“You can’t have a sitting week without a censure motion,” Labor and Greens MLAs rolled their eyes post Question Time.

And you certainly can’t in the last sitting week for 2010 with the Liberal Party attack dogs sinking their teeth into Attorney General Simon Corbell over $39, 000 worth of bunk beds being retrofitted to the supposedly-at-capacity Alexander Machonochie Centre – AKA the ACT’s “human rights compliant” prison.

In #ACTQT today disability access on ACTION buses, youth services programs, the loads of asbestos found in the planned Molonglo Valley water feature and the thriving Territory economy rated a mention, but none were more interesting than the wild cards the Opposition threw on the table over our city’s cells.

Liberal MLA Alistair Coe asked Minister for Children and Young People Joy Burch if she had told those present at a Bimberi Youth Detention Centre meeting she was only in attendance to “cover her backside”.

Burch didn’t deny it, she just said it was a confidential conversation.

“I for one will not breach confidential conversations,” Burch said.

“Did you at any point cover your ears and sing ‘la, la, la’?” Coe asked.

“No!” Burch replied and while she spluttered Coe demanded to know if she’d called the detainees “naughty little buggers”.

Burch lapsed into a response about the review of Bimberi’s services and we never did find out if it was true, but I’d really like to know if you want to ask again, Alistair.

Then confusion over the actual capacity of the AMC rudely deteriorated into conflict over suspending standing orders to allow Liberal MLA Jeremy Hanson to put up a censure motion against Corbell.

How did it get to this? The Liberals say Corbell has given different answers over the last three years on how many prisoners the AMC can actually hold.

Corbell says it depends on who the prisoners are, with break downs in gender, remand and holding.

The Liberals asked the same kinds of questions over and over about the actual capacity number and although Labor Whip John Hargreaves pushed Corbell for the exact break down of the prison, he couldn’t supply numbers on the spot.

Eventually Corbell lost it.

“I would have thought it was bleedingly obvious to everyone, except Mr Hanson,” the Attorney General said.

“It’s almost as if you need a hammer to hammer it through your thick skull. There are 300 beds. Capacity depends on the mix of prisoners. At no time have we had issues accommodating prisoners.”

But clearly the Government suspects it might soon have problems with accomodation, otherwise it wouldn’t be retro-fitting 20 bunk beds, right?

On the back of Liberal MLA Steve Doszpot’s question on the cost of the bunk beds and truth of their installation, Jeremy Hanson sought leave to move his motion and pandemonium broke out.

The Greens outright said they would not support the motion, before the question of suspending standing orders was settled.

“I find this whole thing ridiculous,” Greens MLA Amanda Bresnan said.

“This is the flimsiest basis for a motion I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s noted in the annual reports.”

“There is no argument here, this isn’t a story. If he [Hanson] doesn’t understand his portfolio that’s not our problem.”

Opposition Leader Zed Seselja and Hargreaves had a blue where the former ranted for a bit about the “Greens-Labor alliance”.

“The Greens and Labor Party say no, Bresnan goes in to defend the Government.”

“The facts aren’t in dispute. The prison is now full.”

Seselja said the parties were embarrassed by the “behaviour of this minister” [Corbell] who is “fudging the numbers”.

Seselja said the Greens were betraying the people of the ACT by allowing the Government to shut the debate down.

They voted against suspending standing orders and the motion was never put.

But tomorrow is private member’s day, so you never know.