Dorothy Dixers

My walk today was enlivened by a radio program about reforming Question Time in the Australian Parliament. It caught my ear because, in a former life, I used to teach public servants how to write briefings for Ministers, including briefings to be used in answering questions in Parliament.

Question Time began as a significant element in the democratic process, giving Members of Parliament, of all parties, the opportunity to question Ministers and hence to hold them accountable. Sadly it has largely degenerated into a shambolic display of theatrics, insult throwing and bullying. As one of the participants in this program said, 'Question Time now is like primary school on Friday afternoon, with red cordial'.

One of the most irritating aspects of the  current Question Time is the Dorothy Dixer. Dixers are questions Government Members ask their own Ministers. A Dixer is generally in the form “Would the Minister like to tell the House whatever s/he wants to tell them about [insert topic], provided it looks good for the Government”.

Dorothy Dix was the pen name of Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer, the original syndicated women’s advice columnist and well-known American journalist. During her career more than 2,000 people wrote to her for her advice, and about 60 million read her daily column published in newspapers and magazines across the country.

The story goes that, if her readers failed to provide sufficiently arresting questions for her agony columns, she would write her own. Hence the Dorothy Dixer.