Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

This is why we are inviting the government to join us in suspending standing orders so there can be a debate about their integrity. We are providing a format and a platform for the Prime Minister to show courage, to show personal integrity, to show Australia that she is a person with some conviction. We are inviting the Treasurer to come before the Australian people and show that he does have some semblance of courage. But that courage was not on display when the Prime Minister announced the new tax. This is a Treasurer who has overseen the introduction or increase of 13 new taxes in four years and, for the most spectacular and largest of them all, he was cowering under his desk while the Prime Minister was outside in the parliamentary courtyard explaining to the Australian people why she was breaking a solemn promise. The Treasurer can cower under his desk like a modern-day George Costanza, but I say to him you cannot come into this place and run away from a debate on your integrity. You cannot come into this place and pretend that somehow everyone else is responsible for your foibles. If you seek to occupy a high office in this land, at some point in time you have to have the courage to look the Australian people in the eye and be honest. You have to have the confidence to explain to the Australian people why you want to introduce new policy.

The fact is that today in this place the Treasurer is running away from questions about his integrity and the Prime Minister is running away from questions about her integrity. It leaves the Australian people wondering who is running the shop. You can see the dynamics on their side of the House. Last night on Q&A Bill Shorten could not mention Greg Combet’s name enough, tying the minister for climate change to the Prime Minister and wrapping them around each other. They are solely responsible for this initiative, he said. How true it is! I say to Lady Macbeth watch out for the others because they will come after you. Ultimately, what did the previous Prime Minister in—and you held the knife—

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