Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Leader of the House. Will the Leader of the House outline the importance of progressing the government’s legislative program? What considerations need to be taken into account in completing the program?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Chief Government Whip for his question. In the entire time that I have been in this House, I have never seen a motion to suspend standing orders during question time greeted with such silence from the opposition leader’s own side—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

because they know what he does not know himself. I understand that the member for Wentworth knows a dead cat when he sees one, but this one has got no bounce.

On Monday, we interrupted the government’s legislative agenda for 5½ hours. Those opposite did not seek to move, at 12 o’clock, when invited to by the government, a censure motion. That was at a time when they were still saying that the fake email was real. Two days later, when they know it is a fake, they come in here and move a suspension of standing and sessional orders for a censure motion. What an extraordinary position. I understand that their tactics committee met until 1.30 this morning. It has become a conference, because when I turned on the television to watch Sky News this morning I had to check what I was watching. There was Kieran Gilbert in the studio, interviewing the Leader of the Opposition. But watching the Leader of the Opposition I could have sworn I was witnessing the ghost of Mark Latham. It was all there: the jaw jutting out, all the fake aggression, all the machismo, all the ‘we’re going well’! We used to hear it. We used to hear, ‘It’s all going well!’

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order. Much as I enjoy references to the Labor Party’s former leader, this is quite out of order under standing order 104.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Warringah will resume his seat. The Leader of the House will relate his material to the question. The minister.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr Speaker. There is someone who knows about boxing! The fact is that this government does have a big legislative agenda. I understand why those opposite want to move suspensions of standing orders—because they have no questions. They have no questions. Why else? When was the last time a suspension was moved after three questions? When was the last time?

Opposition Member:

An opposition member—Four.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Three questions. They cannot even count. After three questions, they moved to shut question time down, because all they have got is a fake email—that is all they have got—and they have had a shocker of a week with this reincarnation of Mark Latham opposite here. Cab drivers are nervous! Lucky we have Comcar. Mr Speaker—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the member be no longer heard.

Question put.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This afternoon in the debate in this chamber, interrupted by question time, we have before us the migration detention legislation. This is important legislation. It is bringing justice to people who have been forced to rack up extensive bills. Not only do people on this side of the House think this is important legislation and want to vote in favour of it but there are many people of honour and integrity on the other side of the House who also want to vote for this legislation. I note the member for Kooyong’s speech in the parliament prior to this question time. We also, of course, want to receive back from the Senate their position on the CPRS. We want them to determine this important legislation. We think that we have had inaction for long enough on climate change. The Senate should determine its position. The Leader of the Opposition has said that he supports an emissions trading scheme. If he has amendments to that legislation, he should make them, and then it should return to this House. Whether it is alcopops, asylum seekers or the CPRS, we have absolute chaos on that side of the House—absolute chaos from a rabble led by a leader without authority, a leader who put his authority on the line last Friday over a fake email.

We take our legislative agenda seriously. We want to debate in this House the issues of concern to Australians: responding to the global economic crisis, responding to climate change—

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Getting the pension through.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

introducing fairness in the workplace, getting the pension changes through and making sure that we nation build for recovery. Whether it be the education revolution, infrastructure in hospitals, or road, rail, ports and broadband, they are the issues that the Australian public want us to discuss in this House and to determine a position on.

Yet what we have had from those opposite is a failure to recognise the fundamental principle that, when you are in a hole, you should stop digging. That is a fundamental principle in politics, and yet the Leader of the Opposition continues to dig. He continues to engage in this confected anger about this issue, when it is a fact that no taxpayer dollars went to any car dealer. That is fact 1. Fact 2: their whole campaign has been based upon a fake email. Fact 3: the Leader of the Opposition is finished.