Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

And he is sitting on the back bench, out of his place, while he is doing it, I might add. Let me tell you what I saw one day, because, as I said, I take my duties here seriously. I very seldom ask for leave. On one occasion I had to do a representation for a minister on a Thursday evening, and to make the connection I had to go out to Canberra airport around about 4.15. I arrived there at 4.30. There were 20 members of the then opposition in the lounge. If in opposition you were so serious about this matter that you could not stay in the parliament till five o’clock on a Thursday—and you have a new member for Leichhardt who is already talking about shooting through on Friday—what confidence can we have on this side of the House that you are going to treat this matter seriously? We can have no confidence in that whatsoever. Let me be a little more cynical than that. If there is no disciplining ministers to be here, where will they be? Some earlier speakers said that they might be with their families, possibly having a round of golf, having a leisurely Friday in their electorates or VIPing here and there. A more cynical view is that they will be white-anting us in our own electorates.

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