Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

If this government understands one thing, it is the power of symbols. In fact, it is expert at creating symbols. For 12 months now, we have heard ad nauseam about the education revolution, broadband, fresh ideas, economic conservatism, a lid on petrol and grocery prices, a federal-state compact, a lid on interest rates, more affordable housing—and the list goes on. For 12 months, it was all care and no responsibility. For 12 months, it was all symbols and no responsibility. So it is not a surprise that, early in its term of government, the Rudd government comes up with more symbols: no holidays for the Prime Minister and ministers and now a harder-working parliament—a five-day parliament—all under the guise of more accessibility, more accountability and more democracy.

Of course, the opposite is true because the Prime Minister will not be here on a Friday. There will be no ministers here on a Friday. The member for Leichhardt will not be here on a Friday. It will be a part-time parliament; it will not be a five-day parliament. It will be a part-time parliament and private members will not be able to suspend standing orders and have a substantive matter debated. The Speaker will have no capacity to protect the public from unwarranted attack. This is like all the other symbols I mentioned: when you look behind the symbols, there is nothing. This government has not done the work. This government has no detailed plans in any of these areas. The government is scrambling to find substance to put behind the symbols and, in the process, mistakes are being made. This proposal in front of us tonight is a classic case in point. It is a stunt. It is ill conceived. It is too clever by half. It is dangerous. It is arrogant. It is a return to the arrogance of the Keating years, when prime ministerial attendance at question time was optional.

The government know that this proposal is a dog. You can see it in their eyes here tonight. They have not got their hearts in it. They are defending the indefensible. In the interest of accountability, in the interest of accessibility, in the interest of democracy, I urge the government to withdraw this stunt and rethink the proposal.

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