Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I always think that the budgets I have witnessed in this place over a period now of 20 years are not hallmarked by what is in them but in fact by what is not in them. Senator John Madigan let forth with great rage, and I am very much in sympathy with his rage. Many of you will have seen my rage at various times. I thought that when I got older I would get a little bit callused, but when in a nine-day period 200 mining jobs are announced to be gone from North Queensland—that next year 200 jobs will be gone at Mt Isa's CopperString as it closes down and as we cease to mine in Australia and downgrade to a quarry country only—500 jobs gone in Adelaide from the General Motors plant, 1,200 jobs gone in Melbourne at the Ford plant, 500 jobs gone at SPC Ardmona—at the plant itself and amongst the farmers—and another thousand-odd jobs are in jeopardy.

That is just in a nine-day period! Doesn't anyone sort of have a sensitivity towards what we are watching, which is the complete unravelling of the Australian economic fabric as the free-market policies of the ALP and the LNP—

An incident having occurred in the chamber—

Can I interrupt for a moment Madam Deputy Speaker? I would prefer people not to be having a telephone conversation while I am trying to address the Parliament of Australia! Possibly, gentlemen, you could go outside?

See this speech in context