Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I think when we are talking about knackeries, let us have a talk about this government. Let us have a look at what has happened.

Government members interjecting—

Hey, at least I've got knackery things! But let us have a look at what we are dealing with here: a government that hit the reset button, a government that said: 'Okay, we're going to change. We made some serious mistakes, but now we're okay.' Before Christmas it was, 'Let's get the barnacles off'. I do not know if it was Jack Sparrow or Captain Pugwash, but either way the clown is the member for Warringah. He is supposed to be the leader of this country, and he was out there saying, 'We're going to change'. Of course he must have had a hint that there really was a problem on the backbench. I note we have around 10 to 12 government backbenchers over there, so on the basis of that roughly two-thirds of you did not vote for the Prime Minister. I am just wondering: I know it was not the member for Bass, I know it was not him; I do not think it was a member for Hume; I am not sure, but I have my suspicions about the member for Barker. I really do. He is just too loud, he is just too noisy. They always say about babies that the ones with the dirtiest nappies always scream the loudest. He cannot help himself.

The member for Hume—he is a very serious man, just ask him—is always someone who will give you a lecture about the nature of the serious economic situations we face. He does look a bit like a parliamentary Ken doll—Brad Pitt, without Angelina Jolie. But the bottom line is this: he is no Alby Schultz. Alby had at least one eye, as we know. The member for Bass is a man I have known for some many years and whom I have some time for, but having said that let us not forget I have been here eight long terms and in that time there have been seven members for Bass.

An opposition member: Soon eight!

No, seven. There is only one who has been re-elected in that entire time. I wish the member for Bass luck—not much—and frankly I think he is going to need a lot of it. The point is: what we see in this government and the circumstances they are facing is real difficulty.

People mentioned, 'We learnt about leadership stoushes from you guys'. I might have been involved in one or two, that is true, but I will tell you what: it took me longer than 16 months! It took me twice that time, frankly! You guys are faster than us, I will give you that; much faster. You ought to think what that means. You reckon we were bad after six years, what do you reckon you are going to be like in three? What do you think? I will tell you what we will see: it is going to be chaos.

Mr Taylor interjecting—

Go and find Barbie! The bottom line is when you look at the question that we are facing here today on this budget, and this government, they are saying: 'Let's change. We're going to change.' But then the circumstances are: 'But we're not going to change anything. We're actually going to stick with a GP tax. We're actually going to stick with $100,000 university degrees. We're actually going to stick with very unfair changes to the pension indexation. We're actually going to stick with petrol indexation. So we're going to change, but we're not actually going to change anything.'

I did note the chief of staff of the Prime Minister seemed to be missing in action today. I am not sure if she is on leave, I am not sure if she has been hidden—I am not sure what is happening there. Maybe she was out having a go at somebody, which seems to be, from what we hear from the other side, what happens on a regular basis. But the bottom line is: she was not here. Maybe that is a change? But I do not think there is any real change in respect of this government going forward.

And when a budget has been met in the community in the way that it has, you know, because the backbench showed you, that when you go out there into the community, they hate it. They hate what you are trying to do, they hate what it is about, they hate what it says. You can sit back and talk about how, 'We're taking the principled line'. Joe Hockey made one speech two years before the last election, 18 months before the last election, saying there was a problem and then he shut up. You all went around your electorates, you went around the country saying, 'No, there's no problem; there's no need to move on all these issues', while you are now saying there are major problems. You are lying. You have lied in every one of your electorates, you lied throughout the country and now you are dealing with the aftermath of that.

The fact is the Australian community has seen what you have done and has heard what you have said and has realised and recognised that you are a fraud of a government and you have done it so quickly. Well done. Reap the whirlwind of your lies; reap the whirlwind of your behaviour. In the months ahead you know what is going to be happening: 39 is going to go 42 and then to 45 and then to 48 and then to 51 and then to 52—and even some of you are going to be in that cart and you know it! (Time expired)

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