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

Apart from the fact that he came down and got a tick off and the Leader of the Opposition went over to the box and approved that email going out bagging the member for Wentworth—it was untrue, of course—it had nothing to do with him. The reason we should not support this suspension is that we as a parliament should not provide a cover for the opposition's incompetence and its failure to stand for absolutely anything. Day after day the opposition come in here and try to move a suspension so that it does not actually have to debate the substance before this parliament—so that it does not have to debate the legislation, so that it does not have to try to hold the government to account. We know today that this Leader of the Opposition is the only Liberal leader still alive who does not support a price on carbon. Everyone else is out there—the member for Wentworth, the former member for Bradfield, the former PM Malcolm Fraser and the former opposition leader John Hewson. John Howard supported a price on carbon. He went to an election supporting a price on carbon. Every one of them supports a price on carbon except for our friend here the Leader of the Opposition.

Today in question time I thought, 'I want more questions from those opposite. That is why we should not have a suspension. There is some remote chance that the member for Wentworth might ask one. If not, there is some remote chance that the Leader of the National Party might ask me a question.' He has not since some time early in the last term of parliament—it has been years. If question time were not adjourned each day there might be some chance.

Earlier today we did have a question from the member for Bradfield. The member for Bradfield, whose electorate had the honour of having the Prime Minister there today talking with constituents about the need to take action on climate change, said that he wants an election on carbon tax. He is having a vote on his website, and the result is that 56.6 per cent say that yes, they do support the government introducing a carbon tax. I say to the member for Bradfield that it is no wonder the Prime Minister got such a good reception.

I said last week that the opposition leader had done for political discourse what the vuvuzela did for World Cup soccer. The first time you hear him, it is a bit interesting—it is loud and you cannot ignore it. To give him credit, you cannot ignore it, but over a period of time when you hear it day after day and match after match you realise that there is only one noise, and that noise is no: no, no, no, no, no. That is the only noise the Leader of the Opposition can make. After a while you find what the Australian public finds, which is that it is just annoying. They expect better. They expect some substance from the Leader of the Opposition, not this relentless negativity, which is all we get day after day.

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