Jim Turnour shocked Leichhardt with a landslide victory into Parliament House. Damon Guppy can barely catch up with the force that is now Jim in the thrust and parry of daily political life

It’s a chilly, damp evening in Canberra and Jim Turnour's audience is on the verge of dozing off.

"It’s time for bed, little mouse, little mouse," the Member for Leichhardt chants from his office at Parliament House. "Darkness is falling all over the house."

It’s an ironic line, given a week later a power failure plunged the House of Representatives into darkness while Jim is speaking about drought relief for farmers.

But on this night, amid a frantic schedule, he has managed to squeeze in some quality time with 10-month-old daughter Zoe, albeit with a nursery rhyme and a lullaby over the phone.

"That’s how I send her to sleep when I can’t make it back to the hotel in time," Jim says.

Weekender visited the Labor MP in Canberra to witness Team Turnour representing the Far Northern electorate of Leichhardt.

His diary is clogged but if the presence of a Cairns reporter is a bother, he doesn’t let it show.

On arrival, he is meeting with three staunch ALP supporters in his office before dashing to the launch of Kidney Health Week, where he poses for photographs with health minister Nicola Roxon, Cairns-based Senator Jan McLucas and the campaign’s mascot, Billy Kidney.

Next is a lunch in honour of India’s civil aviation minister.

But for Jim, the hour-long event is cut to 15 minutes when the ringing of bells signal a meeting has been called and he and fellow MPs bolt for the House of Representatives chamber.

Twenty minutes later, Jim is striding to a caucus meeting about social policy.

When he returns, Zoe and wife Tiffany are waiting in his office.

So tight is his schedule, a half-hour period has been allotted for family time.

"This is what it’s like when Parliament is sitting," Jim says, clearly running on adrenaline as he cradles Zoe.

"It’s non-stop down here, mate."

It’s been more than six months since Jim won the seat of Leichhardt in his second attempt.

Back then, some wondered whether the former agricultural consultant was too much of a gentleman to survive in Canberra.

But Jim seems confident as he marches through the corridors of Parliament House, where he’s surrounded by many of his newly elected Labor mates who belong to what has been dubbed "The Class of 2007".

In Question Time, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is being grilled about the Government’s push to introduce FuelWatch, a program it says will benefit petrol consumers.

Back and forth the ALP and the Coalition bicker over the petrol price scheme and from the backbench Jim watches what resembles a playground inhabited by rival gangs armed with reports and insults.

When it’s his turn to ask a question of indigenous affairs minister Jenny Macklin about the significance of National Sorry Day, he is jeered before he even speaks.

No sooner does Question Time finish and Jim is off to chair a caucus meeting of the Infrastructure, Transport, Rural and Regional Committee.

At the same time, he is scheduled to speak at a Main Committee meeting and will be paged when needed.

About 6pm, Jim gets a breather.

For the next few hours, he catches up with fellow MPs, makes calls and eats his dinner in his office suite while watching televised proceedings of business in the chamber.

"You can see who’s in the chamber from here," he says.

"When I see a minister I need to speak to I race down.

"For them it’s like, ‘Here’s bloody Turnour again!’."

At 9pm, he is in the chamber for Private Members Business.

It’s not long before he’s engaged in a slanging match with Opposition MPs, who he has infuriated after moving a motion to hail the recent Budget and making comments about John Howard "spending like a drunken sailor" during his terms in office.

"I’m like a lightning rod for the Opposition," he says when he returns to his office.

"Every time I get up they always come out to say g’day."

The day is winding down at last.

After a beer at a pub to celebrate the Member for Dawson’s birthday, he finally goes home to his family.

At 6.30am the next day, Jim is feeding Zoe her breakfast and chatting with Tiffany about their schedules.

For Tiffany, being a politician’s wife was initially daunting, particularly the prospect of taking a baby to Canberra for up to a week at a time.

But she’s settled into the idea that her husband is representing an area twice the size of Tasmania.

She is even trying to start up a playgroup for the children of politicians and parliamentary staff.

When Jim arrives at Parliament House, several reporters and camera operators rush him and grill him about FuelWatch.

He makes a few comments and breaks free, heading to a breakfast for Autism Month.

He chats with a woman who has one son with an autism spectrum disorder and another with Asperger syndrome.

"You meet some amazing people down here," Jim says.

Next stop is the Prime Minister’s office for a brief meeting with Mr Rudd.

"How’s The Cairns Post treating you?" Mr Rudd asks tongue-in-cheek as the pair sit.

Jim updates him on Leichhardt’s reaction to the Budget and highlights education spending as one of the key allocations.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard joins them and the two leaders flank Jim as they walk together to a caucus meeting.

Next on Jim’s diary are appointments with lobby groups.

The Australian Music Association is pushing for more music education in schools and the Australian General Practice Network wants to build a relationship with the new government.

Tiffany and Zoe arrive to have lunch with Jim. They are interrupted by phone calls but no one complains and Zoe is happy enough playing with her father’s shoes as he works.

When we leave Jim, he is off to Question Time and shows no sign of tiring.

The remainder of his day includes an appointment with the Indonesian Ambassador, three simultaneous caucus meetings about the new employment services system, climate change and economics.

Documentary The Apology is showing in Parliament House’s theatre and he is booked into the Peace Lutheran College Policy dinner.

There’s another late night ahead.

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