Australian politicians have shown a marked improvement in their parliamentary conduct during 2025, with a dramatic decline in the number of MPs ordered to leave the House of Representatives.
According to an analysis by The Canberra Times, Members of Parliament were ejected on just 38 occasions in 2025, a significant decrease from the 110 suspensions recorded in 2024.
The Worst Offenders of 2025
Queensland Liberal-National MP Cameron Caldwell earned the dubious honour of being the most-often suspended politician this year, having been ordered to leave question time on four separate occasions.
While Caldwell was the worst-behaved MP of 2025, his record pales in comparison to former Liberal MP Michael Sukkar, who was ejected an astonishing 16 times in 2024 to claim that year's title.
In response to his suspension record, Mr Caldwell defended his approach, stating that Australians deserve a strong opposition to hold the government accountable. "I will never shy away from standing up for my community," he said. "They expect me to be a strong voice, and that's why I will continue to hold the government to account in Parliament."
Reasons for Ejection and Repeat Offenders
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick, holds the authority to remove MPs from the chamber for one hour under standing order 94a.
The most common reasons for ejection included:
- Interjecting during proceedings
- Disorderly behaviour
- Raising frivolous points of order
- Continuing to interject after receiving a warning
Opposition MPs Andrew Wallace, Dan Tehan, Kevin Hogan and Ted O'Brien were among the most suspended politicians this year, each ordered to leave the chamber on three occasions.
Fellow opposition members Ben Small, Pat Conaghan and Rick Wilson were each ejected twice during the year. A further 16 MPs, including six from the government, were removed once from the House of Representatives in 2025.
A Positive Trend in Parliamentary Conduct
While it's still early in the 48th Parliament, and considering the shorter sitting calendar typical of an election year, question time behaviour appears to be trending in the right direction.
The data reveals there were 3.5 suspensions per sitting week in 2025, compared with 6.5 per week in 2024.
Speaker Milton Dick acknowledged the positive shift in behaviour. "We're off to a good start, but can always be better," he commented. "We can always look to improve standards and behaviour, which is my top priority as the Speaker because at the end of the day, the guiding principle that I look for is respect and kindness."
Mr Dick suggested that a more diverse Parliament, both in terms of gender and cultural background, has contributed to improved behaviour in the chamber in recent years.
A Rowdy Finish to the Parliamentary Year
Despite the overall improvement, the parliamentary year concluded with considerable energy and liveliness in the chamber during late November.
MPs descended into chaos on the second-last sitting day when the chamber lights unexpectedly went out temporarily. Opposition members quickly turned on their phone torch lights, chanting and waving them in front of a bemused Labor frontbench.
In a week that heavily focussed on energy policy, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley seized the moment by holding up the Coalition's new energy policy document during the illumination failure.
Speaker Dick noted that he always expects debate to intensify as the summer break approaches. "Since 1901, every last sitting week of a year, let's just say, gets more robust," he observed.
While the Speaker admitted he tends to be more lenient during those final weeks, he issued a clear warning for the year ahead: "From 2026, when we return, it'll be business as usual and I'll expect the strict and same conditions that I do right throughout the year."
