Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition referred to their 12 long years of government as ‘the golden years’! You would think that Monty Python’s team had been hired as the speechwriters opposite. They just do not get it. Maybe they think that it was their turn to sit on the other side of the benches. No. Not only was the government that they were a part of rejected by the Australian people on 24 November, but the former Prime Minister, the member for Bennelong, was rejected so harshly he lost his own seat in the parliament, only the second time since Federation that has happened.

Yet those opposite would have us believe that everything was totally on track during what they call ‘the golden years’ of the Howard government. We are pretty pleased that they are coming back to remind the Australian people how out of touch they are at this evening’s gala dinner at Parliament House with the former member for Bennelong as the special guest. They will all be genuflecting to the Howard legacy on the way through, tugging their forelocks—as they tend to do.

Then there is the former Treasurer, one-half of the team who, during the election campaign, sat there on the lounge for Today Tonight and spoke about what good mates they were. We know that the former Treasurer was never invited to dinner at the Lodge, he was never invited to dinner at Kirribilli and he is not invited tonight. As much as they go on about their legacy, the member for Higgins is not welcome at this evening’s function. He sat there for 12 years and whinged about taking the top job and why the Prime Minister should just give it to him on a platter, but he never had the courage to put his hand up to contest the top job. The member for Higgins makes the Tin Man look like William Wallace. He never had the courage to contest, never had the courage to put himself forward, and now he is sitting back having not asked a question or given a speech, the ultimate indulgence on the Australian public—

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