Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I would have to say that, in the handling of the Workplace Relations Amendment (A Stronger Safety Net) Bill 2007, now I have seen everything. This was a bill conceived out of polling. It is only in this parliament because of polling. It is a crisis about taxpayer funded polling that is no doubt keeping the minister from being in parliament today to handle this bill. How laughable: the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations not only is not here to handle his bill but was not here to vote on the divisions in relation to his bill. Since question time today, no doubt he has been spinning in crisis about his inability to rule out that taxpayer funded research has been given to Liberal Party operatives. The minister is not here competently dealing with these amendments; instead, we have—

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