Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to join my sentiments to those of the member for North Sydney and thank him for his contribution. It has been three weeks, but the Prime Minister's self-proclaimed muppet show is back in full swing in Canberra today. In those three weeks, Australians have had a good look at the front bench of this government. They have been appalled to see that the member for Fadden, who was forced to resign as the Minister for Human Services over a private trip to Beijing to oversee a mining deal involving a Liberal donor, which demonstrated that he doesn't understand the ministerial standards, has come back to the front bench, this time as the Assistant Treasurer.

That puts this man in charge of our country's life savings, our superannuation. That puts this man, who, as we've seen across the last three weeks, can't keep track of his internet bills, in charge of our life savings. This man is going to make a decision about the payday-lending situation for Australians. He is going to be responsible for our life savings, but he cannot be trusted to act appropriately with an internet connection—although he has a masters, apparently, in IT.

The muppet show continues in this place. I call on this government to sort itself out, fix up who's sitting where and who's responsible for what and act responsibly.