Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure) Share this | Hansard source

How would you feel if you were the member for Moore, Canning, Swan, Stirling, Forrest, Tangney or Pearce? After the member for Curtin's quixotic quest for the prime ministership failed, the coalition had to put in a new minister from WA, and they picked the member for Durack. How would you feel if you were those other members? The member for Durack was their best option—a woman who has quickly established that she's the worst environment minister in the history of the Commonwealth.

She's even worse than the member for Flinders. She misjudged the Great Barrier Reef admin cost by $60 million. She insulted the former president of Kiribati, Mr Tong, by saying, 'It's always about the cash.' She ditched the knowledge of the 91 scientists who are members of the IPCC. She thought temperature was measured in per cent rather than degrees Celsius. And when she was asked about her climate change policy, she listed three policies: the Emissions Reduction Fund, which has run out of money, and the CEFC and ARENA, both of which this government has tried to abolish. What a slur on the great state of Western Australia that the government thought that she was the best option to represent that state in cabinet! The great tragedy is that the environment is what suffers. The environment is suffering because the member for Durack is incompetent and unfit to hold office. (Time expired)

See this speech in context