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

If you were here for more than five minutes, you might know that I am speaking to the suspension of standing orders. I am actually speaking to the motion, which is about the procedures of this House. The motion is not about the substance of the motion that the member for Kennedy is seeking to move; the motion is about the suspension of standing orders. I read in today's paper that we were going to have a bill considered in this House at 10 am this morning. Perhaps the Leader of the Opposition came into the chamber at 10 am, but if he did he would have been the only one who was here. He shows no attention to the detail. That is the problem of those opposite: no attention to detail. All they want to do is come before this parliament and complain, say what they oppose but not say what they are for, like the walking vuvuzelas that they are. Once again we see their opportunism on show for all to see. They have had a different position on live cattle exports every single day throughout the past two weeks. With regard to the issue of plebiscites, I just wonder how a plebiscite would go before the Australian public of all those who support exporting live cattle to Indonesia. I just wonder how that would go, if we are going to go down that sort of road.

Of course, those opposite have never got over their loss in August last year. What we are seeing played out before the Australian public is the longest dummy spit in the history of Australian politics. The fact of the matter is they want to disrupt the parliament at each and every opportunity. It does not matter whether it is Greens motions about asylum seekers or motions from the member for Kennedy or anything else; their one priority is disruption. Do you know who said, 'Disrupting the House is not a sign of a disciplined opposition; disrupting the House is a sign of a desperate opposition'? It was the Leader of the Opposition on 21 June 2006.

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