AS far as own goals go, the Coalition kicked a beauty this week.
Staring at their own abyss of a lengthy stretch of Opposition after more than a decade in power, they've become increasingly irritated with the white noise that drowns them out every Question Time.
Despite a 24-hour news cycle and new technologies, many Aussies still get their daily federal political fix from a couple of grabs on the nightly television news while they're busy feeding the children. When Parliament is in session, those sound bites usually come from the pantomime that is Question Time.
But the Opposition is having trouble getting its voice heard.
It can't seem to conquer the white noise that emanates from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. California may have Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Terminator turned "Governator", but Labor has a bureaucrat turned politician, the "Dullinator".
The Liberals have turned to Tweeting – Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey muses on Twitter about Question Time – and Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has begun using video-sharing website YouTube to get his message out. After Question Time, Turnbull posts a one-minute video with his post-match analysis.
Mostly the Opposition is just frustrated.
And there's nothing like knocking your head against a well-disciplined brick wall for up to two hours a day to put some fire in the belly.
Senior Opposition frontbencher and former pugilist Tony Abbott has his gloves back on. He was ejected from the House of Representatives for 24 hours on Monday afternoon. A day later, Speaker Harry Jenkins cottoned on to the fact that Abbott has launched himself on a crusade to clean-up Question Time.
Abbott and company are loudly arguing that Rudd and his Labor team are abusing the daily parliamentary ritual, accusing them of treating it with contempt. At issue are the Prime Minister's long-winded answers. The Opposition says they're non-answers and more like something found in a university lecture hall.
Leader of Opposition business in the House Christopher Pyne used the words "mass distraction" the other day. It's true, and the Coalition has finally stumbled across the "Dullinator's" not-so-secret plan to bore the Opposition into submission.
As a soccer team, the Opposition would be at the bottom of the ladder.
They are quite right in pointing out that the playing field is not level – the Government controls the numbers in the House and therefore the rules of Question Time – but the Coalition can't seem to keep their eyes on the shifting goalposts.
They're also at the disadvantage of having more than a few rogue players on their team, such as veteran Liberal Wilson Tuckey.
The PM and Labor ministers might fudge their answers, say what they like, and use Question Time to ridicule the Opposition but surely the Coalition has to come on to the ground with a better strategy, some team discipline and stick to questions that cut through.
They were making up the yards with their assault on the administrative bungles dogging the Government's $16 billion schools building package, only to be felled by a counter-attack on WorkChoices. Own goal.
When Labor was attempting to paint them as out-of-touch on working women their highest profile female, Liberal deputy leader Julie Bishop, hit back by quoting Paul Keating from almost four decades ago. Another own goal.
There are still too many Opposition members sitting on the sidelines getting stuck into the oranges instead of doing the heavy lifting.
If they indeed want the public to get the message that Labor is being arrogant and Question Time has become a farce, surely they've got to stop taking the bait and adding to the unruly spectacle.
Stefanie Balogh is The Courier-Mail's national political correspondent.
