The Prime Minister is facing calls to move Question Time on Melbourne Cup day to allow members of parliament to watch the race that stops the nation.

The frontbench of the coalition has suggested Anthony Albanese change the time of parliament on November 5 so MPs can fly to Melbourne for the race.

Liberal frontbenchers have called on the PM to cancel question time so they can fly to Melbourne for the race. (Joe Armaro/The Age)

Should Question Time be moved to allow politicians to watch the race?

“It is the race that stops the nation, and the fact that it will stop the nation everywhere, apart from the 151 elected representatives of the nation, is beyond a joke,” Tehan said today.

Question Time on Melbourne Cup day commences at 2pm in Canberra and usually runs for over an hour.

The horse race famously kicks off at 3pm.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a press conference at Parliament House
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese moved question time yesterday so he could fly to Laos. (Alex Ellinghausen)

Labor MP and assistant minister to the PM Patrick Gorman lashed the coalition’s plea for Melbourne Cup to take precedent over Question Time.

“That’s ridiculous. The people of Australia didn’t elect us to go down and sip champagne in some fancy marquee in Melbourne. They elected us to do our job in Canberra,” he said during a doorstop interview today.

“If Mr. Dutton and his frontbenchers think that we should change the dates of Parliament so they can go to the Melbourne Cup, well, they should come into Parliament today and move that motion.”

Federal Member for Perth and Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Patrick Gorman on St George's Terrace.
MP Patrick Gorman said he ‘dares’ the coalition to bring the motion to parliament. (Holly Thompson)

Gorman said he “dares” the Liberal frontbenchers to take this issue to parliament today.

He warned the Australian people won’t have the bandwidth to care about politicians’ right to watch the Melbourne Cup in person.

“If they really think the Australian people would have any patience at all for the idea that you would change the dates of parliament just so a bunch of senior politicians in the Liberal Party and the National Party can go down and put the fascinator on and polish up their shoes in a fancy suit,” he added.

“They’ve got something else coming.”

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