a prime minister has a duty to carry on a conversation with the electorate. It is how democratic politics works. A positive aspect of the resumption of parliament is that it will make it far harder for ministers to hide and for Abbott to ration his appearances. Laurie Oakes is political editor for the Nine Network