Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

It is no wonder that the member for North Sydney is scurrying out of the House after the nonsense he has just forced us to endure. I have to admit that I am somewhat amazed by the topic of today's MPI. Members in this place, particularly on our side, are used to nonsensical, patently false statements from those opposite. We are used to debating with those who have long ago lost touch with reality—or probably never had much contact with reality in the first place—but most of the time there are a couple of members on the other side of this House who have the good sense not to call a debate on an issue when their claims are as ridiculous and as ill-formed as those that we have just heard from the member for North Sydney.

Last night the Leader of the Opposition, a man who has made it to the top of the Liberal Party, primarily as a result of his capacity to bend the truth, had a meltdown on national TV. He had a meltdown when he was unable to explain his patently false and increasingly desperate position. I would recommend that every member of this House and indeed every Australian have a look at that interview Leigh Sales conducted with the Leader of the Opposition on ABC TV last night, because it shows something of the character of the Leader of the Opposition. It shows, in fact, why he is not prepared to regularly give long-form interviews—he has given only a couple in the last couple of months: one to Barry Cassidy on Insiders, which was a disaster, and the one last night—rather than doing his 10-second doorstop and scurrying away so he does not have to submit to questions. Last night he was so delighted at the bad news of the shelving of the Olympic Dam expansion. You could also see the delight of members opposite from South Australia, who stood behind the Leader of the Opposition during his press conference yesterday, that there was bad news for South Australia. Those members opposite should be ashamed of themselves.

See this speech in context