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

Mr Speaker, those opposite want to suspend standing orders so they can have more yelling, more rhetoric—but not debate of issues of substance. They oppose absolutely everything, which is why they engage in this behaviour. Because of their $70 billion black hole, they will not even repeal the means test. They say we should suspend standing orders to debate these issues but they will not even regard the issue as significant enough to commit to repeal the changes that are in the legislation. They cannot, because if they did that the $70 billion black hole would just get bigger and bigger and bigger. That is why they are reduced to this negativity. That is why the opposition leader defined himself, when he became opposition leader, as follows:

The job of the opposition is to be an alternative, not an echo; to provide a choice, not a copy.

I thought to myself that that was a bit familiar. I know I have likened the Leader of the Opposition to Barry Goldwater, and Barry Goldwater said this when he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination:

I will offer a choice, not an echo.

That was on 3 January 1964. The Leader of the Opposition has modelled himself on Barry Goldwater, which is why 'In your guts, you know he's nuts' is so appropriate for this Leader of the Opposition.

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