Calls from the opposition to reschedule question time around the Melbourne Cup have been slammed, with experts imploring politicians to focus on their jobs instead of freebies and networking.

Next month, question time (a scheduled time during which parliamentary members ask the government to explain its actions and decisions) is set to to be held from 2–3pm on November 5.

The Melbourne Cup will be run on the same day at 3pm.

In order for MPs to watch or attend the horse racing event, the opposition is reportedly pushing for question time to be held at 10am.

Liberal MP Dan Tehan described the schedule conflict as “un-Australian”.

“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,” he said.

Although the Melbourne Cup is nicknamed the ‘the race that stops the nation’, Victoria is the only state that recognises the day of the event as a public holiday.

Bill Browne, director of the Democracy & Accountability Program at the Australia Institute, told TND as parliament has a lot of business to get through in a limited amount of sitting days per year, changes to scheduling must have a “very good” reason.

“Australians tune in to question time to see the government of the day explain itself in the face of questions from its own backbench, from the opposition and from cross benches, and that’s an important aspect of the transparency that we expect from government,” he said.

“I think most Australians would agree that parliament sitting is more important than giving politicians a chance to tune in live to the Melbourne Cup.”

Shadow Cyber Security Minister James Paterson defended the calls to accomodate Melbourne Cup viewing by pointing out to Sky News Australia that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had rescheduled question time “for his convenience” this week.

Question time was held at 10am instead of 2pm on Wednesday in order for Albanese to attend the ASEAN Summit in Laos, but Paterson said Albanese took the time to speak to the media and hang around his office before boarding a plane.

Australian National University and Griffith University Emeritus Professor in political science John Wanna said Albanese’s meeting with heads of state overseas did not set a precedent for the “absolutely ridiculous” notion of changing the question time schedule to suit the Melbourne Cup.

“They are paid to be politicians. They’re paid to govern,” he said.

With the parliamentary calendar set up months in advance, Wanna said the recent request from the opposition was “bogus”.

It is not uncommon for politicians to score freebies, ranging food and alcohol, to Taylor Swift concert tickets and sporting events such as the Melbourne Cup.

Wanna said there are some events where this practice makes sense, such as major international sporting competitions where Australia is the favourite to win.

But in most cases, it is not necessary for politicians to attend certain events – and with salaries ranging from $233,643 for backbench MPs to $607,471 for the prime minister, politicians can easily afford to pay for tickets.

“I think they just like glad-handing at the Melbourne Cup, meeting all the important people who go down there, [like] Gina Rinehart,” Wanna said.

“A lot of politicians aren’t representative of us; they think they’re a cut above us … there’s a certain elitism coming in to politics.”