Robert Ray (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Well, Senator Sherry, we can all remember a whole variety of them over the years. Today Senator Ellison said, ‘We’ve got a Senate majority.’ I have never tried to deny that. I have always acknowledged that. He said, ‘It is the will of the people.’ What is he going to say when the will of the people shifts the other way and they do not have the Senate majority? You did not seek a mandate for this matter. It was never in the election campaign. Are we entitled to walk in and strip you of all chairmanships simply because you no longer have a majority? It is not as simple as who has a majority and who has not. There is an underlying compact in this place that you behave with a degree of decency et cetera. I am not saying you have totally exceeded that, but you should understand it. If you misuse and abuse your majority, retribution will come. And it will come, naturally.

I know that you are somewhat insulated by the fact that the Greens and Democrats in here are far more reasonable than I am. They will look at the merits of the case. They will not look at it out of spite, as I am inclined to. I am inclined to say: ‘If you do this to us then you have to be taught a lesson. You’re going to be punished in future.’ It is like the old Maoist saying, ‘Punish one, educate 100.’ That may have to happen to you. We understand that. I am not saying that you have totally exceeded it now, but be warned. If the power goes to your head then enjoy it, because what comes back you will not enjoy. Every time you do one of these exercises you should calculate whether it is worth it. In this case you have calculated that it is worth it. But if you continue to do it and erode the position, you will cop it back, unfortunately.

Senator Ellison talked about proportionality in question time. Rubbish, Senator Ellison! In 1994 I walked into this chamber and made an offer to the opposition that was disproportionate. You got the first question and every alternative question—you were in the majority here and you got 50 per cent. You were treated fairly—not on the basis of proportionality but on the basis of the purpose of question time, the purpose of question time being to scrutinise government. It is only ever scrutinised 50 per cent of the time. Under a Labor administration or a Liberal administration, questions from government members, as you know, are a total joke.