Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Not the member for Groom—I will take that. The member for Groom—we are not quite sure: he is inside the church when he is in Brisbane; but, when he is down here, he is not allowed inside the church.

An opposition member: He's in the barnyard!

He has to go out to the barnyard—that is right. Which brings me to the National Party, because where are the Nats in this broad church of those opposite? Sometimes when the drought is on, they put their head in the left-hand side of the church and say, 'We're here. We're with you. The drought's on. Give us a hand.' Of course when the rain comes and the good times come, they are round the other side of the church, saying, 'Stay away from us. Stay away from our profits.' It is a little bit like how they sit in this place: some on the left-hand side; some on the right-hand side—they are not quite sure where they are. It is amazing.

Obviously, in any broach church, you have to work out what you are going to put on the altar—what is it all about? Why do you have a church in the first place? Why do you have a leader? You have the preacher out front—the 'Preacher from Point Piper'—saying, 'This is why you should stay inside my church.'

Why do you need to be there? Because, we are in Canberra, it is all about economics—that is really what it is about: being safe at night and looking after the books. You have to make sure you get the economic foundations right. You need to make sure your foundations are solid because, every now and then, you have to dig a crypt to bury a few bodies. We have seen that—we have seen that up in the corner up there: we have got the member for Mayo in the chamber. He is sort of wedged down in the crypt for a while but he will come back—we know that. It is a just a flesh wound; I know he will come back.

We have got the member for Mackellar—I think they have got the member for Mackellar; they are trying to push her down there and put a big slab of marble on top. The member for Paterson, the member for Wright—some of them will come back; I know that.

Today, I think, you had the leader, the 'Preacher from Point Piper', saying, 'Let's put the member for Higgins in there as well.'

An opposition member interjecting—

I think he would like to put the member for Tangney in there too after some of his comments on Indigenous Australians, but you cannot do that.

Let's remember in terms of economic leadership what happened. I remember the member for Mitchell—I listened to his speech when he talked about surpluses from the Labor Party. I remember the paraphernalia at the election and his shadow Treasurer saying he would have a surplus in the first year.

An opposition member: How old is Wyatt Roy?

Now we are tipping that Wyatt Roy will be in his late 80s by the time we actually get a surplus.

Mr Hawke interjecting—

Let's have a look at that: you borrowed $248.4 billion—the member for Mitchell would remember, because of his portfolio that you have borrowed $248.4— (Time expired)

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