Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We have heard about the climate wars, but we are in our first ever Finkel fight. What we have is a government that is divided, that is not looking towards the future and that is not capable of conducting itself in the normal manner. What used to happen is that governments used to ask for reports to be created. They would appoint a person to do it. They would then get the findings. They would read the findings and adapt the findings. The executive would then push it through their party room and implement it. But what we have here is a totally different model of government. We are in a parallel universe now.

I was reading one of Phil Coorey's articles on 13 June: 'Coalition MPs revolt against Clean Energy Target'. Extraordinarily, in this article he refers to the fact that Mr Abbott is leading a group of determined MPs who are apparently opposing this report. It says:

Mr Abbott, who had not read the Finkel report, slammed the CET on Monday as a "magic pudding" and "a tax on coal".

It is an extraordinary thing. Now we do not even read the reports, apparently. A former Prime Minister is opposing this report without even having read it. Think about that for a moment. In the ordinary processes of government, you would normally expect your opponents, if they want to oppose the report, to have at least read it. But no. That is not what is happening in this country.

Joe Aston points out that Mr Abbott is something of a weathervane on policy. He points out all of his inconsistencies over many areas, not least climate. I can remember when Mr Abbott, the member for Warringah, actually said that the Liberals should pass an ETS to get it off the agenda. Imagine if we had taken his advice then. It would have been implemented, and Australia would have been better off. We would have had an electricity sector that was not plagued by investment uncertainty. We would have investment certainty for those participants.

But, not content to be a weathervane on policy and not content to not read reports and yet oppose them, he is also fighting with members of the government. We have this ABC report on 14 June: 'Finkel review: Tony Abbott and Craig Laundy clash over energy review after party room meeting'. I would probably be backing the publican in that fight. I think some people would back the boxer, but I think I would back the publican. I think he probably would have dealt with a few belligerent customers over the years. And there is no more belligerent customer than the member for Warringah, Mr Abbott—absolutely no more belligerent sort of character around the place.

He is like a cross between Donald Trump and Nigel Farage. That is who Tony Abbott is. He is this country's unthinking populist opposition. That is what he is. He should never have been made Prime Minister—a mistake that the people admit and a mistake that the coalition party room admit now. That is why they knocked him off. This is a matter of record of history. You went into the election promising us adult government and stable government. What did we get? We got a change in prime ministership, and not just prime ministers but treasurers and three defence ministers—a revolving door in the National Security Committee of Cabinet. How many other ministerial changes? I have lost count. We are about to have another reshuffle and probably another leadership contest. Let's be honest about it. That is where this is heading.

This man is a menace to the body politic. He is an absolute menace. Why do people listen to him or give him the time of day in the coalition party room, allowing him to wreck the government? Clearly, the Prime Minister is sick of it and has struck back: 'Glib answers and one-liners are of no assistance in keeping Australia's energy secure and affordable.' That is certainly true. But it is time for Malcolm Turnbull to finally face down Tony Abbott and end the division in this government—

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