Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Sunday, 60 Minutes revealed allegations of branch stacking in Liberal Party branches in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and the star of the show was the member for Deakin, the Assistant Treasurer. It seems the member for Deakin is pretty used to being in the centre of events, but he has cut a very lonely and quiet figure around Parliament House this week. As the tumbleweeds start to blow through his political fortunes, very suddenly his career has become highly radioactive, but the silence has been most profound on the part of the Prime Minister.

Two months ago another political story aired on 60 Minutes. On that occasion the Prime Minister could not have been faster in getting out the door and talking about disarray and chaos and 'this being a test for Anthony Albanese'. Within 48 hours the member for Grayndler had met that test by instituting the biggest intervention into a Labor Party branch in 120 years. Well, what has the Prime Minister, himself, done this week? He's issued one line: 'This is an organisational matter for the Victorian division of the party.' That's it.

The brazenness of this Prime Minister's inconsistency is astounding and, in the process, it treats the Australian people like mugs. But if he thinks they won't see through that he's got another think coming, because they have a pretty knack, given the chance on election day, of calling out absolute garbage— (Time expired)