A humiliated Malcolm Turnbull has warned Coalition MPs to lift their game and show more discipline, as Labor celebrated exposing the government's shaky control of the Parliament.

The Prime Minister slapped down senior ministers Peter Dutton, Christian Porter and Michael Keenan for their "complacency" in departing Parliament early on Thursday, leaving the government without a majority in the lower house and unable to adjourn debate.

On Friday, Fairfax Media revealed Labor placed spotters at Canberra Airport and sent backbench MPs on false flag departures from their offices before capitalising on the missing MPs to highlight the flaws of the government's bare majority.

Labor seized on the opportunity, coming close to pushing through a motion calling on the government to establish a royal commission into the banking industry.Saturday, October 08, 2005

Binding the Hands of Torturers

When the Senate voted this week to bring America's chain of military prison camps under the rule of law, President Bush threatened a veto. The White House explained his objections by saying the measure would bind the government's hands. Yes, exactly. The rules would finally bind military prisons to democratic values and the standards of behavior recognized by every other civilized nation. They would bind the government to a code of conduct that will help protect those in the nation's uniform.

The measure would ban "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of prisoners held by the military - which, by the way, is already against American law and a longstanding treaty. Mr. Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales are