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Before taking their places in the house next month, Australia's 35 newly elected MPs have returned to "school" in Canberra to familiarise themselves with how Parliament House operates.
The Guardian reported that the incoming members of the House of Representatives are undergoing an induction that includes briefings from the clerks, whips, past MPs, the departing speaker, and government agencies, including the federal police and Asio, during a two-day session of what is known as "parliament school."
Alicia Payne of the Labor Party and James Stevens of the Liberal Party both spoke with the newly elected to offer advise and perspective on transitioning to political life.
Outgoing speaker, Andrew Wallace, who addressed the MPs on Tuesday morning, said he wanted to instil in the new arrivals the “significance of what it is to be an MP and the privilege of working in the chamber”.
“A lot of them have come in with preconceived ideas about how bad this place is when it is the bastion of democracy in Australia,” he said.
“I stressed the importance of making friends across the aisle because you are never going to be in government your entire political life and in order for you to be able to do your job you need to be able to call upon those opposite for the good of your own constituents.