The government began the second week of the new Parliament the same way it ended the first – amid high farce.

Little more than a week after being the first majority government in 50 years to lose a vote in the House of Representatives (it lost three) because Coalition MPs decided to go home early, it was the Senate’s turn to show the level of disorganisation within government ranks.

Soon after the Senate opened for business on Monday, the Coalition had no business to discuss.

And after another embarrassing session of Parliament ended, ABC’s Lateline revealed that Federal Cabinet had confidentially signed off on the mechanics of the same-sex marriage plebiscite, only for the details to leak almost immediately.

In the morning session of the Senate, a filibuster of Monty Python proportions ensued, leaving no one with any doubt the government was desperately trying to mark time until lunch.

With no legislation to debate, Coalition senators rose to talk for hours about their love of chocolates, love of the Australian flag, respect for roads, respect for a defeated candidate whose name they got wrong and other inane conversation.

It all led to Opposition Senate leader Penny Wong to chime in that the government had “no plans and no ideas”.

“They’ve got literally nothing to talk about,” Senator Wong said.

Meanwhile, manager of government business in the Senate Mitch Fifield put the word out that Labor was delaying passage of non-controversial bills in the House, therefore leaving the Senate with nothing to debate.

But the Senate scenes exposed further signs of chaos and weakness from the government, leaving Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appearing besieged from all sides.

Lateline’s David Lipson reported that plans to provide the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ camps in the 2017 plebiscite taxpayer funds of $7.5 million each were leaked against the Prime Minister’s express wishes.

“Cabinet ministers were trying to keep the details of this same-sex marriage plebiscite mechanics very close to their chests and were told directly by the Prime Minister that this was not to leak out, but it has done,” he said.

Earlier, in the Lower House, two private member’s bills were tabled to bring on a parliamentary vote over same-sex marriage.

Adam Bandt presented The Greens’ marriage equality bill. Photo: AAP

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten introduced Labor’s bill, followed by Greens MP Adam Bandt with a bill from the crossbenchers.

Mr Bandt hinted at wedding bells for many by Christmas if the government allowed a parliamentary debate instead of a taxpayer-funded and non-binding plebiscite.

Mr Shorten accused the Prime Minister of failing in his job by insisting on a plebiscite.

“How can we call ourselves the land of the fair go if we discriminate against our citizens on the basis of who they are and who they love?” he asked.

“How can we call ourselves leaders if instead of acting to correct this unfairness, we push the responsibility back onto the people who sent us here, with an opinion poll which will cost at least $160 million?”

Bill Shorten turned up the heat on Malcolm Turnbull. Photo: AAP

During Question Time, Mr Turnbull threw back at Mr Shorten, saying the Opposition Leader was dismissing the electorate by wanting to deny voters their say on the issue.

“He demeans the people he claims to represent,” the Prime Minister said.

“He demeans their civility. He insults them. He disrespects them.”

Mr Turnbull suggested he would be voting in the plebiscite for marriage equality and that a campaign would be publicly funded.

He promised equal funding for opposing sides of the plebiscite debate.

“My commitment is to ensure that the plebiscite is absolutely fair,” he said.

“My position has always been this, that any funding provided to the yes or no case will be scrupulously equal and fair as it always has been with respect to referendums in the past,” he told Parliament.

Mr Turnbull accused Mr Shorten of dismissing the electorate over his plebiscite stance. Photo: AAP

Funding of the plebiscite has created a chasm inside the government, with conservative MPs insisting on it.

Senior figures in the Anglican and Catholic churches claim the PM had promised them millions of dollars to campaign against equal marriage.

A highlight for the government on Monday was a blistering attack by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop over Labor’s Sam Dastyari, keeping the so-called Chinese cash for comment saga alive and embarrassing for the Opposition.

On Wednesday, Mr Turnbull celebrates his one-year anniversary in the top job.

Chris Johnson is a Walkley Award-winning journalist who has spent the past decade working in the Canberra Press Gallery, most recently as the bureau chief for Fairfax Media. He is now a Political Correspondent for The New Daily.