Emu crisis? More Like E-mail Crisis

The Historic Parliament of Australia (HPoA) managed to repeat yesterday’s diplomatic disaster — and then somehow made it worse.

Let’s rewind.

Yesterday, the committee intended to issue a critical proclamation to address the ongoing emu crisis — a message that was supposed to be sent internally within the committee. Instead, the document was blasted across the entire nation, reaching every government member and portfolio holder across Australia. The result? Mass confusion, unnecessary panic, and a national spotlight on a crisis the committee hadn’t even figured out how to handle yet.

You’d think such a fiasco would prompt more caution going forward.

But today, the same committee did it again — this time dispatching the updated proclamation under the wrong ministry altogether. The proclamation, which involved tactical and military planning to address the emu infestation, was inexplicably sent as if it were from the Ministry of Finance. That’s right — a military strategy disguised as an economic memo. If the emus could read, they'd be laughing.

This second blunder not only confused external recipients (again), but it also undermined the very authority the committee needed to rally behind their defense plan. Delegates inside the room were visibly frustrated, questioning how the same critical error could happen twice — especially in a setting meant to represent Australia's leadership.

And as if the communication chaos wasn’t enough, structural issues plagued the session too. Just minutes after the first unmoderated caucus ended, a second one was called immediately — with barely any time to organize thoughts or review what had just been discussed. The outcome was predictable: more open discussion, fewer clear ideas, and absolutely no action.

Ideas looped in endless repetition. Delegates contradicted one another, circled back to topics already debated, and generally failed to steer the committee toward any real consensus. If there was a goal in sight, it was getting blurrier by the minute.

Jusdrin K. Andieman

CNN