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

In conclusion, can I say to the member for Sturt that was not one of his better speeches. The fact is that this sitting pattern is appropriate. Once again it has unanimous support of this House. The member for Wentworth is very excited to get the sitting pattern this early. He will remember the dark days of the Howard era—or the dark years, as they are known—when we often got the schedule in mid-December. That is when we got the schedule.

The fact is that under this parliament 436 pieces of legislation have been carried. This is a parliament that at the same time has had a record number of debates on private members' business, including votes at regular intervals. Indeed, 16 items were dealt with during the last parliament. We have also operated efficiently in most cases with the Main Committee, which we have renamed the Federation Chamber. The Federation Chamber is not sitting today, apart from some minor business, because those opposite will not put any legislation into the Federation Chamber, therefore meaning that perhaps we might have to stay back later, after five o'clock this evening.

Last night we had to negate the adjournment in order to conclude debate. Once again we had an unnecessary division that denied the member for Wentworth the chance to make what I am sure would have been a much-anticipated contribution to the adjournment debate. When contributions are made in a constructive way, this parliament can function all the better.

The fact is that we have introduced a number of reforms, including to question time, as the Manager of Opposition Business raised. The Manager of Opposition Business suggests that they want to have question time to hold the government to account. Maybe today the test for them is whether we will actually have question time or yet another waste of time through a failed suspension of standing orders, which has now occurred on more than 70 separate occasions in the 43rd Parliament. It has occurred under this parliament more times than under the entire period of the Howard government, because the opposition do not have a plan for the future. They just have a strategy of wrecking the parliament day in and day out, which is why we see their negativity not just in policy terms but in the way that they conduct themselves in the operation of the chamber.

The fact is that the Manager of Opposition Business also gave it up when he said we will not be coming back next year because there will be an election. They have since 2010 had this fantasy that the government would somehow fall over. Each and every day that is what they have hoped for. The problem with that is they have therefore not had a plan for anything other than the next day. They have not done the hard work that you need to do in opposition to present alternative policies to the Australian people. That is why this week we have seen three question times and not a single question about the Asian century white paper, a major discussion paper on the future of our nation and the opportunities from the growth in our region. There have been no questions from the opposition about that and no questions from the opposition about Gonski. The minister for education is in the chamber here and the shadow minister does not ask any questions about education. The shadow health minister does not ask any questions of the Minister for Health. There is allegedly a shadow minister for infrastructure and transport. I am not sure that he is, because I never get a question from the Leader of the National Party, who happens to allegedly be my shadow minister, on the issues of nation building, infrastructure or transport policy.

I commend the sitting pattern to the House. I note that one of the reforms we have introduced because of the changes to question time with shorter questions and answers is the digital clocks. Perhaps we could have a digital indicator up in the chamber as well that could tick over every time a piece of legislation is carried. If there were a digital indicator up there it would show the government on 436, the opposition on zip, zero. Over the entire period of this government they have failed and last night they could not even keep their own people on the same side of the chamber on the wheat deregulation bill. They were characterised by their level of negativity. They said, 'We support deregulation, but we support it in a couple of years time, not now,' and they voted against legislation that is actually their policy.

It is no wonder Tony Crook sat on this side of the House and no wonder that there were two Liberal members from Western Australia who voted, in accordance with Liberal Party policy in Western Australia, to not support the opposition's negativity on that issue.

Just maybe today in question time—a challenge to the opposition—see if you can ask some questions about policy, just for one single day, and you might go out of this place over the next few weeks with a little bit, just a smidgen, of credibility.

Question agreed to.

See this speech in context