AM - ABC RADIO - 23 October 2009

TONY EASTLEY: Does the Federal Parliament sit for long enough, and would more sittings mean more gets done? Senator Steve Fielding from Family First certainly thinks so.

Chief Political correspondent, Lyndal Curtis, reports that Senator Fielding's thoughts came as politicians' working hours became a recurring theme for discussion in the capital. Her report begins with Senator Fielding.

STEVE FIELDING: We're getting paid more and more, but we're sitting less and less.

LYNDAL CURTIS: The calendar of Parliamentary sittings for next year was released yesterday - 66 days for the House of Representatives, 50 for the Senate, down from around 80 sitting days for the house 12 years ago, but consistent with the pattern of the last few years.

Senator Fielding wants to see Parliament sit more.

STEVE FIELDING: In the Senate where the numbers are a lot tighter there is decent debate and that's where the real scrutiny comes. Cutting back the hours or the number of sitting days just makes a mockery of that house of review.

LYNDAL CURTIS: A senior Government source says the Government has to put sittings around overseas meetings like APEC and the G20, events like the Commonwealth Games and the school holidays.

And they argue extra sittings wouldn't make the Parliament more efficient, just give more time for irrelevant debates. One politician who has been busy this week is Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan - he moved from senate committee to senate committee asking questions.

BILL HEFFERNAN: Now I'm sorry, we got to get the context...

MALE: We don't need...

BILL HEFFERNAN: You're not interested in the context, you know nothing about the bush.

MALE: If you haven't got a question, we'll give it to someone else, ask a question, shut up.

LYNDAL CURTIS: Less heated but more curious were questions asked by Liberal Senators Russell Trood and Alan Ferguson about their old colleague - former national party leader and deputy prime Minister Tim Fischer and his appointment as Australia's first Ambassador to the Holy See.

They spent nearly half an hour questioning his role and how he spends his time.

ALAN FERGUSON: I just find it hard to believe that in a representative area you could walk around in a good morning, that Mr Fischer can find enough work to do.

RUSSELL TROOD: Perhaps I can ask Mr Moore what Mr Fischer has been doing apart from visiting Tripoli?

ALAN FERGUSON: It wouldn't have been because Mr Fischer has more spare time on his hands than most of the other ambassadors would it? And all I can say is how on earth did we manage for the past 30 years without a permanent representative in the Vatican?

LYNDAL CURTIS: Mr Fischer was defended by the officials as a very active representative. But it's an exchange that might interest former Liberal leader Brendan Nelson, who's about to head to Europe as Australia's ambassador to the European Union.

Accepting Government work can make you just more fodder for your old friends in the Senate committees.

TONY EASTLEY: Lyndal Curtis reporting from our capital.