The rogue Senator – whose chief of staff was from the party last week - was as Deputy Senate leader and suspended from party meetings, a move announced by party leader Palmer on Twitter.
The pair have been going all week, creating a back and forth that reads like a schoolyard faceoff of liar, bully, berserk.
Both refuse to force Lambie’s official split from the party, though the Senator has removed all reference to Palmer United from her website.
The faceoff had bigger results than just an entertaining Hansard – the split vote allowed the Opposition to gather enough crossbench support to block the government’s controversial .
And it looks like things could only get worse for the Palmer and the government, with Pauline Hanson yet again throwing her nationalistic hat into the political ring.
The former One Nation leader came out on Wednesday, saying she would to bring about the changes that Palmer has failed to deliver.
Though she hasn’t dismissed all of the eccentric Queenslander’s ideas – she’s renamed her party Pauline Hanson's One Nation, though denies it has anything to do with ego.
Forget protesting the government, it’s petitioning too
Speaking of egos, the Communications Minister’s must have taken a battering this week after announcing more than $300 million in .
Usually the darling of the public broadcasters, Malcolm Turnbull came under fire during his appearance on ABC’s Q&A program on Monday, where he defended the cuts and the PM during the “Tony Abbott hate-fest”.
His federal colleague Christopher Pyne also made jaws drop on Wednesday when he took to the web to to keep its operations open in Adelaide.
Pyne – who spent most of the week sitting within metres of the minister responsible for the cuts – was roundly ridiculed for his efforts and while he garnered , not all of them were supportive.
Both broadcaster head honchoes are yet to formally address staffers, but Ray Hadley seems to have found some extra funds for both.
The shock-jock published some inflated budget figures – only a few billions dollars off mark - in the Daily Telegraph on Friday.
Not so sweet treat from the Immigration Minister
From cutting corners to cutting access, the Immigration Minister effectively shut to asylum seekers trying to come from Indonesia this week.
Scott “Sour” Morrison said refugees registered with the United Nations in Indonesia wouldn’t be allowed in, describing the move as “”.
It certainly didn’t seem that sweet to Jakarta, whose Foreign Minister said all countries needed to “”.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also weighed in on the decision following a UN meeting in New York on Friday, saying asylum seekers had been “jurisdiction shopping” until now.
The announcement coincided with more bad news on the asylum seeker front, with resettled refugees on Nauru reportedly receiving accusing the newcomers of stealing local jobs and women.
Misogynistic undertones aside, the letters threatening “bad things” to those who stayed were dismissed by the Government of Nauru, citing a “campaign of misinformation”.
Delivering a ‘diplomatic shirtfront’
It was apparently misinformation that Bishop was trying to correct when she “briefed” Barack Obama on the Great Barrier Reef.
Labelled a “diplomatic shirtfront” by one imaginative journalist, the briefing follows a rallying speech by the US President last week, where he urged action to protect the threatened “”.
And Bishop wasn’t the only put out by Obama’s speech – Liberal Senator Ian Macdonald also took offence, labelling the President a “”.
But such cutting insults didn’t scare off other world leaders.
German Chancellor took up the charge during an address in Sydney, telling the audience – including former prime ministers Paul Keating and John Howard – that all countries had to commit to real action.
China or Tasmania? Who knows.
Relations were far friendlier with China and India this week, with leaders from both countries addressing parliament.
Chinese president Xi Jinping was ushered into Canberra past , who received far less attention than confusing his guest’s country with Tasmania.
Xi and Abbott signed a for a free-trade deal on Monday, one day before the Prime Minister announced his intention for a similar agreement with India.
And while did warm up the chamber with some chat about cricket, it soon turned awkward when he spoke on the need for clean energy and the now-famous “shirtfront” pledge.
“I'm the third head of government you are listening to this week,” Mr Modi said.
“Maybe this is Abbott's way of shirtfronting you.”
The final bite
He may have left politics more than two decades ago, but Bob Hawke has still got it.
The former prime minister and for the second instalment on Australian Story this week, drawing almost 1 million viewers.
Sadly, Hawke was pipped at the post by a few thousand viewers who decided to tune into a repeat of a US sitcom.
And in what would have also seemed like a blast from the past for the Coalition, Labor surged .
Support for federal Labor has jumped to a nine-month high, while as opposition leader Bill Shorten slipped ahead as preferred prime minister.
The poll also showed the popularity of “other” parties – such as the Palmer United Party – increase slightly.
I suppose everyone loves a good schoolyard scrap.
