Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind members that I have moved a second reading amendment in my name which makes this a wide-ranging debate. Before I was interrupted by the adjournment debate last night, I was solemnly reflecting on the very, very poor performance of this current agriculture minister over the course of the now last four years and the extent to which the boondoggle that is the Regional Investment Corporation reflects his whole approach to this portfolio. In other words, it is a total focus on spin and the development of false hope among farming communities and rural communities generally by constantly talking about projects which will never manifest themselves—dams being the most glaring example—and by trying to lead people to believe that if you put a government agency in a town—an initiative which of course can do no harm and, indeed, can do some marginal good—that will somehow transform the fortunes of that local community. When you think about it, it's a bit like saying, 'We're going to increase the Centrelink staffing levels in your town by 20 per cent and that will lead to an economic recovery.'

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume his seat. I call the honourable minister.

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is an important bill, a bill that has a range of—

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a point of order?

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This bill covers a range of issues. It establishes the Regional Investment Corporation, which has—

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is an abuse! He's trying to waste my time. He hasn't even raised a point of order. He knows it's a free-ranging debate—

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's not a point of order.

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would ask you, Mr Deputy Speaker, to draw the member back to the bill and also back to the letter of the amendment.

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hunter.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Cowper might struggle to read, but, if he has a look at the second reading amendment, he will know I've extended the scope of this debate very, very broadly—in fact, as broad as the debate can go—and he is now protecting his failed agriculture minister by taking up my time. That's the tactic.

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, I draw your attention to the state of the House.

(Quorum formed)

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It says it all about the state of mind of this government. It now has to protect the current Deputy Prime Minister. It cannot take it. The member for Cowper knows that I moved a second reading amendment. He knows that I broadened the debate on this bill as broad as it can possibly go. He will get a wake-up call tomorrow, because tomorrow I'm in the Federal Court against this Prime Minister and I'm very hopeful that, as a result of those proceedings, we will get to see the secret coalition agreement. Then we will know the extent to which this Prime Minister has been prepared to go to hold on to power in this country, and the extent to which he was willing to do deals with the now Deputy Prime Minister and the National Party simply to cling on to power. I look forward to tomorrow's hearing in the Federal Court and ensuring that this Prime Minister stops using taxpayer money—

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hunter will resume his seat. I call the member for Hughes on a point of order.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hunter has widened the range of this debate, but I struggle to see how the topic he is talking about has any relevance whatsoever to this subject.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Obviously the member for Hughes has struggled with his reading as well, but if he reads the second reading amendment he will know quite clearly that this is a wide-ranging debate. This tactic is all about protecting the Deputy Prime Minister. They have him in witness protection. I saw him turn up for the Australian Farmer of the Year awards upstairs. I've never seen him camera shy before, but around the loop he went, with the journos and cameramen running after him. How embarrassing it has become for this Deputy Prime Minister. Just when you thought he couldn't be any more hopeless, he turns up day after day to prove it yet again. His performance in the agriculture sector has been hopeless. I am ready to say now that Barnaby Joyce will go down in history as the worst agriculture minister this country has ever had.

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hunter is reflecting constantly on another member. It's most inappropriate and most disorderly. I think it is a terrible display. He's reflecting on a member.

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask the member not to reflect on a member.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He has no point of order, but to assist you, I will be cautious in my approach. The point of order is wrong because I'm reflecting on the minister's policy performance in this portfolio. I'm making no personal attack or reflection on his character; I'm talking about his performance in this portfolio, which has been abysmal. I was sitting there recently trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, trying to think of one thing the minister has done for the agricultural sector. I came up with one. I will give him credit: we had an accelerated appreciation provision in the 2014 budget, I think, which helped farmers with water infrastructure, but that's it. I was unable to think of one other initiative. His white paper is a joke. The industry knows it. He's hopeless. He's a failure. I move my amendment, once again, to allow the member for Lingiari to second it.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the amendment seconded?

Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for External Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to second the amendment and to make some observations about that amendment. It says:

the House declines to give this bill a second reading as it places the Government's political interests ahead of the interests of Australia’s farmers.

Nothing could be further—nothing could be stronger in terms of—

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Nothing could be further from the truth! You were right the first time.

Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for External Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The only thing that can be further from the truth here is the way your minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, comes into this place and parades himself as a virtuous member of this parliament, yet, as we now know, has issues. Instead of fronting up to those issues, accepting responsibility and making sure he doesn't participate in cabinet discussions about issues of relevance and importance to this country whilst his position is in doubt, he fronts up here as if nothing has happened. Things have happened, and we know he has lost the faith of many across the community. He's an appalling minister for agriculture, as we well know. As we see every day in this place, he gets up to the despatch box in a raucous display of intemperate behaviour, dribbling, spitting and carrying on like a pork chop, yet when he's taken to account and questioned about his behaviour, his citizenship, and his right to be in this place, he doesn't demur. It's as if nothing has happened.

We know things have happened, because of what's happened with our former friends in the Greens, who, when they recognised they had dual citizenship, did the right thing and stood down from the parliament. What we're seeing now from the government is a very clear representation of the appalling state of the government, its disarray and the fact they can't rely on support internally. We know the Prime Minister is stuck with the fact that the Deputy Prime Minister, his National Party partner, is crucial to his ongoing leadership issue, to his ongoing role as Prime Minister of this country, and he's protecting him. While so doing, he's making us look like absolute galahs, because of his own poor behaviour. We know what's happening in this place. This is a protection racket for the Deputy Prime Minister, which is being fronted by the Prime Minister and other senior ministers.

As you know, as a member of the—I shouldn't say that, Mr Deputy Speaker, as you're not part of this debate; you are the Deputy Speaker—however, I will make this point: the people who live in cockies corner in this place understand the disrepute the leader of the National Party has brought them into. The leader of the National Party has made rural Australians think twice about why they should be saying anything in support of the National Party in this country. Whilst the leader of the government, the Prime Minister, stands up in this place and continues to defend the Deputy Prime Minister, the rest of Australia knows, as can be seen just by looking at the media—I don't look at the media every day as some others do—what a joke this Deputy Prime Minister is and what a joke the government is for its poor behaviour.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 43. The debate may be resumed at a later hour, and the member for Lingiari will be allowed to conclude his remarks then.